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The Iowan: Beyond LEED: Maharishi University’s Sustainable Living Center

March 5, 2012

[potluck] Beyond LEED

Fairfield, Iowa – March 1, 2012

MUM Sustainable Living Center

Maharishi University of Management's Sustainable Living Center

Compiled by Carol Bodensteiner and Mary Gottschalk

More and more new or renovated structures in Iowa trumpet their commitment to reducing demands on air, water, and energy resources — some even achieving platinum status in LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification (currently the highest level recognized by the U.S. Green Building Council). The folks at the Sustainable Living Center (SLC) in Fairfield are aiming higher.

Rising to the Living Building Challenge (an international performance-based certification program) and incorporating both Building Biology principles and Maharishi Vedic architecture guidelines, the SLC design introduces such features as the use of naturally hygroscopic materials to self-regulate humidity, the use of natural building materials, and complete water and energy self-sufficiency — the ability to go off the grid.

According to David Fisher, Director of the Sustainable Living Program at Maharishi University of Management (MUM), this higher standard is “doable with current technology.” For example, the combination of insulation, solar and wind powers, and geothermal heat will allow the SLC to generate excess electricity, which will be contributed back to the campus power grid. Similarly, by collecting rainwater for drinking and running black/gray water through a peat moss filtering system for irrigation, the building will have net zero water usage.

In addition to being resource-neutral (and, possibly, resource-positive), the SLC has other unique features, including 16 whole aspen tree trunks that provide major structural support for the building and 26,000 earthen blocks manufactured by MUM students out of local clays. To avoid any toxic chemicals, plaster has been made from sand, cow manure, and soil; paints are milk-based with color pigments derived from clay, minerals, and spices.

When the building opens this spring as classroom and office space for the Bachelor of Science program in Sustainable Living, the SLC will still be a work in progress, says Fisher. “But we’re going to open so our students can share in the experience of showing the construction industry how it can be done.” — M.G.

For information on the Sustainable Living Center, contact David Fisher at dfisher@mum.edu and visit thesustainablelivingcenter.com. Learn more about Building Biology and Vedic architecture online at baubiologie.de (choose English language) and maharishivastu.org.

Rendering courtesy Sustainable Living Center

Related article: Iowa Outdoors: Fairfield’s Abundance EcoVillage: Harmonious Living With Nature — Off The Grid.

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Posted in Architecture, Articles, Education, Health | 2 Comments »

Can meditation save us? Fox News Opinion by Tom McKinley Ball

February 20, 2012

Can meditation save us?

FOX NEWS Opinion by Tom McKinley Ball
Published February 19, 2012 | FoxNews.com

Economic uncertainty, political divisiveness—it seems that our nation and many of us individually are now under more stress than we’re designed to handle.

It’s no surprise that increasing numbers of people are turning to meditation for refuge. And why shouldn’t we? It’s just the natural use of our own minds.

An effective meditation technique allows you to dive deep within and contact reserves of peace, energy and clarity to help you more gracefully accomplish what you wish to achieve in life. It dissolves deep-rooted, accumulated stresses that obstruct your health.

But it’s more than that: meditation can show you who you really are. Not just on the surface but deep within—where reside greater possibilities of creativity and intelligence, untapped potentialities of heart and mind.

Resurgence

“If Transcendental Meditation were a new drug, conferring this many benefits, it would be the biggest, multi-billion dollar blockbuster drug on the market.”—former senior NIH researcher Norman Rosenthal, M.D.

In the 1970s, Transcendental Meditation (“TM”) became a widespread cultural phenomenon. Now there’s a rising new wave of interest in TM, but for different reasons: because there’s so much scientific research verifying its effects.

Doctors and therapists are recommending it in growing numbers.

Business owners offer it as a human resource for employees—such as Oprah Winfrey and her company, Harpo Productions.

Prison systems in the U.S. and abroad are implementing programs for inmates. Hundreds of schools around the world are offering TM-Quiet Time programs for students. But mostly, people are learning it because they notice positive change in someone they know who’s learned.

From a health point of view, meditation can save your life: the deep, restorative rest rejuvenates body and mind and facilitates healing.

Research sponsored by the National Institutes of Health has shown that the TM technique reduces heart attack and stroke by nearly 50%. Clinical trails showed that it reduces cholesterol by 30 milliliters. “If you’re on medication for cholesterol,” says Dr. Mehmet Oz, “we hope you can get 30 milliliters lower. But this happened through Transcendental Meditation alone.”

Besides reducing the major risk factors for heart disease, meditation can also save lives by reducing depression and anxiety, as numerous studies on TM have shown.

“It Saved Me”

I’ve met many people who’ve told me that meditation saved their life. People struggling with high blood pressure who were eventually able to get off their meds after learning TM.

I encountered a Native American woman who said her insulin levels normalized for the first time in years, a few months after learning this meditation. A young woman on the verge of suicide learned the technique, pulled herself out of severe depression and found the wherewithal to return to college for a business degree.

There was the boy with ADHD, who after his first meditation never again needed to wear the Ritalin patch that was stunting his growth.

Hopelessness can be turned into hope when you get to that place within yourself that’s strong enough, resourceful enough to overcome challenges.

