Transcendental Meditation

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The neutrality and factual accuracy of this article are disputed.
Please see the relevant discussion on the talk page.
A Wikipedian has expressed the opinion that this article or section is unbalanced.
Please help improve the article by adding information and sources on neglected viewpoints.
Please see the discussion on the talk page.

Contents

Transcendental Meditation or TM is a trademarked form of meditation introduced in 1958 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Transcendental Meditation is a mental technique practised for 20 minutes twice a day sitting with one's eyes closed. [1] A feature of this meditation program is its lack of effort, as contrasted with techniques involving concentration, or those involving contemplation or active thinking. The TM technique involves an effortless repetition of a specific sound, called a mantra. This effortless repetition, practised according to specific guidelines, enables the practitioner's mind to settle down until, according to the TM organization, the mental activity of ordinary waking consciousness is "transcended" and a state of restful alertness is experienced.[2]

Extensive research has been done on Transcendental Meditation to determine its effects on the mind and the body. The validity of that research has been questioned, as well as the nature of the organization itself.

[edit] History

In 1957, at the end of a "festival of spiritual luminaries" in remembrance of the previous Shankaracharya of the North, Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, his disciple Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (or simply "Maharishi" to followers) inaugurated a "Movement to spiritually regenerate the world". That was the beginning of TM spreading all over the world. His publications during this period include Science of Being and Art of Living (1963), a translation and commentary of the first six chapters of the epic Indian poem known as the Bhagavad-Gita (1965), and the long devotional poem Love and God (1967).

In the early 1970s, Maharishi launched a "World Plan" to establish one 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 has coordinated his global activities from his headquarters in the town of Vlodrop in the municipality of Roerdalen in the Netherlands.

The TM Movement founded a nationally accredited university, Maharishi International University (later Maharishi University of Management), which began offering classes in 1973 in California and relocated to Fairfield, Iowa, USA, in 1974; a number of schools around the world, including the K-12 school, Maharishi School for the Age of Enlightenment; Maharishi Vedic City in southeast Iowa, (incorporated 21 July 2001); political parties in many countries around the world known as the Natural Law Party, all of which have been dissolved, the US branch having closed on April 30, 2004 (see [3]) in favour of the "Global Country of World Peace," founded in 2002.

The movement says that more than 6 million people worldwide have learned the Transcendental Meditation technique since its inauguration [4], including celebrities such as the Beatles, actor Stephen Collins, radio personality Howard Stern, film director David Lynch, Scottish musician Donovan, and actresses Mia Farrow and Heather Graham. For nearly eight years, Deepak Chopra was one of Maharishi's most prominent spokespersons and promoters of Maharishi Ayurveda or alternative medicine.

[edit] Procedures and theory

Maharishi teaches that the Transcendental Meditation technique comes from the ancient Vedic tradition of India. The simple sound used in the technique, the mantra, is given to the meditator at the time of initiation. The new meditator is informed that the mantra should remain private. Often, agreement-forms to that effect are signed. The mantras used in TM and the yoga sutras used in the TM-Sidhi program have been published on the Web [5].

The first research on the Transcendental Meditation technique, conducted at UCLA and Harvard Medical Schools and published from 1970 to 1972 in Science, American Journal of Physiology, and Scientific American, indicated that the Transcendental Meditation technique produces a state which the TM movement calls “restful alertness” in the mind and body.[6]. The deepest state of rest in this form of meditation, according to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is called "Pure Consciousness". 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 authorized by the TM movement.

[edit] Theory of Consciousness

According to Maharishi's theory of enlightenment, there are seven major states of consciousness, of which the first three are commonly known. The last three states fulfill the definition of Enlightenment - the ultimate goal of long-term TM-practice:

