In the heyday of Maharaji-ism in the west (the 70's) the enthusiasm that so infectiously 'spread the Knowledge' came largely and significantly from all the sincere youthful motivated people who ran with it- not just Maharaji. He rarely credits them either. Ask many premies how they got into the whole thing and they'll surely tell you it was because of people they already knew and trusted who seemed to have benefitted from 'knowledge who inspired them. And yes, the secondary 'recruiters' - Mahatmas and instructors definitely were effective in following up the process and cementing people's commitment. Maharaji reaped all the financial rewards and garnered the respect and love for himself whilst sometimes it seemed premies had little of either left for themselves or each other.

Today Prem Rawat seems to have done away with most of the old infrastructure and, correct me if I'm wrong but, it seems that propagation has drastically plummeted as a result. (except in India which is of no surprise is it?). How many people received knowledge in the USA last year? I heard 300. Can that be true? If so maybe Maharaji is not so concerned with the quantity of people joining. Indeed he does appear to be much more focussed on achieving his personal ambition to be respected/accepted as a world-peace leader type. Anyone who completes the Keys deserves a medal for endurance alone.

This is the part I find interesting. I already hear premies proudly saying how he's respectd by various political figures these days. I put it to one premie that Rawat's methods of self-promotion seem to have involved a certain amount of dishonesty and rather a lot of 'buying respect'. My premie friend defended this, saying that there is corruption at every level, especially as you get higher up in the world of power and influence. I think he was trying to say that Rawat is playing the spin game just like the rest and he (maybe a little reluctantly) accepts that. He rather tellingly apolgised if it seemed a 'cynical viewpoint' but justified it by saying it was 'realistic'. I felt if I'd argued further he would have become irrationally defensive. I fancied underneath his 'surety' I heard the stifled the cry of a neglected conscience.

Most of the people in the movement now are free-riders. If there were actually a cost to being a member of EV many would simply leave.

Yes, and the main cost (that premies who have already left cannot bear to pay) is not of time or money, it is the cost to one's conscience and integrity in having to turn a blind eye to so many things. One might describe these things as being 'hypocritical, unethical, double-standards' etc.

What rather depresses me about this new more 'cynical' attitude is that the 'idealism' (that I certainly initially had as a young premie) is now apparently all but gone. Now there seems to be an almost amoral pragmatism from the top of Rawat's organisation down. I do sense that the most idealistic and conscientious people have already left, leaving these 'free-riders' and people who have over-riding invested interests either of money or life-style. I think Rawat and premies are making a mistake to sell out their ideals (if they ever had any) in this way. They see politicians and they see corruption and they try and justify it - "this is the norm, we'll play the game that way'.

Rawat is not actually bringing any high moral ground to the table- and that is particularly unwise for someone trying to be a harbinger of peace and human values .

The interesting thing is that increasingly the man in the street and the young people of today, will NOT buy this. Look at Tony Blair (a real leader who is accused of being corrupted by power/ too big for his boots etc). He might still be in power but how is he respected? That has diminished considerably and he's even trying to be more transparent! And a least he'll put himself in the firing-line and take spontaneous questions from a young hard-questioning audience on live TV. Rawat has a zillion miles to go beore he can do this. Why? Because he thinks people have forgotten that he owes some straight answers to all the people he's used to get where he is AND the are an awful lot of sensible questions that his 'Peace through knowledge and the master/keys etc ' solution begs. And he doesn't appear to be in any hurry to take those questions. Odd for a man who apparently considers that he stands between every person on the planet and their true soul.

You have to do his 'Keys' to find find out how your heart really feels about life. Now since he is obviously such a unique and important being (I mean ordinary man is definitely not a fitting description is it?) everybody is going to be fascinated to know more about this guy who is so incredibly special...just as premies always did! He'll be a very interesting celebrity, forget the Osbournes, it'll be: "let's see what this guy looks like first thing in the morning, what's his relationship like with his wife? How rich is he? Has he got any skeletons in his cupboard? How human is such a great Master? Does he do what he preaches? What are his kids like? Where'd he get all that money!?

How can he possibly preserve his privacy when he's making himself so important one wonders? Will people like what they see?