About the author
Robert Roth is one of the most experienced and knowledgeable exponents of Transcendental Meditation in North America. He serves as a national director of the Transcendental Meditation Program USA; an executive director of the Center for Leadership Performance, which offers in-house Transcendental Meditation programs to business and industry; and an executive director of the David Lynch Foundation, which has provided scholarships to over 120,000 at-risk students to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique. Since completing his training as a teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique in 1972 under the direct supervision of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Roth has lectured on the technique to tens of thousands of people - CEOs, doctors, educators, athletes, government leaders, etc. - throughout the United States, Canada, and Europe. As a national spokesman for the Transcendental Meditation organization, he has appeared on hundreds of radio and television programs.
Copyright © 2011 by Maharishi University of Management Press
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Library of Congress Catalogue Card Number: 94-071116
ISBN: 978-0-923569-34-1
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“My practice of Transcendental Meditation has given me a
360-degree awareness. In business, I have always been very fixed and
focused on my goals, and now, with the expanded awareness gained from
Transcendental Meditation, I am able to be more open and flexible in
my approaches to achieving these goals. In my personal life, I feel
that I am a far more integrated, fulfilled human being.”
-Tom Gould, Chairman and CEO, Younkers, Inc., a chain of 53-fashion-department stores throughout the Midwest. Mr. Gould has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 7 years.
“I have two full-time jobs. I am the mother of two children and I am a doctor. For me personally, Transcendental Meditation is like taking a vacation twice a day. After a long day at the office or teaching medical students at the Erie County Medical Center, I feel completely refreshed and revitalized after Transcendental Meditation. I can’t imagine how to live without it.”
-Margaret Mitchell, M.D., a specialist in geriatrics, Buffalo, New York. Dr. Mitchell has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 16 years.
“Transcendental Meditation allows my mind to completely settle down for 20 minutes, and I find that extremely refreshing. As a result, I am able to do my job better with less stress. I am able to stay calm under pressure in a world of uncalm people. The technique lends clarity to my thinking and allows me to prioritize better and know where to put my energy and focus.”
-Judy Garvey, Principal of Easterbrook School, San Jose, California. Ms. Garvey has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 18 years.
“I feel closer to myself; I know myself better. I am more sensitive to my own feelings and desires, and I know more clearly what is right and wrong for me. Actually, I believe that everyone knows what is right and wrong, but it is clouded over by stress. Transcendental Meditation has allowed me to read those signs very quickly and clearly.”
-Sam Lieb, first-year theater major, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois. Sam has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 8 years.
“I have sat on the divorce court in Chicago for 12 years. Stress has been a given in my everyday life; I have been inundated by it.
“I turned to Transcendental Meditation in an effort to reduce stress and draw on resources of peace and serenity. The first thing I noticed was that I shed a burden of fatigue. And even though I have achieved a lot in my life, I have also been quite a procrastinator. From the very first day, I experienced that I had the energy and enthusiasm for tasks that had eluded me. But something more has happened. I have found a subtle, but very real, enhancement of my clarity. I now perceive things around me with greater sharpness of mind. I spend my life as a trained observer, so this has been a very valuable result.
“My professional life is led in very serious terms; so much so that I used to find that I wasn’t able to laugh enough or enjoy myself in my personal life. Since starting Transcendental Meditation, I find that I am spontaneously laughing much more with my family and friends. I learned the technique as a way to manage stress. What I have gotten is more than I ever expected. Transcendental Meditation has enhanced so many facets of my life. I am surprised and very pleased.”
-The Hon. Susan Snow, Associate Judge, Circuit Court of Cook County, Illinois, Domestic Relations Division. Judge Snow has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 3 weeks.
“I find that the two 20-minute periods of Transcendental Meditation give me inner calm, great energy, and far more presence of mind with which to serve the people of God. Transcendental Meditation involves no faith or belief and may be practiced with confidence by any religious person.”
-Father Kevin Joyce, Pastor of the St. Maria Goretti Church in San Jose, California, a large multicultural and multilingual parish. Father Joyce has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for over 20 years.
