User:Keithbob/Draft

TM article content as it appeared on April 19 2012 [before I complete my updates and changes on May 4 2012] -- — Keithbob •  Talk  • 22:06, 26 May 2012 (UTC)
 * Analysis completed today.-- — Keithbob • Talk  • 22:54, 27 May 2012 (UTC)

History
 THE CONTENT BELOW REMAINED VIRTUALLY THE SAME AFTER MY MAY 4TH CHANGES:'''
 * The history of modern Transcendental Meditation began in the late 1950s, when Maharishi Mahesh Yogi first taught the technique, and continues beyond 2008, the year of the Maharishi's death. Although he had already initiated thousands of people, the Maharishi began a program to create more teachers of the technique as a way to accelerate the rate of creating new meditators. The Maharishi began a series of world tours which promoted the technique, and this, the celebrities who practiced the technique, and later scientific research endorsing the technique helped to popularize the technique in the 1960s and '70s. In the 1970s, advanced meditation techniques were introduced. By the late 2000s, TM had been taught to millions of individuals and the Maharishi was overseeing a large multinational movement. The movement has grown to encompass schools and universities that teach the practice, and includes many associated programs offering health and well-being based on the Maharishi's interpretation of the Vedic traditions. Among the first organizations to promote TM were the Spiritual Regeneration Movement and the International Meditation Society. In the U.S., major organizations included Student International Meditation Society, World Peace Executive Council, Maharishi Vedic Education Corporation, and Global Country of World Peace. The successor to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, and head of the Global Country of World Peace, is Tony Nader (Maharaja Adhiraj Rajaraam).While additional techniques were added, and the organization that taught the Transcendental Meditation and additional techniques changed, the TM technique itself remained relatively unchanged. According to religious scholar Kenneth Boa in his 1990 book, Cults, World Religions and the Occult, the Transcendental Meditation technique is rooted in the Vedantic School of Hinduism, "repeatedly confirmed" in books authored by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi such as the Science of Being and the Art of Living and Commentary on the Bhagavad Gita. Boa writes that the Maharishi "makes it clear" that Transcendental Meditation was delivered to man about 5,000 years ago by the Hindu god Krishna. The technique was then lost, but restored for a time by Buddha. It was lost again, but rediscovered in the 9th century AD by the Hindu philosopher Shankara. Finally, it was revived by Brahmananda Saraswati (Guru Dev) and passed on to the Maharishi.

A VARIATION OF THE TEXT AND ITS SOURCES SEEN BELOW APPEARS IN THE 'HISTORY OF TM' ARTICLE IN THE SECTION CALLED, ORIGINS:
 * George Chryssides similarly says, in his 1999 book, Exploring New Religions, that the Maharishi and Guru Dev were from the Shankara tradition of advaita Vedanta. Peter Russell, in his 1976 book The TM Technique, says that the Maharishi believed that from the time of the Vedas, this knowledge cycled from lost to found multiple times, as is described in the introduction of the Maharishi's commentaries on the Bhagavad-Gita. Revival of the knowledge recurred principally in the Bhagavad-Gita, and in the teachings of Buddha and Shankara. Chryssides notes that, in addition to the revivals of the Transcendental Meditaton technique by Krishna, the Buddha and Shankara, the Maharishi also drew from the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

THE TEXT AND CITATION BELOW WERE ADDED TO HISTORY OF TM ON 5/27/12:
 * Bromley also says the technique is based on Indian philosophy and the teachings of Krishna, the Buddha, and Shankara. In a chapter of a 1998 book titled Alternative medicine and ethics, Vimal Patel writes that the Maharishi drew from Patanjali when developing the TM technique. ''

THE TEXT AND CITATION BELOW WERE ADDED TO HISTORY OF TM ON 5/27/12:
 * While the Transcendental Meditation technique was originally presented in religious terms during the 1950s, this changed to an emphasis on scientific verification in the 1970s; attributed to an effort to improve its public relations, and as an attempt to bring the teaching of the TM technique into  American public schools where church and state are separated.

Technique
'''THE TEXT IN THE APRIL 19TH VERSION OF THE TM ARTICLE HAD ALMOST NO RESEMBLANCE TO THE LEAD OF IT'S CHILD ARTICLE OF THE SAME NAME. INSTEAD, IT APPEARS THAT THE MOST CONTENTIOUS AREAS OF THE ARTICLE WERE CHERRY PICKED AND PLACED HERE IN THE MOTHER ARTICLE. I WILL GO THRU THEM ONE BY ONE AND NOTE IN BRACKETS AFTER EACH SENTENCE OR PHRASE, WHICH SECTION THE TEXT WAS CHERRY PICKED FROM.'''
 * The Transcendental Meditation technique is a form of mantra meditation that, [TAKEN FROM TM TECHNIQUE LEAD]

THE CONTENT BELOW WAS ADDED TO THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE BY ME ON 5/27/12
 * according to the TM organization, is effortless when used properly. The mantra is a sound that is thought (but not spoken) during meditation.'' and is utilized as a vehicle that allows the individual's attention to travel naturally to a less active, quieter style of mental functioning. The technique is practiced morning and evening for 15–20 minutes each time.

