Question
Hi,
I have read some books and some internet resources about Tm and there were some awfully unbielveble information(yogic flying,gathering peace,increasing every goodness and etc)
Are whole of these things true?
and did you yourself see these effects?
and how long does it take to affect person?
have fun
Answer
Hi, Mohammad.
Thanks for your nice note. Well, there are all kinds of things that promise wonderful feelings and experiences and many people who will do anything to try to get that. Usually when this happens, someone is making a lot of money from it!!!
This is half a joke but it is also a sad fact. Let's look at this maybe another way. First of all, I think we can agree that there is a lot in life that is painful by the very nature of life. We have physical pain, we have loss of those we love, we have the knowledge of our own limitations and death. We have conflicts between our needs and the reality of our world, for example being hungry when we can find no food or being tired when there is no chance to rest, being cold when there is no way to get warm.
What I've described is true for all living things. But for human beings it is more complicated. In reading your note, I wonder how your life is for you and wonder if like most people, you feel a lack of freedom and a lack of real love and peace. And then maybe the feeling that, yes, there should be a real freedom and love that is not someone's trick to make money.
I would agree that the way we usually live is not all there is. How do I explore this? Let's say right away that it is probably not by exercises, practices, repetition of something, training or believing in certain ideas. Why not? Because this is all part of the same kind of conditioned, controlled way of living that I am questioning.
Let's propose something different. Something simpler and more direct. Let's propose starting to see carefully and without judgment how we really are moment by moment. Seeing the reactions in myself that make things more painful than they need to be and make my life more restrictive than it needs to be. This is a start.
I'm going to stop here because I don't really know how things are for you. You are welcome to write back to me with your thoughts or reactions and we can continue to discuss and clarify things together. Let me know if I said things that were not very clear. I'm interested to hear more about what your concerns are for yourself.
You can write me at the allexperts site or you can email me directly at jcutts@swcp.com. Please put the word meditation in the subject line.
Hope this starts to address your question. Best wishes to you.
Jay Cutts
