[FairfieldLife] How to shoot beyond the target: (article on TM - needs leters to the editor- join in)

[Hagen J. Holtz]

Meditation movement lacks proper credentials Editorial By Emerald editorial board November 10, 2005 A sold-out crowd packed into 150 Columbia Tuesday night to hear famous filmmaker David Lynch speak. Perhaps they came to learn about the meaning of his dark films, but Lynch primarily used his time to promote the controversial practice of Transcendental Meditation. This does not seem to be a problem or does it ? A practitioner of TM for 32 years, Lynch wants to raise billions of dollars to teach it to any child in America who wants to learn it. Like many TM proponents, Lynch, accompanied by two “experts,” described TM as a way to usher in world peace and achieve greater personal effectiveness. Lynch and his comrades couched the practice in scientific terms. But they didn’t give the audience the whole story. Now famous as the Beatles’ one-time guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi founded TM in India in 1958 as the outgrowth of a Hindu spiritual movement. A preferredly applied prejudice of critics.  Since then, more than 6 million people have learned TM, according to the organization’s Web site. Learning the technique costs $2,500. At first, TM practitioners meditate for about 20 minutes twice daily with their eyes closed, repeating a syllabic phrase or “mantra” to reach “pure awareness” and rid themselves of conscious thought. A bit superficial description of the mechanism. We don’t dispute the fact that meditation in general can be calming and beneficial. Yet we raise questions consumers should seriously consider before purchasing this commodity as a means to attain peace. That one should do. First, we question the high cost. During his speech, Lynch said people who really want peace will find the money to pay for TM classes. Some advocates say the cost ensures the TM movement will persevere and grow, and that the price wouldn’t seem outrageous if we lived in a culture that values meditation. This is a lame argumentation of the TM-Movement. If I persue a non-attractive price, then I should not be surprised, why noone is joining. And by the way what gives the movement the right to sell a spiritual good, which is not even its "possession", for a price, which rather enhances materialistic thinking  than an attitude of spiritual-matter oriented balance.  Yet people can learn many types of meditation for free from books and classes. Proponents claim the TM mantras are more effective than repeating secular sounds, but some books on meditation say otherwise. Opinion against opinion. Scientific research is able to distinguish the difference. And this has nothing to do with "TM-Science". Scientists can find out common criteria. We also question the scientific merits of TM. Advocates claim a multitude of scientific studies validate the physiological benefits of TM. Many of these studies, however, are conducted at the organization’s own Maharishi University of Management and they are not necessarily published in peer-reviewed journals. This is an assumption but not a proof for falsification. Any scholars thinking about trying TM should check out these scientific claims, especially those that suggest TM is different from other forms of meditation. We also cannot find any credible evidence to support the claim that TM creates peace by “radiating an influence of harmony to your surroundings.” In light of the recent heated debate over the scientific merit of Intelligent Design, TM should come under equally rigorous investigation. Then look more thoroughly into it and find out the difference ! People with certain religious beliefs should also investigate the religious roots of TM. Even our modern science has its religious roots. So it is ridiculous to look for religious roots. What should be the recognition ? Although advocates claim it is simply a “mental technique” and not a religion or philosophy, historical facts clearly show TM is rooted in Hinduism; the mantras people repeat during TM are the names of Hindu gods. There might be a coincidence but this does not proof anything.  Moreover, the movement lost a 1979 suit after the New Jersey Supreme Court ruled TM was based on religious concepts and shouldn’t be taught in schools. TM has been presented in a secular package to appeal to Westerners. TM is as little based on religious concepts as sleep is based on that. It would be interesting how the court might have argued. Millions of people like Lynch have found TM to be a satisfying and worthwhile purchase, as demonstrated by their longtime commitments to the practice. However, we hope listeners at Lynch’s recent speech take the initiative to investigate the statements made by this salesman of pseudo-science and evaluate whether they belong in an academic setting like this University. We think they don’t. It seems that you are right in being suspicious about the way of presentation, which does not seem to be down to earth anymore. But this has nothing to do with the efficiency and scientific eplainability of TM, if it is being done in a serious ans self-critical spirit. Meditation movement lacks proper credentials Post your feedback on this topic here To subscribe, send a message to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Or go to: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/FairfieldLife/ and click 'Join This Group!' SPONSORED LINKS Maharishi university of management Maharishi mahesh yogi Ramana maharshi YAHOO! GROUPS LINKS  Visit your group "FairfieldLife" on the web.    To unsubscribe from this group, send an email to:  [EMAIL PROTECTED]    Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to the Yahoo! Terms of Service.