CONTENT AND SOURCES BELOW WERE TAKEN FROM TWO SENTENCES FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION CALLED 'MANTRA MEANING AND SOUND VALUE' WITH CITATIONS BY HUNT, SHEAR,RUSSELL, ROSENTHAL AND BARRETT:
 * The mantras are generally considered to be sounds without meaning,

CONTENT AND SOURCES BELOW WERE TAKEN FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION CALLED 'MANTRA MEANING AND SOUND VALUE'
 * though there are claims that they refer to deities.


 * Scholars say that the original mantras derive from the Vedic or Tantric tradition. [FIRST TWO SENTENCES IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH]

CONTENT AND SOURCES BELOW WERE TAKEN FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION CALLED 'MANTRA SELECTION' Students are told to never share their mantras with anyone. [FIRST TWO SENTENCES OF THE LAST PARAGRAPH]
 * Mantras are said to be selected by trained teachers to suit the individual. [SECOND SENTENCE OF THE FIRST PARAGRAPH--FIRST, SECOND AND THIRD SENTENCES OF THE THIRD PARAGRAPH]


 * The Maharishi is said to have reduced the number of mantras used from hundreds down to a minimum number. [SECOND SENTENCE IN THE SECOND PARAGRAPH]


 * Some reports say that the total number of mantras used is 16, and that they are assigned using a simple formula based on gender and age. [FIRST AND SECOND SENTENCES OF THE THIRD PARAGRAPH]

THIS CONTENT AND SOURCE APPEAR IN THE FIRST SENTENCE OF THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION ENTITLED 'TEACHING PROCEDURE'
 * Some claim that the trademarked Transcendental Meditation technique can be learned only from a certified teacher.

TEXT AND SOURCES BELOW WERE TAKEN FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE, 'TEACHING PROCEDURE' SECTION
 * The Transcendental Meditation technique is taught during a standardized seven-step course consisting of two introductory lectures, a personal interview, and four two-hour long instruction sessions given on consecutive days. [FIRST THREE SENTENCES OF THE FIRST PARAGRAPH]


 * The initial personal instruction session begins with a short puja ceremony performed by the teacher, after which the student is taught the technique. Following initiation the student practices the technique twice a day. During subsequent group sessions the teacher gives the student feedback so that they know they're practicing TM correctly. During step five the teacher again corrects the student and provides him/her further instruction; during step six the teacher tells the student the mechanics of the TM technique based on his/her personal experiences; and in step seven the teacher explains the higher stages of human development that the TM organization say can be achieved through the TM technique. As stated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1955 in The Beacon Light of the Himalayas he said: "For purpose we select only the suitable mantras of personal gods. Such mantras fetch to us the grace of personal gods and make us happier in every walk of life". [SECOND PARAGRAPH]

TEXT AND SOURCES BELOW TAKEN FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION CALLED 'COURSE FEES'
 * The fee charged for instruction has varied over time and also by country. In the 1960s, in the United States, the usual fee was one-week's salary or $35 for a student.  In the 1970s, it became a fixed fee of $125 in America with discounts for students and families. By 2003, the fee in the United States was set at $2,500. It has since been reduced to $1,500.  Advanced techniques and rounding sessions require additional fees. In 2011, the fees for learning TM in Great Britain vary from £190.00 to £590.00 depending on income.

TEXT AND SOURCES BELOW TAKEN FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION CALLED 'SUPPLEMENTAL TECHNIQUES'
 * "Rounding" is a combination of yogic breathing techniques, yoga postures or asanas, and meditation, repeated for a prolonged period in a supervised setting. [FIRST PARAGRAPH]


 * There are other "advanced techniques" that build on the basic TM technique. Using TM-Sidhi, the most prominent of these, practitioners are said to achieve "Yogic Flying". [SECOND PARAGRAPH]

TEXT AND SOURCES BELOW TAKEN FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION CALLED 'THE MAHARISHI EFFECT'
 * The Maharishi predicted that the quality of life for an entire population would be noticeably improved if one percent (1%) of the population practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique. This is known as the "Maharishi Effect".

