Most people would agree that quiet reflection, e.g. "meditation", can be beneficial to most people.
Most who tried TM, like Paul, find benefits from 20 minutes twice per day. Like others, I continue to take periodic mental rest breaks.
My mind continues to revert automaticly to the TM method of R & R. It will probably always do that. I've accepted that use it in moderation.
As another young woman, raised in the TMO stated in her frustration "and that mantra keeps going in my head! I cannot get rid of it. What is THAT about?!"
Small amounts of wine may have therapeutic benefit. For more on the health benefits of wine click http://www.2basnob.com/health-benefits-of-wine.html here. We all know over use on wine, or other alcoholic beverages have detrimental effects. We also know there is a wine industry that desires to profit from their products' sale.
Problems arise with overuse of TM, misleading promotion of the method, and a promotional organization with a hidden agenda for the susceptible.
As most of us know, Herbert Benson found identical benefits from TM to that from traditional forms of Christian and Jewish meditation and prayers. He thus co-founded the http://www.mbmi.org/home/ Benson-Henry Insitute for Mind-Body Medicine based upon his work for http://www.amazon.com/Relaxation-Response-Herbert-Benson/dp/0380006766 "The Relaxation Response." Benson's institute would validate Paul's experience of the benefits of daily short meditations.
I think most agree that problems arise from prolonged meditations in an exploitative setting which promotes a hidden agenda. Susan's post (below) attempts to explain her experience of being "tranced out", e.g. inebriated from the endorphins of prolonged meditation. She and others experienced lasting detrimental effects from the effects of prolonged meditations, and the missuse of that receptive state by the TM Movement.
Sudarsha can explain at length the difference between various forms of meditation, TM, Buddhism and other forms. He studied these in depth in his quest to understand his own response to prolonged meditations as well as support his personal spiritual quest. I am not qualified to discuss various meditation methods, nor to comment upon spiritual questions.
Once again,
Saturday, May 05, 2007
Friday, May 04, 2007
Trancing Out
Do you believe that Transcendental Meditation is a form of self-induced trance? I believe that it is one of three things; It is either self-induce daydreaming, self-induce trance, or self-induce peaceful passive mind state.
If it is trance, then it is no wonder that people who practice it seem one step removed from the rest of us. They enjoy the trance and return to it on a gestapo like basis, if done regularly, as instructed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This regularity is key and I think a topic worthy of extensive discussion, as TM is not treated like other forms of Buddhism meditation that I have heard of, where one is not put on a rigid program as if taking medication for a heart condidtion. Trance leaves a person open to suggestion, doesn't it? "I believe in the Field of Creative Intelligence" is one such belief programed into the mind of a TM meditator. The belief is that whilst meditating, one is accessing this wonderful place which is the source of Creative Intelligence.
If TM is daydreaming, I think there's not much harm, execept that it can become habit forming, and if it interferes with your concentration, then it is a problem. Daydreaming is fun, after all. I, as a former meditator have a hard time weaning myself from the daydream state, although I've always been a dreamer. It's hard to tell how much is caused by the mantra revolving around in my head and how much is just plain spaciness due to a habitual modem for eluding stress or just an born nature.
If TM is just a quiet passive mental state, it would seem harmless and in fact beneficial. Isn't it a good thing to empty your mind and be in the quiet peaceful center of ourselves? I think the idea is a good one, but I don't think that TM really leads us there. It leads us to a quiet place alright (considering it is a GOOD meditation), but I am not convinced that that place is inside of ourselves.
I think it leads us to a quiet place apart from ourselves, similar to the peaceful feeling one might get from using drugs. Is that peaceful place inside of ourselves? I think the peaceful place inside of ourselves brings much more peace than any amount of TM. The peace that you get from doing something right or relieving the pain of someone else; those kinds of feelings of peace are a far cry from the peaceful feelings induce in TM. I don't actually believe TM is centering; I believe it is centrifugal in nature and has the effect of spinning us out of ourselves all the while seeming to bring us closer to the home of who we are. It creates an illusion of centered peace, but it is a decentered peace.
If some people feel a benefit from the practice, do you feel differently about yourself than you did before you started meditating? How did you used to feel whan things happened? Do you miss any part of the way you were before beginning the praactice?
If it is trance, then it is no wonder that people who practice it seem one step removed from the rest of us. They enjoy the trance and return to it on a gestapo like basis, if done regularly, as instructed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This regularity is key and I think a topic worthy of extensive discussion, as TM is not treated like other forms of Buddhism meditation that I have heard of, where one is not put on a rigid program as if taking medication for a heart condidtion. Trance leaves a person open to suggestion, doesn't it? "I believe in the Field of Creative Intelligence" is one such belief programed into the mind of a TM meditator. The belief is that whilst meditating, one is accessing this wonderful place which is the source of Creative Intelligence.
