121-501: The Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique is that associated with Transcendental Meditation , developed by the Indian spiritual figure Maharishi Mahesh Yogi . It uses a private mantra and is practised for 20 minutes twice per day while sitting comfortably with closed eyes. TM instruction encourages students to be not alarmed by random thoughts which arise and to easily return to the mantra once aware of them. Advocates of TM claim that
242-583: A mantra or sound, and is practiced for 15–20 minutes twice per day. It is taught by certified teachers through a standard course of instruction, with a cost which varies by country and individual circumstance. According to the Transcendental Meditation movement, it is a non-religious method that promotes relaxed awareness , stress relief , self-development , and higher states of consciousness . The technique has been variously described as both religious and non-religious. Maharishi began teaching
363-571: A Catholic monk, said that TM "is what is called an open or receptive method" that can be described as giving up control and remaining open in an inner sense . In 1968, the Archbishop of Canterbury , Michael Ramsey , "came to the support of Maharishi's theory". William Jefferson wrote in 1976 that a Jewish Revivalist had called TM "an insidious form of worship" while Trappist monks in Spencer , Massachusetts, had found it useful. In 1984, Cardinal Jaime Sin ,
484-478: A TM teacher trained to instruct students and provide follow up. Instruction is given on separate days, beginning with a one-hour "introductory lecture" intended to prepare the student for subsequent steps. 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. This
605-461: A TM teacher training program as a way to accelerate the rate of bringing the technique to more people. He also inaugurated a series of tours that started in India in 1955 and went international in 1958 which promoted Transcendental Meditation. These factors, coupled with endorsements by celebrities who practiced TM and claims that scientific research had validated the technique, helped to popularize TM in
726-511: A United Church minister. Lay celebrities who have practised the technique include David Lynch , who was raised a Presbyterian, and Clint Eastwood who says he found "there were no religious aspects", comedian Andy Kaufman , political commentator and Roman Catholic Andrew Sullivan , Jerry Seinfeld , who has been practising the technique for 40 years, and Pulitzer Prize winning music critic Tim Page . Once asked if TM could substitute for religion, musician George Harrison replied that "It's not
847-456: A cult. Participants in TM programs are not required to adopt a belief system; it is practiced by atheists, agnostics and people from a variety of religious affiliations. The organization has been the subject of controversies that includes being labelled a cult by several parliamentary inquiries or anti-cult movements in the world. Some notable figures in pop-culture practicing TM include
968-475: A mental-physical exercise of hopping while cross-legged, is a central aspect of the TM-Sidhi program. With the introduction of the TM-Sidhi program in 1976, it was postulated that a group of people practising the TM-Sidhi program twice a day, together in one place, would increase "life-supporting trends" in the surroundings, with the threshold for the group size being the square root of 1% of the area's population. This
1089-408: A much smaller group of highly committed followers." 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." Charles H. Lippy writes that earlier spiritual interest in
1210-487: A picture of Maharishi's teacher, Guru Dev. The initiate observes passively as the teacher recites a text in Sanskrit . After the ceremony, the "meditators" are "invited to bow", receive their mantra and begin to meditate. 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". Their stated purpose
1331-591: A potential for bias and conflicting findings more research is needed. The Transcendental Meditation program and the Transcendental Meditation movement originated with their founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and continued beyond his death in 2008. In 1955, "the Maharishi began publicly teaching a traditional meditation technique" learned from his master Brahmananda Saraswati that he called Transcendental Deep Meditation and later renamed Transcendental Meditation. The Maharishi initiated thousands of people, then developed
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#17328517123271452-450: A potential risk of bias indicated the necessity of further evidence, conducted by researchers without bias. By 2004, the US government had given more than $ 20 million to Maharishi International University to study the effect of meditation on health. 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,
1573-462: A religious initiation ceremony". 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". 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
1694-1017: 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." They say that most scholars view TM as having elements of both therapy and religion, but that it "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. George D. Chryssides and Margaret Z. Wilkins write in A reader in new religious movements that TM and other new religious movements have been criticised for "surreptitiously smuggling in forms of Eastern religion under
1815-399: A role in the history of mind–body medicine and encouraged neuroscience research focusing on the effects of meditation. Early studies examined the physiological parameters of meditation. Subsequent research included clinical applications, cognitive effects, mental health, medical costs, and rehabilitation. Beginning in the 1990s, research focused on cardiovascular disease. Research reviews of
