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[home] [research] [getting started] [law] [personal stories] [secrets] [news] [about TranceNet] When TM Promised that Flying Worked In the mid- to late-70s the TM Movement and the Maharishi claimed out right that their newest techniques, the TM-Sidhis, had successfully taught TMers to levitate, become invisible, and attain superhuman strength -- even if they insisted that they not only wouldn't demonstrate them, they must be practiced in secret. By the early 80s, the voices of critics -- and the legal action of disgruntled students -- forced the TM movement to change its tune. We should understand that the techniques were only practiced for their "evolutionary" effect -- we shouldn't expect any particular powers. Here one of TM's showcase researchers, David Orme-Johnson, claims to have "researched" students who have actually flown in a research paper from 1977. We wonder how Dr. Orme-Johnson explains these claims today -- since his Movement has changed its tune. And since numerous critics have pointed out that it simply isn't possible to measure the subtle electronic signals of the brain meaningfully on someone who is in fact jumping up and down and screaming at the top of their lungs. "Higher States of Consciousness: EEG Coherence, Creativity, and Experiences of the Sidhis" David W. Orme-Johnson, Ph.D.; Geofrey Clements, Ph.D.; Christopher T. Haynes, B.S.; and Kheireddine Badaoui, Ph.D. Centre for the Study of Higher States of Consciousness, Maharishi European Research University, Weggis, Switzerland Research completed May 1977 [Scientific Research on the Transcendental Meditation Program, Collected Papers, Volume 1, David W. Orme Johnson, Ph.D. and John T. Farrow, Ph.D., eds., Maharishi European University Press, Livingston Manor, First Edition, 1977] From the introduction, pages 701-704: The basic element in the TM-Sidhis is the experience of "samyama" . . . a spontaneous mental process that begins to take place once pure consciousnes, or "samadhi," is established to a sufficient degree of stability to coexist with mental activity. [I]t becomes possible for pure consciousness to "adopt" a thought, an intention, or a desire in such a way that is spontaneously carried out without any effort or action on the part of the individual. . . . The fact that a number of TM-Sidhi practices result in sensory or motor performances normally thought to be outside the scope of the known laws of nature, indicated that the experience of pure consciousness permits access to a deeper and broader level of physical law. . . . The purpose of engaging in these excercises is to strengthen mind-body coordination to the maximum degree, so that every intention of the mind is met by response from the body, even to the extent of levitation of [sic -- or?] flying. "The technique for 'flying' has produced a variety of experiences that range from an awareness of the body becoming permeated by space and in some cases a mental and physical feeling of lightness, . . . [to] a spontaneous forward ballistic motion of two to three feet or "hop" . . . [to] a feeling of suspension in the air for a few seconds. An example of 'hopping' is the following experience: "I was sitting on a couch meditating at the time. I felt a tremendous amount of energy go through me and simultaneously I had a vision of my spine and my chest being just white lite and a form in the air some place and then my body moved up and down on the couch two or three time. I thought, 'Oh, what is this?' and the next experience I had was hearing my body touch the floor. I say 'hearing' because I didn't feel it until after I heard it. It touched down, very, very softly. There was very little feeling of contact. I moved about a six-foot distance at that time."(op. cit., p. 708) [Despite nearly annual demonstrations of "Yogic Flying" for the press and public, the TM movement has never demonstrated anything remotely like this.] "However, during the period corresponding to a gradual lift in the air by the subject observed on the TV monitor . . . coherence rose dramatically and heart rate accelerated from 69 to 96 beats per minute. " (ibid., p. 709) [The TM movement has never released the videotape of this "gradual lift" for public scrutiny.] [home] [research] [getting started] [law] [personal stories] [secrets] [news] [about TranceNet] Member of the Internet Link Exchange Please send questions, comments, problems, and letters to the editor to jmknapp53@gmail.com. All editorial correspondence becomes the property of trancenet.net -- unless requested otherwise -- and may be edited for purposes of clarity and space. Except where noted, entire contents Copyright ©1995,1996,1997 trancenet.net Society. trancenet.netTM is a trademark of trancenet.net Society, an unincorporated nonprofit organization. The opinions and viewpoints of contributors do not necessarily reflect those of trancenet.net, its editorial staff, nor trancenet.net Society, its board, officers, employees, volunteers. Neither trancenet.net Society nor its editorial staff conclude that any group discussed on this site is necessarily cultic in nature. 