If TM is daydreaming, I think there's not much harm, execept that it can become habit forming, and if it interferes with your concentration, then it is a problem. Daydreaming is fun, after all. I, as a former meditator have a hard time weaning myself from the daydream state, although I've always been a dreamer. It's hard to tell how much is caused by the mantra revolving around in my head and how much is just plain spaciness due to a habitual modem for eluding stress or just an born nature.
If TM is just a quiet passive mental state, it would seem harmless and in fact beneficial. Isn't it a good thing to empty your mind and be in the quiet peaceful center of ourselves? I think the idea is a good one, but I don't think that TM really leads us there. It leads us to a quiet place alright (considering it is a GOOD meditation), but I am not convinced that that place is inside of ourselves.
I think it leads us to a quiet place apart from ourselves, similar to the peaceful feeling one might get from using drugs. Is that peaceful place inside of ourselves? I think the peaceful place inside of ourselves brings much more peace than any amount of TM. The peace that you get from doing something right or relieving the pain of someone else; those kinds of feelings of peace are a far cry from the peaceful feelings induce in TM. I don't actually believe TM is centering; I believe it is centrifugal in nature and has the effect of spinning us out of ourselves all the while seeming to bring us closer to the home of who we are. It creates an illusion of centered peace, but it is a decentered peace.
If some people feel a benefit from the practice, do you feel differently about yourself than you did before you started meditating? How did you used to feel whan things happened? Do you miss any part of the way you were before beginning the praactice?
Thursday, May 03, 2007
Transcendental Paranoia
by Gina Catena, M.S.
Coercive Persuasion, “thought reform,” or “brainwashing” includes taboos against speaking truth. While under the influence, we felt secure and safe in our paradigm. We knew privileged secrets, advanced techniques, mantras and higher level “knowledge” as provided on special courses. We believed, and told outsiders, the scripted benefits of TM and memorized Hinduesque teachings.
Amongst ourselves we chuckled about the Movement’s financial shenanigans, Nazi-like environmental and social control on courses. Still we feared speaking forth to detail others’ psychosis, suicides, wild antics, hidden sexual and drug abuse –in the interest of protecting our teachings and the Movement’s reputation.
We believed in our higher purpose - to uphold the Movement’s integrity and not allow negative press to befall upon our beloved Maharishi, while MMY’s Shrivastara family lived in comfort from our families’ contributions.
Secrets began with instruction of our mantra, never to be repeated aloud, “for our own benefit.” Little by little, we acclimated to organized scrutiny for deemed worthiness, and increasing levels of security “for our own benefit,” as we advanced.
Transcendental Paranoia was instilled from the beginning. We navigated through detailed interviews and applications for advanced courses, letters of recommendation from Initiators or Governors of the Age of Enlightenment (we were denied copies of our files or applications). We proved our allegiance to the “purity of the teachings.” We carried validated photo identification badges to enter meetings, group meditations, and even for some functions at satellite TM centers around the world. We accepted when the “Capital of the Age of Enlightenment” staff told us that our identity cards were the Capital’s property, not ours, to be relinquished if we left.
If we explored other venues, we were afraid of being identified as unfaithful to Maharishi. Many lied on TM program applications, denying exploration of other spiritual teachers, meditation practices or psychotherapy to assure their continued group acceptance (demonstrating a lack of true help!).
We kept secrets to maintain our “spiritual evolution” and allegiance to the Movement, our beloved and dysfunctional “TM-family.” Fear of the truth was deeply ingrained.
We ignored negative press from outside of the Movement, and blamed our communities’ tragedies upon “unstressing,” “purification,” or individual “bad karma.” We attributed all problems to individual shortcomings, all good was attributed gratefully to TM and Maharishi. “Jai Guru Dev” (Exaltations to Guru Dev). More Secrets.
After leaving the Movement, many do not disclose TM-histories with outsiders, lest we betray loved ones, or become stigmatized from the outside world. Likewise, I remained silent for nearly 20 years, while living a double life.
An innate anxiety often arises when disclosing details of our TM Movement/cult with outsiders. Common themes are: “My TM-based loved ones will reject me. They were well intentioned. They are not bad people. What will I have left if they reject me?”
