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Archives

Index 01 (Pre - Feb 2005): 02 (Nov 28 2005 - Nov 30 2005) 03 (Nov 30 2005 - Feb 10 2006) 04 (Feb 10 2006 - May 28 2006) 05 (May 28 2006 - Jun 25 2006) 06 (Jun 25 2006 - Jul 19 2006) 07 (Jul 19 2006 - Oct 31 2006) 08 (Nov 01 2006 - Nov 25 2006) 09 (Nov 25 2006 - Dec 21 2006) 10 (Dec 21 2006 - Jan 11 2007) 11 (Jan 11 2007 - Feb 28 2007) 12 (Feb 28 2007 - Apr 16 2007) 13 (Apr 16 2007 - Oct 01 2007) 14 (Oct 01 2007 - Dec 31 2007) 15 (Dec 31 2007 - Feb 9 2008) 16 (Feb 9 2008 - June 14 2008) 17 (June 14 2008 - Oct 2 2008)

Suggestions for improving the article

Hi ive been reading through the wikipage on transcendental meditation and would like to help improve it.

I have a few questions.

I have heard from a retired Colonel in the US army that veterans that are prescribed by a Doctor to learn tm for any medical reason, have all the expenses of learning covered by the US Gov. I think this would be useful info to have on this page if true.

What happened to all the links at the bottom of the page...there seems to be a number of pages that used to be there? One was I think askthedoctors.com . I was recommending my friends who were interested in learning TM to come here and find out more about it. Now i find at the bottom there are virtually only sites linked that have bad things to say about TM?

What is the relevancy of the two paragraphs in the Lawsuit section to people interested in learning more about TM when they come to Misplaced Pages? Is it useful information? The first claim dealign with Robert Kropinski Lawsuit against the World Plan Executive Council was a null outcome. I'm not sure why it would be included since it doesn't really say anything other than a guy tried to take the TM organisation to court but lost...it doesn't seem to me to be very relavant.

The 2nd case dealing with the murder of the student at Maharishi university of Managament seems to have more to do with that University than the technique...I'm not sure why it would be on the page dealing with TM...wouldn't it make more sense to be on the university page? Also what is even the signifigance of this anyway in regards to either the University or TM?

I don't know what the protocol of adding links to the bottom of the page is but I belong to the SIMS Club at Auckland University in New Zealand and would I be able to put a link to our webpage at the bottom of this article?

Some things I would like to see added to the TM Page would be TM in Governments. I know in New Zealand that at one time 10% our governing MP's practiced TM along with the speaker of the house and the deputy Prime minister.

It just seems to me that in NZ where you have 45,000 people who have learnt the TM technique...with many of the most wealthy learning, many many doctors and at sometime so many members of Parliment practicing how in the interest of balance so much "controversial" material is present on the wiki TM page? I'm not disputing its reality...I'm just disputing what its real signifigance is...what it really contributes towards giving people an understanding of what TM is...

Sorry if i seem to be jumping all over the place. --Uncreated (talk) 21:58, 11 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for your comments, Uncreated. I was just made aware as well that many links had been removed so I'll be looking at those in the next few days to see what, at least from my side, I think should be restored. As for your other questions, I think they are legitimate. The concern with this article is that it has been the site of edit wars and heated discussion and so is highly contentious. Misplaced Pages has pretty specific policies and guidelines for articles and the article has been scrutinized multiple times to make sure these are being met. That said I would think the best idea for you would be to take your concerns one at a time and post them here for discussion. Then some agreement could be reached about inclusion or exclusion of the material. You might want to check out WP:Weight if you are a new editor, since many of the issues you bring up may have to do with the "weight" of material being presented in relation to the article as a whole. At any rate, these are good points well worth discussing.(olive (talk) 22:16, 11 October 2008 (UTC))

Okay.

Let’s start with this one. Kropinski v. WPEC. As far as I can see this paragraph basically says a man had a disagreement with the WPEC and it was settled out of court. If I’m over simplifying the implication of it let me know...but if I’m not is this information very relevant to people who want to know more about TM. I can't see that it is...and from what I have read from going through the archives space seems to be a concern and perhaps we could add a bit more info as to what tm is as opposed to essentially meaningless info.--Uncreated (talk) 09:30, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

I think you've raised some god points. I've had the same thoughts about the Kropinski suit. One advantage to having it here, though, is that there are a number or web sites that report that he sued and was awarded damages of $138,000. These web sites typically don't inform the reader that an appellate court overturned the award. So having it here is a chance to set the record straight. But the problem is that a suit that Kropinski lost money on and that had most of the claims dismissed is highlighted by having a major section on lawsuits. Most readers won't read the details -- they'll just see the heading and jump to a conclusion. I wish we could, at the least, revise this so that it's more in accord with the spirit of this essay: WP:CRITICISM, and figure out a way to integrate this better into the article rather than highlight a suit with a null outcome, thereby giving it undue weight.

By the way, not only did the appellate court dismiss most of the remaining claims, but they also threw out the testimony of Margaret Singer, without which there was no basis for the fraud claim. The sole remaining claim was a knee injury related to practice of the TM-Sidhi program (which is a separate technique from Transcendental Meditation, as you know). TimidGuy (talk) 16:12, 12 October 2008 (UTC)

Sorry for the delay in responding, I've been bedridden with the flu for the last few days.

I've had a look at the WP:CRITICISM and undue weight links you gave me. Perhaps we could remove the Controversies section and replace it with a Reception section as suggested in the Criticism essay? I think this would provided a way to included both Postive and negative criticisms of the TM Technique. Perhaps in this proposed section mention of the fact that there are websites and groups that have a disfavourable opinion of the TM Technique and continually site facts that are wrong or misleading and give an example of the Kropinski suit?

In the proposed reception section maybe we could have different subheadings and look at how different aspects of society have recieved the TM technique...maybe Government, Education, Science, Religion, Medicine, Physcology, Military, etc --Uncreated (talk) 20:19, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

Also are the links provided at the bottom of the page expected to meet the same standards set out in the reliable sources wiki policy? I suspect if they are then a few of the links violate that policy and should be removed. --Uncreated (talk) 20:22, 14 October 2008 (UTC)

It does seem like a good idea to adjust this so that some things aren't given undue weight by their very appearance in a section labeled controversies. The only source, for example, for saying that there is a controversy about the issue of cost is a commercial web site that claims to offer the same thing at a lower price. That's hardly evidence for a controversy, and certainly not a reliable source for the claim. Regarding your suggestion about mentioning unfavorable sites and giving an example of the Kropinski suit, that would likely be in violation of Misplaced Pages's policy of no original research. It would be our own observation. We can only report things that published, reliable sources have said. And speaking of sources, do you have third-party sources for information about how the technique has been received? Also, we have to try hard avoid having the article sound promotional. Some think that it already sounds promotional. Regarding the links at the bottom, the relevant guideline is WP:EL. Thanks much for your suggestions. TimidGuy (talk) 16:16, 15 October 2008 (UTC)

TG I understand about the no original research and yes you are right. In regards to third party sources talking about TM and its reception could we not use the many different articles that have appeared in the US news media about TM in Education, Business and the medical industry? I believe all the information is out there it’s just a matter of getting our hands on it...for example in Cambodia there is a university that practices Consciousness based education jointly run by the TM organisation and the Cambodian government...now I'm sure there are a number of official documents talking about its "reception" but they would all mostly be in Khmer...likewise the peace project that was conducted in Mozambique in the 90's I'm sure had alot of coverage in the media in Mozambique about it but I’m not sure how accessible it would be to us.

Perhaps we could continue to have a Controversies section but also have a reception section? In the reception section you could have how TM has been received by Religion, Education, Business, Medicine, and the Military. Also the cult issues could also be included in this section but instead under the umbrella of how TM has been received in the field of psychology? Under the controversies we could have the lawsuits and any other information that was controversial.