Even a person fighting for their life can find solace in meditation: it’s something one can do to help oneself instead of surrendering entirely to the care of others.

Calming the Waters

Here’s the beauty of Transcendental Meditation: it’s a stress-reducing practice that transcends personal opinion, likes and dislikes, beliefs and ideologies. It works on the basis of something deeper and more universal—the mind’s natural tendency.

Our minds naturally seek greater freedom and happiness, greater knowledge. The TM technique allows you to use that natural attraction to happiness in a special way by turning attention inward and finding greater happiness and peace inside you, satisfying the mind’s quest.

But it’s not a selfish thing. Even though you do it for yourself, it’s one of the best things you can do for the people around you.

The flight attendant tells us, in case of emergency, secure your own oxygen mask first. If you don’t, you’ll be useless to help anyone. Meditation allows us to save ourselves from the undertow of stress so we can be sufficiently calm and fully functional to help others.

Bridging the Differences

The TM technique is a secular, non-religious form of meditation involving no beliefs. Many religious people practice it and find that it deepens their spirituality. A physicist friend tells me it refines his appreciation of nature. All the things that define us in the outer world lose their ability to divide us as we familiarize ourselves with that deeper, universal field of order at the basis of the mind—a transcendental level of life that belongs to all of us.

Transcendental Meditation is not a sect. It’s not foreign to our culture because it’s based on natural principles of mind and body that we all share. It’s an effortless technique that anyone can learn, a tool you can use all your life and it gets better with age—it helps you get better with age and stay younger in body, mind and spirit (and yes, there’s research on that).

Tom McKinley Ball is a writer for the David Lynch Foundation. He attended a Transcendental Meditation teacher training course in 1975-76, where he studied with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and has taught meditation for almost 40 years.

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2012/02/19/can-meditation-save-us

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John Hagelin — “Only Higher Consciousness Can Transform Our World” — Beyond Awakening Blog

February 13, 2012

“Only Higher Consciousness Can Transform Our World”
John Hagelin is interviewed by Terry Patten for Beyond Awakening Blog

Terry Patten conducted a conversation at the leading edge with John Hagelin, PhD for their Beyond Awakening Series. You can listen to a replay of this enlightening 90-minute interview recorded Sunday, February 12th, 2012 on the Beyond Awakening Blog, on SoundCloud: BeyondAwakening.Hagelin.02.12.2012, or Download the MP3.

Beyond AwakeningHost Terry Patten is a passionate Integral coach, teacher, trainer, consultant, and writer. He is committed to serving the emergence of Integral consciousness—by writing and educating, and by helping conscious individuals and organizations negotiate extraordinary transitions.

Terry describes John Hagelin as a physicist, educator, author, and large-scale activist — a truly remarkable “Renaissance man.”

His work has demonstrated that since our perception and behavior is a direct reflection of our consciousness, any attempt to improve human behavior or transform society can only succeed if it addresses the fundamental issue of consciousness.

And cutting-edge neuroscientific research reveals clear-cut evidence for “higher states of consciousness” with vastly expanded mental capabilities and enhanced powers. Physiologically well-documented higher states include the temporary experience of Samadhi—Pure Consciousness—the unbounded, universal, transcendental Self. They also include the permanently stabilized experience of Samadhi—together with waking, sleeping and dreaming experience—known as Nirvikalpa Samadhi, Liberation, or Nirvana.

He describes how our new understanding of higher states of consciousness—and their ready accessibility—radically changes our understanding of the limits of human potential. It has far-reaching implications for the transformation of society—for solving intractable problems in the field of education; reducing crime, terrorism and war; and promoting social harmony and world peace.

Dr. Hagelin is a leading researcher and educator who has brought the practice of meditation to half a million at-risk children and has helped conduct a body of research that demonstrates the powerful effects of group meditation practice on reducing social violence, crime, war, and terrorism and promoting societal peace.

In our conversation he will bring together cutting-edge discoveries in quantum physics and neuroscience to forge a new understanding of consciousness and the physical universe—mind and matter—revealing a startling connection between our inner and outer realities.

About John Hagelin:

Official photo of John HagelinJohn Hagelin, Ph.D., is a world-renowned quantum physicist, educator, author, and President of the Global Union of Scientists for Peace. He has conducted pioneering research at CERN (the European Center for Particle Physics) and SLAC (the Stanford Linear Accelerator Center). He is responsible for the development of a highly successful grand unified field theory based on the superstring—a theory that was featured in a cover story of Discover magazine.

In addition, Dr. Hagelin has spent much of the past quarter century leading a scientific investigation into the foundations of human consciousness. He is one of the world’s pre-eminent researchers on the effects of meditation on brain development, and the use of collective meditation to defuse societal stress and to reduce crime and social violence.

In recognition of his outstanding achievements, Dr. Hagelin was named winner of the prestigious Kilby Award, which recognizes scientists who have made “major contributions to society through their applied research in the fields of science and technology.” The award recognized Dr. Hagelin as “a scientist in the tradition of Einstein, Jeans, Bohr and Eddington.”

