MAHARISHI & ME
Table of Contents
Prologue: My Real Birth Day
Part I: Hippieness to
Happiness
Chapter 1: Losing the self to Find
the Self
Chapter 2: Into the Land of Oz
Chapter 3: A Natural High
Chapter 4: Feelin’ Guru-vy
Part II:
Blissed-Out
Chapter 5: Home to India
Chapter 6: Melting in Maharishiville
Chapter 7: Bees to Honey
Chapter 8: Maharishi Merry-Go-Round
Part III: Open-Ego
Surgery
Chapter 9: From Bliss to
Blitzkrieg
Chapter 10: A Sacrificial Lamb
Chapter 11: Wham Bam, Ego Slam
Chapter 12: Heights of Heavenly Hell
Part IV: Maharishi’s
Spell
Chapter 13: Eye of the
Hurricane
Chapter 14: Under the Influence
Chapter 15: The First Shall Be Last
Part V: The Beatles'
Guru
Chapter 16: The Beatles Invade
India
Chapter 17: And They Write a Lot of Music
Chapter 18: Dropping the Beatles Bomb
Part VI: Inevitable and
Inescapable
Chapter 19: Shattered, Shaken, and
Stirred
Chapter 20: Frog-Hopping to Enlightenment
Chapter 21: Riding the Indian Express
Chapter 22: Guru Tricks and Celebrity Treats
Part VII: Ridiculous to
Sublime
Chapter 23: From Tear-Filled to
Fear-Field
Chapter 24: Into the Heart of God
Chapter 25: Letting Go of the Dream
Chapter 26: Now Miracles Could Begin
Chapter 27: How to Spot an Enlightened Master
Epilogue and
Epitaph
Appendix: Who's Who in
TM
Bibliography
Notes
Acknowledgements
About the
Author
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MAHARISHI &
ME
by Susan Shumsky
Chapter
1: Losing the self to
Find the Self
"Disciples cannot take knowledge
from a master until they raise their level of consciousness so
knowledge will flow to them."
—Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Spinning in the eye of his
hurricane was at once glorious, stirring, and electrifying, and
wholly devastating, maddening, and mortifying. Riding an emotional
roller coaster, I ricocheted from heavenly delight to hellish
desolation and back.
This extraordinary man, who moved
me so intensely, came from India—a land of mysteries. Until
mid-20th century, its vast spiritual treasures remained largely
hidden from the West. A significant change occurred when he left
for America's shores and made "meditation" a household word. His
brush with celebrities placed him in the spotlight. But his true
legacy was Transcendental Meditation.
As a former disciple, I lived in
his ashrams for twenty-two years and served on his personal staff
for six years. For extended periods, I enjoyed close proximity to
the most renowned guru of the twentieth century—Maharishi Mahesh
Yogi.
Submission to a guru is an
abhorrent idea in the West, where worldly achievements, individual
assertion, and winning define us. Eastern wisdom is considered
inferior to science. However, the venerable Indian tradition seeks
loftier treasures. There the goal is to trade up ego-identification
for realization of the higher self (atman).
India is where disciples seek gurus
to guide them towards spiritual enlightenment. But the alchemical
process rendering this transformation has largely been concealed.
Disciples seldom write about their "spiritual makeover," as
frankly, it's incredibly embarrassing. Gurus don't reveal their
closely guarded methods. Otherwise the spell they cast on disciples
would be broken.
Loyal devotees impart only highest
reverence toward their gurus and paint romantic pictures. They
extol their guru's God-like qualities or quote their bespoken
pearls of wisdom. Rarely do they divulge anything other than how
great the master was, what miracles transpired, and what marvelous
experiences were had.
Practically no one discloses the
fact that, for the disciple to achieve moksha (freedom from
the karmic wheel), the ego must die. The raw truth is this:
realizing who we really are (infinite being) rather than who we
thought we were (limited self), means giving up ego. That's why
higher consciousness is termed egoless. Ego-death isn't
romantic. It can be devastating and shattering.
