Transcendental Meditation technique: Difference between revisions
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The '''Transcendental Meditation technique''' is a specific form of [[mantra]] [[meditation]]<ref name="Transcendental Meditation">{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.oed.com/ |title=Transcendental Meditation |work=Oxford English Dictionary|accessdate=}}</ref> developed by [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. It is often referred to as [[Transcendental Meditation]] or simply, TM. The meditation practice involves the use of a [[mantra]], and is practiced for 15–20 minutes twice per day, while sitting with closed eyes.<ref name="The Seven-Step Course">{{cite web|url=http://www.tm.org/learn-meditation |title=Learn the Transcendental Meditation Technique – Seven Step Program |publisher=Tm.org |date= |accessdate=2009-11-15}}</ref><ref name=Epi06>{{Cite journal|author=Lansky EP, St Louis EK |title=Transcendental meditation: a double-edged sword in epilepsy? |journal=Epilepsy Behav |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=394–400 |year=2006 |month=November |pmid=16931164 |doi=10.1016/j.yebeh.2006.04.019 |url= |ref=harv}}</ref> It is reported to be one of the most widely practiced,<ref name="google138">{{Cite book| last1 = Cotton | first1 = Dorothy H. G. | title = Stress management : an integrated approach to therap | year = 1990 | publisher = Brunner/Mazel | location = New York | isbn = 0-87630-557-5 | page = 138|url=http://books.google.com/?id=oLsECokSFHwC&vq}}</ref><ref name ="Total Heart Health"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.TM.org |title=The Transcendental Meditation (TM) Program – Official website. How and where to learn |publisher=TM |date= |accessdate=2009-11-15}}"transcendental meditation (TM) is the most widely practiced and investigated"</ref> and among the most widely researched, meditation techniques,<ref name=Bushell>{{cite article| author=William Bushell |title=Longevity Potential Life Span and Health Span Enhancement through Practice of the Basic Yoga Meditation Regimen |journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |volume=1172 | date=2009 |page=46 | quote=Transcendental Meditation (TM), a concentrative technique . . . has been the most extensively studied meditation technique. | url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=TMJRynOxsisC&pg=PA20&dq=William+Bushell+%282009%29.+%22Longevity+Potential+Life+Span+and+Health+Span+Enhancement+through+Practice+of+the+Basic+Yoga+Meditation&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hryvUPaBN8TtigLSjIHQAQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Transendental%20Meditation&f=false |
The '''Transcendental Meditation technique''' is a specific form of [[mantra]] [[meditation]]<ref name="Transcendental Meditation">{{cite web|url=http://dictionary.oed.com/ |title=Transcendental Meditation |work=Oxford English Dictionary|accessdate=}}</ref> developed by [[Maharishi Mahesh Yogi]]. It is often referred to as [[Transcendental Meditation]] or simply, TM. The meditation practice involves the use of a [[mantra]], and is practiced for 15–20 minutes twice per day, while sitting with closed eyes.<ref name="The Seven-Step Course">{{cite web|url=http://www.tm.org/learn-meditation |title=Learn the Transcendental Meditation Technique – Seven Step Program |publisher=Tm.org |date= |accessdate=2009-11-15}}</ref><ref name=Epi06>{{Cite journal|author=Lansky EP, St Louis EK |title=Transcendental meditation: a double-edged sword in epilepsy? |journal=Epilepsy Behav |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=394–400 |year=2006 |month=November |pmid=16931164 |doi=10.1016/j.yebeh.2006.04.019 |url= |ref=harv}}</ref> It is reported to be one of the most widely practiced,<ref name="google138">{{Cite book| last1 = Cotton | first1 = Dorothy H. G. | title = Stress management : an integrated approach to therap | year = 1990 | publisher = Brunner/Mazel | location = New York | isbn = 0-87630-557-5 | page = 138|url=http://books.google.com/?id=oLsECokSFHwC&vq}}</ref><ref name ="Total Heart Health"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.TM.org |title=The Transcendental Meditation (TM) Program – Official website. How and where to learn |publisher=TM |date= |accessdate=2009-11-15}}"transcendental meditation (TM) is the most widely practiced and investigated"</ref> and among the most widely researched, meditation techniques,<ref name=Bushell>{{cite article| author=William Bushell |title=Longevity Potential Life Span and Health Span Enhancement through Practice of the Basic Yoga Meditation Regimen |journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |volume=1172 | date=2009 |page=46 | quote=Transcendental Meditation (TM), a concentrative technique . . . has been the most extensively studied meditation technique. | url = http://books.google.ca/books?id=TMJRynOxsisC&pg=PA20&dq=William+Bushell+%282009%29.+%22Longevity+Potential+Life+Span+and+Health+Span+Enhancement+through+Practice+of+the+Basic+Yoga+Meditation&hl=en&sa=X&ei=hryvUPaBN8TtigLSjIHQAQ&ved=0CDIQ6AEwAA#v=onepage&q=Transendental%20Meditation&f=false |
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}}</ref> with over 340 peer-reviewed studies published.<ref name="Rosenthal 2011 14">{{cite book |first=Norman |last=Rosenthal |title=Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation |publisher=Tarcher/Penguin |year=2011 |page=14 |location=New York |isbn=978-1-58542-873-1 | url = http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ssJ6jU0YeNEC&oi=fnd&pg=PT12&dq=Transcendence:+Healing+and+Transformation+through+Transcendental+Meditation+&ots=m21SjjiK0C&sig=QIsnkZLDlWvOgFhDQfi5NAkRPWI#v=onepage&q=340&f=false | quote = By my latest count, there have been 340 per-reviewed articles published on TM, many of which have appeared in highly respected journals.}}</ref><ref name="Lyn Freeman 2009, p. 163">Lyn Freeman, ''Mosby’s Complementary & Alternative Medicine: A Research-Based Approach'', Mosby Elsevier, 2009, p. 163</ref> Research reviews of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique have yielded results ranging from inconclusive<ref name=Ospina>{{cite journal|last1=Ospina|first1= MB.|last2=Bond|first2=K.|last3 =Karkhaneh |first3 =M. |last4 =Tjosvold |first4 =L. |last5 =Vandermeer |first5 =B. |last6 =Liang |first6 =Y. |last7 =Bialy |first7 =L. |last8 =Hooton |first8 =N. |last9 =Buscemi |first9 =N. |title =Meditation practices for health: state of the research|journal =Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep) |issue = 155 |pages =1–263 |month = June |year =2007 |pmid = 17764203|url= http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/meditation/medit.pdf|page=4|quote= A few studies of overall poor methodological quality were available for each comparison in the meta-analyses, most of which reported nonsignificant results. TM had no advantage over health education to improve measures of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, body weight, heart rate, stress, anger, self-efficacy, cholesterol, dietary intake, and level of physical activity in hypertensive patients}}</ref><ref name=Cochrane06>{{Cite journal|last1 =Krisanaprakornkit | first1 = T. | last2 = Krisanaprakornkit | first2 = W. | last3 = Piyavhatkul | first3 = N. | last4 = Laopaiboon | first4 = M. |title=Meditation therapy for anxiety disorders |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |issue=1 |pages=CD004998 |year=2006 |pmid=16437509 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD004998.pub2 |quote=The small number of studies included in this review do not permit any conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of meditation therapy for anxiety disorders. Transcendental meditation is comparable with other kinds of relaxation therapies in reducing anxiety|editor1-last =Krisanaprakornkit|editor1-first =Thawatchai}}</ref><ref name="Canter PH, Ernst E 2004 2049–54">{{Cite journal|author=Canter PH, Ernst E |title=Insufficient evidence to conclude whether or not Transcendental Meditation decreases blood pressure: results of a systematic review of randomized clinical trials |journal=Journal of Hypertension |volume=22 |issue=11 |pages=2049–54 |year=2004 |month=November |pmid=15480084|url=http://meta.wkhealth.com/pt/pt-core/template-journal/lwwgateway/media/landingpage.htm?issn=0263-6352&volume=22&issue=11&spage=2049 |ref=harv| quote = There is at present insufficient good-quality evidence to conclude whether or not TM has a cumulative positive effect on blood pressure. |doi=10.1097/00004872-200411000-00002}}</ref><ref name="Canter PH, Ernst E 2003 758–66">{{Cite journal|author=Canter PH, Ernst E |title=The cumulative effects of Transcendental Meditation on cognitive function--a systematic review of randomised controlled trials |journal=Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. |volume=115 |issue=21–22 |pages=758–66 |year=2003 |month=November |pmid=14743579 |doi= 10.1007/BF03040500|url= |quote = The claim that TM has a specific and cumulative effect on cognitive function is not supported by the evidence from randomized controlled trials.}}</ref> to clinically significant.<ref name="John Vogel 2007">John Vogel, Rebecca Costello, and Mitchell Krucoff, Chapter 47 in ''Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine'', Peter Libbie, et al, eds, Saunders Elsevier, 2007, p. 1157. Quotation: "TM has been shown not only to improve blood pressure but also the insulin resistance components of the metabolic syndrome and cardiac autonomic nervous system tone."</ref><ref name="Academic Press">{{Cite book |
}}</ref> with over 340 peer-reviewed studies published.<ref name="Rosenthal 2011 14">{{cite book |first=Norman |last=Rosenthal |title=Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation |publisher=Tarcher/Penguin |year=2011 |page=14 |location=New York |isbn=978-1-58542-873-1 | url = http://books.google.ca/books?hl=en&lr=&id=ssJ6jU0YeNEC&oi=fnd&pg=PT12&dq=Transcendence:+Healing+and+Transformation+through+Transcendental+Meditation+&ots=m21SjjiK0C&sig=QIsnkZLDlWvOgFhDQfi5NAkRPWI#v=onepage&q=340&f=false | quote = By my latest count, there have been 340 per-reviewed articles published on TM, many of which have appeared in highly respected journals.}}</ref><ref name="Lyn Freeman 2009, p. 163">Lyn Freeman, ''Mosby’s Complementary & Alternative Medicine: A Research-Based Approach'', Mosby Elsevier, 2009, p. 163</ref> Research reviews of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique have yielded results ranging from inconclusive<ref name=Ospina>{{cite journal|last1=Ospina|first1= MB.|last2=Bond|first2=K.|last3 =Karkhaneh |first3 =M. |last4 =Tjosvold |first4 =L. |last5 =Vandermeer |first5 =B. |last6 =Liang |first6 =Y. |last7 =Bialy |first7 =L. |last8 =Hooton |first8 =N. |last9 =Buscemi |first9 =N. |title =Meditation practices for health: state of the research|journal =Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep) |issue = 155 |pages =1–263 |month = June |year =2007 |pmid = 17764203|url= http://www.ahrq.gov/downloads/pub/evidence/pdf/meditation/medit.pdf|page=4|quote= A few studies of overall poor methodological quality were available for each comparison in the meta-analyses, most of which reported nonsignificant results. TM had no advantage over health education to improve measures of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, body weight, heart rate, stress, anger, self-efficacy, cholesterol, dietary intake, and level of physical activity in hypertensive patients}}</ref><ref name=Cochrane06>{{Cite journal|last1 =Krisanaprakornkit | first1 = T. | last2 = Krisanaprakornkit | first2 = W. | last3 = Piyavhatkul | first3 = N. | last4 = Laopaiboon | first4 = M. |title=Meditation therapy for anxiety disorders |journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |issue=1 |pages=CD004998 |year=2006 |pmid=16437509 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD004998.pub2 |quote=The small number of studies included in this review do not permit any conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of meditation therapy for anxiety disorders. Transcendental meditation is comparable with other kinds of relaxation therapies in reducing anxiety|editor1-last =Krisanaprakornkit|editor1-first =Thawatchai}}</ref><ref name="Canter PH, Ernst E 2004 2049–54">{{Cite journal|author=Canter PH, Ernst E |title=Insufficient evidence to conclude whether or not Transcendental Meditation decreases blood pressure: results of a systematic review of randomized clinical trials |journal=Journal of Hypertension |volume=22 |issue=11 |pages=2049–54 |year=2004 |month=November |pmid=15480084|url=http://meta.wkhealth.com/pt/pt-core/template-journal/lwwgateway/media/landingpage.htm?issn=0263-6352&volume=22&issue=11&spage=2049 |ref=harv| quote = There is at present insufficient good-quality evidence to conclude whether or not TM has a cumulative positive effect on blood pressure. |doi=10.1097/00004872-200411000-00002}}</ref><ref name="Canter PH, Ernst E 2003 758–66">{{Cite journal|author=Canter PH, Ernst E |title=The cumulative effects of Transcendental Meditation on cognitive function--a systematic review of randomised controlled trials |journal=Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. |volume=115 |issue=21–22 |pages=758–66 |year=2003 |month=November |pmid=14743579 |doi= 10.1007/BF03040500|url= |quote = The claim that TM has a specific and cumulative effect on cognitive function is not supported by the evidence from randomized controlled trials.}}</ref> to clinically significant.<ref name="John Vogel 2007">John Vogel, Rebecca Costello, and Mitchell Krucoff, Chapter 47 in ''Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine'', Peter Libbie, et al, eds, Saunders Elsevier, 2007, p. 1157. Quotation: "TM has been shown not only to improve blood pressure but also the insulin resistance components of the metabolic syndrome and cardiac autonomic nervous system tone."</ref><ref name="Academic Press">{{Cite book |
Revision as of 13:00, 3 January 2013
The Transcendental Meditation technique is a specific form of mantra meditation[1] developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It is often referred to as Transcendental Meditation or simply, TM. The meditation practice involves the use of a mantra, and is practiced for 15–20 minutes twice per day, while sitting with closed eyes.[2][3] It is reported to be one of the most widely practiced,[4][5][6] and among the most widely researched, meditation techniques,[7] with over 340 peer-reviewed studies published.[8][9] Research reviews of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique have yielded results ranging from inconclusive[10][11][12][13] to clinically significant.[14][15][16][17][18] The technique is made available worldwide by certified TM teachers in a seven step course[2][19] and fees vary from country to country.[20][21] Beginning in 1965, the Transcendental Meditation technique has been incorporated into selected schools, universities, corporations and prison programs in the U.S.A., Latin America, Europe, and India. In 1977, a U.S. district court ruled that a curriculum in TM and the Science of Creative Intelligence that was being taught in some New Jersey, USA schools was religious in nature and in violation of the First Amendment. .[22] The technique has since been included in a number of educational and social programs around the world.[23]
The Transcendental Meditation technique has been described as both religious and non religious. The technique has been described in various ways including as an aspect of a new religious movement, as rooted in Hinduism,[24][25][26] and as a non-religious practice for self development.[27][28][29] The public presentation of the TM technique over its 50-year history has been praised for its high visibility in the mass media and effective global propagation, and criticized for using celebrity and scientific endorsements as a marketing tool. Advanced courses supplement the TM technique and include an advanced meditation called the TM-Sidhi program. In 1970, the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) became the theoretical basis for the Transcendental Meditation technique, although skeptics questioned its scientific nature.[30] According to proponents, when 1 percent of a population (such as a city or country) practices the TM technique daily, their practice influences the quality of life for that population. This has been termed the Maharishi Effect.
