History

The practice of meditation for relaxation and healing has been around for thousands of years. The modem technique of Transcendental Meditation was introduced to the world by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the late 1950s.

A former disciple of Guru Dev, a major Indian religious teacher, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi agreed to continue his leader's work when the Guru died in 1953. After spending five years studying the philosophy of Yoga in the foothills of the Himalayas, the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi emerged with his message of Transcendental Meditation:


In 1959 the International Meditation Society was formed in London, and later in that year was introduced into the United States.

By 1970, Transcendental Meditation (TM) was firmly entrenched in that country and was taught in more than fifty others around the world.


Theory

The aim of Transcendental Meditation, (TM) as with other types of meditative and relaxation techniques, is to release stress and tension thereby improving emotional, physical and mental well-being. Among the claims made on its behalf are lower heart rate and blood pressure, reduction of stress, decreased anxiety, improved relations, relief from insomnia, job satisfaction and increased learning ability.


Practice

TM teaches that suffering can be eliminated merely by meditating on your mantra (your personal 'secret' Sanskrit word) for short periods twice a day. It is alleged that you will feel more energy and less tension, develop a more positive outlook, become healthier and happier, and your whole life will be changed.


Assessment

The Maharishi's teachings quickly found willing disciples among those seeking spiritual experiences, including The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Mia Farrow and Shirley MacLaine. Its devotees claim that it is an instant, nonchemical tranquilliser for the relief of nervous tension. Its attraction would seem to be its simplicity — one can learn the technique, a short course, then practice it for twenty minutes or so each day.

The Transcendental Meditation or TM movement, owes its popularity and appeal to those seeking a quick fix for the stress and strain of modern life, and to those interested in spiritual growth and mysticism. The main components of the TM programme — the rejection of materialism, dietary practices, yoga and meditation, basically follow the traditional Vedic line. However, the founder of the TM movement, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, came in for considerable criticism from fellow swamis who felt that the Maharishi was offering the world a distortion of the sacred Hindu teachings.

The ultimate achievement in TM is to levitate, and several centres have been operating around the world offering courses on how to overcome gravity.

Like most of the cults that sprang up in the sixties and seventies, such as the Moonies, Hari Krishnas and Children of God, TM has the same basic mixture of Christianity, Eastern philosophy and pop psychology. Although it has proved by far to be the most popular and successful self-help therapy, disillusionment is usually felt by most members a few months after enrolling in the expensive courses. TM was struck a blow when the formerly enthusiastic Beatles publicly admitted that their studying with the Maharishi "had been a mistake" when the guru persisted in making sexual advances to their girlfriends.
A former important figure who did much to promote the TM movement was Deepak Chopra, once dubbed "The Maharishi's Medicine Man" by In Health magazine.

Although Chopra graduated from the All India Institute of Medical Sciences, trained at the University of Virginia Hospital and developed a thriving private practice he was converted to ayurveda by the Maharishi. He subsequently founded and remained the sole stockholder of Maharishi Ayur-Veda Products International until 1987, then transferred his interest to the tax-exempt Maharishi Ayurvedic Foundation. Chopra's promotions include books, videos, ayurvedic medicines and consumables. His claim that most diseases, including cancer, are stress-related and can be cured by meditation has no scientific basis.

When objectively examined, TM is simply a Hindu meditation ritual, mass-marketed in the language of Western relativity physics. On the credit side, it does have short term benefits, but then the same result can be achieved by completely relaxing twice a day and letting your mind go blank. On the debit side, TM instructors (Scott 1978) have revealed that it can be harmful for those who become trapped in the state of mind the Maharishi calls "cosmic consciousness" — extended meditation which causes a person to become withdrawn and detached from the world around him and subject to hallucinations.

Regarding the control of stress, strain and anxiety, and some of the benefits attributed to TM and the teachings of other competing Eastern mystics. It is revealing to note that the personal lives of the preceptors and practitioners do not bear out the claims. None of the better known gurus were paragons of health or enjoyed longevity.

The failure of TMers to demonstrate that they can overcome the effects of gravity is well documented. In Britain a dozen believers paid over $4000 each to go to Switzerland where TM instructors initiated them into the art of levitation. When they returned, David Berglass, a prominent magician, offered to repay each of the levitators their investment if they would appear with him on TV to demonstrate their skill. They all declined.

In April 1991, at Washington, D.C., USA, three people who sued the Transcendental Meditation movement for falsely promising to teach them to fly (without an aircraft), reached an out-of-court settlement. A prolonged mass meditation by 4000 trained TM meditators in the same city, ostensibly to reduce the violent crime rate, not only had no effect, but the Washington police data actually had the crime rate going up at the time.

James Randi, the American magician and sceptic, has had on offer for decades, a prize of $10,000 to be paid to any person who can demonstrate the power of true levitation. There have been no applicants. In conjunction with sceptics' groups world wide, he has now upped the ante to $1.2 million to anyone who can demonstrate true levitation.



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