Maharishi leader who served as university president in Iowa has died
The longtime Maharishi leader who spent more than three decades in Iowa has died.
Bevan Morris was a key figure in Maharishi’s worldwide Transcendental Meditation organization for over 50 years; He began his journey as a teacher in 1969 and later became president of Maharishi International University in Fairfield.
Morris died in Fairfield on Thursday, February 26, at the age of 76. He spent the last few years living at a Transcendental Meditation center in the Netherlands.
Maharishi International University It was founded in 1971 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who also introduced transcendental meditation. Morris met Yogi four years earlier, in 1967, in his native Australia and learned his meditation technique, according to an undated source. Commemorative letter from the university.
Morris received a bachelor’s degree in art and a master’s degree in philosophy, as well as a master’s degree and a doctorate, from the University of Cambridge. in creative intelligence from Maharishi European Research University. university’s board of trustees web page.
In 1979, Morris led the First Annual World Peace Assembly in Amherst, Massachusetts.
An obituary from Behner Funeral Home and Crematorium Officials in Fairfield said services will be held on the Maharishi International University campus, but no date has been set.
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50-year career in Maharishi meditation
Morris began teaching transcendental meditation soon after meeting Yogi, and in 1980 he joined Maharishi International University in Fairfield, formerly known as Maharishi University of Management. He was president of the school for 36 years until 2016, helping to expand the university both academically and structurally and overseeing the installation of the iconic Golden Domes of Pure Knowledge more than 40 years ago.
Maharishi International University started with around 500 students but currently has around 2,500 students enrolled.
Some respect Morris longest serving university presidents. He also served as chairman of the board of directors of Maharishi University.
Aerial view of Maharishi Internarial University’s Fairfield campus. The Schwarz-Guich Center for Sustainable Living is pictured below right.
Morris was appointed president of the Maharishi World Peace Fund in 2005, Tony Nader, current president of Maharishi University, noted in an email to students, faculty and staff.
“He studied directly with the Maharishi for many years and traveled all over the world with the Maharishi,” Nader’s email said. it said. “He has visited more than 120 countries, meeting with leaders in education, government, business and other fields to teach them about Consciousness-Based Education, Maharishi International University and Maharishi’s programs to create world peace.”
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Morris remained active in the Maharishi after leaving the presidency.
According to a statement, he served as International President of Maharishi Universities of Management. release from university.
Morris had served as Prime Minister. Global Country of World Peace A non-profit organization founded by Yogi since 2005 with the aim of “creating a new era of peace, progress and prosperity in our world family.”
Nader said Morris was known for his “big heart and the personal care and support he quietly gave to so many people over many years.”
Among many accolades, Morris received the first doctorate in Maharishi Vedic Science.
“He was known for his deep knowledge of Maharishi Vedic Science and his ability to express it,” Nader said in his email.
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Former Maharishi president ‘struggled with medical complications’‘
Morris appears to have “disappeared” in January, according to a post in the Meditating Fairfield, Iowa, Facebook group.
Craig Pearson, vice president for consciousness development at Maharishi University, said Morris was dealing with medical complications and was receiving treatment at the University of Iowa.
“He has been in Fairfield for the past several months and spent Thursday evening peacefully in the company of loving, enlightened friends,” Nader said in his email.
Pearson said Morris’ death was unexpected.
He had first known Morris since he became president in 1980. He was a worldwide advocate of the Maharishi, and Pearson noted how Morris’s Australian accent changed over the years and places he lived.
“He was a truly global figure and he brought that global perspective to his leadership at the university,” Pearson said. “It also brought the university into its global work, so it was a great way for MIU to be recognized.”
Pearson said most practitioners of transcendental meditation believe that death is not the end, and Maharishi followers agree that Morris is “in a good place.”
“We honor and congratulate Dr. Morris for his extraordinary lifelong service to the Maharishi, his steadfast leadership of the University, his numerous remarkable achievements, his collegiality and friendship, and, above all, his example of a life dedicated to the supreme values of knowledge, service, and enlightenment,” Nader said in his email.
“His memory will continue to inspire us for generations to come.”Kyle Werner is the Register’s breaking news and public safety reporter. Reach him at kwerner@registermedia.com..
This article first appeared in the Des Moines Register: Maharishi meditation leader who spent 36 years in Iowa dies at 76
