What is Transcendental Meditation

[MariaDine]

What is the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique? It is a simple, natural, effortless
procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.
It’s not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. It’s the most widely practiced, most researched,and most effective method of self-development.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm5h1Z88lWQ




What happens when you meditate?

The Transcendental Meditation technique allows your mind to settle inward beyond thought to experience the source of thought — pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness, or the unified field.

This is the most silent and peaceful level of consciousness — your innermost Self. In this state of restful alertness, your brain functions with significantly greater coherence and your body gains deep rest.

How many people practice the TM technique?
More than five million people worldwide have learned this simple, natural technique — people of all ages, cultures, and religions — making it one of the most popular of all meditation techniques.

How much scientific research has been done on the TM technique?

The TM technique is the most widely researched of all meditation techniques. Over 600 research studies have been conducted at more than 250 universities and research centers (including Harvard, UCLA, and Stanford). These studies have been published in more than 100 journals.

Where did the TM technique come from?

The Transcendental Meditation technique is based on the ancient Vedic tradition of enlightenment in India.

This knowledge has been handed down by Vedic masters from generation to generation for thousands of years.

About 50 years ago, Maharishi — the representative in our age of the Vedic tradition — introduced Transcendental Meditation to the world, restoring the knowledge and experience of higher states of consciousness at this critical time for humanity.

When we teach the Transcendental Meditation technique today, we maintain the same procedures used by teachers thousands of years ago for maximum effectiveness.

How is the TM technique different from other meditation techniques?
There are many forms of meditation, with many goals. Other practices most often involve some concentration or control of the mind and others involve contemplation—thinking about something.

These practices keep the mind engaged in some way, for example, by focusing on an object or on something like your breath. Others keep us aware of thoughts, or images. These practices keep the mind active in some way on the surface thinking level.

TM allows the mind to simply, naturally and effortlessly transcend thinking and to experience a deep state of restfully alert consciousness. The holistic benefits that have been found to result from the practice of the TM technique are the automatic result of this unique

MORE ON THE SITE
http://www.tm.org/

[MariaDine]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xtLdFP1SCKg&feature=related


More Info Here

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RY97P07PMho&NR=1

[nearing]

Maria, do you know if it true that you must pay money to learn the technique?

[Arrowwind]

I went to a conference on Death and Dying a few years ago and met a Mormon Bishop and a hospice chaplain, Philip McLemore, who has an unusual perspective for his orientation. He spent his time teaching Mormons how to do TM.... which he called Mormon Mediation... instead of using the common mantras as taught by TM he had several short phrases taken from the Bible. One of them almost identical to the mantra I received long ago. He had studied TM in India if I remember correctly

http://www.sunstonemagazine.com/wp-content/uploads/sbi/articles/141-20-31.pdf

[Arrowwind]

Oh, the pdf link I posted will teach you how to meditate with no charge... just filter out the mormon stuff and get to the nitty grit on technique.
Its very simple really...

[nearing]

Oh, the pdf link I posted will teach you how to meditate with no charge... just filter out the mormon stuff and get to the nitty grit on technique.
Its very simple really...

Excellent, Arrowwind. I will use the mantra that Amma gave me! Thanks to both of you!

[MariaDine]

LOL.......Bible Mantra ??? well, that sure is new ! I wonder what the Maharishi would say to that ... The mantra is................................................................Tss, I better not say, because it would spoil to know «who kill Sarlet in the library» ...LOL................


----
Money payment ....I can't answer that. I learned TM with my yoga teacher.

------------------
How to do it
http://books.google.com/books?id=d8EUk5ca6oAC&printsec=frontcover&hl=pt-PT#v=onepage&q&f=false

http://books.google.com/books?id=TZ89AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover&hl=pt-PT#v=onepage&q&f=false

[MariaDine]

OK ...I tell you... :)

Meditation mantras plays a very important role in Transcendental Meditation. When you are in the beginning or at Transcendental Meditation course you may be assigned a mantra by your instructor but later as you progress through, you can choose your own mantra and keep it secret.

What is Transcendental Meditation Mantra? It is a word or a phrase or sentence that is used repeatedly which allows you to concentrate more and focus on the purpose of the meditation. Breathing exercises combined with this repetition and allows both your body and spirit to reach the state of rest, also allows your mind to go deeper into the state of consciousness.