Revealing our TM background knowledge can provoke anxiety precisely because, in speaking forth, we run counter to deeply ingrained patterns. The famed TM “bubble diagram” of transcending to the source of thought, applies to the depth of our brainwashing when in a trance state. The blend of group belonging, fear of ignorant outsiders, and reverence for our “sacred tradition’ were planted deep in our primal brain. Many fear legal retribution, verbal assaults, and rejection from loved ones if they speak of their TM past.
Fear of group rejection is a protective biological mechanism. A primitive lifestyle requires group effort for human survival. In the wild, tribal rejection equals certain death. That is why we want to maintain our group membership.
For silent former TM-ers, your anxiety is real, psychologically and biologically understandable – but not necessary. We won’t die if we reveal our past to the world. What a liberating thought!
Former TMers may also experience anxiety speaking of their history, wondering how this will influence their integration to a new community, “How will outsiders understand? “They will think I’m insane of they know my history.” “How will this stymie me professionally?” “None can understand how I participated in such ridiculousness.” They won’t understand why I continue to love those who remain in the cult.” Or “They won’t understand why I did not leave sooner.”
From sheer embarrassment, many MIU/ MUM graduates struggle with their alma mater on their professional resume. They try “MI University” or “M International University” or other derivatives. Job interviews may focus upon justifying their education rather than upon employment qualifications, while explaining that Maharishi International University really is an accredited private university (meeting minimum standards of academic literacy). Oftentimes, the desired job is not offered because the interviewer was distracted by the story of Maharishi’s exotic university.
Shakespeare’s wisdom, “To be or not to be, that is the question” is appropriate here. To be true to one self includes choosing whether to speak forth or maintain privacy about a cult past. Speaking forth is a highly personal choice. There is not a right nor wrong.
Cult experts (some are now personal friends), often state, “True recovery requires cutting all ties to the cult.”
I disagree with them on this point, and I tell them so. For those raised in a cult, sharing our history may result in rejection from our loved ones of origin. Then where do we turn?
At the 2006 trial for Warren Jeffs, president of the polygamist cult of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (not TM related), a young teenage bride refused to speak when called to testify in court. She was arrested for contempt of court. This reveals lack of understanding of the great emotional and psychological risk to which the court system placed this young girl, by asking her to publicly describe her confusing family and community. If she spoke of her knowledge, she would have lost all that she knew and had nowhere to turn. Of course she kept the ugly secrets, because her identity, life and loved ones are with the controversial community.
The young woman in Jeffs' trial, above, experienced an acute crises of any cult-raised person's inner conflict. Maintaining connections to family of origin, requires continuing to live with shrouds of secrecy. Speaking truth as a whole person, removing the shrouds, risks rejection from family and community of origin accompanied by possible social or professional stigmas elsewhere. It may be a painful choice.
One friend was raised in a different highly publicized cult outside of North America. She attends graduate school in the USA, is married to an American: they are raising their family. She keeps her history private, even to the instructors in her graduate psychotherapy studies. Media publicity about her cult-family is scathing. She chooses silence to protect her children from social repercussions if her history were public knowledge.
She states, “Even experienced therapists and most psychology professors don’t understand about children raised in cults. Many therapists assume we are psychotic, have split personalities or other severe disorders. There were some terrible situations and tragedies. But many of us survived and are functional after several years of painful personal soul searching. We became well after years of wrenching inner work. Therapists will label us too quickly.”
Through her silence, my friend protects her children from social stigma, and from rejection by cult-grandparents. I had chosen the same until my children were grown.
In coming forth, I sadly accept that loved ones from my TM past will reject me as being “of the dark side.” One dear old TM-friend recently glared at me saying I was “flirting with the enemy.” After my well-circulated letter to the San Rafael School Board, a revered TM leader, with whom I'd had a decades long relationship, told me, "May God have mercy on your soul. Do not contact me ever again." I was prepared for rejection from those of my history. Others might not be willing to risk such loss.
Speaking forth is a highly individual decision. Some choose anonymity; some prefer silence about their TM histories. Coming forth brings rewards at a price.
If you read this and are anxious about speaking, please do not berate yourself. There is deeply ingrained programming against coming forth. It takes awhile to untangle. It is important to have others who will emotionally support your honesty and courage, rather than ostracize you for your honesty.
If you choose to come forth, your voice will become stronger with practice. However, It is equally valid to silently hold your history, memories, and loved ones near and dear to your heart.
Vaya con Dios
Coercive Persuasion, “thought reform,” or “brainwashing” includes taboos against speaking truth. While under the influence, we felt secure and safe in our paradigm. We knew privileged secrets, advanced techniques, mantras and higher level “knowledge” as provided on special courses. We believed, and told outsiders, the scripted benefits of TM and memorized Hinduesque teachings.
