Transcendental meditation. Is it more effective than other types of meditation? Has anyone out there tried it?

Question

i have tried Buddhist meditation and Mindfulness meditation but have been told about a course on Transcendental meditation. I am not sure what it is and if it is useful for stress relief. I know the Beatles went in for it in a big way. Any one out there tried it? What did you think of it? Waste of time or very useful?

Answer 1

salaams.



Sufis have a similar meditation called Dhikr or Zikr...

remembrance of God.



it is very very good to remember our LORD. (mindfulness).



so my comments include that it can be beneficial and Phoenix is right about the cost...

but as far as waste of time or very useful...?



i would say that it is entirely dependent upon the individual but it certainly displays features found in more orthodox religions. anyway...



good luck and happy meditating. i believe that meditation is for every moment... although some moments we are more aware than others. (inshallah=God willing.)



wa salaams.



edit: i bow to the wisdom of P'ang. namaste master. _()_



Praise be to God.

Answer 2

If you are simply looking to relax there are numerous meditation exercises that enable a person to relax that simply involve breathing deeply. You would simply need to preform a google search. I would also recommend looking into yoga. You would be amazed how relaxing a few simple minutes doing yoga can relax you.



I have tried Transcendental meditation but I was not really keen on it. Transcendental meditation appeared in some ways similar to my Buddhist practice. What I did feel was that it focused attention outward rather than inward. Buddhist meditation or Vipassana means insight. That means a Buddhist is looking inside them self typically by following the breath. Transcendental meditation uses mantras and these mantra often will become the center of focus. This is not to suggest that Buddhists do not practice using mantras, I am only making a broad distinction between the styles.

Many people who can not sustain a breath based practice will shift to a mantra based practice. It is after all much easier to focus on a mantra rather than the breathe and the endless interfering distractions.



Once again I will say these are only subtle differences. In no way would I say transcendental meditation can not be used to provide insight or relaxation. It is a different tool that in my opinion pushes attention away from oneself. I also feel just to develop relaxation TM is a little over board for what you are looking for.

Answer 3

transcendental meditation is when you sit (in a comfortable position) in a quiet place with your eyes closed (when you are feeling at peace - important), and simply focus on your breathing.



The most important thing is to keep your mind focused on breathing and not to have any thoughts in your mind. Its very difficult. Your mind will keep wandering, but you have to bring your mind towards your breathing. You must eventually achieve blankness of mind without any thoughts and feel only pure breath.



And do not influence the speed of your breath. Overtime, your breath will keep getting slower and slower. Let it be. You'll go deeper into meditation. Do not influence your breathing, let it take its natural course.



When you reach a certain level of experience, you'll come to a stage during meditation, where you won't feel your body but experience yourself as pure consciousness.



yes, i've reached that stage several times. If you are a smoker, stop smoking. You need to be in good health to go deeper into meditative states.



This is transcendental meditation at the basic level. You may try it. And be patient and do it regularly.



Feel free to mail me if you have further questions.



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Edit : The purpose of transcendental meditation is not stress busting. That is incorrect. The purpose is transcendence.



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it's very interesting how some people can claim things without actually knowing. What I've mentioned IS transcendental meditation. Its also a practice to be given a mantra on which you are suppose to focus instead of your breath. The mantra serves the same purpose as breathing here. That is, when you are focused on a single thought, your mind detracts from all the other distractions and at some point you transcend the mantra too and blank out the mind, which is the goal. Mantras in this context do not serve any supernatural purpose, it serves the same purpose as focusing on your breathing.



The mantra you can use can be a simple 'OM" (it can be any simple mantra actually), which you keep repeating in your mind. This method is recommended in the initial stages who have a 'noisy mind' and can't really focus on breathing without thoughts.



But focusing on breathing is a more natural and preferred method.



Meditation as a technique, no matter which, is always simple. It is the practice which is at times difficult.



I guess some people will believe something only when they have paid a huge sum for it. Pity.

Answer 4

Orion Starchild is not describing TM, s/he is describing Ch'an Buddhist meditation practice in which you focus on the breath and attempt to keep the mind quiet. In time with this practice, the mind becomes very clear and you experience a nondual conditon in deep meditation.



