Showing posts with label Vedic. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Vedic. Show all posts

What's so special about the Transcendental Meditation mantras?



Harmonizing, life-supportive effect: Different sounds affect us in different ways. The Vedic Tradition of meditation, as revived by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, is a science of consciousness that thousands of years ago established a systematic, comprehensive knowledge of mantras and their effects. Specific sounds were known for producing positive, soothing effects on mind, body and surroundings. These mantras are used today in the Transcendental Meditation program.

No meaning: The mantras used in TM practice are not associated with meaning. Whether spoken aloud or thought mentally, every word has its sound, but it also has meaning. The word rose has a meaning and a sound. Words or phrases with meaning engage the mind in the realm of thought and meaning. In TM practice, the mantra is used for the effect of its sound only. The fact that the TM mantra is used free of meaning helps the mind settle down, beyond thinking, to experience more refined stages of the thinking process until the meditator goes beyond the faintest impulse of thought and arrives at the field of pure consciousness. In this state, the intellectual activity that is involved with thinking and meaning is transcended. This is the revitalizing experience of pure "Being."

These unique qualities of the mantras used in TM practice — harmonizing, life-supportive effects and no association with meaning — facilitate the transcending process.

The right mantra: Certified instructors of the Transcendental Meditation technique are trained in systematic Vedic procedures of selecting and imparting mantras. Selecting the mantra is not guesswork. It's not a mystical process. Nor is there a one-of-a-kind mantra for every person. But there is a particular mantra that will be most effective for you, just as everyone has their own blood type. Over 50 years of teaching millions of people the TM technique to has shown that this timeless system works marvelously well.

Receiving the mantra: Certified TM teachers make sure that a person learning to meditate initially receives the correct, precise pronunciation of the mantra. But it is not the mantra or sound alone that produces the benefits. How one first receives the mantra — along with continued correct use — is just as important for getting results as is getting the right mantra.

Mantras found on the Internet, learned from books, or shared by friends or unqualified teachers are not learned with the precision and authenticity of the Vedic system of imparting mantras. Certified TM instructors adhere to the time-tested Vedic procedures. Learning the mantra properly in this way is said to activate the sound so it can be effectively used as a mantra. Otherwise the sound may fail to produce the intended results.

Correct use of the mantra
When you learn the Transcendental Meditation technique, you learn more than just the correct mantra: you learn how to use the mantra so that it becomes a vehicle for transcending.

Learning the TM technique is easy and enjoyable, but it’s also a delicate process, so delicate that the technique had been long lost to society — even in the land of its origin — because of misunderstanding and inadequate teaching methods. Maharishi reintroduced the practice of “effortless transcending” and structured a systematic, standardized course of personal instruction and follow-up. The seven-step TM course includes not only practical, customized instruction about how to meditate effectively, but also gives comprehensive knowledge of consciousness and higher stages of human development.

I heard that some mantras have meaning and can be religious — is this true of TM mantras?

What if I meditate using a mantra that has a meaning?

Do the TM mantras have roots in a religious tradition?

Why are the TM mantras kept private?

So once I learn, I can’t teach the TM technique to others?




Myth #11: When learning Transcendental Meditation you undergo a religious ceremony

When you are instructed in the Transcendental Meditation technique, you indeed witness a short, traditional Vedic ceremony performed by the teacher — as a preparation for teaching (the student does not participate, he or she only witnesses). It is not a religious ceremony (no one is worshiping or being worshiped). It is a way of honoring the ancient tradition of meditation teachers who passed this knowledge down through the ages.

The Sanskrit word "puja" means "to honor;" it doesn't mean "to worship"—it is not a prayer. The puja procedure is a traditional performance of Vedic or Indian culture, used for many circumstances and occasions throughout India: people perform non-religious or secular pujas to honor teachers, guests, elders, musicians, literary figures — anyone who inspires respect. For example, on Mahatma Ghandi's birthday, secular pujas are performed all over India, with elements of invocation and offering, and attended by people of all religions and no religion. During India's Independence Day celebrations, candlelight may be offered and ceremoniously waved before a map or flag of India — another example of a non-religious, secular puja.

There are also religious pujas used for honoring deities; the language and offerings are similar to the secular pujas, but the context and intention is very, very different.

