Evidently in more than ‘awakening’ spiritually, a further cultivation
evidently is in what one can do with it.
Interestingly, in SRF (Self-Realization Foundation, Yogananda’s teaching) they
start with moral development in a study sequence of material and then in the
sequence students learn meditation. These are deep meditators. For them
meditation is not just secular relief of stress but essential spiritual
cultivation in the sequence in developing the human being.
Threefold, for instance Ammachi freely urges practitioners on in their
cultivation of spiritual progress and incarnational embodiment essentially
through: moral character development in a reading and study of elevated
writings, cultivating spiritual practices of meditation, and thirdly being of
self-less service to others, of help to others, actively.
TM in a personality split can have a context background of religious cultural
or spiritual scriptural teachings on the Maharishi Foundation side and then
being entirely sciency and secular Quiet Time meditation (David Lynch
Foundation) working with stressed at-risk populations in schools, business,
with veterans, or in jails.
From the git-go TM does not have commensurate moral character cultivation in
practice like can be seen in other spiritual practice programs. It stays mostly
clear of ethics. The science chart they do offer on ‘morality’ is about
improved “moral reasoning”, saying that TM ‘ers are better at ‘moral
reasoning’. In which direction it is unclear or not spoken to. (Possibly
observed behavioral dissonance in the group culture could indicate more study
is needed.)
Yogananda (middle 20th Century) in teaching cultivation of service to others,
“Charity is born of sympathy. By sympathy, a quality of Omnipresence, a person
may transfer his consciousness to that within suffering men; and experience, as
his own, their griefs and limitations. It is then that the charitable desiree
to offer help springs forth.
Selfishness cramps the omnipresent soul in a miserable prison of limiting
material desires. You should desire salvation so that you may give it to
everyone else. You should desire to drink God’s nectar of bliss so that you
may share it with all.” -Paramahansa Yogananda
Giovanni in his own personal review of meditations evidently holds not much
credibility out to SRF(Yogananda) or Ammachi though these are two substantial
teachers of meditation with an influence on culture also in the parliament of
the current marketplace.
Karunamayi also urges people on, "..even the enlightened continue to meditate"
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
Archer Angel writing: then my mind has undergone a lot transformations in the
last few years or so.
..the main difference now is the mind is far more silent even in activity so I
can just sit and be silent even without meditating.
You hear this more commonly in meditating Fairfield. But then once you get
good at meditating like this, the geography of the silence becomes more
familiar in meditation and then what you can do/intent with it inside the human
makeup of the larger spiritual system. Beyond just awakening this would be the
cultivation of where the larger Fairfield meditating community has gone on with
their Being.
Being with the experience of, no-mantra-no-thought, Giovanni, proposes a third:
Effortless Presence.
..with focus attention meditation and open-monitoring meditating.
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
Giovanni writes saying, "..and I’m not here to create controversy." !
cardemaister:
Quote:
"Is it for me? Personally I don’t feel comfortable advising anyone to try
Transcendental Meditation anymore, especially if you are looking to go deep
into meditation. To know more, check out this answer I wrote in Quora
https://www.quora.com/What-is-your-impression-of-transcendental-meditation/answer/Giovanni-Dienstmann.
If you wish to try something similar, for a fraction of the cost or for free,
have a look at NSR (above), or Mantra Meditation."
23 Types of Meditation - Find The Best Techniques For You
http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation
http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation
23 Types of Meditation - Find The Best Techniques For Yo...
http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation Learn several types of meditation,
from Buddhism, Vedic, Christian and Chinese traditions. Read on different
meditation techniques. Find the best for you.
View on liveanddare.com http://liveanddare.com/types-of-meditation
Preview by Yahoo
Archer Angel writing:A sample of scientific research on mindfulness
meditation, which is actually researched more than TM. The proprietary nature
of TM teaching seems to restrict the possibilities of more directly comparative
studies. The studies on TM are also mentioned.
76 Scientific Benefits of Meditation | Live and Dare
http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/
http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/
76 Scientific Benefits of Meditation | Live and Dare
http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/ Summary of the main scientific
research on the benefits of meditation, covering the different types of
meditation (Vipassana, TM, Yoga, Mindfulness, etc).
View on liveanddare.com http://liveanddare.com/benefits-of-meditation/
Preview by Yahoo
Archer Angel writing:An interesting article comparing mantra-based meditation
with mindfulness meditation. Note the final paragraph.
