Transcendental Meditation (TM), developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, has had a significant global impact since its inception. The technique, which involves the use of a private mantra and is practiced for 20 minutes twice a day, has been adopted by millions worldwide. TM became popular with students in the 1960s, and by the early 1970s, centers for the Students International Meditation Society were established at a thousand campuses in the United States,
with similar growth occurring in Germany, Canada, and Britain.
Educational Institutions and TM
The Maharishi International University was established in 1973 in the United States and began offering accredited degree programs. Transcendental Meditation in education, also known as Consciousness-Based Education, is the application of the TM technique in an educational setting or institution. These educational programs and institutions have been founded in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, India, Africa, and Japan.
In 1977, courses in Transcendental Meditation and the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) were banned from New Jersey public high schools on religious grounds by virtue of the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. This dismantled the TM program's use of government funding in US public schools but did not constitute a negative evaluation of the program itself. Since 1979, schools that incorporate the TM technique using private, non-governmental funding have been reported in the United States, South America, Southeast Asia, Northern Ireland, South Africa, and Israel.
Corporate and Social Programs
Transcendental Meditation has been utilized in corporations, both in the United States and in India, under the auspices of the International Foundation for the Science of Creative Intelligence and the Maharishi Development Corporation. As of 2001, US companies such as General Motors and IBM were subsidizing the TM course fee for their employees. A number of Indian companies provide the TM technique to their managers, including AirTel, Siemens, American Express, and others.
The TM technique has also been incorporated into US social programs for criminals, the homeless, and war veterans. In 1979, it was offered to inmates at Folsom prison, San Quentin, and the Deuel Vocational Institute. According to a TM representative, meditation has been included at over 25 prisons and correctional institutions in the United States.
The Global Reach and Criticism
Worldwide, four to six million people over the decade 2003 to 2013 have been reported to be practitioners of TM. The Maharishi's promises of better health, stress relief, and spiritual enlightenment have drawn devotees from all over the world, despite the fees. However, insistence on fees for TM instruction has caused criticism of the Maharishi's motives. Critics believe that TM is a repackaged form of Eastern religious philosophy and opposed its use in public schools, while others argue that practicing Transcendental Meditation in public schools with private funding is constitutional.