Dr. Hagelin has appeared many times on ABC’s Nightline, NBC’s Meet the Press, CNN’s Larry King Live! and many others. He has been regularly featured in the Washington Post, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, and most other major metropolitan newspapers.

See IONS interview: The Power of The Collective, by John Hagelin.

TV interviews: Conscious TV: John Hagelin – The Core of Nature | John Hagelin, Ph.D., Speaks on the Nature of Consciousness and the Universe | Dr. John Hagelin: Look Within to Understand the Universe.

Special webcast by Dr. John Hagelin: The Origin of the Universe and the Nature of Consciousness. This video serves as an introduction to Dr. Hagelin’s online course, “Foundations of Physics and Consciousness.” For more information about the course and to register, please click here: http://www.mum.edu/de/physics.html

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Posted in Articles, David Lynch Foundation, Education, Peace | 6 Comments »

MindShiftKQED: How we will learn: Amidst Chaos, 15 Minutes of Quiet Time Helps Focus Students

February 9, 2012

Amidst Chaos, 15 Minutes of Quiet Time Helps Focus Students
February 9, 2012 | 10:36 AM | By Tina Barseghian
Filed Under: Culture, Learning Methods
Students at Visitacion Valley School in South San Francisco
observe 15 minutes of quiet time every morning.

By Kyle Palmer

On a recent morning at Visitacion Valley Middle School in South San Francisco, Principal James Dierke looked out over the school’s auditorium at more than 100 eighth graders. A restless din filled the large room. Bursts of laughter and errant shouts punctuated the buzz. Most of the students seemed disinterested in Dierke’s announcements about the spring’s impending graduation, upcoming field trips, and recent birthdays.

Then, Dierke struck a bell and said, “Okay, it’s quiet time.”

And just like that, a hush fell over the auditorium. Students straightened their backs and closed their eyes. Some bowed their heads. Others rested them on the backs of their chairs. The once-boisterous hall became silent and remained so for the next 15 minutes.

“Visitors are always amazed,” Dierke said afterwards, “but it works. It really is quiet time.”

“Quiet Time” isn’t just a slogan but a daily regimen at Visitacion Valley. The entire school—faculty, staff, and students—spend the first and last 15 minutes of every day in silence. Students are encouraged to use the time to meditate, but Dierke says students can simply clear their mind, think about schoolwork, or even sleep. Just as long as they are quiet.

“I’ve found that it makes people—students and teachers—more joyful,” Dierke said, “To have that time to reflect and be still is important.”

That is not always possible for his school’s students, Dierke said. He said the neighborhood around Visitacion Valley can be rife with violence and crime. “These kids hear gunshots on their way to and from school. That kind of stuff makes it hard to focus on algebra,” he said.

Besides dealing with problems outside school, Visitacion Valley faces challenges in school, too. Nearly 90 percent of Visitacion Valley’s students are classified by the district as socioeconomically disadvantaged and more than 40 percent are English Language Learners.

Dierke, who has been principal at the school for 13 years, said things reached a turning point about five years ago. “We were looking for a way to get kids to relax,” he said. “We saw kids with real post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms. I noticed a lot of them missing school, fighting, and getting angry a lot. They couldn’t concentrate on school.”

An assistant principal suggested the idea for quiet time after she saw Hollywood director David Lynch speak about the program and the accompanying benefits of transcendental meditation. Lynch runs a non-profit foundation that promotes meditation in schools and also sponsors meditation retreats for under-served students.

With the help of the David Lynch Foundation and the San Francisco-based Center for Wellness and Achievement in Education (CWAE), Visitacion Valley trained teachers on how to conduct Quiet Time sessions in their class. CWAE specialists counseled students on meditation techniques and five full-time staffers remain on campus to help maintain the program.

Since beginning Quiet Time, Dierke said things have improved: Daily attendance last year was more than 98 percent, and there have been fewer suspensions and higher test scores.

Angelica Mahinay, Visitacion Valley’s 8th grade student body president, said Quiet Time gives her more energy. “I get to school at 7 a.m. for softball practice. It helps me not be so tired during school,” she said.

Eighth grader Art Parkeenvincha moved to San Francisco from Canada in the middle of this year. “I can be really hyperactive,” he said. “I had never done meditation before, but now I do Quiet Time. I think of my mantra, and it helps me calm down.”

Bob Roth, Executive Director for the David Lynch Foundation, said meditation is not just a way for students to relax but has real cognitive benefits. “Meditation strengthens the areas of the brain that control our ‘fear center’,” he said. “It helps kids reduce anxiety and increase their ability to reason and concentrate.”

Principal Dierke said, as a result of Quiet Time, the school’s image is changing. “This school used to be known as the ‘fight’ school,” he said. “Now, I have other principals asking me about Quiet Time. It feels good to have that reputation.”

Two other schools in SFUSD have begun their own Quiet Time programs and a district spokesperson said other schools have begun asking questions about Visitacion Valley’s success.

Visitacion Valley also got attention from actor Russell Brand, who visited the school just before Christmas on a trip sponsored by the David Lynch Foundation. “That was crazy,” Angelica, the student body president, said. “I got to sit right by him and the whole school meditated with him.”

