Transcendental Meditation Native American Communities

Received this today from an anonymous tipster. (Thanks! You know who you are.)

We provide this information not to encourage participation in the Transcendental Meditation program but to encourage discussion.

Of particular concern is that this is another avenue for teaching TM to young children -- without sufficient longitudinal study on the effects of TM on school-age children.

OFFICE OF RAJA HAGELIN

Dear Governors,

As president of the the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, I am pleased to announce the founding of the American Indian Transcendental Meditation® Initiative.

The David Lynch Foundation has supported a school project with the Winnebago tribe in Nebraska for three years and two schools with the Passamaquady tribe in Maine. Based on the success of these projects and the positive results that have been verified by scientific research, the David Lynch Foundation has hired Prosper Waukon, an elder of the Winnebago Tribe to be our full-time coordinator for the expansion of Maharishi's programs throughout 'Indian Country'.

Prosper is from the line of hereditary chiefs of the Winnebago tribe and is responsible for bringing the Transcendental Meditation program to Winnebago. Working with Dr. Robert Roth, our National Director of Expansion, and Dr. Evan Finkelstein, our National Director of Religion and Culture, Prosper has begun implementing a national program of expansion. A number of tribes are now in contact with representatives of the David Lynch foundation about introducing Maharishi's programs to their communities.

In order to ensure that communications are orderly, and that there is no confusion or duplication of efforts, all inquiries about projects in Indian Country should be coordinated through Prosper and the David Lynch Foundation staff who are working with him--Dr. John Boncheff and Dr. Patricia Dunn. If you have some possible projects related to the Native American community, or would like to be involved with an Indian Country project, please contact them at following email addresses:

Prosper Waukon - ciarrah1@aol.com
John Boncheff - jboncheff@tm.org
Patricia Dunn - pdunn@tm.org

Some of the highlights on this project to date are:

• 25% of the Winnebago tribe now practices the Transcendental Meditation technique.
  
• Scientific research on students in the Winnebago tribe has found improvement in attendance and test scores among meditating students.
  
• A number of meditating adults in Winnebago have reported a significant reduction in the need for diabetes medicine. Based on this result, the David Lynch Foundation is helping to fund a demonstration project on effect of the TM program on diabetes in the Winnebago tribe.
  
• Five acres of land has been purchased in Winnebago and two greenhouses have been donated by our Movement to begin an organic agriculture project.
  
• Based on our research in Winnebago, the several Native American conferences on health and education have asked the David Lynch Foundation to be presenters at their upcoming meetings. In addition, The David Lynch Foundation is organizing an international conference on Maharishi's programs and Native American life for September 25-27 at Maharishi University of Management. (See attached announcement.)
  

We look forward to tremendous growth based on this initiative. We believe that it will help enliven the fundamental basis of Natural Law for our country and for the world. Jai Guru Dev
John Hagelin
Raja of Invincible America

®Transcendental Meditation and TM are registered trademarks licensed to Maharishi VedicEducation Development Corporation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit educational organization.