  • Dreamless sleeping state of consciousness
  • Dreaming state of consciousness (REM)
  • Waking state of consciousness
  • Transcendental Consciousness is said to be a fourth major state of consciousness, distinct from waking, sleeping or dreaming. When the mind settles down during Transcendental Meditation, a state of "restful alertness" is experienced. Thought becomes quieter and quieter, until the mind is no longer bound by thoughts or perceptions but experiences awareness awake to itself alone. This state is an experience of "amness", or "Being", the unbounded pure consciousness that is at the source of thoughts and feelings.[7]
  • Cosmic Consciousness, the fifth state, is said to be the state of "enlightenment" which results from alternating the experience of Transcendental Consciousness and activity in our daily lives. Through repeated practice, the nonchanging state of Being in TC becomes permanently maintained along with waking, sleeping and dreaming. This all-inclusive state - "cosmic" - is marked by a peaceful, nonchanging restful state inside while one is actively engaged in the constant change which occurs in life. [8]
  • God Consciousness is said to be the state where the unbounded awareness of Cosmic Consciousness is accompanied by refined sensory perception during waking, sleeping and dreaming - where the full range and mechanics of creation are appreciated at a sublime, subtle level. This perception leads to a devotion and love for creation and its creator ("God").[9]
  • Unity Consciousness, the seventh state, is said to be the perception that all aspects of life are nothing but expressions of Being, or pure consciousness. All of the diversity in life, from the gross to the subtle, is seen as the self-interacting dynamics of Being. The outer and inner realities of life are bridged in Unity Consciousness. One sees the Self in all aspects of creation.[10]

[edit] Learning Transcendental Meditation

The TM technique is taught for a fee in a seven-step[11] process over a five- to seven-day period. The process includes an introductory lecture, group instruction, personal interview and instruction, and a free lifetime followup program called "checking," to assure that the technique is being practiced properly [12]. Personal instruction begins with a Vedic ceremony conducted in Sanskrit called a puja, and proceeds according to this TM teachers' instruction:[13] "Teacher has prepared an altar to Guru Dev, lit a candle and incense, and spread camphor, sandalwood paste, rice, and other ritual offerings in the appropriate ritual containers prior to student's entrance." The student enters and presents the teacher with fresh fruit, flowers, and a clean handkerchief, who then places them on a table with a picture of Guru Dev – Maharishi's guru, Brahmananda Saraswati. At the ceremony's end, the teacher kneels and invites the initiate to kneel before the "picture of Guru Dev, His Divinity Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, Maharishi's Master, from whom we have this meditation."[14] As the teacher rises, he or she presents the person with a mantra by repeating it and gesturing to the student to repeat it.

[edit] Transcendental Meditation-related research

Medical indexes, such as PubMed, show that over 200 studies have been conducted on Transcendental Meditation. The universities and medical centers where this research has taken place include Harvard Medical School, Yale Medical School, Stanford University, Princeton University, MIT, Purdue University, UCLA, UC Irvine, UC Berkeley, the University of Chicago, the University of Michigan Medical School, and the University of Texas.[15]

The research suggests that numerous health benefits are associated with the TM technique, including reduction of high blood pressure,[1] younger biological age,[2] decreased insomnia,[3] reduction of high cholesterol,[4] reduced illness and medical expenditures,[5] decreased outpatient visits,[6] decreased cigarette smoking,[7] decreased alcohol use,[8] and decreased anxiety.[9]

Some studies 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). One study showed reduced arterial wall thickness in African-Americans with high blood pressure. (PMID 10700487).

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) has spent more than $21 million funding research on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on heart disease [citation needed]. In 1999, the NIH awarded a grant of nearly $8 million to Maharishi University of Management to establish the first research center specializing in natural preventive medicine for minorities in the U.S. [16] The research institute, called the Institute for Natural Medicine and Prevention, was inaugurated on October 11, 1999, at the University's Department of Physiology and Health in Fairfield, Iowa. [17]

In 2005 the American Journal of Cardiology published a review of two studies that looked at stress reduction with TM and mortality among patients receiving treatment for high blood pressure[10] The review was funded in part by a grant from NIH's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine. Also in 2005, the American Journal of Hypertension published the results of a study that found TM may be useful as an adjunct in the long-term treatment of hypertension among African-Americans.[11]

