Meditation is one of the most ancient “drugs” in history. Of course anyone knows that mediation isn’t a drug, but it is as powerful as any chemical agent known to man. In a true meditative state one is able to control what comes into the brain therefore controlling what is expelled from the brain. Thoughts. The power of thoughts is what makes meditation the powerful influence it is. If you have never meditated…I mean truly meditated…not the group class at the park district…but truly mediated, then you could not possibly understand the benefit or relate to the calmness one receives as a result of meditation. It is amazing. Some have described it as an “out of body” experience and I have felt that particular level of meditation.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is an expert on the topic of TM. In The Science of Being and The Art of Living, he gives a brief summary of the practice. It is actually a mental procedure in which the ‘mind can quiet itself’. The teacher or instructor selects a mantra. A mantra is a sound that has no meaning and is used as a thought in the meditation process. When the mind ‘hears’ the mantra it is in an active conscious state. When the mantra is transformed into thought through repetition, the mantra actually becomes thought as opposed to sound through the ears or the sense of hearing. It now allows ones attention to be directed naturally to a Panchkarma treatment in rishikesh
less active, quieter state of mental activity. In my own research I have found quite a few individuals who have had ‘out of body’ experiences as a result of TM. They described it as floating above the situation, and an ability to feel emotions and physical touch differently than those of an Earthly state.
Although TM seems to be one of the most widely used techniques of meditation, there are several others; Dhammakaya meditation, Buddhist meditation, Teachings of Prem Rawat, Active Meditation, Shinzen Young, Yoga, TM-Sidhi program, Kinemantra Meditation, Preksha Meditation, Passage Meditation, Acem Meditation, Active Imagination, Satipatthana Sutta, Ajapa, Vihangamyoga, Maharishi University of Management and Shangqing School. All are techniques of meditation and are separated by beliefs, props and heritage.
The late George Harrison of The Beatles was a regular meditator and befriended many experts on meditation. The pop culture of Hare Krishna was originally started by Harrison’s involvement with the peace loving individuals of Hinduism and Buddhism. It began in India and transcended across other nations of the continent. George Harrison passed on a young man November 29, 2001 due to his decades of chain smoking. His efforts to change his physical state through the use of meditation came too late. Following the Hindu tradition Harrison’s ashes were scattered in the Ganges River by is close family members.