I thought I would open a new thread because I would like to explore with any Ex-Transcendental Meditation/Maharishi Mahesh Yogi fans this horrific and sad murder at MUM in Fairfield, Iowa. We've been discussing Mahesh and Money and Mahesh and Meaning in other threads but this seems to warrant it's own thread.

Here's the deal: If 7000 meditators get together and practice their programs together in one spot, they are supposed to create something called Super-Radiance which PREVENTS WARS, VIOLENCE, WRONG ACTION, etc;

So How is it possible that an actual MURDER could be committed on the very campus that was designed to promote this Super-Radiance thing? We were all pretty well indoctrinated to the belief that it was impossible for any of us to come to harm in that place.

I would love to hear from anyone who knows what is going on around town and the campus. Are the 'roos' (short for Gurus, a slang term used by the 'townies' for anyone in the TM movement) in shock over this or did they just find ways to gloss this over? Is there any word about what they were told to think?

It should have been a wakeup call that something is rotten in Denmark but somehow I think the Mahesh Message of See No Evil, Acknowledge No Evil is too ingrained.

I've looked all over the net and just seen some news coverage stories, does anybody have any other input? Thanks!

You might try looking up MUMbull, a web site run by someone who thinks TM and Mahesh are great but the organization is foul.

The student who committed the murder had, earlier, used a pencil (during meditation time, horror or horrors) to stab another student (who was, apparently, on the program) in the neck.

Tsk, went the Dean who sent the offender to his room, because it was time for the Dean to meditate! [sadly there's no emotive for jaw-drop]

So, the student sent to his room went to the cafeteria where he picked up a table knife (some kind of knife) and fatally stabbed another student.

Apparently either the offending student had said he was schizophrenic or it was known that he was. However, schizophrenic individuals are rarely violent.

While I suspect too much TM (presumably they still do rounding) and too much unstressing, I also suspect that Mahesh's [i:3bf7f114c5]everything is rosy[/i:3bf7f114c5] [no offence] attitude has caused way too many people to live in fantasy land, dreaming of those golden domes and golden chariots.

I think the whole "movement" has gone potty.

I hit submit when I was aiming for preview.

Anyway, I have heard that an investigation is underway. Presumably details will be posted somewhere and, if I find out, I will make reference to them here.

All that hogwash about the [i:cb669f6111]Maharishi Effect [/i:cb669f6111]is blatant lies to make money (right after 9/11 Mahesh put a full page add in 3 prominent US papers demanding $1billion so he could bring about world peace, or else). I have the pdf of the ad, but don't know how to post it here.

But crime on campuses, whether secular or religious, still happens. Even violent crime. That the Dean should be so fundamentally daft as to take so little action when faced with a serious problem says more about TM and the negative effects of Mahesh's teachings than anything else.

I know I harp away at this, but maybe it needs repetition: TM is greed-based; Mahesh is selling people what he gears them up to want -- almost everyone is willing to pay any price in order to get something for nothing. Take gambling, for example. Since people generally get hooked easily on almost anything, Mahesh has a sure-fire thing going.

Happily he upped the price which mercifully puts TM out of the reach of more and more people.

Hi Rose:

The murder is glossed over as the individual (murderer) was 'unstressing'.

Or, the admissions requirements weren't strict enough, have to watch him more closely. Or, he was not following 'the program' appropriately. If he followed PROGRAM as dictated, then he wouldn't have unstressed so uncontrollably.

After all, look at all the scientific studies touting the benefits of TM.
No one sought the grant money, and therefore scientific publications, to document detrimental effects of TM.

In the TM community, problems are never blamed on effects of excess TM.

Yes, a law firm is digging into this. Yes, the murderer is currently institutionalized, in Des Moines I believe.

There are MANY such ugly incidents. This is one of few incidents to come to public attention.

Others - drug overdoses, suicides, psychotic breaks, are swept under the rug by administration. I've attended some of the memorial services, and visited others in hospitals.

We only hear of them if we happen to know the folks. Since my family still 'in', I hear of some of these. Grew up watching folks drop-like-flies around me... "they just weren't ready for such massive release of stress." :roll:

wow! It makes me wonder about all those students sitting in the dining hall who were totally traumatized by watching a murder in progress...who will be or have already shown signs of post traumatic stress and how they won't have anyone to turn to. In fact their supervisors will tell them 'it is best not to talk about it'. Scary!!!

I just looked at the web site Toni posted re David Lynch's learning whatever. Obviously to Lynch and to everybody in the dining room, it was just unstressing and any after shocks are just unstressing and TM is the only answer.

Now, can you say Tom Cruise (Kruz, Cruz???) and Scientology and the fight against actual legitimate medical and psychotherapeutic treatment?

I think I mentioned somewhere that the TV program Law and Order (Special Victim's Unit?) did a takeoff on Tom/Scientology and "drugs for mental problems are bad".

Their so-called supervisors will undoubtedly tell them just to go and meditate. If one of these so-called supervisors is actually on the ball, hopefully s/he will tell such students to at least [i:ef9597c2d7]feel the body[/i:ef9597c2d7], something that is actually useful and used to plan a very minor role in TM teaching and practise.

To [i:ef9597c2d7]feel the body[/i:ef9597c2d7] is to be aware of something physical that is associated with the mental affliction. One notes (and this is obviously Mahesh stealing from the Buddhists, because it is very ancient vipassana practise) that as the physical experience moves and changes and finally goes away, so does the mental experience.

Obviously, both come back, sometimes again and again. The procedure is helpful but is never intended in legitimate Buddhist practise as a substitute for genuine medical care.

Very, very scary, very, very sad, very destructive in the extreme, especially for those caught up in the mind-set of the TM cult of the guru (Mahesh and only Mahesh).

oops, that would be PLAY a very minor role ...

Perhaps I should add that, to the best of my knowledge, [i:c1d68611da]feeling the body[/i:c1d68611da] was consciously downplayed because Mahesh felt that just getting into the habit of feeling the body didn't lead to anything! Most of all, it distracted from "transcending" which was the holy grail of TM.

An example of purposely corrupted teaching designed to get people hooked on TM and therefore on the TM Guru, Mahesh.

Mahesh liked the analogy or example of capturing the fort and thereby controlling all the territor. Doing TM, one gained subtle and powerful levels of the mind and brought this into daily activity.

The other wonderful Maheshism is [i:c1d68611da]do nothing and accomplish everything[/i:c1d68611da].

Mahesh's wish, was, of course, your command, so this worked wonderfully for him and since he had served Guru Dev do diligently and faithfully, and look at how wonderful he became, if you serve the Guru ([i:c1d68611da]i.e.[/i:c1d68611da] Mahesh) just imagine what you'll get.

Carrot on stick.

Imaginary carrot workes just as well.