In 2006 a study published in the American Medical Association's Archives of Internal Medicine found that coronary heart disease patients who practiced TM for 16 weeks showed improvements in blood pressure, insulin resistance, and autonomic nervous system tone, compared with a control group of patients who received health education. The researchers concluded that TM may be a novel therapeutic approach for the treatment of coronary heart disease. [18]

Also in 2006 a functional MRI study of 24 patients published in NeuroReport found that the long-term practice of TM may reduce the brain's response to pain.[12]


[edit] Transcendental Meditation controversies

[edit] Questions as to the validity of TM Research

Dr. Denis Roark, former MIU Physics Professor says that "It is my certain belief that the many scientific claims both to factual evidences of unique, beneficial effects of TM and to theoretical relationships between the experience of TM and physics are not only without any reasonable basis, but are in fact in many ways fraudulent. Confirmed to me by investigators at MIU was the suppression of negative evidence that these investigators had collected. Strong bias was present in selecting only data favourable to a conclusion that was made prior to the data collection. Because of the strong authoritarian (essentially cultic) aspects of the movement, only results supporting ideas generated by the movement leadership could receive any hearing. The 'scientific research' is without objectivity and is at times simply untrue." [19]

In 2003 a study published by Canter and Ernst in the journal Wiener Klinische Wochenschrift assessed the evidence from randomised controlled trials for cumulative effects of TM on cognitive function. They conducted a systematic review of the scientific literature and selected only those studies that used randomised controlled trials with objective outcome measures. Trials that measured only acute effects of TM, or used only neurophysiological outcome measures were excluded. Ten studies met the inclusion criteria. Of these, four reported finding large positive effects on the cognitive function of the meditators. Two studies showed that TM practitioners performed better on only some of the variables. The other four suggested that Transcendental Meditation didn’t have a more beneficial effect than other programs over the 6-week or 3-month periods of the studies. The reviewers noted that the four studies reporting benefits had used subjects who were favorably predisposed towards TM. The other six studies used subjects with no bias towards TM. The reviewers concluded: "The association observed between positive outcome, subject selection procedure, and control procedure suggests that the large positive effects reported in four trials result from an expectation effect. The claim that TM has a specific and cumulative effect on cognitive function is not supported by the evidence from randomised controlled trials."[13] In an interview, study coauthor Peter Canter, a researcher from Peninsula Medical School, again noted the expectation or placebo effect, saying, "there is a strong placebo effect going on which probably works through the expectations being set up." [20]

A review for the U.S. Army Research Institute, a National Academy of Sciences/National Research Council committee concluded that Transcendental Meditation is no more effective in lowering metabolism than are established relaxation techniques.NRC 1991[citation needed] A subsequent study found that this report was based on a report commissioned by the U.S. Army in 1986. "The NRC review was based almost entirely on a single unpublished review (Brener & Connally, 1986) and overlooked virtually all of the research current to the review, including numerous studies directly bearing on its conclusions. Even though the review cited a bibliography of hundreds of studies on meditation in its reference section (Murphy & Donovan, 1988, 1999), it did not include this material in its review."[14]

[edit] Alleged Harmful Effects of Trancendental Meditation

A study funded by the German government found that over 75% of long term meditators experienced adverse health and psychological effects as a result of TM. [21].

The German Ministry for Youth, Family and Health was sued by the German Transcendental Meditation organization reagarding the study. On December 18th, 1985, the Administrative Court of Appeals for the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, docket No. 5 A 1125/84, held in favor of the TM organization, extending in their finding of fact a rebuke of the study:

"The documentary evidence submitted by the Plaintiffs and by the Defendant does not demonstrate that individuals who are actively involved in the TM movement, or who meditate only according to the TM technique, are more susceptible to mental illness than the average population.
"The "Documentation About the Effects of Youth Religion on Minors in Specific Cases" prepared by the "Action for Mental and Psychic Freedom", and the "Documentation on Transcendental Meditation", as well as the study "Differential Effects of the Practice of Transcendental Meditation" prepared by the Institute for Youth and Society, headquartered in Bensheim, are not based on a scientific sampling. These studies dealt only with isolated cases, and only with persons who are hostile to the movement were interviewed.
"Moreover, in well over half of the cases studied, the persons interviewed had no direct knowledge [of the TM technique or organization], since the information was obtained from third parties, i.e., parents or spouses, without the presence of those who had been directly involved.
"These studies were prepared by religious-ideological opponents of the TM movement, and are obviously biased."[15]

