Postcript: About Transcendental Meditation
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Just about everyone has heard of “Transcendental Meditation,” to the extent that it’s often the first thing people think of when the word “meditation” is mentioned.
Transcendental meditation is simply mantra recitation, although the mantras are typically much shorter than those you have been introduced to here. TM is loosely based on the Hindu religion and was brought to the West in 1959 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was a devotee of Swami Brahmanand Saraswati Maharij, a well-known and highly respected Indian guru.
In the 1960’s the Maharishi gained substantial publicity by attracting some famous followers, most notably Mia Farrow and the Beatles. TM has now grown into a substantial movement that makes some rather grandiose claims about the effects of their practice, including the claim that TM can help you to levitate. They formed a political party — the Natural Law Party — which sought to establish world peace through the spread of TM. The party folded in 2004, but seems to have morphed into what is called “The US Peace Government,” organized by the same person who had founded the US Natural Law Party.
The organization now has its own University and its own town — Maharishi Vedic City in Iowa.
The TM organization is rumored to be worth between $2 and $3 billion.
The TM movement claims that its secret mantras are chosen specifically for the individual, who must not reveal his or her mantra to anyone else, or even discuss their meditation practice. However, there are web sites revealing all the TM mantras, which appear to be allotted by means of a simple formula based on the age and sex of the student.
Initially, (in the early 1960’s) there were only two TM mantras, “Ram” for males, and “Shiriram” for females. There are now around 16 of them, as well as some “advanced” mantras, such as “shri shri aing namah namah.” These mantras invoke the names of Hindu deities.
A complete list of the “secret” TM mantras can be found here.
The Transcendental Meditation movement has often generated controversy. In 1977 the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, in the case of Malnak v. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, ruled:
That the Science of Creative Intelligence/Transcendental Meditation and the teaching thereof, the concepts of the field of pure creative intelligence, creative intelligence and bliss consciousness, the textbook entitled Science of Creative Intelligence for Secondary Education–First Year Course–Dawn of the First Year of the Age of Enlightenment, and the puja ceremony, are all religious in nature within the context of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment of the United States Constitution, and the teaching thereof in the New Jersey public schools is therefore unconstitutional.
In addition, New Jersey education authorities were “permanently enjoined”
From the practice of Transcendental Meditation or of the puja ceremony as heretofore practiced or performed (or the substantial equivalent of either)
Many scientific studies that have examined the effects of meditation have used TM, partly because TM is a commonly-known form of meditation and possibly because the TM movement naturally sees scientific studies as bolstering its credibility and has heavily promoted them. Many studies have shown TM to be beneficial, although some tests have reportedly shown negative or neutral results.
The mantras in our site are from the Buddhist tradition rather than the Hindu tradition, and are not related in any way to TM.
Comments
Comment from Arpad Joo
Time: December 15, 2007, 11:30 am
The origin of the TM Bija mantras (seed sounds) are to be found in the so called “Hoda Chakra” which is printed and reprinted in virtually all the published astrological almanachs in India. The Hoda Chakra lists 108 seed sounds, each one allotted to the 4 padas of the 27 star constellations (Nakshatras).All this is well known in India. Mostly it is used in the selection of Names,based on the Moon’s position in a particular Nakshatra Pada. In an advanced version of the TM, this astrological information (position of the Moon at birth) is used also for selecting the seed sounds.Actually, what is known and practiced as the TM is part of the a large and complex system. Perhaps less than 1% of this has filtered through the contemporary TM movement.
Comment from Pearl Cawley
Time: June 9, 2008, 9:24 am
I took the TM course back in the early 70s. I thought the method miraculous. Practicing TM changed my attitude and therefore my life in many ways. I don’t think I hallucinated the energy, patience and clarity of mind that followed after my initiation. However, it did bother me that I had to pay anything at all to learn such a simple technique. I paid $125.00 –which involved being given my mantra and guided as to relaxe as I “thought” the mantra repeatedly for 2 20 minute periods. The time after my very first meditation was unforgettable. I rode the subway home feeling free, self assured and eneragized. This feeling went on for around three years, during which time I quit my job, got my GED diploma and went to a community college and eventually earned a BA in English. I ate healthier, excercised and was in great shape.
Unfortunately, the “magic” dissipated. It stopped working. Every now and then I try to meditate using my old mantra, but I don’t even feel relaxed afterward. In fact I am more irritated and impatient than I’ve ever been before. So I wonder. Was I somehow brainwashed during the initiation period which took less than a half hour? I don’t think so. In fact I volunteered at the TM center in Manhattan and witnessed “before” and “afters” in most initiates. I was the receptionist at the front desk, taking payments in cash from new initiates who sat nervously in the waiting room. The TM teachers and those who over was in charge left me and the other person who worked there pretty much in charge of the place and the money. I had opportunity to steal the cash, since we were not at all monitored. The point I’m leading to is that before learning TM, I would have taken the money and run. I also smoked pot and took acid and stopped those activities entirely. Notably, I was very trustworthy with the cash flow in the place. As were the other volunteers. The relaxation technique works. That part is or was not a load of bull in my experience. I got friends into TM. They too had positive beneficial results. There is somehting to it. Today it costs thousands to learn a very simple method. The method should be free and available to everyone instead of being run by such greed and exaggerated claims–such as levitation. As far as world peace goes, the truth is, if world leaders felt as clear and energetic and pateint as I did in the early days, then such a thing would ideally not be so impossible.
Comment from Bodhipaksa
Time: June 9, 2008, 9:33 pm
Hi Pearl,
Thanks for sharing your experiences. I have no reason at all to think that TM doesn’t work — in fact common-sense would suggest it does, for the simple reason that if we’re not engaged in our normal unhelpful (anxious, angry, craving) thinking then the mind is going to quiet down. Like you I’m suspicious of the large amount of money they charge.
It’s interesting that the technique stopped working for you. I could only guess why that might be.
All the best,
Bodhipaksa
Comment from Mike Traster
Time: October 21, 2008, 10:15 am
Around 1972, I took TM in Boston Ma. The instructor was very encouraging, and I got a great deal from the technique.
I found the peace that came with the meditation to be a wonderful surprise. How could one know that such a thing resides
within ones self and was created by God… like our hands and feet?
Over a period of perhaps 3 to 5 years, I found that the meditation ceased to be easy to do.
Checks were less and less helpful, and finally didn’t seem to really work very well . My last check was about 4 years ago
and I think it lasted a day or so.
MY impression is that the mantras are designed to work with the spirit and central nervous system at
a certain age, and as we move into another age group they are less and less appropriate.
As far as the advanced techniques and siddhis program, I looked into them and to me they
seem incredibly misleading. For example the siddhis/powers are said to enable students to
achieve “levitation” . This seems to be quite a full LOAD! The photos I’ve seen involve students
“floating” in the air… but their hair it flying wildly… they are in fact bouncing on their backsides
on a bloody TRAMPOLINE!!!
Nearly all of the TM practitioners that I’ve been around embrace a far left wing political philosophy
as a part of their identity uniform. The number seems very skewed. I have found a lot of these
folks to take on a tragic air of “superiority” which really speaks poorly of the TM organization
and culture. The thread of intolerance for other points of view is tragic.
So, my basic thought… the initial training is good.. research the net and find your own mantras
and keep up with them by age. The “training fee” last time I looked for even the basic “technique”
is outrageous…from my point of view.
The real meditation is natural, good, and already within us and we need to find a way to get to it.
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