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| The '''TM-Sidhi program''' is a ] technique that was introduced by ] in the mid ], following the earlier introduction of the ] technique. Described as a natural extension of Transcendental Meditation, the TM-Sidhi program may be learned after a minimum of two months' practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, and is said to accelerate the benefits gained from the practice.<ref>http://www.tm.org/sidhi/index.html</ref> | |||
| Derived from the ], the TM-Sidhi Program contains "formulas" or "sutras" (threads), the practice of which can supposedly lead to development of advanced human abilities, called ]s. The essential aspect necessary to gain these powers is called samyama, a synthesis of three methods taught by ]. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's ] includes the incorporation of Yogic Flying and other sidhis. <ref></ref><ref>, p. 66]</ref><ref> [http://books.google.com/books?id=KUbmdGhkQvsC&printsec=frontcover&dq=the+big+fish&ei=hIDXSbr_H4qGNoDxydwC#PPA144,M1 Bonshek, Anna, Bonshek, Corrina and Fergusson, Lee, ''The Big Fish: Consciousness as Structure, Body and Space'', Rodopi (2007) | |||
| ISBN 9042021721, 9789042021723,] pp 143-145</ref> | |||
| The term "TM-Sidhi" is a trademark owned by Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation, a non-profit organization.<ref>http://www.mum.edu/disclosures/copyright.html</ref> | |||
| == Research == | |||
| Research on practitioners of the TM-Sidhi program relative to subjects practicing Transcendental Meditation alone has shown increased EEG coherence during "Yogic Flying",<ref>].<ref>Orme-Johnson, David W., and Christopher Haynes: 1981, "EEG Phase Coherence, Pure Consciousness, Creativity, and TM-Sidhi Experiences," International Journal of Neuroscience, vol 13, 1981, pp. 211–217</ref> | |||
| == Development of extraordinary abilities == | |||
| According to newspaper and magazine articles, proponents of the TM-Sidhi program say it includes the development of extra-ordinary 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> Skolnick, Andrew A., "Maharishi Ayur-Veda: guru's marketing scheme promises the world eternal 'perfect health'", ''JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association'' 0098-7484 (Oct 2 1991) v266, n13, p1741(6)</ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref><ref></ref> | |||
| ===Yogic flying=== | |||
| One component of the TM-Sidhi program is referred to as "Yogic Flying", the first stage of which is described as "the body moving forward in short jumps."<ref> The Washington Post July 10, 1986, "At the Hop: The Flying Yogis' Olympiad" by Victoria Dawson</ref><ref>http://www.permanentpeace.org/technology/yogic_flying.html</ref> According to the Maharishi, Yogic Flying is a phenomenon created by a specific thought projected from the simplest state of human consciousness that he calls Transcendental Consciousness.<ref>Mahesh Yogi, Maharishi (1995) Maharishi’s Absolute Theory of Government – Automation in Administration. Maharishi Vedic University Press</ref> | |||
| EEG studies comparing Yogic Flyers with a control group voluntarily hopping found that the neurological characteristics were different. Immediately before hopping the yogic flyers showed significant shifts in EEG coherence and power, whereas the controls did not. The differences in EEG spatial distribution and mean amplitude between the two groups suggested that different biological mechanisms underly the EEG activity in the two groups. <ref>TRAVIS, F. T., and ORME-JOHNSON, D. W. "EEG coherence and power during yogic flying. International Journal of Neuroscience," 54: 1-12, 1990.</ref> | |||
| ===Public demonstrations of hopping=== | |||
| The TM-Sidhi program describes Yogic Flying as having three distinct stages, although public presentations of Yogic Flying have only demonstrated Stage One, which is the hopping stage. There has been no demonstration of Stage Two; hovering or floating, nor any demonstration of Stage Three; flying through the air. <ref> The Washington Post, At the Hop: The Flying Yogis’ Olympiad, July 10 1986, Victoria Dawson </ref><ref>Los Angeles Times, July 10 1986, "Yogis Say They're a Hop, Skip and Jump From Flying" </ref>Since 1986, there have been public demonstrations of the hopping stage in many countries including many locations in the United States.<ref> Maharishi's Programme to Create World Peace, Age of Enlightenment Press, 1987, p.1</ref> | |||
