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Questions and Answers from the
Community-wide Dome Meeting
Sunday, November 9, 2003
with H.E. Dr. Bevan Morris and Mayor Robert Wynne
- What was done with the money that was raised
previously for Pandits in the U.S.? Can that money be used to
support this Pandit group?
Dr. Morris: A few years ago, after the events in Yugoslavia,
as many will remember, there was an effort to bring Vedic
Pandits to the U.S., particularly to the Maharishi Spiritual
Center of America. Some money was donated--I believe about
$800,000 was actually donated--and quite a bit more was
pledged for when the Pandits might actually come.
At that time Maharishi then decided not to have the Pandits
come. He wanted to have a much larger group come than that
amount would support, so he said not to have them come.
And when we saw that that was the case we thought to ask the
individual donors who had given that money if they would
therefore prefer that money to be going to support the
existing Pandit groups in India. Rather than have the money
just sitting there [in the U.S.], to have the money go to
India to support the groups that had been established there
in the different locations, including the Brahamastan center
of India, Prayag, and other places in India, and for the
construction [of buildings for the Pandits] and the support
of the Vedic Pandit schools.
I think almost every single one of the donors, amounting to
virtually 100% of the donations, agreed strongly to have the
money go to support the Vedic Pandits in India.
- How is the $100 million raised for the India
Pandit Project being used and could we use some of that money
or take a temporary loan against it to support the Vedit Pandit
Group for Maharishi Vedic City?
Dr. Morris: Many of you may have noticed that the Pujas that
are appearing on the Maharishi Channel features H.E. Dr. Girish
Varmaji, Minister of Higher Education of the Global Country of
World Peace at the center of the Puja. This is because those
pujas are being performed in Maharishi Nagar just outside of
New Delhi where H. E. Dr. Varma is now residing.
A few weeks ago Maharishi sent him back to India, to the Land
of the Veda, with the following charge: He should stay in India
until there are 40,000 Yogic Flying Vedic Pandits established,
10,000 Yogic Flying Vedic Pandits established at Maharishi
Nagar just outside of Delhi, and 5,000 Vedic schools for the
children in the villages throughout India to receive Vedic
education by satellite radio.
These chlildren are the trainees learning the Veda by heart who
will then go on to learn how to perform the yagyas at the
Brahmastan of India. From there these students will either join
the 40,000 group or the 10,000 group in India. Or they will
join the group that we are first going to establish in the
United States here in Maharishi Vedic City.
So this is his challenge. He has been given a very big task to
accomplish and not come back to Holland until he has actually
achieved all of that. As you can imagine, the requirement to
accomplish all of this in India is just the $1 billion that
Maharishi has been speaking about all along.
So the $80 million or so that was generously contributed to
the India Vedic Pandit Project by the Enlightenment Conference
graduates, like Bob Daniels and many others in our community
and around the United States is helping H. E. Dr. Girish
Varma to perform these gigantic tasks. It is far, far short
of the requirement [of $1 billion], and the income from every
penny of it will be needed to support what he is trying to
accomplish there and much, much more.
So, we certainly hope, in addition to this in India to have
the 500 come to Maharishi Vedic City and then 8,000 Vedic
Pandits come to the United States. We hope that the great
wealthy of the world, the most successful people of the world,
will also ensure Dr. Varma's success by the creation of the
endowment fund to support this massive permanent global peace
project in India. So that is what that money is being used for.
Right now there are already many groups of Vedic Pandits in
many places in India that are needing support, like 1200
Vedic Pandits in Prayag, where the Ganges, Jumna, and Saraswati
Rivers meet. There are also, I believe, already 2,000 of these
small Vedic schools with about 80,000 students that are already
being supported by this money that has been designated by the
donors for India. This $80 million is a completely separate
committed sum, and for the project [to bring 500 Pandits to
Maharishi Vedic City] we need to raise the money as Mayor
Wynne has just described. [$6 million or $450 per Vedic Pandit
for 26 months.]
- What is the status of the Pandits getting visas?
Mayor Wynne: The visas are being handled by the General Counsel
of Maharishi University of Management, Bill Goldstein. He has
been in contact with, and even has been in India meeting with
officials there.
