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Excerpts from m's bio
on the EV site:
key sections/sentences/phrases:
'most still hold their memory of him in high
regard, while a minority are openly critical and at
times scathing about both the man and his
message. [most/minority?]
Maharaji certainly presents something of an
enigma. He is not a religious teacher. [not a
religious teacher - not a guru? DLM not a church?
m. not a minister? no worship or
references?]
He says he is an ordinary human being, no
different from anybody else, yet his gatherings
often trigger a degree of enthusiasm and respect
which to a neutral onlooker could justifiably be
interpreted as adulation. [says he is an
ordinary human/vs. adulation. Da Master/servant
ordinary? justifiably interpreted as
adulation?]
So just who or what is Maharaji, and does the
private individual differ widely from the public
face he presents? Truth, it can be said, is
subjective... [does the private individual
differ widely from the public face?]
he is better known in India as Balyogeshwar
which translates 'born king of the yogis.'
[born Lord of the yogis?]
At the age of six, he and his siblings were
taught the techniques of Knowledge, by their
father. As an exuberant six year old, Maharaji said
he accepted it because it was given to him rather
than pushing for it through any great longing or
desire of his own. With time and practice however
he became appreciative...
wanting to strip his teaching of all its
traditional Indian trappings, he considered
dropping 'Maharaji'. [huh?]
It is not a given that the new master emerges
from the previous master’s family. Indeed from
the tradition that Shri Hans Ji Maharaj came, this
is the only time when it has stayed in the family.
[Radhasoami and Sikh guru tradition -- and
Satpal?]
However the circumstances surrounding how the
young Sant-ji became Maharaji are curious. Those
close to him at the time said that he had always
behaved with a confidence and sense that he was to
be the next master, and his father had made it
known that it would be his destiny to take this
teaching around the world. However his succession
was not accepted by some of the leaders of what was
now a large and widely recognized
organization. [circumstances curious/not
accepted]
On the day after the funeral, a large crowd
waited in the grounds of Prem Nagar ashram for an
announcement to be made on who should be the next
master. Meeting in a small room— a meeting
from which Maharaji was excluded on grounds of
youth— the key people could not make a
decision. Meanwhile, the young Maharaji went out to
reassure the people who had gathered to mourn their
master’s death. This speech apparently moved
the people who heard it to tears. In it Maharaji
said there should be no weeping, for what the
master taught was always with them, and that he for
one was ready to take Knowledge forward. And thus
the decision was made, not through discussion but
through the genuine feeling that Maharaji had
evoked in the people present. [the decision
made by m.]
The shadow of Shri Maharaji was long, and the
young Maharaji was regarded by many as a cipher, a
substitute for his father who would teach the same
subject in the same way. Not only this, but amongst
the public at large there was a general skepticism
that would dog him until he had reached maturity.
...claims were made that he was coached in what to
say... [general skepticism]
The movement which sprang up to promote his
teaching faced many ups and downs and
misconceptions, some of which impacted on his
public image. Added to this he faced the constant
glare of publicity which directed attention on him
rather than on his message. In his private life
however he was settled in his certainty that this
was what he wanted to do, and he had very clear
views on how he wanted to do it. [movement
misconceptions? ups and downs? who has led/directed
movement?]
The devout Hindu parent was not happy that her
son was attempting to strip the Indian context from
his teachings. He was becoming a teenager and, as a
teacher, wanted to bring Knowledge to a point where
it crossed all cultural boundaries. [strip
Indian context? like Master, arti, guru worship,
Krishna crown, thrones, meditation tech
secrecy/monopoly, darshan, agya, lila, Kabir,
etc.?]
At the time the organization promoting his
teaching was seen as one of the fastest growing
movements of its kind in America, if not the world.
Maharaji wanted to concentrate on his teaching but
was increasingly required to consider the practical
aspects of responding to the growing number of
requests from around the world asking him to come
and speak. Now added to this he was maintaining a
discreet romantic liaison right under the noses of
a family that would certainly disapprove of such a
relationship on grounds of race and caste.
[maintaining discreet romantic
liaison[s] right under the noses of a
family?]
She accused her youngest son of betraying every
tradition she held sacred. She disowned him and
returned to India. Once there she helped his elder
brother start a separate movement. The strain of
this rift with his family took its toll on
Maharaji's health. [betraying every sacred
tradition?]
However his work continued, as did the process
of putting down roots in America. In 1974, when
being driven up the Pacific Coast Highway in
Malibu, he saw a dilapidated structure atop an
isolated mountain and it caught his eye. The
leaking bungalow, built as a weekend retreat by a
Hollywood director, was some way off from the
celebrated beach-side community. Maharaji was
unaware of the prestige of the area, but the beauty
of the landscape was breathtaking and gave him a
sense of refuge from the very adult
responsibilities that he had to face on a daily
basis. [walled Malibu hilltop 'dilapidated
structure'/'leaking bungalow' with tennis court,
pool, gardens, unpaid cult servants! / unaware of
the prestige?]
The family still live in the same house, now
rebuilt and added to. Maharaji relishes it as his
quiet family retreat, when taking a break from his
busy schedule of relentless travel and tours.
[rebuilt and added added added to]
He has often talked of the times when, as a small
child, he would hear planes flying overhead and
dream of becoming a pilot.
At fourteen, accompanied by an instructor, he
took his first flight as a student pilot in a
Cessna 172, a small four-seater, single engine
plane, and his career as a pilot began in earnest.
