Question
Hi,
I am a student taking a philosophy class online and am learning about Buddhism and different religions. I was wondering if you could explain how transcendal meditation affects the mind and body, how people can be changed by it, and the basic process of meditation. How long does it take to learn and how must one follow through with it? Do you know how it originated? I think it is really interesting, and would love to know anything about it. Thank you!
Answer
Jen , Thank you for your question.
Most meditation techniques operate on one of two principles: concentration or contemplation.
Concentration is forcing the mind to be devoid of thoughts, or to have one specific thought only. This is doomed to failure because it doesn't take account of how the mind works (the mind is naturally full of thoughts). It also prevents transcending thought to experience the source of thought, which is unbounded blissful awareness.
Contemplation is thinking about some subject, such as God. Again, there is little opportunity here for transcending.
Transcendental Meditation uses a special sound (mantra) to lead the mind naturally in the direction of the source of thought, effortlessly. Although the mantra is a simple sound, the technique for using it is subtle and requires instruction.
You learn TM in a 4-day course. You can get complete information at http://www.tm.org.
I can explain the technique in detail, but it isn't possible for you to learn over the Internet (the first instruction would be to close your eyes, but then how could you read further?). TM cannot be learned from a book for the same reason.
Practicing TM is an experience, one of increasing bliss, intelligence, and creativity. Learning TM is also an experience. A very beautiful one.
David Spector