| In ], when the host of The ] (TV) Show asked Maharishi Mahesh Yogi how many of the 40,000 TM-Sidhi students he taught to levitate, he answered: "Thousands."<ref>{{Harvard reference | First=James| Last=Randi | Year=1982 | Title= Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions; | Chapter=Chapter 5, "The Giggling Guru: A Matter of Levity"| Editor= | Others=| Place=Buffalo, New York|Pages= | Publisher=Prometheus Books| ID=ISBN 0-87975-198-3 | URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Special:Booksources&isbn=0879751983| Authorlink= James_Randi}}</ref> However, reporters attending a public demonstration of hopping in Washington DC in 1986, saw 22 participants bouncing on mattresses in the lotus position rather than levitation.<ref> The Skeptics Guide To The Paranormal, Lynne Kelly, p.234, 2005 </ref>While sitting cross-legged or in a "lotus" position, Yogic Flyers hop about on foam mats. <ref> Daily News, "Followers of Yogi Do the Bounce", July 10 1986, Frank Van Riper </ref> | |||
| In 1986 Victoria Dawson, a reporter for the Washington Post who attended a demonstration observed that "The hoppers remained seated, hopping vigorously among themselves, mixing and mingling with spiritual energy and good feeling."<ref> The Washington Post, At the Hop: The Flying Yogis’ Olympiad, July 10 1986, Victoria Dawson </ref> | |||
| In 1999 ], professor of physics at the University of Maryland and author of the weekly science ] column, ''What's New.'' attended a demonstration that was presented at a press conference at the Washington, DC Press Club by physicist and ] Presidential candidate, ].This is how Park described the demonstration: | |||
| :''Mattresses were spread right there on the floor, and 12 fit-looking young guys seated themselves in the lotus position. The audience was cautioned to make no sound as they meditated. After a few minutes, one of them suddenly levitated. Well, he didn't exactly float, mind you, just sort of popped up a couple of inches and thumped back down. Then another levitated, and another, till the scene looked like corn popping. There was nothing to suggest they didn't follow parabolic trajectories." | |||
| {{Unreferenced section|date=June 2009}} | |||
| === History of Yogic Flying === | |||
| Yogic flying traditionally stems from the ] rishi Avatsara, "the flying-one". Later yogic texts also describe this ] ("perfection"), most notably the '']'' of ], in varying degrees of detail. | |||
| A system of yogic flying also exists within the inner ]s (anuttara-tantras) of ]an ] as a system to attain enlightenment. In this system the practitioners work at the dissolution of the vital airs, ], into the centermost part of being, the avadhuti or "central channel". In the initial stages this is used in a system of yogic-running where the practitioner is able to proceed across the ground in large jumps. Some of kings of the ]n kingdoms kept speed-runners or practitioners of yogic-running from this Buddhist tradition to carry messages over long distances. | |||
| === Facilities and practitioners === | |||
| Major facilities for Yogic Flying are located at the ] in ], ], at Maharish Vedic School in Antrim, New Hampshire, and at Maharishi European Sidhaland in ], ] | |||
| During the 1990s, various ] encouraged the use of Yogic Flying as part of their ]. Plans by ], the founder of the Transcendental Meditation Program and related programs, included building 3000 Peace Palaces in major cities, and creating permanent groups of 8,000 yogic flyers to create permanent world peace. His plan also calls for a group of 1000 Vedic ]s, all practicing Yogic Flying, to take up residence at Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa. | |||
| === Criticism of Yogic Flying === | |||
| In a 1987 ] article, the ] criticized Yogic Flying as "fake". Two former students from Maharishi University of Management say the activity was "strictly physical exercise ... nothing spiritual about it." | |||
| In the 1998 ] News special ''The Power of Belief'', ] documents a series of disputed phenomena beginning with Yogic Flying.{{Fact|date=April 2009}} | |||
| == The Maharishi Effect == | |||
| Researchers associated with ] have hypothesized that practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs in a group produces a "Maharishi Effect", that is said to influence coherence and positivity in the social and natural environment.<ref>http://www.mum.edu/m_effect/</ref> According to these researchers, if the square root of one percent of the population (that is, first calculating 1% of the population and then taking the square root of the resulting number) regularly practices the TM-Sidhi program together, the entire population will experience greater coherence - including reduction in violence, crime, disease, deadly storms, and other destructive natural forces.<ref> The Big Fish; Consciosness as Structure, Body and Space, Anna Bonshek, p.146, Rodopi, 2007 </ref><ref>http://www.mum.edu/m_effect/summary_table.html</ref> | |||
