Nepalese Earthquake Victims Without Food, Water, Shelter

Recent earthquakes in Nepal have left the populace in crisis.


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According to the Oxfam International website:

"...Hundreds of thousands of displaced people need urgent humanitarian assistance now - including children and women who are forced to be out in the open, huddled in groups with no food, safe water, or shelter...." 


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According to Maharishi’s Global Family Chat, 16 May 2015:

"A far-reaching and permanent solution to Nepal’s emergency....

...Many people are helping Nepal from many angles at this time. Raja Kingsley presented a...plan to support all efforts from the inside out...[by] enlivening the collective consciousness for permanent harmony on all levels – including environmental....

...Nepal has a rich, unbroken tradition of Vedic Pandits, and currently has 500 Gurukuls (training schools for Pandits)....The first step of the plan is to train Transcendental Meditation Teachers for each Gurukul so they will take care of teaching the students and the local community. The next level is to build five Maharishi Vedic Institute campuses for the training of the Pandit boys when they leave Gurukul. In this way tens of thousands of Maharishi Vedic Pandits can be trained most economically and effectively to support the growth of Nepal....

...Your support will make a difference to how quickly and well Nepal recovers. A powerful emergency programme to create 2,500 Sidhas at a cost $50 each (a total of only $125,000), will create a wave of sustainable coherence...To donate, please visit...."

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From a youtube video of MUM students questioning Bob Roth, (vice president of the David Lynch Foundation, which helps spread TM):

"...Student:  Is there any scientific proof that the yagyas work?

Roth:  Let me get back to you on that...."

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From  TM-Free Blog article entitled "Regarding Maharishi Yagyas," written by me, and posted May 20, 2014:

"...a TMO [TM organization - ed. note] email from December 18, 2013 states that: 
  
         '...the National Yagya program is now averaging [i.e., receiving donations of - ed. note]  
         $429,000 USD per month....The whole world is enjoying the blessings of the daily 
         performance....'
  
That's $5,148,000 a year income for the 'National Yagya program' alone...."

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From an anonymous TM-Free Blog follower who sent us the Maharishi Global Family Chat announcement:

"...I can't express how repulsed I am by this low-rent attempt to fund raise."

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What do you think?

Regarding Maharishi Yagyas®

(Please note:  This website does not promote, encourage, approve of, recommend, or support the purchase of or the value of "Maharishi Yagyas."  This article is written solely for the purpose of education and discussion. - Laurie)


A friend of TM-Free Blog recently showed me an email he received on January 12, 2014 from one of the branches of the TM organization (TMO).  The email starts with the title "Maharishi Vedic Pandits Creating World Peace."  Excerpts from the email follow:

"We are delighted to...announc[e] a highly beneficial, affordable and exciting expansion to the Yagya program for individuals and families - the Maharishi Special Yagya Program."

My comment:  This seems to me like deceptive advertising.  Where is the proof that the yagyas are "highly beneficial"?  And why do they call these yagyas "affordable"?  I clicked around, and found that they cost from $1,000 to $10,000 apiece.

"Maharishi designed a beautiful series of Special Yagyas for important times in life: Birthdays, Weddings, Wedding Anniversaries, and for the Birth of a Child."

They say "Maharishi designed" them.  Well, Maharishi has been dead for several years, but they're only being advertised this year.  So did he design them after he died?  Or, if he designed them during his lifetime - for the benefit of humanity - why are they only being made available now?  Also, Maharishi freely admitted that he knew only a little Sanskrit.  If so, how could he design Sanskrit rituals?  So what's going on?  Personally, I believe that someone else designed them, but is attributing them to Maharishi because that gives them more credibility.  

The yagyas are called "beautiful," but since donors are not present when these rites are performed, we'll have to take the TMO's word for it.  Also, we'll have to take the TMO's word that these rituals are being performed at all.

"These Special Yagyas bring the blessings of Nature to individuals and families at transitional times when specific, supportive Laws of Nature are particularly lively and accessible...."

Here we have several unscientific and undefined phrases which however have strong emotional resonance.  This style of writing circumvents scientific inquiry, since science requires terms to be defined.  Evocative phrases include "blessings of Nature," "specific, supportive Laws of Nature" and "particularly lively and accessible."

"All funds from this program support the large group of Maharishi Vedic Pandits, which is bringing peace, affluence and harmony to our world...."

