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Maharishi Mahesh Yogi (born
January 12, 1917) , the founder of the Transcendental Meditation program, has
inspired numerous schools, colleges, universities, health-care facilities, Peace
Palaces, and Invincibility centers that bear his name.[1] In approximately 1939
Maharishi became a disciple of Swami Brahmananda Saraswati [2], who, from 1941
to 1953, was the Shankaracharya (spiritual leader) of Jyotir Math, which is
located in the Indian Himalayas. Maharishi credits him with inspiring his
teachings. Since his first global tour in 1958, Maharishi's techniques for human
development have been taught to millions of people around the world, and he
continues to focus on systematically re-enlivening all aspects of the Vedic
Literature for public use. Since 1990 Maharishi has coordinated his global
activities from his residence in the town of Vlodrop in the municipality of
Roerdalen in the Netherlands.
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Early life
Maharishi (Great Sage or Great Seer) was born to a Hindu family living in
Jabalpur, Madhya Pradesh, India. Born Mahesh Prasad Varma,he earned a
degree[citation needed] in physics at Allahabad University.
In 1941, having completed his studies, Maharishi became a secretary to the
Hindu Swami Brahmananda Saraswati, the Shankaracharya of Jyotirmath, who
gave him the name Bal Brahmacharya Mahesh. He remained with Brahmananda
Saraswati until the latter passed away in 1953. Describing his first meeting
with his Master, Maharishi said: "As a thirsty man arrives at a well, so I
arrived at the feet of my Master. The quest of a perfect Master was there.
The first sight of his personality was enough to make me surrender at his
feet."In 1953, Maharishi retired into silence for approximately two years in
Uttarkashi, a valley in the Himalayas known as the Valley of the Saints,
where his own Master had lived in previous decades with his Master, Swami
Krishanand Saraswati. In 1955, Maharishi left Uttarkashi, possessed of the
knowledge of life bestowed on him by his Master.Maharishi later recalled his
deep concern about the two apparent divergent realities of life. He noted
the exalted quality of Indian Vedic Literature that depicts all life as
bliss, and compared that reality to the suffering humanity endures. He felt
that “there was no reason why there should be a gap, because it's so simple
for the individual to be on that level of universality and immortality….
This was the natural feeling that was deep in my mind, that something should
be done so that people don't suffer."
In 1955, Maharishi began publicly teaching what he states is a traditional
meditation technique that he later renamed Transcendental Meditation. The
Spiritual Regeneration Movement, the first of many organizations he founded,
began in 1957, in Madras, India, on the concluding day of the Seminar of
Spiritiual Luminaries. By 1958, Maharishi had begun the first of many
worldwide tours.
Transcendental Meditation technique
According to the official Transcendental Meditation website, Maharishi's
Transcendental Meditation program has been taught worldwide to over 5
million people.Practising Transcendental Meditation involves the use of a
mantra, or sound, and the proper technique of how to use it. Some TM
practitioners report that during the practice their mind becomes very alert
but their body receives deep rest, and these effects continue afterward.
Maharishi calls this state "Transcendental Consciousness" or restful
alertness. He says that mantras come from the age-old Vedic Tradition, and
are sounds designed as vehicles for the mind to settle down to the quieter
states of awareness at its finer levels. It is practised for 20 minutes,
twice a day, while sitting in a relaxed but upright posture with eyes
closed. Certain studies have shown that Transcendental Meditation and other
meditation techniques can lower blood pressure, heart rate, and other
physiological measures.(Psychosomatic Medicine 46: 267–276, 1984; American
Psychologist 42: 879–881, 1987; Hypertension 26: 820–827, 1995; Journal of
Human Stress 5: 24-27, 1979.) |
World
Tours and expansion of teachings
The first stop of the first world tour was in Rangoon, Burma, now Myanmar, on
the Bodhipurnima day. The following day Maharishi was met by an aged Buddhist
monk along with his disciples, who had all come to seek his blessings. For over
a year the monk had been predicting the arrival of a great yogi from the
Himalayas on the Bodhipurnima day. Maharishi remained for about six months in
countries of the Far East, teaching Transcendental Meditation to all areas of
society.
On the last day of 1958, the Honolulu Star Bulletin published an article about
Maharishi saying: "He has no money, he asks for nothing. His worldly possessions
can be carried in one hand. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is on a world odyssey. He
carries a message that he says will rid the world of all unhappiness and
discontent."
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi on the front cover of Time Magazine on October 13, 1975.In
1959, Maharishi gave his first instructions in the Transcendental Meditation
technique on U.S. soil on the islands of Hawaii. Soon after arriving in
California, he became a guest at a private home that he would visit frequently
for many years. His generous host, Mrs. Helena Olson, in her biography, Hermit
in the House, described Maharishi as he settled into the guest room: "He lifted
neatly folded pieces of silk from the rug, a small metal box of toilet articles,
a little clock and a fountain pen - and our Yogi was all unpacked."
During the 1960s and early 1970s practitioners of the technique became seen as
part of the then current "counter-culture" phenomenon, at which time a number of
celebrities learned the technique. Celebrity students at that time included The
Beatles,the Beach Boys, (including singer Mike Love, who became a TM teacher)
and singer-songwriter Donovan, who befriended Maharishi and put his picture on
the back cover of his A Gift from a Flower to a Garden album. Comedian Andy
Kaufman and magician Doug Henning were also students of Maharishi, while Clint
Eastwood and David Lynch are two notable directors who have practiced the
Transcendental Meditation technique.
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