1936-557: A section of a training bulletin for TM teachers called "Explanations of the Invocation" draws a "connection to Brahma, the Lord of Creation". A 1993 article in 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
2057-617: A sequence of predetermined steps. A 2007 research study reported that details of the training and knowledge imparted to teachers are kept private. 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." Author William Bainbridge writes that
2178-506: A seven-step course, and fees vary from country to country. Beginning in 1965, the Transcendental Meditation technique has been incorporated into selected schools, universities, corporations, and prison programs in the US, Latin America, Europe, and India. In 1977, a US district court ruled that a curriculum in TM and the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) being taught in some New Jersey schools
2299-443: A substitute for religion. It is a religion." 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." The technique has been variously described by sociologists and religious scholars as religious and non-religious. Its adherents says it is a non-religious, "scientific strategy", yet it appears to have "spiritual elements" such as
2420-448: A system of building and architecture called Maharishi Sthapatya Ved. The TM movement's past and present media endeavors include a publishing company (MUM Press), a television station ( KSCI ), a radio station ( KHOE ), and a satellite television channel (Maharishi Channel). During its 50-year history, its products and services have been offered through a variety of organizations, which are primarily nonprofit and educational. These include
2541-515: A thousand campuses in the United States with similar growth occurring in Germany, Canada and Britain. The Maharishi International University was established in 1973 in the United States and began offering accredited degree programs. In 1977 courses in Transcendental Meditation and the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) were banned from New Jersey public high schools on religious grounds by virtue of
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#17328517123272662-471: Is "ever present wakefulness" present even during sleep. 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. However, the Cambridge Handbook of Consciousness notes that it is premature to say that
2783-463: 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. Course graduates may access a lifetime follow-up program which includes consultations, "refresher courses", advanced lectures and group meditations. Advanced courses include weekend Residence Courses and
2904-533: Is a repackaged form of Eastern religious philosophy" and opposed its use in public schools while a member of the Pacific Justice Institute says practising Transcendental Meditation in public schools with private funding is constitutional. Transcendental Meditation has been utilised in corporations, both in the United States and in India, under the auspices of the International Foundation for
3025-460: Is compatible with "most drug treatment approaches" and could be incorporated into an overall treatment program. TM was first employed by the military in 1985, when the US Armed Forces conducted "a small pilot study" on Vietnam veterans. The Transcendental Meditation technique was taught to military personnel with post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) as part of two research studies conducted at
3146-403: 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. According to the TM web site, the personal instruction session takes 1–2 hours, and students are required to bring a clean handkerchief, some flowers and fruit, and their course fee. The initiation begins with a short puja ceremony performed by
3267-436: Is not prescribed, and "the aim is a unified and open attentional stance". Other authors describe the technique as an easy, natural technique or process, and a "wakeful hypometabolic physiologic state". 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
3388-625: Is not science. 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 . Price says instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique is "never offered without indoctrination into the metaphysics of 'creative intelligence ' ". Skeptic James Randi says SCI has "no scientific characteristics." Astrophysicist and sceptic Carl Sagan writes that
3509-421: Is reported to have an estimated net worth of USD 3.5 billion. The TM movement has been characterized in a variety of ways and has been called a spiritual movement, a new religious movement , a millenarian movement, a world affirming movement, a new social movement, a guru-centered movement, a personal growth movement, a religion, and a cult . Additional sources contend that TM and its movement are not
3630-523: Is sometimes self described as a technology of consciousness. According to author Michael Phelan, "The fundamental premise of the psychology of fulfillment is that within every person exists a seemingly inexhaustible center of energy, intelligence, and satisfaction... To the extent that our behavior depends on the degree of energy and intelligence available to us, this center of pure creative intelligence may be described as that resource which gives direction to all that we experience, think and do." According to