Nowadays, people seem more respectful and willing to accept ceremonies and protocols from other traditions — and that's what the puja is: an ancient, traditional ceremony from another culture, which uses some of that culture's traditional language of adoration. You might say that the TM program puja is performed in a sense similar to doctors taking the Hippocratic oath* — no worship is involved, it's traditional and ceremonial.

Yet the ceremony serves the vital function of keeping the TM technique connected to its source in the Vedic tradition. This timeless tradition of knowledge and the comprehensive understanding of consciousness that Maharishi revived from this tradition is the basis of the TM technique's effectiveness. TM instructors teach the technique in the way that has proven effective, using the ceremony as a preparation to teach.

If you're into ceremonies, you'll enjoy it. If you're not, it's very brief.






Religious leaders on the TM technique
 
More about the TM program's instruction ceremony (puja)

More about science, religion, and the Transcendental Meditation program



Myth #10: The Transcendental Meditation organization is a moneymaking $3.5 billion empire.

Myth #11: When learning Transcendental Meditation you undergo a religious ceremony.

Myth #12: Transcendental Meditation is a form of Hinduism

Back to Myths

*The Hippocratic oath, still used by many Western medical schools as part of the symbolic ceremony of becoming a medical doctor, begins, "I swear by Apollo, Asclepius, Hygieia, and Panacea, and I take to witness all the gods, all the goddesses, to keep according to my ability and my judgment, the following Oath...."



Myth #2: Meditation is difficult and it takes a long time to get results.

The Transcendental Meditation technique is easy to learn and practice — in fact, effortlessness is the key to its effectiveness — and most people report benefits right from the start.

The simple form of meditation known today as the TM technique had been long lost to society, even in India. The technique was revived by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who established its practical benefits on the objective ground of modern science by inviting scientists everywhere to investigate the effects of twice-daily practice.

Before Maharishi introduced the TM technique, this natural method of transcending was unknown even to modern-day Vedic scholars. Throughout the world, common misunderstandings about meditation were the norm: meditation was difficult, it typically involved concentration or mind control, it was mostly for recluses and took many years to master, and rare were cases of anyone succeeding at it or producing demonstrable results — even among yogis committing their life to meditation.

This was the background against which Maharishi introduced the Transcendental Meditation technique in 1955 and brought about a renewed understanding of consciousness and human potential — based on the revival of the effortless, natural process of transcending.



Back to Myths

Who was Maharishi Mahesh Yogi — and what is his role in TM?

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi was widely regarded as a foremost authority on meditation—described by some as "an Einstein in the field of consciousness." He is known for his practical, scientific approach and his lifelong endeavor to relieve human suffering and bring the benefits of effective meditation to people everywhere.

He did not fashion himself as a "guru" with personal followers, but served as a teacher and restorer of Vedic knowledge. "I have no followers," he once replied to a journalist. "Everyone follows their own progress." 

"A rediscovery to fulfill the need of our time"

On the basis of the knowledge that he received from his teacher, Maharishi revived the ancient meditation technique of "effortless transcending"—long lost to society even in India, the land of its origin—and reestablished the technique's original effectiveness.* He systematized the teaching of the technique into a seven-step course so that teachers could be trained to teach it in every language and the practice would give consistent, all-positive results for people everywhere—thereby preserving the Transcendental Meditation technique in its purity for this and future generations.

The once common belief that effective meditation is arduous and requires many years of practice to master—and that the full benefit of meditation is available only to recluses or monks—was the age-old misunderstanding that Maharishi proved wrong and turned on its head.

He created a self-sustaining, yet strictly non-profit educational organization with global scope to provide instruction in the technique and train certified teachers, structuring the organization so that all funds generated from course tuition go to support the teachers and perpetuate the knowledge and practice. Throughout his life—devoted single-mindedly to the fulfillment of this mission—he maintained the simple, humble lifestyle of a monk from the Himalayas, accruing no material possessions.

Always acknowledging and honoring the source of the wisdom that he was teaching, Maharishi gave all credit to his teacher and the Vedic tradition—the lineage of great masters through whom the teaching flows, a river of timeless knowledge.

