Talk:Transcendental Meditation/Technique or Movement?

Sources that Define Transcendental Meditation as a Movement

• Definition: Transcendental Meditation is a religious movement largely developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, although he learned much of it from his teacher Swami Brahmananda Saraswati Maharaj. TM became popular in the West to a great extent because of various celebrities, like the Beatles, who started to join it. Adherents believe that dedicated following of TM teachings will not only allow them to attain supernatural powers, like levitation, but will also allow them to gain psychic influences over society. For example, groups have meditated in an effort to reduce crime, but to no real effect. Although followers will try to claim that TM is a science rather than a religion, courts have ruled otherwise and have prohibited the teaching of TM courses in public schools as a result.
  • About.com[1]

• Transcendental Meditation, also called TM, spiritual movement that was founded by the Indian teacher the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1917?–2008).
  • Encyclopedia Britannica[2]

• Transcendental Meditation, service mark for a religious movement based on Vedanta Vedanta , one of the six classical systems of Indian philosophy. The term "Vedanta" has the literal meaning "the end of the Veda" and refers both to the teaching of the Upanishads, which constitute the last section of the Veda, and to the knowledge of its ultimate philosophy, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Stressing natural meditation and the liberating pleasures such practices could invoke, the movement's meditation method is believed to help individuals achieve a higher level of consciousness. Brought by Maharishi from India to the West in 1959, Transcendental Meditation was a distinct subculture within the 1960s youth movement, attracting actress Mia Farrow, cultural philosopher Marshall McLuhan, and the Beatles, who eventually rejected the Yogi's teachings.
  • The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia® Columbia University Press. [3]

1. http://books.google.ca/books?id=uvzztfNaFaEC&printsec=frontcover&dq=Transcendental+Meditation&hl=en&ei=D4bETJM3jpqwA4--6bQF&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=8&ved=0CFEQ6AEwBw#v=onepage&q&f=false
2. Roth, Robert J. (1988). Transcendental mMditation. New York: Plume. ISBN 1-55611-085-5.
3. http://books.google.ca/books?id=ZPokHByS3N0C&pg=PA295&dq=Transcendental+Meditation&hl=en&ei=sobETIeWA4K0sAOXg9TfCw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=7&ved=0CEUQ6AEwBjgK#v=onepage&q=Transcendental%20Meditation&f=false
4. Bromiley, Geoffrey William; Fahlbusch, Erwin; Lochman, Jan Milic; Mbiti, John S.; Vischer, Lukas (1999). The encyclopedia of Christianity. Grand Rapids, MI: Wm. B. Eerdmans. ISBN 0-8028-2417-X.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
5. [4]
6. Etc.

Sources that Define Transcendental Meditation as a Technique

• Definition of TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION—service mark, used for a meditation technique
  • Merriam-Webster[5][6]

• transcendental meditation –noun, a technique, based on ancient Hindu writings, by which one seeks to achieve a relaxed state through regular periods of meditation during which a mantra is repeated. Abbreviation: TM
  • Based on the Random House Dictionary, © Random House, Inc. 2010 [7]

• transcendental meditation (TM), “a psychophysiologic exercise designed to lower levels of tension and anxiety and increase tolerance of frustration. TM has been described as a state of consciousness that does not require any physical or mental control. During meditation, the person enters a hypometabolic state in which there is reduced activity of the adrenergic component of the autonomic nervous system.”
  • Mosby's Medical Dictionary, 8th edition. © 2009, Elsevier.[8]

• A form of meditation practiced over 2500 years ago in Eastern cultures and which was recently made popular in the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as a means to help increase energy, reduce stress, and have a positive effect on mental and physical health; it involves the person sitting upright for 20 minutes, with eyes closed, and silently speaking a mantra (a key stimulus word used uniquely by each individual to return to the proper meditative state) whenever thought occurs.
  • Monodofacto [9]

• transcendental meditation a technique for attaining a state of physical relaxation and psychological calm by the regular practice of a relaxation procedure that entails the repetition of a mantra to block distracting thoughts.
  • Dorland's Medical Dictionary for Health Consumers. © 2007 by Saunders, an imprint of Elsevier, Inc. [10]

• transcendental meditation--Technique of focusing the mind, based in part on Hindu meditation. Meditators are given a mantra (a special word or phrase) to repeat over and over in the mind; such meditation is believed to benefit the practitioner by relieving stress and inducing a feeling of well-being and relaxation. It was introduced to the West by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and popularized by the Beatles in the late 1960s.
  • Encylopedia Farlex © Research Machines plc 2009. All rights reserved. Helicon Publishing [11]