In addition, Dierke said regular Quiet Time has also helped teachers relax. “Only two teachers have left in the past five years, outside of retirements and district layoffs. That’s amazing for an urban middle school,” he said. He attributes that to higher levels of job satisfaction.

Physical Education teacher Barry O’Driscoll agreed that Quiet Time has helped improve the staff’s quality of life. “I was very reluctant when it first started,” he said. “I thought it was just another fad. But now I meditate twice a day, and I do it at home. I think it’s helped my golf game, too.”

Visitacion Valley still struggles with significant challenges. This year, the school has had to integrate more than 100 new students onto campus after another nearby middle school was closed by the district. Likewise, test scores have increased in recent years but still remain low compared to other SFUSD middle schools.

“We’re not perfect,” Dierke said. “Quiet Time is just like an umbrella. When you have it up, it keeps the rain off, and you can focus on trying to build a culture with kids. That’s what we’re gradually doing here.”

The payoff might be most evident in students like Angelica Mahinay, who says, “Man, when I hear students getting an attitude, or they’re saying they’re going to fight, I say, ‘Hey! Just meditate!’”

Related articles: The San Francisco Examiner—Meditation program mends troubled Visitacion Valley Middle School and Meditation for Students: Results of the David Lynch Foundation’s Quiet Time/TM Program in San Francisco Schools, New research shows Transcendental Meditation improves standardized academic achievement, Breaking the “predictive power of demographics”: SF principal talks about how TM helps his students. And here’s a wonderful report from the The George Lucas Educational Foundation (GLEF): Edutopia: SF School Uses TM to Overcome Problems.

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Watch the trailer for a new documentary film on David Lynch titled “Meditation Creativity Peace”

February 9, 2012

“Meditation Creativity Peace”

“Meditation Creativity Peace” is David Lynch Foundation Television’s compelling new documentary film featuring exclusive, candid footage from David Lynch’s 16-country tour around the world when he spoke to government leaders, film students, and the press during 2007 and 2008. David’s unique, free-styling demeanor grabs your attention from the very beginning of the film. David has also selected deeply insightful quotes from great thinkers and revered texts throughout history, which reveal how the practice of meditation, developing creativity, and enjoying true inner peace are the birthright of everyone. As David says in the documentary, “Transcendental Meditation is for human beings—it doesn’t matter where you live.” Watch the trailer for this new documentary film here: Meditation Creativity Peace.*

About the David Lynch Foundation

The David Lynch Foundation, a 501(c)(3) organization, was established in 2005 to fund the implementation of scientifically proven stress-reducing modalities including Transcendental Meditation, for at-risk populations such as underserved inner-city students; veterans with PTSD and their families; American Indians suffering from diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and high suicide rates; homeless men participating in reentry programs striving to overcome addictions; and incarcerated juveniles and adults. The Foundation also funds university and medical school research to assess the effects of the program on academic performance, ADHD and other learning disorders, anxiety, depression, substance abuse, cardiovascular disease, post-traumatic stress disorder, and diabetes.

Related Websites and Posts

David Lynch Foundation http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org
Operation Warrior Wellness http://www.operationwarriorwellness.org
David Lynch Foundation Music http://davidlynchfoundationmusic.org
David Lynch Foundation Television http://dlf.tv
Transcendental Meditation http://www.tm.org
Click here for DLF Featured Past Events

Announcements and Reviews: Julie Eagleton: Meditation Creativity Peace: A Documentary of David Lynch’s 16 Country Tour | BlackBook: David Lynch’s Transcendental Meditation Documentary Gets a New York Premiere | New York Times: David Lynch Double Bill | Gothamist: David Lynchian Events Happening All Over NYC This Weekend | Yelp: An Evening with the Work of David Lynch, from Transcendental Meditation to Eraserhead

Related articles: HUFFPOST: David Lynch: Why I Meditate | Meditation for Students: Results of the David Lynch Foundation’s Quiet Time/TM Program in San Francisco Schools | Replay of David Lynch Foundation Launch of Operation Warrior Wellness Los Angeles | Third Annual David Lynch Foundation Benefit Gala | David Lynch gives $1M to teach vets meditation | David Lynch donates $1 million in grants through his foundation to teach veterans to meditate | Russell Brand Does Stand-Up for Transcendental Meditation | What do Stephen Collins, Ellen DeGeneres, Russell Brand, Russell Simmons, David Lynch and Oprah have in common?

New related posts: Russell Brand and David Lynch at LA Premiere of ‘Meditation, Creativity, Peace’ Documentary, and David Lynch, Russell Brand, Bob Roth Q&A after screening Meditation, Creativity, Peace documentary at Hammer Museum. Enlightenment, The TM Magazine, reported on the LA Premiere: Meditation Creativity Peace: How the David Lynch Foundation Brings Change from Within. David Lynch speaks with Alan Colmes about his 16-country tour film Meditation Creativity Peace.

*Visit the new website, Meditation Creativity Peace, for a list of upcoming and previous screenings. You can also ask your local TM Center if they have a copy and plan to show it. http://meditationcreativitypeace.com

You can now see the film “Meditation Creativity Peace”—A documentary of David Lynch’s 16-country tour during 2007–2009.

