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| The '''TM-Sidhi program''' is a form of ] introduced by ] in 1975. It is based on, and described as a natural extension of the ] (TM).<ref>{{cite book|editor-last=Shear|editor-first=Jonathan|title=Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce the Major Traditions|publisher=Paragon House|location=St Paul, MN|year=2006|isbn=978-1-55778-857-3}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.usatoday.com/news/religion/2008-02-05-maharishi-obit_N.htm|title=Beatles guru dies in Netherlands|work=USA Today|agency=Associated Press|date=February 5, 2008}}</ref> The goal of the TM-Sidhi program is to enhance mind-body coordination<ref name="MPTCWP">"The TM-Sidhi techniques enhance the effect of Transcendental Meditation in improving coordination between the mind and body."</ref> and to support the "holistic development of consciousness"<ref>Goldberg, Phillip (2011) Harmony Books, American Veda, page 170</ref> by training the mind to think from what the Maharishi called a fourth state of consciousness.<ref>Russell, Peter, The TM Technique: A Skeptics Guide to the TM program. Rutlidge, Boston.1977. pg.91-93</ref> or Transcendental Consciousness.<ref name="lighthouse" /> | |||
| "Yogic Flying", a mental-physical exercise of hopping while cross-legged,<ref>{{cite book|title=Psi Development Systems|last=Mishlove|first=Jeffrey|publisher=Ballantine|year=1988|chapter=Chapter 3|isbn=978-0-345-35204-0}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=Meditate, Then Levitate / Devotees of TM are flying high|first=CHIP|last=JOHNSON|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=October 9, 1997|page=A.19}}</ref> is a central aspect of the TM-Sidhi program. The TM website says that "research has shown a dramatic and immediate reduction in societal stress, crime, violence, and conflict—and an increase in coherence, positivity, and peace in society as a whole" when the TM-Sidhi program is practiced in groups.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tm.org/benefits-society-and-peace|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5sbbEGaSG|archivedate=September 8, 2010|title=Society and Peace|publisher=TM.org}}</ref> This is termed the ]. While empirical studies have been published in peer-reviewed academic journals<ref>{{cite book|last=Regal|first=Brian|title=Pseudoscience : a critical encyclopedia|year=2009|publisher=Greenwood Press|location=Santa Barbara, Calif.|isbn=978-0-313-35507-3}}</ref> they have been met with both skepticism and criticism. | |||
| Skeptics have called TM or its associated theories and technologies a "]" and have generally discounted the claims made by its practitioners.<ref name="randi.org">{{Cite web|url=http://www.randi.org/encyclopedia/Transcendental%20Meditation.html |title=James Randi Educational Foundation — An Encyclopedia of Claims, Frauds, and Hoaxes of the Occult and Supernatural |work= |accessdate=}}</ref><ref name="Sagan, 1997 p16">{{Cite book|author=Sagan, Carl |title=The demon-haunted world: science as a candle in the dark |publisher=Ballantine Books |location=New York |year=1997 |page=16 |isbn=0-345-40946-9 |oclc= |doi=}}</ref><ref name=Pseudo> | |||
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| * Stenger, Victor, ''Quantum Gods: Creation, Chaos and the Search for Cosmic Consciousness'' Prometheus Books, 2009 ISBN 1-59102-713-6, ISBN 978-1-59102-713-3</ref> It is difficult to determine definitive effects of meditation practices in healthcare as the quality of research has design limitations and a lack of ].<ref name=Cochrane06>{{Cite journal|last1 =Krisanaprakornkit | first1 = T. | last2 = Krisanaprakornkit | first2 = W. |last3 = Piyavhatkul | first3 = N. | last4 = Laopaiboon | first4 = M. |title=Meditation therapy for anxiety disorders|journal=Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews |issue=1 |pages=CD004998 |year=2006 |pmid=16437509|doi=10.1002/14651858.CD004998.pub2 |quote=The small number of studies included in this review do not permit any conclusions to be drawn on the effectiveness of meditation therapy for anxiety disorders. Transcendental meditation is comparable with other kinds of relaxation therapies in reducing anxiety|editor1-last =Krisanaprakornkit|editor1-first =Thawatchai}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author=Ospina MB, Bond K, Karkhaneh M, ''et al.'' |title=Meditation practices for health: state of the research |journal=Evid Rep Technol Assess (Full Rep) |volume=|issue=155 |pages=1–263 |year=2007 |month=June |pmid=17764203 |doi= |url= |ref=harv|quote=Scientific research on meditation practices does not appear to have a common theoretical perspective and is characterized by poor methodological quality. Firm conclusions on the effects of meditation practices in healthcare cannot be drawn based on the available evidence.}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|author=Krisanaprakornkit T, Ngamjarus C, Witoonchart C, Piyavhatkul N|title=Meditation therapies for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) |journal=Cochrane Database Syst Rev |volume=6 |issue=6|pages=CD006507 |year=2010 |pmid=20556767 |doi=10.1002/14651858.CD006507.pub2 |url= |quote =As a result of the limited number of included studies, the small sample sizes and the high risk of bias|editor1-last=Krisanaprakornkit|editor1-first=Thawatchai}}</ref> | |||
| ==Origin and description== | |||