TEXT AND SOURCES BELOW TAKEN FROM THE TM TECHNIQUE ARTICLE SECTION CALLED 'SCHOOL PROGRAMS'
 * In 1977, the US District Court of New Jersey, in Docket # 76-341, considered the TM technique to be religious in nature, and did not allow it in schools in New Jersey. Since 1994, a number of schools in the U.S. have introduced Transcendental Meditation on a voluntary basis, with parental consent, and is often referred to as the "Quiet Time Program."

Movement
'''WHEN THIS SECTION (BELOW) WAS UPDATED ON MAY 4 2012 IT EXPANDED FROM 375 WORDS TO 446 WORDS. THERE WAS NO LOSS OF INFORMATION OR SOURCES. ALL OF THE CONTENT THAT APPEARED IN THE TM ARTICLE ON APRIL 19TH UNDER THE SECTION TM MOVEMENT BECAME A MORE EXPANDED VERSION OF THE ONE BELOW:'''
 * The Transcendental Meditation movement (also referred to as Transcendental Meditation (TM), "Maharishi's worldwide movement", and the Transcendental Meditation Organization) is a world-wide organization founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s. Estimated to have tens of thousands of participants, with high estimates citing as many as several million, the global organization also consists of close to 1,000 TM centers, and controls property assets of the order of USD 3.5 billion (1998 estimate).


 * It includes programs and organizations connected to the Transcendental Meditation technique, developed and or introduced by the founder. An advanced form of meditation is the TM-Sidhi program which includes "Yogic flying". Maharishi Ayurveda is a system of health treatments using herbs and massage. Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is a system of architecture and city planning.


 * The first organization was the Spiritual Regeneration Movement, founded in India in 1958. The International Meditation Society and Student International Meditation Society (SIMS) were founded in the US in the 1960s. The organizations were consolidated under the leadership of the World Plan Executive Council in the 1970s. In 1992, a political party, the Natural Law Party (NLP) was founded based on the principles of TM and it ran candidates in ten countries before disbanding in 2004. The Global Country of World Peace is the current main organization. The movement operates numerous schools and universities. Mother Divine and Thousand-Headed Purusha are the monastic arms. It also has health spas and assorted businesses. There are many TM-centered communities.


 * The TM movement has been described as a spiritual movement, as a new religious movement, and a "Neo-Hindu" sect. It has been characterized as a religion, a cult, a charismatic movement, a "sect", "plastic export Hinduism", a progressive millennialism organization and a "multinational, capitalist, Vedantic Export Religion" in books and the mainstream press, with concerns that the movement was being run to promote the Maharishi's personal interests. Other sources assert that TM is not a religion, but a meditation technique; and they hold that the TM movement is a spiritual organization, and not a religion or a cult. Participation in TM programs at any level does not require one to hold or deny any specific religious beliefs; TM is practiced by people of many diverse religious affiliations, as well as atheists and agnostics.

Research
'''ALL OF THE INFORMATION BELOW WAS RETAINED IN THE MAY 4TH EDITS TO THE TM ARTICLE BUT THE FORMAT AND ARRANGEMENT OF THE SENTENCES CHANGED DUE TO EDITS AND UPGRADES MADE ON THE TM RESEARCH ARTICLE. IN FACT THE AMOUNT OF TEXT EXPANDED FROM 156 WORDS TO 203 WORDS. THE ONLY EXCEPTION IS THE GRAPH WHICH WAS DETERMINED VIA CONSENSUS AT THE TM RESEARCH ARTICLE TO BE INAPPROPRIATE:''' [[File:Meditation&BP.jpg|thumb|300px|(After Ospina.)
 * The effects of various meditation techniques on systolic blood pressure, though according to the source, it isn't possible to make strong inferences on which is the best intervention due to a lack of statistical power. ]]
 * Independent systematic reviews have not found health benefits for TM beyond relaxation and health education. It is difficult to determine definitive effects of meditation practices in healthcare, as the quality of research has design limitations and a lack of methodological rigor.  Part of this difficulty is because studies have the potential for bias due to the connection of researchers to the TM organization, and enrollment of subjects with a favorable opinion of TM.


 * There has been ongoing research on Transcendental Meditation since the first studies were conducted at the UCLA and Harvard University were published in Science and the American Journal of Physiology in 1970 and 1971. The research has included studies on physiological changes during meditation, clinical applications, cognitive effects, mental health, addiction, and rehabilitation. Beginning in the 1990s, a focus of research has been the effects of Transcendental Meditation on cardiovascular disease, with over $20 million in funding from the National Institutes of Health.