In regards to the price that section could be moved to nearer the top of the page where it discusses the teaching procedure? --Uncreated (talk) 03:40, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the discussion, and hope you've recovered from the flu. It's hard to generalize about how it's been received. We could be accused of cherry picking if we find a few articles and then present that info in this article, especially since the topic is so vast: many many countries, and many different facets of society. It seems like we'd need to find a source that gives some kind of overview and then report that. How about if we at least take a couple initial steps? 1) change the Controversies heading to Reception and 2) move cost out of that section. If we get consensus on that, then let's discuss further the context of the lawsuits. TimidGuy (talk) 15:15, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I think it would be fine to rename the controversies section. I don't mind moving cost either. However, would it be alright to hold off on that. A few months ago someone posted a point saying there was nothing about how the technique worked, and I also had an email from an editor who seemed to indicate the article was less than interesting without info on the technique itself so I am in the process of writing something. When that's done I could integrate the cost information in that general section. I'm fine with moving it now as well. And happy you seem to be over the flu, Uncreated.(olive (talk) 16:16, 16 October 2008 (UTC))

Thanks guys...I'm quite a bit better now...I don't remember the last time I was so violently ill though. Thats good olive...the article does seem to have a distinct lack of info on how it works. TG that sounds like a good plan. Do we have to wait for more editors to put in their 2 cents before we could change Controversies to Reception? --Uncreated (talk) 20:22, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

External links

Multiple external links were removed without discussion. As noted by User:Uncreated this left the section heavy with negative material . Although some of these links could possibly be deleted, discussion should be carried out first to make sure there is agreement on their removal.(olive (talk) 21:05, 15 October 2008 (UTC))

I read through the the wiki guideline regarding links TG provided. I read through two of the links "behind the TM facade" and "falling down the rabbit hole" and in my mind both seem inappropraite in light of the wiki guideline of links normally to be avoided point 2:

Any site that misleads the reader by use of factually inaccurate material or unverifiable research. See Reliable sources for explanations of the terms "factually inaccurate material" or "unverifiable research".

I would argue at best alot of the information in these sites are unverifiable and therefore misleading. They also appear to be self published sites. --Uncreated (talk) 02:55, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

A number of other links could also in my be removed I think like the "Hararit" Village in Israel founded by TM meditator and "Maharishi Vedic City" City in Iowa, USA founded by TM meditators. --Uncreated (talk) 03:03, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I would tend to agree with you. The Down the TM Rabbit Hole site is self published. The site has been linked because the site is that of a former TM teacher. I would say though looking at it again that it is even more about opinion than it was before. I would also be happy to remove the Hararit village link and Vedic City link, but I'd like other editors to weigh in. I would also need to look more closely at the other links again and really carefully discuss them. Thanks for your research and efforts.(olive (talk) 04:03, 16 October 2008 (UTC))

Is that information verifiable that he is a TM teacher? If it is i believe i read on one of the wiki guidline pages that fringe or minority views should not be given much if any weight. I have read in TM literature that there is something like 30,000 - 40,000 TM teachers in the world...I would argue that if he was verified by a 3rd party source as being a teacher, then his "expert" opinion and views as a TM teacher would be in the most extreme minority. --Uncreated (talk) 04:23, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I'd be fine with removing the intentional communities links. That material had originally been inserted in the article, but I didn't think it belonged. Eventually we had consensus to move to External Links. But I"m not sure it's relevant. The thing that bothers me about sites such as Behind the TM Facade is that they seem to be intentionally misleading. This site, for example, offers up the same old canon of bogus claims, such as: saying that Kropinski was awarded $138,000 in his lawsuit and failing to tell the reader that an appellate court overturned the award; and presenting the German "study" without telling that a court found it was bogus, and misrepresenting the decision of the higher court (which said that the lower court didn't have the authority to force the German ministry to retract the report but didn't dispute that the ministry's research was bogus and that explicitly said: "The federal government has not asserted a general or in any event significant, frequent and determinable causal relationship between membership in the Transcendental Meditation movement and the appearance of mental disorders”). In my opinion, these sorts of canonical criticisms are a litmus test for any web site about Transcendental Meditation. If they're present, and not qualified in an even-handed way but are simply there to mislead the reader, then that site shouldn't be included. TimidGuy (talk) 15:35, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I tagged the section for cleanup back in February. I think it would be best to follow WP:EL very closely, moving anything questionable to here for discussion. A well referenced article of this quality, doesn't need many external links, but attracts many that are promotional. --Ronz (talk) 16:30, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I agree the inks should be discussed. I guess we're in the middle of that.:o) Actually I'm not sure we need to actually move them. Its pretty simple to reference them. Once they've been discussed and an agreement reached they can either be deleted or left How about if I start a section for each discussion in each link.(olive (talk) 16:43, 16 October 2008 (UTC))

Discussion of External Links

Here's the current list without the links for reference: --Ronz (talk) 16:47, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• American Association of Professionals Practicing the Transcendental Meditation Program.

Promotional. --Ronz (talk) 15:43, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

I'm not attached to this, but this is a nonprofit organization, so I would probably consider it borderline promotional, and possibly OK as link(olive (talk) 16:14, 17 October 2008 (UTC))

I mean promotional in the sense of WP:ELNO #4, 5, 13, 14. --Ronz (talk) 19:31, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

Yikes sorry ... no idea what ENLO is and wouldnt link .... could you point me in the right direction. Many thanks.(olive (talk) 20:54, 19 October 2008 (UTC))

• Behind the TM Facade - Criticizes claims made by the TM organization.

I'm unable to find the identity of the authors here, so it's probably inappropriate. Maybe ] could be used as a replacement if there isn't enough with a skeptical pov? --Ronz (talk) 18:23, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• Discover the benefits - Link to official TM site, includes some scientific study summaries.

So we agree this is the official site? If so, it should be first. --Ronz (talk) 18:41, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• Falling Down the TM Rabbit Hole - How TM Really Works, a Critical Opinion - Criticism of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and TM by a former TM teacher.

Doesnt appear to be written by a notable expert. --Ronz (talk) 18:29, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• "Hararit" Village in Israel founded by TM meditators.

Looks promotional. --Ronz (talk) 16:49, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• "Maharishi Vedic City" City in Iowa, USA founded by TM meditators.

Looks promotional. --Ronz (talk) 16:49, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• Meditation Information Network - Web site supporting critical examination of Transcendental Meditation and associated programs. Includes archived newsletters of TM-EX, the Transcendental Meditation Ex-Members Support Group (1990 - 1994).

I tend to removing links of aggregations of articles like this, but won't object to it's inclusion if no one else does. --Ronz (talk) 19:14, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• Transcendental Meditation -- Links to Steven Hassan's "Freedom of Mind Center".

I've linked Hassan's name in the article to Steven Hassan. Is there any reason to keep this link to his center? --Ronz (talk) 20:20, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I should have looked at the content closer. I assumed it was to his center. Instead, it's his main TM entry, linking to his and others' articles. I don't see a reason to remove it. --Ronz (talk) 23:18, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• Research on the Transcendental Meditation Technique.

Another aggregation. I think it should be treated the same as the Meditation Information Network link above. --Ronz (talk) 20:20, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• Stress-Free Schools.

Looks promotional. --Ronz (talk) 16:49, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• The Transcendental Meditation technique and ADHD.

I've updated this to indicate it's from PBS. I think the date should be included, but couldn't find it. I didn't watch the video other than to quickly look for production info. It looks like the information may have been removed, which means it may have to be removed for copyright reasons. --Ronz (talk) 19:14, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I've removed this one as a link to what looks like copyrighted material used with the copyright information removed from it and no other indication that the site is licensed to use the material, per WP:ELNEVER. --Ronz (talk) 21:10, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• "Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Consciousness".

Looks promotional. --Ronz (talk) 16:49, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

• Truth About TM - A leading researcher on Transcendental Meditation responds to issues.

I don't think David Orme-Johnson is expert enough to have his site included as a link. --Ronz (talk) 19:20, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

He's published over 100 studies on Transcendental Meditation, most of them peer reviewed and in major academic journals. I hope we can include this one. I agree all your other suggestions (and thanks for focusing on this): replace Facade with Skeptic's Dictionary, put official site tm.org first, delete Rabbit Hole/Hararit/Maharishi Vedic City, delete the two aggregation sites minet and TM research, delete link to Hassan/Stress Free Schools/TM & Transcendental Consciousness. TimidGuy (talk) 19:40, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I concur with TG assement.--Uncreated (talk) 20:10, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Want to thank Ronz as well for taking this on. I am keeping track of the points on agreement and disagreement just because the article has been contentious and this keep things very clear.(olive (talk) 21:32, 16 October 2008 (UTC))

Could we add this link http://www.doctorsontm.com I think it has useful information about TM that people would be interested in. Where are we up to in regards to making the changes to the links? are we getting close to making the changes? Its been 3 or 4 days since we started discussing...is that enough time for other editors to come forward and offer or not offer concensus if they so desire?--Uncreated (talk) 23:55, 19 October 2008 (UTC)

I thought this was the same the link in place (American association of Professionals ....) but is different and seems educational rather than promotional.(olive (talk) 01:56, 20 October 2008 (UTC))

Uncreated -- I believe we have consensus on many of these. I think someone could go ahead and make some changes. TimidGuy (talk) 11:32, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Ronz. I still think we could trim more off of it though.

Official site.

