Posts Tagged ‘Vedic tradition’

Health India’s Editorial Team says Transcendental Meditation (TM) is taking the world by storm

January 14, 2014

Health India

Transcendental Meditation — a meditation technique that is taking the world by storm

Editorial Team January 14, 2014 at 5:24 pm

Meditation, a simple yet deep-rooted technique that helps you think better, control your emotions with finesse and even makes you a better person. First practiced in India, meditation is a method carried down through the ages. It was first mentioned in the Vedas and is well-known in India as a doorway to nirvana. But now the Americans have woken up to its benefits.

According to study carried out by Fred Travis, director of the centre for brain, consciousness, and cognition at Maharishi University of Management in the US, physiological measures and first-person descriptions of transcendental experiences and higher states have only been investigated during practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique.

After analysing descriptions of transcendental consciousness from 52 people practicing TM, Travis found that they experienced ‘a state where thinking, feeling, and individual intention were missing, but self-awareness remained’. A systematic analysis of their experiences revealed three themes – absence of time, space and body sense.

‘This research focuses on the larger purpose of meditation practices – to develop higher states of consciousness,’ explained Travis. With regular meditation, experiences of transcendental consciousness begin to co-exist with sleeping, dreaming and even while one is awake.

This state is called cosmic consciousness in the Vedic tradition, said the paper published in the journal Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. Whereas people practicing TM describe themselves in relation to concrete cognitive and behavioural processes, those experiencing cosmic consciousness describe themselves in terms of a continuum of inner self-awareness that underlies their thoughts, feelings and actions, added the paper.

‘The practical benefit of higher states is that you become more anchored to your inner self, and, therefore, less likely to be overwhelmed by the vicissitudes of daily life,’ said Travis. TM is an effortless technique for automatic self-transcending, different from the other categories of meditation – focused attention or open monitoring.

It allows the mind to settle inward beyond thought to experience the source of thought – pure awareness or transcendental consciousness. This is the most silent and peaceful level of consciousness – one’s innermost self, said the study.

Wondering what it is? Here is all you need to know about the TM technique

Transcendental Meditation?

Also called the TM technique, Transcendental Meditation is a simple practice one does for 20 minutes twice in a day. All you need to do is sit comfortably and close your eyes. This meditation technique is not a religion, philosophy or lifestyle, it is simply a way to reach self-development.

This technique allows your mind to settle and gives you a chance to experience pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness. It allows you to experience the most silent and peaceful level of consciousness – your innermost self. It also allows your brain to attain deep rest helping you be more efficient and betters your cognitive functions.

Where did this technique originate?

About 50 years ago, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced Transcendental Meditation to the world. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is considered the representative of Vedic tradition in our day and age. This form of meditation helped in restoring knowledge and helps people experience a higher state of consciousness. The most important aspect of this technique is that it is still practiced with the same technique and principles as it was when the Vedas were first written, giving it maximum effectiveness.

How do I learn?

The TM technique has local teachers who will guide you through the process. It consists of seven steps after which one can practice the TM technique on their own.

Benefits of the TM technique

The TM technique is known to calm your mind, directly affecting the stress that your brain experiences on a daily basis. According to the experts, practicing the TM technique regularly helps in developing total brain control, thereby making you more equipped to deal with every day stress. It indirectly reduces the production on hormones that are commonly produced when one is stressed and thereby stops the damage that is normally produced.

Apart from all this, a calm mind and body is the best way to protect your body from cardiovascular stress. The TM technique also has great benefits for students, it helps improve their memory, IQ and helps them fight stress.

With inputs from: IANS

Reference: Transcendental Meditation

Related: Transcendental experiences during meditation practice – paper published in @AcademyAnnals.

Health India also posts: Practice Transcendental Meditation to lower BP, heart and mortality risks.

See more news coverage: Transcendental Meditation and lifestyle changes both stimulate genes that reduce blood pressure and extend lifespan.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Articles, Education, Health, Maharishi University, Peace | 3 Comments »

Maharishi University of Management featured in Education Executive Magazine — Spring 2012

April 14, 2012

Maharishi University of Management

Higher Education – Spring 2012 (pages 62-63)

Open Mindedness

Transcendental Meditation® helps students at Maharishi University of Management enhance their learning, the institution says.

All successful administrators believe firmly in the missions of their institutions, but the connection runs deeper for Dr. Craig Pearson, executive vice president of Maharishi University of Management (MUM). After graduating from Duke University in 1971 and feeling disillusioned from the tumultuous impact of the Vietnam War, Pearson discovered the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM).

“I saw a need for change, and I wanted to participate in that and I wanted it to be meaningful,” Pearson says. “Finally, I realized it would be a nice contribution to make to this society that I lived in if I taught TM.” After he became versed in teaching TM, Pearson discovered an opportunity to teach at MUM, and what has followed has been a learning experience that has lasted more than 30 years.