According to Wikipedia, in  January 2014 there were 41 armed conflicts on earth.  In 2012, there were 905 natural catastrophes  which resulted in approximately $200,000,000 USD worth of damage.  So to me it seems inaccurate to state that the Pandits are bringing "peace, affluence and harmony" to our world.

But to backtrack, you may be asking, "What is the Maharishi Yagya program?"  Here is the answer, from maharishiyagya.org.

 "...the remedial measures one can take to avert problems seen in the birth chart to be coming to the individual.  It is a practical means to help protect us from unwanted influences - such as illness, accidents or loss; and also to support positive influences.  Regular Maharishi Yagya performances help maintain life in balance.

..Maharishi Vedic Astrology expert has seen something in the birth chart; and it's destined for the person.  But some influence could be created to change that destiny - and that's the Maharishi Yagya program...." 

More evocative and undefined phrases.  The above quote sort of explains what a Maharishi Yagya supposedly does.  But it doesn't explain what a Maharishi Yagya is.  Other TMO sites explain that it is a TMO-style Sanskrit chant plus ceremony performed by one or more TMO-trained Indian men.  The many TMO websites are vague, but apparently each yagya takes one day or less. TMO literature clearly states that the more money you spend on your yagya, the more powerful its effect.  They also strongly urge the customer to buy the most expensive yagya one can afford.

How much money is the TMO earning from this program?  A TMO email from December 18, 2013 states that:

"...the National Yagya program is now averaging (i.e., receiving donations of - Laurie) $429,000 USD per month....The whole world is enjoying the blessings of the daily performance...."

That's $5,148,000 a year income for the "National Yagya program" alone.  (The TMO says that the National Yagya program -- that is, the 350 Indian men in Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa who live in pre-fabricated, under-heated homes and earn $100-200/month apiece -- costs $600,000 a month to run.  I'm not sure why it should cost that much.  Anyone have any ideas?)  And there are many other "Maharishi Yagya" programs, which also bring in money for the TMO.

The announcement/advertisement for this new yagya program states that:

"the oral tradition of Vedic chanting has been declared an intangible heritage of humanity by UNESCO."  (United Nations Educational, Scientific & Cultural Organization - Laurie).  

This sounds impressive, but by now I always double-check anything the TMO says.  So I researched the "Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity" UNESCO project.  Their website states that their list of intangible cultural heritages is made up of those "elements that help demonstrate the diversity of this heritage and raise awareness about its importance."  From 2008-2013, 282 intangible heritages were listed by UNESCO.  Aside from yagyas, other examples of "intangible heritages" included woodcrafting in Madagascar, textile art of Peru, ox-herding traditions of Costa Rica, and Sardinian pastoral songs of Italy.
  
By the way, payment for these yagyas is legally designated as a "donation," and donations are tax deductible for U.S. tax payers.  All U.S. non-profits must make public their finances, and the financial audit can be found at www.vedicpandits.org/pdf/BSF-Audited-Financial Statement-12-31-2011.pdf.

TM Leader Hagelin Perverts Science to Sell Expensive TM Products

John Hagelin is the national director of the Transcendental Meditation(R) Program in the United States.  (His official title is "Raja of Invincible America").  He has a Ph.D. in physics from Harvard University.

A reader of TM-Free Blog who is on a TM email list was kind enough to send the TM-Free co-editors an email which he received from the TM organization in early September 2012.  It included a letter from Dr. Hagelin.  Highlights from Hagelin's letter are as follows.  (All quoted material is in red).

"Dear Friends,

As a direct result of the generosity and vision of our donors, the Maharishi National Yagya(SM) program has grown into a powerful force for America.  ["Maharishi Yagyas" are, briefly, large groups of people chanting Sanskrit for many hours or days in a manner taught by the TM Organization -ed.].  

We are beginning to see a correlation between the specific appeals of these massive Yagyas and positive developments for the Nation.

Last month our National Yagya included an appeal for rain where needed[.]

- Since the start of that Yagya we have been receiving many beautiful reports from supporters all around the country of welcome and refreshing rain. 

- In Fairfield, Iowa, where the largest number of National Yagya supporters reside, it started to rain when the Yagya began in India....

Previous National Yagyas included an appeal to increase the number of Pandits [TM org. chanters - ed.] in the U.S. campus[.]

- 556 Pandits now have passports....

- The first phase of the kitchen expansion to accommodate the new Pandits has been completed....

...In this time of great opportunity we hope that you will be inspired to give and-if at all possible-to commit to regular monthly sponsorship.  [Emphasis in original.]