Former TM accountant and legal counsel Anthony Denaro said in a sworn affidavit filed in a 1986 lawsuit alleging adverse effects that there was a "disturbing denial or avoidance syndrome....even outright lies and deception are used to cover-up or sanitize the dangerous reality on campus of very serious nervous breakdowns, episodes of dangerous and bizarre behavior, suicidal and homicidal ideation, threats and attempts, psychotic episodes, crime, depression and manic behavior that often accompanied roundings (intensive group meditations with brainwashing techniques)." [22]

According to the affidavit, Denaro was employed by Maharishi International University for approximately 10 months in 1975-1976. His affidavit, which was superseded by his testimony in court, was submitted as part of a lawsuit alleging psychological and emotional distress as a result of the practice of Transcendental Meditation. The suit was dismissed by an appellate court.[16]

Dr. Leon Otis a scientist at the Stanford Research Institute, conducted a study which he titled "Adverse Effects of Transcendental Meditation" and found that, "...people who had been meditating for the longest period of time reported the most adverse effects. Of considerable interest is the finding that the specific adverse effects reported were remarkably consistent between groups and formed a pattern suggestive of people who had become anxious, confused, frustrated, depressed, and/or withdrawn (or more so) since starting TM." He concluded by saying that "A final word appears justified regarding SIMS [A TM related company] promotional efforts. SIMS advertises that TM results in beneficial effects for anyone who takes up the practice and learns to perform it »correctly.« Our data raise serious doubts about the validity of this position." [23]

In a civil suit against the TM Organization [17] Robert Kropinski, who had been in the movement for 11 years, reported incidents of alleged psychosis, suicides, and the drugging of course participants. After the case Dr. Otis was quoted as saying "TM may be hazardous to the mental health of a sizable proportion of the people who take up TM." (the Philadelphia Inquirer January 14, 1987). The Jury awared Robert Kropinski, 39, $137,890 to pay for his psychiatric treatment. The decision was appealed and Kropinski's suit alleging psychological damage was dismissed by the appellate court.[18].

[edit] Is Transcendental Meditation a religion?

According to the web site TM.org, the Transcendental Meditation technique is not a religion.[24] In fact, it encourages its practitioners to continue practicing whatever religion they might already pursue.

In 1979 the Third Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in Malnak v. Yogi (592 F.2d 197) that under the Establishment Clause[25] of the First Amendment to the United States Constitution the teaching of the theory and philosophy of the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI)[26] is religious and thus cannot be taught in New Jersey public schools. The Court based its decision in part on close scrutiny of the puja ceremony performed by the teacher of Transcendental Meditation prior to giving instruction.

The TM movement states the puja is a ceremony of gratitude. Judge Meanor, the lower court judge, was concerned with the portion of the ceremony in which Guru Dev, Maharishi's teacher, is praised as "the Lord," as "Him" and as Eternal and perfect. [27] At the appellate level, Judge Adams emphasized the secular nature of the ceremony, referring to it as “a secular puja, quite common in Eastern cultures” and distinguished it from unlawful school prayer because: “(a) the Puja was never performed in a school classroom, or even on government property; (b) it was never performed during school hours, but only on a Sunday; (c) it was performed only once in the case of each student; (d) it was entirely in Sanskrit, with neither the student nor, apparently, the teacher who chanted it, knowing what the foreign words meant. Moreover, the elements of involuntariness present in Engel and Schempp are wholly absent here.” [19]

Former TM teacher Joe Kellett states that: “When TMers say ‘TM is not a religion’ they are talking about the purely mechanical mental technique. However, ‘TM the technique’ is never taught without introducing recruits to ‘TM the religion’ during three days of instruction following initiation.... Mahesh initially came out of India openly as a teacher of spirituality. Then in the early ’70s he abandoned that approach and began disguising his message in the language of scientific analogy." [28]