| According to TM Movement websites, the Transcendental Meditation technique gives the experience of pure consciousness, described as the state found at the source of the mind.<ref name = AMC>{{cite web|url=http://www.maharishitm.org/ppaw/tmsidhi.htm|title=The TM-Sidhi Program|publisher=Arab Maharishi Health Center|accessdate=December 30, 2009}}{{dead link|date=August 2012}}</ref> The TM-Sidhi program, also called "Maharishi Technology of Unified Field", aims to train the practitioner's mind to operate without losing connection with that source.<ref name = AMC/><ref>{{cite news|title=100 yogic flyers could bring peace to Cyprus|first=Stefanos|last=Evripidou|work=Cyprus Mail|location=Nicosia|date=September 30, 2009}}</ref> According to the Maharishi, by learning to function in this way, thinking becomes increasingly coherent, mind body coordination is strengthened,<ref name="MPTCWP">Yogi, Maharishi Mahesh (1987) Age of Enlightenment Press, ''Maharishi's Programme To Create World Peace'', page 13 "The TM-Sidhi techniques enhance the effect of the Transcendental Meditation in improving coordination between mind and body"</ref> and the practitioner's desires may be fulfilled more easily.<ref name = AMC/> | |||
| Derived from the ], which taught that there were 52 ]s or special powers that accompany enlightenment<ref name=Chryssides/> the TM-Sidhi Program consists of formulas or ] (threads), the practice of which proponents say can lead to development of advanced human abilities, which the program calls ''Sidhis''. The essential aspect necessary to gain these powers is called ], a synthesis of three methods taught by ]. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's samyama includes the incorporation of Yogic Flying and other sidhis.<ref name=Chryssides>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=vyX1sL8-0gMC&pg=PA292&lpg=PA292&dq=Chryssides+and+Transcendental+Meditation#PPA303,M1|last=Chryssides|first= George D.|title=Exploring New Religions|publisher=Continuum International Publishing Group|year=2001|isbn=0-8264-5959-5, 9780826459596|pages=301–303}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ugSb7mArJlYC&pg=PA66&dq=siddhi+%22yoga+sutras%22+maharishi|last1=Forsthoefel|first1=Thomas A|last2= Humes|first2=Cynthia Ann|title=Gurus in America|publisher=SUNY Press|year=2005|isbn=0-7914-6573-X, 9780791465738|page=66}}</ref><ref name = Fish>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=KUbmdGhkQvsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+big+fish#PPA144,M1 |last1=Bonshek|first1=Anna Corrina|last2=Fergusson|first2=Lee|title=The Big Fish: Consciousness as Structure, Body and Space|publisher=Rodopi|year=2007|isbn=90-420-2172-1, 9789042021723|pages=143–146}}</ref> According to Anna Bonshek, by practicing the TM-Sidhi program, a person starts to operate from "self-referral consciousness", and that Yogic Flying shows mind-body co-ordination and the person's ability to "act from self-referral awareness".<ref name = Fish/> Physicist ] wrote that the TM-Sidhi techniques operate from the level of pure consciousness, a state which the Sidhis "perturb" by introducing sutras or phrases, containing ideas, which in turn determine the nature of the subsequent effect. According to Josephson, the Sidhis provide experimental evidence of the existence of the creative ability of the state of pure consciousness, as each technique produces a corresponding result.<ref>Brian D. Josephson, 1980, “Conscious experience and its place in physics", pp. 14-15, cited in ''Science and Consciousness, Two Different Views of the Universe'' edited by Cazenave, Michel Pergamon Press, 1984 isbn=0-08-028127-3H</ref> | |||
| According to the Maharishi, Yogic Flying is a phenomenon created by a specific thought projected from the simplest state of human consciousness called Transcendental Consciousness.<ref name="lighthouse">{{cite book|last=Mahesh Yogi|first= Maharishi|year=2001|title=Ideal India: the lighthouse of peace on earth|publisher=Maharishi University of Management Press|page=308|isbn=978-90-806005-1-5|quote=Yogic Flying is a phenomena created by a specific thought projected from Transcendental Consciousness, the Unified Field of Natural Law, the field of all possibilities. This is the simplest state of human consciousness, self-referall consciousness, which is easily accessible to anyone through Transcendental Meditation, and is enlivened through the TM Sidhi Programme, which leads to Yogic Flying.}}</ref> Practitioners say that there are three distinct stages of Yogic Flying: hopping, floating, and flying.<ref name = Time>{{cite news|url=http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,915237,00.html|title=Seer of Flying|work=Time|date=August 8, 1977}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|last=Pearson|first=Craig|title=The Complete Book of Yogic Flying|publisher=Maharishi University of Management Press|year=2008|page=546|isbn=0-923569-27-8}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.permanentpeace.org/technology/yogic_flying.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5sbbYaOqV|archivedate=September 7, 2010|title=What is Yogic Flying?|publisher=permanentpeace.org|accessdate=December 30, 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=A Lift for lives of stress|work=Times Herald|date=August 15, 1986}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|title=And awaaaaaaaay we go|author=Associated Press|date=July 9, 1986}}</ref> Referring to ], the Maharishi explained the physics of Yogic Flying this way in a conversation with two scientists: "We teach our students that by concentration through meditation they can create an impenetrable field of energy between the ground and their bodies.The greater the field of energy, the higher the meditating man can rise. It is simple Q.E.D."<ref>{{Cite book | last1 = Mehta | first1 = Gita | title = Karma cola: marketing the mystic East | year = 1979 | publisher = Simon and Schuster | location = New York | isbn = 0-671-25083-3 | pages = 112–113 }}</ref><ref>(Paul Mason, 1994, ''The Maharishi'', p. 249), cited in {{cite book|title=The Skeptic's Guide to the Paranormal|last=Kelly|first=Lynne|publisher=Crows Nest, NSW Allen & Unwin|year=2004|isbn=978-1-74115-323-1|page=235}}</ref> | |||