Our next 11-day National Yagya will begin on September 19.  Please click now [emphasis in original] to offer your support....

With a donation of $1,250 or more, you-or anyone you designate-will be named in the Sankalpa [intention - ed.] of a National Yagya(SM) performance.

For smaller donations, a new feature on our web site allows you to make a gift in honor or memory of someone...."

As to the scientific sophistication of this national leader with a Ph.D., I quote from a Wikipedia article entitled "Correlation does not imply causation."  (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Correlation_does_not_imply_causation):

"Correlation does not imply causation" is a phrase used in science and statistics to emphasize that a correlation between two variables does not necessarily imply that one causes the other....

Example 
     With a decrease in the wearing of hats, there has been an increase in global warming over the same period.  
     Therefore global warming is caused by people abandoning the practice of wearing hats.

The website Sceptic School (http://scepticschool.com/2012/05/07more-logical-fallacies/) offers an excellent introduction to logical fallacies.  The author of the website teaches logic to 12-14 year olds, so one would think a Ph.D. would be familiar with this stuff.  From the website:  

"Post-hoc ergo propter hoc - saying that because A happened before B, A must have caused B....[C]laiming that because a rooster crows before the sunrise, a rooster's crow causes the sunrise."

So let's look again at Hagelin's comment:  "We are beginning to see a correlation between the specific appeals of these massive Yagyas and positive developments for the Nation."  i.e. the yagyas caused rain, and caused more chanters to head to the U.S.

Whatever is Hagelin thinking?  Why does he write messages like this?  Does he get a commission?  Is he so cynical that he thinks gullible people will believe him?  Is his mind so damaged by the cult-think of Maheshism that he can no longer think scientifically?  

And what about the people who buy the yagyas?  Have they lost the capacity to think logically?  Lots of people must be convinced, because the IRS tax form for non-profits (yes, you can get a tax deduction for buying Maharishi yagyas) for the Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation (http://www.vedicpandits.org/pdf/BSF-2011-Form-990.pdf) shows that in 2010, total donations received for purchase of yagyas were $2,027,650, and in 2011 total donations were $3,714,902. 

If you want to read more hard sell, guilt-induction, begging and flattering to obtain money; and pseudo-science, you can google "Maharishi yagyas."

Do you have any experience with the TM organization's yagyas?  With the pandits?  With the TMO's begging for money?  With the TMO's guilt-tripping?  With their poor science?

Disaster in Japan? Send us money for exotic religious rituals!

Just when you think the global organization that teaches Transcendental Meditation can't sink any deeper, "Global Country" leaders are now organizing monetary support for Vedic rituals performed by "specially trained Maharishi Vedic Pandits of India" as their unique way of providing "urgent relief for Japan." They claim that these rituals "will be vastly more powerful and effective than what the general public can achieve by contributing to rescue efforts and similar, classical approaches."

The following is an excerpt from the TM movement's "Global Good News" website:

Large Maharishi Yagyas being organized to provide urgent relief for Japan

Global Good News    Translate This Article
19 March 2011

In response to the critical situation in Japan, the Global Country of World Peace is organizing a special global emergency initiative to create a very large, sustained Maharishi Yagya performance—to bring immediate and lasting relief to the people, neutralize negative influences, and prevent further calamities in the nation. 

Yagyas are ancient precise performances by specially trained Maharishi Vedic Pandits of India, which create specific life-supporting influences for individuals, families, and nations from the field of pure consciousness, the Unified Field of total Natural Law. 

Leaders of the Global Country around the world, including Dr Bevan Morris, Prime Minister, and its Administrators in the United States, Japan, and India, are promoting this urgent initiative among participants in Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's programmes and well-wishers of humanity in every nation. 

Addressing Transcendental Meditation Teachers and practitioners in the United States, Dr John Hagelin, Administrator of the programme in that country, explained, 'While we are contributing a great deal through our daily meditations—especially those on the Invincible America Assembly**—there is one more very powerful thing we can and must do. 

'We must harness the Vedic technology of prevention throughYagya. Whereas group meditation and Yogic Flying produce a powerful, generalized, non-directed surge of positivity for the general well-being of society—Maharishi Yagyas create a very focused, concentrated influence of positivity designed to neutralize a specific threat.' 

A very large, sustained Yagya for Japan 'is exactly what is needed now to avert further calamity in Japan,' said Dr Hagelin and the other leaders. 