There are few important things you should always remember in choosing your mantra:
•Your mantra should be something secret and personal to you.
•If the assigned mantra does not bring fulfill your goal or not comfortable with, you can always change your mantra
•Give some time and think properly while selecting your mantra, it should be something which can bring the right sensation to you.

Few instructions on how to pick a meditation mantra:
•It should be something that brings the right sensation to you. You can go for a traditional mantra like the name of your God in your language or other.
•In the book “The Relaxation Response”Dr. Herbert Benson recommends choosing the word “one” which is very simple yet philosophical meaning.
•No matter what word or words you choose, it should be your best tool to focus and serves the purpose of your meditation.
•It should be something that flow easily in your mind not deliberate effort to come out.
•Sit quietly and run through all your options and find out what is right for you. When you got the right word it will automatically run through your mind.

[MariaDine]

I also want to add that there are as many meditations technics as there are people.

The great Meditation thruth is that you should try diferent technics and pratice the one you most like. After a time you should try again those you didn't like , so that you understand why that happen. It may happen that you go through different technics in the course of you life...or not....All, is fine. There is not one technic that is better then another.


----------------------------------I post here this text

There are so many different types of meditation. How many? Who knows, but enough so that you can find the one that's right for you. To get your search started, here are six types of meditation you can try.

1. Breath watching. Can meditating be as simple as paying attention to your breath for a few minutes? You bet. Relax in whatever position works best for you, close your eyes and start to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing through your nose gets your diaphragm involved and gets oxygen all the way to the bottom of your lungs. As your mind wanders, just re-focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nose. Just do this for several minutes, or longer as you get used to it.

2. An empty mind meditation. Meditating can create a kind of "awareness without object," an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a "full lotus" or cross-legged position, and letting the mind go silent on its own. It can be difficult, particularly since any effort seems to just cause more business in the mind.

3. Walking meditations. This one gets the body involved. It can be outside or simply as a back and forth pacing in a room. Pay attention to the movement of your legs and breathing and body as you walk, and to the feeling of your feet contacting the ground. When your mind wanders, just keep bringing it back to the process of walking and breathing. Meditating outside in this way can be difficult because of the distractions. If you do it outside, find a quiet place with level ground.

4. Mindfulness meditation. A practice Buddhists call vipassana or insight meditation, mindfulness is the art of becoming deeply aware of what is here right now. You focus on what's happening in and around you at this very moment, and become aware of all the thoughts and feelings that are taking your energy from moment to moment. You can start by watching your breath, and then move your attention to the thoughts going through your mind, the feelings in your body, and even the sounds and sights around you. The key is to watch without judging or analyzing.

5. Simple mantra meditation. Many people find it easier to keep their mind from wandering if they concentrate on something specific. A mantra can help. This is a word or phrase you repeat as you sit in meditation, and is chosen for you by an experienced master in some traditions. If you are working on this alone, you can use any word or phrase that works for you, and can choose to either repeat it aloud or in your head as you meditate.

6. Meditating on a concept. Some meditative practices involve contemplation of an idea or scenario. An example is the "meditation on impermanence," in which you focus on the impermanent nature of all things, starting with your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In the Buddhist "meditation on the corpse," you think about a body in the ground, as it slowly rots away and is fed on by worms. The technique is used to guide you to an understanding that your rationalizing mind might not bring you to.

There are many other meditations you can try, such as the "meditation on loving-kindness" or "object" meditation, and even meditating using brain wave entrainment products. Each type has its own advantages and effects. For this reason, you may find that at different times and for different purposes you want to use several different types of meditation.

Steve Gillman has meditated and studied meditation for over twenty years. You can find a good mindfulness exercise and subscribe to The Meditation Newsletter at: http://www.TheMeditationSite.com

[nearing]

Thanks for the lengthy explanation, Maria. Great stuff there that I will certainly put to use!

[realitycorrodes]

Thomas Campbell in my big toe has this to say about TM mediation which he paid $20 dollars for at uni and was able to enter the void with - the following is quoted form his book "My Big Toe"...


