Hinduism - What Is Transcendental Meditation?

 

Transcendental Meditation (TM) is a kind of meditation that focuses on the present moment Maharishi Mahesh Yogi developed this religious institution, which focuses on meditation teachings.

Transcendental Meditation (TM) emphasizes the many advantages of meditation, as its name suggests: It enhances physical, mental, and spiritual health in individuals, while it is believed to have pacifying effects on the greater environment, resulting in less crime and hostility.

All of these benefits can only be acquired by rigorous practice, but the initiation itself is simple to obtain—all that is necessary is attendance at a seminar hosted by a TM teacher and payment of the requisite money to get one's mantra, or holy utterance.

In recent years, TM's headquarters at Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa, has provided programs leading to the development of superhuman abilities (siddhis).

Since an unhappy consumer who was unable to learn to levitate won a lawsuit for damages, the claims of these programs have been toned down.

Although meditation and the use of mantras are well-established Hindu traditions, some aspects of TM's marketing are unsettling to many orthodox Hindus.

The practice of purchasing (or selling) a mantra, which was historically passed down from teacher (guru) to student only after extensive connection, is a contentious issue.

A similar issue arises from the idea that superhuman abilities may be bought and sold.

Because these abilities may be employed for both good and evil, and because they have the potential to harm a spiritually immature person, they are considered as immensely tempting.

Traditional wisdom agrees that a person should not pursue such abilities knowingly since the act of seeking is considered as founded in selfish aspirations.

People who have earned such abilities as a result of spiritual development, on the other hand, are seen to be able to maintain them in appropriate perspective.

~Kiran Atma


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