American Association of Professionals Practicing the Transcendental Meditation Program. (Should be removed)

Meditation Information Network - Web site supporting critical examination of Transcendental Meditation and associated programs. Includes archived newsletters of TM-EX, the Transcendental Meditation Ex-Members Support Group (1990 - 1994). (Should be removed) (it simply takes you to a page with more links...if there is useful information there we should link directly to it).

Transcendental Meditation -- Links to Steven Hassan's "Freedom of Mind Center". (Should be removed) (This site is promoting a business)

Research on the Transcendental Meditation Technique. (Should be removed)

Truth About TM - A leading researcher on Transcendental Meditation responds to issues.

http://skepdic.com/tm.html (add) ( To give balance)

http://www.doctorsontm.com (add) ( I think this is a very good site, this is who they are http://www.doctorsontm.com/about)

--Uncreated (talk) 17:50, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

I just cleaned up those I thought we had clear consensus on, with no need for further discussion. The rest could probably deserve additional discussion. --Ronz (talk) 19:45, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Okay...It seems to me that the information meditation newtwork simply takes you to a site that has alot of links taking you to other sites...if there is a site thereor some information there that is useful to educating people about TM why not link directly. Otherwise i don't see the use for this link.

Steven Hassan's website is promoting his business and as I understand not acceptable under Wiki policy. If we are looking for expert medical/psychological opinion (since as far as i can see Cult expert is another name for a psychologist with an expertise in human conditioning) on TM lets use www.doctorsontm.com this website is the website for the The American Association of Physicians Practicing the Transcendental Meditation Program.

I thought your reasoning to use www.skepdic.com was sound and we should have that in the links.

The research on TM page in my mind is alright and serves as a function to give people more Scientific info on TM but maybe something better could be found.

--Uncreated (talk) 20:48, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Condensing comments per link

I have gathered up the comments here so we can easily see where agreements have been reached. Comments can be added under the link section. In my attempts to summarize the discussion so far, if I have mischaracterized anyone's comments, I apologize in advance and please remove or add you name. Updated.(olive (talk) 21:25, 16 October 2008 (UTC))

Intentional Communities

Agreement to delete from Uncreated, TG, Ronze, Olive that these are non-compliant either as promotional, or are not pertinent to this article

I've removed these. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Stress free Schools

Agreement to delete from Ronz, Olive,TG Promotional

Removed. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Down the TM Rabbit Hole, Behind the TM Facade

Agreement to delete as non compliant: self published, non reliable, verifiable claims per comments by Uncreated, TG, Olive, Ronz

Removed. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

TM and Transcendental Consciousness

Agreement to delete, Ronz, Uncreated, TG, Olive

Removed. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Aggregate sites

Agreement to delete from Ronz,TG, Uncreated, Olive

I kept these for now. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Steve Hassan

Linked in article :agreement to delete from Olive, TG, Uncreated, and Ronz(?)

I see no reason to delete it, especially when I looked closer. Serves me right for multi-tasking ;^) --Ronz (talk) 23:20, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Isn't steve hassan's site promotional in nature? Just looking at his wikipage it says: "In 1999, Hassan founded the Freedom of Mind Resource Center. It is registered as a domestic profit corporation in the state of Massachusetts. He is president and treasurer." Isn't there some wiki policey for not promoting business's?--Uncreated (talk) 00:13, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

Hassan is a self promoting "cult" expert whose livelihood depends on the criticism of groups he considers to be "cult". His site is a commercial site promoting the sales of his services and as such is link spam I would think, and should be removed. He is linked in the article and that would seem to be borderline fine, but linking to his site given its promotional quality would be non compliant.(olive (talk) 00:54, 17 October 2008 (UTC))

... and you've done a good job... much appreciated.(olive (talk) 00:56, 17 October 2008 (UTC))

I kept this for now. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Not sure why we should keep this given its so obviously a commercial site, and since there seems to be a consensus.

Official site

Place first. Agreement Ronz, Uncreated, TG, Olive

I think it should be changed to tm.org though if it's listed as the official site. --Ronz (talk) 23:05, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

I've placed it at the top and trimmed it to tm.org. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

OJ site

Keep... agreement: TG, Olive, Uncreated

Kept for now. --Ronz (talk) 17:14, 20 October 2008 (UTC)

Skeptic's Dictionary

Add... agreement Ronz, TG, Uncreated

do not agree to add-Olive... Not a good source in my estimation. Too much opinion, and is not mean to be a reliable verifiable, source necessarily according to the author/editor.(olive (talk) 21:28, 16 October 2008 (UTC))

Skepdic and Robert Todd Carroll are both notable, and Carroll's articles are often used as references within Misplaced Pages when a skeptic's viewpoint is warranted. His TM article isn't as detailed as I'd hoped, but I think the source itself wouldn't be controversial. --Ronz (talk) 22:50, 16 October 2008 (UTC)

Sorry everyone, I can't agree to support including Skepdic on principle for the following reasons:

• Carroll is not an expert and is not notable on the topic of TM nor is he an expert on many other topics he includes in Skepdic.
• On other Misplaced Pages articles use of Skepdic is also contentious.
• Carroll includes a disclaimer on Skepdic so the material must always be considered less than reliable.
• Technically a dictionary is a tertiary source.

However, there is a consensus on inclusion so of course inclusion is possible under that circumstance.(olive (talk) 17:02, 17 October 2008 (UTC))

If we think we need an external link to prevent a skeptical viewpoint, then this is a good one to consider. His articles are acceptable only in this context. Otherwise, your points are valid.

Once we're close to being done here, we need to look at the list of external links as a whole to make sure we're not giving undue weight to particular points of view. It's in this context that Carroll's article will fit or not. --Ronz (talk) 17:11, 17 October 2008 (UTC)

Agreed.(olive (talk) 23:44, 17 October 2008 (UTC))

Compression

What we have left to deal with and further comments:(olive (talk) 19:07, 21 October 2008 (UTC))

• What about switching the Professionals Practicing TM link a more promotional site to Doctors on TM site, a knowledge based site.

• the Hassan link

• Aggregate site: WP:EL seems pretty clear on this topic

• We need to watch "weight" here as well. Right now the links are weighted 1 negative to 3 positive, and one of those negative links is an aggregate site which heavily skews our "weight". I doubt that the negative to positive ration in sources and references on TM is weighted that way . It seems more to be in the 1 to 8 or 10 ratio at a rough guess. Definitley something we need to consider, I would think. However, removing Hassan and the aggregate site will also skew weight, so maybe I'll see if I can find better references to link, with a neutral view of both sides of the issues

• Other

I concur Olive Misplaced Pages is fairly clear on the no use of Hassan's Website and the Aggregate website. Replacing the Professional link with the doctor link is good. I agree with the undue weight towards links that are "negative" towards TM. But at this time I think we should still add the Skepdics link even though the skepdic article reads like a sensationalist peice from a womans magazine(not that i would know what one of those would read like :-)) Perhaps in the future something more appropriate will be found to replace the skepdics link that is more authoritative.--Uncreated (talk) 02:38, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

After looking at them all carefully, I think the best solution may be to have just the one link to the official site. --Ronz (talk) 19:36, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

I'd be fine with that. Misplaced Pages notes external links should be kept to a minimum.(olive (talk) 19:47, 22 October 2008 (UTC))

In doing some cleanup of the Further reading section, I found two entries that should have been in the External links section. I removed the David Lynch Foundation link as off topic. I kept the theheart.org article, however I'm not sure it's worth keeping as the original study is already being used as a reference. --Ronz (talk) 19:57, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

I'll go along with that.--Uncreated (talk) 20:50, 22 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, Ronz. Good idea. And yes, no need to have a Further Reading link to a study already included in this article. TimidGuy (talk) 12:07, 23 October 2008 (UTC)

There seems to be concensus on this...perhaps the changes could be made. I'll just do it myself and if my assesment is wrong we can easily enough revert.--Uncreated (talk) 17:31, 25 October 2008 (UTC)

Controversies to Reception

Hi Olive, how is the draft you are working on coming that you mentioned? As dicussed I would like to create a Reception section and move some of the material from the Controversies section to the reception section.--Uncreated (talk) 21:54, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

I would like to move the Relationship to religion and spirituality and the Cult issues section to a Reception section. Perhaps to bring balance to the cult issues...I have heard in her book Shirley Harrison "Cults " the Battle for God" gives a contrary perspective to Steve Hassan and Michael A. Persingers. IE among religous and Spiritual leaders TM has been recieved differently and also among "cult experts" TM has been recieved differently.