Practice
The technique is practiced for 20 minutes, twice daily. Meditation is recommended once after waking in the morning, and in the afternoon before dinner, but is not recommended immediately before or after eating.[31] According to the Maharishi, "bubbles of thought are produced in a stream one after the other", and the Transcendental Meditation technique consists of experiencing a "proper thought" in its more subtle states "until its subtlest state is experienced and transcended".[32][33] Because it is mantra based, the technique "ostensibly meets the working definition of a concentration practice"; however, the TM organization says that "focused attention" is not prescribed, and that the "aim is an [sic] unified and open attentional stance".[34] Other authors describe the technique as an easy, natural technique or process,[35][36][37] and a "wakeful hypometabolic physiologic state".[38] Practice of the technique includes a process called "unstressing" which combines "effortless relaxation with spontaneous imagery and emotion". TM teachers caution their students not to be alarmed by random thoughts and to "attend" to the mantra.[39] British chess grandmaster Jonathan Rowson has said that his TM practice gives "a feeling of serenity, energy and balance", but does not provide "any powerful insight into your own mind". Laura Tenant, a reporter for The Independent, said that her TM experience includes going "to a place which was neither wakefulness, sleeping or dreaming", and becoming "detached from my physical self".[40] Worldwide, as many as four to ten million people are reported to be practitioners.[41][42][43][44][45][46][47][48]
Mantra
The TM technique consists of silently repeating a mantra with "gentle effortlessness" while sitting comfortably with eyes closed without assuming any special yoga position.[36][49] The mantra is said to be a vehicle that allows the individual's attention to travel naturally to a less active, quieter style of mental functioning.[50][51][52] One author discusses neurological theories about the importance of selecting the correct mantra. According to these, the mantra enters "the central nervous system via the brain’s speech area", and represents "a direct input of ease and order".[35] TM meditators are instructed to keep their mantra secret[36] to ensure maximum results ("speaking it aloud, apparently defeats the purpose"),[53] to avoid confusion in the mind of the meditators,[32] and as a "protection against inaccurate teaching".[54][55]
Selection
The Maharishi is reported to have standardized and "mechanized" the mantra selection process by using a specific set of mantras and making the selection process "foolproof".[32][53] Professor of psychiatry, Norman E. Rosenthal writes that during the training given by a certified TM teacher, "each student is assigned a specific mantra or sound, with instructions on its proper use".[50] He explains that the selection of a proper thought or mantra "becomes increasingly important when we consider that the power of thought increases when the thought is appreciated in its infant stages of development".[56][57] The Maharishi says that mantras chosen for initiates should "resonate to the pulse of his thought and as it resonates, create an increasingly soothing influence",[58] and that the chosen mantra's vibrations "harmonize" with the meditator, and suits their "nature and way of life".[59][60] TM students are therefore given a "specially suited mantra".[24][61] Author George D. Chryssides writes that, according to the Maharishi, "using just any mantra can be dangerous", the mantras for "householders" and for recluses differ. The Transcendental Meditation mantras are appropriate mantras for householders, while most mantras commonly found in books, such as "Om", are mantras for recluses and "can cause a person to withdraw from life".[62][63][64]
Former TM teacher and author Lola Williamson reports that she told her TM students that their mantra was chosen for them based on their personal interview,[65] while sociologist Roy Wallis, religious scholar J. Gordon Melton and Bainbridge write that the mantras are assigned by age and gender.[24][66][67][68][69][70] In 1984, 16 mantras[24][71][72] were published in Omni magazine based on information from "disaffected TM teachers".[73][74] According to Chryssides, TM teachers say that the promised results are dependent on a trained Transcendental Meditation teacher choosing the mantra for their student.[62]
Meaning and sound value
In his 1963 book The Science of Being and Art of Living, the Maharishi writes that words create waves of vibrations, and the quality of vibration of a mantra should correspond to the vibrational quality of the individual. Likewise, religious studies scholar, Thomas Forsthoefel writes, "the theory of mantras is the theory of sound".[75] Author William Jefferson writes that the "euphonics" of mantras are important.[53] Sociologist Stephen J. Hunt and others say that the mantra used in the Transcendental Meditation technique has no meaning, but that the sound itself is sacred.[52][72] In Kerala, India, in 1955, the Maharishi spoke of mantras in terms of personal deities, and according to religious studies scholar Cynthia Ann Humes, similar references can be found in his later works.[75][76]
According to authors Peter Russell and Norman Rosenthal, the sounds used in the technique are taken from the ancient Vedic tradition, have "no specific meaning",[50][77] and are selected for their suitability for the individual.[78] Author, Lola Williamson writes that the bija, or seed mantras used in TM come from the Tantric, rather than Vedic tradition, and that bija mantras are "traditionally associated with particular deities and used as a form of worship".[79][80] According to Needleman, many mantras come from the Vedas or Vedic hymns, which are "the root for all later Hindu scripture",[32] while the 1977 court case Malnak vs. Yogi accepted the TM mantras as meaningless sounds.[81] Likewise, philosophy of science scholar and former Maharishi International University professor Jonathan Shear, writes in his book The Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce the Major Traditions, that the mantras used in the TM technique are independent of meaning associated with any language, and are used for their mental, sound value alone.[82] Fred Travis, Professor of Maharishi Vedic Science at Maharishi University of Management, writes in a 2009 article published in the International Journal of Psychophysiology that "unlike most mantra meditations, any possible meaning of the mantra is not part of Transcendental Meditation practice".[83]
Course descriptions
The Transcendental Meditation technique is taught in a standardized seven-step course over 6 days by a certified TM teacher.[2][5][36][84][85][86] Except for a requirement to refrain from using non-prescription drugs for 15 days before learning TM,[32][87] all who want to learn are taught. The technique is taught via private and group instruction by a TM teacher trained to instruct students and provide follow up.[50] Instruction is given on separate days, beginning with a one hour "introductory lecture" intended to prepare the student for subsequent steps.[36] The lecture discusses mind potential, social relationships, health, and "promoting inner and outer peace". The second step is a 45 minute "preparatory lecture", whose topic is the theory of the practice, its origins and its relationship to other types of meditation.[36][84][88] This is followed by the third step: a private, ten minute, personal interview, allowing the TM teacher to get acquainted with the student and answer questions.[50][84][89]
According to the TM web site, the personal instruction session takes 1–2 hours,[88] and students are required to bring a clean handkerchief, some flowers and fruit, and their course fee.[24] The initiation begins with a short puja ceremony performed by the teacher. The stated purpose of the ceremony is to show honor and gratitude to the lineage of TM "masters",[24][90] or "Holy Tradition"[91] that is listed in the Maharishi's translation and commentary of the Bhagavad-Gita.[92] It is regarded as putting students in the right frame of mind to receive the mantra.[65] The ceremony is conducted in a private room with a "little" altar "draped in white", filled with incense, camphor, rice, flowers and a picture of Guru Dev.[65][93] The initiate observes passively as the teacher recites a text in Sanskrit.[91] After the ceremony, the "meditators" are "invited to bow", receive their mantra and begin to meditate.[60][65][93][94] Former TM teacher and University professor Don Krieger, calls the ceremony "an act of idolatry",[93] while former U.S. Congressman Richard Nolan describes it as "corny". According to author William Jefferson, "even people who no longer do TM were never bothered by the ceremony".[53]
On the day after the personal instruction session, the student begins a series of three, 90 to 120 minute "teaching sessions", held on three consecutive days, called "three days of checking".[5][50] Their stated purpose is to "verify the correctness of the practice" and to receive further instruction.[88] The first day's checking meeting takes place in a group on the day following personal instruction, and gives information about correct practice based on each student's own experience.[84] The second day of checking uses the same group format, and gives more details of the mechanics of the practice and potential results of the practice, based on student experiences.[84] The third day of checking focuses on subjective growth and the potential development of higher stages of human consciousness, and outlines the follow-up programs available as part of the course.[4][5][95][96] New meditators later return for private follow-up sessions to confirm that they are practicing the technique properly, a process called "personal checking".[32] The preferred schedule for follow up classes is 30 minutes, once per week for one month, and once per month thereafter. The purpose of the follow-up, or "checking sessions", is to verify the practice, give an opportunity for one-on-one contact with a TM teacher, and to address any problems or questions.[50][89] Course graduates may access a lifetime follow-up program which includes consultations, "refresher courses", advanced lectures and group meditations.[97][98] Advanced courses include weekend Residence Courses and the TM-Sidhi program.