3751-435: Is taught in a standardised seven-step course over six days by a certified TM teacher. Except for a requirement to refrain from using non-prescription drugs for 15 days before learning TM, all who want to learn are taught provided they can pay the course fee which as of 2023, ranges from $ 420 for students to $ 980 for members of households with incomes of $ 200,000 or more. The technique is taught via private and group instruction by
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3872-402: Is to "verify the correctness of the practice" and to receive further instruction. 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. The second day of checking uses the same group format, and gives more details of the mechanics of the practice and potential results of
3993-586: The Advaita Vedanta school of Hindu philosophy , representing the entirety of the ayurvedic tradition. George D. Chryssides George David Chryssides (born 1945) is a British academic and researcher on new religious movements and cults , has taught at several British universities, becoming head of Religious studies at the University of Wolverhampton in 2001. He is an honorary research fellow in contemporary religion at York St John University and
4114-571: The American Heart Association said that TM could be considered as a treatment for hypertension , although other interventions such as exercise and device-guided breathing were more effective and better supported by clinical evidence. TM may reduce blood pressure according to a review that compared TM to control groups . A trend over time indicates practicing TM may lower blood pressure. Such effects are comparable to other lifestyle interventions . Conflicting findings across reviews and
4235-584: The Archbishop of Manila , wrote a pastoral statement after Ferdinand Marcos , then president of the Philippines, invited more than 1,000 members of the TM movement to Manila , saying that neither the doctrine nor the practice of TM is acceptable to Christians. In 2003, the Roman Curia published a warning against mixing eastern meditations, such as TM, with Christian prayer , though a 2013 statement suggests that eastern meditations can be useful. Clergy who practice
4356-640: The Establishment Clause of the First Amendment . This "dismantled" the TM program's use of government funding in US public schools but "did not constitute a negative evaluation of the program itself". Since 1979, schools that incorporate the Transcendental Meditation technique using private, non-governmental funding have been reported in the United States, South America, Southeast Asia, Northern Ireland, South Africa and Israel. A number of educational institutions have been founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi ,
4477-643: The Tantric , rather than Vedic tradition, and that bija mantras are "traditionally associated with particular deities and used as a form of worship". According to Needleman, many mantras come from the Vedas or Vedic hymns, which are "the root for all later Hindu scripture", while the 1977 court case Malnak vs. Yogi accepted the TM mantras as meaningless sounds. Likewise, philosophy of science scholar and former Maharishi International University professor Jonathan Shear writes in his book The Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce
4598-945: The Transcendental Meditation movement and its supporters. These institutions include several schools offering public and private secondary education in the United States ( Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment ), England ( Maharishi School ), Australia (Maharishi School), South Africa (Maharishi Invincibility School of Management), 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 University of Management and Technology (India), Maharishi Institute (South Africa) and Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Vedic University (India). According to an article in Newsweek , "critics believe that TM
4719-542: The University of Birmingham . Chryssides is the author of several books and articles, with an interest in the academic study of new religious movements . He is president of the International Society for the Study of New Religions, and a Governor of Inform ( Information Network Focus on Religious Movements ), based at King's College London . Chryssides holds a first-class honours B.D. in systematic theology from
4840-625: The University of Colorado and Georgetown University in 2010. 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" and the Department of Defense funded a $ 2.4 million grant to Maharishi University of Management Research Institute and the San Diego Veterans Administration Medical Center to further investigate
4961-479: The University of Glasgow . He obtained a first-class honours MA degree in philosophy at the University of Glasgow. Since 1974, Chryssides holds a Ph.D. in philosophy of religion from the University of Oxford , with the thesis An examination of some problems concerning the philosophical analysis of religious language . Chryssides has taught at various British universities. He started teaching religious studies at
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5082-399: The University of Wolverhampton in 1992. He found it difficult to find enough scholarly work detailing new religious movements in order to teach about the subject and started collecting primary source materials to research and utilize instead. Chryssides became acquainted with a Jehovah's Witness and would invite him to speak when introducing the denomination to his students. Chryssides was
5203-491: The credulity of believers. Critics, such as James Randi , have called this research pseudoscience . Randi says that he investigated comments made by former Maharishi International University faculty member Robert Rabinoff in 1978. He spoke to the Fairfield Chief of Police who said local crime levels were the same and the regional Agriculture Department who reportedly deemed that farm yields for Jefferson County matched