“Being a new mom is one of the most wonderful experiences I’ve ever had. But as everyone knows, not getting enough rest can be a big problem. So for me to be able to sit down for 20 minutes twice a day and get that deep rest from Transcendental Meditation makes a tremendous difference, especially when I’m getting up several times during the night. I feel very relaxed, and I think that comes out in Lucas. He’s a wonderful baby, content and always happy. I credit Transcendental Meditation for having such a positive influence in our family life.”
-Christine Reed, Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Mrs. Reed is the mother of a two-month-old baby boy, Lucas. She has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 11 years.
“A little over a year ago I was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. It came as a complete shock to me because I had just gone through 10 years of training to become a physician. I was encouraged to cut back on my workload so I could get enough rest. I spoke with some MS experts about different options available to deal with the disorder. As it’s been well-documented that stress makes MS worse and adds to the disease process, I chose to learn Transcendental Meditation. I’ve been meditating for 5 months now, and I feel better than I’ve felt in 10 years. I’m actually working more hours today than I was before the diagnosis. Transcendental Meditation has helped me in a multitude of other ways. It’s helped me professionally, as it would any physician who has to deal with constant stress, and it’s helped me personally in my relationships and in promoting my own good health.”
-Patricia Ammon, M.D., family practice, Ouray, Colorado. Dr. Ammon has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 5 months.
Table of Contents
Author’s Note
Introduction
Chapter 1 Transcendental Meditation at a Glance
Chapter 2 Unfolding Full Potential -- and Using It
Chapter 3 Healthy Mind / Healthy Body
Chapter 4 Ideal Relationships
Chapter 5 Corporate Development
Chapter 6 Support of Natural Law
Chapter 7 Reducing Crime in Society and Creating World Peace
Chapter 8 The Next Step: How to Start
Chapter 9 Questions and Answers on the Practice
Appendix A Questions and Answers on the Research
Appendix B References on the Scientific Research
Appendix C Where to Call
AUTHOR'S NOTE
Something dramatic is happening in America. Just about everyone in the nation is waking up to a very simple, profound fact: Prevention is always better than cure. Chronic fatigue, anxiety, high blood pressure, heart disease, many forms of cancer, even crime and violence are far more effectively and cost-effectively prevented than they are treated or cured.
And something else is happening, too. In the 9 years since Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's Transcendental Meditation was first published, more and more doctors and other health care professionals, business and community leaders, educators, and members of the general public have come to appreciate the enormous practical benefits of Transcendental Meditation. They are endorsing the use of this simple technique in prevention-oriented programs to reduce stress and disease, improve health, reduce crime and violence, and improve the quality of life for the individual and society.
The old saying is a wise one: "There is nothing more powerful than an idea whose time has come." Transcendental Meditation is much more than an idea -- it is a powerful, proven technology to unfold our most precious natural resource -- the human mind. It is a technology whose time has come. The whole of society is already the better for it -- the future will be even brighter.
-- Robert Roth
I N T R O D U C T I O N
On January 29, 1959, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi arrived at San Francisco International Airport. It was his first visit to the United States, and the second continent on his global tour to introduce his Transcendental Meditation technique to the world.
Maharishi lectured to hundreds of people during his 2-month stay; many people learned the technique. The San Francisco Chronicle covered one of Maharishi's lectures and published the first article on Transcendental Meditation ever in America.
Maharishi's message then was simple and direct, and it's the same today. Life is bliss. Man is born to enjoy. Within everyone is an unlimited reservoir of energy, intelligence, and happiness. Transcendental Meditation is a simple, effortless procedure to experience it. The technique can be easily learned by anyone of any age, culture, religion, or educational background.
In those early days, there were no other Transcendental Meditation teachers, no Transcendental Meditation centers. After San Francisco, Maharishi spent several months in Los Angeles, then traveled on to New York. From New York, Maharishi went to England, Germany, Greece, and on around the world.
The Transcendental Meditation movement started simply and grew steadily. Then suddenly, with the first published scientific research on the technique, Transcendental Meditation gained worldwide recognition.