Irina Tweedie, author of
Daughter of Fire, said that to realize their higher self,
disciples must undergo "self-annihilation"— "turned inside out,
burned with the fire of love so that nothing shall remain but ashes
and from the ashes will resurrect the new being, very unlike the
previous one."[i]
Many authors willing to let us peek
through ashram windows are disenchanted dropouts who label ashrams
"cults" and gurus "cult leaders." Such exposés portray insulting,
exacting bearded men severely rebuking and correcting
disciples.
To our Western mind, gurus might
appear angry or abusive. But at what point do tough-love tactics
cross into "abuse"? How do gurus differ from coaches, athletic
trainers, or drill instructors? Why is it okay for tough trainers
to coach protégés, yet not okay for tough gurus to train
disciples?
Just as coaches bring out the best
in their charges, true spiritual masters elevate their students. In
a unique relationship of unconditional love, disciples surrender to
gurus, and gurus lift disciples to God-realization. This
time-honored Eastern tradition, which transforms students into
masters, has survived for millennia—because it works.
I wouldn't dare liken myself to
revered saints who've achieved enlightenment at their gurus' hands.
However, Maharishi's relationship with his students, which I
witnessed over two decades, was similar to that of other disciples
with their great masters.
Why do Westerners find gurus and
cultish ashrams repugnant, considering our dominant religion began
with a spiritual master and twelve devoted disciples? That master
treated disciples with tough-love in a way that might resemble
Maharishi. The disciples responded as we did under Maharishi's
guidance—with actions deemed timid, immature, clueless, and
sometimes faithless.
Only a handful of six million who
learned Transcendental Meditation (The TM Technique) spent any time
whatsoever in Maharishi's presence. Out of those who witnessed his
antics, few understood his motives. Many who got scorched by his
fire still remain baffled. A good number consider themselves
victims.
This memoir will raise the veil to
uncover how Maharishi captivated me, transformed me, and then
released me to find self-empowerment in my own spiritual pathway.
As I morphed from a painfully shy teenage rebel to a disturbingly
self-doubting but determined young seeker, then into a spiritually
aware teacher, I found what I was seeking, but not as
expected.
Ultimately, I discovered the divine
presence within me. Even though I no longer have a guru in physical
form, I enjoy an intimate relationship with the inner guru. Anyone
can experience this divine source directly, without accepting
dogma, and without middlemen, such as priests, pastors, psychics,
astrologers, rabbis, or gurus. Once we let go of ego-attachment, we
become our own guru and miracle-maker. The kingdom of heaven is
within us.
I feel Spirit has guided me always.
A higher plan has been at work, threading my life with divine
intervention. Some might say I live a "charmed life." Though my
days have been peppered with challenges, multitudes of blessings
continually fall into my lap. Even during crisis, the solution
always appears—usually instantly. Generally I don't let anything,
including myself, stand in my way. If I want to accomplish
something, I just do it.
Luckily, I found a simple way to
experience divine love directly, at will—anytime I ask. This has
given me great solace. Once I made this connection, never was I
alone again. The anguish of separation was gone. This mystical
connection of love, light, grace, and wisdom is the pearl of great
price, more precious than rubies or gold.
This book is a way of sharing a few
glimpses into my spiritual journey, and hopefully will help you
make your own spiritual connection. My life has been (and continues
to be) lived in devotion, led by Spirit daily—even when I was
younger and didn't know it. For my journey started under unlikely
circumstances—a family of self-professed atheists and agnostics.
But that's for another book.
The story that follows reveals how
I found myself by losing myself in the most highly celebrated guru
to ever visit the USA and mentor to The Beatles, Deepak Chopra, The
Rolling Stones, Beach Boys, Clint Eastwood, David Lynch, George
Lucas, and countless other celebrities.
So we begin at the beginning, with my
first baby steps towards the divine. Often such steps don’t seem
divine—but we'll get there eventually. For the yellow brick road is
curvy and rocky, with many pitfalls. And sometimes the Wizard of Oz
isn't a wizard at all. Sometimes the wizard is our self, and the
guru is simply the mirror.
[i] Tweedie, The Chasm of Fire,
47-48.
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