|
Published June 4, 2005
|
Read up
Learn more about Transcendental Meditation at
www.maharishipeacepalace.org and www.tm.org/
. |
Peace palaces planned across Iowa
A Transcendental Meditation group hopes to build 3,000 worldwide,
including nine in the state.
By
REGISTER STAFF WRITER
A nonprofit organization founded by followers of Transcendental
Meditation guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi wants to open mall-based
"enlightenment centers" and multimillion-dollar "peace palaces" in Des
Moines, Cedar Rapids and seven other Iowa cities.
Global Country of
World Peace, the nonprofit organization based in southeastern Iowa's tiny
Maharishi Vedic City, is duplicating the effort across the United States
as part of a formula for establishing world peace.
The peace palaces, planned as $3 million projects, will include space
for learning and practicing Transcendental Meditation, a day spa,
classroom space and retail outlets for herbal products.
"We've been
offering these products and services for 50 years, and we have people
trained in doing this, so this is just the rollout," said Bob Wynne,
president of Global Country of World Peace and mayor of Maharishi Vedic
City. "And it's not just in Iowa, but every state."
The Iowa cities or metro areas have local directors working this summer
to establish mall-based centers - where the palace programs will be
offered on a smaller scale. They also will be seeking donations for the
palaces in Des Moines, Cedar Rapids, Ames, Iowa City, Maharishi Vedic City
and Fairfield. Similar efforts will begin within a few months in the
Waterloo area, as well as in Dubuque and Davenport, Wynne
said.
Advertisements have been running recently in several Iowa
newspapers, directing those interested to a Web site that encourages five
to 10 "prominent families of every city to join us in becoming the
'founders of the Peace Palace.' " Those families - or donors - are
expected to cover the estimated $3 million needed to acquire land and
construct the main 12,000-square-foot building and any annex
buildings.
"This building and the activities are going to have such a profound
effect on the health and well-being of the community as people learn to
practice Transcendental Meditation and learn the other methods to
strengthen their health. We thought prominent families would want to see
this done since they would enjoy the benefits most quickly," said David
Sands, co-director of the planned peace palace in Des Moines, where,
within a few weeks, the group plans to begin offering programs at a
temporary location at 1922 Ingersoll Ave. The programs will eventually
move to a site at one of the area's malls.
Worldwide, 3,000 peace palaces are to be constructed. In the United
States, they already exist in Bethesda, Md.; Lexington, Ky.; and Houston,
as part of a plan outlined in 2003 by Maharishi, the Indian spiritual
leader who introduced the West to Transcendental Meditation.
The
goal is to "crown humanity with its rightful destiny - to live in
permanent peace and radiate Total Natural Law - the light of God - on
Earth, thereby ending the age-old legacy of problems and suffering," TM
leaders have said.
Transcendental Meditation, which participants believe is key to
personal peace and, ultimately, world peace, is described as a simple
mental technique practiced twice a day that allows the mind - and
subsequently the body - to achieve a deep state of rest.
Several
million people in the United States have formally received instruction in
Transcendental Meditation, which is now taught for a one-time fee of
$2,500.
Some contend that Maharishi has taken Hindu traditions and
made money by bringing them to Westerners. The Guardian newspaper in the
United Kingdom has reported his net worth at $3.6 billion.
The practices and beliefs still are occasionally ridiculed, although
studies about the health benefits of relaxing to ease stress, including
through meditation, have helped to generate wider acceptance of
TM.
A writer with the Daily Oklahoman wrote in 2004: "The weekly
winner in my e-mail basket is the note from the Maharishi Mahish Yogi ,
which came with a headline promising 'World Peace to Be Created in a Few
Months.' . . . I don't want to be too cynical about this because you just
never know, but how many months is a few, and how long shall I wait?"
Iowans are perhaps more familiar than some with the techniques because
of the presence of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, as
well as the creation by Maharishi followers of the nearby town that is now
called Maharishi Vedic City, in 2001.
Joseph Boxerman, co-director
of the peace palace planned in the Cedar Rapids area, said he believes
Iowans are ready for wider access to their programs and
products.
"We feel Iowa is, in fact, leading the states in these
program s and that has been demonstrated by our experience of 30 years
with development in Fairfield, where the community has strongly adopted
the program and there is strong interaction between the townspeople and
those who came to be associated with meditation programs," Boxerman
said.
Jane Tompkins, director of community development in Cedar Rapids, said
$3 million wouldn't be a particularly large investment compared with some
economic development projects in the city, but it is significant for a
"cultural amenity."
"When you look at the fact that Cedar Rapids is
trying to offer a variety of amenities and attractions and a diverse
population, then it is a big deal," Tompkins said.
Kent Boyum, who
is working on a peace palace in Iowa City, said the day spas, which will
feature massages and other treatments, are likely to be particularly
popular.
"Iowa City is one of the most active (places) for Transcendental
Meditation. There are people all over doing it," Boyum said.
Vicky
Daniel, a Waukee resident, said she'd be happy to see a peace palace built
in the Des Moines area. Although she practices Transcendental Meditation
when she can fit it into her schedule, it was the day spa portion of the
project that caught her attention. The realty agent has made a handful of
trips to the Raj Health Center, a spa in Maharishi Vedic City.
"Having a place here in Des Moines, where it's going to be more
accessible, will be wonderful," Daniel said.
The peace palaces in
Fairfield and Maharishi Vedic City are likely to be the first ones
completed in Iowa because Global Country of World Peace already owns land
or expects to buy land soon for those projects, Wynne said. Construction
on those palaces may begin this summer. Sites and construction in other
communities will depend upon donations of land and money.
|
binrJ9tVNmbEm.bin