Mick,
Thanks so much for taking the time to write. These sorts of reports are important.
If Rawat did indeed have some sort of real solution for people, then these "travel arrangements" would make sense. Indeed, there would be more and more cities involved with these"invitations" and their process. Rawat and his croonies would like to see more and more "events" happen. Here is an insider view of these hopes for 2005-06:
P. came to Delhi for a conference with Maharaji (January 05). It started with one of the Indian's from RVK talking about propagation and asking people for suggestions. There were plenty of ideas! Then he stopped everyone and asked them to read their invitation card. It said it was a conference for Maharaji to share his vision with them!
He then went on to say that if we (including myself) are full of our own ideas we cannot help him - we will just get in the way. Wow! What a blast.
Then Maharaji talked. He said it was like he was in a fort and could look out and see down the line - that we couldn't see but he had a vision for 2005-06 to share. He said that it was essential to step up propagation - in India he said from 20% to 60%. He said that at the moment we are spending too much time on venues and then having small audiences. He wants only 20% of our time to go on finding venues and 80% on propagation.
I guess this will be the theme for the US and European events too.(I hope I haven't spoilt it for you) He also said he was going to spend 8 months of the year in India touring the villages and only 4 months everywhere else.
The problem is that Rawat's product is faulty and does not really help. By his "product" I mean his philosophy and his teaching and his meditation and his personality cult The world is in a dangerous mess right now with Islamic terrorism threatening civilization. We do need peace and fulfillment and wisdom, but Rawat's version does not have a chance. I say it doesn't have a chance because it is not real. But even premies who think that Rawat's solution is real cannot possibly believe that propagation is going to succeed in 2005-06 with the Keys and the scheduled programs. These programs with their outrageous costs are dwindling in frequency and size. Only in the poverty-stricken, rural areas of India is there any growth happening. In the U.S. where programs used to happen in many places each year, only the Miami and L.A. communities can afford to set one up.
Premies want to do good, but how can they think these days that they are involved with something that is really going to help society? The chasm between Rawat's dream world and the real world is just going to get greater and more and more obvious.
