What's your thoughts on Transcendental Meditation?

Tosh

I saw a couple of clips on Youtube about TM and was intrigued by it. Anyone ever done it?

Is it a money making scam? Those courses don't look cheap!

Dakini

I've heard conflicting reports about it. It's very expensive, but they guarantee results. I've seen reports that over time, it can have adverse effects on your mind, though.

federica

found a couple of websites you may care to peruse...

http://www.spiritandsky.com/skeptics/transcendental-meditation/

http://ask.metafilter.com/22579/Is-it-worth-2500-to-learn-Transcendental-Meditation

taiyaki

Its so simple that anyone can pick it up.

Some may progress a little and get a little benefit from it.

Then maybe they will try other forms of meditation.

Any significant progress is very unlikely.

I would never pay for it. Just pick up any mantra and repeat it until it starts to repeat itself. But its only for beginners imho.

Dakini

http://ww.net/trancenet.org/research/chap4.shtml

This is a German study of the effects of TM. First, the positive effects (usually at the beginning of practice), then the negative effects (that tend to come up the longer one practices). Section 4.1.7 begins the negative effects: mental and emotional disturbances, relationship problems, physical problems.

seeker242

It's simply "empowered" mantra meditation. Definitely not worth paying $1,500 for. It works very good but you can easily learn to do it for free.

Tosh

Thanks guys. I'll take a look at 'empowered' mantra meditation, but if it involves saying the mantra out loud, I'll probably give it a miss.

My family think I'm daft enough as it is and they'd just be yelling "Shut up will ya!" at me.

Cinorjer

Leave TM to people who think how much something costs and how much it is worth are the same thing. It's a trademarked business, not a spiritual class. The goal of a business is to generate profit, not provide a service. Eventually people might understand that basic rule of capitalism, but don't count on it.

If you check around, you can find free meditation classes somewhere. Don't neglect looking for a local UU church, where there's usually a Buddhist group. Mantras are mental tricks to help you concentrate. If you want to use one, a million Buddhists have used "Om Mane Padre Om" or some variation with positive results.

patbb

it work amazingly for some people.

Ceasar Millan is a long time practitioner i believe and we can all admire his deep wisdom and wonderful mind.

For the fans of his, check out his giant Buddha statue on his property, amazing!
so jealous.

This guy has been a inspiration to me for years.

SeaOfTranquility

I am a TM'er from way back when. I didn't pay a dime for it. Just went to an intoductionary seminar and got a "secret" TM mantra from a friend. (They make a big deal out of giving you your very own special mantra.) PM me and for substantial fee I'll sell you mine. Just kidding. It's Aagg Naaa.

Meditation is meditation. It is very important that we do it, but it doesn't matter much how we learn. The only advantage I can see for paying big bucks for their classes in this day and age is that a person would be more likely to actually meditate every day if you invested $$$.

They teach that there are different levels of consciousness or meditative absorptions that are kind of similar to the Jhanas in Buddhism.

TM provided an introduction to meditation to a lot of people in the West like myself when meditation was completely unknown and unheard of. That makes it pretty special regardless of the money issues or questionable motivation of the founder. And hey, the Beatles were into it so there you go.

IMHO the 4NT, 8FP including meditation and mindfulness, the 3 marks of existence, and dependent origination is the complete picture.

Best Wishes

MrAaronch

I do Transcendental Meditation. You do not need to any money at all. All you do is sit in SELF awareness for as long as you like with your mind cleared of all thought. Sitting in complete silence. Eventually, you will feel your head fall and you feel as if you have sort of "Blinked" out of existence and you will have no memory of what happened. Really, it is a way of setting aside the physical, mental, and emotional ego and allowing your soul to come and play. Eventually you will transcend after enough practice and you will have full memory of what has happened. You will understand what it is to exist as the SELF. I know of a very humble and compassionate individual who taught me known as Maha Vajra who will openly share with you for free out of compassion. He is a Vajryana Buddhist Acharya and even has his own lineage, known as Mahajrya Buddhism. You can find it on google under Quantum Buddhism. His most basic teaching is transcendental meditation stripped of Dogma. He teaches in a more scientific and non-dogmatic way that is very easy to understand. Many people surround meditation practices with all sorts of crap. I believe that all practices that help advance one on a spiritual path should be taught out in the open. If its that good, then why keep from others? Is that not selfishness and egocentrism? Just my two cents based on my personal experience.