"Through the windows of science — the dawn of a new era"

Over the years as he traveled the globe lecturing on meditation and training thousands of teachers, Maharishi met with many of the greatest minds of his generation—who practiced his meditation technique or sought discourse with him during symposia on his theory of consciousness. Maharishi discussed molecular chemistry with Nobel Laureate Melvin Calvin; environmental design with R. Buckminster Fuller; quantum mechanics with Nobel Laureate Dr. Brian Josephson; thermodynamics with Nobel Laureate Dr. Ilya Prigogine; the effect of meditation on stress with renowned researcher Hans Selye; the future of technology with Harvey Brooks of Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government; the structure of natural law with renowned physicist E.C.G. Sudarshan—and on goes the list of leading thinkers who were in frequent attendance at Maharishi’s talks.

His success as a meditation teacher is unprecedented: Never before in recorded history, even as far back as the flowering of Zen meditation throughout Asia, has a single meditation technique been learned by so many people (over 6 million) during the teacher's lifetime—and with such demonstrable results.


The Transcendental Meditation technique has spread naturally and effortlessly throughout the world mostly by word of mouth—one person experiences the benefits and tells another. A meditation practice could be this successful only if it were uniquely effective, and it could be this effective only if its founder possessed a clear, comprehensive, experiential knowledge of consciousness and human potential.
 
Maharishi's further achievement was to establish the practical benefits of meditation on the empirical ground of science—welcoming scientists everywhere to research the TM technique—lifting spiritual development from the realm of mysticism and bringing it into the clear light of objectively verifiable knowledge.



"May good belong to all the people in the world.
May the rulers go by the path of justice.
May the best of men and their source prove to be a blessing.
May all the world rejoice in happiness.
May rain come on time and plentifulness be on earth.
May this world be free from suffering and the noble ones free from fear.
May good belong to all the people in the world.
And may all the world rejoice in Enlightenment."

—Maharishi's wish for the world as he inaugurated the dawn of a new, enlightened era for humankind in 1975

*The "technique of effortless transcending"— the Transcendental Meditation technique — is referred to in the traditional language of India as "Bhavatita Dhyan."

Maharishi videos

More about Maharishi


NBC News: The TM program for High Blood Pressure


This NBC News report from Washington, DC, aired on January 8th, 2009. It describes a study on the TM technique and Blood Pressure currently underway at Howard University Hospital, and includes some inspiring interviews with meditating participants. CLICK TO WATCH

What is the Vedic Tradition?

The Vedic (VAY-dik) tradition of knowledge is the oldest continuous tradition of knowledge on Earth. The Vedic Tradition includes detailed information on a wide range of topics — from health care to architecture, from agriculture to music. But it focuses especially on knowledge about consciousness, technologies of consciousness, and growth to enlightenment — the state of peak mental performance and optimal health. People sometimes assume that the Vedic wisdom is strictly a cultural tradition, relevant only in India. But in the same way that Newton’s Laws of Motion are not English or Christian, nor Einstein’s Theory of Relativity German or Jewish, the Transcendental Meditation program is a scientific discovery based on laws of nature that are true and universal for all people, all cultures.
The TM technique

How to learn

What you get

Introductory Lectures

ADHD: Medicate or Meditate?

New research: An effective alternative



A study published in the journal Current Issues in Education suggests that the Transcendental Meditation technique may be an effective and safe non-drug treatment for ADHD.

 



The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple, natural, effortless mental technique practiced 10-20 minutes twice daily, sitting quietly and comfortably in a chair with the eyes closed. The TM technique can be easily learned by anyone and is enjoyable to practice. The benefits of the TM technique are immediate and increase over time. The technique’s positive effects—for mind, body and relationships—have been verified by hundreds of research studies conducted at top medical schools and published in over 350 peer-reviewed scientific journals.

ADHD and the brain

Neuroscientists and researchers tell us that an imbalance in brain functioning can cause ADHD symptoms. The brain is made up of millions of cells that continually talk to each other, sending signals across the gaps or synapses between brain cells. The messenger molecules that carry these signals are called neurotransmitters. The neurotransmitters dopamine, norepinephrine and serotonin regulate thinking, hyperactivity, impulsivity, inattentiveness, memory, emotions, and depression.

