A technique, introduced to the western world by the maharishi Mahesh Yogi, by which a person may allegedly reach a unique state of consciousness. The method involves endless silent chanting of a mantra (an allegedly sacred expression) while positioned in the lotus posture (if possible).
TM (which letters are trademarked and patented!) also claims to be based on the "Science of Creative Intelligence." It is very attractive to people who fancy themselves modern and scientific and who want to be more intelligent but who do not want to read or think or be confused by the works of real scientists. This so- called science of creative intelligence is the basis for the instruction at Maharishi International College (formerly Parsons College in Fairfield, Iowa).
TM recruiting literature is full of charts and graphs demonstrating "scientifically" the wonders of TM. Things like metabolic rate, oxygen consumption rate, bodily production of carbon dioxide, hormone production, brain waves, etc. are measured and charted and graphically presented to suggest that TM really takes a person to a new state of consciousness.
The truth is that TM `scientists' do not do controlled experiments and, in fact, are on par with most parapsychologists when it comes to experimental design and controls, namely, incompetent, if not fraudulent. You can get the same `mysterious' physiological results by relaxing completely.
Probably the most ridiculous claim of TMers is that they can fly--well, not really fly, more like hover. TM is big on levitation. You may have seen TV news clips of groups of TMers hopping around in the lotus position, claiming to be flying. You are promised not only the gift of flight but also invisibility. (The invisibility program is for gifted sidhis at MIU.) In addition, the world benefits from exponential growth of TM because of the "Maharishi effect." This is another so-called scientifically demonstrated fact: the concentration of goodness and wisdom of masses of TMers travels paranormally through the countryside, reducing crime and accidents while simultaneously increasing crop production in its wake. James Randi checked with the Fairfield Police Dept, the Iowa Dept of Agriculture and the Dept of Motor Vehicles and found that the data of TM scientist who reported these fantastic facts was invented.[note]
What is instructive about the kind of false and deceptive advertising and promotion by Ph.D.s and Holy Men that typifies Transcendental Meditation is that it exemplifies the universal tendency of the righteous to rationalize dishonesty when the goal or cause is believed to be Sacred. It is difficult, perhaps, for most people, who are basically honest and good, to believe that good people do bad things. The fact is that the greater a person's reputation for decency, goodness and integrity, the less likely it is that anyone will suspect them of evil. The less likely it is that anyone will suspect a person of evil, the greater the probability of not getting caught in an evil deed, great or small. As any good crime writer knows, it is not the genius who can commit the perfect crime; intelligence has little to do with it. The only person who can commit a perfect crime is a person no one would ever suspect. One such person is the person of unquestioned righteousness and integrity. Likewise, many of the most successful charlatans are above reproach: holy men and women doing God's work, benefiting in no obvious material way and often making great sacrifices in their personal lives to do the work of God, Jehova, Shiva, Bhrama, Allah, Jesus, Buddha, etc.
A common selling feature of scams such as TM is that the sellers convince the buyers that they (the sellers) have no ulterior motive for encouraging TM. For example, The March 1, 1995, edition of the Sacramento Bee (p. B4) reports that John Black, director of a TM program in Palo Alto, California, is trying to convince officials a few miles down the road in San Jose to let him teach TM in the schools. Meditation in the classroom, he claims, would increase test scores, reduce teenage pregnancies, rid campuses of violence and drugs and diminish teacher burnout. This powerful message was delivered at a free forum for teachers and meditators titled "Solving the Crisis in Our Schools."
It may be true that people such as John Black really believe that TM can do all these things, but they have no proof that TM in the schools will accomplish any of these noble goals. John Black says that "the crisis in the schools is that people are stressed out." He may be right, but school officials have wisely remained unconvinced. Even a newspaper ad in which the maharishi Mahesh Yogi himself offered "A Proven Program to Eliminate Crime in San Jose" for a mere $55.8 million a year couldn't convince City Hall. Similar ads were placed in several cities. There were no takers. And who said you can't trust City Hall!
further reading
John Knapp's Trancenet for the latest research on TM
Meditation Information Network
suggested reading
Randi, James. Flim-Flam! (Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books,1982), chapter 5, "The Giggling Guru: A Matter of Levity".
The scientist who reported these lies was Dr. Robert Rabinoff, who claims to have a Ph.D. in physics, the subject he was hired to teach at MIU. See James Randi, Flim-Flam (Buffalo, New York: Prometheus Books,1982), pp. 99-108.