5324-476: The " euphonics " of mantras are important. 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. 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. According to authors Peter Russell and Norman Rosenthal ,
5445-597: The "Hindu doctrine" of TM is a pseudoscience . Irving Hexham , a professor of religious studies, describes the TM teachings as "pseudoscientific language that masks its religious nature by mythologizing science". 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". In 1979,
5566-434: The 1950s in India and has continued since the Maharishi's death in 2008. The organization was estimated to have 900,000 participants worldwide in 1977, a million by the 1980s, and 5 million in more recent years. Programs include the Transcendental Meditation technique, an advanced meditation practice called the TM-Sidhi program ("Yogic Flying"), an alternative health care program called Maharishi Ayurveda , and
5687-488: The 1960s and 1970s. By the late 2000s, TM had been taught to millions of individuals and the Maharishi was overseeing a large multinational movement. Despite organizational changes and the addition of advanced meditative techniques in the 1970s, the Transcendental Meditation technique has remained relatively unchanged. Among the first organizations to promote TM were the Spiritual Regeneration Movement and
5808-515: The 22nd Judicial Circuit of St Louis , Missouri , began ordering convicted felons to attend a TM course as one of their conditions for parole. The program was administered by the non-profit Enlightened Sentencing Project and received endorsements from federal judge Henry Autrey and other members of the Missouri district, federal, and supreme courts. In 2010, the Doe Fund of New York City began offering
5929-573: The Beatles , the Beach Boys , Kendall Jenner , Hugh Jackman , Tom Hanks , Jennifer Lopez , Mick Jagger , Eva Mendez , Moby , David Lynch , Jennifer Aniston , Nicole Kidman , Eric André , Jerry Seinfeld , Howard Stern , Julia Fox , Clint Eastwood , Martin Scorsese , Russell Brand , Nick Cave and Oprah Winfrey . The first studies of the health effects of Transcendental Meditation appeared in
6050-568: The EEG coherence found in TM is an indication of a higher state of consciousness. In 1961, the Maharishi created the "International Meditation Society for the Science of Creative Intelligence". 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". Author Philip Goldberg describes it as Vedanta philosophy that has been translated into scientific language. A series of international symposiums on
6171-456: The German term for these organisations variously translated as "psychogroups" and "psychotheraphy groups". These organisations, including TM, filed lawsuits trying to block the reports. The courts ruled that the booklets must only include factual information and exclude speculation, rumours, and matters that are unclear, and the booklets were re-released primarily containing quotations from materials of
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#17328517123276292-491: The Global Country of World Peace, is Tony Nader . The meditation practice involves the use of a silently-used mantra for 15–20 minutes twice per day while sitting with the eyes closed. It is reported to be one of the most widely practiced, and among the most widely researched, meditation techniques, with hundreds of published research studies. The technique is made available worldwide by certified TM teachers in
6413-495: The Head of Religious Studies at the institution from 2001 to 2008. Since the 1980s, Chryssides's main interest has been new religious movements. Chryssides favours a simple definition of "new religious movement" as an organization founded "within the past 150 or so years" that cannot be easily classified within one of the world's main religious traditions. Chryssides has been described by fellow sociologist James T. Richardson as "one of
6534-794: The International Meditation Society. In modern times, the movement has grown to encompass schools and universities that teach the practice, and includes many associated programs based on the Maharishi's interpretation of the Vedic traditions. In the U.S., non-profit organizations included the Students International Meditation Society , AFSCI, World Plan Executive Council , Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation , Global Country of World Peace , Transcendental Meditation for Women, and Maharishi Foundation . The successor to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and leader of
6655-663: The Maharishi developed a World Plan to spread his teaching of SCI around the world. The theoretical part of SCI is taught in a 33-lesson video course. In the early 1970s, the SCI course was offered at more than 25 American universities including Stanford University , Yale University , the University of Colorado , the University of Wisconsin , and Oregon State University . Until 2009, Maharishi University of Management (MUM) required its undergraduate students to take SCI classes, and both MUM and Maharishi European Research University (MERU) in Switzerland have awarded degrees in
6776-425: The Maharishi his technique requires no preparation, is simple to do, and can be learned by anyone. The technique is described as effortless and without contemplation or concentration Author Peter Russell says trying to control the mind is like trying to go to sleep at night, it won't work. He says instead, the TM technique utilises the tendency of the mind to move toward greater satisfaction. According to TM advocates,