According to the TM organization, TM course fees cover initial training and the lifetime follow-up program, while helping to build and maintain TM centers and schools in India and around the world.[99][100] The fees also reportedly provide TM scholarships for special needs groups, as well as grants and scholarships through TM's Maharishi Foundation USA, a government approved 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organization.[88][100] The fees may vary from country to country, depending on the cost of living,[100] and has changed periodically during the 50 year period it has been taught.
The Maharishi has drawn criticism from yogis and "stricter Hindus" who have accused him of selling "commercial mantras". At the same time, the Maharishi's "promises of better health, stress relief and spiritual enlightenment" have drawn "devotees from all over the world", despite the fees.[101][102][103] According to The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Religions, by Brandon Toropov and Father Luke Buckles, insistence on fees for TM instruction has caused critics to question the Maharishi's motives however "the movement is not, to all appearances, an exploitive one".[104]
Residence Course
The TM Residence Course is a multi-day, in-residence event that aims to "enrich a person's experience and understanding" of the Transcendental Meditation technique,[105] and accelerate personal growth.[106] During the course, participants add extra TM sessions to their daily routine and receive information about the "principles underlying the program" in an effort to deepen the restful and revitalizing aspects of the practice.[107] The courses may be up to a week in duration and are supervised by TM teachers,[108] who lead the group meditations, give lectures, teach yoga postures called asanas and breathing exercise called pranayama.[32][109] The TM Residence Course utilizes a more intensive meditation process called "rounding",[110] wherein yoga asanas, pranayama, a standard TM meditation, and rest, are practiced in sequence. Each sequence takes about 50 minutes and may be repeated several times.[111]
TM-Sidhi program
The TM-Sidhi program is a form of meditation introduced by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1975. It is based on, and described as a natural extension of the Transcendental Meditation technique.[112][113] The goal of the TM-Sidhi program is to accelerate personal growth and improve mind-body coordination [114] by training the mind to think from what the Maharishi has described as a fourth major state of consciousness[115] called: Transcendental Consciousness.[116]
Yogic Flying, a mental-physical exercise of hopping while cross-legged,[117][118] is a central aspect of the TM-Sidhi program. With the introduction of the TM-Sidhi program in 1976 it was postulated that the square root of 1 percent of the population practicing the TM-Sidhi program, together at the same time and in the same place, would increase "life-supporting trends". This was referred to as the "Extended Maharishi Effect".[119][120] These effects have been examined in 14 published studies, including a gathering of over 4,000 people in Washington DC in the summer of 1993.[119][121] While empirical studies have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals[122] this research remains controversial and has been characterized as psuedoscience by skeptic James Randi and others.[123][124]
TM teachers
The Maharishi began training TM teachers in the early 1960s,[125] and by 1978, there were 7,000 TM teachers in the U.S.[126] In 1985, there were an estimated 10,000 TM teachers worldwide,[127] and by 2003, there were 20,000 teachers,[128] and a reported 40,000 teachers in 2008.[129] Notable individuals trained to teach the Transcendental Meditation technique include Prudence Farrow,[130] John Gray,[131] Mitch Kapor,[132] and Mike Love.[133]
The first teacher training course was held in India with 30 participants in 1967 and 200 participants in 1970.[134] A four month teacher training course was also held in the USA that year. The first part was four weeks long and was offered in both Poland, Maine and Humboldt, California with the final three months being held in Estes Park, Colorado. About 300 people completed the training.[135] In 1973, the TM teacher training course consisted of three months in-residence.[136] A 2007 TM web page and 2009 book, report that the TM teacher training course in more modern times consists of six-months in-residence,[35] and includes courses in Maharishi Vedic Science, extended meditation practice and becoming the "custodian" for an "ancient Vedic tradition". Additionally, TM teachers are trained to speak on the Transcendental Meditation program, teach it to others, provide "personal checking" of their student's meditation, create lectures on related topics, organize and lead advanced TM courses and programs.[137] The Maharishi trained his teachers to "make logical presentations in language suitable to their audiences", and teachers lead their students through a sequence of predetermined steps.[135]
A 2007 research study reported that details of the training and knowledge imparted to teachers are kept private.[89] In 1976, Janis Johnson wrote in The Christian Century that TM teachers sign a "loyalty-oath employment contract", saying "It is my fortune, Guru Dev, that I have been accepted to serve the Holy Tradition and spread the Light of God to all those who need it."[91][need quotation to verify] Author William Bainbridge writes that a section of a training bulletin for TM teachers called "Explanations of the Invocation" draws a "connection to Brahma, the Lord of Creation".[24] A 1993 article in the The Ottawa Citizen reported a partial translation of the puja as "Whosoever remembers the lotus-eyed Lord gains inner and outer purity. To Lord Naryan, to Lotus-born Brahman the creator, to Vaishistha, to Shakti, to Shankaracharya the emancipator, hailed as Krishna, to the Lord I bow down and down again. At whose door the whole galaxy of gods pray for perfection day and night".[138]
Some teach the TM technique full-time while those with other careers, teach part-time.[139][140][141] Jerry Jarvis, one of the first TM teachers in the U.S. is reported to have " personally instructed 5,000 people".[53] Some former TM teachers have said they felt they were lying and deceiving their students, regarding details about the mantras and the religious nature of TM.[142][143] TM teachers who have taken the TM-Sidhi course are called "Governors of the Age of Enlightenment".[144]
Forschung
Scientists have been conducting Transcendental Meditation (TM) research since the late 1960’s and 340 studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals.[8][9] The Transcendental Meditation technique is a specific form of mantra meditation[1] developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and has become one of the most widely researched meditation techniques.[7] TM research has played a role in the history of mind-body medicine[145][146] and helped create a new field of neuroscience.[147]
Early studies examined the physiological parameters of the meditation technique. Subsequent research included clinical applications, cognitive effects, mental health, medical costs, and rehabilitation. Beginning in the 1990s, research focused on cardiovascular disease supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health.[148] Research reviews of the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique have yielded results ranging from inconclusive[10][11][12][13] to clinically significant.[14][15][16][149][18] More research is needed to determine the therapeutic effects of meditation practices and sources vary regarding their assessment of the quality of research. Some cite design limitations and a lack of methodological rigor,[11][150][151] while others assert that the quality is improving and that when suitable assessment criteria are applied, scientific evidence supports the therapeutic value of meditation.[152][153][154] Authors Canter and Ernst assert that some studies have the potential for bias due to the connection of researchers to the TM organization[155][156] while TM researchers point to their collaboration with independent researchers and universities as signs of objectivity.[157]
Institutional programs
In schools and universities
Transcendental Meditation in education (also known as Consciousness Based Education) is the application of the Transcendental Meditation technique in an educational setting or institution. These educational programs and institutions have been founded in the USA, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Africa and Japan. The Transcendental Meditation technique became popular with students in the 1960s and by the early 1970s centers for the Students International Mediation Society were established at a thousand campuses[158] in the USA with similar growth occurring in Germany, Canada and Britain.[159] The Maharishi International University was established in 1973 in the USA and began offering accredited, degree programs. In 1977 courses in Transcendental Meditation and the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) were legally prohibited from New Jersey (USA) public high schools on religious grounds by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment.[160][161] This "dismantled" the TM program's use of government funding in U.S. public schools[75] "but did not constitute a negative evaluation of the program itself".[162] Since 1979, schools that incorporate the Transcendental Meditation technique using private, non-governmental funding have been reported in the USA, South America, Southeast Asia, Northern Ireland, South Africa and Israel.[163][164][165]
A number of educational institutions have been founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the Transcendental Meditation movement and its supporters. These institutions include several schools offering public and private secondary education in the USA (Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment),[166] England (Maharishi School),[167][168] Australia,[169][170][171] South Africa (Maharishi Invincibility School of Management),[172] and India (Maharishi Vidya Mandir Schools). Likewise, Maharishi colleges and universities have been established including Maharishi European Research University (Netherlands), Maharishi Institute of Management (India), Maharishi Institute of Management (India), Maharishi University of Management and Technology (India), Maharishi Institute (South Africa)[173][174] and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic University (India). In the USA, critics have called Transcendental Meditation a revised form of Eastern, religious philosophy and opposed its use in public schools[175][176] while a member of the Pacific Justice Institute says practicing Transcendental Meditation in public schools with private funding is constitutional.[177]
Corporate programs
Transcendental Meditation has been utilized in corporations, both in the U.S.A and in India. As of 2001, USA companies such as General Motors and IBM subsidized the TM course fee for their employees.[178] The Washington Post reported in 2005, that real estate developer, The Tower Companies, had added classes in Transcendental Meditation to their employee benefit program with seventy percent (70%) participating.[179][180][181] A number of Indian companies give their managers training in Transcendental Meditation including AirTel, Siemens, American Express, SRF and Wipro, Hero Honda, Ranbaxy, Hewlett Packard, BHEL, BPL, ESPN-Star Sports, Tisco, Eveready, Maruti, and Godrej. All employees at Marico practice Transcendental Meditation in groups as part of their standard workday. According to the Times of India, this practice benefits both employees and employers.[182]
Social programs
The TM technique has been incorporated in a variety of U.S. social programs for criminals, the homeless and war veterans. In 1979, the TM technique was offered to inmates at Folsom prison, San Quentin and the Deuel Vocational Institute. According to a TM representative, meditation has been included at "over 25 prisons and correctional institutions" in the U.S.[183]
In the African country of Senegal, more than 11,000 prisoners and 900 correctional officers in 34 prisons received instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique between 1985 and 1987, and the wardens at 31 prisons signed a proclamation recommending that TM be offered throughout the entire system.[184][185] More recently, the TM technique has been introduced to prisoners in the Oregon Correctional System and a research study is underway to record the effects of the program.[184] Since the late 1980's the TM technique has been offered as part of the programs at Fundacion Hogares Claret sanctuary for homeless and orphaned children in Medellin, Columbia.[186]
In 1996, Judge David Mason of the 22nd Judicial Circuit of St Louis, Missouri, began offering the Transcendental Meditation program to criminal offenders in Missouri. The program is administered by the non-profit Enlightened Sentencing Project and has received endorsements from several judges, including Judge Philip Heagney, Judge Henry Autrey, and others from the Missouri District, Federal, and Supreme Courts.[187]
In 2010, the Doe Fund of New York City began offering the TM technique to its residents, and homeless men were given instruction in the TM technique through an organization called Ready, Willing and Able.[188][189][190][191] In 2010, the Superintendent of Prisons announced that the TM technique was being offered to inmates at the Dominica State Prison.[192] In 2011, the technique was taught to about 65 individuals at the Children of the Night shelter for teen prostitutes in Los Angeles.[193][194]
The Transcendental Meditation technique was taught to military personnel with post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) as part of two research studies conducted at the University of Colorado and Georgetown University.[195][196][197][198][199][200] In 2012, the Department of Veterans Affairs announced that it was "studying the use of transcendental meditation to help returning veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars".[201] Other initiatives to teach the TM technique to war veterans at risk for PTSD, are ongoing.[202][203] Psychiatry professor, Norman E. Rosenthal says that TM is compatible with most "drug treatment approaches" and could be incorporated "into an overall treatment program."[184] The technique has been taught to students at Norwich University, a private military academy, as part of a long-term study on meditation and military performance.[204][205]
Theoretical concepts
