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Transcendental Meditation

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Transcendental Meditation is an ancient form of meditation which has its foundation in Hinduism. Transcendental Meditation is commonly referred to as TM, which is also an organization that promotes a widely recognized meditation technique which was developed in 1955 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a disciple of Guru Dev. The TM organization has founded an accredited university, the Maharishi University of Management, and at one point even had a political party, the Natural Law Party. It is used by the Nataki Talibah charter school in Detroit; and in 2000 a study by the Center for Natural Medicine and Prevention received a five year, eight million dollar grant from the National Institute of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine to study TM. Several journals such as The American Journal of Cardiology [1], The American Journal of Hypertension [2] and The Journal of Offender Rehabilitation [3] have published scientific studies about TM. Critics have questioned the integrity of the scientists that conducted the studies and question the possible negative effects of TM.


History

In 1957, at the end of a big "festival of spiritual luminaries" in remembrance of the previous Shankaracharya of the North, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, his disciple Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (or simply "Maharishi") announced the formal beginning of TM. In the movement's initial stages, Maharishi emphasised the religious aspects of TM and operated under the auspices of an organization he called the Spiritual Regeneration Movement.

In the early 1970s, Maharishi launched his "World Plan" to establish a TM teaching center for each million of the world's population, which at that time would have meant 3,600 TM centers throughout the world. Since 1990, Maharishi co-ordinates his global activities from his headquarters in the town of Vlodrop in the municipality of Roerdalen in Holland.

Effects of TM

Some studies [4] indicate that regular practice of TM leads to significant, cumulative benefits in the areas of mind (Travis, Arenander & DuBois 2004), body (Barnes, Treiber & Davis 2001), behavior (Barnes, Bauza & Treiber 2003) and environment (Hagelin et al. 1999). Other studies suggest that TM has possible negative side effects.

Various top level institutions are interested in the documented effects of TM:

Researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles department of psychology, Charles R. Drew University of Medicine and Science in Los Angeles, and the Maharishi University of Management College of Maharishi Vedic Medicine in Fairfield, IA, randomly split 60 African-American people with high blood pressure into two groups. One learned transcendental meditation (TM) and practiced it for 20 minutes, twice a day. The other received standard heart disease prevention education.
Seven months later, researchers used ultrasound to measure fatty deposits and the thickness of the participants' artery walls. The TM group had a decrease in artery wall thickness, which could reduce heart attack risk by up to 11 percent and stroke risk by up to 15 percent. Artery wall thickness increased in the education group (Journal: Stroke, year: 2000). According to John Astin, PhD, assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in Baltimore there was "very strong evidence from this and other studies that meditation has health-promoting effects," [5]

However, many authorities do not share such a positive view. For example, in a report for the U.S. Army Research Institute, a National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council committee concluded: "Overall, our asessment of the scientific reserch on meditation (primarily, Transcendental Meditation) leads to the conclusion that it seems to be no more effective in lowering metabolism than are established relaxation techniques; it is unwarranted to attribute any special effects to meditation alone." [NRC 1991]

Procedures and theory

TM is practiced for fifteen to twenty minutes twice daily while sitting with the eyes closed. In essence, the TM technique comprises the silent mental repetition of a simple sound known as a mantra. The goal of this meditation, according to practioners, is called pure consciousness (in Sanskrit: turiya or samadhi).

The TM organization emphasizes in its teaching that the procedure for using the mantra is very important, and can only be learned from a trained teacher of TM.

Pure consciousness

According to the teachings of TM, daily practice helps enliven in the meditator's life the field of "pure consciousness" or "pure intelligence", a field of "pure knowingness" that is expressed in the different objects of knowledge. Practitioners of TM believe that all thoughts and actions and the entire universe are expressions of the field of pure knowingness. Practitioners of TM believe that the field of creative intellegence is life enhancing, and that by connecting to it, people will spontaneously act in harmony with it. Mainstream scientists reject this view.

Stress

TM practitioners define stress as "structural or material impurities resulting from overload on the physiology."[citation needed] This is not the definition accepted by the medical community. TM practitioners believe it is possible to purify the physiology completely and that this should be the goal of human life, equal to gaining enlightenment.

Mantra

According to the TM organization the mantra is a meaningless sound specifically chosen and communicated to the meditator at the time of initiation, to have a soothing effect upon the individual's nervous system. The TM organization encourages practitioners to keep their mantra private and never to repeat it aloud, since it allegedly has the effect of moving the attention inward toward more 'refined' levels of the mind.

TM and religion

With regard to religion, Maharishi stated in his book Science of Being and Art of Living that:

  • Religion and meditation are both necessary -- "One without the other will not survive."
  • Everyone should follow their own religion.
  • At its beginning, every religion included transcendental meditation.
  • Now that religions have forgotten the technique, they are "like bodies from which the soul has departed".