6897-478: The Maharishi's motives. 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. The goal of the TM-Sidhi program is to accelerate personal growth and improve mind–body coordination by training the mind to think from what the Maharishi has described as a fourth major state of consciousness called Transcendental Consciousness. Yogic Flying ,
7018-421: 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". Because it is mantra based, the technique "ostensibly meets the working definition of a concentration practice". The TM organisation explains that "focused attention"
7139-455: The Maharishi, it was perceived in 1974 after an analysis of crime statistics in 16 cities. With the introduction of the TM-Sidhi program including Yogic Flying, the Maharishi proposed that the square root of 1 per cent of the population (around 6325 people, the square root of 40 million (1% of the global population of about 4 billion people in 1974 )) practicing this advanced program together at
7260-456: The Maharishi, there are seven levels of consciousness: (i) deep sleep; (ii) dreaming; (iii) waking; (iv) transcendental consciousness; (v) cosmic consciousness; (vi) God consciousness; and, (vii) unity consciousness. The Maharishi says that transcendental consciousness can be experienced through Transcendental Meditation, and that those who meditate regularly over time could become aware of cosmic consciousness. An indication of cosmic consciousness
7381-664: 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. Fred Travis of the 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". The Transcendental Meditation technique
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#17328517123277502-670: The Science of Creative Intelligence and the Maharishi Development Corporation. As of 2001, US companies such as General Motors and IBM were subsidising the TM course fee for their employees. A number of Indian companies provide the TM technique to their managers. These companies include AirTel , Siemens , American Express , SRF Limited , Wipro , Hero Honda , Ranbaxy , Hewlett Packard , BHEL , BPL Group , ESPN Star Sports , Tisco , Eveready , Maruti , Godrej Group and Marico . The Sunday Times Herald reports that there are more than 100 Japanese companies where TM
7623-448: 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 . These symposiums were held at universities such as Humboldt State University and University of Massachusetts . The following year,
7744-647: The Spiritual Regeneration Movement, the International Meditation Society, World Plan Executive Council, Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation, Transcendental Meditation for Women, the Global Country of World Peace , and the David Lynch Foundation . The TM movement also operates a worldwide network of Transcendental Meditation teaching centers, schools, universities, health centers, herbal supplements, solar panel, and home financing companies, plus several TM-centered communities. The global organization
7865-699: The TM teacher training course in more modern times consists of six months in-residence, 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 students' meditation, create lectures on related topics, organise and lead advanced TM courses and programs. The Maharishi trained his teachers to "make logical presentations in language suitable to their audiences", and teachers lead their students through
7986-451: The TM technique and find it compatible with their religious beliefs include: Catholic priest Len Dubi; Orthodox rabbi Abe Shainberg; Irish Jesuit William Johnston; Donald Craig Drummond, a Presbyterian minister; Raphael Levine , the emeritus rabbi of Temple De Hirsh Sinai; Placide Gaboury, a Jesuit priest who teaches at the University of Sudbury ; Kevin Joyce, a Catholic priest; and Keith Wollard,
8107-633: The TM technique as a "Hindu meditation practice ["stripped"] of its religious baggage" offered "as a systematic, stress-reducing, creativity-building technique". Martin Gardner , a mathematician, has referred to TM as "the Hindu cult". 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". Some religious leaders and clergy find TM to be compatible with their religious teachings and beliefs, while others do not. Wayne Teasdale ,
8228-418: 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. Also, advanced courses supplement the TM technique and include an advanced meditation program called the TM-Sidhi program, the unveiling of which created media controversy and a time of crisis for
8349-744: The TM technique to its residents, and homeless men were given instruction in the TM technique through an organisation called Ready, Willing and Able . In 2010, the Superintendent of Prisons announced that the TM technique was being offered to inmates at the Dominica State Prison. In 2011, the technique was taught to about 65 individuals at the Children of the Night shelter for teen prostitutes in Los Angeles. Psychiatry professor Norman E. Rosenthal says that TM
8470-500: The TM-Sidhi program. According to the TM organisation, 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. The fees also reportedly provide TM scholarships for special-needs groups, as well as grants and scholarships through TM's Maharishi Foundation, a government-approved 501(c)(3) non-profit, educational organisation. The fees may "vary from country to country", depending on
8591-515: The Transcendental Meditation technique as worthy of research and has awarded more than $ 25 million in funding from different branches of the National Institutes of Health for scientific analysis of the effects of TM on high blood pressure. The 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
