Death of a Sage
On February 7, 2008 a man who influenced much of the world in a profound way died, yet only short blurbs were heard in the mainstream news. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, always associated with the Beatles, was responsible for millions of people becoming involved with Transcendental Meditation. I was one of those people.
I was not quite 30 years old when I started Transcendental Meditation in 1975. The cost was $125.00. And to this day I believe it was the best way I could have ever spent so little for a lifetime of peace, or to be more precise, a tool to achieve peace in my life. As far as the movement goes, I had little to do with that, and in fact saw it as far too idealistic. Over the years I believe I have been proven correct in that aspect.
I tried many things in the 60s and 70s as a personal method of growth, both spiritual, and a way to relax the mind a body. By far the worst thing I attempted to use was conventional American psychotherapy. At best it may help some; at worst it will exacerbate an existing condition. And I believe conventional psychology is a sham for the most part. Perhaps, if you have a known condition, for example you are bipolar, conventional therapy may help, if you happen to be lucky enough to find the right therapist.
I am not bipolar, and like many young people of that era, I was exploring the spiritual aspect of my existence. Life was tough, I was young with a new family, and I wanted a way to discover the inner self, and learn to deal with stresses of life. Self medication was not an option for me, and some of the other programs – Gestalt therapy comes to mind – were far too radical. Organized religion was, and still is, not for me. It is like eating rattlesnake; I tried it, but didn’t care for it. Transcendental Meditation is a gentle way to the inner self.
A Little History
The idealism of the young participants in the movement was sometimes absurd. In 1975/76 I attended many meetings, and took classes they offered in the “science” of Transcendental Meditation. They believed that they could end ALL the problems of the world simply by having 10% of the population learn TM and practice it on a regular basis. There was even a timeline set up for such things as total world peace, and an end to hunger for the entire planet. This is where we parted company. I never believed that any of this would happen, especially in a matter of months, or even years. I still don’t believe it will happen.
Another aspect of the movement was the belief that TM was for everyone. Nothing is for everyone. No specific religion, dogma, or belief system, no certain method for self-fulfillment, peace and happiness, or actualization, or anything to do with the human condition exists that fits everyone. We each need to find our own way, and just as sure as our DNA is different than any other, so is our happiness and fulfillment.
Transcendental Medication is not a religion, although like other organizations I’ve been involved with, it is religion based. There was no requirement to accept the religious dogma of any specific nature. As far as I can tell it is still this way. It is based on eastern thought and Hinduism, and that is sometimes hard for many people to accept in our Judea-Christian society. Likewise, it is hard for some to accept any religious based thought, yet have no part in the religion.
A Little Biography
He was born in the Central Provinces of of British India in 1917. There is some disagreement about the various names he assumed under the caste system in India, and even his date of birth (some claim 1911). He was without doubt, Hindu. He began his career as a physicist after graduating from Allahabad University in 1942. Later, he abandoned that, and several other jobs, to become a follower of the Indian school of religious thought, Advaita Vedanta. He followed this teaching for 13 years, ending with a meditation period in the Himalayas. He then developed a form of traditional Advaita Vedanta and yogic practices, which was to become meditation using the TM style.
From this, he founded the Science of Creative Intelligence, later to be called Transcendental Meditation. This style is a literal interpretation of yoga, and the use of mantras, and was first introduced to the west in 1958. He founded the Maharishi International University (1971), later called M.U.M (Maharishi University of Management). The university is fully accredited through the Ph.D. level. It is remarkable how many name changes have taken place in this organization.
I find it interesting that he died the same day NASA beamed the Beatles song “Across the Universe” into space. This song was written by John Lennon contains the words “jai guru deva” which has a special meaning for those who meditate. This refers to his teacher, Brahmananda Saraswati Shankaracharya (1869-1953) whom he called Guru Dev. It is a form of giving thanks to the original teacher of what evolved into transcendental meditation.
He went on to accomplish much more in the US, including work with prisoners, public schools, universities, and other organizations. Bookrags has an excellent biography about the life of this extraordinary man.
How it Works
The mechanics of TM are simple. You are taught a mantra, supposedly specific to you, tailored to your special being, and you are required never to tell anyone what it is. To this day I have never told a soul. I have seen lists of what are supposed to be mantras, but from my own experience, I don’t believe they are legitimate. Using my experience in 1975 as a reference, I was required to attend at least four sessions, or classes, to understand the changes that are likely to occur as you meditate. The first step was a free lecture that outlined the benefits of meditating; in my mind it was a well presented sales talk.
The first learning session was only me and the teacher, and I was taught the actual technique. The follow-up sessions were group classes, strictly held in succession. This was where my first doubt came. I didn’t know what I was supposed to feel; I felt nothing. Finally it hit me, I was supposed to feel nothing. Once I relaxed, I enjoyed a good experience, something I had never felt before, and cannot describe. All I can say is, for me it worked.