Despite the fact that different practitioners of TM practice many of the world's different religions, and religious practitioners are encouraged by Maharishi to continue with their own religion, there is some controversy as to whether TM is a religion. Those who say it is a religion point to the puja, a Hindu ceremony that everyone who learns TM must go through [[6]], its reference and use of Hindu scriptures and terms (see below), use of the Hindu Astrology (jyotish) [[7]], use of Yagya Hindu fire ceremonies [[8]] and that the TM organization celebrates Hindu holidays [[9]]. Those who practice the TM-Sidhi program are encouraged, as part of their daily practice, to listen to recorded excerpts from the ninth and tenth mandalas of the Rig Veda in which the names of Vedic-Hindu deities are recited. Maharishi has published his own translation and commentary on the Bhagavad-Gita (Penguin: 1990), one of the primary texts of the Hindu religious tradition, and passages from his version of the Gita are often used in TM advanced lectures and in the teaching of the Sanskrit language in TM centers.

The TM organization explains in its introductory lectures that TM comes from an oral tradition of Vedic masters such as the Guru Dev and Shankara. The TM organization considers that the core of Hinduism, the wisdom of the Vedic Tradition, provides and illustrates technologies of consciousness that are in essence practical, verifiable and not based on religious beliefs.

In reference to gods, Maharishi Maheshi Yogi in an older piece of TM literature (Beacon Light of the Himalyas, 1955, page 65) says that the mantras are mantras of Gods: "For our practice we select only the suitable mantras of personal Gods. Such mantras fetch to us the grace of personal Gods and make us happier in every walk of life." In the early days of the TM movement, Maharishi also published the lengthy devotional poem Love and God. Within the TM teaching, the mantras are meaningless sounds that animate some specific collection of laws or intelligent mechanisms, which depending on the context are sometimes called gods or personal gods. In the TM teaching, the laws of nature (or gods) control all aspects of life, including its most tender and personal aspects.

The U.S. District Court ruled in Malnak v. Yogi that TM was too religious to be taught in public schools (Malnak v. Yogi, D.C. Civil Action No. 76-0341.)

Criticisms and controversies

Criticisms and controversies can be divided in different categories: possible negative side effects, TM-Sidhi Program and Maharishi Effect, political activities of the TM organization, sexism and the TM organization, and importance of correct buildings.

Possible adverse effects

Critics of TM refer to a paper that reviews 75 studies on various meditation techniques (of which TM was a part of this eclectic mix of techniques) [10]). The study found that 63% of meditators experienced negative side effects, including panic, depression, increase in tension and loss of motivation, among other. One methodological challenge this review faced was that "None of the studies reviewed tried to disentangle the effects of meditation per se from the influence of the presenting problem or/and premorbid personality of the subjects."

Leon Otis, a staff scientist at the Stanford Research Institute, testified that after surveying hundreds of meditators, he concluded that "TM may be hazardous to the mental health of a sizable proportion of the people who take up TM." However, his conclusion was in fact an explanatory conclusion or explanation, not a logical conclusion. The main observation which brought him to this explanatory conclusion was that those who practiced TM for a long period disclosed more adverse side effects than the dropouts and the new meditators. A key point that is not mentioned by critics of TM is that, as an alternative explanation for this same obvervation, Dr. Otis mentions the following: "... dropouts and those who continue the practice of TM may differ in some fundamental way(s) prior to learning TM. [...] The latter appeared to have more problems before starting TM than the former." His study even presented evidence to support this explanation. To provide additional evidence, Dr. Otis mentions studies of others that indicate that the probability of occurrence of these so called adverse effects is higher among psychiatric populations. The alternative explanation, blaming on prior conditions, appears more supported by direct evidence than Dr. Otis proposed explanatory conclusion, which blamed TM per se. This corroborates the alternative explanation that is proposed in general in the review paper that is mentioned above. This alternative explanation of Dr. Otis does not blame TM per se. Instead, this alternative explanation says that the mechanisms of TM, which have been shown to have positive effects in the same study, get intricated with prior conditions. With regard to the possibility that these side effects are only purifying mechanisms, Dr Otis only say that these purifying mechanisms must have lasted for the duration of the entire study. Depending on the prior conditions, this is not so surprising. It is also interesting to note that when critics of TM have reported this study as an evidence of their claim that TM has harmful effects (see second paper reported in [11]), they did not mention the alternative explanation.

In a study conducted by a German Governmental department, called "the Various Implications Arising From The Practice of Transcendental Meditation," 76% of the participants developed adverse mental side-effects including: depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation. 25% experienced a nervous breakdowns and 20% experienced suicidial feelings. Only 9% of the these participants had received theraputic care previous to this study. There conclusion was: "Psychological illness already present before the TM phase worsened considerably. TM can cause mental illness or at the very least prepare the way for the onset of mental illness." [12]. It should be noted that this study was not published.

TM-Sidhi Program and Maharishi Effect

In the late 1970s the claims for the TM technique and the associated advanced TM-Sidhi Program became more radical and increasingly targeted at existing adherents. Propounded benefits include a measurable decreased crime rate in cities with 1% of the population practising TM, or the square root of that number practising the TM-Sidhis program (this phenomenon being called "the Maharishi Effect"), and extraordinary powers (Siddhi being sanskrit for "suppernatural power") including metaphysical levitation. Despite early released photographs which seemed to show people levitating, as of yet, there has not been a documented case of any TM meditators achieving levitation.

