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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
83 of 90 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fascinating snapshot of one moment in time, but leaves too much unanswered...,
By
This review is from: Lord of The Universe [VHS] (VHS Tape)
What a fascinating glimpse into the past this video presents, revisiting the early days of Maharaji's emergence in the West. The cameras don't lie: they show it all -- from the innocent and unrestrained enthusiasm of Maharaji's early followers to the emotional and sometimes illogical extremes to which that enthusiasm can sometimes lead. Yep, I was there, and saw it unfold right before my very eyes. I had heard the buzz about Maharaji, and I attended the Millenium festival in Houston to investigate for myself. To say that the experience was fascinating and at times very confusing is an understatement, but the outcome of my attendance at that event was to strengthen my resolve to find out for myself what was at the bottom of all the commotion surrounding the message that Maharaji was presenting. Eventually, after returning back home to Boston from the event in Houston, I came to the point where I made the decision that I wanted to be shown the techniques for experiencing inner peace that Maharaji was offering, as that seemed really to be the ultimate test of the validity of his message. Years later, I still consider myself extremely fortunate that I happened to hear Maharaji's message way back then, and that I followed up on investigating it, as it has turned out that what he was speaking about is indeed real, and something that is incredibly useful and rewarding when I choose to take advantage of it.
What is a shame about this video is that, although it may present a valid record of events that did occur at one specific time in history, it doesn't go on to follow the story so we can see how it evolved from that point onward. Although what is presented in this video is something that seems to have all the trappings common of the many cult phenomena that were so prevalent in the post-hippie years of the seventies, we don't get the wider perspective of how things developed from that point onward. When Maharaji first came to the West, he was a very young boy, and the presentation of his message was largely managed and manipulated by his mother, who had a vested interest in keeping a personality cult live and healthy. It would have been great to have included an update to the original video, chronicling Maharaji's split with the elements of his family that had wanted to maintain a personality cult, his steady efforts to strip away all the traditional Indian religious trappings that had initially been obscuring and complicating the simplicity of the message and gift that he had to offer, his dissolution of the once prevalent ashram system that gave the misleading appearance that adoption of the tools which he offered required a parallel adoption of specific lifestyle constraints, and his efforts to make his message and the techniques for experiencing inner peace widely available to people via public access tools such as the internet free of charge so that people can investigate for themselves, at their own pace and without fear of any kind of "group pressure" phenomena to cloud their perception. How is it that Maharaji has evolved from what once many would have considered a cult leader, to someone who is now invited to speak at forums as diverse as the United Nations, premier institutions of higher learning such as Harvard and Oxford Universities, audiences consisting of current and former members of governments around the world, gatherings of distinguished guests at events such as the Universal Forum of Cultures in Barcelona Spain, and yet also continue to find tremendous enthusiasm among huge audiences of simple common folk around the world? Why is it that within the last year he has been presented with honors and recognition from prominent figures such as US governors, the mayors of Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami, the former President of the European Parliament and Prime minister of Italy? How has he gone from speaking before small informal groups gathered in living rooms and back yards when he first came to the West, to the point that weekly broadcasts of excerpts of his message delivered to live audiences, in the "Words of Peace" series, are broadcast around the world, and have earned recognition as diverse as the top award of the Brazilian Association of Community Television Channels, and ranking as the sixth most popular program on Bris 31 in Australia, after less than two years of being broadcast in either location? Indeed, the snapshot of the past presented by this documentary is intriguing, but if it stirs your curiosity, I suggest you visit a web site such as www.ContactInfo.net to see where the story has evolved to from those unique beginnings many years ago and how you can find out more on your own. I suspect the best is yet to come, and checking it out for yourself may be better than any video ever could be. The way I originally looked at it those many years ago was that I had nothing to loose by investigating the situation, and possibly lots to gain. I think that still holds true for anyone today, and the "investigation" part has been made lots easier by electronic access media such as the internet. Let the adventure begin...
63 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
2.0 out of 5 stars
1973, The Millenium Event,
This review is from: Lord of The Universe [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I was there. I had just begun hearing about and listening to what Maharaji had to say. And I had also attended meetings where Maharaji was not present. There did seem to be a possibility for something like groupthink (to adopt Irving Janis's term) in some of the situations where Maharaji was not present. As suggested by an old quote, we can be very political animals. But that doesn't excuse a person from being individually responsible and accountable.
Today, technology makes it a lot easier to hear what Prem Rawat actually has to say. In 1973, VCRs, DVDs, satellite broadcasts, CDs, iPods, web radio, and Quicktime movies on the web simply did not exist. Today, just as for any author or speaker, I can use these technologies to watch and listen in the privacy of my own home. In 1973, this was not feasible. The length of this video is about as long as Prem Rawat speaks at most venues. However, the majority of the video comprises-- not him speaking-- but others speaking. This is somewhat like a video about a composer, a musician, a poet, or an author that presents very little of the author's work, but instead presents the opinions of literary critics (those who speak against, as well as those who try to speak for, the author). It would be one thing to see this kind of video, while it would be quite another to see a video of the author's actual work. Certainly, there will always be different kinds of audiences. Some might prefer to hear only the critics. Others might want to hear both the critics and the author. While yet others might want to hear only the author. I guess I'm one of those who mainly wants to hear, for himself, what the author has to say.
54 of 69 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Amateur biased documentary,
By Joy (California) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Lord of The Universe [VHS] (VHS Tape)
It's obvious that the producers of this documentary went out of their way to paint a portrait of Maharaji in the worst possible light. I received his Knowledge in 1982 after most of the Indian concepts and rituals were removed. All I can say is that if you truly want to experience inner peace, this man can help.
His message continues today and around the world, millions of his students respect and love him. The disgruntled ones who howl into the wind calling him a fraud, con artist, etc., are simply not credible. Many of them got swept up into the excitement and magic of those early years and they had agendas and concepts that they carry with them now. They are bitter and angry because Maharaji has not lived up to their concepts. Maharaji AKA Prem Rawat has attempted to simplify his message and present it so that thirsty souls around the world won't have to buy into the Indian trappings and rituals which were around when he first came to the West in 1971 at 13 years old. For those who truly want to connect with their inner essence, the gift of Knowledge enables that to occur. Peace is possible and to those interested in experiencing it, an impartial and sincere investigation will not go unrewarded. I urge those who want to know the underlying reality of existence to not be dissuaded from learning more about this teacher and his Knowledge as a result of this slanted video. This is not a cult. It is one man sharing his method of experiencing inner peace to those who want to know it. Knowlege works. It's practical, simple and most enjoyable. Maharaji is offering something supremely valuable to those who want to know how to turn within and feel the life force within them. To find out more about Maharaji and Knowledge, go to www.contact-info.net or www.tprf.org.
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