I thought we used to be able to edit our "contributions" once they were posted, but I couldn't find the edit switch, so there's just a small difference below" -- apologies for taking up so much space: QuoteMartin AdanacHi, ajinajan -- I liked the cult movie much better, as well; but I think the second one Toni posted has a lot of merit because it gives some glimpse int
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi, ajinajan -- I liked the cult movie much better, as well; but I think the second one Toni posted has a lot of merit because it gives some glimpse into how many of the faithful feel/think/fantasize. I think Toni's reference to "the fun part" is a bit of irony. When we were true believers, we thought it was delightful, cosmic, the most wonderful thing anyone could do. But from a d
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi, Gazz -- your story is good to hear. Not all of us realized, in time, just what we were being seduced into. But, there are two things I notice: first, like you, TM in the days before Mahesh decided to get rich and famous, the centres were pleasant, decent and nice. Second, not everyone found that TM stagnated. The second thing is curious. Mahesh's claims that TM worked for everybo
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I worked with Max. You might want to check out this marvellous video Toni shared with me recently: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mnNSe5XYp6E I can cite Mahesh examples for almost every incident in the video. I didn't realize at the time I was with him what he was doing and how cleverly and deceitfully he was doing it. I was a true True Believer, right out of Eric Hoffer! I t
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QuoteLehmann108My paradox with MMY has been the very deep spiritual experiences that his techniques and his presence have triggered in me. Hi, Lehmann -- I have a question and I am not asking it to provoke an argument or to criticize or anything of that kind. I am just wondering how you know that you had a very deep spiritual experience? This is what people said about LSD and all the toys of
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Thank you so much Toni -- this is brilliant. To paraphrase the poet: ah, what some gift the gifty give us to see ourselves as others see us. Well, I suppose that Burns (not George) is rotating in his grave over that one. I wonder how many of the TM faithful realize just how absolutely they have been snared in the spider's web. Yes, I am sure they have all sorts of pat responses, g
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

There is an old joke, somewhat dark: the minister, the priest and the rabbi are talking to god. The minister asks if men and women will ever be really equal. God ponders a bit and says YES, but not in your lifetime. The priest askes if protestant the catholic will ever be united. Again god ponders and finally says, YES, but not in your lifetime. The rabbi asks, will there ever be peace in the mid
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Last night, unable to sleep for some peculiar reason, I was thinking of a message I had read at another site, someone who has a quite detestable personality claimed to meditate correctly and another person whom the first dislikes quite openly, having abandoned the Dome, etc. at Fairfiled, was told he was no longer meditating correctly. No one ever claimed the TMO, Maheshism and the Maheshites
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hi Toni -- yes, Mahesh was the master of the well turned poison rapier. Do you remember the episode of Frazer where he and Niles are trying to get into an excluseve club with only one membership available (the other will have to come as a guest of the successful one)? Niles, referring to Frazer: please give the membership to my brother, we wouldn't want another messy suicide attempt. F
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

QuoteThe point is, over time, I began to sense that he had very human weaknesess. He got irrationally pissed at times, was increasingly paranoid, and could take delight in others misfortune. Can you just IMAGINE what must be going on with those that have to cater to him in Vlodrop? Wow. Nail hit on head. He's almost a tame version of his role model ADOLPH HITLER, except who gives a ra
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi, Joe -- The light went on, the first time, at Estes Park. I overheard a bunch of Americans explaining to Mahesh what the Rig Veda said and what it meant! The next day, he shared with us HIS wast wedic wisdom and latest insights into the meaning of SCI and the Rig Veda. But I wanted to teach TM, so I hung on. Then, on my first ATR in Mallorca, he asked me to stay, actually, he insisted. So I
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Joe - forgot to ask: have you been following the old Weasel's latest horrific stunt? Groups of 'sidhas' in Fairfield and DC and Israel (!) to stop the violence? I understand that in Caesarea there's also a group. Would he give a toss if their hotel got bombed? Doubtful. The randy oik is mad, mad I tell you, freaking mad. It would be so laughable if he didn't have
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi Joe -- very funny story. I was on the Poland Spring phase 1 course, Mahesh was consistently late, I think he really enjoyed keeping a roomful of people waiting; must have impressed the hell out of his ego. One day, whilst we were all meditating, a hum from some electrical something could be heard, one by one we started to hum with it. Finally we all started to giggle uncontrolably. I don
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi, Joe -- we may well have crossed paths in Seelisberg or elsewhere on TTC or ATR. It seems a lot of folks abandoned Mahesh when he started blatantly selling spiritual techniques (well, he said that's what they were, others saw through the lie). He was so paranoid about the CIA, yet anyone with the course fee could become a TM teacher. He is/was sort of a joke on himself in that regard,
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi, Toni & Peppermint -- maybe I need to revise my thinking that the manipulative little weasel is scarrier than any possible side effects from TM. There are some really scarry side effects that I have seen: you must have been doing something wrong is the always-and-only explanation. TM cannot do harm. Mahesh is the greatest good. Mahesh known best. This seems to permeate what Eric Ho
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

