Biography of Leon MacLaren

Discussion of the SES, particularly in the UK.
Tom Grubb
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Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby Tom Grubb » Sat Mar 28, 2009 8:31 am

The MacLaren Foundation (http://www.maclarenfoundation.net/index.asp) have sent out the email below. If you can judge a book by its cover, this one looks like an uncritical hagiography. I hope I'm wrong.


Dear All,

We are pleased to announce that the biography of Leon MacLaren, The Power Within, Leon MacLaren a Memoir of His Life and Work, by Dorine Tolley (van Oyen) has now been published.

It can be ordered from http://www.amazon.com , http://www.amazon.co.uk and http://www.abebooks.com amongst others. The actual direct links to the book itself are:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/s/ref=nb_ss_b?u ... &x=12&y=14

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_gw?ur ... ine+tolley

http://www.abebooks.com/servlet/SearchR ... &x=82&y=13

Please feel free to pass this on to all who you think would be interested to read about this remarkable man.

With best wishes,

The Trustees

George
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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby George » Mon Mar 30, 2009 6:23 pm

Hmmm, it's on sale through Amazon, and Amazon allows Customer Reviews (and also now Customer Discussions): if the book appears biassed, maybe comments to that effect will be made.

Tom Grubb
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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby Tom Grubb » Thu Apr 09, 2009 7:30 pm

Well, someone likes it so much that he's given it a five-star review before he's even finished reading it - on the British and the American Amazon site: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Power-Within-Le ... 051&sr=8-1 and http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/143921 ... d_i=507846

ses-surviver
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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby ses-surviver » Mon May 18, 2009 11:30 am

I have just finished reading this and once I've gathered my thoughts I'll post a full review.

One extract which will probably be of interest to people here, would be the short section on pages 212 & 213 in the chapter The Lion and The Lamb in which a number of incidents are recounted, showing the two sides of LM's character. the following passage is not dated, so I'm not sure what incident is being referred to here.

Sometime he mellowed. I had heard that some serious problems had arisen with regard to children exposed to harsh treatments in a day centre in one of the overseas schools. While having lunch with him I raised the issue urging him to look into it. To my horror he would not listen, even when amigst tears of anger I shouted at him that the Truth was being violated and the children's welfare was at stake if he did not take any action. I said that he had always upheld justice and truthfulness and it was as if he had abandoned both. He left the room and said nothing more about it. But the same evening, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he told the members of the group what he had heard and that he would take appropriate measures to protect the children. It was his way. In the end Justice and Truth always gained the upper hand.


There are number of passages which refer to the day schools, but the book makes it appear that he did not interfere too much and left those responsible to deal with their running.

Tom Grubb
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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby Tom Grubb » Tue May 19, 2009 8:21 pm

ses-surviver wrote:There are number of passages which refer to the day schools, but the book makes it appear that he did not interfere too much and left those responsible to deal with their running.

Hmm... I wonder. I have been told by a former St Vedast teacher that the 'harsh treatment' (i.e. vicious child abuse) that occurred at that school was prescribed by MacLaren himself at a meeting with teaching staff. This would seem to account for the apparent delight and sense of impunity with which the abuse was carried out. After all, MacLaren had an almost god-like status within the cult at the time and teachers must have considered it a great honour to fulfil his orders.

ses-surviver wrote:Sometime he mellowed. I had heard that some serious problems had arisen with regard to children exposed to harsh treatments in a day centre in one of the overseas schools. While having lunch with him I raised the issue urging him to look into it. To my horror he would not listen, even when amigst tears of anger I shouted at him that the Truth was being violated and the children's welfare was at stake if he did not take any action. I said that he had always upheld justice and truthfulness and it was as if he had abandoned both. He left the room and said nothing more about it. But the same evening, as if it were the most natural thing in the world, he told the members of the group what he had heard and that he would take appropriate measures to protect the children. It was his way. In the end Justice and Truth always gained the upper hand.

Does anyone else consider the way this story is recounted to be particularly creepy? Where was this overseas school and what were these harsh treatments? They must have been pretty brutal if even a thug like MacLaren was concerned about them. Were the police or other relevant authorities ever informed, I wonder, or did MacLaren's "appropriate measures to protect the children" amount to just a quiet word in a teacher's ear and the same kind of cover-up that occurred at St Vedast and St James?

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bonsai
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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby bonsai » Thu May 21, 2009 8:11 am

Tom Grubb wrote:Were the police or other relevant authorities ever informed, I wonder, or did MacLaren's "appropriate measures to protect the children" amount to just a quiet word in a teacher's ear and the same kind of cover-up that occurred at St Vedast and St James?


I can't imagine what Maclaren would consider appropriate measures but I share your cynicism. If he were alive today, I doubt very much that he would be able to comprehend the wrongs that were done at St James and St Vedast, much like most of the long term staff of the schools show themselves as unwilling to recognise the environment they helped cultivate. Such is the power of belief to allow a person to bypass morality.

Bonsai

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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby ses-surviver » Thu May 21, 2009 11:31 am

There isn't a great deal about the Day Schools in this book and what there is, can be found mainly in the chapter entitled Waterperry House

The book tells of how LM took in a number of teenage girls (English and South African) and catered for their education.

