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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun Read but Shows a Lack of Understanding about Meditation,
By Luigi Guadagnino "ilouie" (New York, USA) - See all my reviews
This review is from: The Maharishi: The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World (Hardcover)
First, let me state that I enjoyed reading this book. Right off the bat, it's hard to find anything about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's life and this alone makes it worth reading. The style was also enjoyable. It was fun at times and when the author wasn't being coy, cynical or sarcastic, he could spin a good tale. The disappointing part for me was the author's lack of understanding about yoga and meditation in general, which often led to misinterpretations on his part. I'll site just one example. Mr. Mason states, and in a rather snide tone I might add, that Maharishi claimed his TM technique offered and embodied what other classical yogic paths offered. The example, found on pages 174 and 175, sites Maharishi as informing his students that they already were enjoying the benefits of Laya and Raja yoga which awaken kundalini energy and stabilize the enlightened state. The author responds; "It must surely have appeared unbelievable to his devotees that the Maharishi could teach them a system that could rival the most venerated schools of practice. But this was the Maharishi's claim, and certainly whilst they were in his company it appeared to them possible, even likely, that this was so. They were insufficiently knowledgeable in these matters to challenge his generalizations and they most certainly did not wish to engage in confrontation." The problem being, it is actually Mr. Mason who is 'insufficiently knowledgeable' in these matters. The awakening of kundalini is an essential part of almost every meditation and yogic path available, and it's typical and most frequent method of awakening is through repeating a mantra given by an enlightened Master. Maharishi was most likely simply telling his students what every other teacher or Guru tells their students. I've heard several well known Meditation Masters of both Hindu and Buddhist lineages say exactly the same thing. Sometimes kundalini is awakened through yoga asanas, sometimes devotion, sometimes mantra, etc. This is only one such example.
On another matter, Mr. Mason misses a great opportunity to explore Maharishi's stated purpose for yogic flying and the reasons for the organizations shift from a grassroots movement focused on individual development and TM, to a pyramid downward flow strategy, mirroring the governmental and corporate structures of our time. Maharishi stated during his Larry King interview aired, May 12, 2002 that individual development approaches and "talking" no longer worked because of the state of the world at large. Therefore, an attempt to effect the environment and world consciousness had become his organization's focus. This is the stuff that great stories are made of but once again Mr. Mason prefers to revert to sophomoric sarcasm and eyewinks towards his readers, prematurely ending his book, leaving the reader waiting for his next updated edition which may very well be his underlying purpose.
4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Fair Portrayal.,
By
This review is from: The Maharishi: The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World (Hardcover)
I myself am a meditator and I have to say, this is a great book. Paul Mason gets beyond hero worship and shows that even the enlightened are human. Maharishi never comes across as a monster and never comes across as a fool. However, I feel Mason's rendition of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was an essential viewing of the sage's aspirations, be they sometimes strange. Upon finishing this book I felt I had a little more insight into someone who previously seemed unbelievably flawless, and now felt like a human being one could relate to and come off with their own opinion.
1.0 out of 5 stars
"You will truly know me in your hearts",
This review is from: The Maharishi: The Biography of the Man Who Gave Transcendental Meditation to the World (Hardcover)
...was completely left out of any experiential context of Paul's writing. Focusing on what happened, this and that, rather than on how, and why. Subtle, powerful, secrets, were conveyed to Maharishi's devotees in ways which were made clear only after the ego surrendered, and the Transcended realized....for even just a moment of two. Maharishi has proven the Wisdom he provided - allowed people to realize an established happiness completely without "using" Maharishi as their Guru, is quite revolutionary, and...well, new.
It's sad....those that "got it" don't want to write about it, those that "didn't" feel they have the authority to present not-so-accurate anecdotes to entertain.
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