This is a message from Bill: He feels that in consultation with
everybody, it has been confirmed that the project, as described,
should entitle this large group of Pandits to receive visas. And
based on this, Bill stated to us, "It does not feel there should
be any grounds for concern that visas will be an obstacle to the
fulfillment of this project." Bill said, "The only real issue
in my mind is the funding for the project. Fund it and they will
come."
He also said the visas are not issued until just prior to
departure for the United States.
- Can people make pledges with the stipulation
that the pledge is not due until the Pandits on are on the plane?
Mayor Wynne: Yes, but as I said earlier, make sure that you
honor your pledge once the Pandits are on the plane.
- Last year almost $1 million was raised to buy the
Mansion and other properties for the Capital of the Global Country of
World Peace and the home for His Majesty Raja Raam. How is that
property being used? Will Raja Raam return to the Capital? If
not, can it be sold to support the Pandits?
Mayor Wynne: It was a huge success on Victory Day, last year,
October 15, when the Capital, a 20,000 sq. ft. building, and
the 8,000 sq. ft. building next to it, the Central Bank of the
Global Country of World Peace, was secured for the Global
Country of World Peace.
On that day, here in the US, the Global Country of World Peace
established a non-profit organization by that name that owns
those buildings. And immediately His Majesty Raja Raam came to
his Capital on Nov. 1st of last year and inaugurated a 7-day
program of Vedic administration, Vedic health, Vedic education,
Vedic defense, Vedic agriculture, Vedic architecture-all the
aspects that are Vedic in the City.
Before that, Maharishi had also said this Capital of the Global
Country of World Peace would radiate a huge amount of publicity
worldwide. And this is, in fact, what happened also.
The whole press group from Vlodrop, Holland, is now residing at
the Capital and all this great publicity that we've seen over
this last year has really come out of that group, working in
collaboration with the public relations group here at M.U.M.
And when recently asked when His Majesty would be coming back
to the Capital, Maharishi said "Very, very soon." He said,
"The current war needs to subside a little bit and then he will
come."
Because His Majesty's realm is the whole world, there will be
other capitals around the world. But the U.S. needed a Capital
of the Global Country of World Peace and we have secured that.
This is the base for all this huge success that's happening now
here.
And I said this summer that I felt that in the two-year history
of Maharishi Vedic City, our proudest moment was when His Majesty
came here and when the Capital of the the Global Country of World
Peace established itself in Maharishi Vedic City.
Regarding using the funds for the support of the Pandits: We want
to maintain a permanent support for these Yogic Flyers, whether
they are a larger Super Radiance group or the Vedic Pandits. If
you sell an asset here and you sell an asset there--that's not
the permanent base.
So we're starting this fundraising campaign now. It's like your
insurance policy. People support the group on a long-term basis.
Also, here in Maharishi Vedic City, on the University campus,
and around the US, large-scale agriculture projects are also
starting. A 100-acre greenhouse project of the City just 3 miles
north of here is doing these large greenhouses.
Over time, within a few years, they will be generating enough
money also to support the Pandits. So one needs a long-term
viable mechanism--not just selling a building here or there.
Dr. Morris: I very much agree with Mayor Wynne that having the
Capital of the Global County of World Peace, with the seat of
His Majesty Raja Raam, is an enormous blessing and fortune
both to Maharishi Vedic City and the US.
I do think that 500 Vedic Pandits coming will be a very
powerful inspiration in Nature for him to reside a good
part of the year with us as we would wish, especially
because that will reduce the war conditions that certainly
do not promote him returning to the US at this time.
I'm also very happy to be a resident of the Global Capital of
the Country of World Peace and very much glad to live there.
[applause] And all the press conferences being held from there
and the MOU broadcasting from there, and H.E. Dr. Hagelin
having the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy,
not in the main Capital building but in the other building--
all of these donations [to the Mansion Project] have resulted
in some very, very good uses in the most perfect Vastus within
the most blessed city on earth.
- Instead of waiting until we have these new
buildings, why not start now and have the first group of 150
Vedic Pandits arrive. We have had thousands here before.
Everyone likes a moving train.