8712-484: The Transcendental Meditation technique in an educational setting or institution. These educational programs and institutions have been founded in the United States, 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 Meditation Society were established at
8833-532: 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
8954-446: 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'. TM
9075-569: The cost of living, and have changed periodically during the 50-year period that the course 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. 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 criticism of
9196-425: 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. 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
9317-499: The decade 2003 to 2013 have been reported to be practitioners. The TM technique consists of silently repeating a mantra with "gentle effortlessness" while sitting comfortably with eyes closed and without assuming any special yoga position. 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. TM meditators are instructed to keep their mantra secret to ensure maximum results, to avoid confusion in
9438-409: The early 1960s, and by 1978, there were 7,000 TM teachers in the United States. In 1985, there were an estimated 10,000 TM teachers worldwide, and by 2003, there were 20,000 teachers, and a reported 40,000 teachers in 2008. Notable individuals trained to teach the Transcendental Meditation technique include Prudence Farrow , John Gray , Mitch Kapor , and Mike Love . The first teacher training course
9559-736: The early 1970s. There is no good evidence that TM reduces anxiety, or has any beneficial effect on forms of psychological stress or well-being. A 2012 review found that Transcendental Meditation performed no better overall than other meditation techniques. The authors' analysis of a subset of these studies, those that studied specific categories of outcome, found that TM might perform better in reducing negative emotions, trait anxiety, and neuroticism and improving markers of learning, memory, and self-actualization , but performs more poorly in reducing negative personality traits, reducing stress, improving attention and mindfulness and cognition, in comparison with other meditation approaches. A statement from
9680-488: The effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique have yielded results ranging from inconclusive to clinically significant. 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 rigour , while others assert that the quality is improving and that when suitable assessment criteria are applied, scientific evidence supports
9801-406: 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". Scientists have been conducting research on meditation, including TM, since the late 1960s and hundreds of studies have been published. Transcendental Meditation has become one of the most widely researched meditation techniques. TM research has played
9922-477: The fall of the Berlin Wall and a reduction in global terrorism, US inflation and crime rates to the Maharishi effect. The Maharishi effect has been endorsed by the former President of Mozambique Joaquim Chissano . As the theories proposed by TM practitioners go beyond modern science , the Maharishi effect still lacks a causal basis . Moreover, the evidence has been said to result from cherry-picked data and
10043-441: The features traditionally associated with religion". Liebler and Moss write that "unlike some forms of meditation, the TM technique does not require adherence to any belief system". Religious studies scholars Michael Phelan, James R. Lewis and Tamar Gablinger 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
10164-551: The field. 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". SCI is reported to be part of the curriculum of TM related lower schools in Iowa, Wheaton, Maryland and Skelmersdale , UK. In 1975 SCI was used as the call letters for a TM owned television station in San Bernardino, California . The Science of Creative Intelligence
10285-500: The guise of some seemingly innocuous technique of self improvement or health promotion". Chryssides went on to say in Exploring new religions that although one can identify the yogi'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
10406-405: The mantra for their student. 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". Author William Jefferson writes that
10527-450: The mantra. Scottish 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". Worldwide, four to six million people over
10648-481: The meditator and suit his/her "nature and way of life". 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. According to Chryssides, many mantras – such as "Om" – commonly found in books are mantras for recluses and "can cause a person to withdraw from life". Former TM teacher and author Lola Williamson reports that she told her TM students that their mantra
10769-481: The mind of the meditators, and as a "protection against inaccurate teaching". The Maharishi is reported to have standardised and "mechanized" the mantra selection process by using a specific set of mantras and making the selection process "foolproof". 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". The Maharishi said that
10890-414: The movement’s image. In 2014, a meta-analysis of research found insufficient evidence that meditation such as TM "had an effect on any of the psychological stress and well-being outcomes". The Transcendental Meditation movement consists of the programs and organizations connected with the Transcendental Meditation technique and founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Transcendental Meditation was first taught in
