"Emic TM"
Doug Hamilton
Recently, at the 2023 Communal Studies Annual Conference there was a paper delivered describing the range between liberal and traditional differences in Hutterite communal groups of North America. Pictures of clothing offered differentiation between the groupings illustrated the range.
Later at the conference I spoke with the author of the paper and asked, how do the different Hutterite communal groups describe each other? The author offered German words that Hutterites use for themselves to describe 'the other'.
A draft..
"Emic TM".The TM Meditating Community:
Ways we see one another and what we may call each other.
Emic: "accurate ethnographic description from an internal or emic perspective, from the native point of view"
In the TM "Roo" population there are Ways We Describe Ourselves.In Abstract:
From early and all along it appears there were "Meditators, and the True-Believers".
Then also in Fairfield,
'On the program' Dome badge holders and the 'Off-the-program' no-badge-niks.
Sub-groups of the Meditating Community:
“..Do you meditate practicing TM, or not? Are you ‘regular’ (a twice a day meditator) in your practice of meditation? Have you learned, do you practice the advanced TM-Siddhis meditation? Do you have a ‘valid’ Dome meditation entry badge, or not?
If you have a valid Dome badge, do you go to the Dome to ‘do your program’ there with the group? “Not?” Oh, no?, ..you, or someone it seems is 'off the program', OTP!
And, then maybe one should not even have a valid entry/membership badge to the Dome meditation.
Are you a TM teacher, or not? A Citizen-Sidha? Are you ‘recertified’ as a TM teacher? You, were denied a Dome badge? Had your badge taken away?
https://groups.google.com/g/communal-studies-forum/c/MdP3gjseOQY/m/w_7fZxnhCQAJ
A Gathered differentiation, through interview:
"..within what began as a fairly unified movement.
The main subgroups I will discuss here are
the "old guard",
the "second generation",
and "disenfranchised meditators".
the higher echelon: The Global Council"
-Atmore, 2017
/
Casual Meditators, Insiders, Deep Insiders..Sawyer and Humes, 2022:
"..an insider group of committed believers, who not only practice TM but have also accepted Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s philosophy and mission, and the far larger outsider group of casual meditators who learned TM,"
Cebola, 2023:
"We have therefore
now in our TM Nation three core groups, as following, :
1. The Raja Kingdom
2. The Devotees of Maharishi
3. The Free Thinkers
I should add the in-betweeners who are still making up their minds about all of this. The first and second groups follow a specific ideology and narrative webbed around either Tony Nader and the raja kingdom, or around Maharishi (with the exclusion of the said kingdom). .."
Janos 2023, Three Groups:
".. 1. a new TM (pick your own trademark) movement without a fuss and get on with it (independent).
Group 2. wants the same thing, but protecting and upholding the tradition, and exposing the wrong that happened and "saving" the many people in the current kingdom who are misled.
3. Others of course wish to fight for their rajas, even protecting them, and sweep the old dirt under the rug. There seems to be a religious tendency in the 3rd group who view Maharishi as a god."
In 2023, seeking middle ways between the three:
Janos continuing:
"In politics when there are great differences the parties hold round-table discussions to hammer out a solution. Bryan's independent (Philippe and others were there) group wrote to one or more rajas and tried to negotiate at no avail.
They (Oligarch Rajas) were not open to communication. They won't allow transparency, and the other good values. It seems their attitude is "it's my business, what do you want?"
At some point negotiation teams from the TMO and "rebel" (or separatist) side will have to sit down and talk it over."
True-believers, moodmakers, practitioners ('meditators')
Practitioners v true believers,
https://groups.google.com/g/communal-studies-forum/c/rObrn2ZrEKs/m/d4ibdvenBwAJ
/
Discussion of Avowed and Unavowed communal goals of groups within the TM community
https://groups.google.com/g/communal-studies-forum/c/rObrn2ZrEKs/m/sP3WBGLdGAAJ
Practitioners v Devotees, David Laird:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/579689250544095
Cebola 2023-
"..I was never a “devotee” of M, I never went with the “devotion to the master” train, for me it was always about the experience, the positive changes of my life, and those are real and concrete. Then I embarked like many of you in the spirit of the age: “lets bring Heaven on Earth” or at least some kind of decent Shangri-la. Yes there was lots of fun along the way (having a weak sense of humor like I do helps), but there was equally, especially the last decades a lot of abuse, lies, deceit, and plain bullshit. People’s lives damaged beyond repair, in my case financially. That I will never forgive M, you do not intentionally use and abuse people that way. Not on my book. I really have no more patience, or time, to waste with M supporters. Time to turn the page and move on. IMHO.."