“I’ve had just an amazing range of opportunities and experiences here,” Pearson says.

Located in Fairfield, Iowa, MUM was founded on the practice of TM, brought to light from the ancient Vedic tradition by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, a Vedic sage who taught the practice in his native India before traveling the world with it. Not a religion or philosophy, TM is a simple, effortless technique practiced for 20 minutes at the start and end of each day that allows the mind to settle to a state of inner quiet. Those who practice TM say it can help expand consciousness and expand the mind’s capacity for learning. This is why the university’s approach is called Consciousness-BasedSM education.

“This is huge for education,” Pearson says, adding that studies have shown growth of intelligence and other measures of personal development to level off during adolescence. Practicing TM, research suggests, unfreezes that potential and allows the mind to continue growing.

Same, But Different

Aside from the beginning and end of each day, when students and faculty join in practicing TM, Pearson says MUM offers the same curriculum one would find at a top university elsewhere in the world. “If you or anybody were to come to MUM and walk around during the day, you would find a lot that’s similar to what’s going on in universities around the world,” he says. “If you were to go into a Shakespeare class, it’s the same Shakespeare.”

Where MUM differs from other universities, of course, is the 20-minute TM sessions twice a day, built into the daily schedule. Pearson says this has a profound impact on the campus culture and in the performance of its student body and the overall feeling on the campus. Pearson says TM significantly reduces stress and mental fatigue by allowing the mind effortlessly to relax and settle inward rather than focus on the outside world.

“These days, one of the things most problematic on college campuses is stress,” he says.

Through TM, students at MUM are able to expand their consciousness to a point where learning and personal growth are practically unlimited, Pearson claims. The implications for higher education are significant, he adds. “Now human development can be unfrozen, now it can continue to develop,” he says, adding that the university has found student IQs increase after enrolling. One study, for example, found IQ to increase an average of 4 points after one year and 9 points after 4 years.

Expanding Future

The university’s application of TM in the curriculum has implications for more than student performance and stress levels, Pearson says. It also affects enrollment trends, as nearly 75 percent of MUM’s student body consists of transfer students from other institutions. Most of them discover the university on the Internet, but an increasing number are hearing about it by word of mouth.

“Since that’s our mission, students come because they’re attracted to the mission,” Pearson says. “They transfer because they’re not satisfied with where they are.”

As the concept of meditation becomes more popular through yoga classes and other fitness regimens, MUM has seen a long-term upswing in enrollment. The university’s current enrollment of about 1,100 is double what it was five years ago, and nearly triple what it was 10 years ago, according to Pearson. “Now, meditation is mainstream and the idea of meditation in education isn’t so unusual,” he adds.

To deal with the continuing growth, the university 11 years ago embarked on an ambitious campaign to reconstruct its campus. Originally built as Parson’s College before it closed in 1973, the MUM campus has torn down 45 old buildings and has invested substantially in renovating a number of others. Additionally, 60-plus new buildings have been constructed on campus. The newest building is the university’s Sustainable Living Center, which, when completed, will be unique in the world, embodying four different sustainable building philosophies and completely off the grid with respect to heating/cooling, electricity, water, and sewage. Pearson says the university’s commitment to sustainability is another attractive feature for many students, citing the campus’ all-organic, vegetarian menu.

Pearson says the university hopes to reach an enrollment of 2,000 in the years to come, with a long-term vision of approximately 8,000 students. To help achieve that goal it has established an endowment campaign with an initial goal of $50 million. Pearson says the campaign has received some very good initial support, and that those funds will be used for scholarships, faculty support, academic programs, and campus development.

Seeing the university grow has been a rewarding experience for Pearson, and he says he believes the education students receive at MUM will give them a consciousness-based approach to decision making that will be needed to solve the world’s greatest problems.

“It’s one thing to change the way we get our power or food, but our students recognize there needs to be a change in the kind of consciousness that created those types of problems, and I’m very inspired by that,” he says.

—Chris Petersen

Copyright 2012 Education Executive Magazine. All Rights Reserved.

Links to the online version with only one photo: http://www.education-executive.com/index.php/higher-education/1125-maharishi-university-of-management and digital edition: http://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/phoenix/eduexec_2012spring/#/64 of the two-page layout containing photos of Craig Pearson, Argiro Student Center, MUM campus, and the Aladdin Food Management Services ad.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Articles, Education, Health, Sustainable Living | Leave a Comment »

“Heyam Dukham Anagatam” — Avert the danger that has not yet come

March 20, 2010
Click here for India News from Daily India

How transcendental meditation can prevent war and terrorism

From ANI

Washington, March 20: A new research paper has pointed how militaries worldwide could use the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program, founded by Indian spiritual guru Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, as a non-religious and scientifically verified way to prevent war and terrorism.