The first study on Transcendental Meditation was conducted at the University of California at Los Angeles in 1968 by physiologist Robert Keith Wallace. His thesis, "The Physiological Effects of Transcendental Meditation: A Proposed Fourth Major State of Consciousness," earned him his Ph.D., and his findings were published in the journals Science and Scientific American. This also inspired a huge upsurge of research into the effects of Transcendental Meditation.
By 1975 Transcendental Meditation was a household word.
And today? More than four million people worldwide -- including more than one million people in the United States -- from every profession, age, educational background, and religion practice Transcendental Meditation. And the number keeps growing.
The technique has been learned by over 6,000 medical doctors in the U.S. and by tens of thousands of executives, managers, and employees of large corporations and small businesses throughout the U.S. and the world.
Homemakers practice Transcendental Meditation. So do attorneys, computer programmers, teachers, students, sales clerks, clergy, athletes, factory workers, architects, airline pilots, electricians, chefs, and artists.
Why? Transcendental Meditation is easy to learn. Anyone can practice it. And it works.
During the past 25 years, more than 500 scientific research studies have been conducted on the effects of the Transcendental Meditation technique at 210 independent universities and research institutions in 33 countries. The studies -- many of which have been published in leading scientific journals -- have shown that the Transcendental Meditation program:
Reduces stress
Increases creativity and intelligence
Improves memory and learning ability
Increases energy
Increases inner calm
Reduces insomnia
Increases happiness and self-esteem
Reduces anxiety and depression
Improves relationships
Improves health
Promotes a younger biological age.
Since Maharishi first began teaching the Transcendental Meditation technique over 36 years ago, modern science has made major breakthroughs in understanding how nature functions. Recently, scientists have glimpsed the deepest level of nature's functioning -- the unified field of natural law -- which is the source of the unlimited creative potential displayed throughout the universe.
As we'll see in this book, the unlimited potential found deep within human consciousness and the unlimited potential found at the level of the unified field are not different; they are the same.
Transcendental Meditation is a simple, effective technique that enlivens the unlimited potential of life from its source in the unified field. It enriches all areas of life, just as watering the root of a plant brings nourishment to all parts of the plant.
This book has been written to provide you with a brief and complete introduction to the Transcendental Meditation program. It is an introduction to the technique that can change your life for good.
I hope you enjoy it.
Transcendental Meditation at a Glance
A Harvard graduate student asked his instructor, Ronald David, M.D., about meditation. What was it? What did it do? Dr. David, Lecturer in Public Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, offered to find out. He called the Transcendental Meditation Center in Cambridge, and the next week a speaker addressed Dr. David's class. Fascinated, six students, along with Dr. David, started the technique.
It's now 18 months later, 8:00 a.m. on a Tuesday -- one of the busiest days of the week for Dr. David. He sits in his office, notes for today's lectures piled on his desk. But before he starts to review them -- and before his office turns busy -- he turns off the ringer on his telephone, closes his eyes, and begins his morning practice of Transcendental Meditation.
"I finish meditating and I start the day feeling alert, creative, energized, and much more organized," Dr. David says.
Later that morning, after going over his notes with a colleague, Dr. David, a noted pediatrician-turned- policy analyst, will lecture to 42 graduate students on "Risk and Resilience in Childhood: Implications for Public Policy." After lunch, he will make final preparations for, and then teach, a 3-hour afternoon seminar.
"At the end of what has normally been a hectic pace and before I get on the train to go home, I close the door to my office, again turn off the ringer on the telephone, and meditate. I wind down from the tension of the day; it leaves me completely refreshed and alert for the train ride back, so I can do something I enjoy, such as read a book, rather than just fall asleep."
As a health policy analyst, Dr. David sees significant applications for Transcendental Meditation.
"We have focused too long and too exclusively on the medical model of management," Dr. David says. "I am impressed with the emerging data on the role of Transcendental Meditation in the treatment of intractable hypertension, reduction of recidivism in prison inmates, and recovery from drug addiction -- particularly among African Americans.