Patrick Ryan, an MIU graduate and founder of the TM-Ex support group for people leaving TM says: "People become vegetarian, celibate, recite mantras composed of the names of Hindu gods, and worship Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as the ‘enlightened master of the universe.’"[29] In a biography called "The Maharishi" Paul Mason points out that the TM mantras are actually bija mantras, one or two syllabled sounds, which are related in Hinduism to different Gods or Goddess. [30]. He also quotes Maharishi as saying "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." [31]

Sociologist Barry Markovsky, a University of South Carolina sociologist, labeled the TM movements attempt to teach TM in public schools “stealth religion.” [32]

Official TM teachings include teachings about "God", e.g.: "The sixth state is referred to as God consciousness, because the individual is capable of perceiving and appreciating the full range and mechanics of creation and experiences waves of love and devotion for the creation and its creator."[33]. "God is found in two phases of reality: as a supreme being of absolute, eternal nature and as a personal God at the highest level of phenomenal creation!" [20]. "The solution, Maharishi said, is groups of Yogic Flyers. The impact of the groups will be immediate and clear. 'A new destiny of mankind will dawn when Total Natural Law -- the Constitution of the Universe, the Divine Will of God -- which is present in every grain of creation -- rules the world of human beings as it rules the ever-expanding universe.'"[34].

[edit] Is Transcendental Meditation a cult?

The Cultic Studies Journal has published two articles on the TM movement, one critical of the use of Transcendental Meditation to promote social progress in Israel, and a second by researchers explaining how the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs can be used to reduce conflict and enhance quality of life.

Four articles have been published about TM in the Cult Observer. Three of the articles summarize statements made in an article appearing in the Journal of the American Medical Association (see section on "Marketing of herbal products" in this article). A fourth, by Kevin Garvey, a member of the American Family Foundation, makes accusations of spousal and child abuse, but doesn't present evidence.[35]

According to a 1987 article in the Washington Post, the Cult Awareness Network, which is now owned and operated by associates of the Church of Scientology, held a press conference and demonstration in Washington, D.C., charging that Transcendental Meditation is a cult. [36]. The article quoted Steve Hassan, editor of two books on cults and a former follower of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon, [37], as saying "They want you to dress and think and speak in a certain way and not to ask questions. They go into hypnotic trances and shut off who they are as a person."

A 1995 report "Cults in France," commissioned for the French National Assembly [38], lists Transcendental Meditation as one of 175 cults. The report defines cults broadly and includes Baptists, Jehovah's Witnesses, Mormons, Church of Christ, and Rosicrucians. It provides estimates of each cult's size in France and the rest of the world.

Books that accuse the TM movement of exhibiting cult-like behavior include Michael A. Persinger's 1980 "TM and Cult Mania". [39]. And former TM teachers Joe Kellett [40] and Curtis Mailloux [41] have also claimed it is a deceptive and harmful cult.

[edit] Suit alleges mental health required for safe practice

The movement says it consistently screens potential meditators for psychiatric problems as well any use of controlled substances, which both might disqualify a person from being taught Transcendental Meditation or the TM-sidhi program. TM "teacher training" does not include training on how to accurately screen for psychological or psychiatric problems.[citation needed]

The possibility that a minimum level of mental health is required for safe TM practice is alleged in lawsuits filed as a result of a stabbing at the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa [42] on March 1, 2004. The family of the murdered student and a student who was assaulted earlier in the day have sued MUM and the Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation. Their separate suits, filed on Feb. 24, 2006, allege that the twice-daily practice of Transcendental Meditation, which the university requires of all students, can be dangerous for people with psychiatric problems. They also charge the university with failing to call the police or take action to protect students from a violent, mentally ill student [21] [22].

[edit] Consciousness and the unified field

Maharishi has taught that the Transcendental Meditation technique allows the mind to contact an underlying field of existence. This underlying field has been characterized by teachers of Transcendental Meditation as being the same as a hypothetical unified field described by physicists.[69] For a short time in the 1980s, the Transcendental Meditation technique was referred to as the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field.

The relationship between the mind and physics is a matter of dispute among physicists.

