A true spiritual teacher has the realization, the understanding, the aptitude, and the effective means to support others. That combination is rare even among teachers.
My first spiritual teacher of consequence was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. I had what had become a rare opportunity to ask him a few questions at the end of a 6 month retreat. It was a powerful experience because his direct attention was like standing in a high wind. This took my mind off-line so there was no one to hear his response. (laughs)
Maharishi’s goal was to awaken the world. To enable that, he set out to get as many people started with a technique for samadhi (TM) as possible (the effective means). He created thousands of technique teachers in all parts of the world and millions learned. But this meant he wasn’t available as a personal teacher. He was a world teacher rather than guru-style.
In the 70’s, research discovered that when 1% of a population began TM, the crime rate, accident rate, hospital admissions and other markers of quality of life took a spike down. In the 80’s, they discovered that when the square root of 1% of a population did advanced practices together, they had the same effect. Not with an intention but by doing their meditation together. They did various experiments around the world to test the formula. Practitioners would gather in places like war zones. When they did their practice together in the region of the conflict, the fighting would end while they were there. But it restarted as soon as they left. Real solutions required a sustainable group.
While this was going on, many others engaged in spiritual practices through many other spiritual groups, adding their own contributions.
The TM organization never developed the support structure to assist with a full unfolding, yet the basic approach and understanding was very effective. Millions transcended and a surprising number have matured and have become very ripe or have shifted. As consciousness continues to rise from more people waking, more are shifting.
It turns out we’re living in a time where it’s more about the collective than the teacher. It is the rising collective that’s bringing awakening. Many are waking up outside any teaching. Some say that the avatar Kalki is coming as the collective, not as a form like Krishna. The experience here is that he’s been present since the 70’s.
We’ve needed people of vision to restore understanding and quality techniques. But they set the direction. They haven’t needed to hold our hands. Now many of the awake are helping to facilitate what a teacher may have done before but without the formal role.
In recent years, a new stage has become clear. A gathering of people in Unity+ stage. Not doing anything in particular – just sitting together, amplifying each other’s presence. We might call this the Enlightenment effect. In time, groups will gather to help raise the whole and sustain it.
But again, this is a collective. It’s through coming together that the fullness of light will descend. The messiah is us.
Davidya
Thank you, Sri David.
Yes, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and His teacher Brahmananda Saraswati, were the last two earth teachers who set out and have made way for a comprehensive vision of the completion of consciousness, Brahman, and our inevitable Yoga with Mother Divine; 200 percent of life.
One of those cosmic events that then asks us, “What more do you want?”. 🙂 In other words, the key to maximizing our global existence is now within our grasp.
The global healing formula has been unlocked, for anyone with a human nervous system to enliven. No more saviors needed, as we are already here.
I recall when Maharishi was asked on a TV show in the 1970’s how he would enlighten the world by Himself, He replied, “I will duplicate myself” or close enough. Speaks for the efficacy of his offerings. 🙂
Jai Guru Dev
“The global healing formula has been unlocked”
Well put, Jim. And in ways we never would have imagined back when we heard the ideas.
Yes, that is for sure. I recall a question coming to mind when I was just a few years into meditating (TM). I had heard that an enlightened person will fulfill all of their desires, and I remember thinking, well, if an enlightened person [like Maharishi] wants world peace and an enlightened society, why hasn’t it happened?
Of course that was long before I had enough clarity to see the mechanics of such a desire at work. Funny how it is exactly as Maharishi described though also as you say, unimaginable. 🙂
🙂
davidji
What an elegant presentation of the unfolding of Awareness over the last 60 years.
“ let us sit together…”
Thank you
My fav is the closing of the Rig Veda.
““Go together, speak together, know your minds to be functioning together from a common source, in the same manner as the devas [celestial beings], in the beginning, remain together united near the source.”
https://davidya.ca/2009/10/01/being-together/
Jai Guru Dev
This touches me deeply!