"For me Transcendental Meditation is much more profound than simply a physiological way of relaxing. It's a way of becoming whole, of experiencing our own deep inner connectedness as human beings. That experience gives a far greater capacity for health and healing."
What exactly is Transcendental Meditation?
And what is it not?
What are the benefits? How does it work?
The first thing to know about the Transcendental Meditation program of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is that it's easy to learn and enjoyable to practice.
Second, scientific research shows that the benefits of Transcendental Meditation can be seen immediately and accumulate over time.
Third, it's simple to understand.
What Transcendental Meditation Is
Transcendental Meditation is a simple, natural, effortless, easily-learned mental technique practiced for 15 to 20 minutes twice daily, sitting comfortably with the eyes closed.
To elaborate:
Simple -- Transcendental Meditation is not difficult or complicated; it is a simple procedure.
Natural -- there is no manipulation or suggestion, such as in hypnosis.
Effortless -- Transcendental Meditation is easy to practice and requires no ability to concentrate or control the mind.
Easily learned -- anyone beginning from age 10 can learn Transcendental Meditation easily.
Mental technique -- it requires no physical exercises, special postures, or procedures.
Practiced for 15 to 20 minutes twice daily -- Transcendental Meditation is practiced for 15 to 20 minutes: once in the morning before breakfast, to start the day with alertness and energy, and once again in the afternoon before dinner, to eliminate the accumulated stress of the day and as a basis for an enjoyable evening and a good night's sleep.
Sitting comfortably -- no awkward or cramped positions are necessary to practice Transcendental Meditation. You can practice the technique anywhere -- in your office after work, riding the subway, sitting in a plane, or even in your car parked at a highway rest stop. But it is usually practiced in the comfort of your own home.
What Happens During Transcendental Meditation
During Transcendental Meditation the mind settles down to a silent, yet fully awake, state of awareness -- pure consciousness. At the same time the body gains a unique and profound state of rest and relaxation.
To understand the experience of the mind and body settling down during Transcendental Meditation, we'll take two common occurrences.
Excited mind: It's Friday, 2:00 p.m. It's been a busy day and a long week. You're late for an appointment. You race to your car only to realize that you've forgotten your keys. You find your keys, and then you have to battle traffic and road construction before finally making it to your appointment -- only to discover that you've left behind some important papers. Your mind is speeding, and your heart is pounding.
Settled mind: It's Sunday afternoon and you're heading home from a long weekend vacation, rested and refreshed. You feel contented, relaxed, happy. Your mind is alert, calm, clear. You begin to think of new ways to make things better at work and at home -- good, practical ideas.
Both of these experiences -- of greater and of lesser excitation of mind and body -- are already very familiar to us.
Now what does Transcendental Meditation do?
Transcendental Meditation is a systematic technique that allows mental activity to settle down to a silent state of awareness where the mind is calm, collected, yet fully expanded, fully awake.
This state is the simplest form of human awareness. It is pure consciousness, a state of "self-referral" awareness open only to itself -- open to its own full potential. And as we'll see in the next chapter, it is the unified field of natural law, which modern physics describes as the source of the infinite creativity and intelligence of nature.
This settled state is completely natural to the mind. It has always been there. It was there 10 years ago, it's there right now, and it'll be there tomorrow. Only it has been lost from experience, lost from use, because of the constant noise and pressures and excitations of daily life.
Transcendental Meditation allows the mind to experience pure consciousness easily, effortlessly, and enjoyably. At the same time, extensive scientific research has shown that while the mind settles down during Transcendental Meditation, the body gains a state of profound rest and relaxation that is far deeper than any other technique of meditation or relaxation produces.
Benefits of Transcendental Meditation
What are the benefits of this experience?
Pure consciousness is the source of the unlimited creativity and intelligence of the mind. Research has shown that the twice daily experience of pure consciousness during Transcendental Meditation makes the mind more alert, creative, and intelligent throughout the day.
And the deep rest provided by Transcendental Meditation eliminates the build-up of stress and tension; improves health; and provides the basis for more dynamic, productive, and satisfying activity.
