Transcendental Meditation - Essay Example

Transcendental Meditation Starting in the 1960s a form of Hinduism and Raja Yoga called as the Transcendental Meditation emerged in the United s. The popularity of this movement came after the British popular band, Beatles, performed in India and learned the Hindu practice of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the father of transcendental meditation. Today over one million people, in the United States alone, have paid money and undertaken initiation ceremony in order to become a member of the so-called Spiritual Regeneration Movement. (Carlson and Decker, p. 253) The surprising popularity of Transcendental Meditation highlights the spiritual hunger of the people in the West who were more than willing to spend money, time, and effort in order attain its promise of enhanced well-being. Background After gaining global attention due to the Beatles’ interest, Maharishi brought the Hindu teaching and practice to America with a goal making Hinduism adapt to fit the Western culture. The result was the Spiritual Regeneration Movement that offered Transcendental Meditation as the main practice of its philosophy. Russell (1976) defined it as a specialized form of meditation “which allows the mind to settle down to a less excited state. The person experiences quieter and quieter levels of thinking till he or she arrives at a state of complete mental stillness.” (p. 15) This emphasis on the transcended mental state acquired for it the current “transcendental meditation” name. A deeper insight in regard to the nature of Transcendental Meditation was outlined by Maharishi (1988) himself, who wrote: To be is of an impersonal nature, so in order to be one’s self it is only necessary to come out of the personal nature, come out of the field of doing and thinking, and be established in the field of Being. (p. 267-269) Maharishi emphasized that the transcendental state of Being lies “beyond all seeing, hearing, touching, smelling, and tasting, beyond all thinking and beyond all feeling. This state of unmanifested, absolute pure consciousness of the Being is the ultimate of life.” (p. 46) Transcendental Meditation has succeeded in making Eastern mysticism acceptable, fashionable and desirable to the American public. According to an observer, what McDonald’s has done for the hamburger, Transcendental Meditation has done for Eastern mysticism: It has penetrated virtually every major city in the United States, with hundreds of TM centers promoting the practice. About 6000 doctors in the United States practice TM or recommend it to their patients, and TM chapters meet on about 95 percent of all public university campuses. (Rhodes 2005, p. 199) Practice The practice of Transcendental Meditation is one of the variety of Sanskrit mantras consisted of short words or phrase that when repeated in thought is expected to help the practitioner still the activity of thought and find a deeper level of consciousness. Here, one understands that the basic process of TM is not very different from other forms of meditation, starting with a deep body and mind relaxation for 20 minutes daily, followed by the “seven-step process,” wherein the first three can be self-taught and the last four, instructed. In order to practice Transcendental Meditation, an individual needs to be initiated by a teacher. This initiation involves sessions of formal instruction, followed by a ceremony in which the applicant makes monetary and other offerings and receives his mantra, selected by the teacher on the basis of the meditator’s temperament and occupation. (Hoiberg and Ramchandani 2000, p. 166) As previously mentioned, at least a million Americans are initiates today, underscoring TM’s widespread appeal. TM’s Appeal Transcendental Meditation’s appeal to people is anchored on its recognition that there is a hunger for spiritual vision in the modern world, particularly in the West, which is, then, infused with the spirit of practicality. Firstly, TM have benefited from the tradition that has been cultivated by the practice of yoga by Maharishi’s predecessors, the Eastern mystics, Vivekananda and Yogananda. Then, according to Coward, Hinnells and Williams, Maharishi (2000) emphasized the practical aspect of meditation instead of its religious context by employing the language of science to present TM in the American context. They said: “With TM and the research of Dr. Herbert Benson of the Harvard Medical School and, later, Dr. Deepak Chopra, the term “meditation” made its way into the world of medicine.” (p. 228) With this, TM further acquired a sense of practicality and rationality, which appealed to many people more than the metaphysical philosophies exclusively taught by religion. Besides the socio-cultural dimensions to its appeal, many people find Transcendental Meditation attractive because it promises several mental and physical health benefits. Some of these are outlined below: TM triggers a sense of relaxation as it triggers a reflex in the parasympathetic nervous system; Improves the quality of the blood supply and blood flow; Aids in the elimination of toxins from the body’s circulatory system; Increases the body’s abilities to digest and assimilate food; Rejuvenates the central nervous system, glands and skin through the increase in oxygen; Prevents heart disease by reducing strain on the heart; Regulates weight; and, Increases the health and capacity of the lungs. The above benefits are supported by several scientific studies. For example, Schneider et al., in 1995, found that people who practiced Transcendental Meditation were able to significantly reduce their systolic and diastolic blood pressure after three months as compared to people who did nothing and as compared to those attempting to control blood pressure through diet and exercise. There are other studies such as those who found its positive effect on respiratory system as well as Transcendental Meditation’s capacity to reduce cholesterol. (Badawi et al. 1984; Cooper and Aygen 1979) From 1970s onwards, the general American public has been increasingly concerned about heart disease, hypertension, stress, behavioral coping, substance abuse, and lifestyle. (Andresen and Forman 2001, p. 22) This is one of the contributing factors why alternative wellness models such as TM are widely received and practiced. Conclusion The exigencies of modernity prompted many people to seek spirituality – the kind that suits all aspects of modern living. This started during the 1960s, a time of change and upheaval when many people start to experiment alternative lifestyles, especially those new forms of consciousness and communication that emphasized the inner life, relaxation, relieving stress, harmony, among other related aspects. The Transcendental Meditation addresses most of such need and this explains its popularity in America. This philosophy and practice is particularly responsible for transforming the word “meditation” from a purely religious word to a medical term today. As people become powerless with all the modern developments today, with all the conflicts of war, stress at work, finances, and so forth, the human souls are becoming more and more hungry for a kind of spiritualism that offer a way of living in peace. The Transcendental Meditation offers positive benefits in navigating this world and satisfying a longing for the “more” from life that has came to be characterized by the endless quest for status and success as well as by the dissatisfaction that ensues from our almost insatiable desire for material goods. Furthermore, as TM became discussed within the scientific context, with its benefits supported by several scientific and empirical studies, it became more and more appealing to the point that it is now being integrated in the medical practice. References Andresen, Jensine and Forman, Robert. (2001). Cognitive models and spiritual maps: interdisciplinary explorations of religious experience. Imprint Academic. Badawi, K; R.K. Wallace; D. Orme-Johnson & A.M. Rouzere. (1984). “Electrophysiologic Characteristics of Respiratory Suspension Periods Occurring During the Practice of the Transcendental Meditation Program.” Psychosometric Medicine. Vol. 46: 267-276. Cooper, M.J. & M.M. Aygen. (1979). “Transcendental Meditation in the Management of Hypercholesterolemia.” Journal of Human Stress. Vol. 5, N. 4: 24-27. Coward, Harold, Hinnells, John and Williams, Raymond. (2000). The South Asian religious diaspora in Britain, Canada, and the United States. SUNY Press. Hoiberg, Dale and Ramchandani, Indu. (2000). Students Britannica India, Volumes 1-5. Popular Prakashan. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. (1988). Transcendental Meditation: Science of Being and Art of Living. Penguin Group USA. Rhodes, Ron. (2005). Find it quick handbook on cults and new religions. Harvest House Publishers. Russell, Peter. (1976). The TM Technique. London: Routledge. Schneider, Robert H.; Frank Staggers; Charles N. Alexander; William Sheppard; Maxwell Rainforth; Kofi Kondwani; Sandra Smith; & Carolyn Gaylord King. (1995). “A Randomized Controlled Trail of Stress Reduction for Hypertension in Older African Americans.” Hypertension. Vol. 26: 820. Read More