Amongst ourselves we chuckled about the Movement’s financial shenanigans, Nazi-like environmental and social control on courses. Still we feared speaking forth to detail others’ psychosis, suicides, wild antics, hidden sexual and drug abuse –in the interest of protecting our teachings and the Movement’s reputation.
We believed in our higher purpose - to uphold the Movement’s integrity and not allow negative press to befall upon our beloved Maharishi, while MMY’s Shrivastara family lived in comfort from our families’ contributions.
Secrets began with instruction of our mantra, never to be repeated aloud, “for our own benefit.” Little by little, we acclimated to organized scrutiny for deemed worthiness, and increasing levels of security “for our own benefit,” as we advanced.
Transcendental Paranoia was instilled from the beginning. We navigated through detailed interviews and applications for advanced courses, letters of recommendation from Initiators or Governors of the Age of Enlightenment (we were denied copies of our files or applications). We proved our allegiance to the “purity of the teachings.” We carried validated photo identification badges to enter meetings, group meditations, and even for some functions at satellite TM centers around the world. We accepted when the “Capital of the Age of Enlightenment” staff told us that our identity cards were the Capital’s property, not ours, to be relinquished if we left.
If we explored other venues, we were afraid of being identified as unfaithful to Maharishi. Many lied on TM program applications, denying exploration of other spiritual teachers, meditation practices or psychotherapy to assure their continued group acceptance (demonstrating a lack of true help!).
We kept secrets to maintain our “spiritual evolution” and allegiance to the Movement, our beloved and dysfunctional “TM-family.” Fear of the truth was deeply ingrained.
We ignored negative press from outside of the Movement, and blamed our communities’ tragedies upon “unstressing,” “purification,” or individual “bad karma.” We attributed all problems to individual shortcomings, all good was attributed gratefully to TM and Maharishi. “Jai Guru Dev” (Exaltations to Guru Dev). More Secrets.
After leaving the Movement, many do not disclose TM-histories with outsiders, lest we betray loved ones, or become stigmatized from the outside world. Likewise, I remained silent for nearly 20 years, while living a double life.
An innate anxiety often arises when disclosing details of our TM Movement/cult with outsiders. Common themes are: “My TM-based loved ones will reject me. They were well intentioned. They are not bad people. What will I have left if they reject me?”
Revealing our TM background knowledge can provoke anxiety precisely because, in speaking forth, we run counter to deeply ingrained patterns. The famed TM “bubble diagram” of transcending to the source of thought, applies to the depth of our brainwashing when in a trance state. The blend of group belonging, fear of ignorant outsiders, and reverence for our “sacred tradition’ were planted deep in our primal brain. Many fear legal retribution, verbal assaults, and rejection from loved ones if they speak of their TM past.
Fear of group rejection is a protective biological mechanism. A primitive lifestyle requires group effort for human survival. In the wild, tribal rejection equals certain death. That is why we want to maintain our group membership.
For silent former TM-ers, your anxiety is real, psychologically and biologically understandable – but not necessary. We won’t die if we reveal our past to the world. What a liberating thought!
Former TMers may also experience anxiety speaking of their history, wondering how this will influence their integration to a new community, “How will outsiders understand? “They will think I’m insane of they know my history.” “How will this stymie me professionally?” “None can understand how I participated in such ridiculousness.” They won’t understand why I continue to love those who remain in the cult.” Or “They won’t understand why I did not leave sooner.”
From sheer embarrassment, many MIU/ MUM graduates struggle with their alma mater on their professional resume. They try “MI University” or “M International University” or other derivatives. Job interviews may focus upon justifying their education rather than upon employment qualifications, while explaining that Maharishi International University really is an accredited private university (meeting minimum standards of academic literacy). Oftentimes, the desired job is not offered because the interviewer was distracted by the story of Maharishi’s exotic university.
Shakespeare’s wisdom, “To be or not to be, that is the question” is appropriate here. To be true to one self includes choosing whether to speak forth or maintain privacy about a cult past. Speaking forth is a highly personal choice. There is not a right nor wrong.
Cult experts (some are now personal friends), often state, “True recovery requires cutting all ties to the cult.”
I disagree with them on this point, and I tell them so. For those raised in a cult, sharing our history may result in rejection from our loved ones of origin. Then where do we turn?