Also I have come across this link...would it come under the catagory of a reliable source?

http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2001/11/16706.html?c=on --Uncreated (talk) 22:10, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Looking more closely at the link it seems its a reproduction of an article that was printed in the Bermuda Sun...however the link at the bottom of the page does not seem to work.--Uncreated (talk) 22:28, 28 October 2008 (UTC)

Thanks, Uncreated, for initiating the discussion of External LInks, and for taking the initiative here. I'd go along with changing "Controversies" to "Reception" and putting the cult and religion sections under that heading. I've seen a number of articles successfully adopt the conventions suggested by the essay WP:CRITICISM and would like to try that here. Thanks for alerting me to the book by Harrison. I'll order it immediately. I have some doubts about the link as a source. TimidGuy (talk) 11:51, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Agree with TG. I can go along with the new heading. I should have something ready by Friday on the technique. I'll post it here. The source looks like a sophisticated blog forum which we probably can't use for that reason. Thanks.(olive (talk) 14:46, 29 October 2008 (UTC))

Exellent. Maybe I'll wait to make any changes until we have something quotable from Shirley Harrison's book TG if its coming soon and if thats alright with you? Will you get access to it very soon? I have been looking for information on the internent from a reliable source in regards to British Home Office policy of TM not being a religion or Cult...but at this time I have not been able to find anything...

Olive, will your new description make redundent the "issue of cost" section?--Uncreated (talk) 18:34, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

I think we could go ahead without waiting on the book. We may want to be cautious about adding to the cult section. It's just not been that big an issue. If you do a search engine test on Google News archives, only a very small fraction (on the order of three percent) of the media coverage even mentions the word "cult." So we'll want to keep that section relatively short. The book will probably be here within a week. TimidGuy (talk) 21:14, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Okay will make the change. I agree the cult issue is a bit of a non issue I think...but what is there I think is unbalanced. Perhaps instead of extending the section we simply rewrite it to include some other perspectives? Either way lets wait until you have the book...I hope you didn't buy it but could simply get it through a library? --Uncreated (talk) 23:13, 29 October 2008 (UTC)

Is this an acceptable site to use? http://newer.globalgoodnews.info/world-peace-a.html?art=120085090111968907

I would say depending on what its used for, probably not, because its a TM organization publication. Thus the reports may be seen as being biased or non-neutral, and as well is not a "notable" publication with a large circulation to a general audience.(olive (talk) 04:02, 30 October 2008 (UTC))

Yep, bought the book, and am open to rewriting that section. It'll be interesting to see what this book says. TimidGuy (talk) 10:47, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

If it isn't at what point does a self published site become a newpaper?--Uncreated (talk) 03:28, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I guess though if thats the case then under the "Relationship to religion and spirituality" section we could say something like "Thousands of Buddist monks around the world have learnt the technique and the TM organisation claims they enjoy it" and site this article? I'm not really the person to be writing since I am not the best writer but I think it would be good if something like that could be added. I also have a friend who has instructed a few thousand people (most of them Muslim) in the TM Technique in Iran over the last 10 years but I'm not sure how we could site something like that since it has not appeared in any newspapers or verifable sources to my knowledge. Its relevent though because my understanding is that in Iran it is illegal to convert someone to another faith if they are muslim or interfere with their Muslim faith in anyway. The implication being the Iranian government which has its basis in Islam Law does not percieve TM to be Religious in anyway.--Uncreated (talk) 04:41, 30 October 2008 (UTC)

I think a sell-published site can never be as reliable as a newspaper from Misplaced Pages's point of view. And even newspapers aren't always considered reliable sources, depending on the quality of the publication and reputation. Regarding the monks, I think this is an example of a claim that can't be used unless it's independently verified in a reliable source. Interesting about Iran. But you're right, we would have to have a source. Seems like the main idea in this section is just that we give a couple representative viewpoints -- some who say it conflicts with religion and others who say it doesn't. TimidGuy (talk) 11:39, 31 October 2008 (UTC)

Apologies. I am going to have to take a bit longer on the technique section I'm working on than I had hoped. Sick yesterday and somewhat better today but still a little under the weather.(olive (talk) 20:25, 31 October 2008 (UTC))

--Uncreated (talk) 19:46, 8 November 2008 (UTC)== Research Study Conducted in Iran ==

This was a study looking at Mental Health in Iran...perhaps it could be used somehow in the article?

http://www.cpementalhealth.com/content/pdf/1745-0179-4-25.pdf --Uncreated (talk) 21:25, 6 November 2008 (UTC)

We do need to do something to achieve NPOV in relationship to the Otis questionnaire. That non-peer-reviewed publication suggests that Transcendental Meditation can have negative psychological effects, so it would be good to also include some of the peer-reviewed research showing positive psychological effects. I'm not sure that we'd include this one done in Iran. Unlike some of the stronger studies, it doesn't use a control group. Also, it's not clear that the practice described in the study is Transcendental Meditation as taught by Maharishi. It describes each period of meditation as beginning and ending with one minute of concentration.

I received the Harrison book on cults. I don't see any material there that can be used one way or the other. She simply reports, quite accurately, facts about Transcendental Meditation and the organization that teaches it, but doesn't draw any conclusions. She mentions the scientific research, the nature and origin of the technique, etc.

I really appreciate the attention that you're giving to improving this article. I wish I had more time to focus on it. I think that a good psychological study to include would be the one by Gelderloos One problem with that study, though, is that the subjects in the treatment group practiced both Transcendental Meditation and the TM-Sidhi program, so it may not be relevant to this article. TimidGuy (talk) 16:13, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

In regards to the Iran Study my understanding is that it is the TM program taught by Maharishi. I think probably the authors of the study did not fully understand the technique and hence probably described it wrongly.

Why not use the the iran study until something better is found or published? It can't be any worse than using the otis survey which to me looks very weak. Is the strength of the Otis survey strong enough to allow for its inclusion in the article on TM anyway?

Upon further thinking it seems to me that there is a dearth of decent and appropriate research conducted on TM in regards to mental health and maybe we should have no inclusion until something is published that would warrent inclusion.

If we are not to use the iran study due to its weakness we shouldn't be using the otis study either for the same reason.--Uncreated (talk) 19:20, 7 November 2008 (UTC)

I agree that Otis probably isn't strong enough, but it's intended to be representative of several similarly problematic studies. There are dozens of studies showing positive effects on mental health, including randomized controlled trials. I just haven't had the time to look at the studies. Here are some examples:

• Tjoa A. Increased intelligence and reduced neuroticism through the Transcendental Meditation program. Gedrag: Tijdschrift voor Psychologie (Behaviour: Journal of Psychology), 1975, 3: 167-182
• Dillbeck M. The effect of the Transcendental Meditation technique on anxiety level. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1977, 33: 1076-1078
• Seeman W, Nidich S, Banta T. Influence of Transcendental Meditation on a measure of self-actualization. Journal of Counseling Psychology, 1972, 19: 184-187
• Ferguson PC, Gowan JC. Psychological findings on Transcendental Meditation. Journal of Humanistic Psychology, 1976, 16(3): 51-60
• Alexander CN, Gelderloos P, Rainforth MV. Transcendental Meditation, self-actualization, and psychological health: a conceptual overview and statistical meta-analysis. Journal of Social Behavior and Personality, 1991, 6 (5): 189-247
• Eppley K, Abrams A, Shear J. Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1989, 45: 957-74
• Haratani T, Henmi T. Effects of Transcendental Meditation on mental health of industrial workers. Japanese Journal of Industrial Health, 1990, 32: 656
• Alexander CN, Swanson GC, Rainforth MV, Carlisle TW, Todd CC, Oates RM Jr. Effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on stress-reduction, health, and employee development in two occupational settings. Anxiety, Stress and Coping, 1993, 6: 245-262
• Brooks JS, Scarano T. Transcendental Meditation in the treatment of post-Vietnam adjustment. Journal of Counselling and Development, 1986, 64: 212-215
• Taub E, Steiner SS, Weingarten E, Walton KG. Effectiveness of broad spectrum approaches to relapse prevention in severe alcoholism: a long-term, randomised, controlled trial of Transcendental Meditation, EMG biofeedback and electronic neurotherapy. Alcoholism Treatment Quarterly, 1994, 11: 1-2, 187-220
• Ljunngren G. The influence of Transcendental Meditation on neuroticism, use of drugs and insomnia. Lakartidningen, 1977, 74: 4212-4214

Fine with me if you want to put in the Iran study until someone has time to survey the research and identify the strongest studies. TimidGuy (talk) 16:19, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

Exellent response TG...I have some familiarity with two of those studies which would be exellent additions to the article on TM in my opinion.