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Posted in Art, David Lynch Foundation, Education, Health, Music, Peace, Videos | 9 Comments »

MUM President Dr Bevan Morris Suggests Ghana Should Consider Consciousness-Based Education

February 3, 2012
   Education  |  3 February 2012

Consider Consciousness-Based Education
Through 15 Minutes Quiet Time

The President of Maharishi University of Management in the United States, Dr Bevan Morris, says the country should consider the adoption of consciousness-based education through which a learning technique known as transcendental meditation or ‘quiet time’ is used to improve academic performance and discipline in schools.

He explained that transcendental meditation was a simple technique to aid the development of total brain functioning so that students could unfold the inner reserves of brain potentials by increasing their creative intelligence, reducing their stress and anxiety and having greater success in their academic performance.

At a presentation on consciousness-based education in Accra, Dr Morris said scientific evidence was so strong that the technique could change students’ lives in positive ways, adding that more than 51 countries in the world had adopted the technique which was working well for their students.

“They (students) just need 10 to 15 minutes practice in the morning and in the afternoon, added to their regular academic programme. They (students) just sit down comfortably in a chair and close their eyes and follow a simple technique that allows the mind to settle down to a more restful stage until they (students) reach a stage of restful alertness where the whole body is deeply relaxed and the mind is silent and peaceful, and when they come out from that they come out with great joy and energy to go ahead and study what they have to study during the day,” he said.

The act, he said, led to excellent academic results and better behavior where the problem of misbehavior such as fighting, destruction of school property and bullying in school was common around the world.

Dr Morris said in tackling indiscipline, it was not adequate to enforce rules and regulations which students were asked to adhere to.

He said with the evidence and experience all over the world, it would be great opportunity for Ghana to look at the practice seriously to be introduced in schools in the country.

The teachers of transcendental meditation, he said, went through four or five months of intensive study to become skillful, adding that there were already teachers of transcendental meditation in Ghana.

Dr Morris said the university was ready to assist in the implementation of transcendental meditation in the country.

He said in practicing the technique, pre-tertiary students could adopt 10-15 minutes while tertiary students could adopt 20 minutes in the morning and afternoon.

He said in the course of transcendental meditation, students did not need to concentrate on anything but would just relax their mind.

Dr Morris said transcendental meditation was not a religious practice, and that it was only a systematic development of brain functioning and higher consciousness.

“TM comes from an ancient tradition in India, ”he emphasised.

The President of Maharishi Foundation in Ghana, Dr T.K. Orgle, said there were two training centres at Labone and Odorkor.

He said TM was being practiced at a school in Chorkor.

The Headmaster of the Manhean Senior High School, Mr Joseph Amuah, said it was up to the country to decide which way to go, as far as transcendental meditation was concerned.

Source: Emmanuel Bonney – Daily Graphic
Also see Permanent World Peace CAN be created says Dr Morris

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Maharishi University’s Rao and Bargerstock published in Management Accounting Quarterly

January 15, 2012

Rao and Bargerstock published in Management Accounting Quarterly

Rao and Bargerstock

Manjunath Rao, a Ph.D. candidate at Maharishi University of Management, and his doctoral thesis advisor, Associate Professor, Andrew Bargerstock,  had a paper published in the Fall 2011 issue of Management Accounting Quarterly, the refereed online journal of the Institute for Management Accountants (IMA).

Rao noticed an apparent disconnect with companies not walking their talk. It seems the more mature lean manufacturing plants are still using the older standard costing methods. The paper, Exploring the Role of Standard Costing in Lean Manufacturing Enterprises: A Structuration Theory Approach, was posted online the first week of the year, and presents the theory and research plan for his dissertation. It will address why a majority of manufacturers continue to use traditional standard cost accounting even as they adopt lean manufacturing.

Rao will attempt to understand the nature of this discrepancy, and demonstrate the need for change, for companies to become more current in the way they do business. The system of Lean Management focuses on adding value to customers while streamlining operations and eliminating waste. It grew out of management principles used by the remarkably successful Toyota Motor Corporation.

Mr. Rao said he is very pleased with all of the support the IMA has given him for this research. “The IMA helped me in collecting data for my research by sending out the survey questionnaire to their members, and last June they invited me to participate in their 92nd Annual Conference at Orlando, Florida.”

Lean Accounting Award from the Lean Enterprise Institute Goes to an Accounting Professor and 2 Ph.D. Candidates

Winners of the LEI Excellence in Lean Accounting Award

In September, 2011, Rao was recognized nationally as one of two Ph.D. students who were awarded the Lean Accounting Student of the Year. An accounting professor and two doctoral candidates received 2011 Excellence in Lean Accounting Awards, sponsored by the nonprofit Lean Enterprise Institute (LEI) at the seventh annual Lean Accounting Summit in Orlando, Florida.

And last month, Rao received a $4,000 research grant from the IMA’s Research Foundation’s Doctoral Student Grant Program. The Program is designed to assist accounting doctoral students who are pursuing research that has the potential to contribute to the management accounting profession.

