What is Transcendental Meditation? A religion? Self-help? Cult? You can find people who claim it's one or more of those choices. According to the 1965 trademark registration for Transcendental Meditation, it is "educational services - namely, conducting courses and seminars on personal development."
The core practice of Transcendental Meditation is meditation practiced for 20 minutes, twice a day, while sitting with closed eyes. Proponents claim that learning transcendental meditation offers more benefits to a practitioner than the ordinary Vipassana meditation from which it is derived.
Where did Transcendental Meditation come from?
Transcendental Meditation was developed by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (1917-2008) in the 1950s, based on the Vedas, the Hindu scriptures. But the Maharishi altered the ancient teachings and emphasized the flashy components to make them more interesting to European and American customers. By the mid 1960s, all things mystic were popular in the hippie counterculture, and the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's adaptation of Hindu mysticism found enthusiastic followers. Even the Beatles were briefly associated with Transcendental Meditation.
Even Mahesh Yogi's supposed fellow gurus criticized such methods. Shree Shankaracharya Swaroopanand Saraswati, a disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev), whom Mahesh Yogi also claimed as a spiritual master, was interviewed in depth by a former teacher of Transcendental Meditation in 1985. The guru was aghast when he heard about Mahesh Yogi 's methods, and cited a quote from Gosvâmî Tulsîdâs, a famous guru of centuries ago: "The guru who charges or takes money from his disciples in return for initiation, steals disciples property and goes to damnable hell.''
Over time, in response to rising and falling popularity, Transcendental Meditation has changed the product it markets. The simple "meditate and feel good" product of the 1960s is now promoted as a way to youthfulness, health, supernatural abilities and world peace.
Can Transcendental Meditation be harmful?
Deep or prolonged meditation sessions, in susceptible persons, can cause hallucinations, dissociation and other bizarre effects. The intense (and expensive) training the potential flyers endure, and the repeated sessions of meditation called "rounding" have been blamed for causing dissociation, suicide and other psychological problems in some of the participants.
Is there anything beneficial about Transcendental Meditation?
Regular meditation has repeatedly been shown to reduce blood pressure, most recently in the American Journal of Hypertension. However, any of several meditation practices are effective. Transcendental Meditation has been extremely active in encouraging members to participate in these studies.
The Future of Transcendental Meditation
When the charismatic leader of a group dies, the group often collapses or disintegrates as internal factions struggle for power. With a reported $3 billion in assets, Transcendental Meditation risks an epic power struggle. Before his death, Mahesh Yogi appointed a global maharaja as well as 35 country rajas and global ministers to carry on. Funding will be the responsibility of the Brahmanand Saraswati Trust.
Before announcing his retirement a year ago, Mahesh Yogi appointed a 48-member governing council and a five-member governing body. Tony Nader, a neuroscientist from Lebanon, will be the maharaja - the head of the organization.
 | Whether you go it alone, join a meditation group or work with a teacher, there are many benefits of meditation like helping reduce stress, lowering your blood pressure and improving your outlook on life. |
 | The objective of Zen meditation is to quiet the mind and facilitate a deeper understanding of one's inner self. |
 | The effects of meditation on the mind are now, through recent studies, revealing that those who meditate really do have keener focus, better recall and even improved immunity against disease and depression. |
 | If your attempts at learning to meditate always more closely resemble naptime, take in these tips on reaching a relaxed state without falling asleep. |
Zen Buddhism and Meditation Zen Buddhists place an emphasis on learning about the nature of human existence and learning to cope with it. It may be hard at times to live in this difficult world but Buddhists try to accept the world for what it is. |