| The hopping stage is described as "the body moving forward in short jumps".<ref name = Hop>{{cite news|last=Dawson|first=Victoria|title=At the Hop: The Flying Yogis' Olympiad|work=Washington Post|date=July 10, 1986}}</ref> Since 1986, there have been public demonstrations of the hopping stage of Yogic Flying in numerous countries including many locations in the United States.<ref>{{cite book|title=Maharishi's Programme to Create World Peace|isbn=0-89186-052-5, 978-0891860525|publisher=Age of Enlightenment Press|year=1987|page=1}}</ref> There have been no demonstrations of stage two: ], nor any demonstrations of stage three: flying through the air.<ref name = Hop/><ref>{{cite news|title=Yogis Say They're a Hop, Skip and Jump From Flying|work=Los Angeles Times|date=July 10, 1986}}</ref> Pictures of people "hovering" are in fact photographs taken at the top of a hop.<ref>{{cite book|last=Wynn|first=Charles M.|title=Quantum leaps in the wrong direction : where real science ends-- and pseudoscience begins|year=2001|publisher=Joseph Henry Press|location=Washington, DC|isbn=978-0-309-07309-7|url=http://books.google.com/?id=4fIW7Ey2R8QC&pg=PT169&dq=Transcendental+Meditation+Pseudoscience#v=onepage&q&f=false|edition=|coauthors=Harris, Arthur W. Wiggins; with cartoons by Sidney}}</ref> Musician ] was with ] in 1968 for TM training and he asked if the Maharishi could provide a demonstration of levitation. According to McCartney, the Maharishi said "I personally have not practised this art" and did not personally know anyone in the area who did and was therefore unable to demonstrate it.<ref>{{cite book |last=Miles |first=Barry |authorlink=Barry Miles |title=] |publisher=] |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-7493-8658-0 |page=425}}</ref> | |||
| ==History== | |||
| The TM-Sidhi program, is sometimes referred to as Yogic Flying and was introduced during a downturn in TM program enrollment. It is said to cost thousands of dollars.<ref name="Bainbridge"/><ref name=Forsthoefel>{{Cite book| last1 = Forsthoefel | first1 = Thomas A. | last2 = Humes | first2 = Cynthia Ann | title = Gurus in America | year = 2005 | publisher = State University of New York Press | location = Albany, NY | isbn = 978-0-7914-6573-8 | page = 72|url=http://books.google.com/?id=ugSb7mArJlYC&pg=PP1&dq=gurus+in+america#v=onepage&q= }}</ref><ref>Williamson (2010) p. 97</ref> The organization directed itself inward and offered additional products and practices to its committed practitioners to continue on the path to enlightenment.<ref name=Forsthoefel>{{Cite book | last1 = Forsthoefel | first1 = Thomas A. | last2 = Humes | first2 = Cynthia Ann | title = Gurus in America | year = 2005 | publisher = State University of New York Press | location = Albany, NY | isbn = 978-0-7914-6573-8 | page = 63|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=ugSb7mArJlYC&pg=PP1&dq=gurus+in+america#v=onepage&q=&f=false }}</ref> These included, in the words of Bainbridge, supernatural compensators, including the TM-Sidhi program.<ref name=Bainbridge>{{Cite book | last1 = Bainbridge | first1 = William Sims | title = The sociology of religious movements | year = 1997 | publisher = Routledge | location = New York | isbn = 0-415-91202-4 | page = 188|url=http://books.google.com/?id=eCKbw8QuhEkC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q=tm&f=false }}</ref> During this period, the Movement began making increasing claims about the powers of TM and the TM-Sidhi program, including the reduction of crime. In her book, author ] writes that Charlie Lutes, former President of the ], saw the introduction of the TM-Sidhi program as a financial ploy to increase income in the wake of declining public interest in TM.<ref name=Williamson>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=OxD1SYaelLAC&dq=enrollment+%22TM+movement%22&q=tm+movement#v=onepage&q=sidhi&f=false|last=Williamson|first=Lola|title=Transcendent in America: Hindu-Inspired Meditation Movements as New Religion|publisher=NYU Press|year=2010|isbn=978-0-8147-9450-0|pages=96–99}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author=Cooke de Herrera, Nancy |authorlink=Nancy Cooke de Herrera |title=Beyond Gurus: A Woman of Many Worlds |publisher=Blue Dolphin |year=1992 |isbn=978-0-931892-49-3|page=432}}</ref> | |||
| The Maharishi appeared as a guest on '']'' in 1975 and again in 1977.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv.com/the-merv-griffin-show/december-14-1977/episode/1141200/summary.html?tag=episode_header;next|title=The Merv Griffin Show: December 14, 1977|publisher=TV.com web site|accessdate=December 30, 2009}}</ref><ref name = Woo/><ref>{{cite news|title=FLIGHTY LAWSUIT HAS LOUSY KARMA|first=Mike|last= Royko|authorlink=Mike Royko|work=Chicago Tribune |date=September 13, 1985|page=3}}</ref> According to author ], a magician and critic of paranormal claims, the Maharishi said during a ''Merv Griffin Show'' appearance that he had enrolled 40,000 students in the TM-Sidhi program. When Griffin, a practitioner of TM,<ref name = Woo>{{cite news|title=Maharishi Mahesh Yogi; founded Transcendental Meditation movement|first=Elaine |last=Woo|work=Los Angeles Times|date=February 6, 2008|url=http://www.latimes.com/news/la-me-maharishi6feb06,1,1158944.story}}</ref> asked how many of them had learned to levitate, the Maharishi answered: "Thousands".<ref name = Randi>{{cite book|last=Randi|first=James|authorlink=James Randi|title=Flim Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns and Other Delusions|publisher=Prometheus Books|edition=Reprint|date=June 1982|isbn=0-87975-198-3, 978-0879751982|pages=93–108}}</ref> According to a 1977 article in ''The Los Angeles Times'', a spokesman said that Yogic Flying would only be demonstrated if a group of ten individuals each paid $1,000 for the showing. The article quoted ] as saying that the assertions of flying is a "hoax".<ref>{{cite news|title=TM Ruled Religious, Banned in Schools|first=JOHN|last=DART|work=Los Angeles Times|date=October 29, 1977|page=29}}</ref> Brahmachari Silendra, an Indian Physicist described TM and the TM-Sidhi as an incremental process like "following a map": "We are following the path and right now we are on schedule." <ref>India, Society, September 1986</ref> | |||