Accounting Methods: Lean vs. SCVA

According to Lean accounting theory published in numerous books and articles, mature lean manufacturing companies are expected to eliminate the use of standard costing and variance analysis (SCVA). However, field reports suggest that many companies continue to retain SCVA even after they have successfully implemented an effective system of work cell metrics.

SCVA is taught worldwide as the traditional method for controlling costs in manufacturing operations by averaging input costs and quantities over the entire production process. It involves setting quantitative average cost and quantity targets for key categories of inputs: material, labor and overhead. Reports are typically generated each month that summarize and compare actual costs to standard costs. Differences (variances) are investigated to determine root causes of unexpected results.

By contrast, in a lean manufacturing company, work cell teams (typically 6-10 people who perform a few sequential tasks) develop the relevant data they need to control quality and costs in real time (as compared to monthly reports with SCVA). From the perspective of Lean Management, work cell metrics are clearly superior to SCVA reports. Mature lean companies are therefore expected to eliminate the more outdated method of reporting.

Surprisingly, there has been no significant research study that has tested the lean accounting theory that mature manufacturers will eliminate SCVA. Rao’s research will gather such information via survey and he will also collect data to understand why companies are retaining SCVA.

Structuration Theory and Vedic Science

Rao utilized Giddens’ Structuration Theory, a general social theory model, to test the relevancy and completeness of questions on his survey. In his dissertation, Rao will show how Giddens’ theory mirrors Maharishi’s consciousness-based Samhita concept that explains the relationships among the knower, the known, and process of knowing.

“For a long time there was a debate in Western Sociological Sciences regarding Objective versus Subjective approach to knowledge,” explains Rao. “Giddens adopted a reconciliatory approach by stating that objective and subjective approaches are two sides of the same coin. He formulated the structuration theory wherein he introduced three concepts: Structure (object), Agency (subject), and Systems (wherein duality of structure and agency interact).”

According to Rao, “This three-concept model clearly overlaps with the Samhita model where Maharishi speaks of the same three concepts using the language of Vedic Science: Chandas (object), Rishi (subject), and Devata (process or Systems).”

Giddens also emphasizes the interaction of these concepts in three dimensions: Domination, Signification and Legitimation, which Rao says also mirror other concepts in Maharishi’s Vedic Science, the three gunas, or  fundamental operating principles found in nature (Prakriti) and their doshic counterparts, qualities known as Rajas (Pitta=Domination), Sattva (Vata=Signification) and Tamas (Kapha=Legitimation). If any one of these goes out of balance, problems occur.

To summarize Giddens, the Agency Dominates, through a System, which Signifies, and creates a Structure, which becomes Legitimate. This locks others into the existing interpretation of Reality. People get stuck, and there is no room to change to another way of looking at the world, managing or accounting more effectively on the work being done.

It is human nature to resist change, and that includes companies. A quote from Arthur Schopenhauer (1788-1860) on recognizing truth, accepting a different worldview, a different paradigm, seems very relevant here: All truth passes through three stages. First, it is ridiculed. Second, it is violently opposed. Third, it is accepted as being self-evident.

Research from a Consciousness-Based Education Framework

Rao credits M.U.M. founder, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, for his “Samhita” concept, the togetherness of three basic elements, Rishi, Devata, and Chandas, or Knower, Knowing, and Known, a unique feature of Maharishi University of Management’s Consciousness-Based Education, which, Rao says, made it easier for him to understand difficult material.  “I was able to grasp the wholeness of the problem without getting lost in the details. It has helped me see the forest without getting lost in counting the trees.”

According to Dr. Bargerstock, Rao’s dissertation adviser, “Manjunath’s research has garnered significant attention by experts in the field of lean accounting.  In June 2011, the IMA invited Manjunath to give a poster presentation of his research plan at their annual conference in Orlando, Florida.  In September, 2011, he was named as one of two Ph.D. students nationally who were recognized as Lean Accounting Students of the Year at the Lean Accounting Summit in Orlando, FL.  In December, Manjunath received a research grant award of $4,000 from the IMA.  And now, he is recognized again by the IMA with the publication of this article.  We are very pleased with the progress of Manjunath’s dissertation.”

This is Mr. Rao’s first published article. “I am really thrilled to have my article published even while working on my Ph.D. dissertation.”  He says, “This has made it easier for me to establish relevance for my research in addressing issues currently faced by the management accounting profession.”

Manjunath Rao is a Certified Cost and Works Accountant from India (Grad “CWA), a Certified Management Accountant (CMA), with MBA and Masters in Accountancy (MSA) degrees from the US. He hopes to complete his Ph.D. in Management by June of this year.

Source: Rao and Bargerstock Article Published in Management Accounting Quarterly.

Reported in Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities: MUM Student Receives National Management Accounting Grant, and in MUM’s Achievements and The Review.

Related articles: Maharishi University MBA Students Win National Business Simulation Competition and Iowa and Nepal Rotary Clubs Provide Well for City in Nepal.

