--- In [email protected], kaladevi93 <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > --- In [email protected], "sparaig" <sparaig@> wrote: > > [...] > > Alright. So you're saying that Vaj, who can't furnish any direct reference > > to the studies > he > > claims exists, is being more clear than moi, who does furnish references to > > such > studies. > > > Actually he has talked about them,
Actually, no. He occassionally makes vague references to "ancient" studies or to "more modern studies" but can't list them using Pubmed or any other scientific searchengine. Pubmed lists thousands of journals totalling MILLIONS of articles. If it isn't there, and he can't list it any other way, such as via the list of over 3000 studies on meditation that the esalen institute has published, then it likely doesn't exist, save in his own mind. I gather he's sick of constantly repeating himself, even > morso since clearly like many yogis he prefers direct experience rather than > materialistic > ephemera. You prefer the way it's been done for less than 50 years, he > prefers the one > that's been done experientially for thousand and thousands of years. One is > tried and true > and has produced innumerable enlightned beings, another is groping in the > dark for > tentative answers. > I prefer something that is documented. You prefer...? > Just posting links of studies of questionable veracity is of little interest > to most yogis. I'd > guess Vaj is no exception to that. This yogini would certainly question > anything the TM PR > machine printed out. But overall, I'm unimpressed. > So, a study done by a team of researchers, with different meditation interests (including TM, mindfulness and Bensons's Relaxation Response)., published in a reputable journal, is less valid than Vaj's "ancient and modern studies" with no reference? EJ Langer, BTW, is a professor of Pyschology at Harvard and has published books on mindfulness: http://tinyurl.com/yxegmj 1: J Pers Soc Psychol. 1989 Dec;57(6):950-64. Links Transcendental meditation, mindfulness, and longevity: an experimental study with the elderly. Alexander CN, Langer EJ, Newman RI, Chandler HM, Davies JL. Department of Psychology, Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Iowa 52556. Can direct change in state of consciousness through specific mental techniques extend human life and reverse age-related declines? To address this question, 73 residents of 8 homes for the elderly (mean age = 81 years) were randomly assigned among no treatment and 3 treatments highly similar in external structure and expectations: the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program, mindfulness training (MF) in active distinction making, or a relaxation (low mindfulness) program. A planned comparison indicated that the "restful alert" TM group improved most, followed by MF, in contrast to relaxation and no- treatment groups, on paired associate learning; 2 measures of cognitive flexibility; mental health; systolic blood pressure; and ratings of behavioral flexibility, aging, and treatment efficacy. The MF group improved most, followed by TM, on perceived control and word fluency. After 3 years, survival rate was 100% for TM and 87.5% for MF in contrast to lower rates for other groups. PMID: 2693686 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]
