The 'Separation' in TM
Doug Hamilton
The 'Separation' in TM
A recent 'summary' written for some folks who were unaware of circumstances in the TM community:
"..for the last three or so years (2020-2023),
an administrative TM oligarchy has been expelling long time teachers of TM from the organizations, from teaching TM. This has been happening as administrative reaction in several places around the world as financial transparency and accountability has been asked for by peoples in the TM community.
This is quite a number of old TM teachers expelled in different places, of long time teachers who were taught to teach meditation by Maharishi. It has been very hurtful of people. The last six months or so it moved from requests for representation to outright separation and formation of separate groups to continue the teaching of meditation and other aspects of Maharishi's teaching, separate from "The Global Country of World Peace". The position of the oligarchs would appear irreconcilable at this point."
I have kept an index of Facebook posts which include all sides of the TM situation for the last few years.
Like the 'separation' in the Society of Friends between old meditating Quakers and evangelical orthodox taking over of Quakers in the early 19th Century, this is an amazing time to look at TM.
An Index
to TM’s Rajasthan
This review (2023) is about the contemporary organization and administration of the larger Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement. After the passing of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (~15 years ago) in 2008. The aggregate of Maharishi's world wide organizations were collected then under an administration of what were then termed Rajas. The TM-Rajas are mostly individuals who purchased their titles and were granted franchise to parts of the world-wide TM movement divided amongst them to administer people and activities of the teaching of ™ and Maharishi's legacy teaching. .
These Raja are not necessarily native to the countries they hold title to. Evidently some places operate more effectively than other places in this worldwide governance. In discovery these past years the performance of this organizational structure has become evident and reform is now being sought out by the teachers of TM, the people who do the teaching of the TM movement, in different places around the world.
What follows is an index in to a series of substantial comments that TM teachers from different places around the world have recently made about the condition of this 'Raja' administration. This index opens to threads that were developed more particularly on the 'closed' Facebook Group, “Roots of TM” and then developed also on "TM: The Next Generation" and other Facebook groups.
This series starts later in 2020 with posts to timelines of TM teachers from New Zealand and Australia about the course of behavior of the Rajas over those countries. In a “ #MeToo” fashion with corroborating comments, then followed also from Russia and States of the former Soviet Union, places in Europe, and around the world.
These Facebook groups tend to be "closed". It is helpful for access to the consideration to join these groups as members.
Insight in to the TM-Rajasthan,
an index:
In the last few weeks of 2020 there came to be published an incredible amount of source material from the worldwide TM (Transcendental Meditation) community. These include comments from participants of the older and also contemporary TM movement, coming from various continental parts of the world. ..Pacific Rim, New Zealand, Australia, Asia, North, Central & S Americas, the Caribbean, Africa, Europe, Russia & countries of the former Soviet Union.
These start with comments by a New Zealander (Bryan Lee) who has been intimate with the TM movement & with Maharishi from the 1960’s era onward. The original thread appeared on Bryan Lee’s timeline and within a few days it garnered over 400 comments, many of which are material and make for substantial reading.
The original Bryan Lee timeline Facebook thread then was shared across Facebook groups of similar interest, which then also garnered immediate comments of interest. The central thread with comments continued within other second and third posts added to the original timeline.
- within Bryan Lee’s timeline, scroll down finding the original post in its context
starting with “AN INTERESTING LETTER...” with over 400 comments.
A second thread continued in context, beginning with
“𝗗𝗲𝗮𝗿 𝗙𝗿𝗶𝗲𝗻𝗱𝘀,𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲,” and 350 comments.
The Links:
“AN INTERESTING LETTER…” 475 comment Posts
“Dear friends, ,,read the Orwellian email I received expelling me from the TM movement, after 49 years of the most dedicated and focussed service.”
https://www.facebook.com/bryan.lee.56884761/posts/10225303235910274
Dear Friends, 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗻𝗼 𝘀𝗺𝗼𝗸𝗲 𝘄𝗶𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗳𝗶𝗿𝗲, 350 posts
https://www.facebook.com/bryan.lee.56884761/posts/10225419887226484
Further links - to threads shared over to other Facebook groups with slightly different audiences, where these topics are drawn out:
Roots of ™, 250 posts.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2820743021530991
! TM-Rajas fiddle while Global Country of World Peace burns ! 80 posts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/3521802414539500
TM community disintegrating. 195 posts.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2840290156242944
Disowning TM Teachers and “The APP” 72 Posts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2787485287959894/permalink/4862581790450223
Authentic TM vs. the "international" App development programme
“..a larger corporatisation of the movement, removing the structure of national organisations and systems, and removing TM Teachers from any rôle in advising on the future of the Movement. All money flow will go through the App (if it isn't already), direct to the central global system, leaving no place for local or national organisations as we know them.”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/3592116560841418
“The movement lives in autarky.”