Views on consciousness (1963)
In his 1963 book, The Science Of Being and Art Of Living, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi says that, over time, through the practice of the TM technique, the conscious mind gains familiarity with deeper levels of the mind, bringing the subconscious mind within the capacity of the conscious mind, resulting in expanded awareness in daily activity. He also teaches that the Transcendental Meditation practitioner transcends all mental activity and experiences the 'source of thought', which is said to be pure silence, 'pure awareness' or 'transcendental Being', 'the ultimate reality of life'.[33][36][51][206] TM is sometimes self described as a technology of consciousness.[52] Pathologist Vimal Patel, says TM has been shown to produce states that are physiologically different from waking, dreaming and sleeping.[207]
Seven States of Consciousness
According to the Maharishi, there are seven levels of consciousness: (i) waking; (ii) dreaming; (iii) deep sleep; (iv) Transcendental or Pure Consciousness (Skt: turiya); (v) Cosmic Consciousness (Skt: turiyatita); (vi) God Consciousness (Skt: bhagavat-chetana); and, (vii) Supreme knowledge, or unity consciousness (Skt: brahmi-chetana). The Maharishi says that the fourth level of consciousness can be experienced through Transcendental Meditation, and that the fifth state can be achieved by those who meditate diligently.[208] A sign of cosmic consciousness is "ever present wakefulness" that is present even during sleep.[209] Research on long term TM practitioners experiencing what they describe as cosmic consciousness, has identified unique EEG profiles, muscle tone measurements, and REM indicators that suggest physiological parameters for this self described state of consciousness.[209][210] However, the Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness notes that it is premature to say that the EEG coherence found in TM is an indication of a higher state of consciousness.[211]
Science of Creative Intelligence (1971)
In 1961, the Maharishi created the "International Meditation Society for the Science of Creative Intelligence".[212] In 1971 the Maharishi inaugurated "Maharishi's Year of Science of Creative Intelligence" and described SCI as the connection of "modern science with ancient Vedic science".[213] Author, Philip Goldberg describes it as Vedanta philosophy that has been translated into scientific language.[214] A series of international symposiums on the Science of Creative Intelligence were held between 1970 and 1973 and were attended by scientists and "leading thinkers", including Buckminster Fuller, Melvin Calvin, a Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, Hans Selye, Marshal McLuhan and Jonas Salk.[214] These symposiums were held at universities such as Humboldt State University and University of Massachusetts.[215][216][217][218] The following year, the Maharishi developed a World Plan to spread his teaching of SCI around the world.[218][219]
The theoretical part of SCI is taught in a 33-lesson video course.[220] In the early 1970's the SCI course was offered at more than 25 American universities including Stanford University, Yale, the University of Colorado, the University of Wisconsin, and Oregon State University.[218][221][222] Until 2009, Maharishi University of Management (MUM) required its undergraduate students to take SCI classes,[223][224][225][226] and both MUM and Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in Switzerland have awarded degrees in the field.[227] The Independent reports that children at Maharishi School learn SCI principles such as "the nature of life is to grow" and "order is present everywhere".[228] SCI is reported to be part of the curriculum of TM related lower schools in Iowa, Wheaton, Maryland[229] and Skelmersdale, UK.[230] In 1975 SCI was used as the call letters for a TM owned television station in San Bernardino, California.[231]
Theologian Robert M. Price, writing in the Creation/Evolution Journal (the journal of the National Center for Science Education), compares the Science of Creative Intelligence to Creationism.[232] Price says instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique is "never offered without indoctrination into the metaphysics of 'creative intelligence'".[232] Skeptic James Randi says SCI has "no scientific characteristics."[123] Astrophysicist and skeptic Carl Sagan writes that the 'Hindu doctrine' of TM is a pseudoscience.[124] Irving Hexham, a professor of religious studies, describes the TM teachings as "pseudoscientific language that masks its religious nature by mythologizing science".[212] Sociologists Rodney Stark and William Sims Bainbridge describe the SCI videotapes as largely based on the Bhagavad Gita, and say that they are "laced with parables and metaphysical postulates, rather than anything that can be recognized as conventional science".[69] In 1979, the court case Malnak v Yogi determined that although SCI/TM is not a theistic religion, it deals with issues of ultimate concern, truth, and other ideas analogous to those in well-recognized religions.[233] Maharishi biographer Paul Mason suggests that the scientific terminology used in SCI was developed by the Maharishi as part of a restructuring of his philosophies in terms that would gain greater acceptance and increase the number of people starting the TM technique. He says that this change toward a more academic language was welcomed by many of the Maharishi's American students.[234]
Maharishi Effect (1974)
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi postulated that the quality of life would noticeably improved if one percent of the population practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique. This is known as the "Maharishi Effect" and according to the Maharishi, it was percieved in 1974 after an analysis of crime statistics in 16 cities.[33][119][235] Author Ted Karam writes that there have been numerous studies on the Maharishi Effect including a gathering of over 4,000 people in Washington DC in the summer of 1993.[119] With the introduction of the TM-Sidhi program including Yogic Flying, the Maharishi proposed that the square root of 1 percent of the population practicing this advanced program together at the same time and in the same place would create benefits in society. This was referred to as the "Extended Maharishi Effect".[119][120]
The TM organization has linked the Maharishi Effect to the fall of the Berlin Wall and a reduction in global terrorism, US inflation and crime rates.[236] The Maharishi Effect has been endorsed by the former President of Mozambique Joaquim Chissano,[237] and examined in 42 scientific studies.[238] Critics, such as James Randi have called this research "pseudoscience".[239] Randi says that he investigated comments made by former Maharishi International University faculty member Robert Rabinoff in 1978. Randi says he spoke to the Fairfield Chief of Police who reported local crime levels were the same and the regional Agriculture Department who said farm yields for Jefferson County matched the state average.[240]
Maharishi Vedic Science (1981)
The Maharishi proclaimed 1981 as the Year of Vedic Science.[33] Maharishi Vedic Science (MVS) is defined by author Patrick Williams as "a practical, workable Vedic science that is integrated with modern science" and a "scientific approach to human development based on complete knowledge and systematic techniques".[109] It is based on the Maharishi's interpretation of ancient Vedic texts and includes subjective technologies like the Transcendental Meditation technique and the TM-Sidhi program plus programs like Maharishi Sthapatya Veda (MSV) and Maharishi Vedic Astrology (MVA) services which apply Vedic science to day-to-day living.[241][242] Vedic science studies the various aspects of life and their relationship to the Veda.
Characterizations
Characterizations of the TM technique vary amongst scholars, clergy, notable practitioners and governments. According to the Maharishi his technique requires no preparation, is simple to do, and can be learned by anyone.[243] The technique is described as effortless[244] and without contemplation or concentration[85] Author Peter Russell says trying to control the mind is like trying to go to sleep at night, it won't work.[85] He says instead, the TM technique utilizes the tendency of the mind to move towards greater satisfaction.[52][82][83][245] According to TM advocates, the technique is "purely a mechanical, physiological process", the "two-minute ceremony" invokes no deities, the mantras are "sounds without meaning" and the technique "pre-dates Hinduism by 5,000 years".[177] Anthony Campbell, author of the book Seven States of Consciousness, writes that TM requires no "special circumstances or preparations" and does "not depend upon belief".[246][247] A 2011 article in Details characterizes the TM technique as a "Hindu meditation practice ["stripped"] of its religious baggage" offered "as a systematic, stress-reducing, creativity-building technique".[248]
Religious leaders
Some religious leaders and clergy find Transcendental Meditation compatible with their religious teachings and beliefs while others do not.[249][250][251] Catholic monk Wayne Teasdale writes in his book The Mystic Heart: Discovering a Universal Spirituality in the World’s Religions, that Transcendental Meditation is what is called an open or receptive method that can be described as giving up control and remaining open in an inner sense.[252] In 1968, the archbishop of Canterbury, Michael Ramsey "came to the support of Maharishi's theory".[53] In 1984, Cardinal Jaime Sin, the Archbishop of Manila, wrote a pastoral statement after Philippines President Ferdinand Marcos invited more than 1,000 members of the TM movement to Manila, saying that neither the doctrine nor the practice of TM are acceptable to Christians.[253] In 2003, the Roman Curia, a Vatican council, published a warning against mixing eastern meditations, such as TM, with Christian prayer.[254] A Jewish Revivalist called TM "an insidious form of worship" while Trappist monks in Spencer, Massachusetts find it useful.[53] Martin Gardner, a mathematician, has referred to TM as "the Hindu cult"[255] and in one of his books, the Maharishi refers to TM as "a path to God".[256] [need quotation to verify] Clergy who practice the TM technique include: Catholic Father Len Dubi,[257] Orthodox Rabbi Abe Shainberg ,[258] Irish Jesuit William Johnston,[259] Donald Craig Drummon; a Presbyterian minister, Rabbi Raphael Levine; Rabbi Emeritus, Temple De Hirsh Sinai, Reverend Placide Gaboury; a Jesuit priest who teaches at the University of Sudbury[221] Reverend Kevin Joyce; a catholic priest and Keith Wollard, a United Church minister.[260] According to author R.S. Bajpai, the Maharishi "secularized the TM [sic] by purging it of all the religious rites and rituals and spiritual mysticism".[261]
Notable laypersons
Notable laypersons who practice the TM technique include David Lynch, who was raised a Presbyterian and Clint Eastwood who says he found "there were no religious aspects,"[53][262] Political commentator and Roman Catholic, Andrew Sullivan,[263][264] and Pulitzer Prize winner, Tim Page.[265] According to John Lennon, "You can make it with meditation if you're a Christian, a Mohammedan or a Jew. You just add meditation to whatever religion you've got".[266]
Scholars
The Transcendental Meditation technique has been variously described by sociologists and religious scholars as religious and non-religious.[267] According to sociologist Stephen J. Hunt, author of the book Alternative Religions: A Sociological Introduction, the TM technique describes itself as a "technology of consciousness" and has the goal of developing the full potential of the person, including spiritual and psychological progress, while fulfilling some of the self-improvement goals of many religious and semi-religious organizations. Its adherents says it is a non-religious, "scientific strategy", yet it appears to have "spiritual elements" such as the puja ceremony performed during the TM instruction.[52] Religious studies scholar Eugene V. Gallagher writes that, "TM practitioners describe TM as a science rather than a religious discipline", but its "meditation principles were clearly derived from Hindu practice".[268]
In the book Cults and New Religious Movements, author Roy Wallis characterizes Transcendental Meditation as a "world affirming new religion" that "lacks most of the features traditionally associated with religion".[269] Authors Liebler and Moss write that "unlike some forms of meditation, the TM technique does not require adherence to any belief system".[270] Religious studies scholars Michael Phelan and James R. Lewis say that TM participants "may meditate for relaxation, but otherwise have no contact with TM", and that TM "attracts a large number of people with low levels of commitment around a much smaller group of highly committed followers."[51][271] Moreover, Phelan writes that TM is "being opposed by many religious groups who believe that it is a religious practice", and that "the TM objectives and methods are congruous with the criteria of revitalization movements [as] defined by Anthony F.C. Wallace"... "whose goal is to create a better culture."[51] Religion scholar Charles H. Lippy writes that earlier spiritual interest in the technique faded in the 1970s, and it became a practical technique that anyone could employ without abandoning their religious affiliation.[272]
On the other hand, Bainbridge finds Transcendental Meditation to be a "...highly simplified form of Hinduism, adapted for Westerners who did not possess the cultural background to accept the full panoply of Hindu beliefs, symbols, and practices",[24][25] and describes the Transcendental Meditation puja ceremony as "...in essence, a religious initiation ceremony".[24] Metropolitan Maximos of Pittsburgh of the Greek Orthodox Church describes TM as "a new version of Hindu Yoga" based on "pagan pseudo-worship and deification of a common mortal, Guru Dev".[26]
In the book Cults and New Religions, Cowan and Bromley write that TM is presented to the public as a meditation practice that has been validated by science, but is not a religious practice nor is it affiliated with a religious tradition. They say that "although there are some dedicated followers of TM who devote most or all of their time to furthering the practice of Transcendental Meditation in late modern society, the vast majority of those who practice do so on their own, often as part of what has been loosely described as the New Age Movement."[273] They say that most scholars view Transcendental Meditation as having elements of both therapy and religion, but that "Transcendental Meditation has no designated scripture, no set of doctrinal requirements, no ongoing worship activity, and no discernible community of believers." They also say that Maharishi did not claim to have special divine revelation or supernatural personal qualities.[274][275]