• Eppley K, Abrams A, Shear J. Differential effects of relaxation techniques on trait anxiety: a meta-analysis. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1989, 45: 957-74
• Haratani T, Henmi T. Effects of Transcendental Meditation on mental health of industrial workers. Japanese Journal of Industrial Health, 1990, 32: 656

In the second Study the Japanese Ministry of Labour was a collaberator and the Meta Analysis conducted at Stanford is of high quality with about 150 studies compiled if my memory serves. They are comparativley quite recent being published in 1990 and 1989 respectivly. I will use these two to improve the article.

I am not familiar with the other studies listed...but if they are all of high quality at what point does Otis's surevey become irrelevent? I noticed in the past that there were studies in the medical section published in the 70's that suggested TM had no effect on high blood pressure and they have been removed now since i assume the weight of research on TM lowering blood pressure existed?

Either way I will try and get something up about the two studies to balance otis's survey.--Uncreated (talk) 19:46, 8 November 2008 (UTC)

My understanding is that the early studies were removed because they are not current, and of course there is newer research that contradicts the older studies. But their age was a major factor. We may always have to include a counter balance to the weight of the positive TM research.The Otis study fills that place now. As the weight of positive peer reviewed research increases in terms of the overall collections of studies so can we decrease as per WP:Weight the more negative studies, but at least one study may always be necessary to show both sides of the information. This is probably something that will have to be discussed and an agreement reached so that all agree the weight of the information in the article is appropriately distributed.

Getting close on the new addition. The wording must be very accurate so fine tuning that aspect. Thanks for your continued attention on this article.(olive (talk) 02:09, 9 November 2008 (UTC))

I don't think any earlier studies were removed. The Lancet studies are both still mentioned -- which I think are the only studies that might be removed under the guideline WP:MEDRS. TimidGuy (talk) 15:54, 9 November 2008 (UTC)

Sheesh . I knew we had discussed removing those studies and had assumed we had, but didn't check. Apologies. I do agree with TG in that those are the only studies we could remove and I guess sucha move would take more discussion. Apologies.(olive (talk) 16:05, 9 November 2008 (UTC))

I have typed up a rough draft of something that we might be able to use. TG and Olive could you please look over to make sure it is appropriate in content, tone and length.

A 1971 survey by Leon Otis found that a significant percentage of those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique also report feeling anxiety, confusion, and depression.

A 1977 Study published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology looked at the effect of Transcendental Meditation on Anxiety levels. Transcendental Meditation was shown to significantly reduce Anxiety in the practitioners as compared to controls who relaxed passively.

A 1989 Meta Analysis published in the Journal of Clinical Psychology compared 146 independent studies on the effect of different meditation and relaxation techniques in reducing trait anxiety. Transcendental Meditation was found to produce a significantly larger effect than other forms of meditation and relaxation in the reduction of trait anxiety. Additionally it was concluded that the difference between Transcendental Meditation and the other meditation and relaxation techniques appeared too large to be accounted for by the expectation effect.

A 1990 study published in the Japanese Journal of Industrial Health, conducted at Sumitomo Heavy Industries by the Japanese Ministry of Labour and others looked at Transcendental meditation and its effect on mental health and industrial workers. In the study 447 employees learnt the Transcendental Meditation technique and 321 employees served as controls. After a 5-month period, the researchers found significant decreases in major physical complaints, impulsiveness, emotional instability, and anxiety amongst the mediators as compared to the controls. The mediators also showed significant decreases in digestive problems, depression, and tendency toward psychosomatic disease, insomnia and smoking.

A study in the American Journal of Managed Care indicates that there are no known side effects associated with the Transcendental Meditation technique.

--Uncreated (talk) 03:59, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Good job! I wonder if we could condense it a bit, so that it's not too long relative to the other sections. I wonder if we should delete the sentence about side effects. The article is a review of research on Transcendental Meditation, and just briefly mentions that there are no known side effects, but doesn't really look into that in any detail. TimidGuy (talk) 17:15, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

Yes, good job.... I also wouldn't mind seeing if it can be condensed, just to make sure in terms of weight as applies to space its not too long. I would also agree to remove the side effects part. Listing the different studies is a pretty strong statement and adding this last part may be a little overkill.(olive (talk) 19:13, 10 November 2008 (UTC))

Thanks TG for the copyediting.--Uncreated (talk) 22:27, 10 November 2008 (UTC)

NSR

Natural Stress Relief is not Transcendental Meditation, for example it uses a single mantra, so there is no reason to link it from this article. If we were to start including forms of meditation that are not TM for whatever reason,this article could include multiple forms of meditation, and would be pages long(olive (talk) 18:56, 9 November 2008 (UTC))

Cult issues

I was just looking at this section and I noticed that Cult Awarness Network is misquoted. At the moment what it is:

In 1987, the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) held a press conference and demonstration in Washington, D.C., saying that the Transcendental Meditation technique “seeks to strip individuals of their ability to think and choose freely.” Steve Hassan, author of several books on cults, and at one time a CAN deprogrammer, said in the same press conference that those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique display cult-like behaviors.

However when you actually read the article that the washington times published that this quote is sourced from it says:

The group charged in a press conference yesterday that the maharishi's Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement, of which yogic flying is an advanced stage, is not simply a method of relaxation through meditation, but a cult that ultimately seeks to strip individuals of their ability to think and choose freely.

I think this is an important distinction...that it is not the TM technique that “seeks to strip individuals of their ability to think and choose freely.” but the TM Movement. I think the cult issues section needs to be changed to reflect this but before I do so I would like to hear what the other editors think.--Uncreated (talk) 07:57, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for noticing this. It would be nice if we could somehow avoid saying "TM Movement." That's sort of a bogeyman umbrella term used by ideological opponents. There is no corporate entity named the TM Movement, and it's a bit of an artificial construct. In general, I haven't seen that term used in the mainstream media or the scientific literature. Which is a long-winded way of saying maybe we could word it something like "the organization that teaches the Transcendental Meditation technique". TimidGuy (talk) 17:10, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

TG I understand what you are saying...to me the whole paragraph seems problematic. It seems to me to be a commentary on the TM organisation as opposed to the TM technique. The second sentence in the first paragraph regarding cult issues reads:

Steve Hassan, author of several books on cults, and at one time a CAN deprogrammer, said in the same press conference that those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique display cult-like behaviors.

Now in the washington Post article as far as I can see that line was taken from the 2nd paragraph:

The group charged in a press conference yesterday that the maharishi's Transcendental Meditation (TM) movement, of which yogic flying is an advanced stage, is not simply a method of relaxation through meditation, but a cult that ultimately seeks to strip individuals of their ability to think and choose freely.

"They want you to dress and think and speak in a certain way and not to ask questions," said Steven Hassan, a former follower of the Rev. Sun Myung Moon who has studied cults for a decade. "They go into hypnotic trances and shut off who they are as a person."

I think in the 2nd Paragraph Steve Hassan is continuing to coment on the TM organisation. "They" can only mean the TM organisation.

Now up until this point in the wiki article of TM it has all been about the TM Technique and nothing about the organisation.

I think if we were to have something in the cult issue section we would actually have to find a Cult expert who had critisicms of the technique and not the organisation.

Later in the WP article this appears:

Hassan said at the press conference -- held at the Shoreham yesterday at the same time that the Maharishi Continental Assembly, a conference for followers of the maharishi, was getting underway in another part of the hotel -- that TM adherents suffer a "destruction of personality. It's an addiction, akin to alcohol and drugs."

He handed out a pamphlet saying that "physical and psychological harm" may result by using TM techniques "even if only for a short time."

Perhaps something from these two sentences could be used?

Also I think that if we were to continue as it is now it would be good to add a sentence quoting congressmen Leachs response to critisicms that MIU (who presumably organised the event):

Leach'sspokesman said the congressman, after being told of yesterday's criticisms of the TM movement, responded that MIU is "accredited by the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools and also recognized by the Federal Interagency Commission on Education."

Either way the whole section needs to be looked at I think.

Thoughts TG, Olive anyone else out there?

--Uncreated (talk) 18:17, 12 November 2008 (UTC)

Sheesh... I can't believe I never saw that mistake in referencing the source. I think you're right, we need to change the reference. I'm not that excited about the quote you included as a possibler change ... It seems a little too emotional, but will keep thinking about it . Maybe there's something else?

I'm not sure the Leach comment would be a needed addition. Can we think about it. Rushing right now . Will come back to this.(olive (talk) 19:02, 12 November 2008 (UTC))

Yeah this will probably require a little bit of thought. Obviously there are people out there who think TM is a Cult and to maintain NPOV for the article there thoughts and feelings should probably be there somewhere in the article.

However reading through the WP article that covered the CAN conference the issues raised by Steve Hassan seems to be refuted by much of the research conducted on TM i.e. "physical and psychological harm" may result by using TM techniques "even if only for a short time."