At the 2006 trial for Warren Jeffs, president of the polygamist cult of the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (not TM related), a young teenage bride refused to speak when called to testify in court. She was arrested for contempt of court. This reveals lack of understanding of the great emotional and psychological risk to which the court system placed this young girl, by asking her to publicly describe her confusing family and community. If she spoke of her knowledge, she would have lost all that she knew and had nowhere to turn. Of course she kept the ugly secrets, because her identity, life and loved ones are with the controversial community.
The young woman in Jeffs' trial, above, experienced an acute crises of any cult-raised person's inner conflict. Maintaining connections to family of origin, requires continuing to live with shrouds of secrecy. Speaking truth as a whole person, removing the shrouds, risks rejection from family and community of origin accompanied by possible social or professional stigmas elsewhere. It may be a painful choice.
One friend was raised in a different highly publicized cult outside of North America. She attends graduate school in the USA, is married to an American: they are raising their family. She keeps her history private, even to the instructors in her graduate psychotherapy studies. Media publicity about her cult-family is scathing. She chooses silence to protect her children from social repercussions if her history were public knowledge.
She states, “Even experienced therapists and most psychology professors don’t understand about children raised in cults. Many therapists assume we are psychotic, have split personalities or other severe disorders. There were some terrible situations and tragedies. But many of us survived and are functional after several years of painful personal soul searching. We became well after years of wrenching inner work. Therapists will label us too quickly.”
Through her silence, my friend protects her children from social stigma, and from rejection by cult-grandparents. I had chosen the same until my children were grown.
In coming forth, I sadly accept that loved ones from my TM past will reject me as being “of the dark side.” One dear old TM-friend recently glared at me saying I was “flirting with the enemy.” After my well-circulated letter to the San Rafael School Board, a revered TM leader, with whom I'd had a decades long relationship, told me, "May God have mercy on your soul. Do not contact me ever again." I was prepared for rejection from those of my history. Others might not be willing to risk such loss.
Speaking forth is a highly individual decision. Some choose anonymity; some prefer silence about their TM histories. Coming forth brings rewards at a price.
If you read this and are anxious about speaking, please do not berate yourself. There is deeply ingrained programming against coming forth. It takes awhile to untangle. It is important to have others who will emotionally support your honesty and courage, rather than ostracize you for your honesty.
If you choose to come forth, your voice will become stronger with practice. However, It is equally valid to silently hold your history, memories, and loved ones near and dear to your heart.
Vaya con Dios
Sunday, April 29, 2007
Indentured Pundits In Fairfield-Shame On The TMO
From Rick Archer over at Fairfield Life:
Some pundit news from a well-informed inside source:
· The pundits were not given a clear idea of what their living conditions here would be. They were not told they would be cloistered behind fences. They understood that they would be free to move about and see new things here. Most of them are very frustrated and stir-crazy in their confinement.
· The tuberculosis rumors are true. I don’t know how many are infected, but anyone who has had contact with the pundits has been tested.
· In his sales pitch to lure them here, Bob “Raja” Wynne promised them a $300 monthly stipend, but they are only getting $30.
· The pundits are indentured to the TMO for at least 20 years. They were all obligated to take out loans to help build some SV structure. It’s not clear to me what the structure is. Perhaps their living and chanting facility in India. I’ll find out. Anyway, as long as they are punditing, the movement covers the payments, but if they leave, they have to cover them. If they don’t Anand and Prakash Srivastava sic the police on them. This happened to the ex-pundit from whom I got this information.
· This pundit also said that the Srivastavas are very rich and basically say to MMY, “Look, you’re very old. Don’t worry about these financial matters. We’ll take care of them.”
Some pundit news from a well-informed inside source:
· The pundits were not given a clear idea of what their living conditions here would be. They were not told they would be cloistered behind fences. They understood that they would be free to move about and see new things here. Most of them are very frustrated and stir-crazy in their confinement.
· The tuberculosis rumors are true. I don’t know how many are infected, but anyone who has had contact with the pundits has been tested.
· In his sales pitch to lure them here, Bob “Raja” Wynne promised them a $300 monthly stipend, but they are only getting $30.
· The pundits are indentured to the TMO for at least 20 years. They were all obligated to take out loans to help build some SV structure. It’s not clear to me what the structure is. Perhaps their living and chanting facility in India. I’ll find out. Anyway, as long as they are punditing, the movement covers the payments, but if they leave, they have to cover them. If they don’t Anand and Prakash Srivastava sic the police on them. This happened to the ex-pundit from whom I got this information.
· This pundit also said that the Srivastavas are very rich and basically say to MMY, “Look, you’re very old. Don’t worry about these financial matters. We’ll take care of them.”
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