| In 1985, civil suits were filed against the World Plan Executive Council and MIU by Robert Kropinski, Jane Greene, Patrick Ryan and Diane Hendel<ref>United States District Court for the District of Columbia. Civil Suit #85-2848, 1986</ref> claiming ], psychological, physical, and emotional harm as a result of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs. Following dismissal of the other claims by the trial judge, the jury awarded Kropinski $137,890 on the fraud and negligence claims. The ] overturned the award, the case was remanded for retrial.<ref> Kropinski v. WPEC, 853 F.2d 948 (CADC 1988)</ref> The Kropinski, Green, and Ryan cases were then settled on undisclosed terms.<ref></ref> The remaining suit by Hendel, not included in the settlement, was later dismissed because the claims were barred by the statute of limitations. In affirming the dismissal, the Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit held that Hendel's claims were time-barred under the discovery rule because ''...the defendants made representations which any reasonable person would recognize as being contrary to common human experience and, indeed, to the laws of physics. If, as Ms. Hendel alleges, she was told that meditators would slowly rise in the air, and that some of them were “flying over Lake Lucern” or “walking through walls, hovering, and becoming invisible,” and that her failure to go to bed on time could bring about World War III, then a reasonable person would surely have noticed, at some time prior to September 1, 1986, that some of these representations might not be true.''<ref>Hendel v World Plan Executive Council, 124 WLR 957 (January 2, 1996); affd 705 A.2d 656, 667 (DC, 1997)</ref> | |||
| ], president of the ], held the First North American Yogic Flying Contest in 1986, at the Civic Center in ]. 22 TM-Sidhi meditators participated in competitions including the 25-meter hurdles, the 50-meter dash, and the long jump.<ref name=Star>{{cite news|title=Yogis hop, skip and jump for world peace|work=Toronto Star|date=July 19, 1986|page=L2}}</ref> The winning times and distances: 11.53 seconds in the 25-metre hurdles; 23.33 seconds in the 50-metre dash; 70 inches in the long-jump; and the high jump 24.75 inches.<ref name=Star/> Reporters describe the participants hopping on foam mattresses while sitting cross legged or in a seated "]".<ref>{{cite book|last=Kelly|first=Lynne|title=The Skeptics Guide To The Paranormal|publisher=Basic Books|year=2005|page=234}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|last=Van Ripper|first=Frank|title=Followers of Yogi Do the Bounce|work=New York Daily News|date=July 10, 1986}}</ref> Victoria Dawson, a reporter for the '']'', observed that, "The hoppers remained seated, hopping vigorously among themselves, mixing and mingling with ] and good feeling".<ref name = Hop/> The contest was held annually through 1989.<ref name=Staats>{{cite news|title=Yoga champ gets prepared to 'fly'|first=Eric|last=Staats|work=Houston Chronicle|date=September 3, 1989|page=8}}</ref> The champion long jumper at the 1989 event explained that the "changing of physiology of the subtle self" enabled him to lift off the ground, and predicted that he would accomplish full flight within three years.<ref name=Staats/> | |||
| In 1986, the Maharishi organized yogic flying demonstrations, reportedly taking place simultaneously in 1000 cities in 108 countries.<ref>United Press international New Delhi, India August 15, 1986</ref><ref>'' Meditators in 108 Countries to Levitate Friday for Peace ''The Associated Press August 14, 1986</ref> Documented countries included Hong Kong,<ref>Parkinson, Nicola, South China Morning Post, August 16, 1986</ref><ref>'' Meditating for Peace ''Hong Kong Business standard, August 16, 1986</ref><ref>Watts, Carolyn ''It’s Fly-day so Hop for the best…'' Hong Kong Business standard, August 16, 1986</ref> India,<ref>'' Human Flying “Miracle” in Bhopal on Aug. 15'', Madhya Preadesh Chronicle, August 15, 1986</ref><ref>''Yogic Flying in City'' Indian Express, Bangalore, August 16, 1986</ref> Pakistan,<ref>''Yogic Flying: Higher functioning of mind demonstrated '' Pakistan Morning News, September, 1986</ref> Philippines, Nicaragua, Shri Lanka, Iran,<ref>''Meditators in 108 countries to levitate for world peace'' Taiwan China Post August 16, 1986</ref> Thailand,<ref>Pramualratana, Promporn ''Promoting peace through meditation''The Nation, August 16, 1986 Australia, New Zealand</ref><ref>'' Caught on the hop,'' Western Mail, 16–17 August 1986</ref><ref>Dashfield, Prue ''Peace for the world and Yogis might fly'' Sunday Star, 17 August 1986</ref><ref>'' Doing the peace hop'' East City News 20 August 1986</ref> Cyprus, Ghana, Israel, Lebanon, Kenia, South Africa,Turkey, and the United Kingdom.<ref>'' Meditating on the prospects for world peace'' Cyprus Mail, September 10, 1986</ref><ref>'' Yogis put the bounce into meditation'', The Cyprus Weekly 12–18 September 1986</ref><ref>'' Ghana to host 'flying olynmpics''' The Mirror, 6 September 1986</ref><ref>''Meditator Compete in floating in the air'' Sunday Standard, September 14, 1986</ref><ref>'' Vol Yogique grace a la MT'' L’Orient le Jour, August 26, 1986</ref><ref>''Wanted: 130 Yogic fliers to beat Soweto crime'' Sunday Times, September 7, 1986</ref><ref>'' Yoga he ayaklari yerden kedildi'' Gunes, July 11, 1986</ref><ref>Hymas, Charles, '' Art of Flying by meditation is shown to the public'' Western Mail September 11, 1986</ref> | |||