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Meditation for Students: Results of the David Lynch Foundation’s Quiet Time/TM Program in San Francisco Schools

December 24, 2011

David Lynch Foundation Event in San Francisco: Meditation for Students

The David Lynch Foundation held a benefit gala in San Francisco on June 1 at the Legion of Honor, to showcase the successes of a five-year project to bring the stress-reducing Transcendental Meditation technique to students in inner-city San Francisco schools. In this video, you will hear James Dierke, principal of Visitacion Valley Middle School talk about the unprecedented academic achievements of his meditating students; iconic filmmaker David Lynch talk about the inspiring work of his foundation among at-risk populations; and Dr. Norman Rosenthal, internationally renowned psychiatrist and NY Times bestselling author, discuss the amazing results of scientific research on the TM technique. See other featured past events posted on the David Lynch Foundation website. To hear more about the David Lynch Foundation and it’s programs, please visit: http://www.davidlynchfoundation.org.

Uploaded by on Jul 7, 2011.

See selected highlights of Inspiring results from the TM-Quiet Time Program in the San Francisco Unified School District.

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Robin Lim is the 2011 CNN Hero Of The Year

December 15, 2011

I spoke with Robin Lim after she became the CNN Hero of 2011. She used to live in Fairfield. Some of her kids went to school here. KRUU FM’s Dennis Raimondi had interviewed Robin Lim on one of her visits back to her second home of Fairfield, Iowa. You can listen here.

Lim wins CNN’s Hero of the Year

Robin Lim was one of 10 finalists and had just won CNN’s Hero of the Year for all the work she’s been doing over the years in Bali, and in Aceh after the Tsunami hit. She also helped deliver babies being born in Haiti after the earthquake. An American, Robin Lim became a midwife after her sister and niece died from complications during pregnancy. She reevaluated her life and decided what meant most to her, and that was love—giving, nurturing, and saving lives. She became a midwife, went to Bali and opened a free clinic. Since 2003, she and her team in Indonesia have helped thousands of low-income women have a healthy pregnancy and birth. Her philosophy and practice is Gentle Birth for Peace on Earth. Click on the hyperlinked phrases below to see videos and articles.

See the video that introduced 2011 Top 10 CNN Hero Robin Lim at “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.” Heroes Tribute: Robin Lim.

Celebrities joined CNN in honoring everyday people doing extraordinary things who are changing the world in Sunday night’s “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute” show. Here are some CNN Heroes highlights: photos: 2011 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute video: CNN honors top Heroes of the year, and overview page with other videos and articles.

This is neat: Watch four days of production building the new CNN Heroes stage compressed into one action-packed minute: Behind the Scenes at CNN Heroes: Building the Stage.

Watch the videos posted in this beautiful CNN Top Ten Hero Profile on Robin Lim Community Crusader.

Anderson Cooper introduces Christy Turlington Burns, global maternal health advocate and founder of Every Mother Counts, who went to see firsthand the work of Robin and her team at Bhumi Sehat in Bali. Christy Turlington Burns introduces 2011 Top 10 CNN Hero Robin Lim at “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.” And Dr. Sanjay Gupta interviews top 10 CNN Hero Robin Lim and Christy Turlington Burns at “CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute.”

Robin Lim accepts her CNN Hero award from model Christy Turlington Burns

Robin Lim CNN Hero of the Year.

Here is the video of Anderson Cooper naming Robin Lim the 2011 CNN Hero of the Year, and her acceptance speech: ‘Mother Robin’ wins CNN Hero of the Year.

Here is a video of CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta backstage at the fifth annual “CNN Heroes” awards: Gupta backstage at ‘Heroes’. His last interview is with CNN Hero of the Year Robin Lim as she walks offstage at 3:07–3:50.

In this exclusive follow-up video, Robin Lim: What’s next?, CNN’s Dr. Sanjay Gupta talks to 2011 CNN Hero of the Year Robin Lim. He starts off by asking how women’s lives will be impacted after tonight’s win. Robin says they’re going to build a new clinic and thanks her team and family. After hearing Robin’s passionate description of training midwives to help poor undernourished Balinese women bear their young, Dr. Gupta says: “I just applaud the work that you’re doing for all the world’s children out there.” Robin makes a plea for midwives who deliver peaceful births: “We are the ones who are the guardians of normal birth.”

CNN’s Anderson Cooper interviews 2011 CNN Hero of the Year Robin Lim: What it means to be a hero.

Photographer Palani Mohan describes his visit with top 10 CNN Hero Robin Lim in Portrait of a Hero: Robin Lim.

CNN’s Anderson Cooper joins honorees Patrice Millet, Bruno Serato, Diane Latiker, Sal Dimiceli, 2011 CNN Hero of the Year Robin Lim, Amy Stokes, Eddie Canales, Richard St. Denis, Taryn Davis and Derreck Kayongo.

Some Media Coverage on Robin Lim, CNN Hero Of The Year

CNN: This Just In: Join the conversation: CNN Heroes with a lovely photo of Robin with her mother and husband before her win.(wireimage).

And after, standing with Anderson Cooper, as CNN Hero of the Year.