Quantum physicist Heinz Pagels said the TM movement's philosophical claims are deliberately deceptive: "I would like to be generous to the Maharishi and his movement because it supports world peace and other high ideals," he wrote. "But none of these ideals could possibly be realized within the framework of a philosophy that so willfully distorts scientific truth."[43]

In his capacity as executive director of the New York Academy of Science in 1986, Pagels submitted an affidavit on behalf of a former TM member who was suing the movement for fraud. "There is no known connection between meditation states and states of matter in physics," he wrote. "No qualified physicist that I know would claim to find such a connection without knowingly committing fraud. ... To see the beautiful and profound ideas of modern physics, the labor of generations of scientists, so willfully perverted provokes a feeling of compassion for those who might be taken in by these distortions."[44]

The claim for fraud was settled out of court and both parties entered into a confidential settlement agreement.[23]

Other physicists do support the concept that there is a relationship between mind and physics. Quantum pioneer Max Planck described consciousness as the source of matter: "I regard consciousness as fundamental. I regard matter as derivative from consciousness. We cannot get behind consciousness. Everything that we talk about, everything that we regard as existing, postulates consciousness."[24]

[edit] Fees

In the late 1970s, the fee for basic initiation in the United States was $75. Now in 2006, the initiation fee is $2,500 [45]; although the initiation fee is not the same in all countries and it appears that the high fees in e.g. United States and Europe are in fact used to fund large-scale TM projects in e.g. India, Indonesia, Kampuchea, and other countries.[citation needed]

Fees are also reduced or waived for students, for people on welfare benefits, and for maintenance staff who work at TM centres. [citation needed]

[edit] Other programs offered by Maharishi

Beyond the initial meditation technique, the TM organization offers numerous other programs and products, such as its TM-Sidhi program, which involves the silent mental recitation of selected yoga sutras of Patanjali [46], followed by recordings of portions the ninth and tenth mandalas of the Rig Veda chanted by Vedic pandits. The TM movement says the advanced meditation technique taught in this program brings many additional benefits to practitioners — who are called "Yogic Flyers," because Maharishi Mahesh Yogi says its practice will eventually lead to levitation. So far, only hopping has been demonstrated.

The TM movement also offers Maharishi Ayurveda, its own trademarked version of Ayurveda, the traditional medicine of India; Vedic Astrology, which the movement calls Maharishi Jyotish; Vedic ceremonies called "yagyas" to purify the individual of karmic obstructions; and a trademarked brand of food, Vedic Organic Agriculture. [47]. Another offering is Maharishi Sthapatya Veda which teaches how to construct a building according to Vedically-correct principles.

[edit] Other related controversies

[edit] Tax-exempt status

Attorney Anthony D. Denaro, who served as Director of Grants Administration and legal counsel for Maharishi International University for appproximately 18 months in the mid-1970s, approximately 5 years before it attained accreditation, accused the university of deception in order to obtain tax-exempt status in an affidavit he signed and presented to the United States District Court for the District of Columbia in 1986.[48]

"It was obvious to me that [the] organization was so deeply immersed in a systematic, wilful pattern of fraud including tax fraud, lobbying problems and other deceptions, that it was ethically impossible for me to become involved further as legal counsel.
"I discussed this with Steve Druker (the University’s Executive Vice President), but agreed to remain as Director of Grants provided certain conditions and restrictions were met. In practice, however, because I recognized a very serious and deliberate pattern of fraud, designed, in part, to misrepresent the TM movement as a science (not as a cult), and fraudulently claim and obtain tax-exempt status with the IRS, I was a lame duck Director of Grants Administration."

David Orme-Johnson, author of over 100 studies and lead researcher at the time Denaro was employed by Maharishi International University, answered Denaro's charge about science by saying that Denaro was not in a position to be familiar with the university's science and had no basis for his statement that Transcendental Meditation is not scientifically based.