Blessings my friends.

MrAaronch

I've never heard of the transcendental meditation that you have mentioned. Probably some "New age" scam. There are a-lot of those.

shays860

The Mantras are not at all personalized. I strongly recommend you not spend money on it. I don't think it's innately any better than any other kind of meditation. I almost when to to the university so the taught me the technique for free during an orientation. It's been a few years now so I don't remember the details. There were a bunch of speakers. David Lynch was one. But I really just wanted my mantra. Turns out there is only a handful of mantras and they aren't even that careful about who gets what. It's supposed to be based on age and gender primarily I think. I learned this on a website after ward but it correlated with the mantra they gave me. It sounded like "Ayn Ga". (I wonder if posting that is technically illegal...) Now I just watch the breath. I don't want to use a mantra given under false pretenses. The food was great though.

federica

it work amazingly for some people.

Ceasar Millan is a long time practitioner i believe and we can all admire his deep wisdom and wonderful mind.

For the fans of his, check out his giant Buddha statue on his property, amazing!
so jealous.

This guy has been a inspiration to me for years.

As a person, he's absolutely charming and obviously very kind. there's no doubt in my mind he has a wonderful nature.

Professionally, I have very little respect for him.

DairyLama

I'd advise against paying for stuff like this when you can get it free from a Buddhist. It's a bit like paying for courses in Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction when you can ask a Buddhist to tell you about the 4 foundations of mindfulness.

DairyLama

Many people surround meditation practices with all sorts of crap.

The crap may be useful if it fertilises the meditation practice?

Cinorjer

I've never heard of the transcendental meditation that you have mentioned. Probably some "New age" scam. There are a-lot of those.

Oh, TM used to be a household name. It was big back in the late 1970s, when it was the flavor of the day and advertised by some well known bored famous people, kinda like Tibet Buddhism and Kabbalah and even Scientology is. I knew a few people who plopped down their money and received their "secret" mantra from a certified teacher (TM is trademarked and a business that will sue you if you try to teach it without their permission).

The upfront fee was actually a refreshing change from the usual guru driven cult organization going at the time, where everything was supposed to be offered free with only voluntary donations but the object was to get everything you owned. TM tried to say it wasn't a religion so it could be sold to schools and such. Being a business, there was a flaw everyone could see right away. Once you get the fee and the person gets the contracted mantra and lessons, how do you keep them coming back and generate more revenue? Well, they decided to offer increasingly elaborate advanced lessons in yoga meditation. It culminated in TM claiming to be able to teach you to levitate, the debunkers cried BS, and videos of people in lotus position looking silly while they hopped around by pushing down on their knees pretty much ended the mystique.

They're still around, but spiritual explorers have been there and done that and moved on, the diehard mantra meditators moved mostly to Tibet Buddhism and TM kinda faded into just another bit of history like disco.

federica

I've never heard of the transcendental meditation that you have mentioned. Probably some "New age" scam. There are a-lot of those.

wow....you're kidding, right? (ok, maybe not....!)
TM has been around for... years!
I first heard about it back in the late 60's.... and i was born in the late 50's....

RichardH

I knew a few people who plopped down their money and received their "secret" mantra from a certified teacher (TM is trademarked and a business that will sue you if you try to teach it without their permission).

"Shhring" ...... oops. Tradmarked meditation.... Today there is "Big mind" .. someone has trademearked the term Big Mind.

Cinorjer

I knew a few people who plopped down their money and received their "secret" mantra from a certified teacher (TM is trademarked and a business that will sue you if you try to teach it without their permission).

"Shhring" ...... oops. Tradmarked meditation.... Today there is "Big mind" .. someone has trademearked the term Big Mind.