I continued to meditate more or less regularly, but had found that I did not need the mantra any longer. A little research and experimentation indicated that any two-syllable nonsense word ending in "ing" (a resonant sound) worked as well as any other, including my given super-secret mantra. There was nothing mystical or magical here, only a method of controlling thoughts by filling the otherwise active mind with fluff, nothing but science and technique - no bananas or hankies were required.
Repeating the mantra eventually seemed to get in the way and slow me down; consequently I dropped it. The meditation state was now familiar enough that I could go there in an instant and return as quickly. This level of control was handy at work. I could meditate, find solutions, and return without anyone suspecting that I was doing something strange - to the world I seemed to be deep in thought. That I was disembodied point consciousness adrift in the void - gone completely from their world with no residual awareness of their reality - was my secret. Sometimes people would try to engage me while I was gone. To them, it was as if engaging a dead body. Needles to say, I gained a reputation for being eccentric -with unusual powers of concentration or an unusual ability to sleep while sitting up - nobody could tell which.
I http://ww.My-Big-TOEcom I

[realitycorrodes]

Although TM has tried to keep the mantras secret, many lapsed instructors have revealed that the following 16 are usually given: eng-em-enga-ema - aeag- aem - aenga - aema - shiring- shirim - hiring- hirim - kiring-kirim-shyam-shyama. Each of these mantras is given to a particular age group. For instance, those between 26 and 30 years are given shiring. (So much for the claim of a personalised mantra!) On inspection these mantras turn out to be "seed-mantras", magical invocations of the main Hindu gods. The first eight mantras are variations of "Aim", the invocation of Sarasvati, wife of Brahma and Goddess of all creative arts. "Hirim" calls on Shiva, "Shirim" on the Goddess Lakshmi and "Kirim"on Kalika.

To understand the force of this, one should enter Hindu philosophy. The origins of the universe are thought to be linked to sounds. The more basic the sound, the greater its religious and magical power. "Seed-mantras" are considered extremely powerful because in themselves they express and make present the original divinities at the root of existence. As D. S. Sarma puts it: "A mantra is not a mere formula or a magic spell or a prayer; it is an embodiment in sound of a particular deity. It is the deity itself. And so, when a mantra is repeated a hundred times, or a thousand times, or even more, and the worshipper makes an effort to identify himlself with the worshipped, the power of the deity comes to his help."

The Mantra Mystery

[Arrowwind]

aem is what was given to me at age 21. I paid $100 for training back in '72 --- but I always thought it was I Am! so much for that! seemed to work anyway

last time I visited a TM site training was way expensive... over $2,000... thats when I started telling people about TM and how to learn it for free.... come to find Im not the only one out there giving it away.

[MariaDine]

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_k8gFKhuL5v8/R72Xjkvon-I/AAAAAAAABKw/YGH5lvFpoOo/s320/merkaba2.gif


http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xbhobo_the-merkaba-lightbody-you-the-same-the-same_school


Merkaba - Divinity and a dash of star trek http://www.lifepositive.com/spirit/new-age-path/merkaba/merkaba-meditation.asp
by Saurabh Bhattacharya

Do you want to check out your akashic records? Or take 17 breaths and propel yourself to the fourth dimension? Merkaba meditation will do all that and more.
JUST 17 BREATHS This technique, channeled by Drunvalo Melchizedek, is by far the most popular form of merkaba meditation (...)


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BREATH 1:
Inhale. Become aware of the male tetrahedron
JUST 17 BREATHS

This technique, channeled by Drunvalo Melchizedek, is by far the most popular form of merkaba meditation

BREATH 1:
Inhale. Become aware of the male tetrahedron (the apex facing up to the sun, the point facing front for male and back for females) filled with white light surrounding your body. Touch your thumb to the index finger. Do not allow the rest of your fingers to touch each other or any other object. Keep palms facing up. Breathe rhythmically.

Exhale. Become aware of the female tetrahedron (apex pointing to the earth, point facing the back for males and the front for females), also filled with white light. Keep the same mudra. Exhale slowly. Relax chest and abdomen and hold your breath. When you feel the pressure to breathe again, be aware of the flat equilateral triangle plane at the top of the female tetrahedron. In a flash, send that plane down through the tetrahedron, pushing out all negative energy. While visualizing this, slightly cross your eyes but keep them closed. Roll your eyeballs to the top of their sockets. Look down at the same time that you send the triangular plane downward.

The next five breaths are a repeat of the first breath with the following mudra changes:

BREATH 2: Thumb and second finger together

BREATH 3: Thumb and third finger

BREATH 4: Thumb and little finger

BREATH 5: Thumb and first finger

BREATH 6: Thumb and second finger

For the next seven breaths, touch thumb with first and second fingers, palms up. Visualize the pranic tube that runs from the apex of the male tetrahedron above your head to the apex of the female tetrahedron below your feet. The diameter of your tube will be the size of the hole formed by your thumb and forefinger.