Eastern Europe:
“We are facing rajas, incompetent, some dishonest, others vulgar and discourteous …”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2843609975910962
TM Teachers Expelled in New Zealand..
70 posts..
“bullying, we have this going on in a very overt way here in Aotearoa (New Zealand),
“part of a larger corporatisation of the movement, removing the structure of national organisations and systems, and removing TM Teachers from any rôle in advising on the future of the Movement.”
“This is happening here in Aotearoa NZ, and we know this comes right from the top. So anyone asking questions anywhere else in the world (again dialogue?? ... nah!) will be subject to the same treatment. Tony Nader was so threatened by us thinking-for-ourselves Kiwis that he sent a direct message to us telling us we were not wanted as part of the movement if we did not toe the line.”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2787485287959894/permalink/4862581790450223
Developing in links - to where these topics are drawn out:
Unionizing TM teachers, old and new, is now an important means to an end of bad (Raja) administration. 122posts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/2787485287959894/permalink/4862581790450223
Russian Federal tax authorities to look at the TMorg - investigating criminal conspiracy, the TM-Rajas and TMorg in Russia.
TM-Raja Oligarchic Colonialism in Russia.. divide the Movement into two camps, and concealing taxes from the state...
https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=1589237087940331&id=100005621649881
From Russia TM ..
“ ..the justice authority of Russia to deal with all the pending and murky situations.”
“Anyone expressing a complaint was intimidated or pushed out
Worse we find out that the movement in Russia is completely illegal.”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2854830291455597
“..regarding the history of deceit, secrets, financial irresponsibility, and self aggrandizement of the TM movement,” 229 comments.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2840290156242944/
chicanery
"The situation in Russia goes from bad to worse. Raja Bjarne is clearly unable to contain the splintering and dilution of teaching that is taking place.
Despite numerous attempts to bring the situation to the attention of Dr Nader and other TMO leaders, no action has been taken. In April of last year, a report was sent to David Lynch at his request. It detailed the problems arising from four different organisations teaching TM in Russia, and exposed how one of the groups was using TM – under a different name - as a gateway product to peddle an exotic Chinese fungus. Another report was submitted in June to a leading raja with the same information. Despite indisputable evidence of duplicity, Raja Bjarne allowed the compromised teachers to continue their activities.
Since then, the situation has clearly deteriorated further. If the TMO wishes to retain a shred of credibility in the region, it needs to take decisive action now to end this chicanery." -David Laird
no action or sanctions were taken but the whistle blowers were expelled...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2854830291455597
𝘈𝘕𝘕𝘖𝘜𝘕𝘊𝘐𝘕𝘎
𝗧𝗛𝗘 𝗜𝗡𝗦𝗧𝗜𝗧𝗨𝗧𝗘 𝗢𝗙
𝗣𝗥𝗢𝗙𝗘𝗦𝗦𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 𝗠𝗘𝗗𝗜𝗧𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡 𝗧𝗘𝗔𝗖𝗛𝗘𝗥𝗦
— 𝗜𝗡𝗧𝗘𝗥𝗡𝗔𝗧𝗜𝗢𝗡𝗔𝗟 —
Dear Friends,
https://www.facebook.com/bryan.lee.56884761/posts/10225846881341070
The "movement" has no rights over your evolution or your consciousness.
https://www.facebook.com/pchauvancy/posts/10157942076266220
Some comments relating ‘the ideal of Vedic rajas’ as revived by Maharishi
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2858532024418757/
..i see how TM is a fantastic tool for évolution and how so many have been abused because of an excess of trust.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2862454680693158/
This ‘never do we entertain negativity’ of the TM version essentially, right now, again is the basis for the TM- Rajasthan to dismiss all these TM teachers recently from current membership in the movement.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2864948447110448/
In numbers, “look at what the movement represents these days.”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2869537109984915/
“..we propose not to invest a ruble in this project.”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2885807445024548/
What are they thinking?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2891393441132615
Discrimination, Expulsion, and “..into the sin bin you go!”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2321058221499476
‘Not a cult’, "It's all just science?"