James Randi, noted skeptic and critic of paranormal claims, investigated the claims of Dr. Rabinoff, a MIU professor and TM researcher on the Maharishi effect which claimed that a large gathering of TM meditators had reduced crime and accidents, and increased crop production in the vicinity of Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa. After speaking with the Fairfield Police Department, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, and Iowa Department of Motor Vehicles, Randi said that there was no evidence to support these claims (Randi 1982).

Publications on Maharishi's technologies

In May 1991, an article on the benefits of Maharishi Ayur Veda was published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA). When JAMA's editor, Dr. George D. Lundberg learned that the journal was misled about the authors' financial involvement with the TM movement, he assigned associate news editor Andrew A. Skolnick [13] to investigate and write an expose on the movement's efforts to promote its trademarked line of Indian remedies [14]. "An investigation of the movement's marketing practices reveals what appears to be a widespread pattern of misinformation, deception, and manipulation of lay and scientific news media," Skolnick wrote. "This campaign appears to be aimed at earning at least the look of scientific respectability for the TM movement, as well as at making profits from sales of the many products and services that carry the Maharishi's name." It also countered the articles claim that Maharishi Ayur-Veda was more cost effective then standard medical care. In July 1992, Dr. Deepak Chopra and two TM organizations filed a $194 million libel suit against Lundberg, Skolnick, and the American Medical Association. The suit was dismissed without prejudice in March 1993.

The article, which was never retracted, raised questions about the integrity of at least some of the reports from scientists involved in the TM movement[15]. Nevertheless articles on the benefits of TM and Maharishi Ayurveda products continue to be published in medical journals: The American Journal of Cardiology ( [16] )-[this study was funded by the US government] and the American Journal of Hypertension ( [17] ).

Political activities of the TM organization

The TM organization founded the Natural Law Party in 1992 in support of candidates for public office dedicated to promoting TM and Maharishi's far-reaching political goals at all levels of society in the field of action. The Party ran Dr. John Hagelin, former physics professor at Maharishi University of Management, for president of the United States in the 1992, 1996, and 2000 elections. The Natural Law Party did not run a candidate in the 2004 presidential election and the NLP is no longer a registered party in the UK. Following repeated NLP failures at the polls, Maharishi unilaterally inaugurated his own Global Country of World Peace and crowned Dr. Tony Nader as Raja (Vedic king) of the new government, which is devoted to achieving Maharishi's goals, including the practice of TM in the public schools and the demolition and reconstruction of all public and private structures throughout the world along Vedic principles.

Maharishi is quoted as being opposed to Democracy, which he wishes to replace with his own system of governemnt. [[18]]

Sexism and the TM organization

According to historian Stanley Wolpert (A New History of India, sixth edition, Oxford University Press: 2000), ancient Vedic society was undeniably patriarchal, and this characteristic is reflected in the present structure of the TM organization. Although women are not barred from becoming teachers of TM, they are rarely seen in positions of political leadership, especially at the highest and most visible level of the organization. Evidence of discrimination against women can be seen in the failure to include women as ministers when Maharishi proclaimed his Global Country of World Peace (all of the 40 appointed ministers were men) and in the failure to include female spokespersons in the discussions that accompany Maharishi’s weekly televised press conferences.

This is because Maharishi has outlined three acceptable “paths” for women in society: 1) marriage and motherhood, 2) monastic celibacy (in his “Mother Divine” program), and 3) engagement in a life-supporting profession or occupation that does not strain the allegedly delicate nervous system of female physiology. Also, in live and televised presentations sponsored by the TM organization, females are patronizingly referred to as “ladies” (not “women”) while men are called “men” (not “gentlemen”). TM apologists point out that even married women are called ladies as a sign of respect and married men are at other occasions called gentlemen also as a sign of respect, but fail to appreciate that gender bias is inherent in the organization’s failure to consistently apply the corresponding term “gentlemen” to males. Over the years, the TM organization has implemented a deliberate policy of segregating the sexes in its parochial schools, course facilities, assemblies, etc. The Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment in Fairfield, Iowa has its segregated classes on a 5 minute delay[citation needed] and, as of 2003, canceled their highschool Prom such that men and women would not associate before adulthood.[citation needed]

Importance of Correct Buildings

In his televised press conference of November 16, 2005, Maharishi emphasized that it was vital for everyone in the world to live and work in buildings constructed according to proper Vastu, an Indian philosophy that resembles Fung Shui, the belief that the arrangement and layout of one's home has important effects on all areas of one's life. Maharishi said that it was very important that all members of the organization quickly move into dwellings constructed according to Vedically-correct principles, and that he would no longer talk or deal with any member of the TM community who lived in un-Vedically correct structures. All builders in the world are being approached and encouraged to build subdivisions of Vastu homes as soon as possible so that everyone (not just those who practice TM) can benefit from the claimed positive influence of these buildings.

The TM movement has also encountered resistance for trying to tear down historical buildings to build Vastu compliant structures. [[19]]

Notable practitioners

Some of these individuals have died or are no longer practicing TM.

Reference

Further reading

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