While it may be true that certain rituals may be performed as a result of this campaign, I can't help but notice that this is an appeal for people to send large sums of money to an organization that's directly connected with the particular Vedic/Hindu sect in India that originally spawned Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, known as the Brahmanand Saraswati Foundation, headed by the Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math. The lineage of this Shankaracharya, which only dates to its revival in 1941, has long been in dispute, but this organization apparently serves to substantiate the TM movement's claim to be derived from a particular Indian spiritual tradition, and it is the beneficiary of various Western fundraising efforts like this one.

Meanwhile, the TM movement's "Governors" - teachers of Transcendental Meditation - have been instructed to send a special e-mail message announcing this campaign:

Dear Governors,

As we are all aware, the situation in Japan has become extremely critical.

To help alleviate the growing crisis and avert the potential for a nuclear catastrophe, Raja Hagelin with Raja Ram, Dr. Bevan Morris and the International leadership of Maharishi's Movement are urging the immediate creation of a large and powerful Yagya for Japan.


They have created a special announcement to be sent to ALL Governors and Sidhas in your area as well as the more experienced Meditators who would understand the power of the preventative technology of Maharishi Yagya. 

In that special announcement addressed to "Sidhas and Governors of the United States" is the core of the movement's appeal for boatloads of money. Unlike the movement's practices of the distant past, they make no secret of the fact that the donations won't even be used for the things the TM movement used to claim justified charging fees for meditation instruction; funds collected in this campaign will only pay for people doing rituals that allegedly have some magical influence on the planet. Unlike the movement's promotions of Transcendental Meditation, for which they claim to have achieved some level of scientific validation, this program is fully in the realm of unsubstantiated religious claims and practices.

To this end, we invite you to join us in the establishment of a special emergency fund to create a very large, sustained Yagya for Japan.

This is exactly what is needed now to avert further calamity in Japan.

We need everyone—hundreds of people—to contribute whatever they can. This will be vastly more powerful and effective than what the general public can achieve by contributing to rescue efforts and similar, classical approaches. Only we have the knowledge of how to engage the managing intelligence of Nature so directly and so powerfully. And with that knowledge comes the responsibility to act.

The Brahmananda Saraswati Foundation, with the Shankaracharya as its Patron and Maharaj Adhiraj Rajaraam as its President, was established by Maharishi to support the Vedic Pandits in India and to perpetuate the Vedic Tradition, including the Vedic technologies of Jyotish and Yagya. For the special purposes of this global effort to bring immediate and lasting relief to the people of Japan, this 501c3 charitable fund will be used.

PLEASE, EVERYONE: LET’S GIVE GENEROUSLY!

With a contribution of $1,250 or more, your name will be acknowledged in the Maharishi Yagya Performance, and we will provide you with special guidelines to follow during the days of the performance.

Please send your donations today. Include your name and address, and you will receive a letter acknowledging your tax-deductible gift.

So what they're basically saying is, send us lots of money so we can arrange for fabulously expensive religious rituals in Fairfield or India that will be much more effective than actually working toward feeding, clothing or housing people affected by the earthquake and tsunami. Trust us. After all, we wear crowns and we've appointed our very own King and after all that you still take us seriously, so we know you'll take this seriously too.

Update, 21 Mar 2011 16:02 EDT: Here's the latest e-mail from "Raja" John Hagelin.

A Heartfelt "THANK YOU" from the People of Japan

Dear Sidhas and Governors of the United States,

I want to thank you, profoundly, for your immediate and overwhelming response to this urgent appeal from the people of Japan.

In less than two days, we have raised over $125,000 from approximately 350 generous souls. This is truly heartening, extraordinary, and absolutely beautiful.

The Yagyas have begun! And they are being expanded continuously as your support flows in. Already, even from the mere sankalpa (commitment of intention) from so many, the dangerous compounding of nuclear mishaps and related danger to the population may be easing. It is too early to declare victory, and we must not become complacent. There is still much hardship, with the death toll now at a projected 18,000.

Our immediate goal is to raise $200,000 to engage the largest possible, sustained Maharishi Yagyas for Japan. Amazingly, we are already mostly there-a historic and highly commendable response.

For those who have not, please take a moment now to give generously. (The details are below.) Thanks to the uniquely powerful and profound Vedic wisdom and technologies Maharishi has blessed us with, we have the ability to accomplish what no-one else can.

I am extremely proud of you. Our dear brothers and sisters in Japan, and indeed the whole global Movement, are thrilled and grateful for what you have done, and are doing.

With heartfelt congratulations and deep thanks to all of you,

Jai Guru Dev

Raja John Hagelin