| In a 1987 '']'' article, the ] criticized Yogic Flying as "fake". Two former students from Maharishi International University said the activity was "strictly physical exercise ... nothing spiritual about it".<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/cult/trans_med/tm2.htm |last=McCombs|first=Phil|title=Group says movement a cult|work=Washington Post|date=July 2, 1987}}</ref> The ] report that a student from the University stated that the technique was natural; "If it was strictly physical you'd find people sweating, gasping and panting at the end. And if you did it on your own you wouldn't want to continue."<ref>Keyser, Lucy ''3000 meditators assemble, seeking peace, soft landings'' Washington Times July 10, 1986</ref> | |||
| In the 1998 ] News special ''The Power of Belief'', journalist ] reported on ] beliefs including Yogic Flying. Stossel said Yogic Flying looked like bouncing, and costs several thousand dollars to learn. A stock analyst who practices Yogic flying and who was interviewed said it brought him bliss and helped him perform his job more effectively.<ref>{{cite episode|url=http://liberator.net/articles/StosselBelief2.html|series=20/20|title=The power of belief|credits=John Stossel|network =American Broadcasting Company|airdate =October 6, 1998 }}</ref> | |||
| ], professor of physics at the ] and author of the weekly science Internet column, ''What's New'', attended a demonstration in 1999 that was presented at a press conference at the Washington, DC Press Club by physicist and ] US Presidential candidate, ]. Park described 12 "fit-looking" young men who demonstrated levitation following a meditation session and "popped up a couple of inches and thumped back down." Park wrote that "the scene looked like ]", and that "there was nothing to suggest they didn’t follow ]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN01/wn092801.html|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5sbbg8iGa|archivedate=September 7, 2010|last=Park|first=Robert|title=Levitation: The "science" of Yogic Flying|publisher=What's New|date=September 28, 2001}}</ref> | |||
| According to the Global Good News website "on 28 November 2006, the United States achieved invincibility and is stabilizing the number of Yogic Flyers—rising from 1,600 to 1,730—assembled at the Invincible America Assembly in Fairfield, Iowa".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com/iw/invincible7.html |title="Seven Invincible Countries" ''Global Good News'' |publisher=Maharishi-programmes.globalgoodnews.com |date= |accessdate=2011-01-15}}</ref> | |||
| ==Practice== | |||
| The term "]" means "perfection" and refers to the development of a perfected mind/body coordination.<ref name = Fish/> Early advertisements for the TM-Sidhi program stated that its practice could lead to the development of extraordinary abilities such as Yogic Flying, the creation of peace, invisibility, walking through walls, mind-reading, colossal strength, extra sensory perception, empathy, compassion, omniscience, perfect health, and immortality.<ref name = Time/><ref>{{Cite journal| doi = 10.1001/jama.266.13.1741 | volume = 266| issue = 13| pages = 1741–1750| last = Skolnick| first = Andrew A.| authorlink=Andrew A. Skolnick|title = Maharishi Ayur-Veda: Guru's Marketing Scheme Promises the World Eternal 'Perfect Health'| journal = JAMA| date = 1991-10-02| url = | pmid=1817475}}</ref><ref name = SFGate>{{cite news|first=Edward |last=Epstein|url=http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/1995/12/29/MN65432.DTL|title=Politics and Transcendental Meditation|work=San Francisco Chronicle|date=December 29, 1995}}</ref><ref>{{cite news|url=http://newspapers.umsystem.edu/Repository/CMN/1978/01/08/005-CMN-1978-01-08-PG01-SINGLE.PDF#OLV0_Entity_0180|last=Ryan|first=Leyland|title=Transcendental Meditation hits hard times|work=The Colombia Missourian|date=January 8, 1978|page=B3}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.trancenet.net/secrets/sutras/ads.shtml|title=TM-Sidhi Advertisements|publisher=trancenet.net|accessdate=December 30, 2009|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5sbbN7DQt|archivedate=September 8, 2010}}</ref> The difference between the TM technique and the TM-Sidhi program is that the TM technique gives the practitioner the experience of their inner Self, the "field of all possibilities", whereas the TM-Sidhi program is a practice that develops the ability to "activate the field of all possibilities".<ref name="Williams">Williams, Patrick Gresham (2002) Incandescent Press, The Spiritual Recovery Manual: Vedic Knowledge and Yogic Techniques for, page 159</ref> The program claims that one is able to gain the power of ] and ], walking through walls, colossal strength, ESP, perfect health, immortality and more, as "signposts" of spiritual progress.<ref name=Epi06>{{Cite journal|author=Lansky EP, St Louis EK |title=Transcendental meditation: a double-edged sword in epilepsy? |journal=Epilepsy Behav |volume=9 |issue=3 |pages=394–400 |year=2006 |month=November |pmid=16931164 |doi=10.1016/j.yebeh.2006.04.019 |url= |ref=harv}}</ref> During an interview with ], the Maharishi said that "thousands" had learned to levitate,<ref name=Randi106/> but skeptic ] reports that according to his investigations, there is "no levitation, no walking through walls, no invisibility".<ref name=Randi106>{{Cite book|author=Randi, James |title=Flim-flam!: psychics, ESP, unicorns, and other delusions |publisher=Prometheus Books |location=Buffalo, N.Y |year=1982 |page=106 |isbn=0-87975-198-3 |oclc= |doi= }}</ref> Australian psychiatrist Byron Rigby, Chief Minister for Health and Immortality in the TM Movement<ref></ref> presented a paper at the Sixth World Congress of Psychiatry in 1977, in which he stated that practitioners of TM-Sidhi had already achieved extraordinary hearing, the ability to see inner organs of the body and objects inside sealed containers with eyes closed, and the early stages of flying and invisibility.<ref>Rigby, Byron, ''Enlightenment in world psychiatry: The Transcendental Meditation technique—new light on consciousness'', MERU Press, 1977.</ref> ] explained the invisibility sidhi in a lecture: "You can disappear at a high state of consciousness because your body just stops reflecting light".<ref></ref> More important than these abilities is the development and control of the mind that is said to occur.<ref name = Chryssides/> | |||