BREATH 7
The instant you inhale, see the prana's brilliant light move down the tube from the top and up from the bottom at the same time. Direct the two beams to meet within your body at navel level, inside the tube. Here, they form a sphere of white light or prana. As you continue to inhale, this sphere begins to concentrate and grow. By the time you exhale, it will be eight or nine inches in diameter.

BREATH 8, 9, & 10
The prana sphere continues to concentrate energy and grow in size. It will reach the size of a basketball at the end of the eighth breath and will brighten further when you finish the ninth breath. On the tenth inhalation, the sphere ignites into a blinding ball of white light. When you now exhale through your lips and with pressure, the sphere bursts out and encloses your body.

BREATH 11, 12 & 13
Feel the prana flowing from the two poles, meeting at the navel, and expanding out to the large sphere. Breath 14 Move the prana sphere from the navel to the sternum, the fourth dimensional chakra. Simultaneously, the entire large sphere moves up to the new meeting point within the tube. Breathing from this new point within the tube will change your awareness to fourth dimensional consciousness. Place the left palm on top of the right palm (for males) or the right palm on top of the left (for females).

BREATH 15
Say to yourself: "Equal speed." Exhale in the manner of the tenth breath and visualize the two whole star tetrahedrons spin in opposite directions at equal speed. You have started the motor of the merkaba.

BREATH 16
While inhaling, say to yourself: "Thirty-four, twenty-one." The two sets of tetrahedrons will start spinning at a ratio of 34:21. As you feel the speed increasing, let out all your breath with force. The tetrahedrons are now spinning at two-third the speed of light. As they approach this speed, a disc, about 55 feet in diameter, forms around the body at the level of the base of the spine. The sphere of energy centered around the tetrahedrons forms, with the disc, a shape that looks like a flying saucer. This energy matrix is your merkaba.

BREATH 17
As you breathe in, say to yourself: "Nine-tenths the speed of light," increasing the speed of the merkaba accordingly. This will stabilize the rotating field of energy. As you feel the speed, exhale forcefully. You are now in your stable and third-dimensionally tuned merkaba.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

(...) What would you call a two-minute meditation that promises you peace of mind, universal love, inter-dimensional travel, a breathtaking tour of all the seven levels of consciousness, immortality, and—with continued practice—even Ascended Mastership? A lot of bull? New Age gone haywire? Sensational? Or simply... merkaba!

Little is known about this out-and-out New Age meditation technique. Lesser still is comprehensible. In fact, the overall picture suspiciously resembles the plot of a Hollywood science fantasy, with liberal doses of turgid religion thrown in for good measure.

The story starts with a person called Drunvalo Melchizedek who, according to the American publication Leading Edge, "walked" into his adult physical body in 1972 and who "retains full memory through different lifetimes and varying dimensions of consciousness". Drunvalo is "an accomplished scientist, physicist, inventor, healer and teacher" and his main purpose in coming to this world is to "help Earth's people make a smooth transition through the coming Shift of the Ages". The ideal tool for this transition is the merkaba-a 17-breath meditation technique that has been channeled through Drunvalo by Melchizedek, 'the lord of this universe'.

Unlike most meditations that require years of training under experts, merkaba is in keeping with the New Age tenor of accessible spirituality. All it needs is a lot of imagination. As Sukhbir Singh, a merkaba teacher in Delhi, India, says: "Learning merkaba takes only half-an-hour, but mastering it can take ages."

So what's so tough about 17 simple breaths? Apparently the merkaba itself, which is supposed to be a massive geometrical figure all around you, comprising two tetrahedrons interlocked within a sphere of pranic energy that is connected to a pranic tube running right through you. That's not all. On the 16th exhalation, a disc, 55 ft in diameter, flips open from your middle. According to Drunvalo, the sphere of energy that is centered around the two sets of tetrahedrons forms, with the disc, "a shape that looks like a flying saucer around the body. This energy matrix is called the merkaba". By the 17th breath, this mammoth complexity is rotating around you close to the speed of light—the upper, male, tetrahedron moving counter-clockwise and the lower, female, moving clockwise. And, at the end of the ever-elusive and undefined 18th breath, you take off for any dimension / galaxy / constellation/ past life / planet you like!

Sounds quite a mindful, doesn't it? But despite, or perhaps because of, the complex visualization involved, the merkaba has become an integral part of New Age in the West.