Rest eliminates stress. The deeper the rest, the better. The rest gained during a night's sleep is sufficient to eliminate some of the stress and fatigue that comes from a full day of activity. But obviously a night's sleep, no matter how deep, isn't enough. We may feel better the next morning, but all too often we don't feel completely refreshed, completely free from the fatigue of the day -- and days -- before.
So we may exercise to help cope with stress -- play tennis, work out at the gym, take an evening walk -- or listen to music, read a book, knit a sweater, or go on a fishing trip.
But something is missing. Despite our best efforts, stress clings to the nervous system and builds up day after day, year after year. Butterflies in the stomach from pre-exam nerves at age 16 can turn into stomach ulcers, high blood pressure, or premature aging, at age 40 -- all from too many years of too much worry.
What is missing? Very, very deep rest.
Recreation or a vacation may be relaxing, but they don't provide the depth of rest necessary to eliminate accumulated stress. Because of this, the benefits are short-lived. (Recall your first day back at work after a week-long vacation. Within a few hours it feels like you never left.)
What is the solution?
Deep Rest Eliminates Deep Stress
Transcendental Meditation. It provides very deep rest -- which is exactly what the body needs to eliminate the very deeply-rooted stress that sleep or a vacation never touch.
In one stroke of Transcendental Meditation, the mind and body are rejuvenated. Then you can play tennis, work in the garden, read a book, or go fishing, because you enjoy it, and not because you are trying to cope with an ever-increasing amount of stress in life.
All Techniques Are Not the Same
Are all meditation and relaxation techniques the same? Are all their benefits equal?
No. Four major "meta-analyses" have been published that compare findings of hundreds of scientific studies on Transcendental Meditation and all other forms of meditation and relaxation. The studies show clearly that Transcendental Meditation is far more effective in reducing anxiety; improving psychological health; increasing self-actualization; and reducing cigarette, drug, and alcohol misuse.
Practical Technique for Health, Happiness, and Success
For a long, long time meditation has been considered the domain of recluses. For people with families and jobs, meditation, at its best, was seen as a momentary refuge from the demands of living; at its worst, an escape from life.
Transcendental Meditation is neither. It is a practical, proven technique for developing more energy, creativity, and intelligence -- for awakening the unlimited potential of mind and body and enjoying greater health, happiness, and success in life.
What Transcendental Meditation Is Not
Transcendental Meditation is not a religion, a philosophy, or a lifestyle. Nor does it involve any codes of conduct or moral training, a value system, belief, or worship. To elaborate:
Transcendental Meditation is not a religion -- it's a technique. Millions of people of all religions, including clergy, practice Transcendental Meditation. It supports all religions because it releases stress and purifies the mind, body, and emotions of the person who practices it.
Transcendental Meditation is not a philosophy -- it's a simple, mechanical technique. Turning on a light switch is a technique; it involves no philosophy. Using a lever to move a large rock is a technique; it involves no philosophy. And Transcendental Meditation is a scientific technique because it is universally applicable, repeatable, and verifiable by anyone, anywhere.
Transcendental Meditation is not a lifestyle -- it's a technique. You don't have to change your lifestyle in order to start Transcendental Meditation. Just learn it, practice it, and enjoy the benefits.
"The first thing I do every morning, before I exercise
and eat breakfast, is Transcendental Meditation. When I get home
after a long day at the office, the first thing I do, before dinner,
is Transcendental Meditation. The technique is extremely relaxing. It
provides me with a practical, efficient, powerful respite from my
very high level of activity. I absolutely count on it to keep me
clear-headed, rested, and healthy."
-- John Zamara, M.D., a specialist in cardiology and internal medicine, Orange County, California. Dr. Zamara has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 21 years.
"I
have long, complex days with many demands and many continuing
pressures that spill over from day to day and week to week. I direct
a clinical unit, take care of patients, teach medical students and
residents, and carry out my research into neuro-imaging. What I find
is that Transcendental Meditation gives me a clearer mind, and I am
able to focus my attention on areas that require the greatest amount
of work. Stress doesn't accumulate; I return to each day with a
freshness. Transcendental Meditation has enhanced my career and my
life."