| There are currently 18 sidhis, each with an associated sutra, which is a word or phrase in English. The current TM sidhis include friendliness (repeating the word "friendliness"); knowledge of the motions of the stars (repeating the word "polestar"); omniscience (repeating the phrase "distinction between intellect and transcendence") and levitation or flying (repeating the phrase "relationship of body and akasha (ether)-lightness of cotton fiber"). The chosen sutras are repeated mentally every 15 seconds, and repeated twice. The flying sidhi, which was emphasized by the Maharisihi over the other sidhis for unknown reasons, is practiced after completing the other sidhis, and may be repeated for 5 to 30 minutes, followed by a rest period, and then a 10-minute reading from an English translation of the ].<ref name=Williamson/><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/books?id=9xJDszg7cuwC&printsec=frontcover#PPA132,M1|editor1-last=Langone|editor1-first=Michael D.|first=Patrick L.|last=Ryan|title=Recovery from Cults: Help for Victims of Psychological and Spiritual Abuse|publisher=W. W. Norton & Company|year=1995|isbn=0-393-31321-2, 9780393313215|pages=132–134}}</ref><ref>{{cite book|url=http://books.google.com/?id=VvlCt-e20pcC&pg=PT194&dq=TM-Sidhi+elephant#v=onepage&q=TM-Sidhi%20&f=false|last=Gilpin|first=Geoff|title=The Maharishi Effect: A Personal Journey Through the Movement that Transformed American Spirituality|publisher=Penguin|year=2006|isbn=1-58542-507-9, 9781585425075pages=unpaginated}}</ref> According to Williamson, the version of TM-Sidhi that is taught to "Citizens" (those who are not also TM teachers) is slightly different from the version taught to "Governors" (TM teachers). | |||
| According to Lola Williamson, who practiced the TM-Sidhi program until 1981, the Maharishi directed that, after practicing the flying technique each day, practitioners read the ]. Williamson writes that Maharishi told a group that the purpose of reading this text was to feed the ] created in their guts to the Vedic gods, particularly ].<ref name=Williamson/> | |||
| ==Research== | |||
| Studies of practitioners of the TM-Sidhi program have found positive changes in hormones associated with stress.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=O.R. |last1=Werner |first2=R.K. |last2=Wallace |first3=B. |last3=Charles |first4=G. |last4=Janssen |first5=T. |last5=Stryker |first6=R..A. |last6=Chalmers |title=Long-term endocrinologic changes in subjects practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program |journal=Psychosomatic Medicine |volume=48 |issue=1 |pages=59–66 |year=1986}}<br>{{cite journal |first1=Teresa |last1=Seeman |first2=Linda |last2=Fagan Dubin |first3=Melvin |last3=Seeman |title=Religiosity/Spirituality and Health: A Critical Review of the Evidence for Biological Pathways |journal=American Psychologist |volume=58 |issue=1 |pages=53–63 |year=2003 |doi=10.1037/0003-066X.58.1.53 |pmid=12674818}} p. 58</ref><ref>{{cite journal |first1=Jay |last1=Glaser |first2=Joel |last2=Brind |first3=Joseph |last3=Vogelman |first4=Michael |last4=Eisner |first5=Michael |last5=Dillbeck |first6=R. Keith |last6=Wallace |first7=Deepak |last7=Chopra |first8=Norman |last8=Orentreich |title=Elevated serum dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate levels in practitioners of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhi programs |journal=Journal of Behavioral Medicine |volume=15 |issue=4 |pages=327–341 |year=1992 |doi=10.1007/BF00844726 |pmid=1404349}}<br>{{Cite journal |first1=Elissa |last1=Epel |first2=Jennifer |last2=Daubenmier |first3=Judith |last3=Tedlie Moskowitz |first4=Susan |last4=Folkman |first5=Elizabeth |last5=Blackburn |title=Can meditation slow rate of cellular aging? Cognitive stress, mindfulness, and telomeres |journal=Longevity, Regeneration, and Optimal Health: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |volume=1172 |pages=34–53 |year=2009 |pmid=19735238 |doi=10.1111/j.1749-6632.2009.04414.x |pmc=3057175}} p. 47<br>{{cite journal |first=Joseph |last=Loizzo |title=Optimizing Learning and Quality of LIfe throughout the Lifespan: A Global Framework for Research and Application |journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |volume=1172 |year=2009 |pages=186–189 |doi=10.1196/annals.1393.006}} p. 191</ref> In addition, a study showed an increase night-time plasma melatonin associated with the practice of the TM-Sidhi program.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Gregory |last1=Tooley |first2=Stuart |last2=Armstrong |first3=Trevor |last3=Norman |first4=Avni |last4=Sali |title=Acute increases in night-time plasma melatonin levels following a period of meditation |journal=Biological Psychology |volume=53 |pages=69–78 |year=2000 |doi=10.1016/S0301-0511(00)00035-1 |pmid=10876066 |issue=1}} "To determine whether a period of meditation could influence melatonin levels, two groups of meditators were tested in a repeated measures design for changes in plasma melatonin levels at midnight. Experienced meditators practising either TM-Sidhi or another internationally well known form of yoga showed significantly higher plasma melatonin levels in the period immediately following meditation compared with the same period at the same time on a control night. It is concluded that meditation, at least in the two forms studied here, can affect plasma melatonin levels." <br> {{cite journal |first1=B. Rael |last1=Cahn |first2=John |last2=Polich |title=Meditation States and Traits: EEG, ERP, and Neuroimaging Studies |journal=Psychological Bulletin |volume=132 |issue=2 |year=2006 |pages=180–211 |doi=10.1037/0033-2909.132.2.180 |pmid=16536641}}<br>{{cite journal |first1=S.R. |last1=Pandi-Permal |first2=V. |last2=Srinivasan |first3=G.J.M. |last3=Maestroni |first4=D.P. |last4=Cardinali |first5=B. |title=Melatonin: Nature's Most Versatile Biological Signal? |journal=The FEBS Journal |volume=273 |year=2006 |pages=2813–2839 |last5=Poeggeler |unused_data=last5-Poeggeler}}</ref> An early study by researchers at Maharishi University found that practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi programs is associated with a slowing of the aging process.