I know WP is absolutley a reliable source but all the research conducted on TM seems to refute his essentially unsupported claims. I don't know what to do about it...but what we have now does not seem to be accurate.--Uncreated (talk) 00:30, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

I guess the Misplaced Pages way is to let the reader decide. Maybe use the part about physical and psychological harm. If we were to do that, it seems like ideally it would be juxtaposed with the research rather than sequestered, so that the reader would see the two points of view together (Hassan's claim vs. research results). On the other hand, I don't know that we can entirely leave out the claims against the organizations teaching TM. Ideological opponents will likely expect some element of that in this article. One reason I used the part about stripping individuals' ability to think and choose freely is that this point was most directly addressed by the research cited by David OJ in his cult rebuttal. (By the way, he's in the process of submitting a couple very detailed papers to academic journals addressing the various claims regarding cult issues, showing that the research tends to refute these claims. Will be nice when we can cite that.) TimidGuy (talk) 17:08, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

Since this article is about the technique perhaps it would be appropriate to stick to claims against the technique....a thought.(olive (talk) 17:16, 13 November

2008 (UTC))

I agree with Olive...I'm not sure we should include claims against the organisation. As far as I know 99% of the people who learn the technique simply learn and after being instructed in the technique never have anything to do with the TM organisation again. Also as far as I know to practice the technique after learning no further contact with the organisation needs to take place...to suggest otherwise in the tm wiki article would be misleading.

Perhaps we could open with something like this:

In 1987, the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) held a press conference and demonstration in Washington, D.C., saying "physical and psychological harm" may result by using TM techniques "even if only for a short time."

However I'm not sure how to juxtapose the research on TM with the cult claims with out bringing in OR from myside. Or would it be alright to say something about at this time the research conducted on TM suggests this not to be true and site appropriate research.--Uncreated (talk) 19:30, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

Actually we could just site OJ in much the same we did before but instead use this page as a source.

http://www.truthabouttm.org/truth/IndividualEffects/DoesTMDoAnyHarm/index.cfm --Uncreated (talk) 19:42, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

I'm stumped. We may not be able to use the OJ page immediately above, because I think it would need to directly address the cult issue, if we're going to use it to rebut a cult claim. Worried about WP:NOR. And any research we cite should also directly address this. OJ is going to be radically revising the cult section of his web site now that he's done research for the scholarly papers his submitting on the cult topic. Maybe the new version will be useful in this context. TimidGuy (talk) 18:50, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

I have put alot of thought into and I think that it makes the article weaker in appearence by not having a cult issue section. I think the simplest thing to would be is to have:

In 1987, the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) held a press conference and demonstration in Washington, D.C., saying "physical and psychological harm" may result by using TM techniques "even if only for a short time. Psychologist Steve Hassan, author of several books on cults, and at one time a CAN deprogrammer, said in the same press conference that those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique suffer a "destruction of personality. It's an addiction, akin to alcohol and drugs."

Remove everything else including ojs comments...and wait for some better information to come to light. thoughts? --Uncreated (talk) 19:51, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

Or we could just remove the section entirely because in my opinion he's just some crazed nutter who's got up on his soap box and sprouted his opinions without any supporting evidence or reason as to why. --Uncreated (talk) 19:56, 15 November 2008 (UTC)

The section you have suggested does not mention that TM displays cult like tendencies does it? Then placing in there, statements about TM and the harm it does and then adding OJ's statements on cult is actually OR and we can't use it . In fact now that I think about it TM itself can't be a cult since a cult is an organizational phenomena but not a a technique so we are really up the creek here without anything. Cult is organization but not a technique. TM is a technique. Connecting the two together is in reality OR. More thought necessary(olive (talk) 22:43, 15 November 2008 (UTC))

Exactly and so all we are left with are his opinions on the technique which are contrary to what the research suggests to date. If a Psychologist was qouted in a paper as saying he thinks "physical and psychological harm" may result by using TM techniques "even if only for a short time" would we use it?

Perhaps we should just consider removing the section...since it does not really apply? Or we could have this by itelf:

In 1987, the Cult Awareness Network (CAN) held a press conference and demonstration in Washington, D.C., saying "physical and psychological harm" may result by using TM techniques "even if only for a short time. Psychologist Steve Hassan, author of several books on cults, and at one time a CAN deprogrammer, said in the same press conference that those who practice the Transcendental Meditation technique suffer a "destruction of personality. It's an addiction, akin to alcohol and drugs."

--Uncreated (talk) 00:17, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Wikipeda transcendental meditation page hits

http://stats.grok.se/en/200811/transcendental_meditation

Interesting...this page for the last 6 months averages about 16000 hits a month. —Preceding unsigned comment added by Uncreated (talk • contribs) 04:26, 13 November 2008 (UTC)

New section on mechanics of the technique

As per suggestions and requests I'd like to suggest this version of "Mechanics of the TM technique". I am using Shear as a source and attempting to stay away from TM organization sources to hopefully have something that is as a neutral POV as possible. Comments are welcome, of course.(olive (talk) 20:07, 13 November 2008 (UTC))

According to Jonathan Shear in, The Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce the Major Traditions, the Transcendental Meditation Technique is a mental procedure based on the premises; that the mind has an innate tendency to move towards happiness and satisfaction, and that although the objective source of thought in the mind is an electrochemical process, the subjective experience is that thought arises from somewhere inside the individual not locatable through normal everyday experience, and is characterized as a simple, silent state of awareness beyond thought. This experience, a fourth state of awareness is unlike the everyday experiences of the three states of awareness of waking, dreaming and sleeping.

In order to reach a silent state beyond thought, the path must be effortless and natural, and the thought vehicle (mantra) used to reach this state must have no meaning attributed to it. If the mantra has a meaning attributed to it than the mind will become attentive to the meaning of the mantra, and will become active rather than more silent. For this reason practitioners of the TM technique are given a mantra that is utilized for its sound aspect only. The mantra facilitates the transition of the mind from the active level to the silent state beyond thought.

This transition occurs through the reversal of the natural thinking process. Thought begins at deep levels of the mind and is more abstract, less clearly defined here, but with the mind’s attention becomes more clearly defined and concrete. The TM technique is structured to reverse and so utilize this natural process. Through the use of the mantra, the mind in a natural way moves from the perceivable, concrete levels of thought to abstract levels of thought until the thought itself is transcended or disappears, and the practitioner can experience the silent state beyond thought. The experience of this silent state creates rest in the mind, and by reason of the mind’s connection to the body, also the body.

Exellent Olive, that will be a very good addition to the article...this is what has been missing. I have not read the book but from my understanding of the technique his description of how tm works sounds accurate. --Uncreated (talk) 03:38, 14 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks! I had help to make sure the language was completely accurate to the source of course, but also to the technique :o)...Lets leave it here for a few days to make sure all editors have a chance to comment.(olive (talk) 14:10, 14 November 2008 (UTC))

Sounds like pure gobbledygook to me Olive - at least the first and last paragraphs :) But just my thoughts of course. The7thdr (talk) 04:16, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Well, I'm working from a very specific source but maybe if you could point out the areas you have problems with I could fix them. I went to a non TM organization publication,although the editor of this book was or did TM at one time. He also does or has done many other kinds of practices so realized this would be a more neutral source. Your comments would be invaluable since this has to make sense to all readers. If it doesn't it should be fixed. So would love your more specific feedback.(olive (talk) 05:14, 16 November 2008 (UTC))

Its simply gobbledygook with no meaning LO and sounds more like a religious tract than anything. For example: "that although the objective source of thought in the mind is an electrochemical process, the subjective experience is that thought arises from somewhere inside the individual not locatable through normal everyday experience, and is characterized as a simple, silent state of awareness beyond thought" This is religious speculation - yet I was under the impression MUM was trying to keep both religion and non-scientific reasoning out of this article. For example what research evidence is there for, "...the mind has an innate tendency to move towards happiness and satisfaction" or "...the subjective experience is that thought arises from somewhere inside the individual not locatable through normal everyday experience, and is characterized as a simple, silent state of awareness beyond thought" (actually, I think I read that once in a book claiming the secrets of "Atlantis".

This is pure religious speculation. I have no difficulty with this as long as it is clear this is what it is. It would also be better, to be honest, to quote the original sources rather than the secondary ones cited. Just a thought. I have no feelings either way to be honest - just popping by to see how things were going - but it simply seems so "wishy washy" in light of the rest of the article. The7thdr (talk) 12:44, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

Sorry LO, having re-read my comments I see they come across with my usual rudeness. I fully support what you are doing in this section but just feel it is not "right" at the moment and doesn't, as it stands, fit in with the tone of the rest of the article. Also, I think that going to the source would be better than a third party. Shear may not be the best person to describe TM. Having looked through his book, I was surprised by how much he actually misunderstands about Zen. The7thdr (talk) 13:03, 16 November 2008 (UTC)

He is right on in terms of TM, though. I've also checked with experts in the TM area to make sure.

