Maharishi's Message "LIFE IS BLISS" Echoes from the Rooftop of the World
| TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION Editorial by Uttam Maharjan in The Rising Nepal, Gorkhapatra Today, health is a major concern as people have become more and more materialistic and consumeristic with the result that their lifestyles have changed drastically. People have also sacrificed spiritual values in pursuit of materialism. There is a lot of eating with less exercise. It is said that an individual should walk at least one hour a day. With human interest diverting to sedentary lifestyles such as watching TV and playing video games, human health has suffered. We can find couch potatoes and people of a suchlike nature in almost every home. It is essential that human beings should engage in some forms of exercise or meditation. There are many forms of meditation dating back to ancient times. Transcendental meditation (TM) is one such example. TM was propounded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1957. TM, which is as old as the Rigveda, is a simple, natural and effortless technique of meditation based in part on Hindu meditation. It is scientific, systematic and repeatable with veritable results. It aims at exposing higher levels of unconsciousness inherent in human beings in a state of latency. Since the 1960s when Maharishi Yogi converted the Beatles, TM has been very popular in the West. Maharishi Mahesh Yogis motto is life is bliss. TM aims at making human life blissful by overcoming problems of life. People who practise TM around the world have appreciated this motto as they have been able to lead a life free from stress, tension, angst and Weltschmerz. To fathom how TM works, it would be germane to mention what the mind experiences during TM. The mind experiences finer and finer levels of a thinking process and, in doing so, reaches the sources of thought and is immersed in the self. The self, which reflects unbounded awareness and pure intelligence, is the ultimate reality that governs all processes of life. TM is an experience just like love, joy and happiness and coordinates the body and mind. It leads to a state where the mind comes into direct contact with the sources of thought. The sources of thought are a field of pure intelligence called transcendental consciousness. People experience umpteen thoughts every day. The sources of thought are within them and are responsible for thoughts and their actions. But people may be unaware of this. Thoughts are supported by intelligence, creativity and drive. These are the hallmarks of the sources of thought. TM is a mental process of reaching transcendental consciousness that enables people to experience infinite sources of intelligence creativity and drive. When such sources are entrapped within them, people grow more and more intelligent, creative and energetic. Meditation and all forms of yoga were grossly misinterpreted and misused in the past. It is Maharishi Yogi who systematised and streamlined TM and revised it in its purest form. Maharishi Yogi has removed all tags of mysticism and religion from TM. That is why, TM has nothing to do with any mysticism, religion, faith or creed. This is a very important aspect of TM. During meditation, people experience a thought. Thinking requires no efforts, but it takes place at what is known as gross conscious level. TM leads people to a silent level of awareness. At the gross conscious level, background noise disturbs people. While thinking, millions of neurons out of billions in the brain get active. They keep on disturbing the mind. During TM, de-excitation of the neurons takes place, bringing down the background noise to a silent level called a state of restful alertness. This helps in releasing tension and stress from the nervous system. It is axiomatic that when people are free from stress and tension, they tend to be creative and productive. TM, therefore, gives rise to creativity and productivity. Dr Robert Keith Wallace, of the USA, conducted research on TM for the first time. According to him, during TM, the mind is fully alert, but the body is at deep rest, which is deeper than sleep. This state of the body and mind is called restful alertness. Since then, independent scientific researches on TM have been conducted over 600 times in 30 countries. There are several benefits of TM. Psychologists hold that people use only 5 to 15 per cent of their mental potential. During TM, the potential can be used up to 100 per cent. As such, by enhancing mental potential to the fullest, TM can improve learning ability, problem-solving capacity, academic performance, productivity, job performance and satisfaction, interpersonal relations and clear and unruffled thinking. Similarly, TM has several physical as well as mind-body benefits to offer. TM provides deep rest, removing deep-seated stress and anxiety and increases physical, psychological and sociological adaptability, thus improving health. On a similar vein, faster reaction time, decreased hypochondria, respite from insomnia, personality development, creativity, optimal use of energy and the like are other benefits that can be derived from TM. In todays world battered by violence, crime, strife, terrorism and so on, practising TM may hold bright prospects for mankind. TM can create an environment where there is decreased crime, violence, accidents and illness. TM improves economic and social indicators and enhances the quality of life. So, the importance of TM in improving human life cannot be overstated. |
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