Mantra Practice vs. Mindfulness http://shinzen.org/Articles/artMantra.htm
Mantra Practice vs. Mindfulness http://shinzen.org/Articles/artMantra.htm Many
people in the West get their first exposure to meditation through what is know
as TM or Transcendental Meditation.
View on shinzen.org http://shinzen.org/Articles/artMantra.htm
Preview by Yahoo
Archer Angel writing:
That is rather interesting. It confirms my experience with TM versus other
types when I started.
More recently however the experience is they are all similar but then my mind
has undergone a lot transformations in the last few years or so.
The main difference now is the mind is far more silent even in activity so I
can just sit and be silent even without meditating.
Basically as time goes on the contrasts of experience that a non-meditator or
a new meditator experiences become less and less, although I think the time
interval for this to occur varies a lot among individuals.
My experience with the movement is they are not keen on making comprehensive
comparisons with other meditations.
From a scientific point of view, enlightenment is kind of undefined,
consciousness is undefined, so designing an experiment that investigates what
meditation is supposed to accomplish is currently impossible.
So the tests are more superficial, such as levels of rest, or mental focus and
some chemical changes in the blood.
It is clear these other meditations do sometimes have a profound effect and
result in enlightenment and that some take to them more easily than TM, but I
do not think this is the majority case.
I recall a newspaper article long ago where the author mentioned that people
practicing TM found more success than with other types they tried. That was the
case for me.
yifuxero writes:Thx....his phrase "all other types of meditation" only applies
to the limited sample of the control group types, not literally "all types". No
mention of Mindfulness.. No mention of Oxytocin levels which correlate to the
feeling of compassionate awareness that could go farther toward a more complete
description of meditative states than the Default mode. The default mode is
limited in scope, since it doesn't involve activation of the polyvagal system.
That's where compassion comes in.
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <dhamiltony...@yahoo.com> wrote :
..activity in the "default mode network" (DMN), which is a large-scale brain
network involving areas in the front and back of the brain that are active when
one's eyes are closed and one is following internal thoughts.
perhaps reflecting..
This could indicate..
assertions.
---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <he...@hotmail.com> wrote :
New Research Validates Hallmark of Transcendental Meditation — Effortlessness
A new study on MUM students by Fred Travis shows EEG patterns of the
Transcendental Meditation® technique that distinguish it from other approaches
to meditation and that validate the assertion that it's an effortless practice.
"Transcendental Meditation uses a mantra, and for this reason some researchers
maintain that it involves focused attention and controlling the mind," Dr.
Travis said. "This study supports the experience of people who practice
Transcendental Meditation that it's easy to learn and effortless to practice."
There were two key findings that suggest the technique is effortless and
natural. First, the students who had been meditating for a month reported the
same frequency of experiences of Transcendental Consciousness as those who had
been meditating for five years.
"This supports the understanding that Transcendental Meditation uses the
natural tendency of the mind to transcend — to move from active thinking to
deep, inner silence," Dr. Travis said. "Extensive practice doesn't make a
natural process go any better."
The second finding deals with activity in the "default mode network" (DMN),
which is a large-scale brain network involving areas in the front and back of
the brain that are active when one's eyes are closed and one is following
internal thoughts. DMN activity is high when a person just sits with his or her
eyes closed, and low when one opens one's eyes and interacts with the world.
The study reports that activity in the DMN remained high during Transcendental
Meditation practice. In contrast, it decreases in all other types of meditation
— since they involve focus and control of the mind. Indeed, the study found
that the default mode network was as high during Transcendental Meditation
practice as during eyes-closed rest, which is used as the benchmark for default
mode network activity.
However, Dr. Travis found two important differences between Transcendental
Meditation and eyes-closed rest. Eyes-closed rest had more beta brain waves in
areas of the brain associated with memory and motor aspects of speech
production, perhaps reflecting the mental chatter that goes on when one's eyes
are closed, Dr. Travis said.
Transcendental Meditation had more theta brain waves in orbitofrontal areas
associated with reward anticipation.
"This could indicate the movement of the mind to more charming levels of
thought during transcending," Dr. Travis said. "The meditators' attention was
absorbed in the inner march of the mind, attracted by the increasing charm of
finer levels of mental functioning."
Works cited:
The Review, Vol 32, #6