Oh, Dennis Merzel started using that term just before the big scandel got him fired, didn't he? So he's actually going that route? Sad. Well, I suppose it will provide him with an income and audience for the rest of his life.

shays860

Lol I forgot about the "levitating"... That crap is ridiculous.

caz

Lol I forgot about the "levitating"... That crap is ridiculous.

The whole TM thing is pretty ridiculous anyway.

shays860

Lol I forgot about the "levitating"... That crap is ridiculous.

The whole TM thing is pretty ridiculous anyway.

Maybe, but if everything else is a 5 on the scale of ridiculousness the bouncing around on your ass is about a 12.

MrAaronch

Many people surround meditation practices with all sorts of crap.

The crap may be useful if it fertilises the meditation practice?

Well, I mean crap as in hide it behind dogma's and give it a more mystical twist like "It can very dangerous in the wrong hands" or "It can lead one with the wrong intentions to becoming insane". Stuff like that. Some even reserve practices for only certain favored individuals claiming that you have to have certain qualities or knowledge in order to understand and the practice to be beneficial. I say nothing should be kept secret if it is beneficial. If not and it doesn't work then oh well haha

Cinorjer

Many people surround meditation practices with all sorts of crap.

The crap may be useful if it fertilises the meditation practice?

Well, I mean crap as in hide it behind dogma's and give it a more mystical twist like "It can very dangerous in the wrong hands" or "It can lead one with the wrong intentions to becoming insane". Stuff like that. Some even reserve practices for only certain favored individuals claiming that you have to have certain qualities or knowledge in order to understand and the practice to be beneficial. I say nothing should be kept secret if it is beneficial. If not and it doesn't work then oh well haha

OH yes, I had to laugh at your breath of fresh air. Only humans can take something as innocent and harmless and simple as sitting down and doing nothing, and package it into some secret, powerful, complicated, dangerous practice that should only be taught by the Masters.

Back when I taught meditation, one of the questions I would be asked in the introduction class is, "Can meditation be dangerous?" I'd reply, "Oh, yes. Sit on a hard surface long enough, and you will eventually develop hemorrhoids."

Yusuf

Over the years I learnt TMs is a major door way for demon possesion, I'm confused.

DairyLama

Some even reserve practices for only certain favored individuals claiming that you have to have certain qualities or knowledge in order to understand and the practice to be beneficial.

That's common practice in Tibetan Buddhism.

shays860

Over the years I learnt TMs is a major door way for demon possesion, I'm confused.

I don't believe in demon possession but even if I did I don't think TM would cause it.

Cinorjer

Over the years I learnt TMs is a major door way for demon possesion, I'm confused.

You're talking about a subset of religious people who believe the world is full of demons just waiting for an opportunity to enter and take over. To them, all meditation invites demons (that whole empty your mind talk) and watching pornography invites demons, and playing dungeons and dragons or messing with a Ouija board or holding a seance is going to let demons invade your body.

federica

Even discussing things on a Buddhist forum is fraught with dangers.... apparently.

I kid you not.

enko

http://www.meditationsydney.org.au/testimonials

federica

It's a shame something like this needs or seeks endorsements, really.....

enko

true.....some accomplished people there though

federica

Russell Brand....gimme a break....!
I wouldn't trust him specifically as an endorsement for anything... except maybe call blocker..... !

Cinorjer

Well, they've got their Russell Brand and we've got our Steven Seagal, an acknowledged reincarnated tulku-wanna be cop who is currently enlightening the undocumentated immigrants down South by driving tanks through their front doors in the middle of the night.

Celebrities.

federica

yeah.... I'm sure he would protest that there is method in his madness....
i don't know why, but i lose respect for so-called 'venerable' people when they act like idiots....
for all his mala beads, and elevated status in the Martial Arts and other apparently more 'spiritual' practices... I couldn't take him seriously after he started messing with his hair, and applying fake tan....

Does that make him shallow..... or me?

DairyLama

Does that make him shallow..... or me?

I think Steven is a little bit up his own bottom..

federica