Venture group. That's really apt, Peppermint. TM is all about Mahesh and his sense of self-importance and how important it is for meaningless people (that'd be you and me and anyone we could ever possibly know) supporting him. I have very grave concerns about the actual practise of TM. I used to think that, by itself, TM was probably ok, especially in moderation; but I am just not su
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteAt the first level TM usually consists of repeating a one or two syllable word, or sometimes two. It does calm the mind down and could benefit young people. A book written on TM reported that the practioner got the same benefits repeating a TM mantra, and later repeating 'one' and then 'coca cola'. Hi, Peppermint -- there was a time where there was only one TM "lev
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

QuoteHmmmm...interesting. I agree that one needs to be careful that there isn't any afflilation/hidden agenda (!) but aside from that can't see that mediation could ever be anything but a good thing. That said...even more important, in my mind, is what these kids are eating. It seems to me that chef Jamie Oliver in England has the right idea. He's going after the school lunch p
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

oops, that would be PLAY a very minor role ... Perhaps I should add that, to the best of my knowledge, feeling the body 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
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

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
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

I frowed up.
Forum: "Cults," Sects, and "New Religious Movements"

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 Maharishi Effect 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
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

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 De
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi, Rose -- a dhoti is the outer garment. The undergarment looks sort of like a jock strap. Yes, all the true-believers think Mahesh is pure as the driven snow and doesn't know what aweful things the organization is doing. Crap. He is the organization; no one makes a move without his permission and they're off to Lower Slobvolia to teach the minute they do (make a move without his au
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

hmmm. This is good dialogueing, in my opinion. I'm really grateful and tickled by all your insights. Are you a Brit, by chance? I've noticed some slang that is definitely not 'American English'. No, not British, Canadian Mostly I am just glad to finally AT LAST find others who are ex-Tm'ers and who have been there, done that. I still have many pieces of the puzzle
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

Hi, Toni and Rose (there were no spelling inexactitudes) When I was Mahesh's secretary Purusha and Mother Divine hadn't come to be and MIU and World Plan Centres were in their infancy if not fetal stages. I never met anyone who appeared to work as persistently and focused(ly) as Mahesh. But by the 70's, he wasn't working as he had pre-Beatles. Now he was managing the wor
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Don't just look at the master, look at who serves Him, before you make up your mind to end up like them. This and your above great one-liner boink the many-headed Purusha guys really made me laugh. You are so well-spoken! Dissing (or is that dyssing?) TM, TMO, Mahesh and the lunacy of the whole thing is marvellously therapeutic in that one begins to see one's own growth and healing.
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Hi, Rose, same Martin, I just couldn't log in any more, so had to set up again. I hadn't had an e-mail for a while and sort of lost track and then had a note from Toni saying someone had asked me a question! Toni says hi and will get to your question, but is +++++ busy right now. Your use of "Nazi" is perfectly correct. Mahesh liked Hitler and especially liked/likes his st
Forum: Former Cult Members and Affected Families

At the very top of the heap, you will be ghostly pale, cadaverous, unsexed, won't be able to speak above a whisper, won't be able to say BOO! to a Goose, will NOT be able to entertain negativity and therefore when your car breaks down you will believe -- conversely -- that something good is happening and at the same time flee and writhe in tortured, convoluted denial at your OWN MIND�
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"Never shall we entertain negativity...never shall we denounce anyone" Rose, I think you re on the right track. You might not know, but nobody ever matched Mahesh's negativity when he encountered someone or something in his way. Some really rich supporters, after many years ane tonnes of $, dumped him like a garbage. He called them demons. A couple of times when I was around hi
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