Its most important manifestation is in the Ascension Movement. Briefly, this movement believes that the world we live in is the first plane of existence in this universe, and every human being is destined to evolve higher towards the astral, Buddha, atmic and divine planes. This evolution, however, can also be volitional and controlled by visualizing the merkaba.

According to followers of the Ascension Movement, merkaba means the 'vehicle of ascension' and through it, inter-dimensional travel is possible. The movement also believes that when the final dimension shift comes on earth, only those who have practiced the merkaba can safely shift to a four-dimensional plane of existence—a belief suspiciously similar to the Biblical prophecy of Doomsday.

However, as Delhi-based merkaba teacher Aparna Jha points out, a strong streak of the bizarre and the paranoid often makes the ideas of the Ascension Movement a bit difficult to digest. Says Aparna: "Many believers of the Ascension Movement strongly feel that there is a secret government keeping a tab on their merkaba practice, ready to destroy any chance of connecting to higher intelligence beyond this universe! I just can't make myself believe that you can teleport your physical body to other galaxies or worlds through the merkaba."

However unbelievable they may be, the number of believers in the merkaba's fantastic uses shows no signs of decreasing. Many, such as American merkaba practitioner Jon Locke, have even documented their bizarre experiences with the merkaba on the Internet.

Describing one such experience, where he apparently succeeded in projecting himself onto the moon after a brief brush with the secret government, Locke exclaims: "How will our friends (from other worlds) ever get to us? This is the mess we are in. We are what everybody is fighting over. What our friends want us to do is build our merkabas and fly out of here. It is like getting messages in to the hostages. You don't have to be helpless. You can take a hand in your own salvation. That is what the message of the merkaba is all about."

Historically, the term merkaba has strong kabalistic connections. "The earliest form of mystical Kabala literature is found in the tradition of the merkaba mystics (circa 100 B.C.-A.D. 1000)," notes the Encyclopaedia of Mystical and Paranormal Phenomena. "Merkaba means 'God's Throne-Chariot' and refers to the chariot of Ezekiel's vision. The goal of the merkaba mystic was to enter the throne world, after passing through seven heavenly mansions."

Today's merkaba, however, has roots as foggy as they are eclectic.

According to Drunvalo, the term merkaba is ancient Egyptian and comprises three syllables: m(e)r (place of ascending), ka (spirit) and ba (soul). Alton Kamadon, another merkaba practitioner who travels all over the world teaching the Melchizedek Method, his form of merkaba, explains the same three syllables as counter-clockwise rotation of light (mer), spirit (ka) and body (ba). The book Beyond Ascension suggests that a first-time merkaba aspirant can "ask Archangel Metatron and the Lord Maitreya to help with this particular ascension technique". In fact, true to New Age expansiveness, you can ask any ascended being—from Christ to Krishna, from Ramtha to Ram, from Djwal Khul to Melchizedek—to help create your personal merkaba.

Considering its growing popularity in the West, this eclecticism seems to have gone down well with most. In India, however, merkaba still has to pass the litmus test.

Despite being fast and comparatively hassle-free, this technique has not received much attention. After learning it from visiting reiki master William Hauw a couple of years ago, Aparna has taught the merkaba to only a few people. Singh frowns on this lack of interest, reading in it a general desire of taking things easy. "Merkaba demands persistent concentration," he says, "something that few are willing to do. Little do they realize what they are missing out on. I have been practicing the merkaba for the past two years and have mastered all the five elements of nature through it."

Aparna is more circumspect while talking about the merkaba's benefits, but even she agrees: "Your consciousness does spiral to other planes or dimensions. In fact, you can return from each higher dimension with more knowledge, more insight."

Aparna herself does not admit to traveling to other dimensions through the merkaba, but she does use it as a 'lift-off' for other meditations. She also feels that the merkaba has made her more compassionate.

[Carmody]

I have a personal dislike for any attempts to integrate the egoic mind function into meditation, which any mantras will automatically do. to me, this is a direct defeating of the purpose.

Maybe that is just me.

When I did it, I just simply shut the entire mind/ego OFF, right down to the deepest murmurings of the brain stem, and blocked the door OPEN.

Of course..that may be difficult to do, in the 'right-off the get-go' sense of beginning.

But I find it counter productive to integrate mind into meditations.

[MariaDine]

Diferent goals use sometimes ,the same tool.

