I agree with all of you, but that is the whole point - we say to ourselves now that we did not really want to be close to M or have a high-flying position, and that all we wanted was to be as 'free as a bird in the sky'.

BUT we sold out on that, and we all bought in to it, thinking that was the way to please M and get his grace and be that free.

Whether you actively pursued the inner circle, or felt 'stuck' (Pat - who stuck you there?) or 'I wanted was to surrender to Maharaji, to his will, because I believed him when he told me that was the goal, the path of devotion to the living Perfect Master. In that light, my personal preferences were to be repressed and ignored as much as possible, if they conflicted with that.' (Joe).

All I am doing is trying not to apportion too much blame - whether you were actively seeking high-flier status or did not want it but allowed it to happen, in either case we were part of the cult and supported it.

And me a bhakti? Yes, but only because (like Joe said) I thought it was the royal high road to being 'as free as a bird in the sky'. In fact, of course, it was a cage for the bird.