Thoughts On Tm?

[ULFBERHT]

Hello fellow enlightenment nerds.

What are your thoughts on transcendental meditation?

I'm starting school this week and I'm trying to develop a basic practice that will sharpen my base level of access concentration (see mastering the core teachings of the Buddha by Ingram). I'm not ready for self inquiry yet because I can't even focus on one thing for more than a few seconds.

Is TM appropriate for the kind of work Leo is directing us toward? Concentration, sensory clarity, equanimity, and ultimately enlightenment?

I've done it before and gotten some cool sensations out of it, but I don't want to get hung up on the good feelings. I want it to be productive, but I'm tired of counting my breath.

[Aware]

47 minutes ago, ULFBERHT said:

I can't even focus on one thing for more than a few seconds.

I wanted to give an explanation, but since you've said this, I'll keep it short:

Try your best not to focus on moments you think you've lost, or lose focus.

[Arman]

I made a lengthier post here during the forum update but unfortunately it gone wiped.

In short, yeah it's a very effective practice for all those things you have described. It's one of the most studied meditation techniques in the world in terms of research. Has lots of benefits.

Check out this video man, a bit long, but it's worth it. I highly suggest you take up TM if you find it interesting. 

 

[AlwaysBeNice]

Mantras are great to control the mind, change your brain/consciousness/habit from worrying to being focused and centered, which will help to go and stay focused on the awareness/beingness to eventually breakthrough into self realization.

TM is kind of scammy though, they sell a secret mantra from a special teacher which is nothing more than a sound based on your age.

You can use any kind of word, I would recommend something that you feel most affinity with, perhaps 'love' or names of the referring to the One are usually recommended, and doing it with love. 

[Arman]

22 minutes ago, AlwaysBeNice said:

Mantras are great to control the mind, change your brain/consciousness/habit from worrying to being focused and centered, which will help to go and stay focused on the awareness/beingness to eventually breakthrough into self realization.

TM is kind of scammy though, they sell a secret mantra from a special teacher which is nothing more than a sound based on your age.

You can use any kind of word, I would recommend something that you feel most affinity with, perhaps 'love' or names of the referring to the One are usually recommended, and doing it with love. 

I'd just like to expand on some of these points,

TM does catch a lot of criticism. This is a shame as the criticism is generally oriented towards the organization rather than the practice itself, so some may take it to think that the meditation is ineffective. The main criticism I see is the amount they charge for what people should believe should be free. This is a bit of a touchy subject. I will say that I believe there are good reasons for this. I'll say somewhat controversially, that people who pay for a teaching or practice will be substantially more inclined to stick to it, respect it more, and take more out of it. The fee's also allow TM to grow as an organization and spread the teaching more. I believe they have programs that teach it to certain areas that can't afford it for free.

TM and similar mantra meditations can also be profoundly powerful. Mantra meditation can be very energetically stimulating, and part of the fee one gives to learn TM covers these two important bases that are not necessarily viable for someone who learns the practice from outside sources.

From the website:

There are 4 vital aspects of the teaching that ensure that it will work for you:

Quote

Receiving a correct mantra.

Knowing how to use it properly.

Being able to correctly interpret the experiences that come as a result.

Having the support and guidance of a fully trained teacher free for the rest of your life.

 

Given what most teachers charge for basic programs, coaching, or whatever, I'd say a few hundred bucks or a grand is probably worth that kind of service, assuming it is of quality.

On the subject of the 'secret' nature of the mantras - I believe there is or was good reason for it. I think it comes down to faith and intention, which can be very important for early students to stick to the path. Maybe the whole 'don't tell anyone' and mystical air they add to mantras is somewhat antiquated (it has, after all, caught them a lot of flack), but regardless of its effectiveness, perhaps its purpose or intention is in good spirits.

Regardless of the fact that the choosing of which mantra on behalf of the student is somewhat more arbitrary than we thought, - I would not be so quick to throw the baby out with the bathwater in saying that you can pick any word. It's true that if you pick any word or sound and practice, you will get benefits, but the vibratory quality of certain sounds may be a mysterious and potent thing... the power of vibratory mantras may be a refined technology that those who haven't explored or studied may not fully understand. I believe, that inherent within certain sounds are certain universal qualities. My personal suggestion is actually to stick to whatever they give you. 

Edited January 21, 2017 by Arman

[Martin123]

31 minutes ago, Arman said:

I made a lengthier post here during the forum update but unfortunately it gone wiped.