Post-founder, living TM by "routinized" charisma..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2863921337213159
Apophenia
Magical thinking..
Apophenia (/æpoʊˈfiːniə/) is the tendency to perceive meaningful connections between seemingly unrelated things.[1]
The term (German: Apophänie) was coined by psychiatrist Klaus Conrad in his 1958 publication on the beginning stages of schizophrenia.[2] He defined it as "unmotivated seeing of connections [accompanied by] a specific feeling of abnormal meaningfulness".[3][4] He described the early stages of delusional thought as self-referential, over-interpretations of actual sensory perceptions, as opposed to hallucinations.[1][5]
What a great word! A foundation of conspiracy theory: If something correlates then it must be causative! - Not that science is the final arbiter of the veracity of one's direct experience.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2891393441132615
/
Criticism of the critics;
“ Hello Bryan, I am very sad to hear of this idea and also quite disappointed that you and Guy are willing to be in a significant fight with the individual carefully chosen by Maharishi to administer his International organizations and to be in charge of the knowledge he brought out over all these years. I..”
https://www.facebook.com/bryan.lee.56884761/posts/10226059369373138
Bryan Lee’s Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/bryan.lee.56884761
/
How is reform of the TM movement doing? 130 posts
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2942857645986194
/
Contemporary Reflections on Maharishi’s Legacy of Knowledge
Guy and Angela Hatchard—3 July 2021
Intro:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2971251906480101
2nd Installment
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2971798003092158
3rd Installment
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2972471119691513
4th Installment
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2974023292869629
5th installment
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2976178265987465
TMO in Crisis and ‘action’ needed..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/2973275422944416
December 2021
Demise at the Brahmasthan..
“..no longer have as objective, a group of 7,000 pundits to bring Heaven to earth, but..”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3081922582079699
Expulsions and Beatings, “If you contribute to this,”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3084126388525985
“Testimony from a Brahmasthan Pandit translated..”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3085936361678321
A “best way to get real improvement.....”
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3084655545139736
-in troubled waters.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/371740514672304
..tracking the flow of funds from donor organisations in the West
The problem arises once the funds get to India.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/361035399076149
TM’s Indian Billionaire
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3090314417907182
Status Update, End of 2021
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3091022894503001
About Financial Transparency
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/493815765798111
April 2022..
New Beginnings: A professional independent TM teachers association:
We had yesterday a great and very productive New Beginnings Symposium, where ITMA (International Teachers Meditations Association) made a more detailed presentation of its structure and goals.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3162632534008703
Reaction:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3165392997065990
"Leaving the TMO in our rear view mirror."
June 2022
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/543436340836053
TMO $ Financials
Charts & graphs, open the group’s media album:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/media/albums
Spreedsheet:
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1K7wSWhkiAxeU1r_UX6MDNnq0F4l5k844DOgQK4UJi1g/edit?usp=sharing
Rebuttals of the rebuttal..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/279467202238127/permalink/2118398775011618
https://www.facebook.com/groups/279467202238127/permalink/2120454161472746
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/493679555811732
Cataloging the need (to separate).. 79 comments..
April 2022
Exploring the needs for a new TMO organization..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3173791236226166
Separation in TM
August 3, 2022, Declaration of Independence,
Statement of Transcendental Meditation Teachers of Russia respecting and following the traditional method of transferring Knowledge from Teacher to student as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5289289907790733
In person learning Contrast with the 'App'
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/568471618332525
Separation: A "Renaissance" of the teaching of TM in Russia:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061
multiple instructions in TM in Saint Petersburg following the Vedic tradition and Maharishi’s teaching.. https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/562322235614130
youtube from Raja Bjarne(Russia)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NBot5AG9Khg
The Origins and Underpinnings of The Global Country of World Peace (90+comments)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3280633328875289
David Laird analyzes the performance
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5393544620698594
..remember in the early 70s about 3% of
the population of my home town was initiated. (66 comments)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3281329348805687
oath proclaimed by the rajas
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3275368479401774
TM in Ukraine and what does it mean - part 1.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3134042403534383
23 teachers have signed this manifesto to our knowledge and have been banned by Raja Kingsley.