Namasté

¤=[Post Update]=¤


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y7ajEzVsuhg

[ceetee9]

I haven't read through everyone's comments so forgive me if I am repeating what others have said.

While attending Berklee in Boston in the mid 70s, I became interested in Transcendental Meditation and sought a place that taught it in downtown Boston. Because I was a student I think I paid only $40 or $50 for several days of training (a couple hours a day). I have not stayed with the practice, but I do meditate from time to time and I must admit that I find it extremely relaxing and calming. I haven't discovered any keys to the universe or anything yet, but that's probably because I don't do it often enough. %^)

If I remember correctly, the mantra is, by design, a meaningless word to help facility non-thought (i.e., if the word had meaning your mind would contemplate its meaning and the idea is to quiet the mind by not thinking). This is a very difficult thing to do as the mind wants to think continuously, but once you realize you're thinking about something again, you let the thoughts go and come back to the quiet state of non-thinking. As with anything, the more you practice the better you will get at keeping your thoughts at bay and for longer periods of time. This, I believe, is the goal--oh yeah, and the spiritual awakening thing. Also, the reason why they tell you to keep the mantra secret is so as not to identify the mantra with any person, place or thing. However, being the curious soul that I am, several years later I told my wife what my mantra was and she revealed that hers was the same. Oops! My bad!

All kidding aside, I think meditation is very beneficial and I recommend it. Now if I could just get myself to do it along with exercising more often, I think I'll be fine. ;)

[Carmody]

the ego always does it best to make sure you don't have the time. But you know that already. :p

[ulli]

I love meditation, but left TM years ago.
Then I came across Bronte Baxter's blog
http://brontebaxter.wordpress.com/
and I must say, I like the way she explains what happened.

[Bhusunda]

I started with TM when I was 15, so thats almost 35 years ago. And I still do meditate up to this day, but not on a regular basis anymore. I got rid of all dogmas and regulations long time ago.
I did also the advanced techniques, called the Sidhis, and stayed with the Purusha group (a kind of male group of moncs founded by Maharishi) for about 8 years of my life.

I must say, after clearing up a lot of the bad side effects that have nothing to do with the technique itself, I own a lot of, if not most of my present being to this technique.
Sometimes I feel like a time-capsule waiting to burst open at the right moment. It feels as if I have created a huge universe inside myself in all this years of intense practice. I feel very lively inside. My problems is more on the other side, finding a way to express all I can see and feel inside me.

But, as it is with techniques, they are tools and not the goal.
Where Transcendental Meditation is more of a peaceful nature, allowing you to find a state of disengagement of your thoughts, being able to watch them, the advanced techniques called the 'Sidhis', are more of an active nature and flood your system with intent and energy. So whatever uncleared emotional issues (pain-body as Eckhart Tolle would call it) or ego-games you are involved in, this can be enlarged to unhealthy proportions. Sometimes new ego-games can arise of such energy input which are even more powerful and destructive.

What I love about this techniques is their utter simplicity. It is the simpleness of nature. You just need attention of an effortless kind and an easy handling of those moments when you realize your attention has drifted. Be kind to yourself, don't judge and go back with your attention effortlessly. Some other traditions go into great lengths of concentration, but this just leads to tiring and wear-out of the system in my opinion. Probably you reach a state of tranquility then just by giving up the effort at some point.

If anyone is interested in my personal story, I have written about this on my website I have set-up in April before I joined Avalon. (You can find the link in my profile.) I did a kind of recapitulation (reminiscent of Carlos Castaneda) of my life so far, to clear the table and find the loose ends. I wanted to join Avalon already beginning of this year. But the 'Charles' material, although eagerly devoured by me, made me feel that this is not the right moment. I observed in me, that the only reason to join then, would have been 'fear', the fear of being left behind by you. I don't want to act on any impulse of fear anymore. Instead I focussed then on writing down my story, clearing my present, trying to be honest to myself.

Bear in mind, that I give you this link not in order to be nailed down on my past being. I am not my past. I am only existing in the present and I give my best to stay here.

I just think that some of you might find it interesting regarding the issue of Transcendental Mediation that plays a very great part in it.

This is very personal stuff, so please deal sensible with it.

And, if you have any questions, ask. ;)

Thanks,
Bhusunda

[Bhusunda]

I have a personal dislike for any attempts to integrate the egoic mind function into meditation, which any mantras will automatically do. to me, this is a direct defeating of the purpose.

Maybe that is just me.