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Creation has two sides: intelligence, which is the cause of everything, and the manifestations of intelligence, which are the physical and psychological features of the everyday world. Because Transcendental Meditation directly approaches intelligence, rather than the manifestations of intelligence, it solves problems by introducing harmony and well-being at the most basic level, and not by dealing with problems themselves. That's why it is so effective. Consider this example: The gardener supplies water to the root of a tree. That water, that nourishment, then reaches all parts of the tree - leaves, branches, flowers, fruit - through the sap. We can think of the sap as analogous to intelligence and the green leaves or yellow flowers as analogous to the manifestations of the intelligence. The leaves and flowers are the intelligence of the sap, after it has been transformed. So intelligence - like the leaves and flowers of a tree - appears as the many different forms of manifest life. Those manifestations include every aspect of existence, from the material and physiological, through the psychological, intellectual, and spiritual. All of those features of life come from transformations of intelligence. In meditation, we directly meet this essential intelligence. Therefore, we have the possibility of nourishing all of its other levels, and thus all levels of manifestation, in a way that is harmoniously related to the whole universe. How is Transcendental Meditation different from the various other forms of meditation? Maharishi: The basic difference is that Transcendental Meditation, in addition to its simplicity, concerns itself only with the mind. Other systems often involve some additional aspects with which the mind is associated, such as breathing or physical exercises. They can be a little complicated because they deal with so many things. But with Transcendental Meditation there is no possibility of any interference. So we say this is the all-simple program, enabling the conscious mind to fathom the whole range of its existence. Transcendental Meditation ranges from active mind - or performing mind - to quiet mind - or resting mind. In this resting mind, one has purity and simplicity, uninvolved with anything other than the mind, uninvolved with any other practice. In Transcendental Meditation, because we deal only with the mind, we nourish all expressions of intelligence. The mind meditates, gains Transcendental Consciousness and brings about transformation in different fields of manifestation. All fields of life, which are the expression of intelligence, are nourished or transformed and made better through experiencing Transcendental Consciousness. The mind, of course, is always concerned with other aspects, such as the physiology of the body, the environment, and the whole universe for that matter. But since Transcendental Meditation deals only with the performance of the mind, from its active states to its settled state, it remains unconcerned with those other aspects, though it deals with them all, because intelligence deals with them all. -- Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, unknown interview, copyright presumablyheld by Maharishi Vedic University, The Maharishi Foundation, or another group within the TM family. Cults come in a variety of shapes and sizes. Categories of cults that are recruiting successfully today include: Eastern meditation: characterized by belief in God-consciousness, becoming one with God. The leader usually distorts and Eastern-based philosophy or religion. Members sometimes learn to disregard worldly possessions and may take on an ascetic lifestyle. Techniques used: meditation, repeated mantras, altered states of consciousness, trance states. Religious: marked by belief in salvation, afterlife, sometimes combined with an apocalyptic view. The leader reinterprets the Scriptures and often claims to be a prophet if not the messiah. Often the group is strict, sometimes using physical punishments such as paddling and birching, especially on children. Members are encouraged to spend a great deal of time proselytizing. (Note: included here are Bible-based neo-Christian and other religious cults, many considered syncretic since they combine beliefs and practices). Techniques used: speaking in tongues, chanting, praying, isolation, lengthy study sessions, many hours spent evangelizing, "struggle" (or criticism) and confession sessions. Political, racist, terrorist: fueled by belief in changing society, revolution, overthrowing the "enemy" or getting rid of evil forces. The leader professes to be all-knowing and all-powerful. Often the group is armed and meets in secret with coded language, handshakes, and other ritualized practices. Members consider themselves an elite cadre ready to go to battle. Techniques used: paramilitary training, reporting on one another, guilt, fear, struggle sessions, instilled paranoia, long hours of indoctrination. -- Captive Hearts, Captive Minds, Lalich and Tobias, Hunter House, 1993.