"I hardly knew Tony Denaro at all, and several other faculty that I have talked to don't even remember his ever being there. That I didn't know him is significant in this context, because he, being a lawyer, was never involved in the research, so he is hardly in a position to comment on the research process. Even if he had heard second- or third-hand accounts, I have not heard of any specific instances cited by him to back up his claims, which are untrue."[49]

[edit] Some TM teachers breaking away

Some TM teachers feel that the course fee of $2,500 (USA) to learn TM is unreasonable, in view of Maharishi's longstanding claims that the technique is everyone's birthright and that everyone should practice it. They are also alienated by the emphasis on destroying and rebuilding all homes having entrances facing to the south or west, his forbidding the teaching of TM in England, among other policies, all repeatedly stated in his weekly press conferences. [citation needed] Some of these teachers have broken with Maharishi to offer instruction on their own. They include TM Independent in the UK and Natural Stress Relief in Italy and the USA. The Natural Stress Relief web site states that the technique they offer is "comparable to" and is not Transcendental Meditation: "Please be advised that the instruction provided you by our organization does not consist of the TM® or Transcendental Meditation® program."[50] TM Independent on the other hand, says that it is their goal to "to make TM available to everyone at a price they can afford."

In regards to this Maharishi says "30 or 40 thousand teachers of TM I have trained, many of them have gone on their own, and they may not call it Maharishi's TM, but they are teaching it in some different name here and there... doesn't matter, as long as the man is getting something useful to make his life better, we are satisfied". [25]

[edit] Related Articles

v • d • e
'

TM-Sidhi program · Yogic Flying · Maharishi Mahesh Yogi · Maharishi University of Management · Maharishi Ayurveda · Maharishi Sthapatya Veda · Maharishi Yagya · Maharishi Vedic Science · Global Country of World Peace · Natural Law Party ·

[edit] Footnotes

  1. ^ Hypertension 26: 820–827, 1995
  2. ^ International Journal of Neuroscience 16: 53–58, 1982
  3. ^ Journal of Counseling and Development 64: 212–215, 1985
  4. ^ Journal of Human Stress 5: 24-27, 1979
  5. ^ The American Journal of Managed Care 3: 135–144, 1997
  6. ^ The American Journal of Managed Care 3: 135–144, 1997
  7. ^ Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 13–87, 1994
  8. ^ Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly 11: 13–87, 1994
  9. ^ Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957–974, 1989
  10. ^ Schneider RH et al.. Long-Term Effects of Stress Reduction on Mortality in Persons >55 Years of Age With Systemic Hypertension. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
  11. ^ Schneider RH et al.. A randomized controlled trial of stress reduction in African Americans treated for hypertension for over one year. Retrieved on 2006-09-12.
  12. ^ Orme-Johnson DW et al.. Neuroimaging of meditation's effect on brain reactivity to pain.. Retrieved on 2006-9-12.
  13. ^ Canter, P., Ernst, E. (2003) The cumulative effects of Transcendental Meditation on cognitive function—a systematic review of randomised controlled trials Wien Klin Wochenschr. 2003 Nov 28;115(21-22):758-766
  14. ^ Orme-Johnson, D. W., Alexander, C. N., & Hawkins, M. A. (2005). Critique of the National Research Council’s report on meditation. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality,17(1), 383-414
  15. ^ Administrative Court of Appeals for the State of North-Rhine Westphalia, docket No. 5 A 1125/84
  16. ^ United States District Court for the District of Columbia, #85-2848
  17. ^ United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Civil Suit #85-2848, 1986
  18. ^ United States District Court for the District of Columbia, #85-2848
  19. ^ Malnak v. Yogi, 592 F.2d 197, 203 (3rd Cir., 1979)
  20. ^ Science of Being and Art of Living, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Rev. Ed. 1967, p. 271
  21. ^ Butler v. Maharishi University of Management, US District Court, Southern District of Iowa, Central Div., Case No. 06-cv-00072
  22. ^ Kilian v. Maharishi University of Management, US District Court, Southern District of Iowa
  23. ^ United States District Court for the District of Columbia, #85-2848
  24. ^ Max Planck, The Observer, London, Jan. 25, 1931
  25. ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Press Conference, May 14, 2003

[edit] References

[edit] Further reading

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org../../../t/r/a/Transcendental_Meditation_4184.html"