11011-421: 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. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi claimed that the quality of life would noticeably improve if at least the square root of one per cent (1%) of the population practised the Transcendental Meditation technique. This is known as the "Maharishi effect" and according to
11132-589: The organisations themselves. 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. In 1987, an Israeli government report defined TM as a "cult group ... targeted by anti-cult activists". The 1995 report of the Parliamentary Commission on Cults in France included Transcendental Meditation in its list of cults. The U.S. government has characterised
11253-413: The poor, or pilgrimages." Psychiatry professor Norman E. Rosenthal , author of Transcendence: Healing and Transformation Through Transcendental Meditation , wrote 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." In 1968, the Maharishi conducted a one-hour meeting with Secretary General of
11374-434: The potential effect of the TM technique on PTSD. Other initiatives to teach the TM technique to war veterans at risk for PTSD, were underway as of 2010. 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. Characterizations of the TM technique vary amongst scholars, clergy, practitioners and governments. According to
11495-442: The practice, based on student experiences. 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. New meditators later return for private follow-up sessions to confirm that they are practising the technique properly, a process called "personal checking". The preferred schedule for follow-up classes
11616-419: The psychological impact of meditation found that Transcendental Meditation had a comparable overall effectiveness to other meditation techniques in improving general wellbeing, but might have distinctive effects on specific psychological variables. A 2017 overview of systematic reviews and meta-analyses indicates TM practice may lower blood pressure, an effect comparable with other health interventions. Because of
11737-399: The puja ceremony performed during the TM instruction. Religious studies scholar Eugene V. Gallagher writes that, "practitioners describe TM as a science rather than a religious discipline", but its "principles were clearly derived from Hindu practice". In the book Cults and New Religious Movements , author Roy Wallis characterises TM as a "world affirming new religion" that "lacks most of
11858-521: The same time and in the same place would create benefits in society. This was referred to as the "Extended Maharishi Effect". Author Ted Karam claims that there have been numerous studies on the Maharishi effect including a gathering of over 4,000 people (just under two thirds of the square root of 1% of the population as of 1974) in Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1993. The effect has been examined in 42 scientific studies. The TM organisation has linked
11979-407: 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". He said that mantras chosen for initiates should "resonate to the pulse of his thought and as it resonates, create an increasingly soothing influence", and that the chosen mantra's vibrations "harmonize" with
12100-483: The sounds used in the technique are taken from the ancient Vedic tradition, have "no specific meaning", and are selected for their suitability for the individual. Nevertheless, the Maharishi mentions that sometimes it is beneficial for the Mantra to be associated with a specific meaning in order to suit one's own private psychological background. Author Lola Williamson writes that the bija, or seed mantras, used in TM come from
12221-473: The state average. The Maharishi proclaimed 1981 as the Year of Vedic Science. 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. Vedic science studies
12342-474: The teacher. The stated purpose of the ceremony is to show honour and gratitude to the lineage of TM "masters", or "Holy Tradition" that is listed in the Maharishi's translation and commentary of the Bhagavad-Gita. It is regarded as putting students in the right frame of mind to receive the mantra. The ceremony is conducted in a private room with a "little" white altar containing incense, camphor, rice, flowers and
12463-415: The technique (and two other meditation systems) in 2012. According to 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. Transcendental Meditation Transcendental Meditation ( TM ) is a form of silent meditation developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi . The TM technique involves the silent repetition of
12584-462: The technique being "in use" in some American prisons, mental institutions and drug rehabilitation centers. In 1975, the Maharishi met with Pierre Trudeau to discuss "the possibility of structuring an ideal society" through TM. In 1977 a U.S. district court in New Jersey held that a curriculum comprising the Science of Creative Intelligence and TM was religious in nature ( Malnak v Yogi ). The decision
12705-437: The technique faded in the 1970s, and "it became a practical technique ... that anyone could employ without abandoning their religious identification." On the other hand, Bainbridge finds TM 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", and describes the TM puja ceremony as "... in essence,
12826-505: The technique in India in the mid-1950s. Building on the teachings of his master, the Hindu Advaita monk Brahmananda Saraswati (known honorifically as Guru Dev), the Maharishi taught thousands of people during a series of world tours from 1958 to 1965, expressing his teachings in spiritual and religious terms. TM became more popular in the 1960s and 1970s as the Maharishi shifted to a more secular presentation, and his meditation technique