| ], a magician and critic of paranormal claims, investigated the claims of Dr. Robert Rabinoff, a former Maharishi International University physics professor. In his book ''Flim Flam'' Randi disputed a claim attributed to Rabinoff: that a large gathering of TM practitioners had reduced crime and accidents and increased crop production in the vicinity of Maharishi International University in Fairfield, Iowa. Rabinoff made the claims during a talk at the University of Oregon in 1978. Randi spoke with the Fairfield Police Department, the Iowa Department of Agriculture, and Iowa Department of Motor Vehicles and was unable to substantiate the claims.<ref> {{Harvard reference | First=James| Last=Randi | Year=1982 | Title= Flim-Flam! Psychics, ESP, Unicorns, and Other Delusions; | Chapter=chapter 5, "The Giggling Guru: A Matter of Levity"| Editor= | Others=| Place=Buffalo, New York|Pages= | Publisher=Prometheus Books| ID=ISBN 0-87975-198-3 | URL=http://en.wikipedia.org/search/?title=Special:Booksources&isbn=0879751983| Authorlink= James_Randi}} </ref> | |||
| According to a bibliography on the ] web site, studies on the Maharishi Effect have been published in journals such as ''Social Indicators Research'', ''Journal of Mind and Behavior'', ''Social Science Perspectives Journal'', ''Journal of Conflict Resolution'', ''Journal of Crime and Justice'', and ''Psychology, Crime, and Law''.<ref>http://www.mum.edu/m_effect/summary_table.html</ref> | |||
| === Study on the Maharishi Effect in Washington, D.C. === | |||
| A study on the Maharishi Effect published in 1999 in the journal ''Social Indicators Research'' suggested that there was a correlation between the gathering of a group of 4,000 participants in the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs in the District of Columbia, and a reduction in violent crime in that city.<ref>Hagelin, J. S., Orme-Johnson, D. W., Rainforth, M., Cavanaugh, K., & Alexander, C. N. (1999). ''Results of the National Demonstration Project to Reduce Violent Crime and Improve Governmental Effectiveness in Washington, D.C.'' Social Indicators Research, 47, 153–201</ref> The experiment took place over a two-month period in the summer of 1993. | |||
| At a 1994 press conference to announce the analysis of that study, ] said that, during the period of the experiment, Washington, D.C. experienced a significant reduction in psychiatric emergency calls, fewer complaints against the police, and an increase in public approval of President Clinton—all of which was consistent with the hypothesis that a coherence-creating group of practitioners of the TM-Sidhi program can relieve social stress and reverse negative social trends. Overall, according to preliminary data released by the police department there was an 18% reduction in violent crime, he told the press. When a reporter asked, an 18% reduction compared to what, Hagelin answered, compared to the level of violent crime had the study not taken place. Hagelin said that criminologists have shown that violent crime fluctuates significantly relative to the temperature. Crime goes down when it's cold and up when it's hot. The standard methodology for assessing whether the crime rate changed or not is to compare it with what is expected for that particular season. Hagelin said that by using the standard methodology (time series analysis), they were able to show the level of violent crime in Washington had dropped well below the expected level based on previous data.<ref>, John S. Hagelin, et al.</ref> | |||
| In his book ''Voodoo Science'', physicist ] called the study a "clinic in data manipulation".<ref name="RLPark">Park, Robert, ''Skeptical Inquirer'', Sept 2000 </ref> Maxwell Rainforth, a coauthor of the Washington, D.C. study, says that Park does not support the assertion with either supporting data or analysis, and that Park's objection to the use of time series analysis isn't based on any scientific argument. The researchers also questioned whether Park had read the published study, since his criticism focused on a preliminary Interim Report released at a press conference in 1994.<ref>, Maxwell Rainforth</ref> | |||
| Park questioned the validity of the study by saying that during the weeks of the experiment Washington D.C.'s weekly murder count hit the highest level ever recorded.<ref>{{cite web |author=] |url=http://bobpark.physics.umd.edu/WN94/wn100794.html#4 |title=1994 IgNobel Prize winners are honored, in a fashion, at MIT! |work=What's New |date=7 October 1994}}</ref> According to the study, statistical analysis suggests that the murder rate, which typically goes up during hot weather, fell within the range of what would have been expected for that time of year. <ref>Hagelin, J. S., Orme-Johnson, D. W., Rainforth, M., Cavanaugh, K., & Alexander, C. N. (1999). ''Results of the National Demonstration Project to Reduce Violent Crime and Improve Governmental Effectiveness in Washington, D.C.'' Social Indicators Research, 47, 153–201</ref> | |||
| In 1994, ] received an ] in peace based on this study.<ref></ref> This parody of the ] is given annually to "honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think".<ref></ref> | |||
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