-- Kelvin O. Lim, M.D., Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine, Palo Alto, California. Dr. Lim has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 13 years.
"Transcendental
Meditation is like a daily vacation. It's a renewal for my body
and calms my mind. I do a lot of writing and speaking, and it has
given me a flood of creativity.
"I've always felt that Transcendental Meditation was an aid to my Christian growth. It never replaced my Christian growth, but it was an aid to it. In fact, I decided to commit my life to Christ after I'd been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 3 months.
"I would say to any Christian -- to anyone of any religion - that Transcendental Meditation would benefit your life. It's a technique, a simple process that requires no belief. It is not a religion. There are so many thoughts that clutter the mind, and Transcendental Meditation is like taking a bath -- it's very cleansing and very refreshing."
-- Rev. Dr. Craig Overmyer, a pastoral counselor in Indianapolis, Indiana. Dr. Overmyer received his Master of Divinity in 1982 and his Doctorate of Ministry in 1985 from the Christian Theological Seminary in Indianapolis. He has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 22 years.
"I
wouldn't be able to fulfill my responsibilities as a rabbi
to the level I expect of myself without Transcendental Meditation. I
am better able to deal with the stresses of being with the sick and
the dying, and the pressures of funerals, weddings, and bar mitzvahs
because I have within me a considerable reservoir of calm. I am able
to walk into a tense situation and naturally settle people down. They
appreciate the ease and calm I bring to situations. But even more
important, Transcendental Meditation has made me a better rabbi
because it has given me an experience and insight into the profound
depths of life. As a result, I am able to express a true depth of
knowledge about my own tradition."
-- Rabbi Alan Green of Beth Israel Synagogue in Winnipeg, Manitoba. Rabbi Green has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 20 years.
"Transcendental
Meditation is a tremendous stress buster. It's the most potent
form of relaxation that I know of. After meditating just a few days,
I noticed mental sharpness, less worry, and increased tolerance and
ability to get along with people. It's one magnificent stroke that
benefits my life in so many different ways."
-- Glenn Pilling, actor, Los Angeles. Mr. Pilling has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 14 months.
"I
really appreciate the portability of Transcendental Meditation. I
travel a lot, and I'm able to gain the benefits of meditating no
matter what is happening around me. I recently was on a plane with
very rambunctious children racing up and down the aisles. I just sat
there enjoying my meditation. Afterwards, one of the parents came
over and sat down next to me and said, 'What are you doing? You seem
so peaceful!' Transcendental Meditation gives you equanimity. You can
move through all kinds of situations during the day, coming from a
place of peace, and then impart some of that peacefulness to others."
-- Merrily Manthey, M.S., Director of the Institute for Executive Stress Management in Kent (greater Seattle area), Washington. She has been meditating for 22 years.
"I
was out shopping recently with my husband -- buying bikes for our
kids at a mall. It was late, the mall was chaotic, and I was starting
to get tired. On top of that, our son was coming home from college
that night with three friends for dinner. Then I realized, I have
nothing to worry about. I can go home and do my Transcendental
Meditation, and I won't be tired anymore. I did -- and I felt great,
really refreshed afterward. I just wish I started when my friend
first told me about it more than 20 years ago."
-- Denise Droese, mother of four children, ages 4, 10, 12, and 20, Carmel, Indiana. Ms. Droese has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for one month.
Unfolding
Full Potential --
and Using it
It's 8:30 a.m. and the phones are ringing off the hook on the seventh floor of the World Financial Center in Manhattan. What do you think? What do you think? What do you think? What do you think?
"That's what I hear all day long," says Walter Zimmermann, first Vice President at Lehmann Bros. "Customers want to know what you think. There's a lot at stake. If you're wrong, they can lose a lot of money. And if you're right, they love you for it."