Authors of the book A Reader in New Religious Movements, George D. Chryssides and Margaret Z. Wilkins, write that Transcendental Meditation and other new religious movements have been criticized for "surreptitiously smuggling in forms of Eastern religion under the guise of some seemingly innocuous technique of self improvement or health promotion".[276] Chryssides goes on to say in his book Exploring New Religions that although one can identify the Maharishi's Hindu background, Hindu lineage, mantras and initiation ceremony, TM is unlike religion in its "key elements": "there is no public worship, no code of ethics, no scriptures to be studied, and no rites of passage that are observed, such as dietary laws, giving to the poor, or pilgrimages."[27] Psychiatry professor Norman E. Rosenthal, author of Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation, writes that "Maharishi extracted the TM technique from its religious context and distilled it to its essence, which he believed could be of value to people of all creeds."[29]
Regierung
The characterizations and responses to the TM technique by governmental agencies have varied depending on the time period, the specific agency and its country of origin. In 1968, the Maharishi conducted a one hour meeting with Secretary General of the United Nations U Thant. In the 1970s, courses in the TM technique were conducted at 47 military installations around the world (including eight in the U.S.), with 150 enrolling in the course at the West Point military academy. The TM technique was also taught at five U.S. federal prisons, and three in Germany and Canada. During this period, ten U.S. Senators and more than 100 Congressional staff members learned the technique.[53] In 1972, the Maharishi met with the Governor of Illinois (Daniel Walker) and received a standing ovation when he addressed the Illinois state legislature before they passed a resolution characterizing Maharishi’s Science of Creative Intelligence as useful for Illinois public schools.[277][278] In 1974, Transcendental Meditation was cited in two Congressional records regarding the Science of Creative Intelligence course being offered at 30 American universities and the TM technique being "in use" in some American prisons, mental institutions and drug rehabilitation centers.[221]
In 1975, TM's founder met with Canadian Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau to discuss "the possibility of structuring an ideal society" through Transcendental Mediation,[279][280][281] and the U.S. Congress passed Senate Resolution #64: A Resolution to Increase Public Awareness of Transcendental Meditation and gave TM a "favorable" characterization.[51] In 1977 a New Jersey, U.S. district court held that a curriculum comprising the Science of Creative Intelligence and TM was religious in nature (Malnak v Yogi). The decision was appealed and in 1979 the 3rd Circuit opinion affirmed the decision and held that although SCI/TM is not a theistic religion, it deals with issues of ultimate concern, truth, and other ideas analogous to those of well-recognized religions and it therefore violated the Establishment Clause. Beginning in 1979 the German government released a number of booklets about problems arising for seven new religious movements in Germany, with the German term for these organizations variously translated as "psychogroups" and "psychotheraphy groups." These organizations, including TM, filed lawsuits trying to block the reports. The courts ruled that the booklets must only include factual information and exclude speculation, rumors, and matters that are unclear, and the booklets were re-released primarily containing quotations from materials of the organizations themselves.[282][283][need quotation to verify][284] In 1996 a commission appointed by the German government concluded that new religious movements and "psychotherapy groups" did not present any danger to the state or to society.[284] In 1987, an Israeli government report that was criticized as "one sided and negative", defined TM as a "cult group"... "targeted by anti-cult activists".[285][286] The 1995 report of the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France included Transcendental Meditation in its list of cults.[287][need quotation to verify] The U.S. government has characterized the Transcendental Meditation technique as worthy of research and has awarded more than $20 million in funding from different branches of the National Institutes of Health for scientific analysis of the effects of TM on high blood pressure.[34][288] The U.S. United States Department of Veterans Affairs sees it as a potential tool for the "treatment" of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in veterans of the Iraq and Afghanistan wars, and commenced research on the technique (and two other meditation systems) in 2012.[289][290] According to author Patrick Gresham Williams, "the government will pay" for any U.S. veteran to learn TM if it is prescribed by a Veterans Administration medical doctor.[109]
Marketing
The public presentation of the TM technique has varied over its 50 year history. Some authors have praised its methods and success while others have criticized its marketing techniques. For example author G. Francis Xavier writes, the Maharishi is "one of the best salesman" and has made full use of the mass media to propagate TM around the world[291] while authors Bainbridge and Stark criticize the TM movement for using endorsements from the scientific establishment as "propaganda", reprinting favorable articles and using positive statements by government officials in conjunction with their publicity efforts.[292] On the other hand, cardiologist Stephen Sinatra and professor of medicine Marc Houston have said of Maharishi that, “His emphasis on scientific research proved that the timeless practice of meditation was not just an arcane mystical activity for Himalayan recluses, but rather a mind-body method hugely relevant to and beneficial for modern society.[293]
History
In the 1960s, "seekers" who had learned from the "psychedelic experience" began turning toward meditation. Beginning in 1959, the Maharishi began "building an infrastructure" using a "mass marketing model" for teaching the TM technique to Westerners.[294] First, the Maharishi visited the U.S. because he felt that its people were ready to try something new, and the rest of the world would then "take notice".[135] By the same token, author Philip Goldberg says the Maharishi's insistence that TM was easy to do was not a "marketing ploy," but rather "a statement about the nature of the mind." [135] In the mid 1960s, the TM organization began presenting its meditation to students via a campaign led by a man named Jerry Jarvis who had taken the TM course in 1961.[135] By 1966, the Students Meditation Society (SIMS) had begun programs in colleges such as Berkley, Harvard, Yale and others, and was a "phenomenal success".[135][295] In the late 1960s, the TM technique received "major publicity" through its associations with The Beatles, and by identifying itself with various aspects of modern day counterculture.[261][296] TM is said to have taken full advantage of all available publicity, and began to market to specific populations, such as spiritual people, political people and "pragmatic" self-help people. The latter approach is said to have been "given impetus" by the scientific research on the technique.[297]
In The Future of Religion, sociologists Bainbridge and Stark write that, while the movement attracted many people through endorsements from celebrities such as The Beatles, another marketing approach was "getting articles published in scientific journals, apparently proving TM's claims or at least giving them scientific status".[292] In the 1970s, according to Philip Goldberg, the Maharishi began encouraging research on the TM technique because he felt that hard scientific data would be a useful marketing tool and a way to re-brand meditation as a scientific form of deep rest, rather than a mystical "samadhi"; one of his first steps in secularizing the technique.[135] The Maharishi's "appropriation of science was clearly part of his agenda from the beginning" says Goldberg, and so his "organization was incorporated as an educational non-profit, not a religious one".[135] The Maharishi asked people with marketing expertise, like SIMS president, Jarvis, to present TM as a method for inner peace and relaxation based on scientific proof[298] and, because the TM technique was the first type of mediation to undergo scientific testing, it "has always received the most publicity".[294] According to Bainbridge and Stark, TM had engaged in several mass media campaigns prior to 1973, and had received a great amount of publicity, but the main source of new TM students was word of mouth, or the "advice of friends", because "TM was a relatively cheap, short-term service, requiring no deep commitment".[292] Author Jack Forem agrees, and writes: "the main source of publicity for the movement has been satisfied practitioners spreading the news by word of mouth".[299]
Reception to Marketing
In 1988, author J. Isamu Yamamoto wrote that "TM was called the McDonald’s of meditation because of its extravagantly successful packaging of Eastern Meditation for the American mass market".[298] The 2010 book, Teaching Mindfulness, says that TM's eventual success as a new social movement was based on the "translation in Western language and settings, popular recognition, adoption within scientific research in powerful institutions, and the use of sophisticated marketing and public relations techniques." The book goes on to say that TM's "use of sophisticated marketing and public relations techniques, represents a model for success in the building of new social movements".[294][297] Sociologist Hank Johnston, who analyzed TM as a "marketed social movement" in a 1980 paper, says that TM has used sophisticated techniques, such as tailored promotional messages for different audiences, and pragmatically adapted them to different cultures and changing times. Johnston says that TM's "calculated strategies" have led to its "rapid growth". In particular, it has objectified the rank-and-file membership, marketed the movement as a product, and created a perception of grievances for which it offers a panacea.[300][300]
According to an article in The Independent, despite early criticism, the TM technique has moved from margin to mainstream, due mostly to its "burgeoning body of scientific research". Its recent appeal seems due to the possibility of relaxation with no chemical assistance.[301] Jerrold Greenberg in his book Comprehensive Stress Managment writes that the Maharishi was a "major exporter of meditation to the Western world" who "developed a large, worldwide, and highly effective organization to teach Transcendental Meditation". Greenberg goes on to say that "the simplicity of this technique, coupled with the effectiveness of its marketing by TM organizations quickly led to its popularity."[302] According to Goldberg, research and meditation in general are likely to be the Maharishi's "lasting legacy".[135][135]
References
- ^ a b "Transcendental Meditation". Oxford English Dictionary.
- ^ a b c "Learn the Transcendental Meditation Technique – Seven Step Program". Tm.org. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ Lansky EP, St Louis EK (2006). "Transcendental meditation: a double-edged sword in epilepsy?". Epilepsy Behav. 9 (3): 394–400. doi:10.1016/j.yebeh.2006.04.019. PMID 16931164.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b Cotton, Dorothy H. G. (1990). Stress management : an integrated approach to therap. New York: Brunner/Mazel. p. 138. ISBN 0-87630-557-5.
- ^ a b c d Schneider H., Robert; Fields, Jeremy Z. (2006) Basic Health Publications Total Heart Health: How to Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease with the Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health page 148-149, retrieved June 1, 2012
- ^ "The Transcendental Meditation (TM) Program – Official website. How and where to learn". TM. Retrieved 2009-11-15."transcendental meditation (TM) is the most widely practiced and investigated"
- ^ a b Template:Cite article
- ^ a b Rosenthal, Norman (2011). Transcendence: Healing and Transformation through Transcendental Meditation. New York: Tarcher/Penguin. p. 14. ISBN 978-1-58542-873-1.
By my latest count, there have been 340 per-reviewed articles published on TM, many of which have appeared in highly respected journals.
- ^ a b Lyn Freeman, Mosby’s Complementary & Alternative Medicine: A Research-Based Approach, Mosby Elsevier, 2009, p. 163
- ^ a b Ospina, MB.; Bond, K.; Karkhaneh, M.; Tjosvold, L.; Vandermeer, B.; Liang, Y.; Bialy, L.; Hooton, N.; Buscemi, N. (2007). "Meditation practices for health: state of the research" (PDF). Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep) (155): 4. PMID 17764203.
A few studies of overall poor methodological quality were available for each comparison in the meta-analyses, most of which reported nonsignificant results. TM had no advantage over health education to improve measures of systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure, body weight, heart rate, stress, anger, self-efficacy, cholesterol, dietary intake, and level of physical activity in hypertensive patients
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ignored (help) Cite error: The named reference "Ospina" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ a b c Krisanaprakornkit, T.; Krisanaprakornkit, W.; Piyavhatkul, N.; Laopaiboon, M. (2006). Krisanaprakornkit, Thawatchai (ed.). "Meditation therapy for anxiety disorders". Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews (1): CD004998. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD004998.pub2. PMID 16437509.
The small number of studies included in this review do not permit any conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of meditation therapy for anxiety disorders. Transcendental meditation is comparable with other kinds of relaxation therapies in reducing anxiety
- ^ a b Canter PH, Ernst E (2004). "Insufficient evidence to conclude whether or not Transcendental Meditation decreases blood pressure: results of a systematic review of randomized clinical trials". Journal of Hypertension. 22 (11): 2049–54. doi:10.1097/00004872-200411000-00002. PMID 15480084.
