Talking to Meditation Groups in 1970s and 1980s
During late 1970w and 1980s for a period of time I studied the growth of different personal development groups. This was a period when there was great enthusiasm for meditation and other approaches. Of course in recent times there has been a resurgence with Mindfulness which is now accepted as a credible set of tools.
An example of the Credibility Factor and making a service irresistible
It’s interesting to look at how many of these groups caught the imagination of the public, how they were organized and what they delivered. Just as with the old Betamax v VHS tape argument, the best quality doesn’t always win the day, it’s how a product or service is marketed and how it is perceived by the public at large. It’s not enough to make something attractive, it needs to be irresistible if it is to really catch on. Of course the same principals apply for all products and services and you can be sure that the world’s current three top brands Apple, Google and Coca Cola, all appreciate this factor.
One of the best known meditation groups in this period was Transcendental Meditation or TM. This swept across the planet in 1970s and 1980s and many people learned what was called “the TM technique” An army of enthusiastic brown suited mostly men talked in hushed tones about this new “science” and people flocked in droves.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1918–2008) introduced the TM technique and TM movement in India, in the mid-1950s. The organization was estimated to have 900,000 participants worldwide in 1977, a million by the 1980s] and 5 million in more recent years. What is not known so much is that prior to the George Harrison association TM was a much smaller concern and that specific celebrity endorsement acted as a catalyst for group growth. Other notable celebrities deemed to have practiced TM include Mick Jagger, Jim Carrey and Hugh Jackman. These associations mean that the group is deemed credible by the wider public at large. When Maharishi passed away in 2008 at the approximate age of 91, his spokesman admitted recently that the guru’s assets were worth between £300million and £600million
Divine Light Mission
Another notable group that grew during this period was The Divine Light Mission. To quote Wikipedia
“The Divine Light Mission (Divya Sandesh Parishad; DLM) was an organization founded in 1960 by guru Shri Hans Ji Maharaj for his following in northern India. During the 1970s, the DLM gained prominence in the West under the leadership of his fourth and youngest son, Guru Maharaj Ji (Prem Rawat). Some scholars noted the influence of the Bhagavad Gita and the Sant Mat tradition, but the western movement was widely seen as a new religious movement, a cult, a charismatic religious sect or an alternative religion. DLM officials said the movement represented a church rather than a religion. When Shri Hans Ji Maharaj died in 1966, he was succeeded as guru by Prem Rawat, then just eight years old, despite rival claims from other family members. Although Prem Rawat was accepted as his father’s successor, because of his age his family retained effective control of the DLM. In 1971, Rawat defied his mother by travelling to the UK and the US, where local branches of DLM were established and rapidly expanded. By 1973, DLM had over a million followers in India and tens of thousands of followers in the West, along with dozens of ashrams and hundreds of centers.”
The group was very well organized and when I moved to Leeds I spent some time talking to longstanding members. Members met regularly and were encouraged to devote their affections to the head of the group. Essentially the “behavioural frame” for the group was evangelical and members were encouraged to follow the dictates of the guru. There’s nothing wrong with this and the tradition of Light and Sound meditation of course is very old, so this is a repackaging once again of an established practice. These days there are many Light and Sound based meditations all seeking to attract followers, but none have caught the public imagination in the same way as DLM. A DVD of DLM which included demonstrating the techniques to accessing “The Knowledge” (also known as Light and Sound energy) was released in 1971 under the less than unassuming title “Lord of the Universe”
The Rajneesh/Osho Movement
Again to quote Wikipedia
“OSHO (11 Dec 1931 – 19 Jan 1990) was an Indian mystic, guru, and cult leader who garnered an international following.
A professor of philosophy, he travelled throughout India in the 1960s as a public speaker. His outspoken criticism of socialism, Mahatma Gandhi and institutionalized religions made him controversial. He also advocated a more open attitude towards sexuality: a stance that earned him the sobriquet “sex guru” in the Indian and later international press. In 1970, Osho settled for a while in Bombay. He began initiating disciples (known as neo-sannyasins) and took on the role of a spiritual teacher. In his discourses, he reinterpreted writings of religious traditions, mystics, and philosophers from around the world. Moving to Pune in 1974, he established an ashram that attracted increasing numbers of Westerners. The ashram offered therapies derived from the Human Potential Movement to its Western audience and made news in India and abroad, chiefly because of its permissive climate and Osho’s provocative lectures. By the end of the 1970s, there were mounting tensions with the Indian government and the surrounding society.”
In the early 1980s I interviewed local members of this group who ran a centre called Sangeet in central Leeds. They were highly organized and had a terrific insight into how to connect with the public with very well presented products that still sell well today. They also ran a vegetarian restaurant and were active in promoting themselves festivals throughout the UK. Rajneesh renamed himself Osho in later years. This was another example of a group catching the public imagination. The leader was known for being highly controversial once again proving Oscar Wilde’s view that “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”
Just with DLM the focus of the group was on the personality of the leader and like DLM the members were highly evangelical.
Final Thoughts
These three movements all caught the imagination of the public at a time when there was no social media and internet. They were highly organized and appreciated the values of putting “a human face” to the group identity. Crucially the focus of attention was happy to be in the public eye. Personally I don’t think that the actual substance of the teaching was that great, more VHS than Betamax, but as an example of organization and promotion there’s a great deal others can learn from these movements. Over the last 30+ years I have come across some really excellent personal development skills, many of which had dreadful awareness of how to connect with the wider public at large.
It’s not about creating “an unwieldy organization” or creating a fleet of Rolls Royce’s (Osho was known for this) BUT if you don’t capture the imagination of the public, organize time in a sensible manner and really ensure that all information presented to the outside world is of the highest standards, then the chances of growth are poor. Amazingly some groups don’t invest in creating good easy to read, common sense websites and regardless of supposed “hits” the growth in members will be severely limited. The enthusiasm is admirable but ultimately to communicate a message effectively requires an awareness of how to market and gain the public’s trust and confidence. Smart concerns of any sort will get customer feedback, pay attention to changing public trends and communicate in a manner that makes the product or service attractive. Like any service that connects with the wider world customer care is key, good manners are essential and attention to detail is vital!
To quote a great Japanese proverb
“No one of us is smarter than ALL of us”
Bob says “That was ZEN now is MEOW!”