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/577281044118249
The Moral Terrorism of Raja Kingsley Brooks in Ukraine
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/573620541150966
/
The word meditation means many things..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3267261010212521
Practitioners v devotees, David Laird:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/579689250544095
Taking over from Maharishi as head of the TM organisation was never going to be an easy gig
(44) comments
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/593598569153163
Summer 2022
"..the real story of the New Zealand TMO"
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/578299310683089
Transfer of Trust assets and control in New Zealand
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/579167487262938
Closing the New Zealand Trust..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/580853793760974
New Zealand
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/578730987306588
NZ, always strong and leaders of Maharishi's teachings..
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/578939403952413
The gap between aspiration and achievement in the TMO
is becoming wider. Much of this is due to the quality of leadership..
Sept 2022
TMO sovereignty
51 comments:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3263246757280613
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/582530616926625
The Indian TMO
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?ref=saved&v=747869333103325
MMY's Nephew:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/posts/3350101471928474
Accounts of Teaching TM from the 1970's up to the time of Maharishi's death in 2008 and the changes since 2008.. (75 comments)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1601897850082187/permalink/3281329348805687
Paying people to meditate, The Invincible America Assembly
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5435819569804432
November 2022:
".. for the last three or so years
an administrative TM oligarchy has been expelling long time teachers of TM from the organizations, from teaching TM. This has been happening as an administrative action in several places around the world as financial transparency and accountability has been asked for by peoples in the TM community.
This is quite a number of old TM teachers expelled in different places, of long time teachers who were taught to teach meditation by Maharishi. It has been very hurtful of people. The last six months or so it moved from requests for representation to outright separation and formation of separate groups to continue the teaching of meditation and other aspects of Maharishi's teaching separate from "The Global Country of World Peace". The position of the oligarchs would appear irreconcilable at this point.
With the fracturing and now outright separation that has occurred in the TM community. Wither it possible "to put humpty-dumpty back together again"
Ethics dissonances, in the TM group and between Maharishi and Guru Dev:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5554896617896726
Extracting cash by mortgaging assets,
a repeating pattern formula to the heist,
(152 comments)
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/643427050836981
Independent Teaching of Meditation..
November 2022..
Our new website is: www.TeachersofMeditation.com
"I am very happy and honoured to announce that ITMA (International Teachers of Meditation Association) has finally launched its website. There you will find all the necessary information on ITMA, and on our teacher training course (TTA: Teacher Training Academy) that is starting in February of 2023. This course is a great opportunity for everyone who wants to become a professional teacher of meditation, spreading joy, peace, and health, while building their own successful practice. You can apply on the website."
Our website is: www.TeachersofMeditation.com
Blessings
Miguel
/
The Guardian: Grant Thornton worst performer in Financial Reporting Council’s annual review..
..from June 2022 showing Raja Harris' discomfort and his refusal to address the issues that bother him about Brahmasthan:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5649761868410200
&
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5147591301960595
Late in 2022:
The Trademarks?
How does TM get beyond a corrupt autocratic governance of oligarchs over to a trust governance of the Global Country of World Peace and the teaching of TM ?
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/653547349824951
Branding the Dissident:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/335426281637061/permalink/666636781849341
Independent teaching:
MMY: “As long as they keep the knowledge pure and have the support of nature, and are helping people, then it’s ok”.
The Trademarks:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5694471597272560
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5698928583493528
The Co-operative Movement, Year end, 2022
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/5704256246294095
Doug Hamilton
A 1970's TM Teacher: "..trying to wrap my head around how this went sideways "
https://www.facebook.com/groups/3041658679220545/permalink/6432548243464888
"..Things in more recent TM history really 'went-sideways', even to some of the roof coming in, when three or four years ago ~2020, the oligarch Raja TM movement started expelling bunches 0f TM teachers from teaching and from the community of different national movements for their asking after $ transparency. That triggered formation of separate teaching organizations for independent teachers of TM; - but then it also triggered a deeper study of duplicity in the TMO that brought out more discovery to the inside of the sex story of TM."