Maharaji, Élan Vital and Instructors - 1980s

In the fall of 1985 there were 16 instructors in the USA. They were all long-term followers

INDIA - APRIL 11-14, 1985 Arriving in New Delhi two weeks before the festivities were to begin, Maharaji took some time to relax, meet with instructors and inspect the preparations for the four-day event. MALLAYSIA APRIL 17-26 In Kuala Lumpur, at an impromptu meeting, he met with 300 people interested in becoming instructors. Stating his pleasure with the new approach of using part-time instructors, he encouraged them to participate in this way.

1986: Maharaji Ordered His Premies To Stop Telling Anyone About the "Knowledge"

In 1986 Maharaji decided that none but a handful of his devotees could be trusted to talk about the Knowledge which most of them had been practising for 15 years. This seems to be very strong evidence that there was someting wrong with the Knowledge, the students and/or Maharaji as the Teacher. The effects of this practice of the Knowledge did not impress many outsiders. Rawat put his followers into a bind. He told them to present themselves honestly and that this would attract new people but they knew it didn't. They were given cards with an instructor's phone number. - North American Convention 1986

Maharaji's 1987 Schedule

In 1987, Maharaji completed an Instructor Refresher for the North American East Coast in January, and held Instructor Conferences for South America (in Miami) and for Europe and Africa (in Rome), in February. In March an Instructor Refresher was held in England for Europe and the United Kingdom. Maharaji was scheduled to go to India at the beginning of April and to conduct an Instructor Conference in Malaysia for the Pacific region towards the end of April. There were 5 instructors in Australia. A list of USA Instructors was published in the Spring 1987 IN VIEW Newsletter. Another list was printed in the Autumn 1987 IN VIEW Newsletter

The British newsletter, Newline, paraphrased his instructions at a session on "Communicating about Knowledge":

So Maharaji's message was a simple one - don't set yourself up as a spreader of the Knowledge. Just let the experience Knowledge brings, work for you in your life. And if someone we know expresses an interest, merely set them on the path towards discovering that experience for themselves by putting them in touch with an instructor.

In 1987 no public programmes were held as Maharaji's time was spent with instructor training and the Rejoice programmes. Approximately every six months, each of the instructors trained by Maharaji to instruct people in the practice of Knowledge come together for a 1-3 day "refresher course." The January 1987 refresher course was in Ft. Lauderdale Florida, they met with Maharaji to deepen their experience of Knowledge and increase their instructor skills.

1988: In mid-May Maharaji went to Australia and New Zealand for nearly a month for the scheduled Rejoice programmes and an Instructor Refresher on 28/29th May for 61 Knowledge instructors from throughout the Pacific region, along with instructors from other countries, including South America and Europe. On June 11 he held another aspirant meeting, attended by 45 instructors and 39 aspirants from Sydney, Melbourne and throughout Queensland, at the Riverside Centre, Brisbane. After that, there were 16 volunteer instructors in Australia. Instructors were not only available to people interested in hearing more. People who already practise Knowledge and would like to discuss any aspect of it, were also welcome to contact an instructor. Most instructors hold public meetings and were happy to give details of time and place. In August /September he was training four full time instructors to specialise in conducting the Knowledge selection and Knowledge sessions. By the end of 1987 the were over 125 Instructors in North America including such long-term luminaries as Raja Ji (his Brother), Joan Apter and Ira Woods

1988: After a brief holiday break over Christmas 1987 Maharaji went on to conduct an Instructor Refresher training in Los Angeles. 141 instructors attended, as well as 41 guests.

By mid 1989 the USA instructors were down to 9 only, the real hardcore, Woods, Apter, Horton, Raja Ji, David Smith. Maharaji would select people who want to receive Knowledge, but only after they have already been working closely with instructors. Maharaji is now able to conduct each step of the Knowledge process exactly the way he wants. In late 1989 Instructor/Speaker applications were available through the national organization in each country. (Completed applications are then forwarded to the International Learning Center.) To request an application in the U.S., write to: Élan Vital, P.O. Box 6130, Malibu, CA 90264, RE: Application Request

Most of Maharaji's dealings with instructors seemed ad-hoc, constantly changing though procedures or at least forms were created to regularise the process. These included and Instructore Application Form and an Instructor Application Survey and an Instructor's Training Manual

1998: Instructors work with communities around the world As a resource they're somewhat scarce - approximately one for every 4,000 people who came to a video event last year. There may be more soon, but for now they're scattered around the globe. One even turned up in Kenya last year. Of the nearly 120 instructors in the world over 80 live in India and Nepal. The remaining 30, the ones you are likely to see in the West, have been busy this past year, to say the least, working with aspirants in over 80 countries, from Trinidad to Norway.