I remember someone asking Maharishi bluntly „Are you Kalki?“ and he answered smiling, „The situation is not that bad yet.“
„… he wasn’t available as a personal teacher. He was a world teacher rather than guru-style.“
Well, yes, he made no secret of it. He said he wasn‘t interested in individuals. But that was only one side of it. It was not completely impossible to contact him. However, his focus always turned out to be much wider than you had expected. Having his attention on you always meant a burden as well as a blessing, the blessing sometimes turning out many years later.
I met him first at the age of 20. His presence was beyond description. I do not think there were many people who would have been able to cope with the energy he radiated all of the time.
When he moved to Selisberg, Switzerland, I lived in the south of Germany, close enough for a weekend excursion. Until the mid 70s it was usually possible just to walk into the lecture hall, and usually he showed up at some time of the day. Sometimes it was possible to ask him things on his way in or out.
We were told that in case of a serious problem we could send him an confidential letter within an second envelope. I did this only once. He did not answer personally, but I know he enquired about me and my family, and the problem was solved.
I had a few more personal encounters, some of them very unusual, but all of them more or less connected with the collective and my personal life at the same time. The result usually was a load of tasks to organize. It was anything but linear and led me through an unexpected purgatory.
Unfortunately, I am not a person who feels very comfortable in groups – with the exception of group meditations. But it seems that I have a strong inner link to the collective as well as to the fading culture of my native county, and I feel the labour of the birth of something new very strongly.
I now live in a remote rural latin surrounding, where some of the traditional social and religious community life still exists. Though much of it may be naive, ritual and not fully comprehended, it works. The holy sites still radiate.
But this will probably not prevent the change.
In our time of decaying and disintegrating structures, we urgently need new forms of spiritial communities.
Instead of founding a new religion, Maharishi led us back to the very basis of it all. From there it must grow.
Thanks, Herwig.
Interesting perspective – the burden and blessing. It was certainly very karmic.
I heard about the letter thing but when I asked about it, that caused trouble. (different karma)
While introverts are often not that comfortable with groups, if you’re an empath that would amplify that. Depends on the type as to how.
I live in the “wild west” where things are growing and changing constantly. My home town is unrecognizable from when I was young. Communities are mostly made from waves of immigrants whose origins have shifted over the years. There has been smaller settlements here for 10’s of thousands of years but it was mostly forest until about 100 years ago.
But yes, communities founded on direct experience of the collective rather than belief. Still- easier said than done. Most don’t recognize the value of community yet.
The square root of 1% is 1%.
Ah yes, Rob. More precisely, its the square root of the value of 1% of the population.
In the early 80’s, this was a little under 7,000 for the world. About 8,000 of us gathered in Iowa to do group practice for 10 days during the winter of 83. They called it Taste of Utopia. It was a lovely respite for challenging times.
Such lovely sharing. Thank you. Jai Guru Dev. 🙂
Jai Guru Dev 🙂
Hi David,
Speaking of collective practice, 5 days ago – March 25th, the national leadership of TM in the US came up with a national synchronized meditation schedule to enliven our own inner peace collectively and reduce individual and collective stress and fear due to the COVID-19, and create a wave of positivity and coherence in the country. Every meditator was invited to join the daily synchronized practice of TM from the comfort of their home or workplace.
The same thing is simultaneously happening with TM in all countries. This whole thing is a global initiative of Dr. Tony Nader, the current head of the worldwide TM movement. What is interesting is he also invited other meditation groups to join this global synchronized meditations initiative.
In the US west coast, for instance, morning meditation is 6:30am PT (or 7:00am PT alternately); afternoon meditation at 3:00pm PT (or 6:00pm PT alternately). Mountain, Central and Eastern times are +1, +2 and +3 hours respectively.. This is an exciting time of transformation for the world.
Hi Bernie
Yes, I read about that. Seems it would be a good idea to encourage this ongoing. Kind of a twice daily nabaswan.
🙂