When I did it, I just simply shut the entire mind/ego OFF, right down to the deepest murmurings of the brain stem, and blocked the door OPEN.

Of course..that may be difficult to do, in the 'right-off the get-go' sense of beginning.

But I find it counter productive to integrate mind into meditations.

I always found the mind way the most easy of them all, just because it is on the sound level, inner sound. I never regarded this as thinking actually. You give your mind something to put his attention on, a mantra which is nothing than a sound, and by letting this sound sink inside you, not putting any kind of pressure at all on it!, just watching!, you gradually sink down and experience finer and finer states of thoughts and awareness. The Mantra is like a boat. You end up watching yourself meditating, watching all the other thoughts you have and you recognize them as what they are, an automatic process and nothing to really identify with. At the goal, you can step out and enjoy the silence, or best of all, get out again and act to incorporate it in your daily life.
At least that is my experience to this day.
I tried also Zazen and Vipassana but always found them to be more on the surface. I have high respect to Vipassana though, it taught me to pay more attention to my body and stay in the present.

Addendum:
Mind in itself is not egoic, its always there. The problem arises when you identify with it. And of course, if you are so inclined, you can turn any meditation into an ego-power trip.
:cool:

[MariaDine]

The official Maharishi Channel on YouTube. (text taken from his site)

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is widely regarded as the foremost scientist in the field of consciousness, and considered to be one of the greatest teachers in the world. Maharishi has completely restored the thousands of years-old scattered Vedic Literature for the total significance of its theory and practice, and has organized it in the form of a complete science of consciousness.

During the past 50 years, more than six million people, from every profession, age, educational background, and religion have learned how to meditate with the Transcendental Meditation technique and are rising to enlightenment through their twice-daily practice.

Maharishi has been interviewed countless times over the years with each lecture bringing a new angle of understanding to his Vedic Science and its application to daily life. Maharishi is one of the most videotaped personalities in history.

There are more than 30,000 hours of video and audio tape recordings of lectures made by Maharishi over the past 50 years. We will be adding new videos as regularly as possible.

All the graphic and written material, video and youtube displays on this site are copyrighted and proprietary material licensed to the Maharishi Channel and are not to be duplicated, reproduced, or otherwise displayed.


http://www.youtube.com/user/maharishichannel?blend=24&ob=5

Namasté

[fosselovelight]

Thank you for this thread MariaDine. I really needed to read this today !



What is the Transcendental Meditation (TM) technique? It is a simple, natural, effortless
procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.
It’s not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. It’s the most widely practiced, most researched,and most effective method of self-development.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dm5h1Z88lWQ




What happens when you meditate?

The Transcendental Meditation technique allows your mind to settle inward beyond thought to experience the source of thought — pure awareness, also known as transcendental consciousness, or the unified field.

This is the most silent and peaceful level of consciousness — your innermost Self. In this state of restful alertness, your brain functions with significantly greater coherence and your body gains deep rest.

How many people practice the TM technique?
More than five million people worldwide have learned this simple, natural technique — people of all ages, cultures, and religions — making it one of the most popular of all meditation techniques.

How much scientific research has been done on the TM technique?

The TM technique is the most widely researched of all meditation techniques. Over 600 research studies have been conducted at more than 250 universities and research centers (including Harvard, UCLA, and Stanford). These studies have been published in more than 100 journals.

Where did the TM technique come from?

The Transcendental Meditation technique is based on the ancient Vedic tradition of enlightenment in India.

This knowledge has been handed down by Vedic masters from generation to generation for thousands of years.

About 50 years ago, Maharishi — the representative in our age of the Vedic tradition — introduced Transcendental Meditation to the world, restoring the knowledge and experience of higher states of consciousness at this critical time for humanity.

When we teach the Transcendental Meditation technique today, we maintain the same procedures used by teachers thousands of years ago for maximum effectiveness.

How is the TM technique different from other meditation techniques?
There are many forms of meditation, with many goals. Other practices most often involve some concentration or control of the mind and others involve contemplation—thinking about something.

These practices keep the mind engaged in some way, for example, by focusing on an object or on something like your breath. Others keep us aware of thoughts, or images. These practices keep the mind active in some way on the surface thinking level.

TM allows the mind to simply, naturally and effortlessly transcend thinking and to experience a deep state of restfully alert consciousness. The holistic benefits that have been found to result from the practice of the TM technique are the automatic result of this unique

MORE ON THE SITE
http://www.tm.org/