['career' as a pilot]
By the age of twenty two, in 1980, he had
received a type rating in a Citation II, which is a
small business jet, and was also given an
instrument rating on the same flight. Most pilots
get their first instrument rating in a single
engine plane, the Citation is by comparison, a much
more demanding and complex plane. [most pilots
can't afford it]
What is notable and quite unusual in
Maharaji’s track record as a pilot is his
achievement of a broad array of type ratings in a
relatively short span of time. Maharaji has a
natural ability for flying and has made rapid
progress through ratings for jets, helicopters and
gliders. [who financed this broad array of
aircraft, not owned by the non-profit
church/organization which solicited the
money?]
In 1983, Maharaji was given an Airline Transport
Pilot License. One month later he received his type
rating for a Boeing 707. By this time, he had also
become a qualified helicopter pilot, and was to
receive a private license for gliders in 1984. Just
under ten years later, Maharaji qualified to fly a
Gulfstream IV. [who paid for all these planes?
what organization solicited/spent the money? but
who actually owns the planes? why the diversion of
all church assets to a separate private company
controlled by m's inner circle? supports, protects,
hides what and whom?]
Maharaji’s passion for flying is led by his
commitment to regularly travel the world in order
to bring his message to as broad an audience as
possible. A jet is leased for this purpose as the
schedule is often demanding, and it has proven
virtually impossible to conveniently and safely
construct it around commercial flight
schedules. [impossible on commercial
airlines -- like the Dalai Lama or Detroit Pistons
or New York Yankees or Britney Spears? jet is
leased? but the jet funding was solicited by DLM/EV
and purchased for Elan Vital - a non-profit org by
premies? why weren't the donors informed that the
non-profit org would not be the owner of the jets
and other assets generated from the thousands of
contributions sent to Elan Vital? if EV were sued
by a cult victim and lost bigtime, who would end up
controlling All the assets accumulated from the
premies' donations? Do any EV statements show zero
assets and revenues? Wadahamar revenues? taxes paid
by m. for the yacht purchased for the 'owner's'
personal use and benefit? reporting of all cash and
valuable gifts in the registered church not a
religion guru minister worship adulation
darshan?]
Elan Vital is fortunate that Maharaji is a
qualified pilot and he likes that this arrangement
offers him greater flexibility... For him, being a
pilot is both a personal pleasure and a practical
tool. [a personal pleasure - an ultra-expensive
hobby? subsidized by whom?]
Maharaji has never been one to do something
because it is the expected thing to do. His
successful lifestyle does not fit with general
concepts of what a teacher or master should be
like. He is very open about the fact that for him
there is absolutely no conflict between enjoyment
of the things of this world while also pursuing a
path of inner fulfillment, provided you are clear
about where your priorities lie. For him there is a
big distinction between enjoying material comforts
and becoming attached to them. However when you
take a closer look, he certainly doesn't lead what
could be termed a high life. ['successful
lifestyle'? 'provided you are clear where your
priorities are'! 'big distinction between enjoying
material comforts and becoming attached to them' --
ok, prove it! give up all the riches - ALL of it!
certainly doesn't lead a 'high life'? $40 million
jet, helicopter, $7 million yacht, 28,000 sq ft
main residence + others, Rolls Royces Mercedes
Ferraris Lamborghinis Aston Martins, gold-plated
toilet fixtures, Rolex collection, mistress
setup/perks, servants, chauffeur, personal
secretary, valet, cook, gardener, Presidential
hotel suites, bodyguards, choice pot, cognac,
etc.?]
His life has been extraordinary: a childhood
that reads like an episode from the notoriously
complicated Indian sagas; publicity which both
extols and damns him; from a teenage father to a
father of teenagers; an artist; a musician; a
computer buff; a qualified pilot; a successful
businessman; and most of all an inspiring and
articulate teacher with tens of thousands of
assiduous students across all barriers of race,
culture and religion. [a successful guru
business man? +/- publicity (by whom?) which both
extols and damns him?]
In private he comes across as a shy person
though with an outrageous sense of humor. Speak to
people who know him well and you find that he is at
best a one-of-a-kind visionary, at worst
unfathomable. And yet he is eminently practical, as
reflected by his grasp of and liking for mechanics,
electronics, flying, composing music, and the
artistic and technical aspects of producing
professional quality materials to promote his
teachings. Kind is a description of him that
frequently crops up and one insider comments: 'he
can be tough, demanding and very focused on the
standards he wants to achieve. However even when
he’s had to take someone to task he always
follows up with a reassurance that mistakes happen
not because people are stupid or incapable, just
that they have forgotten to be conscious of their
actions.' Maharaji’s own take on this: 'When
you slip on a banana skin, you can’t blame the
banana or the person who threw it there. It was
you, through a moment of unconsciousness,
didn’t look where you were walking.'
[eminently practical? explain kind, tough,
demanding, mistakes, his involvement in 'producing'
the materials which promote him?]
[r.e. the unmentioned miscellaneous little
details omitted: vehicular manslaughter + hit and
run, aiding and abetting top aide murder
assailants, m. cult abuses, gross diversion of
immense non-profit donations, revisionism about m's
Lord and Perfect Master claims, the rituals,
worship, belief system, 'misconceptions', shifting
the blame, passing the buck[s]...
---- Maharaji’s own take on this: 'When you
slip on a banana skin, you can’t blame the
banana or the person who threw it there. It was
you, through a moment of unconsciousness,
didn’t look where you were walking.']
[Does this sound like a genuine spiritual
Master to you?]
Well, folks, nobody can truthfully blame us
here. Just the facts, ma'am...
[Note: to the general public, aspirants,
premies, and their relatives: see for yourselves on
this website the detailed documentation of official
records and eyewitness top-level insider
accounts]
Peace and lentils,
da lil' swami
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