After that, I was made to feel as if I had joined a special private club, and was welcomed to attend as many meetings as I wanted. I was encouraged to come back at any time to ask questions and go over the material I had learned. In fact, I was a lifetime member. I work under the assumption I am still a lifetime member.
For the first few months I was “tested” to be sure that I was performing the technique correctly. Testing consisted of returning at regular intervals, about once every two weeks, to be “checked.” Any teacher can do the check. You simply sit with the teacher and meditate. He or she can determine, by means unknown to me, if you are meditating correctly. You do not have to be checked alone. A group of people can all be checked at the same time.
This was what I did 33 years ago. After all these years of being out of contact with TM and the movement, I was curious to see what might have changed. I sent an email to the national organization, and discovered, to my surprise, there is little change, with one major exception. It now costs a lot of money - $2500.00 - to start, and de facto removed the practice from the reach of the working class. All the way from $125.00 to $2500.00 is a stretch, even taking the 30 years into account. I do not know if they provide a method to use an installment plan. What I believe is, they want young, intelligent, enthusiastic adherents with money to be members.
The steps to entering the practice can be found tm.org
The question used to come up, if TM is so great with solving the problems of the world, why not offer it free. The answer was, by placing a monetary value on it, only those who are serious would consider it and have a vested interest beyond simply “giving it a try.” Besides that, they do need money to fund the organization. This makes sense at the cost in 1975. It would make sense to raise the price to coincide with the current economy. The CPI has risen about 400% since 1975. What cost $1.00 in 1975 would cost over $4.00 in 2007. With that I can see a cost of around $600 to start. But at $2500.00 there must be an ulterior agenda.
The Spread and Popularity of TM
TM peaked in the 1970s. Centers were available in hundreds of cities, small and medium towns all across the US. The rest of the world, especially Europe, was fertile ground for this movement. The centers were not only a place to learn to meditate, but a gathering place for social events as well. Carry-in dinners, talks and presentations and specialty speakers were brought in to enlighten the ardent followers.
It is interesting to note that in India, TM was never as popular as in the rest of the world. I once had the opportunity to talk with an Indian at the height of the movement. He was not a practitioner, had no interest, and thought it to be just another fly-by-night scam like so many others in India. In fact, he informed me that in India there are thousands of so-called wise men who travel the country giving spiritual advice and begging to eat. For him, the Maharishi was just another fraud who had managed to sell his racket to the western world. Could this, or even a small part of it been true? I didn’t know then, and I certainly don’t know now.
As with all organizations with which I’ve been involved, the leaders of the movement went after celebrities to further the cause. People such as Ellen Corby, (Grandma Walton), Mia Farrow, David Lynch (Movie producer, and ) and Donovan come to mind and were interviewed often for publicity. Famed magician Doug Henning went so far as to campaign to open a theme park called Vedaland.
The leaders wanted people who had attained some measure of success in the white collar professions as spokesmen; lawyers, doctors, and captains of industry were sought to speak in public on behalf of the movement.
The infamous row with the Beatles was played down during the height of the movement. I’m not certain anyone except the Beatles know for sure what happened during their time with the Maharishi. In my research for this article, I read most accounts of the death of the Maharishi in major newspapers. All articles I read expounded on the association with the Beatles. They play down the impact of the movement, as if it were of little significance. This is why I distrust the news media so much. If reports are flawed about what I know, will they not also be flawed about what I do not know?
Where it is Today
There is much current information about the program at the TM web site. It appears to have evolved into less of a movement and more of an academic life. And it is no longer the inexpensive “for the masses” program it was more than 30 years ago. In the entire state of Ohio there is but one teacher. He travels the state, lecturing and teaching, and if you want to learn, you contact him to see when he will be in one of the major cities. This is a far cry from the days of large centers with many teachers, and well publicized lectures. Ohio is not as metropolitan as New York, but not as rural as Montana either. With 11.5 million people and cities the size of Cleveland, Columbus and Cincinnati, it is a diverse state. It may well be representative of how TM works with other states.
Final Thoughts
I was never certain if the Maharishi was a man who discovered how to make a lot of money, or if he was a man akin to the Dali Lama. I doubt I will ever know. I tend to believe he did both. By the 1980s I had left my relationship with the TMers and moved on to other aspects of living. I am by nature a cynic, and suspicious of any organization that deals with as much money and property as these people do. But, they could not possibly be worse than certain religious organizations, known to influence government and funnel money into unsavory and treacherous third world countries.
I still continue to meditate, and will do that as long as I live. I do not follow the prescribed method, twice a day for 20 minutes. For years I’ve only done it when I’m stressed or need to relax. But I have never found anything in my life to equal what TM does for me.