• Transcendental Meditation--Transcendental Meditation service mark for a meditation technique and program founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and based on Vedic philosophy. Stressing natural meditation and the mental and physical benefits and personal development that could be achieved, Transcendental Meditation is said to help individuals achieve a higher level of consciousness. Brought by Maharishi from India to the West in 1959, Transcendental Meditation was a distinct subculture within the 1960s youth movement, attracting actress Mia Farrow, cultural philosopher Marshall McLuhan, and the Beatles, and continues to have many practitioners.
  • The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition | 2008 | The Columbia Encyclopedia, Sixth Edition. Copyright 2008 Columbia University Press. (Hide copyright information) Copyright

• "A technique, based on Hindu traditions, for relaxing and refreshing the mind and body through the silent repetition of a mantra. Disseminated by an international organization founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born 1917), an Indian-born guru” Abbreviation TM
  • Collins English Dictionary – Complete and Unabridged © HarperCollins Publishers [12]

• transcendental meditation noun Abbr. TM, A technique of meditation derived from Hindu traditions that promotes deep relaxation through the use of a mantra.
  • The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language[13]

• Transcendental Meditation, a method of meditation based on such Hindu techniques as frequent repetition of a personal mantra
  • Webster's New World College Dictionary [14]

• Definition: Introduced into the United States and Europe in the 1960s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Transcendental Meditation is supposed to teach people how to improve physical and spiritual health through mental and physical discipline. Adherents must meditate at least twice a day and repeat mantras. Through this, amazing feats such as levitation and invulnerability are supposed to be possible.
  • About.com [15]

• Transcendental Meditation (TM) was introduced worldwide in 1957 by the Indian ascetic Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is a form of mantra meditation used to achieve deep relaxation and revitalisation.
  • The Express, July 9, 2009 Thursday U.K. 1st Edition, Bluffer's guide to . . . TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION

• Transcendental meditation involves sitting in a quiet place for 15 to 20 minutes and gently repeating a personalized mantra, typically a phrase from Hindu scriptures.
  • The Washington Times, LIFE - HEALTH; Pg. B01, December 9, 2003, Tuesday, Final Edition

Sources that Use Transcendental Meditation to mean a Technique

• New research appears to be strengthening the case for teaching transcendental meditation in U.S. schools, showing it to be a means to improve the concentration of students and a way to enhance their physical and mental well-being....The technique was developed 50 years ago by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and consists of silently repeating a mantra for about 20 minutes a day.
  • International Herald Tribune, SPECIAL REPORT; Pg. 21, February 15, 2005 Tuesday

• This took transcendental meditation, which he had trademarked, to the world, with Hollywood one of the first stops. Disciples paid $2,500 for a five-day course, learning how to reach a "deeper level" of consciousness by inwardly repeating a mantra twice a day for 20 minutes.
  • The Economist, OBITUARY, February 16, 2008 , U.S. Edition

• The physical and mental benefits derived from regular practice of transcendental meditation sound so impressive, it makes you wonder why we don't learn the technique in school.
  • The Irish Times, CITY EDITION; HEALTH; Pg. 11, May 14, 2001

• Former Beatles Paul McCartney and Ringo Starr will reunite on stage next month to raise money to teach transcendental meditation to children around the world to "help provide them a quiet haven in a not-so-quiet world," McCartney said. ... The goal of the project -- which is called "Change Begins Within" -- is to teach the meditation technique to ...
  • CNN [16]

• In 1958 the Maharishi (he adopted the name in 1955) founded the Spiritual Regeneration Movement and began to spread the practice of transcendental meditation internationally. ... Transcendental Meditation uses one of a variety of Sanskrit mantras, each of which is a short word or phrase that, repeated in the mind, helps the user still the activity of thought and find a deeper level of consciousness. ... To practice Transcendental Meditation, a person must be initiated by a teacher. ... Many physiologists and psychologists have recognized Transcendental Meditation’s relaxing and vitalizing effects on the body and the mind. ... The early 1970s was a period of rapid growth for the movement. In 1971 the Maharishi founded a university and introduced Transcendental Meditation into public schools in New Jersey. Practitioners claimed that it was a nonreligious practice aimed at improving people’s quality of life ... In 1987 a former instructor of Transcendental Meditation successfully sued the organization, alleging that the program had failed to deliver on its promises.
  • Encyclopedia Britannica[17] —Preceding unsigned comment added by Edith Sirius Lee (talk • contribs) 23:01, 24 October 2010 (UTC)