There is at present insufficient good-quality evidence to conclude whether or not TM has a cumulative positive effect on blood pressure.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b Canter PH, Ernst E (2003). "The cumulative effects of Transcendental Meditation on cognitive function--a systematic review of randomised controlled trials". Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. 115 (21–22): 758–66. doi:10.1007/BF03040500. PMID 14743579.
The claim that TM has a specific and cumulative effect on cognitive function is not supported by the evidence from randomized controlled trials.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b John Vogel, Rebecca Costello, and Mitchell Krucoff, Chapter 47 in Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine, Peter Libbie, et al, eds, Saunders Elsevier, 2007, p. 1157. Quotation: "TM has been shown not only to improve blood pressure but also the insulin resistance components of the metabolic syndrome and cardiac autonomic nervous system tone."
- ^ a b Italo Biaggioni, ed. (2011). Primer on the Autonomic Nervous System. Geoffrey Burnstock, Phillip A. Low, Julian F.R. Paton (3rd ed.). USA: Academic Press. pp. 297–298.
A meta-analysis of these studies indicates that TM significantly decreased low and high risk participants' systolic and diastolic blood pressures. . . . In addition, psychological distress and coping abilities were significantly improved compared to control TM groups in both low and high risk groups.
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ignored (help) - ^ a b Shapiro, Shauna (2009). "Meditation and Positive Psychology". In Lopez, Shane; Snyder (eds.). Oxford Handbook of Positive Psychology. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 601–610. ISBN 978-0-19-518724-3.
. . . the TM group demonstrated . . . significantly decreased anxiety compared to a control group. The results suggest that TM's effects extend beyond those of ordinary rest.
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specified (help) - ^ Chen, Kevin W. (2012). "Meditative Therapies for Reducing Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials". Depression and Anxiety. 29 (7): 1, 11–12. doi:10.1002/da.21964.
From abstract: "This review demonstrates some efficacy of meditative therapies in reducing anxiety symptoms, which has important clinical implications for applying meditative techniques in treating anxiety." (From Table 1, p. 7-9): "Nidich et al. (2009): The TM group showed significant(ly) more improvement in anxety at 3-month follow-up (p = .003) as compared to the WL control. CLEAR score: .89; Kondwani et al. (2005): TM group had a decrease in anxiety over time (p = .02) and a significant decrease in anxiety as compared to the control (p = .03). CLEAR score: .80; Sheppard et al. (1997) The TM group showed more decrease in anxiety at 3 months (p < .05) as compared to control and this pattern continued at 3 years follow-up. CLEAR score: .64"
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at position 209 (help) - ^ a b Stephen Devries, ed. (2011). "The Integrative Approach to Hypertension, Ch. 11". Integrative Cardiology. New York: Oxford University Press. pp. 236, 237. 978-0195383461.
A 2008 meta-analysis of nine studies found a 4.7 mmHg systolic blood pressure and 3.2 mmHg diastolic blood pressure decrease in those who practiced TM compared to control groups that included health education. These decreases were judged to be clinically significant.
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ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ TM Program Official web site (Australia), retrieved Nov 2, 2012
- ^ TM Course Tuition TM official web site, retrieved May 30, 2012
- ^ TM fees and course details Official web site in the UK, retrieved Nov 2, 2012
- ^ American Bar Association (1978). "Constitutional Law... Separating Church and State". ABA Journal. 64: 144.
{{cite journal}}
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ignored (help) - ^ Humes, C.A. (2005). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Beyond the T.M. Technique". In Forsthoefel, Thomas A.; Humes, Cynthia Ann (eds.). Gurus in America. SUNY Press. p. 69. ISBN 0-7914-6573-X."This lawsuit was the most significant setback for TM in the United States"...."Since then TM has made a comeback of sorts with some governmental sponsorship"
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Bainbridge, William Sims (1997). The sociology of religious movements. New York: Routledge. p. 188. ISBN 0-415-91202-4. Cite error: The named reference "Bainbridge" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b "Transcendental Meditation". Religious Movements Homepage Project. January 12, 2001.
- ^ a b Aghiorgoussis, Maximos (Spring 1999). "The challenge of metaphysical experiences outside Orthodoxy and the Orthodox response". Greek Orthodox Theological Review. 44 (1–4). Brookline: 21, 34.
{{cite journal}}
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(help) - ^ a b Chryssides, George D. (2001). dq=Chryssides+and+Transcendental+Meditation#PPA303,M1 Exploring New Religions. Continuum International Publishing Group. pp. 301–303. ISBN 0-8264-5959-5, 9780826459596.
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value (help)"Although one can identify the Maharishi’s philosophical tradition, its teachings are in no way binding on TM practitioners. There is no public worship, no code of ethics, no scriptures to be studied, and no rites of passage that are observed, such as dietary laws, giving to the poor, or pilgrimages. In particular, there is no real TM community: practitioners do not characteristically meet together for public worship, but simply recite the mantra, as they have been taught it, not as religious obligation, but simply as a technique to benefit themselves, their surroundings and the wider world." - ^ Partridge, Christopher (2004). New Religions: A guide to New Religious Movements, Sects and Alternative Spiritualities. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 184.
It is understood in terms of the reduction of stress and the charging of one's mental and physcial batteries.
- ^ a b Rosenthal, Norman E. (2011). Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation. Tarcher Penguin. p. 4. ISBN 978-1-58542-873-1.
{{cite book}}
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value (help) - ^ Science of Creative Intelligence Reserve Collection MUM web site, retrieved May 30, 2012
- ^ "Behavior: THE TM CRAZE: 40 Minutes to Bliss". Time. 1975-10-13. ISSN 0040-718X. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
{{cite news}}
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value (help) - ^ a b c d e f g Needleman, Jacob (1970). "Transcendental Meditation". The New Religions ([1st ed.]. ed.). Garden City N.Y.: Doubleday. pp. 132–147.
- ^ a b c d Mahesh Yogi, Maharishi (1995) Meridian Publishing, The Science of Being and Art of Living, page 46-52 Cite error: The named reference "Science of Being" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ a b Elias and Levin, Frances R. 'The Emerging Role of Meditation in Addressing Psychiatric Illness, with a Focus on Substance Use Disorders', Harvard Review of Psychiatry, 17: 4, 254 — 267
- ^ a b c Liebler, Nancy; Moss, Sandra; (2009) John Wiley & Sons,Healing Depression the Mind-Body Way retrieved June 10, 2012 pp 102-104
- ^ a b c d e f g Olson, Carl (2007). The many colors of Hinduism : a thematic-historical introduction. New Brunswick N.J.: Rutgers University Press. pp. 340–341. ISBN 978-0-8135-4067-2. Cite error: The named reference "Olson" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ (Feb 7, 2008) Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Times
- ^ Freeman, Lynda (2008). Mosby’s Complementary and Alternative Medicine (3rd ed.). St. Louis, Missouri: Elsevier Health Sciences. p. 533. ISBN 978-0-323-02626-0.
The meditator experiences a subtle state of thought in the form of a mantra or a sound. This state is deeply relaxing and has been described as a wakeful hypometabolic physiologic state.
- ^ Tennant, Laura (July 10, 2011)Transcendental Meditation: Were The Hippies Right All Along? The Independent, retrieved June 3, 2012
- ^ Analysis: Practice of requiring probationers to take lessons in transcendental meditation sparks religious controversy, NPR All Things Considered, February 1, 2002 | ROBERT SIEGEL "TM's five million adherents claim that it eliminates chronic health problems and reduces stress."
- ^ Martin Hodgson, The Guardian (5 February 2008) "He [Maharishi] transformed his interpretations of ancient scripture into a multimillion-dollar global empire with more than 5m followers worldwide"
- ^ Stephanie van den Berg, Sydney Morning Herald, Beatles guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi dies, (February 7, 2008) "the TM movement, which has some five million followers worldwide"
- ^ Meditation a magic bullet for high blood pressure – study, Sunday Tribune (South Africa), (January 27, 2008) "More than five million people have learned the technique worldwide, including 60,000 in South Africa.”
- ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi - Transcendental Meditation founder's grand plan for peace, The Columbian (Vancouver, WA), February 19, 2006 | ARTHUR MAX Associated Press writer "transcendental meditation, a movement that claims 6 million practitioners since it was introduced."
- ^ Bickerton, Ian (February 8, 2003). "Bank makes an issue of mystic's mint". Financial Times. London (UK). p. 09.
- ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Spiritual Leader Dies, New York Times, By LILY KOPPEL, Published: February 6, 2008 "Since the technique’s inception in 1955, the organization says, it has been used to train more than 40,000 teachers, taught more than five million people"
- ^ Financial Times (2003), 5 million, Bickerton, Ian (February 8, 2003). "Bank makes an issue of mystic's mint". Financial Times. London (UK). p. 09.; Asian News International (2009), 4 million "David Lynch to shoot film about TM guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in India". The Hindustan Times. New Delhi. November 18, 2009.
{{cite news}}
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ignored (|agency=
suggested) (help) - ^ Ospina 2007
- ^ a b c d e f g Transcendence, Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, pp 16-20, Tarcher Penguin, 2011
- ^ a b c d e Phelan, Michael (1979). "Transcendental Meditation. A Revitalization of the American Civil Religion". Archives des sciences sociales des religions. 48 (48–1): 5–20.
{{cite journal}}
: Invalid|ref=harv
(help) - ^ a b c d e Hunt, Stephen (2003). Alternative religions: a sociological introduction. Aldershot, Hampshire, England ; Burlington, VT: Ashgate. pp. 197–198. ISBN 978-0-7546-3410-2.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i Jefferson, William (1976). The Story of The Maharishi. New York: Pocket (Simon and Schuster). pp. 52–53.
- ^ Oates, Robert (1976). Celebrating the Dawn. G.P. Putnam's. p. 194. ISBN 0-399-11815-2.
- ^ Smith, Adam (1975). Powers of mind (1st ed.). New York: Random House. p. 129. ISBN 978-0-394-49832-4.
- ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1963). The Science of Being and Art of Living. Meridian. p. 51. ISBN 0-452-28266-7.
- ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1968). Meditation of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Bantam Books. pp. 106–107. ISBN 1-4303-0372-7.[need quotation to verify]
- ^ Allitt, Patrick (2005-09-20). Religion in America Since 1945: A History. Columbia University Press. p. 141. ISBN 978-0-231-12155-2.
- ^ Current biography yearbook. Charles Moritz (ed.). H. W. Wilson Co. 1972-06. pp. 300–303. ISBN 978-0-8242-0493-8.
{{cite book}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help)CS1 maint: others (link) - ^ a b Zonka, Michael (2001). Lewis, James (ed.). Odd gods : new religions & the cult controversy. Amherst N.Y.: Prometheus Books. pp. 230–233. ISBN 978-1-57392-842-7. "These mantras are given out only at puja ceremonies, that is to say at simple Hindu devotional services venerating the lineage of gurus."
- ^ Humes, C.A. (2005). "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi: Beyond the T.M. Technique". In Forsthoefel, Thomas A.; Humes, Cynthia Ann (eds.). Gurus in America. SUNY Press. p. 61. ISBN 0-7914-6573-X.
- ^ a b Chryssides, George D. (1999). Exploring new religions. London: Cassell. pp. 293–296. ISBN 978-0-8264-5959-6.
- ^ Chryssides, George D. (2001) Scarecrow Press, A to Z of New Religious Movements, page 327
- ^ Colin-Smith, Joyce (1988) Gateway Books, Call No Man Master, page 160
- ^ a b c d "At the end of the ceremony, I was asked to kneel in front of the altar."
- ^ Wallis, Roy (1984). The Elementary Forms of the New Religious Life. London: Routledge and Kegan Paul. p. 21. ISBN 0-7100-9890-1.