Mr. Zimmermann works in Lehmann's Global Energy Department. For him each work day actually starts the night before when he develops an "outlook" for the next day. Where does he think any rally will fail? Where does he think any decline will stop? Does he think it will be an uptrend or a downtrend, or does he expect a "congestion" day? On that basis he decides: "How bullish am I? What's the best way of taking advantage of that up move? Should I stay with what I have? Should I add on? Should I reverse my position?"
Mr. Zimmermann must develop an outlook for each hour, each day, each week, each month, and each quarter. Most of the people he deals with are short-term traders. They rarely hold anything for more than a week. They need to know from Mr. Zimmermann at each moment during the day, "Is this still your outlook? What do you think?"
Mr. Zimmermann has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for 23 years.
"My kind of work requires a unique combination of analytical skills and intuitive clarity. My tool is not the price charts or the news wires. My tool is the clarity of my awareness, with which I can pick up on things sooner than other people. I'm competing with some of the best minds out there. Everybody has the same information; everybody can look at the same price charts; everybody reads the same newspapers. But success comes to the person whose awareness can penetrate more deeply and, at the same time, be more sensitive to the onset of trend changes. If you haven't developed that kind of awareness, you're going to get crushed by the oil markets.
"Unfolding your mental potential is not simply time well spent; it's absolutely necessary if you're going to succeed. Transcendental Meditation gives me the clarity of mind and inner calm that does not get overshadowed or shaken by the high level of emotions and tension and anxiety that characterize this kind of work place."
Mr. Zimmermann started out with E.F. Hutton in Manhattan in 1984. The company was bought out by Shearson and has gone through several name changes to its current name, Lehmann Bros. Mr. Zimmermann has been highly successful through it all.
"This is a very stressful work environment. The petroleum market is the most volatile market out there, by a wide margin, and that volatility takes its toll. Normally you just don't last as long as I have. The people I started off with have burned out and gone on to other things. I attribute my endurance to Transcendental Meditation. Endurance has its advantages. If you endure, you remember things that other people weren't there to experience. You gather wisdom. If you've 'seen it all,' you basically know how to deal with it all.
"If someone asks me about Transcendental Meditation, I ask them, 'How valuable is mental clarity to you? How valuable are insight and innovation to you? How valuable is it for you to be able to see what other people don't see? If that's of value to you, then Transcendental Meditation is something you can do to get as much clarity and insight as you require.' "
Maharishi's
Transcendental Meditation is not just a technique to reduce stress.
It is much more than that. It is a practical, effective procedure for
developing consciousness -- for unfolding your full mental potential
and using it in daily life.
We have to be practical when it comes to time. Every day there are pressures, deadlines, and responsibilities to meet. There's a business deal to close, children to send off to school, a term paper to write. And tomorrow will probably be even busier.
So is it practical to take time to consider developing mental potential -- much less do something about it -- when there's so much to accomplish with so little time?
Perhaps intuitively we've always known that we weren't using our full potential in life, but due to the pressing demands on our time and energy today, we've had to put these considerations off until tomorrow -- or to a distant future.
Is this being practical? Hardly.
If There's a Choice
Psychologists and psychiatrists estimate that we use between 5% and 10% of our mental potential. And there are days when even that figure may seem generous.
If you had a choice, wouldn't you prefer being able to draw upon more of your creativity and intelligence to resolve a problem at work, or organize your household, or take a test at school?
What could be more practical than having a clear, organized mind; or the ability to learn quickly and remember things accurately; or the capacity for broad comprehension along with the ability to focus sharply, for long periods of time?
Nothing could be more practical, and therefore nothing is more important than developing full mental potential -- and using it.
How do you unfold mental potential through Transcendental Meditation?
Quite naturally. You simply gain access to the unlimited reservoir of energy, creativity, and intelligence that is located at the most settled, silent, fully awake level of your mind -- the source of thought.
To understand how this is possible and to see how simple and natural it is, first we'll start with a few common experiences in daily life.
Excited Mind/Settled Mind
Two business professionals are reviewing the draft of a transaction over lunch at a crowded restaurant.
A high school student is working on a calculus problem with the television on.
Neither the business professionals nor the student are finding much success. Why? There is too much noise. Where there is more noise, there is more confusion. Where there is more silence, there is more order, more intelligence.