When used in a military context, these meditation practices are known as Invincible Defense Technology (IDT).

The research paper describes the concept of a “Prevention Wing of the Military,” a group of military personnel that practices the advanced TM-Sidhi program twice daily as a group.

A group that reaches a critical threshold in size has been scientifically shown to reduce collective societal stress.

The paper hypothesizes that war, terrorism, and crime are caused by collective societal stress.

The absence of collective stress translates into the absence of tension between countries, between religious groups, or even within individual terrorists.

The paper proposes that, by applying this non-lethal and non-destructive technology, any military can reduce societal stress and prevent enemies from arising.

If IDT prevents the emergence of enemies, the military has no one to fight, so the nation becomes invincible.

Over 50 scientific studies have found that when 1percent of a given population practices Transcendental Meditation, or when sufficiently large groups practice the TM-Sidhi program together twice daily, measurable positive changes take place throughout society as a whole.

The studies show decreased violence, crime, car accidents, and suicides, and improved quality of life in society.

The paper reviews IDT research, such as a study published in the Yale University-edited Journal of Conflict Resolution showing that an intervention by a civilian group in Israel resulted in a 76 percent reduction in war deaths in neighboring Lebanon.

Seven subsequent, consecutive experiments over a two-year period during the peak of the Lebanon war found that war-related fatalities decreased by 71 percent, war-related injuries fell by 68 percent, the level of conflict dropped by 48 percent, and cooperation among antagonists increased by 66 percent.

A follow-up study published in the Journal of Social Behavior and Personality found that the likelihood that these combined results were due to chance is less than one in a quintillion.

A global-scale study published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation documented a 72 percent drop in international terrorism when IDT groups were large enough to affect the global population.

According to David R. Leffler, the research paper’s author, “This new approach, derived from the ancient Vedic tradition of India, is supported by over 50 scientific studies. IDT can create victory before war, and can assist in peacemaking, peacekeeping, and peacebuilding.”

Copyright Asian News International/DailyIndia.com

I used the photo of Maharishi from a similar article on IndiaTalkies website posted by Nitesh on Mar 20th, 2010 and filed under Science / Technology.

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Articles, Peace | 9 Comments »

Asian Tribune: Give India the Best Defence System in the World

October 13, 2009

Asian Tribune logo

Give India the Best Defence System in the World
Tue, 2009-10-13 23:39 — editor

By Dr. John Hagelin and Dr. David Leffler

US President Barack Obama won the prestigious Nobel Peace Prize this year just two weeks after shepherding a resolution through the 15-member UN Security Council calling upon all countries, including India, to participate in the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT).

The reduction or elimination of nuclear weapons is clearly an important goal. But how can this goal be achieved in today’s hate-filled, high-tension political climate? Both India and Pakistan have acquired their nuclear weapons as protection or deterrence against attack.

The word “deterrence” comes from the Latin root meaning “fear.” In theory, war is deterred by instilling fear in potential enemies, and to this end, India has amassed tremendous destructive potential. But this same fear incites other countries to acquire their own nuclear arsenals, further inflaming regional tensions and hatred. For this reason, no country committed to defence solely through destructive power is likely to generate a trust-based, peaceful atmosphere.

Diplomacy and economic sanctions likewise have not been sufficient to resolve the fear crisis-which is driven by human behavioral dynamics that cannot be controlled by such methods alone.

War and conflict are human problems requiring human solutions. The underlying cause of conflict is accumulated social stress. Today the military of India has an opportunity to address this fundamental cause of war by deploying a new, scientifically verified technology of defence beyond nuclear weapons.

A New Solution

This new technology of defence is based upon the latest discoveries in the fields of physics, neuroscience, and physiology. Ultimately, it is based on the discovery of the unified field of all the laws of nature-the most fundamental and powerful level of nature’s dynamics. Technologies based upon this unified field of natural law have such concentrated power that they can render obsolete and irrelevant every previous objective technology and destructive means of defence.

Modern science has probed deeper levels of nature’s functioning, from the macroscopic world of classical physics to the underlying atomic, nuclear, and subnuclear levels, culminating in the discovery of the unified field, the unified source of the diversified laws of nature governing the universe. Because this unified field is vastly more powerful than any other level of nature’s dynamics, a technology of defence based upon the unified field is of historic importance. It is already changing the whole science and technology of defence.