TM is simply mantrayana meditation. As stated, you are given a patent mantra of a Hindu deity's name and repeat in rhythm with the breath. This is just very VERY basic, Hindu meditation for which one does not need to pay someone hundred of dollars. Studies show that you could actually choose any word or sound as a mantra, repeat it, and get a beneficial effect.

Answer 5

Hello Frankie,



I have been teaching meditation for over 30 years and the only practice I ever recommend people stay away from is TM. It has cult like qualities and is not cost effective. Anytime people tell you that theirs is the only real way I would suggest staying away from them.



I will put some links below for some meditation sites I find helpful for my clients.



Stay with it and practice the techniques that feel comfortable for you.



Take care

Answer 6

I don't understand what is the difference between these "types" of meditation? Meditation is supposed to be just that, meditation. Calm the mind, control your thoughts, break free of the conditioned, etc....



For practical purposes, you can sit in your bedroom, at night (for a quiet environment), contemplate or concentrate on breathing, looking at an object, repeat a mantras (any mantras really), etc.....The point is control your wandering thoughts to singleness. That's it!



Now for those advance enough, you can sit in a noisy atmosphere, a bus full of people, a room with talkative folks, a party,etc....AND maintain the meditative focus and not be distracted. That is completely taming your monkey mind! Such amazing accomplishment is worth praises!

Answer 7

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Answer 8

TM is considered to be a good stress buster, though I didn't find it so myself. I tried it for a year or so but then reverted to Zazen Buddhist meditation.

Unless things have changed a lot since I last heard about it, TM is also extremely expensive, far too much so in my opinion.



Edit.

Looks down.

In fact TM, as practised and taught in the West is not simply sitting and concentrating on the breath but uses a mantra which is what you pay the exorbitant fee for.

Answer 9

it's concentration meditation.

so it's not any more effective than any other concentration practice that is done correctly.

i think real TM training cost a couple of $1000 too.you get a mantra and are taught how to repeat it.

nothing a person couldn't learn online or from a book on how to do mantra meditation.

the only way i'd do it is if i wanted to belong to the TM community and it be my practice for life.

otherwise why would a person want to spend the money?

Answer 10

I’ve been practicing Transcendental Meditation since 1969 and teaching it for 40 years. Nothing compares, for a couple of reasons: TM is effortless and uniquely changes brain functioning or integration and gives profound rest, lowering cortisol and other stress hormones dramatically. The brain wave changes associated with TM have been documented over 40 years as alpha-one coherence – which is correlated with competence, improved learning ability, creativity, well-being.

My own experience is that this technique is invaluable for my life. It dramatically refines and restores physiological functioning and it has allowed me to develop potentiality I did not know I had: as an artist, as a writer, researcher, in personal relationships. Essentially, this technique gives you access to your own self. You learn how to get out of your own way to transcend – or go beyond thought – without effort.

Transcendental Meditation has been found in research to be two to four times more effective than other approaches to lower trait anxiety (your tendency to be anxious). Most notable, however, is $25 million of research funded by the National Institutes of Health over 20 years, showing dramatic relief from hypertension, atherosclerosis, insulin resistance, and a 47% reduction in the risk of heart attack, stroke, or death. This research was conducted by and in partnership with non-TM-related institutes and hospitals with expertise related to the heart and stress.

Dr. Norman Rosenthal, an eminent psychiatrist, has written an informative New York Times best seller entitled, Transcendence, wherein he examines the research. He was skeptical, but reports that he is impressed with the research.

I continue to teach the TM technique because it has results for people. Some experience immediate changes; others notice results with continued practice over several months. Many people, including Seinfeld, Stephanopoulos, Oprah, and Dr. Mehmet Oz have commented on the efficacy of Transcendental Meditation:

Answer 11

All meditation has its own unique benefit. I also think its all up to an individual to decide what works best for them.

Answer 12

what's your purpose? mindfulness? not anymore? it would be good why you want to try such and such. you should know better what you want.

Answer 13

Go with what P'ang said, he knows what he's talking about.