How medications work

The active ingredients in the most commonly used ADHD medications are amphetamines. As powerful stimulants, these amphetamines artificially increase the amount of certain neurotransmitters in the brain, speeding up brain activity. This is of great concern to doctors and parents. According to researchers, when the drugs flood the brain with these artificially produced neurotransmitters, the brain's ability to produce these neurotransmitters by itself is diminished. This can potentially cause the brain to suppress the natural growth and development of the brain cells that create the neural networks. The young brain isn’t given the chance to develop on its own and mature in its own functioning.[1]

How meditation works

The Transcendental Meditation technique doesn’t just treat the symptoms or create just a temporary effect, but can improve the condition permanently by reducing stress and creating more efficient and orderly brain functioning. Scientific research studies published in such prestigious journals as the International Journal of Neuroscience[2], Psychophysiology and others[3] have shown that the TM technique creates widespread "EEG coherence " throughout all areas of the brain. Everything good about the brain depends on its efficient, orderly functioning. Scientists have found that this improved brain functioning through daily TM practice improves IQ , creativity, comprehension, memory and academic performance. People practicing the TM technique commonly report immediate relief from anxiety and hyperactivity, and greater ability to concentrate and focus in their daily life. Under supervision of their doctors, patients with ADHD are often able to reduce or eliminate their medications within 3-6 months.

How the TM technique is different

The TM technique is unique—unlike all other forms of meditation—distinguished by its effortlessness, naturalness, and profound effectiveness. The technique doesn't take years to master and can be quickly and easily learned by anyone, even children. The technique is non-religious and requires no change in lifestyle or belief—one doesn't even have to believe in it for it to work.

Because the practice is effortless, you don't have to be able to concentrate or even sit still.

The TM technique allows awareness to naturally settle inward, transcending the busy activity of the mind, to a state of restful alertness. During the practice, the body gains deep relaxation—much deeper than ordinary relaxation or other meditation practices. Over 350 peer-reviewed scientific research studies have shown the TM technique to be the most effective mind-body practice for decreasing anxiety and depression and promoting self-actualization.

People with ADHD and other learning disorders are turning to the TM technique in growing numbers and finding relief from tension and restlessness within just a few days. Many of these people have tried counseling and other forms of meditation, without desired results, but with regular practice of the TM technique have been able to end their dependence on medications while thriving in school or work for the first time in their lives.

As concern for the long-term side effects of medication grows, it is worthwhile to become more informed about this healthy and practical approach for managing ADHD.

To view a PBS special feature on the effects of the TM technique for treating ADHD, click here.

To view ABC and NBC video news clips on the use of the TM technique for treating students with ADHD, click here.

  1. http://www.adhd-tm.org/questions.html
  2. Dillbeck M. C. and Bronson E. C. Short-term longitudinal effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique on EEG power and coherence. International Journal of Neuroscience 14: 147–151, 1981.
  3. Travis F. Eyes open and TM EEG patterns after one and after eight years of TM practice. Psychophysiology 28 (3a): S58, 1991. Travis F. and Miskov S. P300 latency and amplitude during eyes-closed rest and Transcendental Meditation practice.Psychophysiology 31: S67 (Abstract), 1994. Travis F. Patterns of EEG coherence, power, and contingent negative variation characterize the integration of transcendental and waking states. Biological Psychology 61: 293-319, 2002. Wallace R.K., et al. Modification of the paired H reflex through the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. Experimental Neurology 79: 77-86, 1983. Wallace R. K., et al. Modification of the paired H reflex through the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program. Experimental Neurology 79: 77–86, 1983. Yamamoto S., et al. Medial prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulated cortex in the generation of alpha activity induced by Transcendental Meditation: A magnetoencephalographic study.Acta Medica Okayama, 60(1): 51-58, 2006.
  4. Alexander C.N., et al. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on stress reduction, health, and employee development: A prospective study in two occupational settings. Anxiety, Stress and Coping: An International Journal 6: 245-262, 1993. Candelent T., et al. Teaching Transcendental Meditation in a psychiatric setting. Hospital & Community Psychiatry 26: 156-159, 1975. Dillbeck M.C. The effect of the Transcendental Meditation technique on anxiety level. Journal of Clinical Psychology 33: 1076-1078, 1977. Eppley K.R. et al. Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: A meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology 45: 957-974, 1989.


BBC World News: Using the Transcendental Meditation technique to alleviate ADHD



A new study suggests that the Transcendental Meditation technique could help improve brain functioning and lower stress in students.

Fifty students took part in the trial at the American University, in Washington, DC. After ten weeks of meditation the students scored higher on performance tests, reported feeling more alert and said they coped better in difficult situations.

Josh Goulding participated in the study and claims it has helped to get him off a cocktail of drugs he was taking to control Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD).
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)

Most Popular