- ^ Melton, J. Gordon (1986). Encyclopedic Handbook of Cults in America. Garland. p. 189. ISBN 0-8240-9036-5.
- ^ Lewis, James R., ed. (2004). The Oxford handbook of new religious movements. Oxford University Press US. p. 457. ISBN 978-0-19-514986-9.
- ^ a b Stark, Rodney (1986). The Future of Religion: Secularization, Revival, and Cult Formation. Berkeley: University of California Press. p. 289. ISBN 0-520-05731-7.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ Jackson, Daniel H. (1985). "The Rise and Decline of Transcendental Meditation". In Stark, Rodney; last=Bainbridge, William Sims (eds.). The future of religion: secularization, revival, and cult formation. University of California Press. p. 288. ISBN 978-0-520-04854-6.
{{cite book}}
: Missing pipe in:|editor2=
(help) - ^ Bainbridge, William Sims (2007). Across the secular abyss: from faith to wisdom. Lexington Books. p. 136. ISBN 978-0-7391-1678-4.
- ^ a b Barrett, David V. (2001-06-30). The New Believers. Cassell. ISBN 978-0-304-35592-1.
- ^ "Transcendental Truth". Omni. January 1984. p. 129.
- ^ Scott, R.D. (1978). Transcendental Misconceptions. San Diego: Beta Books. ISBN 0-89293-031-4.
- ^ a b c Forsthoefel, Thomas A.; Humes, Cynthia Ann (2005). Gurus in America. Albany, NY: State University of New York Press. p. 63. ISBN 978-0-7914-6573-8. Cite error: The named reference "Forsthoefel" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1955). Beacon Light of the Himalyas (PDF). p. 63.
- ^ Russell, Peter H. (1977). The TM technique: a skeptics guide to the TM program. Boston: Routledge K. Paul. pp. 49–50. ISBN 0-7100-8672-5.
- ^ Phelan, Michael (1979). "Transcendental Meditation. A Revitalization of the American Civil Religion" Archives des sciences sociales des religions 48 (48–1) 5–20.
- ^ Williamson, Lola (2010). Transcendent in America:Hindu-Inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion. NYU Press. pp. 86–89. ISBN 978-0-8147-9450-0.
- ^ Mangalwadi, Vishal(May 1977) Five Ways to Salvation in Contemporary Guruism Themelios volume 2, issue 3, retrieved June 20, 2012 "during the ceremony the teacher worships the picture of Guru Dev"
- ^ "Transcendental Meditation, briefly stated, is a technique of meditation in which the meditator contemplates a meaningless sound." 440 F. Supp. 1288 [full citation needed]
- ^ a b Shear, J. (Jonathan) (2006). The experience of meditation : experts introduce the major tradition. St. Paul, MN: Paragon House. pp. 23, 30–32, 43–44. ISBN 978-1-55778-857-3.
- ^ a b Travis, F; Haaga, DA; Hagelin, JS; Tanner, M; Nidich, S; Gaylord-King, C; Grosswald, S; Rainforth, M; Schneider, RH (2009). "Effects of Transcendental Meditation practice on brain functioning and stress reactivity in college students". International Journal of Psychophysiology. 71 (2): 170–176. doi:10.1016/j.ijpsycho.2008.09.007. PMID 18854202.
- ^ a b c d e Alexander, Charles Nathaniel; Walton, Kenneth G.; Orme-Johnson, David; Goodman, Rachel S. (2003) The Hawthorne Press,Transcendental Meditation in Criminal Rehabilitation and Crime Prevention retrieved June 1, 2012, page 111
- ^ a b c Russell, Peter H. (1976). The TM technique. Routledge Kegan Paul PLC. p. 134. ISBN 0-7100-8539-7. Cite error: The named reference "Russell1" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page).
- ^ "Learn the Transcendental Meditation Technique – Seven Step Program". Tm.org. Archived from the original on September 14, 2010.
The Transcendental Meditation technique is taught through a seven-step course of instruction by a certified TM teacher.
- ^ Syman, Stefanie (2010-06-22). The Subtle Body: The Story of Yoga in America. Macmillan. p. 225. ISBN 978-0-374-23676-2.
- ^ a b c d Learn the Transcendental Meditation technique Official web site, retrieved May 302012
- ^ a b c Ospina MB, Bond K, Karkhaneh M; et al. (2007). "Meditation practices for health: state of the research". Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep) (155): 1–263. PMID 17764203.
Scientific research on meditation practices does not appear to have a common theoretical perspective and is characterized by poor methodological quality. Firm conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence.
{{cite journal}}
: Explicit use of et al. in:|author=
(help); Invalid|ref=harv
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Robbins, Jhan (1972). Tranquility without pills. New York: P.H. Wyden. p. 141.
{{cite book}}
: Unknown parameter|coauthors=
ignored (|author=
suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Johnson, Janis (March 31, 1976). "A Court Challenge to TM". the christian CENTURY. pp. 300–302.
{{cite news}}
: External link in
(help)|title=
- ^ Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the Bhagavad-Gita - A New Translation and Commentary Chapters 1-6, Appendix, The Holy Tradition, Arkana, 1990, ISBN 978-0-14-019247-6
- ^ a b c Victory, Joy (May 18, 2004). "Meditation Controversy". The Journal News. Rockland, Yew York."At the end, the teacher gets down on their knees and bows and invites the new meditators to get down on their knees."
- ^ Martin, Walter (1980). The New Cults. Vision House Pub. p. 95. ISBN 978-0-88449-016-6.
- ^ "The Transcendental Meditation (TM) Program – Official website. How and where to learn". TM. Retrieved 2009-11-15.
- ^ Grosswald, Sarina (October 2005). "Oming in on ADHD". Washington Parent.
- ^ [1] Doctors On TM, How to Learn, Retrieved June 2011
- ^ Washington Parent, Oming in on ADHD, Sarina Grosswald, October 2005
- ^ (Feb 11, 2009) Beatles’ Guru Yogi Dies at 91 CBS News, retrieved June 9, 2012
- ^ a b c Transcendence, Norman E. Rosenthal, MD, Tarcher Penguin, 2011, page 9 and page 216
- ^ "Obituary: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi". BBC News. February 6, 2008.
The Maharishi's commercial mantras drew criticism from stricter Hindus, but his promises of better health, stress relief and spiritual enlightenment drew devotees from all over the world.
- ^ Regush, Nicholas (July 30, 1977). "No bargains on road to enlightenment". Montreal Gazette.
- ^ Simon, Alyssa (February 14, 2010). "David Wants to Fly". Variety.
- ^ Buckles, Father Luke, Toropov, Brandon (2011). ' ' The Complete Idiot's Guide to World Religions' '. Alpha, USA. ISBN 978-1-101-51476-4.
- ^ Bloomfield, Harold (1977) Pocket Books, Happiness: the TM program, Psychiatry and Enlightenment, page 273
- ^ Fosshage, James L.; Olsen, Paul (1978) Human Sciences Press, Healing Implications of Psychotherapy, page 208
- ^ page 90
- ^ Robbins, Jhan; Fisher, David (1972) P. H. Wyden, Tranquility Without Pills (All about Transcendental Meditation)
- ^ a b c Williams, Patrick Gresham (2002) Incandescent Press, The Spiritual Recovery Manual: Vedic Knowledge and Yogic Techniques for, page 159
- ^ Knopp, Lisa (1998-11). Flight Dreams: A Life in the Midwestern Landscape. University of Iowa Press. p. 167. ISBN 0-87745-645-3.
{{cite book}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Scott, R. D. (1978-02). Transcendental misconceptions. Beta Books. pp. 30–31, 36–37. ISBN 0-89293-031-4.
{{cite book}}
: Check date values in:|date=
(help) - ^ Shear, Jonathan, ed. (2006). Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce the Major Traditions. St Paul, MN: Paragon House. ISBN 978-1-55778-857-3.
- ^ "Beatles guru dies in Netherlands". USA Today. Associated Press. February 5, 2008.
- ^ "The TM-Sidhi techniques enhance the effect of Transcendental Meditation in improving coordination between the mind and body."
- ^ Russell, Peter, The TM Technique: A Skeptics Guide to the TM program. Rutlidge, Boston.1977. pg.91-93
- ^ Mahesh Yogi, Maharishi (2001). Ideal India: the lighthouse of peace on earth. Maharishi University of Management Press. p. 308. ISBN 978-90-806005-1-5.
Yogic Flying is a phenomena [sic] created by a specific thought projected from Transcendental Consciousness, the Unified Field of Natural Law, the field of all possibilities. This is the simplest state of human consciousness, self-referall consciousness, which is easily accessible to anyone through Transcendental Meditation, and is enlivened through the TM Sidhi Programme, which leads to Yogic Flying.
- ^ Mishlove, Jeffrey (1988). "Chapter 3". Psi Development Systems. Ballantine. ISBN 978-0-345-35204-0.
- ^ JOHNSON, CHIP (October 9, 1997). "Meditate, Then Levitate / Devotees of TM are flying high". San Francisco Chronicle. p. A.19.
- ^ a b c d e Karam, Ted (2005) Jumping on Water: Awaken Your Joy, Empower Your Life, page 137
- ^ a b "Maharishi Effect Research on the Maharishi Effect". Maharishi University of Management. Archived from the original on July 30, 2010. Retrieved December 29, 2009.
- ^
- Dillbeck, M. C., G. S. Landrith III, and D. W. Orme-Johnson. "The Transcendental Meditation program and crime rate change in a sample of forty-eight cities." Journal of Crime and Justice 1981; 4:25–45.
- Orme-Johnson, D. W., M. C. Dillbeck, R. K. Wallace, G. S. Landrith. “Intersubject EEG coherence: Is consciousness a field?” International Journal of Neuroscience 1982; 16:203-209.
- Dillbeck, M. C., K. L. Cavanaugh, T. Glenn, D. W. Orme-Johnson, and V. Mittlefehldt. "Consciousness as a field: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and changes in social indicators." The Journal of Mind and Behavior 1987; 8(1):67–104. (presents five studies)
- Orme-Johnson, D. W., C. N. Alexander, J. L. Davies, H. M. Chandler, and W. E. Larimore. “International peace project in the Middle East : The effect of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 1988; 32(4):776–812.
- Dillbeck, M. C., C. B. Banus, C. Polanzi, and G. S. Landrith III. "Test of a field model of consciousness and social change: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and decreased urban crime." The Journal of Mind and Behavior 1988; 9(4):457–486.
- Gelderloos, P., M. J. Frid, P. H. Goddard, X. Xue, and S. A.Löliger. "Creating world peace through the collective practice of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field: Improved U.S.-Soviet relations." Social Science Perspectives Journal 1988; 2(4):80–94.
- Orme-Johnson, D. W., and P. Gelderloos. "The long-term effects of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field on the quality of life in the United States (1960 to 1983)." Social Science Perspectives Journal 1988; 2(4):127-146. (presents two studies)
- Travis, F. T., and D. W. Orme-Johnson. “Field model of consciousness: EEG coherence changes as indicators of field effects.” International Journal of Neuroscience 1989; 49:203-211.
- Dillbeck, M. C. "Test of a field theory of consciousness and social change: Time series analysis of participation in the TM-Sidhi program and reduction of violent death in the U.S." Social Indicators Research 1990; 22:399–418.
- Assimakis P., and M. C. Dillbeck. "Time series analysis of improved quality of life in Canada: Social change, collective consciousness, and the TM-Sidhi program." Psychological Reports 1995; 76:1171-1193.
- Hatchard, G. D., A. J. Deans, K. L. Cavanaugh, and D. W. Orme-Johnson. "The Maharishi Effect: A model for social improvement. Time series analysis of a phase transition to reduced crime in Merseyside metropolitan area." Psychology, Crime & Law 1996; 2(3):165-174.
