Increased Stress through the Transcendental Meditation program. Part 2 of 2: Live Chaotically and be a Guinea Pig

(This is a two-part series. To read Part 1, "Increased Stress through the Transcendental Meditation program. Part 1of 2: Rushing, Lack of Stimulation and Guilt-Induction, " please go to the TM-Free Blog essay posted on June 22, 2010.)

On the Creating Coherence Course, our lives were chaotic. Interspersed with the boredom described in Part 1 of this series were sudden upheavals.

For example, one day the announcement is made: "You will all be moving to different dorms." No matter that we had settled into our mini-apartments, made friends, organized our schedules. Out you go!

One day Maharishi announces that we should form into groups of ten, and move to different American cities to spread TM. (This was the "Vedic Atom" program.) Those of us who "followed Maharishi's wishes" uprooted ourselves from our homes, friends, jobs, schedules, community in Fairfield. Moved to a strange city. Received a whole new set of rules to live by. For instance, teams were directed to do everything together. One friend on a "Vedic Atom" team wrote me that when one of them needed a new pair of shoes, all ten of them had to go to the shoe store together! Her letter guardedly hinted at how stressful her new life was, how unhappy she was.

Another time, Maharishi announced that everyone who could should promptly fly to India for a month or two to study Indian herbology. (This was the beginning of the Maharishi Ayurveda program.) Again, uprooting, leaving behind friends, homes, jobs, schedules, community. Once in India, my friends sat in hot humid halls barely able to hear the lecturers, and contracted tropical diseases. One friend who had obediently gone to India confided to me that her disease was so obscure that the local doctors couldn't even diagnose it. Therefore she had to get up at 2 a.m. for several weeks in order to drive 40 minutes to a medical clinic to provide a fresh stool sample. I never did hear of the TM organization reimbursing her for her medical expenses or giving her a lighter work schedule during the time she was sick.

Then there was the time Maharishi came to Fairfield and paid a visit to our meditation hall to see how his flying technique was coming along. As was usual, we screamed and babbled during the "flying." Maharishi asked in annoyance, "What's all this noise?! From now on, no more noise." ("Except for the occasional squeal of bliss," Bevan later amended.) This meant, in a day filled with silence, sensory deprivation, lack of aerobic activity, minimal socializing and rigid rules, we were suddenly deprived of 60 minutes a day of letting off steam. (Did you ever read about the Christian monks who took vows of silence, but sang hymns each day? When the hymn-singing was eliminated, the monks developed clinical depression.)

Then there was the time I returned to Fairfield after a two-week vacation to discover that my job had been given to someone else.

A few weeks after that, Maharishi announced that henceforth we should think an affirmation every morning. It went something like this: "Let us go together, let us be together, let us eat together, let us think together. Never shall we denounce one another; never shall we entertain negativity." Also, he instructed us, "Everybody must be fabulously happy! That's all!" We were guinea pigs in his new program. Had we voluntarily joined? Had we been screened? Were we trained how to do them? Had they been proven safe? Would anyone assist us if we found them harmful? No, no, no, no and no. Nevertheless, we attempted to "never denounce anyone," which I believe constricted our expressiveness; and we tried to "not entertain negativity," which I believe suppressed our emotions. We tried to "be fabulously happy," which I believe got us out of touch with our feelings. Is it any wonder that some of us started having anxiety attacks?

Yes, proponents of Transcendental Meditation state that one of its greatest benefits is that it reduces stress. While the TM technique itself may reduce stress, the TM lifestyle that Maharishi directed us to follow increased stress in numerous areas of our lives.

How about you? What were your experiences of stress in the TM world? How did you deal with the rules? How did you hold up under the stress? What did you think about it all? If you'd like, share your thoughts and memories with us below.

Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi University & David Lynch Foundation recruited Bill Clinton to address Native American Conference on TM

Last weekend Maharishi University of Management held a conference on Native American Sustainability and Invincibility, in the Maharishi Patanjali Golden Dome of Pure Knowledge, with an opening video address by former President Bill Clinton.

Perhaps the David Lynch Foundation (DLF) is finding challenges to introduce Transcendental Meditation into America's public schools? By targeting the vulnerable Native American communities, the DLF continues fundraising, providing funds directly to Transcendental Meditation Organizations for spreading Transcendental Meditation and recruitment to the TM Movement.

Former President Bill Clinton provided a video recorded opening address to this publicized Native American conference.

Former President Clinton's talk discussed various Native American problems and the need to increase access to programs to ameliorate their plight of poverty, educational access and health care challenges of Native Americans.

Bill Clinton's address did NOT mention Transcendental Meditation nor Maharishi!


One wonders if Clinton was fully informed of the true nature of this conference?
Did Clinton's aides miss the fact that this is merely a cult front organization for TM publicity and recruitment?

For those who care to inform Clinton that he just participated in an event for a cult-front organization, here's the link to the Clinton Foundation's contact information.

Interesting aside, Hilary Clinton had purposely removed Fairfield, Iowa from her campaign trail thrice during the Iowa caucus. Perhaps Bill's aides should have consulted with Hilary's aides?

A Wall Street Journal article described both Hilary Clinton's cancellations and President Obama's campaign visit to the Guru town of Fairfield, Iowa. Obama's campaign stop in Fairfield included an appropriately Vastu-Vedic east-facing podium and interview on Dennis Raimondi's radio talk show "Speaking Freely with Dennis" (both Raimondi and Obama are Harvard alums).

Unlike Bill Clinton's video address inside the Maharishi-Patanjali Golden Dome of Pure Knowlege, Obama & other campaigning candidates had avoided activities directly associated with Maharishi University of Management.

Please contact Former President Bill Clinton's office and express your concern about his (probably inadvertent) participation in a cult promotional effort.

Addendum added on 9/30/2009 for input from Mike Doughney (he doesn't have time to comment on the blog right now):

Former presidents make their living collecting ridiculous speaking fees. It seems to me that, very little has any effect on what groups former presidents will or will not speak to. Bush 1 has physically spoken before various Moon front groups a number of times over the years. Gerald Ford was used as validation of a controversial Christian youth organization (see the article I co-wrote at barf.org for details on that one). Clinton is doing more of the same. As far as he knows or cares David Lynch's organization asked him to speak on "sustainability" and I doubt he would care that the same organization pushes TM or anything else.

I would use this incident differently, in that it shows that an organization whose core beliefs are completely wacko and destructive has fronts that can appear to be completely legit - to the point of getting Bill Clinton's name associated with them. And then use that to talk about how the inner doctrine and what the organization actually promotes (Vedic supremacy at its core) shouldn't be endorsed by anybody, no matter what Clinton happens to be doing to earn a living.

The late George Carlin

Our local newspaper published some of the great quips of George Carlin. I couldn't help myself: two of them seemed to be speaking to those of us who haven't managed to see things the way Mahesh had had in mind. I thought I'd share the quotes and, maybe, we can make of them whatever we want. After all, Mahesh can hardly be the only one capable of doing commentaries! :)

I have as much authority as the Pope. I just don't have as many people who believe it.

Regarding "the beauty of the written word"

By and large, language is a tool for concealing the truth.

Not sure, but I think we just might have some thoughts along these lines.