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Transcendental Meditation – Jack Forem PDF

486 Pages·2012·4.21 MB·English
by  ForemJack
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Praise for Transcendental Meditation “In the ongoing transmission of India’s practical wisdom to the West, nothing has had a bigger impact than Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his Transcendental Meditation. This engaging and comprehensive update of Jack Forem’s seminal book is well timed, as the knowledge it contains is vital in our stressed-out, plugged-in era.” — Philip Goldberg, author of American Veda: From Emerson and the Beatles to Yoga and Meditation, How Indian Spirituality Changed the West “Jack Forem’s groundbreaking book, Transcendental Meditation, inspired thousands of people, including myself, to learn meditation and investigate the scientific basis behind its effectiveness. In this new edition, he brilliantly distills all the latest advancements and hundreds of scientific papers published in leading academic and medical journals. As Maharishi himself said about the original edition, this book ‘offers a clear, comprehensive, and thoughtful presentation of the essence of our teaching,’ and that is certainly true of this new edition as well. I strongly encourage everyone to read this book and to take full advantage of the programs it describes. It is an invaluable resource for all who desire a bright future for themselves and for our world.” — John Hagelin, Quantum Physicist and Educator President, Global Union of Scientists for Peace Featured in What the Bleep Do We Know!? and The Secret 2 “A comprehensive, reader-friendly study of the teachings of a great modern master. Jack Forem’s book isn’t just about the TM technique and its massive body of scientific research, but it reveals practical and enlightened approaches to the fields of education, health care, personal relationships, psychology, religion, and business, and a novel and powerful strategy for achieving world peace. Informative and inspiring!” — James S. Brooks, M.D., co-author of Ayurvedic Secrets to Longevity & Total Health, Medical Director of Mental Health Centers in Chariton and Fairfield, Iowa “As a rabbi and longtime practitioner of the TM program, I particularly appreciate the new chapter on Religion and Spirituality in Jack Forem’s book. Jack quotes Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s teaching that religions have ‘one common ground: that the light of God is kindled in each heart.’ This is what TM accomplished for me in my life. I never would have desired to become, nor would I have been able to succeed as a rabbi, without the spiritual awareness that the practice of TM awakened in me.” — Alan Green, Senior Rabbi, Shaarey Zedek Synagogue, Winnipeg, Canada “Many books have been written about the Transcendental Meditation technique and the array of benefits enjoyed by those who practice it. Jack Forem’s book stands out not only because it is eminently readable and entertaining, but because it is such a clear and comprehensive introduction to TM, the principles behind it, and the research demonstrating its effectiveness. It’s a joy to read and a breath of fresh air. 3 “In addition to delineating the value of TM for individuals, Forem explains cutting-edge, paradigm-shifting research showing that groups of people practicing TM together have significantly reduced tension and hostility in the environment. He argues persuasively that in TM, we have a technique to benefit the individual and at the same time generate harmony and reduce stress in society as a whole. “This is a book to read and take to heart.” — Gary P. Kaplan M.D., Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neurology, Hofstra University School of Medicine “Jack Forem’s new book on Transcendental Meditation offers a wealth of research with real-world examples of how TM can increase personal and corporate success and effectiveness. This book offers numerous examples of how this simple technique has had a tremendous effect on people from all walks of life. I know it has helped me, my family, my company, and my clients.” — Nancy Slomowitz, President & CEO, Executive Management Associates, Inc., author of Work Zone Madness! Surviving and Rising Above Workplace Dysfunction 4 5 6 Copyright © 1973 by Jack Forem Revised Edition Copyright © 2012 by Jack Forem Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com® • Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au • Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk • Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za • Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com • Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in Cover design: Amy Rose Grigoriou • Interior design: Tricia Breidenthal Indexer: Jay Kreider • Photo on page 84: Fred Travis Illustrations of scientific research were prepared by Allen Cobb, based on graphics developed by Maharishi University of Management (MUM) Press. Used by permission. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private use—other than for “fair use” as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviews—without prior written permission of the publisher. 7 The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions. Originally published in 1973 in the United States by Dutton (ISBN: 0-525-47341-6). Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Forem, Jack. Transcendental meditation : the essential teachings of maharishi mahesh yogi / Jack Forem. — Rev. and updated for the 21st century. p. cm. Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN 978-1-4019-3156-8 (tradepaper : alk. paper) 1. Transcendental meditation. I. Title. BF637.T68.F67 2012 158.1’25—dc23 2012011499 8 Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-4019-3156-8 Digital ISBN: 978-1-4019-3157-5 15 14 13 12 4 3 2 1 1st edition, October 2012 Printed in the United States of America 9 CONTENTS Preface Introduction: Meeting Maharishi CHAPTER 1: TM and the Search for Happiness CHAPTER 2: New Knowledge for a New Age CHAPTER 3: The Goal of Life CHAPTER 4: Reality: Scientific and Spiritual CHAPTER 5: The Neurophysiology of Enlightenment CHAPTER 6: TM: Rx for Good Health CHAPTER 7: TM and Longevity: Living Longer and Better CHAPTER 8: Family and Friends CHAPTER 9: Education for Enlightenment CHAPTER 10: The Art of Action CHAPTER 11: The Best We Can Be: TM and Self-Actualization 10 CHAPTER 12: What Matters Most: Values in a Transforming World CHAPTER 13: Religion and Spirituality CHAPTER 14: Freedom CHAPTER 15: The World We Can Create Resources Notes and References Acknowledgments About the Author 11 12 PREFACE Transcendental Meditation and the essential teachings and technologies for the development of consciousness brought to the world by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi provide a direct path for anyone, in any time or place, to grow in happiness, creativity, dynamism, vibrant good health, and a deep sense of inner peace, regardless of the circumstances of one’s life. They not only offer profound levels of individual fulfillment, they also bring warmth and love to relationships, promote harmony and healing in the social and natural environment, and contribute to a peaceful world. This is the message Maharishi delivered when I first heard him speak in November of 1966. It resonated deeply with me. I believed it, and I believed in it as a vision of possibilities worthy of achieving. His very being radiated an indefinable something, an authenticity and gentle authority that inspired confidence in the truth of his words. The first version of this book was published eight years later, after I learned Transcendental Meditation (TM), trained in India to teach it, and did extensive research on its results and benefits. It was my first book, and I was grateful and happy that it enjoyed substantial success in the United States and in various editions around the world. Now, a lifetime later, based on more than 40 years of personal experience with Maharishi’s teachings and conversations and interviews with hundreds of people, I have revised and updated it, taking into consideration, among other things, a mountain of scientific 13 research that continues to verify the deep truth, logical beauty, and universal effectiveness of Maharishi’s teachings. ABOUT THIS NEW EDITION Readers of the original edition may wonder if there’s anything here of value for them. At the risk of self-promotion—something I may be the last living American to find abhorrent—I have to say that this revised version is essentially a new book. In reviewing the scientific research published since the first edition, interviewing people about the benefits they’ve enjoyed from practicing TM, and trying to select only the most important of the many programs throughout the world utilizing this practice, I realized that much of the previous material would have to give way to the new. Here are the main ways in which this book has evolved: New Knowledge. When the original edition was published, the Transcendental Meditation technique comprised Maharishi’s entire teaching. Since then, he unveiled new programs and initiatives for health promotion, personal development, sustainable living, global-peace creation, and much more, which I will describe and explain. Research. When I wrote the initial version of the book, only a handful of scientific studies on TM had been published. Now, more than 350 research papers on TM have appeared in top-level scientific journals on psychology, physiology, health, and social change. You will find many (but I promise, not all!) of these papers briefly reviewed here, in terms of the benefits they have uncovered for individuals and society. 14 Long-Term Personal Growth. The original edition contained interviews and testimonials mostly from students and other young people who’d been meditating a relatively short time—from a few months to about five years. Now there are many thousands of people who have been meditating for decades. What have they experienced? How have they grown? How has meditation helped them deal with life’s challenges as they’ve grown older? You will find answers to such questions within these pages, along with new observations from people young and not-so young about the value they have found in TM in today’s world. Global Expansion. The first version of the book focused almost exclusively on the United States and almost entirely on benefits for the individual. Now TM is taught in schools, prisons, corporate offices, and industrial plants around the world. Special programs in Veterans Administration hospitals are teaching TM to soldiers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and there are meditation classes for kids with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), as well as “at-risk” kids from high-stress neighborhoods. These programs are everywhere, from the mountaintops of Peru and the plains of India to Native American reservations. TM is taught to people throughout North and South America as well as Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia, and the Middle East, in Bali, Ecuador, Thailand, the United Kingdom, Brazil, South Africa, Uganda, India, Australia, New Zealand, in over 100 countries. Personal Experience of the Author. In the first edition, I did my best to keep myself out of the story and just present the knowledge and research on TM as clearly and objectively as I could. However, over the years, many people have told me 15

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