- J. S. Hagelin, M.V. Rainforth, D. W. Orme-Johnson, K. L. Cavanaugh, C. N. Alexander, S. F. Shatkin, et al. "Effects of group practice of the Transcendental Meditation program on preventing violent crime in Washington, DC: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June–July 1993." Social Indicators Research 1999; 47(2):153-201.
- Orme-Johnson, D. W., M. C. Dillbeck, C. N. Alexander, H. M. Chandler, and R. W. Cranson. “Effects of large assemblies of participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on reducing international conflict and terrorism.” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 2003;36 (1/2/3/4):283-302.
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This chapter explores three contrapuntal and distinct moments in this process, the historical emergence of three variants employing the basic 'Eastward journeys' template in mind-body medicine: the medicalization of meditation, especially transcendental meditation, in the 1970s....
- ^ Stephen Devries, ed. (2011). "The Integrative Approach to Hypertension, Ch. 11". Integrative Cardiology. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 237. 978-0195383461.
TM was brought to the west in the late 1950s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a visionary Indian sage trained in physics, who saw meditation as a means of alleviating stress in individuals and society. His emphasis on scientific research proved that the timeless practice of meditation was not just an arcane mystical activity for Himalayan recluses, but rather a mind-body method hugely relevant to and beneficial for modern society
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Whatever you think of the 'White Album,' give the Maharishi credit for helping launch what's become a legitimate new field of neuroscience.
- ^ QUICK, SUSANNE (October 17, 2004). "Delving into alternative care: Non-traditional treatments draw increased interest, research funding". Journal Sentinel. Milwaukee, WI. Archived from the original on September 29, 2007.
- ^ Chen, Kevin W. (2012). "Meditative Therapies for Reducing Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials". Depression and Anxiety. 29 (7): 1, 11–12. doi:10.1002/da.21964.
From abstract: "This review demonstrates some efficacy of meditative therapies in reducing anxiety symptoms, which has important clinical implications for applying meditative techniques in treating anxiety." (From Table 1, p. 7-9): "Nidich et al. (2009): The TM group showed significant(ly) more improvement in anxety at 3-month follow-up (p = .003) as compared to the WL control. CLEAR score: .89; Kondwani et al. (2005): TM group had a decrease in anxiety over time (p = .02) and a significant decrease in anxiety as compared to the control (p = .03). CLEAR score: .80; Sheppard et al. (1997) The TM group showed more decrease in anxiety at 3 months (p < .05) as compared to control and this pattern continued at 3 years follow-up. CLEAR score: .64"
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Scientific research on meditation practices does not appear to have a common theoretical perspective and is characterized by poor methodological quality. Firm conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence.
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ignored (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Krisanaprakornkit T, Ngamjarus C, Witoonchart C, Piyavhatkul N (2010). Krisanaprakornkit, Thawatchai (ed.). "Meditation therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)". Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 6 (6): CD006507. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD006507.pub2. PMID 20556767.
As a result of the limited number of included studies, the small sample sizes and the high risk of bias
{{cite journal}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Sedlmeier, Peter (2012). "The Psychological Effects of Meditation: A Meta-Analysis". Psychological Bulletin. doi:10.1037/a0028168. Retrieved Aug 9, 2012.
. . . notwithstanding the not so positive conclusion of Ospina et al., the claim of therapeutic benefits of meditation is backed up by growing empirical evidence.
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ignored (help) - ^ Chen, Kevin W. (2012). "Meditative Therapies for Reducing Anxiety: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials". Depression and Anxiety. 29 (7): 545–562. doi:10.1002/da.21964.
(referring to studies included in their review) "The general quality of these RCTs were acceptable as per CLEAR-NPT: sixteen (40%) studies had a quality score of 0.8 or better, indicating a good quality in research design (p. 5) . . . . the majority of existing reviews have applied evaluation criteria based on pharmaceutical RCT's that tended to underestimate the actual quality of these studies, since many of the traditional criteria for quality assessment may not apply to the study of meditative therapies (p. 3) . . . . the overall quality of meditation studies have increased continuously in the past 10 years. Our analysis of study quality over time indicates that studies published prior to 2000 had a relatively lower quality score (CLEAR = .66), studies published in 2000-2005 had a slightly higher score (CLEAR = .69), whereas studies published after 2006 has a mean quality score of .75 (p. 13)
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ignored (help) - ^ Walsh, R. (2011, January 17). "Lifestyle and Mental Health". American Psychologist: 8. doi:10.1037/a0021769.
It is now clear that meditation, either alone or in combination with other therapies, can be beneficial for both normal and multiple clinical populations. (Cites Anderson, Liu, & Kryscio, 2008, among others.)
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(help) - ^ Canter PH, Ernst E (2004). "Insufficient evidence to conclude whether or not Transcendental Meditation decreases blood pressure: results of a systematic review of randomized clinical trials". Journal of Hypertension. 22 (11): 2049–54. doi:10.1097/00004872-200411000-00002. PMID 15480084.
All the randomized clinical trials of TM for the control of blood pressure published to date have important methodological weaknesses and are potentially biased by the affiliation of authors to the TM organization.
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ignored (help) - ^ Canter PH, Ernst E (2003). "The cumulative effects of Transcendental Meditation on cognitive function--a systematic review of randomised controlled trials". Wien. Klin. Wochenschr. 115 (21–22): 758–66. doi:10.1007/BF03040500. PMID 14743579.
All 4 positive trials recruited subjects from among people favourably predisposed towards TM, and used passive control procedures … The association observed between positive outcome, subject selection procedure and control procedure suggests that the large positive effects reported in 4 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 randomized controlled trials.
{{cite journal}}
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ignored (help) - ^ David W. Orme-Johnson, Vernon A. Barnes, Alex M. Hankey, Roger A. Chalmers (2005). "Reply to critics of research on Transcendental Meditation in the prevention and control of hypertension" (PDF). Journal of Hypertension. 23: 1107–111.
The six RCTs were co-authored by 10 independent collaborators from Harvard University and the University of Maryland [7], West Oakland Health Center, University of Arkansas, and the Haight-Ashbury Free Clinic [8,12], University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics [9], and the Georgia Institute for Prevention of Human Disease and the Medical College of Georgia [10,11]. Blood pressure data were collected blind by personnel at independent institutions. The collaborators did not have any particular commitment to TM or the TM organization and none would gain financially from the research results. The studies were funded by grants from the National Institute of Mental Health [7], the National Institutes of Health, including the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute [8–12], the Retirement Research Foundation [8], and the American Heart Association [10,11]. Grant proposals from these agencies are subject to stringent peer review under highly competitive conditions, and only those proposals with the best research designs conducted under the most objective conditions are funded.
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(help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Olson, Carl (Jan 1, 2005) Transcendental Meditation, Encyclopedia of Religion
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- ^ Cowan, Douglas E.; Bromley, David G. (2007). Cults and New Religions: A Brief History. Blackwell Brief Histories of Religion. Wiley-Blackwell. pp. 48–71. ISBN 1-4051-6128-0.
- ^ Chryssides, George D. (2008). "Book Review: Cults and New Religions: A Brief History" (pdf). Fieldwork in Religion.
- ^ Chryssides, George D.; Margaret Lucy Wilkins (2006). A reader in new religious movements. London: Continuum. p. 7. ISBN 0-8264-6167-0.
{{cite book}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ [19] "People", Anchorage Daily News, 1973-03-14. Note: "The Maharishi addressed the Illinois legislature Tuesday and made a few suggestions on how to handle fiscal problems. "The basis of a restful budget is no problems in society," he told legislators. Retrieved on 2010-12-01.
- ^ [20] "The TM believers are expanding their universe", Bangor Daily News, 1973-03-6. Note: "The legislature in the State of Illinois passed a resolution this past year recommending the inclusion of SCI teaching in the public schools." Retrieved on 2010-12-01.
- ^ [21] "Maharishi says Trudeau 'Receptive'", Canadian Press, The Windsor Star, 1975-03-22. Retrieved on 2010-10-21.
- ^ The Gazette, March 22, 1975, "PM and TM leader"
- ^ The Citizen, March 22, 1975, "Trudeau "intelligent man" Guru Says After Long Talk"
- ^ Epstein, Edward, (December 29, 1995). "Politics and Transcendental Meditation". San Francisco Chronicle.
{{cite news}}
: CS1 maint: extra punctuation (link) CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Library Information and Research Service (2001). The Middle East, abstracts and index, Part 1 24Ei. Northumberland Press. p. 609.
- ^ a b Schoen, Brigitte (April 2001). "New Religions in Germany: The Publicity of the Public Square". Nova Religio. 4 (2): 266–274.
It concluded that at present new religious and ideological communities and psychotherapy groups presented no danger to state and society or to socially relevant areas.
- ^ Gabriel Cavaglion (2008). "The Theoretical Framing of a Social Problem: The Case of Societal Reaction to Cults in Israel". Israel Affairs. 14 (1): 87–89. doi:10.1080/13537120701705882.
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ignored (help) - ^ "Commission d'enquête sur les sectes". Assemblée nationale.
- ^ Blumenthal, Robin Goldwyn (April 19, 2004). "Mind over markets". Barron's.
- ^ (May 5, 2012) Meditation being studied for treatment of PTSD in veterans Bloomberg news service, retrieved June 7, 2012
- ^ (May 4, 2012) Meditation used to treat PTSD The Washington Post, retrieved June 7, 2012
- ^ Xavier, G. Francis, (2006) Pustak Mahal Publishers,Yoga For Health & Personality, page 100
- ^ a b c Bainbridge, Sims; Stark, Rodney; Bainbridge, William Sims (1985). The future of religion: secularization, revival, and cult formation. Berkeley, Calif: Univ. of California Press. ISBN 0-520-05731-7.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) Cite error: The named reference "Market85" was defined multiple times with different content (see the help page). - ^ Stephen Devries, ed. (2011). "The Integrative Approach to Hypertension, Ch. 11". Integrative Cardiology. New York: Oxford University Press. p. 237. 978-0195383461.
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suggested) (help) - ^ a b c Donald McCown, Diane C. Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi (2010). Teaching Mindfulness:A Practical Guide for Clinicians and Educators. Springer. ISBN 978-0-387-09483-0.
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: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Woo, Elaine (February 6, 2006) "Maharishi Mahesh Yogi", Los Angeles Times
- ^ Barrett, Stephen and Cornacchia, Harold J. (1980) Consumer health: a guide to intelligent decisions, page 106
- ^ a b Christian Blatter, Donald McCown, Diane Reibel, Marc S. Micozzi, (2010) Springer Science+Business Media, Teaching Mindfulness, Page 47
- ^ a b Yamamoto, J. Isamu, Hinduism, TM, and Hare Krishna ( 1998) Zondervan Publishing, page 16
- ^ Forem, Jack (1984) Unwin Paperbacks, Transcendental meditation: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the science of creative intelligence, page 9
- ^ a b Johnston, Hank (July 1980). "The Marketed Social Movement: A Case Study of the Rapid Growth of TM". The Pacific Sociological Review. 23 (3). University of California Press: 333–354. JSTOR 1388826.
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and|journal=
specified (help) - ^ Tennant, Laura (July 10, 2011). "Transcendental Meditation: Were the hippies right all along?". The Independent. "TM, as its followers call it, is rapidly moving from kooky margin to respectable mainstream thanks largely to a burgeoning body of scientific research.".."While the research on the health benefits of TM is fascinating, there's another, more compelling, reason why meditation is in the air just now. Done consistently, it seems to offer some sort of corrective to modernity, a respite from anxiety and the ability to really, truly relax, without chemical assistance"
- ^ Greenberg, Jerrold S. (2006) McGraw-Hill, Comprehensive Stress Management, page 170