In short, yeah it's a very effective practice for all those things you have described. It's one of the most studied meditation techniques in the world in terms of research. Has lots of benefits.

Check out this video man, a bit long, but it's worth it. I highly suggest you take up TM if you find it interesting. 

 

Why do I have the feeling that every TM ad ever wants to scam me?

WE CAN FIX HUMANITY!!.... but pay us... a lot. Pls.

like srsly we so good

 

but pay us.

[Arman]

1 minute ago, Martin123 said:

Why do I have the feeling that every TM ad ever wants to scam me?

WE CAN FIX HUMANITY!!.... but pay us... a lot. Pls.

like srsly we so good

 

but pay us.

Just put your credit card details here on the dotted line and I'll tell you.

[Martin123]

@Arman They have to have some policy of "students" not teaching it unless youre working for them right?

How enlightened. ❤️❤️???

[Arman]

1 minute ago, Martin123 said:

@Arman They have to have some policy of "students" not teaching it unless youre working for them right?

How enlightened.

Sometimes incorrectly teaching a practice can do more harm than good. Something as simple as a pranayama practice, taught with fanaticism and without care, can create major disturbances in health and well-being. There are reasons many practices, teachings and cults chose to remain secretive and stick to lineage and initiation. 

[Martin123]

@Arman I see what youre saying, but yet TM is a mainstream overpriced business. Look at the way he marketed it.

He said that all other forms of meditation are shit.

thats such a BS LOL.

He placed mindfulness meditation and relaxation on the same level.

He is just plain out lying and shifting truths into customers desperate need for hia teachings. He is feeding of insecurity.

Sounds like great marketing to me.

Doesnt sound like conscious effort to help

[Arman]

2 minutes ago, Martin123 said:

but yet TM is a mainstream overpriced business.

I don't really know enough about the organization to contest that.

6 minutes ago, Martin123 said:

He said that all other forms of meditation are shit.

thats such a BS LOL.

He placed mindfulness meditation and relaxation on the same level.

He is just plain out lying and shifting truths into customers desperate need for hia teachings. He is feeding of insecurity.

Sounds like great marketing to me.

Doesnt sound like conscious effort to help

Yeah, maybe. One thing is undeniable: his goal is to get you to practice TM. 

[Ramu]

One can do mindfullness of breathing meditation to quiet the mind.  It brings you closer to pure awareness, ones True Self.  In addition to this...(drum roll please), its FREE!!

[Guivs]

@ULFBERHT

Thanks for your honesty !

It is advisable indeed to have a tamed mind, a mind that will be able to look where you want for as long as you want.

Then, with this mind, you will be able to gain some lasting insights about the nature of self and phenomena. 

So first, it is good to have a "calming the mind" practice that will allow you to obtain, gradually, a mind that is somewhat relaxed, stable and clear, which will lead to lasting insights.

If you do not have a mind that is relatively tamed, then the insights that you might have are less likely to stick, so this is a good thing that you are inclined to do this kind of practice before anything else, in my opinion.

Because you cannot focus much right now, it is advised that you should have many very short practice sessions every single day. (just a few minutes, consistency is key) 

As far as the methods of concentration are concerned, my unenlightened feelings are (and I may be wrong) :

1) TM is a scam. But mantra recitation is good for a beginner. It involves your speech, so you are less likely to get as lost in thoughts as you are with mindfulness of breating. Try maybe saying "Om".

2) you are tired of counting the breath, this is a great sign. Boredom is a sign that your practice is progressing. It seems likes you are hitting a plateau because it is not " a good meditation experience", but actually it is necessary to go throught this boredom. Boredom is so real, so raw, this is your best friend in meditation. This is actually the best thing that could happen, because it reflects all our flaws : our agression and wanting for something to happen when we have a sense that nothing is happening, wanting things to be different...

After you can do 15 breaths in and out without losing the breath or counting and without too much effort, you can drop the counting.

3) Alternative practices : because this is about taming the mind, the object of meditation can be anything.

Have you ever tried mindfulness of sounds ? Or just looking at an object without losing it, and starting again and again.

 

In summary, very short sessions, many times, with consistency, every day. Be bored. Try different methods, find the one that suits you, then stick with it. 

[Martin123]

@ULFBERHT

@Arman

 

[PureExp]

On 15/1/2017 at 11:34 PM, ULFBERHT said:

I'm not ready for self inquiry yet because I can't even focus on one thing for more than a few seconds.

Few seconds are good enough

How much time does it take for you to answer this question - "Are you aware now?"