So the business professionals meet later in a quiet conference room to complete the details of the transaction, and the student goes to his room to study.
Whenever we have something important to do, like study for a class or work out a business deal, or whenever we have something important to say, like a heart-to-heart talk with a family member or a close friend, we try to find a quiet place. Because when the mind is allowed to settle down, it naturally gains in clarity, comprehension, and decisiveness.
The Purpose of Transcendental Meditation
What is the purpose of Transcendental Meditation? Just this: Because of the constant demands on your time and energy, it's not often that you can get away to a quiet place for a long period of time. And even if you're able to get away, then because of the build-up of stress and tension, it can take a long while before your mind really begins to settle down.
What you need is a way to develop the ability for your mind to always remain clear and settled, a way to use the full potential of your mind at all times -- even in the midst of the most hectic activity.
That's the purpose of Transcendental Meditation. It's a simple technique that allows the active mind to settle down -- and continue settling down -- until it reaches its own perfectly calm, collected state, where the body is deeply rested and the mind is silent, unbounded, and fully awake.
Transcendental Meditation is also very practical. It can be practiced anywhere at any time. Whether it's been an intense day at work or school, or a lazy Sunday, whether you're just home from an all-day downtown business meeting or a weekend boating trip, you can practice Transcendental Meditation and benefit from this settled state of awareness.
And exactly what is this most settled state?
It's the full potential of consciousness -- a silent reservoir of unlimited creativity and intelligence found deep within your mind. And this reservoir, as we'll see later, is the same as the source of unlimited creativity and intelligence found deep within nature itself.
Dr. Christopher Hegarty is a management consultant, who speaks at more than 100 business conferences a year, on developing the fundamentals of competence. His client list includes chief executives at IBM, AT&T, Blue Cross, Xerox, and the United Airlines Pilots Association. He has been practicing Transcendental Meditation for over 20 years.
"The world is changing so fast, with so much new information to process, that to survive in business today -- much less succeed -- demands an optimal level of mental competence," says Dr. Hegarty.
"I consider Transcendental Meditation to be the single most effective technique available for developing this inner potential. Transcendental Meditation removes the stress and 'debris' from your mind and nervous system. It gives you access to your own deepest resources -- what I have experienced to be a limitless source of energy and intelligence."
Thought Is the Basis of Activity
What is this reservoir of energy and intelligence that Dr. Hegarty and millions of other people experience twice a day during Transcendental Meditation? And where is it located?
Let's analyze it step by step, starting with thought.
Thought is the basis of activity: The design of a building begins with the thoughts of an architect; a legal brief begins with the thoughts of an attorney; a smooth-running household is based on the thoughts of a homemaker.
The clearer, more creative, more intelligent the thought, the more successful is the architectural design, the legal brief, the family's day.
What can make thought more intelligent and more powerful?
The way to make thought more powerful, according to Maharishi, is through contact with the reservoir of energy and intelligence deep within the mind, contact with the source of thought.
Thought: Energy and Intelligence
What is the source of thought? All day, every day we think innumerable thoughts. From the moment we wake up in the morning to the time we sleep at night, the mind is constantly thinking thoughts:
"Ten minutes to get the kids to school."
"I wonder who won the game last night?"
"Michael needs the computer file."
Is there anything common to these thoughts -- and all the different thoughts that we think?
Yes -- energy and intelligence.
Energy -- because all thoughts move; one thought follows another. This movement implies energy.
Intelligence -- because the energy takes a particular direction.
This means that all thoughts express some degree of energy and intelligence. And all day, every day, you are constantly thinking thoughts. That means you are constantly generating impulses of energy and intelligence.
What is the source of all this energy and intelligence? From where do thoughts arise?
While it is true that the stimulus for a particular thought may be a book or a conversation or a movie, the fact is, thoughts -- impulses of energy and intelligence -- arise from somewhere within us, from somewhere deep within the mind.
Where?
The Source of Thought
As we discussed earlier the mind can be
Very noisy and excited