I'd like to make a delineation here between religion and spirtituality. I would define spirituality as would many as a search for or desire to deal with a higher self of some sort. Religion refers more specifically to an organized body in which some if not all of traditions, boundaries, language and so on are supported /practiced.

You make an important point. This section is about the practice itself and it may very well be considered a spiritual practice as well as one that has health benefits. Whether we go to the source, the TM organization, or Shear we are going to come up against a couple of mysterious suppositions that exist in many spiritual practices and that is what happens at the point where thought disappears.

As well, the idea that happiness exists at the place beyond thought has been called the perennial philosophy and is relatively well known. I'm not sure how we can bring this section into line with the heavily scientific aspects of TM. One perspective is that TM the technique came first and variations of it have been around for centuries. Maharishi himself was a physicist in terms of his educational background and realized at some point that the claims made by practitioners of TM would in the West have to be documented so he asked that research be carried out, with the over 450 peer reviewed studies the result. So although this material is not like the article it may have a more important place in terms of understanding. We don't have to supply scientific research for this. We have to have a good source, which Shear is .... We are simply stating what views exist on TM are rather than proving that technique is what it says it is. Still your points are excellent and valid, and I'll do my best to rewrite.(olive (talk) 21:49, 16 November 2008 (UTC))

You are right of course LO - spirituality and religion often seem to "interfere" with each other and it can be difficult to make a distinction. Still it just doesn't read "right" at the moment - but then, conceptualising the "unconceptual" is always problematic. Again, only my thoughts. I do believe however, going to the "source" - considering how much was written by your founder - might be best. Why rely on secondary sources when the processes founder wrote so much? Again, just my thoughts The7thdr (talk) 02:16, 17 November 2008 (UTC)

A very good and interesting point ... let me think about it and see if doing so would be compliant. (olive (talk) 04:44, 17 November 2008 (UTC))

Olive how is the new section coming along? If you are feeling it isn't quite right yet why not just put what you have up and change it when the time comes?--Uncreated (talk) 06:08, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

I should have something up tonight. I am not at home so computer access is spotty. I'm using the Science of Being so that will give it a different slant.(olive (talk) 16:06, 25 November 2008 (UTC))

I am working on a couple of different computers, and I'm afraid I've just had what seems to be massive computer failure on one, and appear to have lost everything I was working on. I'll redo it of course on the other computer but can't get the section up tonight. Because I will be travelling again soon, I may not be able to complete this until Friday.(olive (talk) 04:12, 26 November 2008 (UTC))

Just my idea: It may be easier to take literal quotes from Shear, and maybe some from official TM sources as well. Then it’s not your creation, but clearly linked to a reference. Geke (talk) 20:45, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Hi Geke. Please see the two versions below . None of these are mine, but are taken in one case directly referencing Shear, and in the second directly from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's own book, Science of Being. Misplaced Pages doesn't really encourage quoting, so I've only used only one direct quote. The material is as direct to the reference as I can make it without plagiarism. (olive (talk) 21:12, 30 November 2008 (UTC))

Name of the technique

In the section on "Origin", it reads "which he called Transcendental Meditation." Shouldn’t that read something like this: "which he called "deep meditation". Later this became "transcendental meditation", and upon its registration as a trademark in about 1965, it became "Transcendental Meditation"." I am guessing the year, and anyway I have trouble finding references for this, but that's how I remember it. In the "Beacon Light" I only find the name "spiritual sadhana". Geke (talk) 14:13, 21 November 2008 (UTC)

I would think we'd need a source for this. Its an interesting point and might be worth mentioning just for the sake of accuracy. I would definitley think a ref is necessary,though.(olive (talk) 15:04, 21 November 2008 (UTC))

(Edited) OK, here are my findings, in "short": A Almost from the beginning, Maharishi’s technique was called "deep meditation", but that was more a description than a proper name.(1) Somewhere between 1960 and 1963 it became "transcendental meditation".(2) Only in 1978 it became a registered trademark (although maybe with backward validity from 1965) and could then officially be called "Transcendental Meditation".(3)

1. The "Torch Divine, Organ of the Spiritual Regeneration Movement" in January 1959 writes: "a very simple and easy process of deep meditation" and: "easy system of deep meditation". Source: scans of printed pages, on Paul Mason’s site: http://paulmason.info/gurudev/gurudev.htm

2. The "Science of Being and Art of Living – Transcendental Meditation" was first published in 1963.

3. In the TESS trademark registry, there is an entry on Transcendental Meditation reading "FIRST USE: 19650000. FIRST USE IN COMMERCE: 19660000". Other fields read: "Filing Date: August 12, 1976" and "Registration Date: January 17, 1978" Source: http://tess2.uspto.gov/bin/showfield?f=doc&state=r9hqjq.2.2 To me, this looks like the TM organization has supplied the info on "first use" and "first commercial use".

B Throughout, Maharishi used the name in two ways: sometimes it meant exactly the technique as it was taught by his teachers, with Puja and all, and sometimes it indicated any technique involving 1. a mantra and 2. a certain way of using that mantra during the meditation. For example, in the Science of Being, he says: "This belongs to the spirit of every religion; it has existed in the early stages of every faith, it is something which has been lost." ... "Let the intelligent minds of all religions and the custodians of the various faiths delve into the deeper essence of their scriptures, find Transcendental Meditation in the textbooks of their own faiths, learn the practice, and adopt it in the light of the teachings of their religions."

I’m not sure if and how that can be incorporated in the article, though. Geke (talk) 20:27, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

Interesting. Jerry Jarvis, who worked closely with Maharishi in the early days, once said that it was originally called Transcendental Deep Meditation. Then, since that was a long name, they got the idea of simply abbreviating it TDM. But they realized that when you say that, it sounds like "tedium." So they shortened it to Transcendental Meditation and TM. : ) Just tossing off this comment. Will give some thought to your points. TimidGuy (talk) 12:33, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Aha! Do you have more like that? I was looking for someone who has witnessed the decision-making at that point, because I was curious how and why it was called TM. What you write sounds like coming straight from that kitchen! I guess the complete story is then: first, the name was generic, like "a system of deep meditation"; then the idea came up to give it a real name, something with "transcendental"; and then, as your quote suggests, it was decided to drop the "deep". Geke (talk) 20:41, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I was thinking that we could change "which he called" to "which came to be called." That way we'd allow for the fact that it seems to have had different names. I wouldn't see any reason to give a history of the naming in this article, since it was never widely known by any other name, now would it be easy to source such a history without potentially breaching WP:NOR. TimidGuy (talk) 16:19, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

A nice solution! Any other thing would become too much of a story, I agree. Geke (talk) 21:15, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Pop culture

I won't remove this section at this point, but becasue this is a highly contentious article, material especially a new section should be discussed...so opening up this for discussion.(olive (talk) 04:40, 25 November 2008 (UTC))

I guess I generally don't like pop culture sections in articles and would vote for removal. It doesn't really tell one anything about the subject but rather seems a matter of trivia. And how would one decide what to include, since there are so many pop culture references to Transcendental Meditation? TimidGuy (talk) 16:09, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

I was tempted to immediately revert it per WP:TRIVIA, WP:V, and WP:UNDUE. --Ronz (talk) 16:32, 25 November 2008 (UTC)

That was my temptation as well, but thought an agreement should be reached since in some articles pop culture sectiuons are tolerated.... I would be happy to remove the section.(olive (talk) 16:41, 25 November 2008 (UTC))

Is there a way to ask the person who put this in for more specifics? How was is visible that it was TM that Bunny and Batman were practising, and not any other kind of meditation?Geke (talk) 20:30, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

USA-coloured?

While I’m at it: In Britain, the course fee for TM is £ 640. How to integrate that into the article?Geke (talk) 20:40, 27 November 2008 (UTC)

I guess if you have a source, you could add that info. And regarding this section on issue of cost, I think we should consider moving it to a different location in the article. I don't think it's a major controversy and therefore doesn't belong in the Controversies section. My feeling is that to be labeled a controversy, there should be sources that focus on this controversy. But I've never seen any that do. An article might suggest, in passing, that TM is expensive, but that's not a controversy, in my mind. Seems like to be labeled a controversy, there should have been media coverage of it. TimidGuy (talk) 12:26, 28 November 2008 (UTC)

Thanks for the comments; see if you like my changes. I'm not sure where else to put in prices; they're not really important in encyclopedias! I left it in the Controversies, because it sure is (or was) a major controversy within TM circles: some teachers started a split-off organization, which they wouldn't do easily. Geke (talk) 14:53, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

My concern is that with adding any information about price the article starts to assume a slightly commercial air. On thinking about it I guess I would delete all info concerning price to get rid of that sense, both American and European.

