Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the KGB
I just saw an interesting interview with a KGB defector from 1984 who talked about how the KGB was studying Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his followers. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was the guru to the Beatles, if you recall, and he died in February of 2008.
Apparently, the KGB thought that people who were “stupid” enough to get involved in meditation would be inclined towards brainwashing and could be used to help demoralize America. The interviewee also explains that people who focus too much on meditation might become complacent and not be alert to a possible Soviet takeover of the United States.
I don’t think meditation has made me complacent whatsoever. I have seen a disturbing tendency among certain yogis to get really wrapped up with gurus, however. This type of hero worship seemed to extend to the election of Obama this year, where the man was deified and set up to be some sort of new age messiah. (Never mind that most of his cabinet appointments show that he’s just a regular politician like everyone else.)
I don’t think this is the fault of yoga or meditation. I think people who are inclined to worship a guru are the same people who’d be worshiping a televangelist if they were a fundamentalist Christian. It’s simply a personality type that likes authority and being told what to do – it makes life easier. Or they are enamored with celebrity worship as a means of giving their bland lives some excitement and meaning.
I’m not suggesting all gurus are bad, but I think the unconditional, uncritical acceptance of a guru can lead to bad things. We’ve heard plenty of stories of gurus taking advantage of their students sexually, for example. Politically, I believe it is quite dangerous to set up any politician as a guru, however well-meaning the leader is on the surface, because that can lead to all sorts of problems if the leader’s ego gets in the way of the needs of the people. (Remember: Absolute power corrupts absolutely.)
The KGB interview is available below, and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi section starts at about 10 minutes in.