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Deborah |last=Lindberg |title=Integrative Review of Research Related to Meditation, Spirituality, and the Elderly |journal=Geriatric Nursing |volume=26 |issue= 6 |year=2005 |pages=372–377 |doi=10.1016/j.gerinurse.2005.09.013 |pmid=16373182}} " Early research by Wallace and colleagues evidenced slowing of the aging process in a cross-sectional group of subjects who practiced TM. This finding is supported by additional studies."<br>{{cite article| author=William Bushell |title=Longevity Potential Life Span and Health Span Enhancement through Practice of the Basic Yoga Meditation Regimen |journal=Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences |volume=1172 | date=2009 |page=20}}<br> | |||
| {{cite journal |first1=Robert Keith |last1=Wallace |first2=Michael |last2=Dillbeck |first3=Eliha |last3=Jacobe |first4=Beth |last4=Harrington |title=The Effects of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs on the Aging Process |journal=International Journal of Neuroscience |volume=16 |issue=1 |year=1982 |pages=53–58 |doi=10.3109/00207458209147602 |pmid=6763007}}</ref> | |||
| A review by Sibinga and Kemper in ''Pediatrics in Review'' notes a study by researchers from Maharishi International University and another one by researchers from MIU and ] that "suggest increased creativity, intelligence, and learning ability" may be associated with the practice.<ref>{{cite journal |first1=Andrew |last1=Jedrczak |first2=Michael |last2=Beresford |first3=Geoffrey |last3=Clements |title=The TM-Sidhi program, pure consciousness, creativity and intelligence |journal=The Journal of Creative Behavior |volume=19 |issue=4 |pages=270–275 |doi=10.1002/j.2162-6057.1985.tb00409.x |year=1985}}<br> | |||
| {{cite journal |first1=Robert |last1=Cranson |first2=David |last2=Orme=Johnson |first3=Jayne |last3=Gackenbach |first4=Michael |last4=Dillbeck |first5=Christopher |last5=Jones |first6=Charles |last6=Alexander |title=Transcendental Meditation and improved performance on intelligence-related measures: A longitudinal study |journal=Personality and Individual Differences |volume=12 |issue=10 |pages=1105–1116 |doi=10.1016/0191-8869(91)90040-I |year=1991}}<br> "This two-year longitudinal study investigated the effect of participation in a special university curriculum, whose principal innovative feature is twice-daily practice of the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhi program, on performance on Cattell's Culture Fair Intelligence Test (CFIT) and Hick's reaction time. These measures are known to be correlated with general intelligence. One hundred college men and women were the subjects—45 from Maharishi International University (MIU) and 55 from the University of Northern Iowa (UNI). The experimental group (MIU) improved significantly on the CFIT (t=2.79, P<0.005); choice reaction time (t=9.10, P<0.0001); SD of choice reaction time (t=11.39, P<0.0001), and simple reaction time (t=2.11, P<0.025) over two years compared to the control group, which showed no improvement. "<br>{{cite journal|last=Sibinga|first=EM|coauthors=Kemper, KJ|title=Complementary, holistic, and integrative medicine: meditation practices for pediatric health|journal=Pediatrics in Review |date=2010 Dec|volume=31|issue=12|pages=e91–103|pmid=21123509|doi=10.1542/pir.31-12-e91}}</ref> A review of studies by Maharishi University researchers and others by ] says that practice of the TM-Sidhi program, which he characterizes as a form of ''sanyama'' training, may enhance creativity and hearing. According to Horan, a study by Orme-Johnson and Granieri discovered a strong increases in originality and fluency in visuo-spatial creativity in individuals practicing the TM-Sidhi program. A 1980 study also showed greater creativity in subjects who practiced the TM Sidhis Horan found methodological drawbacks in all meditation studies he reviewed, but suggested they could be resolved with further evidence from neuropsychological investigations into the nature of creativity and meditation, within a framework of transcendence and integration.<ref>{{cite journal |first=Roy |last=Horan |title=The Neuropsychogical Connection Between Creativity and Meditation |journal=Creativity Research Journal |volume=21 |issue=2–3 |pages=199–222 |year=2009 |doi=10.1080/10400410902858691}} "Sanyama training, through neuropsychological transcendence and integration, appears to enhance the creative capacity of TM practitioners." p. 216</ref> | |||
| ===Maharishi Effect=== | |||
| {{Main|Maharishi Effect}} | |||
| The Maharishi Effect is a hypothetical societal benefit resulting from a "significant proportion of the population" practicing the ].<ref name="Hop"/><ref name=Wager>{{cite news|title=Musicians Spread the Maharishi's Message of Peace|first=Gregg|last=Wager|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 11, 1987 |page=12}}</ref> In the 1960s the Maharishi postulated that the quality of life, the growth of harmony and order in society, would be noticeably improved if ten percent of the population practiced the Transcendental Meditation technique.<ref name="Wallis">Wallis, Roy (1984) Routledge & Kegan Paul, The Elementary Forms of The New Religious Life page 24</ref> This requirement later changed to one percent in 1960 and became known as the "Maharishi Effect".<ref name="Fish"/><ref name=Wager>{{Cite news|title=Musicians Spread the Maharishi's Message of Peace|first=Gregg|last=Wager|work=Los Angeles Times|date=December 11, 1987 |page=12}}</ref><ref name="Karam">Karam, Ted (2005) Jumping on Water: Awaken Your Joy, Empower Your Life, page 137</ref> | |||
