Maharishi’s Heart
Maharishi always connected to the world with love and caring. These are stories from people who were moved by the depth of Maharishi’s heart.
Palpable Love
by James Fairchild, Fairfield, IA, US
I had been meditating for about four months when I left for the Poland Spring, Maine, course with Maharishi in the summer of 1970. After that, I attended TTC (Teacher Training Course) with him in Mallorca. Here are a few memorable experiences with him:
1. Mallorca, December, 1970-June, 1971 — In the middle of our TTC, Maharishi left the course for two weeks to visit possible sites for an “academy” in Switzerland. When he returned, he was glowing with a pure white light all around him. Everyone could see it. He took his customary seat on a raised dais and was silent for some minutes. We all sat there expectantly, but no one spoke. Finally he told us, “I missed you.” At that, a great wave of love flowed out from him and enveloped everyone in the room. Wave after wave of thick, palpable love came from him to us. When at last we began asking him questions, one of us inquired, “What is that light surrounding you, Maharishi?” To which he laughed, “You’ve heard about the birds people have been seeing flying around in the room . . . ?”
2. At the end of TTC, everyone on our course received a personal meeting with Maharishi. At that time, I had been enduring a headache that enveloped my entire head, neck, and shoulders. The pain was so intense that I couldn’t pass any of the tests to become a TM teacher. With just a few days of the course left, I was feeling desperate. On the day of my appointment, I arrived outside Maharishi’s room, where a couple of dozen people were already in the foyer waiting for him. I sat down in a corner and began to sob. Finally, when Maharishi stepped out of the elevator, everyone declared: “Let Jim go first!” Inside his room, I simply blubbered and couldn’t answer any of his questions. He could see he wasn’t getting anywhere with me, so he told me he was going to lunch and would be back in an hour. While he was gone, I looked around the room and felt something special about it that I’d never experienced before. This was Maharishi’s very room! During that time, not only did my pain go away, but as I sat there, I began to experience the most exquisite happiness. I sat there for about an hour totally absorbed in bliss. Suddenly, the door flung open with great zest, and Maharishi announced, “Me come!” He asked me how I felt. “I feel great,” I replied. “Good,” he said, “Now we talk.” That afternoon, I passed all the tests and even passed a new one Maharishi had just devised. I had gone from the last to the first. The following morning, June 1, 1971, Maharishi made me a TM teacher.
3. Santa Barbara, California, summers 1973 and 1974 — I had enrolled in the MA program at MIU Santa Barbara during two consecutive summers. After each summer session, the MA students returned to their local centers and taught the MIU core courses. Beach Boy Mike Love had a lovely house overlooking the Santa Barbara beach, which he called The Love Foundation. Maharishi had invited some Vedic Pundit teams from India to chant Sama Veda in one of the rooms there. On Keith Wallace’s birthday, the Pundits had been chanting nonstop 24/7 for weeks, and we celebrated Keith with a big picnic at the Love Foundation. Two large picnic tables were piled high with presents for him. After lunch, we all went inside and ate some cake while Maharishi spoke to us. “For the first time in history,” he said, “East and West have come together.” It was the only time I ever saw Maharishi weep.
Maharishi in Pattaya, Thailand
by Randy MacKenzie, Summit, New Jersey, US
It was 1979 in Pattaya, Thailand. Maharishi decided to take a busload of his international staff (people like the Konhauses, Ma Pittman, Rindy, Ron Decter, Neil Patterson, Byron Rigby and many others) to our newly bought facility in Pattaya, Thailand, where the couples were staying for their Minister Training course. Maharishi had just spent a few days with all the couples for the men and ladies courses in Bangkok at the Buddhist monk facility. I was fortunate enough to be selected to leave before Maharishi’s bus to go ahead of them to make the facility ready for Maharishi and his entourage, and later they all arrived and settled in for the night and for program the next day and afternoon.
After the afternoon program, Ron Stakland, myself, and John Konhaus were down on the beach where the facility overlooked the Gulf of Siam to the west. The sun was going down and when we turned around there was Maharishi walking down to the beach alone. He got to the sand and was going to take off his sandals to test the water out. He then suggested to John that we get a couch for him to sit on the beach and enjoy the sunset. He and Ron ran off to find a wicker couch and I was busy making sure the local pet dog, Tofu, would not bother Maharishi.
After he sat down, soon the word got around to all the cottages where the staff were staying that Maharishi was on the beach waiting for his staff to gather around. Little by little, all the staff gathered around sitting in the sand around Maharishi and chatting about all different subjects from knowledge to putting up lights all around the facility for the nighttime enjoyment. Byron Rigby, John Konhaus and the ladies asked some very good knowledge questions and kept Maharishi going for many hours.
Then I think it was around midnight that Ma Pittman suggested and asked Maharishi if we should have a coconut ice cream break and Maharishi was pleased with that idea. Everyone enjoyed the break.
All the time we were sitting in the dim darkness around Maharishi in such a relaxed manner of conversation, I had never seen Maharishi in such a relaxed manner with his intimate international staff. It was totally different than when he was giving out knowledge to big groups of even all his teachers.
Finally, after many hours on the beach it was time to rest and everyone departed after Maharishi left.
The next morning, after I did my program, I was walking around the facility feeling like I was at the center of the universe and Maharishi was conducting the world.
After getting everyone’s luggage on the bus we returned to Bangkok and I was fortunate to be able to ride in the back of the bus with all the international staff and watch how Maharishi would have many of the staff members come up and sit with him for future project activities. It was quite a contrast of how Maharishi interacted with close and dedicated staff and how he interacted with the larger groups of teachers that were on the course, yet both were in a very fulfilling way.
Jai Guru Dev!!
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