--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <vajradhatu@...> wrote: > > > On Dec 5, 2011, at 8:04 AM, seventhray1 wrote: > > > Oh, good. I'll just have to revise my experience so it conforms > > with your analysis. > > Actually we've all already been pre-programmed to believe in the > stress release, "unstressing", model is factually correct. Each time > we "transcend" we're chipping away at those stresses in our nervous > system. So I believe most of us who were indoctrinated into TM would > chose as you did.
Actually, the current theory of how TM works is that it sets up a situation in the thalamus that inhibits the thalamo-coritical feedback loops that scientists believe are what we experience as "thoughts." This allows the brain to relax into a default mode of functioning where it is still alert, but literally not thinking about much of anything. The stronger the inhibition, the less thinking tha is done. Coincidentally, the default mode of functioning that results is where the front part of the brain and the back part of the brain are most easily able to communicate with each other. This is the exact opposite of stress, which tends to interfere with the communication between the front and back parts of the brain. Long-term practice of TM literally improves the ability of the brain to maintain this better-connected, opposite-of-stress mode of functioning, outside of meditation. BTW, this concept of meditation as anti-stress was Hans Selye's idea, presented to MMY many years ago. The fact is that the more we learn about stress and about the effects of TM (as opposed to, say, compassion meditation), the more evidence we have that TM is literally the exact opposite of stress on every measure, just as Hans Selye reported 40+ years ago. > > > Thanks for examples of tecniques that utilize #1. But just to be > > clear, since you reverse the order in the first and second parts of > > your paragraph, I found TM to aid in a dissolving of the > > samskaras. I'm not getting the "planting of sattwic seeds" as it > > pertains to the practice of TM. Care to be more specific about that? > > The basic idea is that the mind is naturally unruly at the start, > particularly because of the dominance of rajasic and tamsic thought > patterns. If you take something sattvic, like a goddesses mantra and > repeat it enough times this embrues the mindstream with sattvic > qualities, making it easier for the mind to settle down. > Except that TM practice doesn't necessarily involve thinking the mantra more than once in a given meditation period. Just how many repetitions are required?
