Falling Down the TM Rabbit Hole, How TM Really Works, a Critical Opinion

Who is "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"?

Who is "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi"? I think that he is an incredibly brilliant impostor, and possibly worse.

"Mahesh" is a personal name. There is nothing spectacular there. However, the "Maharishi" part means (roughly) "Great Seer of Truth". It is a very high title in Hinduism, which he awarded to himself. The "Yogi" part, implying experience and knowledge of yoga disciplines, is also self-awarded and is also undeserved based on his actual background.

So I just call him "Mahesh".

If you wish to delve into Mahesh's credentials, I recommend reading the five-part article "A Visit to the Shankaracharya"

Contrary to Mahesh's claims, TM is not a revived ancient wisdom (see same article).

Imagine a Catholic monk who was personal assistant to a Pope. Imagine that the Pope dies. Then a couple of years later this assistant canonizes himself a Saint and begins to teach "the revived lost secrets of Catholicism". He declares that "sainthood is easy", and can be attained with 5-8 years of daily "twenty minutes twice a day" practice of a technique involving daily eye-closed mental repetition of the words "Ave Maria". He claims that he is acting under the inspiration and instructions of the late Pope. After a few years he realizes that people are "put off" by the spiritual angle, so he begins to market the practice as a "simple natural relaxation technique" and membership soars. Some of those who start by learning a "simple natural relaxation technique" end up by becoming celibate monks and nuns devoting their lives to the "assistant's" teachings.

Well, that's just about what "Maharishi" Mahesh "Yogi" did.

Furthermore, Mahesh appears completely uncaring, perhaps even conscienceless, about the incidence of psychological casualties among his followers. He refuses to warn people that such things may occur. He does not show concern about these human casualties. Based on my own personal experiences, and on the reported experiences of others, I believe that not only is Mahesh a complete fraud, but that he is possibly intentionally or uncaringly destructive as part of quest for personal power over others.

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