| With the introduction of the TM-Sidhi program in 1976 it was postulated that the square root of 1 percent of the population practicing the TM-Sidhi program, together at the same time and in the same place, would increase "life-supporting trends". This was referred to as the "Extended Maharishi Effect".<ref name="Karam"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.mum.edu/m_effect/ |archivedate=July 30, 2010|archiveurl=http://www.webcitation.org/5rcNTly3Q|title=Maharishi Effect Research on the Maharishi Effect|publisher=Maharishi University of Management|accessdate=December 29, 2009}}</ref> These effects have been examined in 14 published studies, including a study that looked at a gathering of over 4,000 people in Washington DC in the summer of 1993.<ref> | |||
| * Dillbeck, M. C., G. S. Landrith III, and D. W. Orme-Johnson. "The Transcendental Meditation program and crime rate change in a sample of forty-eight cities." Journal of Crime and Justice 1981; 4:25–45. | |||
| * Orme-Johnson, D. W., M. C. Dillbeck, R. K. Wallace, G. S. Landrith. “Intersubject EEG coherence: Is consciousness a field?” International Journal of Neuroscience 1982; 16:203-209. | |||
| * Dillbeck, M. C., K. L. Cavanaugh, T. Glenn, D. W. Orme-Johnson, and V. Mittlefehldt. "Consciousness as a field: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and changes in social indicators." The Journal of Mind and Behavior 1987; 8(1):67–104. (presents five studies) | |||
| * Orme-Johnson, D. W., C. N. Alexander, J. L. Davies, H. M. Chandler, and W. E. Larimore. “International peace project in the Middle East : The effect of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field.” Journal of Conflict Resolution 1988; 32(4):776–812. | |||
| * Dillbeck, M. C., C. B. Banus, C. Polanzi, and G. S. Landrith III. "Test of a field model of consciousness and social change: The Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program and decreased urban crime." The Journal of Mind and Behavior 1988; 9(4):457–486. | |||
| * Gelderloos, P., M. J. Frid, P. H. Goddard, X. Xue, and S. A.Löliger. "Creating world peace through the collective practice of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field: Improved U.S.-Soviet relations." Social Science Perspectives Journal 1988; 2(4):80–94. | |||
| * Orme-Johnson, D. W., and P. Gelderloos. "The long-term effects of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field on the quality of life in the United States (1960 to 1983)." Social Science Perspectives Journal 1988; 2(4):127-146. (presents two studies) | |||
| * Travis, F. T., and D. W. Orme-Johnson. “Field model of consciousness: EEG coherence changes as indicators of field effects.” International Journal of Neuroscience 1989; 49:203-211. | |||
| * Dillbeck, M. C. "Test of a field theory of consciousness and social change: Time series analysis of participation in the TM-Sidhi program and reduction of violent death in the U.S." Social Indicators Research 1990; 22:399–418. | |||
| * Assimakis P., and M. C. Dillbeck. "Time series analysis of improved quality of life in Canada: Social change, collective consciousness, and the TM-Sidhi program." Psychological Reports 1995; 76:1171-1193. | |||
| * Hatchard, G. D., A. J. Deans, K. L. Cavanaugh, and D. W. Orme-Johnson. "The Maharishi Effect: A model for social improvement. Time series analysis of a phase transition to reduced crime in Merseyside metropolitan area." Psychology, Crime & Law 1996; 2(3):165-174. | |||
| * J. S. Hagelin, M.V. Rainforth, D. W. Orme-Johnson, K. L. Cavanaugh, C. N. Alexander, S. F. Shatkin, et al. "Effects of group practice of the Transcendental Meditation program on preventing violent crime in Washington, DC: Results of the National Demonstration Project, June–July 1993." Social Indicators Research 1999; 47(2):153-201. | |||
| * Orme-Johnson, D. W., M. C. Dillbeck, C. N. Alexander, H. M. Chandler, and R. W. Cranson. “Effects of large assemblies of participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program on reducing international conflict and terrorism.” Journal of Offender Rehabilitation 2003;36 (1/2/3/4):283-302. | |||
| * Davies, J. L. and C. N. Alexander. “Alleviating political violence through reducing collective tension: Impact Assessment analysis of the Lebanon war.” Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 2005, 17: 285-338.</ref><ref name="Karam"/> The Maharishi and his associates have likened the Maharishi Effect to the ] in ] materials<ref>{{cite web|url=http://press-conference.globalgoodnews.com/archive/january/05-01-19.html|title=19 January 2005 Press Conference Highlights|publisher=Global Good News|date=January 19, 2005|accessdate=January 6, 2010}}</ref> Saying that both are a ] of increased orderliness that occurs at a certain threshold.<ref name = Merseyside>Hatchard, G. D., Deans, A. J., Cavanaugh, K. L., & ] (1996) The Maharishi Effect: A model for social improvement. Time series analysis of a phase transition to reduced crime in Merseyside metropolitan area. ''Psychology, Crime and Law'', 2(3), 165–174.</ref><ref name=OJ2009>{{cite journal|last1=Orme-Johnson|first1=David|last2=Oates|first2=Robert|title=A Field-Theoretic View of Consciousness: Reply to Critics|journal=]|volume=22|issue=3|date=Fall 2008|pages=139–66}}</ref> | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{reflist|2}} | |||
| {{refbegin}} | |||
| <!-- add references here --> | |||
| {{refend}} | |||
| == External links == | |||
| * on the ] website | |||
| * | |||
| * official video | |||
| {{Transcendental Meditation}} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Tm-Sidhi Program}} | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
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