Dr. Morris: I think that it's extremely unlikely that
Maharishi would send Vedic Pandits into non-Vastu. I think
that it'll be required that they be in Vastu buildings,
and that they be in a complex dedicated to them, where they
have a certain degree of privacy and self-sufficiency, as
has been intelligently designed by Mayor Wynne and all of
the team working on the 500 Group.
As far as a smaller group coming right away, perhaps Mayor
Wynne could comment. I think it's worth a try to ask that
if we have support for even part of the group of 500, if
Maharishi might accept having at least some come
immediately . And we can build that number, a smaller
number, within a few weeks as you said.
Do you think that we could ask Maharishi about that,
having even a smaller group, or has he said 500 is the
minimum?
Mayor Wynne: Well, I think since H. E. the Minister of
Enlightenment brought it up we should definitely explore
it. [applause] We should see whether Maharishi feels
that we need to have a number that will produce significant
effect. And he has said that 500 is significant.
Also, in just the last 2-1/2 weeks we are more than a third
of the way there. Maharishi has indicated that if Pandits
started to come perhaps people will think, "Oh, I don't
have to give any more." So we should ask and see. The goal,
of course, is to have 8000. Five hundred is a very easily
manageable number, and I think we can accomplish it just
this week, and then know that we have that effect. But we
should check.
- Two ideas that have come in: My wife and I
are contacting friends to get 10 people together to support
one Vedic Pandit. If others use this fundraising approach it
might expand the fundraising effort quickly. And a second
suggestion: Let's have a campaign for businesses in Fairfield
to join together to support a cluster of 44 Vedic Pandits and
their teacher. The Mother Olson Foundation is already doing this.
Dr. Morris: So both of these are very good suggestions,
and please go ahead and do both of these things. Very, very good.
- Why don't we focus everything on creating 8,000
in MVC. We could sell Livingston Manor and Heavenly Mtn., etc., give
Purusha and Mother Divine royal new accommodations in MVC,
assemble all the housing available in Fairfield and MVC and
go on the website and aggressively market housing
opportunities for retirees and others, earmarking profits
to support the 8000 group.
Mayor Wynne: I think that in terms of supporting 8000:
[pursue] all avenues. Dr. Hagelin is focusing on billionaires
and large foundations, but Maharishi has said consistently to
raise the money through any avenue available in the US to
support the 8000 group.
[That's] because the US needs 8000 because it's the most
influential country in the world. It needs to be functioning
very, very coherently for the sake of itself and the whole
world. So whatever is happening in India, India's rising up
in sattwa, the United States also needs to rise up at the
same time.
Maharishi has the feeling lately that it would be good if the
Pandits were in a climate that is similar to what they're used
to. So other locations are also being looked at in the US,
such as in California with large tracts of land where the full
8000 could be.
And as I said earlier tonight, one needs at least 500 here in
MVC. Maharishi has been saying that all along, and because of
the leverage of the Super Radiance community here, it'll have
a huge effect. That is the first stage of a continuum of
getting 8000 here very quickly.
That being said, the land that the university acquired was
200 acres. It could comfortably support about 2000 Pandits
with these homes, and there is also land nearby that could
also be acquired. Cities always acquire land for projects,
so it is technically possible that we could have 8000 here.
In fact, a couple weeks ago Maharishi asked whether the
city could suppport it through taxes and other contributions--he
said don't call it taxes because there's a connotation,
call it a peace fund--which we've established to support 8000
in MVC.
So I think it's just a matter of throwing seeds out on the
field and seeing which crop comes up first. Whether
California comes up first or Maharishi Vedic City comes up
first, let the competition begin.
- The Movement has billions of dollars. Why
not use some of it for this project?
Dr. Morris: I think the reality is that the Movement does
not have anything of that kind at all, and there will be,
I think Maharishi feels, much more money coming in the
future to support these projects, particularly from the
great efforts that he is doing in farming.
He's often expressed dismay that he, somehow, got to that
level where he had to actually be a farmer in order to
produce money to support the world's peace. But that, in
fact, is what has happened. In the Ukraine, West Africa
and Brazil there are large areas of land that are now
being cultivated for Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture.
The ideal is that this will just keep expanding so that
there will be great wealth from food production, pure,
nourishing food. In addition, there may be other things
that we are doing that will produce much more money in
the future to support world peace.
But at the moment when you consider all that is committed
in India, when you consider all of these different
locations, Vedic Pandit groups, the buildings that are
being done, the land that is being purchased, the Pandits
that are already being educated in the villages, personally,
I cannot imagine how we have enough money to do all of that.
It must cost just an enormous amount of money every year,
and I think that the reality is that Maharishi is under
quite a heavy pinch financially to keep accomplishing what
he's already started in India and all that is going on. So
the situation is quite the contrary to this that actually
money is flowing for the Vedic Pandits, every penny that
is available to go is going. Except that where money was
given as an endowment, where only the investment income
from the funds should be used, then only the investment
income is being used to support the project.
- Could we form a group of 40 related to
the 40 ministries and have each member of the group responsible
for 40 Pandits?
Mayor Wynne: H. E. Dr. Hagelin, who's established the U.S.
Peace Government, is in fact creating a government
structure that is 40 ministries, and the U.S. Peace
Government is dedicated to creating this peace-creating
group of 8000 for the U.S. as well as... [inaudible]...
so this is actually a very good idea and H.E. Dr. Hagelin
is implementing that now.
- Why is Maharishi focusing so much on money?
Dr. Morris: Of course, Maharishi is focusing on thousands
of things every day for the world. But the point about
money is that Maharishi has provided us with the Vedic
technologies to create peace. The technologies to create
peace are in our hands. We don't need any more knowledge
of how to create peace. We have all the knowledge that
is necessary. In order to implement it, all that is
required is money. Hence the focus on money.
- Does the campaign have to involve itself so
much with doom and gloom as a message? I don't want to be fear-based.
Mayor Wynne: No. But Maharishi says that when a person is
groggy, you have to shake him a number of times to wake
him up. So it's better to be woken up now to be given the
choice to prevent something in the future than to sleep
until disaster has come.
Maharishi has been quite consistent for many years, back
even in April of 1999 during the Kosovo/Yugoslavia crisis,
he said that whatever is happening in Yugoslavia could
happen in any country in the world. And that if the wealthy
of a country do not do something, like in the U.S., then
bombs could fall on Washington DC and the tall buildings
in the financial district of New York could be set on fire.
In a press conference to the media Dr. Hagelin held in New
York two weeks ago, Maharishi said that he had put this
notice in the paper even again after the events of 9/11,
saying that the billionaires of the world need to come
forward to support this. He said that they didn't, and
now it'll happen again in another two years. Then he
paused and he said, even sooner now than in two years,
it'll happen again. So it's just the reality.
And in his comments that I mentioned from two weeks ago
he said, "Don't blame us when it happens." And that
universities are always raising money, but this isn't a
matter of raising money. It's a matter of life, preserving
life and this is what the situation is in the world today.
There used to be that time when there were two superpowers
and there was mutually assured destruction, or something
like that, where if we bombed them they'd bomb us. But now
almost everybody can have access to one of these nuclear
bombs and other things.
It's a very tenuous time, and Maharishi wants to make sure
that people are aware of it, that they aren't groggily
going ahead.
So it doesn't have to be doom and gloom, and as we saw tonight
so many beautiful sentiments of children and the residents of
Fairfield and MVC. As Maharishi says, it's all preserving life,
that's what this campaign is about, preserving life on a
permanent basis. Not that we come together for two weeks and
have a course, and research is done showing that it works, but
then no government comes forward to support it. This time, now,
is to establish a permanent group in the US and in India, and
that it can be done effectively and at low cost the way it's
been structured. [applause]
- Let's reduce the course fee for Transcendental
Meditation to $250, teach on college campuses and initiate a million
new meditators. All the governors would engage in what we were
meant to do: spread enlightenment and a million new meditators
would send a tidal wave of sattwa across the nation and the
globe.
Dr. Morris: I think everyone who watches the press conferences
has seen Maharishi himself comment on two separate occasions
on his opinion about the course fees. And the course fees
being set at this level that they are now set at is absolutely
clearly his uncompromising position about how this knowledge
should now be learned.
