Free Republic

A riot Tuesday morning near Fairfield has raised concerns about a program that has brought thousands of Indian men to Iowa for meditation. More than 300 men, mostly from India, live in a fenced-off campus adjacent to Vedic City, north of Fairfield. The pandits, pronounced “pundits”, are religious men trained in meditating for peace. But when program leaders removed one of their members early Tuesday for undisclosed disciplinary reasons, more than 60 men swarmed a law enforcement truck, threw rocks at the sheriff and started a march down a public street. “I’ve never seen them this incensed before,” said Jefferson...

The most flamboyant of the self-styled Indian gurus to emerge from the Woodstock era, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was a man of charisma, energy and untold riches, credited with setting the Beatles and other stars on the path to spiritual enlightenment. The roots of the Maharishi's life remain shrouded in mystery. He said himself that "monks are not expected to speak about themselves; the message is important, not the person." It seems likely he was born sometime between 1911 and 1918. The son of a government revenue inspector, Mahesh trained as a physicist and worked in a factory, before devoting...

Palace plan jars community leaders' peace of mind Harmony and joy may be coming to St. Paul and other areas in the form of a Peace Palace. Curt Brown, Star Tribune Last update: October 26, 2005 at 11:49 PM They promise inner happiness and fulfillment through transcendental meditation. And they've got their eye on a vacant lot on St. Paul's East Side for the first of 10 Maharishi Peace Palaces in the Twin Cities area. Neighbors and community leaders, trying to keep an open mind about opening minds, are a bit skeptical and concerned about "hidden agendas." But the group's...

Former Pennsylvania Lieutenant Governor Bill Scranton III (R) has been less than candid in how he and his campaign are spinning his close and continuing ties to the purported international pseudo-religious cult led by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi -- despite his claims these connections no longer exist.

CHICAGO: A 224-storey pyramid shaped building, the tallest in the world, is being built at Katangi, near Indian city of Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh state. The 2222-foot (677m) Center of India Tower scheduled for November 6, is being financed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (The Beatles former spiritual leader), and will be his new world headquarters. The firm designing this tower are known for a previous large development, the Twin Towers in Battery Park City, New York. Meanwhile, a twisting 115-storey glass and concrete tower that would be the United States' tallest building may soon grace Chicago's lakefront, its developer said...