Here’s an earlier Huffington Post article before the competition: Balinese Natural Birthing Center Threatened by Global Downturn. Recent Huffington Post articles: CNN Hero Of The Year, Robin Lim, Wins $250,000 For Indonesia Birthing Clinic and Christy Turlington Burns: My hero, Ibu Robin Lim. Thanks to Mozilla Firefox and Crowdrise, Christy’s organization is entering a competition, and if her charity raises the most, Mozilla Firefox will contribute $25,000 to Robin’s clinic! Click here to find out how you can get involved. Google is also offering an opportunity for anyone to donate to Support the 2011 CNN Heroes until December 31st.

Some other global coverage: video: FIL-AM NAMED 2011 CNN HERO OF THE YEAR 2011 ROBIN LIM HELPED POOR INDONESIAN WOMEN and article: Fil-Am named 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.

ShowbizTonight@CNNHEROES: Robin Lim: ‘I’m still in shock’ – YouTube (with J.R. Martinez)

The Sacramento Bee: Robin Lim Named 2011 CNN “Hero of the Year” at CNN’s Fifth Annual CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute. Please see link for photography from 2011 CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute: http://imftp.turner.com/User/ImageListing.aspx?f=s96o.

Jakarta Post: Bali-based US midwife named CNN Hero.

Free Malaysia Today: Bali midwife wins CNN’s Hero of the Year.

Manila Bulletin (Editorial): Midwife of Filipino descent named C.N.N. Hero of the Year

Corriere Della Sera: Una Osterica Fuori Dal Comune.

babble: 2011: Year Of The Midwife!

jezebel: Women’s Health Advocate Wins ‘CNN Hero Of The Year‘.

She Knows’ Parenting: Robin Lim, CNN Hero of the Year, helped improve birth outcomes in Indonesia.

Nigeria Entertainment: ‘Mother Robin’ wins CNN Hero of the Year.

TV by the Numbers: Robin Lim Named 2011 CNN “Hero Of The Year” At CNN’s Fifth Annual ‘CNN Heroes: An All-Star Tribute’.

PerezHilton: CNN Names Their 2011 Hero Of The Year.

Ricky: Robin Lim named 2011 CNN Hero of the Year.

WCAX.com: Founder of Vt nonprofit named CNN Hero of the Year. Related Story: Barre nonprofit helps babies around the world. And Adventures of Lady D: Ibu Robin is CNN Hero of the Year!

The Daily Sound: CNN Hero of the Year Robin Lim speaks in Montecito.

And hundreds more from around the world all over the internet.

For more information on Robin Lim check her Wikipedia page and a volunteer website for Robin Lim that contains valuable info on her life and work. And more information on Bumi Sehat Foundation International www.bumisehatbali.org and www.youtube.com/bumisehatfoundation. You can also see a local TED Talk by Robin recorded May 6, 2011 at Gaya Fusion TEDxUbud – Robin Lim – Peace Begins at Birth. And this NBC Nightly News profile Changing lives at birth Nov 19, 2011.

November 2012 update: Robin Lim Day — CNN Hero Returns to Fairfield, Iowa for a Hometown Hero’s Welcome and CNN Hero Robin Lim visiting Fairfield

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Russell Brand Interviews Quantum Physicist At David Lynch Foundation Gala

December 6, 2011

DECEMBER 5, 2011, 6:00 PM ET

By Michelle Kung

Russell Brand Interviews Quantum Physicist At David Lynch Foundation Gala

With his manic energy and cheeky vocabulary, British comic Russell Brand hardly seems like a poster boy for Transcendental Meditation.

But Mr. Brand, who credits the meditation technique for helping him stay sober, is indeed a practitioner of TM and served as a master of ceremonies Saturday night for the David Lynch Foundation’s annual “Change Begins Within” benefit at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art. He was performing gratis, and hoped his good will would buy him “some wiggle room to act subversively and deviously.”

Mr. Brand was introduced by talk show host Ellen DeGeneres, who Mr. Brand turned onto TM a year ago, and in turn introduced David Lynch. Though best known to American audiences as the director of atmospheric films like “Blue Velvet” and the television series “Twin Peaks,” Mr. Lynch has also been an avid meditator for over three decades and created the David Lynch Foundation in 2005 to help implement meditation programs for both at-risk students and veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder.

Mr. Lynch summed up his thoughts about TM by producing a painting of a tree and explained to the audience, which included actors like Marcia Gay Harden, Kristen Bell and honoree Russell Simmons, that the key to meditation was to “water to root” of the mind and “enjoy the fruit” of the ensuing knowledge. He also introduced his psychiatrist Norman Rosenthal to the crowd, who thanked his client for his “confidential” introduction and explained the health benefits of transcendental meditation — a subject they have written about for The Wall Street Journal’s opinion page.

After hearing first-person account from war veterans and current high school students about how TM has personally affected their lives, Mr. Brand wrapped up the evening by interviewing quantum physicist John Hagelin — a situation that seemed to fill the actor full of glee. We’ve embedded the interview below:

(The included interview was from last year’s Change Begins Within Gala Event in New York City. You can see this year’s interview here, and the complete Third Annual David Lynch Foundation Benefit Gala, which took place December 3rd, 2011 at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.) See Ellen DeGeneres and Russell Brand raise awareness about TM for overcoming traumatic stress.

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Posted in Articles, David Lynch Foundation, Education, Health, Peace, Videos | 2 Comments »

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