It must have been a very strange experience for these young ladies to have been privately educated under close supervision of LM. They were under strict rules, a little reminiscent of Victorian England, wearing long frocks, rising early at dawn, doing household chores, and working in the horticultural gardens. they mainly ate the diet food, and having no TV, entertained themselves in the evening with music sewing and reading. Once a fortnight they were invited to have dinner with LM and they could ask him any question that they wanted.


then
After the departure of the first group of girls, we collected another group, but these were more difficult to deal with. Two of them suffered from anorexia nervosa. How LM could have thought that we were equipped to deal with a disease which the medical profession finds very hard to treat, was beyond me. But as far as he was concerned their parents were desperate and he could not refuse.
<snip>
LM set the food programme which was almost the opposite to the customary medical approach. Instead of force feeding, he allowed them only two meals a day and no eating between meals. As it happened this was the rule for everyone at Waterperry as part of the school diet, so they were not treated differently ....
<snip>
By perservering for many months we eventually won the battle and the girls went home cured of a terrible illness.


Then comes the longest and most relevant passage
The matter of education became a pressing subject at that time and having the young ladies educated at Waterperry proved to be significant in another way. All his life LM had been a great educator and his wish to be so was part of his socialist/liberal upbringing. .... <snip>
In earlier days there had been a Sunday school for the young children of parents in the SES, but this was no longer adequate. In the seventies many parents in the School were clamouring for a proper day school, concerned as they were about rising adverse influences in society to which their children were exposed. Plainly, this was a step of major proportions and as it happened it was the right time. The fact that the experiment with the young ladies at Waterperry had been so successful played an influential part in forming LM's decision that a day school could be started. Thus the St James Independent School for boys and girls opened the doors for the first four and a half year olds in 1975. LM did not regard himself as the founder, but more as the facilitator, 'meeting the need', as he would put it.

At first LM took great interest in everything, as he did with a new venture, and paid attention to every detail even to the design of the school uniforms. he wanted particular words to be expressed in the colour and dress design for the girls, Innocent and Bright for the young ones, and Strong and Upright for the over tens. He told me to work it out and show him the result. I went to one of the artists in the school to make a particular blue colour and showed LM my designs, which he approved. I found a mill in the North who produced the best woollen cloth and had it died. It became a big project, trying to cut costs where we could and producing patterns which the mothers could sew themselves. Initially LM met the teachers after each term to discuss the progress and needs of every child. These sessions would take place over a day on the lawns of Waterperry if it was fine, or indoors if it was too cold and was attended by all the teachers. It was amazing to see his total dedication, as if he had not enough to attend to already, but he aimed to set the highest standards from the beginning. Once the schools were established he withdrew from active participation and left it to the head teachers and board of governors to take full responsibility. His own School required all his attention and energy. The strong impulse and support he gave has no doubt been a contributing factor in the continued success of the day schools, which have been founded in other major cities of the world.

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bonsai
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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby bonsai » Thu May 21, 2009 12:45 pm

I don't doubt for one minute that Leon MacLaren thought he played no active part in the running of the day schools and that it was left to the staff and governors to take the responsibility. The trouble is though that he, and his successor, fail to understand with which the devotion to the SES, its head tutor and the spiritual head the shankarachariya means that words uttered in the SES have direct consequences on the choice of actions by the staff at the schools.

One thing also is not acknowledged an that is the role of the foundation groups. Once a pupil at St James joined a foundation group then the SES did have a very direct influence over those pupils and their schooling. I remember from my own time that the pressure to join from my teachers was seriously intense and it is a mystery how to me how those who chose not to join had the strength of conviction to do so. (I did also have pressure from home to join too)

SES philosophy is very pervasive at the St James schools. It is seriously intense. Meditation at the beginning and end of every day for those over ten who failed to resist the invitation to be initiated. School assembly every day, including sanskrit prayers and some sermon which invariably had some philisophical bent. Pausing at the beginning and end of every lesson and activity. Diet and dress code whilst at school and exercised on almost every activity. Philosophy and Scripture lessons once a week. Vedic maths right up until the GCSE curriculum forces it to be otherise. Creationist views consistent with SES beliefs taught in science lessons. Attitudes to modern culture including, television, music, entertainment and literature very SES.

The answers so often to questions asked of teachers began. "His Holiness says ..." or "Mr MacLaren says ..."

Bonsai

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ET
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Re: Biography of Leon MacLaren

Postby ET » Fri May 22, 2009 8:59 am

bonsai wrote:I remember from my own time that the pressure to join from my teachers was seriously intense and it is a mystery how to me how those who chose not to join had the strength of conviction to do so.


My parents removed us from the school when I was fourteen, but my best friend stayed in until she left school. Shortly after she left, she rang me in a complete state, crying and shaking, because her former form teacher was ringing her at home every half and hour or so and trying to force her into agreeing to be initiated into the Foundation Group. She was hysterical, and very close to giving in, as the psychological pressure on an 18 year old was terrible.

Luckily for her, we were able to keep her strong, with both I and my mother advising her to keep saying "no" and try and stay calm. Eventually they gave up, but I've never forgotten what a state they reduced her to.

Quite appalling.
Pupil at St James Girl's School from 1979-1989, from age 4-14. Parents ex-members of SES.


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