Accessing the Unified Field Within

Since the unified field is the source of the objective world, its power cannot be harnessed through objective technologies. A new approach is needed-one that draws upon the world’s subjective traditions of meditation. Properly understood and property practiced, meditation throughout the ages has been a systematic technology to turn human awareness within to experience finer levels of thought, deeper levels of human intelligence that correspond to deeper levels of intelligence in nature. This inward exploration culminates in direct experience of the deepest level of consciousness-the simplest, silent, settled state of human awareness, sometimes called the state of pure consciousness-in which the human mind identifies with the unified field. By turning the attention systematically within, human awareness explores deeper levels of nature’s functioning and ultimately experiences the unified field at the source of thought-the field of unity at the basis of mind and matter.

The Vedic tradition of knowledge from India is the most complete and highly developed tradition of meditation in the world, yet this ancient approach of gaining knowledge and experience of the unified field has become the focus of intense scientific research over the past 50 years. The late Maharishi Mahesh Yogi revived, from the ancient Vedic science of consciousness, systematic technologies for experiencing the unified field, including the Transcendental Meditation program and its advanced techniques. These meditation practices are known as Invincible Defence Technology (IDT) in military circles and have been successfully applied by members of many faiths to eliminate conflict in the recent past. If the military of India were to apply this human resource-based technology, which is non-lethal and non-destructive, it could reduce the collective societal stress that is fueling the rising tensions between India and Pakistan.

The Prevention Wings

A Prevention Wing of the Military would be the ideal way to achieve this goal. Less than 1% of the military of India would participate in this wing. The remaining personnel would carry out their normal military duties. The Prevention Wing would be trained in the primary components of IDT. They would practice these technologies in large groups, morning and evening.

The Maharishi Effect

Over 50 research studies confirm that when the required threshold of IDT experts is crossed-approximately the square root of 1% of the size of a given population-crime goes down in the affected population, quality of life indices go up, and war and terrorism abate. Scientists have named this phenomenon the Maharishi Effect in honor of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who first predicted it. The causal mechanism appears to be a field effect of consciousness-a spillover effect on the level of the unified field from the peace-creating group into the larger population.

For instance, in 1993, a two-month Maharishi Effect intervention was implemented and studied in Washington, DC. Predictions of specific drops in crime and other indices were lodged in advance with government leaders and newspapers. The research protocol was approved by an independent Project Review Board. The findings showed that crime fell 23.3 percent below the predicted level when the peace-creating group reached its maximum size. Temperature, weekend effects, or previous trends in the data failed to account for changes. This research was published in the peer-reviewed Social Indicators Research (1999, vol. 47, 153-201).

The Maharishi Effect was documented on a global scale in a study using Rand Corporation data and published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation (2003, vol. 36, 283-302). When assemblies of IDT experts exceeded the Maharishi Effect threshold for the world (about 7,000 at that time) during the years 1983-1985, terrorism globally decreased 72%, international conflict decreased 32%, and violence in nations was reduced without intrusion by other governments.

The Opportunity for Permanent Peace

The military of India is charged with the constitutional responsibility to defend the country. It can now succeed in this mission simply by creating a Prevention Wing of the Military – a coherence-creating group of IDT experts exceeding the square root of 1% of the population of India – approximately 3,415 soldiers.

As part of its responsibility to protect the nation, India’s military is obligated to thoroughly examine realistic, scientifically proven methods for preventing war and terrorism. IDT is such a method. Moreover, since the military and military personnel are funded by the government, a Prevention Wing of the Military would not be subject to the fluctuations in size that often affect civilian IDT groups, where participation may be influenced by finances, job demands, graduations, and optional activities.

All areas of society will be simultaneously enriched by this holistically life-supporting, life-benefiting technology. It is enormously effective and cost-effective, and the results are immediate. All that is necessary is to provide the proper training for a group of military personnel-or indeed, any large group within the country. India has the opportunity today through IDT to create national security, invincibility, and peace. But the time to act is now.

About the Authors:

Dr. John Hagelin is the Director of the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy (ISTPP), an organization in the United States that advocates scientifically proven, prevention-oriented solutions to critical global problems. He is a Harvard-trained quantum physicist who won 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.” Dr. Hagelin also serves as the Executive Director of the International Center for Invincible Defense and as International Director of the Global Union of Scientists for Peace. A video of Dr. Hagelin (1:13:00) explaining the scientific research on IDT is available online as well as from a transcription with full-sized images from his presentation.

David Leffler, Ph.D. a United States Air Force veteran, is the Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS) at ISTPP. Dr. Leffler received his Ph.D. from The Union Institute & University in Cincinnati, Ohio where he did his doctoral research on the topic of IDT. His other academic degrees include: a B.A. in Education and an M.A. in the Science of Creative Intelligence from Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa and an M.M. in Education from New Mexico State

– Asian Tribune –

http://bit.ly/LxRLN

Tags:, , , , , , , , , , , , ,
Posted in Articles, Peace | Leave a Comment »

%d bloggers like this: