Word: guru
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...guru's personal appeal is also rooted in the power of direct experience. Maraj Ji is said to be the latest in a long line of Perfect Masters, which include Moses. Jesus, Buddha, Mohammed, Krishna and Rama...
Devotees do not believe the guru's teachings to be anti-intellectual. When one receives knowledge, "the mind finds its true place," and ends its "aimless wandering," said a member of the publicity staff of Boston's Divine Light Mission...
...guru has framed a uniquely marketable philosophy. There are no complicated or subtle beliefs, no long reading lists, much room for personal interpretated or subtle beliefs, no long reading lists, much room for personal interpretation and no conflict with existing beliefs. Most importantly, there is the daily reinforcement of meditation--the experience of the Divine Light, which claims no intellectual content, and therefore cannot be challenged by the intellect. Maharaj Ji likens the receiving of knowledge to a pinch--something that cannot be understood until it is experienced...
There is appreciative laughter at the incongruous Americanisms which find their way into the Indian Mahatmas' discourses--words like "freaked out," "far out," "A-OK," and "out of sight." More than any other of the guru's sales techniques, these phrases pinpoint the incongruity of the entry of a 15-year-old saint into middle class American life. Their laughter rises with the blissful knowledge that they have attained a freedom from doubt so robust that this pudgy 15-year-old boy appears unquestionably to be God's medium on earth...
...bulk of the guru's devotees are young and middle class, although there are some older members of the Divine Light Mission. The movement counts few blacks in its ranks: one observer noted only one black in an audiece of nearly 500 at MIT Friday night, and could find only six at the mass meeting in Boston on Saturday. No blacks were among the Divine Light officials at the Boston gathering...