Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!mcvax!ukc!strath-cs!glasgow!jack
From: jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Mr Jack Campin)
Newsgroups: sci.misc
Subject: Re: Transedental Meditation....
Message-ID: <995@crete.cs.glasgow.ac.uk>
Date: 15 Apr 88 17:20:43 GMT
References: <1126@maccs.UUCP>
Reply-To: jack@cs.glasgow.ac.uk (Jack Campin)
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In article <1126@maccs.UUCP> cs4l3az@maccs.UUCP (....Jose) writes:
>	I'm looking for some information on Transendental Meditation,
>from people who know something about it.... both PRO and CON....

TM is a pyramid selling racket. The "secret knowledge" bit is hogwash; full
instructions on how to do it are in Lawrence LeShan's book "How To Meditate",
for about one-twentieth of the cost of "instruction" from the Maharishi's
organization. (I was told this by ex-TMers).

Their claim to unique effectiveness, beyond reading a manual, is based on the
further wrinkle that the mantra the instructor gives you is said to be
specially selected for your personal use; you are forbidden to tell anyone
else what it is. (TMers actually swap mantras all the time). In fact the sole
dterminant of what mantra you get is your age (in decades) and sex; they are
names of Hindu deities. And this is one bit even they don't have the nerve to
claim to have tested - i.e. there has been no study comparing the effects of
TM-like meditation with randomly chosen mantras versus the officially approved
product.

They also claim to teach advanced practitioners how to levitate. I have heard
that these levitation sessions consist of roomfuls of people making squatting
bunnyhops on cushions.

The Maharishi's latest product line is a "Unified Field Theory". I would be
mildly curious to know what this is but have no intention of spending time
or money finding out.
-- 
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Mail: Jack Campin, Computing Science Dept., Glasgow Univ., 17 Lilybank Gardens,
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