Anyone, including myself, who's raised any other suggestions
or angles is forcibly and completely rejected. So it's not
something that hasn't come up hundreds of times. It's something
that is very deep in Maharishi's cosmic intuition that this is
what is now what is now required of the world.
In times long ago, when we look at the Holy Tradition behind us,
if you wanted to gain knowledge of this magnitude, the great
secrets of Vedic wisdom from the sages of the Himalayas, then
you would have had to spend many years serving before they
would have even the feeling to speak to you and begin to teach
you anything.
So Maharishi, in the desperation of the world situation when
he came out from India in 1958, took a very liberal and open
attitude just to provide this knowledge, to give this
knowledge freely to everyone who was willing to receive it.
But now it seems that the trend is more towards the ancient
tradition, that those who want to have the opportunity to
transcend and to gain the most precious experience that
any life that they ever lived in the whole cycle of creation
could ever give, they have to be seriously committed and
make a serious offer to the support of India and world
peace, which is basically where that money goes, in order
to learn the technique.
Believe me, there is no compromise of any description
in this regard, this is a universal principle that now exists,
and it is from the level of Maharishi's cosmic feeling.
This is how he feels. This is what he is going to do, and
that is how it is going to stay.
- Why not fund local mediators as well as
Vedic Pandits to make a larger group?
Dr. Morris: I think that Maharishi is more than willing to
also have permanent professional Yogic Flyers in America
amongst the American Yogic Flying family, not only in the
Domes, but in each of the Peace Palaces. He wants such
permanent professional groups that are supported by
Maharishi Vedic Organic Agriculture, by local businesses,
by--eventually--local government as well. He wants it to be
the case that we should have that profession. So that is
certainly completely possible as well. But as Mayor Wynne
said, we have in the Vedic Pandits both an efficiency in
terms of the cost and also an extra power that we do not
possess. Which is that, in addition to their Yogic Flying
program, they are able to recite the Veda from the Para,
from the transcendental field, and perform those Vedic
Peace yagyas, the Maha Ati Rudrabhishek, that can
really stir peace.
While we are busy with our work, they can be doing that
all day. So they have a very special power that we want
to take advantage of. That the ideal for all of us will
be, let us be supported by those who have the means to
do so, to be just on Creating Coherence Program, be
permanent professional Yogic Flyers. That is the best
profession for all of us. And, of course, the ultimate
form of that is Purusha and Mother Divine. And of course
that is the very highest, for all those who are single,
the very highest expression of the desire expressed in
this particular question.
- Can we put posters and pledge cards in
all the businesses near the cash registers?
Good idea.
- Use bar graphs on the website and in our
presentations to make the need clear? Repeat the main
points with illustrations?
We're always trying to improve our website to make it
clearer. These are good ideas.
- How about donors being offered a gift
of Vedic Scholars visiting their homes to perform?
Mayor Wynne: As Bevan had mentioned, the routine of the
Pandits is such that they have their own daily routine.
However, there will be processions in Maharishi Vedic
City, and Maharishi has said that the Pandits can also
perform yagyas while here in the US. People can sit
and observe their own yagyas being done. And then
there are these other daily routines also that
people can come and observe, where the Pandits are.
- I forwarded a letter about this project to
the Australian government. If America's influence
is so powerful can't every other nation support
itself by supporting this project?
Yes, of course, it's true that 8000 anywhere is
8000 everywhere, but the Australian government
should support their own 8000 group for their
own country. It's very easy for them to do it
there.
And America can easily, I think, support the
8000 here.
- National Public Radio has just received a
$200 million donation from the Kroc Foundation.
We should approach them about airing world peace.
Yes. Dr. Hagelin is organizing to go to all the
major foundations. It's a very good idea.
- At the last press conference, Maharishi gave
the analogy of pulling the arrow back. It seems
to me that in addition to searching for funds
for the Pandits we should focus on our own
consciousness. First deserve and then desire,
then the whole process of raising money should
flow more easily afterwards.
That's one of the last things Maharishi said
about this project. So go out and deserve and
get it done. It's a beautiful way to end
these questions, focusing on one's own
individual evolution.
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