12947-470: 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". 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". A 2011 article in Details characterises
13068-428: The technique promotes a state of relaxed awareness, stress-relief, creativity, and efficiency, as well as physiological benefits such as reducing the risk of heart disease and high blood pressure . The technique is purported to allow practitioners to experience higher states of consciousness . Advanced courses supplement the TM technique with the TM-Sidhi program . The methodological quality of scientific research on
13189-526: The technique. 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 characterising Maharishi's Science of Creative Intelligence as useful for Illinois public schools. In 1974, TM was cited in two Congressional records regarding the SCI course being offered at 30 American universities and
13310-516: The therapeutic benefits of meditation in general is poor, because of the varying theoretical approaches and frequent confirmation bias in individual studies. A 2012 meta-analysis published in Psychological Bulletin , which reviewed 163 individual studies, found that Transcendental Meditation performed no better overall than other meditation techniques in improving psychological variables. A 2014 Cochrane review of four trials found that it
13431-406: The therapeutic value of meditation. Reviewers Canter and Ernst assert that some studies have the potential for bias due to the connection of researchers to the TM organisation while TM researchers point to their collaboration with independent researchers and universities as signs of objectivity. Transcendental Meditation in education (also known as Consciousness-Based Education) is the application of
13552-460: The various aspects of life and their relationship to the Veda. Maharishi Ayurveda or Maharishi Vedic Medicine is a form of alternative medicine founded in the mid-1980s by Maharishi. Distinct from traditional ayurveda , it emphasizes the role of consciousness, and gives importance to positive emotions. Maharishi Ayurveda has been variously characterized as emerging from, and consistently reflecting,
13673-604: The wardens at 31 prisons signed a proclamation recommending that TM be offered throughout the entire system. 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. Since the late 1980s the TM technique has been offered as part of the programs at Fundacion Hogares Claret sanctuary for homeless and orphaned children in Medellin , Colombia. In 1996, several judges of
13794-439: 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
13915-578: Was called the "Extended Maharishi Effect", referring to the "Maharishi effect" with a threshold of 1% of the population. 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. While empirical studies have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals this research remains controversial and has been characterised as pseudoscience by sceptics James Randi , Carl Sagan , and others. The Maharishi began training TM teachers in
14036-472: Was chosen for them based on their personal interview, while sociologist Roy Wallis and religious scholar J. Gordon Melton write that the mantras are assigned by age and gender. In 1984, 16 mantras were published in Omni magazine based on information from "disaffected TM teachers". According to Chryssides, TM teachers say that the promised results are dependent on a trained Transcendental Meditation teacher choosing
14157-546: Was held in India with 30 participants in 1967 and 200 participants in 1970. A four-month teacher training course was also held in the United States 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. In 1973, the TM teacher training course consisted of three months in-residence. A 2007 TM web page and 2009 book, report that
14278-399: Was impossible to draw any conclusions about whether TM is effective in preventing cardiovascular disease , as the scientific literature on TM was limited and at "serious risk of bias". A 2015 systematic review and meta-analysis of 12 studies found that TM may effectively reduce blood pressure compared to control groups . The technique is recommended for 20 minutes twice per day. According to
14399-589: Was introduced at induction. The TM technique has been incorporated in US social programs for criminals, the homeless and war veterans. In 1979, it 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 United States. In Senegal , more than 11,000 prisoners and 900 correctional officers in 34 prisons received instruction in TM between 1985 and 1987, and
14520-431: Was practiced by celebrities, most prominently members of the Beatles and the Beach Boys . At this time, he began training TM teachers. The worldwide TM organization had grown to include educational programs, health products, and related services. Following the Maharishi's death in 2008, leadership of the TM organization passed to neuroscientist Tony Nader . Research on TM began in the 1970s. A 2012 meta-analysis of
14641-577: Was religious in nature and in violation of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution. The technique has since been included in a number of educational and social programs around the world. The Transcendental Meditation technique has been described as both religious and non-religious, as an aspect of a new religious movement, as rooted in Hinduism, and as a non-religious practice for self-development. The public presentation of
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