In fact there are multiple reasons why people don't do TM or do any other form of meditation For us to include it here as a special instance may be creating a non neutral POV. Its tricky. Although there are those who consider this price too high, and who reacted that way, there are many more who feel its fine. I'm OK with it being here and with the addition of prices in Europe, but perhaps we could consider if there may be a better place for the information or if it should be there at all. Just a thought.(olive (talk) 16:20, 30 November 2008 (UTC))

The question is if you add in the price for these countries you have to add in the price for all countries presumably? In some countries TM is taught for as little as 1$US...

Also it seems that some of the information in this section come from unverifiable sources:

In response to what they feel is a high course fee to learn the Transcendental Meditation technique, some former teachers offer TM instruction independently. while other former teachers have published what they claim to be the mantras used in the practice and how these mantras are assigned.

These two sentences come from either a commercial site which cannot be used and a site that is self published which also cannot be used. They should be removed unless someone comes up with a logical reason in accord with wiki policy as to why they should be kept.--Uncreated (talk) 19:02, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

Olive, I also felt that it was starting to look like a pricelist! So I cut it down. About the other considerations, I don’t know. I thought just to mention those conflicts is OK.

Uncreated: I thought those sites were OK: TM Independent page shows clearly that there are such teachers; the price in Germany is referenced from a German TM site. The sentence about teachers publishing mantras doesn’t mention its source. But I’m not a seasoned Wikipedian, so PLMK know if those web sites can’t be used. Geke (talk) 21:09, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

I believe that self-published and commercial web sites generally can't be used to support a claim. The relevant policy is WP:V. The claim here is that the issue of cost, teaching TM independently, and publication of mantras are major controversies. (And I say "major" because having a separate heading for it implies that it's major.) Per policy, we'd need a source that meets WP:V and WP:RS to support these claims. It's possible that sources could be found, but I guess I doubt that any of these points could ever be characterized as a major controversy. My feeling, as I noted before, is that a first step would be to not identify this as a controversy. TimidGuy (talk) 16:15, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Geke TG is right in regards to wikipedia policy. TG that sounds good. I concur we should move the issue of cost section out of the controversey section and also remove sentences which do not meet wiki policy. Where do you suggest it should be moved to? --Uncreated (talk) 19:09, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

It would seem that if we include one price we have to include more, and then why not all as long as they're referenced. As soon as we include all, then we are in a sense selling TM because we are advising our readers what it costs. My suggestion would be to remove it altogether. I suspect it was included in the first place to point to the concern about price some people had and to some links that advertised other techniques. Those links and that information were removed as non compliant so why hold on to this information especially that it sounds too much like advertising for Misplaced Pages.(olive (talk) 22:56, 2 December 2008 (UTC))

Maybe the section should be removed altogether? We could leave the last sentence(below) and put it in the section "Teaching procedure".

"According to the official web sites, the Transcendental Meditation technique can only be learned from an authorized teacher; the fee provides for the introductory course of seven lessons, and lifetime checking of the technique for correct practice." --Uncreated (talk) 23:41, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

I like that idea, and would agree to it. Makes more sense in terms of the logic of the article.(olive (talk) 01:18, 3 December 2008 (UTC))

Agree to this change. TimidGuy (talk) 18:09, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Thanks Olive...though maybe something should be added to the section explaining that the three first steps in the TM course are free (introduction, Prep and personal interview) but that the additional 4 steps require a onetime fee which includes follow up and a lifetime checking of the technique for corret practice?--Uncreated (talk) 03:42, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

Mechanics section...two versions

Version one-Source: Shear-stable copy

According to Jonathan Shear in, The Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce the Major Traditions, the Transcendental Meditation Technique is a mental procedure based on the premises; that the mind has an innate tendency to move towards happiness and satisfaction, and that although the objective source of thought in the mind is an electrochemical process, the subjective experience is that thought arises from somewhere inside the individual not locatable through normal everyday experience, and is characterized as a simple, silent state of awareness beyond thought. This experience, a fourth state of awareness is unlike the everyday experiences of the three states of awareness of waking, dreaming and sleeping.

In order to reach a silent state beyond thought, the path must be effortless and natural, and the thought vehicle (mantra) used to reach this state must have no meaning attributed to it. If the mantra has a meaning attributed to it than the mind will become attentive to the meaning of the mantra, and will become active rather than more silent. For this reason practitioners of the TM technique are given a mantra that is utilized for its sound aspect only. The mantra facilitates the transition of the mind from the active level to the silent state beyond thought.

This transition occurs through the reversal of the natural thinking process. Thought begins at deep levels of the mind and is more abstract, less clearly defined here, but with the mind’s attention becomes more clearly defined and concrete. The TM technique is structured to reverse and so utilize this natural process. Through the use of the mantra, the mind in a natural way moves from the perceivable, concrete levels of thought to abstract levels of thought until the thought itself is transcended or disappears, and the practitioner can experience the silent state beyond thought. The experience of this silent state creates rest in the mind, and by reason of the mind’s connection to the body, also the body.

Edit this copy

According to Jonathan Shear in, The Experience of Meditation: Experts Introduce the Major Traditions, the Transcendental Meditation Technique is a mental procedure based on the premises; that the mind has an innate tendency to move towards happiness and satisfaction, and that although the objective source of thought in the mind is an electrochemical process, the subjective experience is that thought arises from somewhere inside the individual not locatable through normal everyday experience, and is characterized as a simple, silent state of awareness beyond thought. This experience, a fourth state of awareness is unlike the everyday experiences of the three states of awareness of waking, dreaming and sleeping.

In order to reach a silent state beyond thought, the path must be effortless and natural, and the thought vehicle (mantra) used to reach this state must have no meaning attributed to it. If the mantra has a meaning attributed to it than the mind will become attentive to the meaning of the mantra, and will become active rather than more silent. For this reason practitioners of the TM technique are given a mantra that is utilized for its sound aspect only. The mantra facilitates the transition of the mind from the active level to the silent state beyond thought.

This transition occurs through the reversal of the natural thinking process. Thought begins at deep levels of the mind and is more abstract, less clearly defined here, but with the mind’s attention becomes more clearly defined and concrete. The TM technique is structured to reverse and so utilize this natural process. Through the use of the mantra, the mind in a natural way moves from the perceivable, concrete levels of thought to abstract levels of thought until the thought itself is transcended or disappears, and the practitioner can experience the silent state beyond thought. The experience of this silent state creates rest in the mind, and by reason of the mind’s connection to the body, also the body.

Comments

Version Two-Source: Maharishi Mahesh Yogi-stable copy

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in The Science of Being and Art of Living postulates that the source of thought, or source of the human being’s creative intelligence exists at the deepest level of the subconscious mind, beyond what the senses can experience, and beyond thought itself. He calls this field transcendental Being. He suggests that thought rises from this deep level through the multiple levels of the subconscious mind becoming less and less subtle until the conscious level of the mind is reached and the thought can actually be experienced as a thought.

Maharishi describes the subtlety of thought below the level of conscious mind as generally not consciously appreciated by the mind. He uses the analogy of the bubble that in deep levels of water cannot be seen as a bubble. Only as the bubble reaches the surface of the water is the bubble known to be a bubble.

Maharishi notes creation ranges from gross to more subtle levels. Human beings through their senses are capable of experiencing the gross levels of creation but generally not the more subtle levels, for example, the human ear cannot hear radio waves. He suggests that thought too has grosser and subtle levels, and that if thought can be experienced in its more infant and more subtle states as well as its grosser states, and that if the very subtlest form of thought can be transcended, then transcendental Being can be experienced.

The Transcendental Meditation technique is a technique that with the use of a thought, in this case a sound (mantra) to which no meaning is assigned, allows the mind to travel in a systematic, natural way from the grosser levels of thought at the conscious level, through the layers of subconscious thought, eventually transcending the thought itself to transcendental Being. Maharishi says the practice of allowing the mind to move through subtle levels of thought, over time brings those subtle levels to within the realm of awareness of the conscious mind.

“This is how the conscious mind is enlarged to its maximum capacity embracing within its fold”, Maharishi says, subtle levels of thought and even the source of thought or source of creative intelligence, increasing the mind’s power and abilities.

Edit this copy

In The Science of Being and Art of Living Maharishi Mahesh Yogi postulates that the source of thought, or source of the human being’s creative intelligence, exists at the deepest level of the subconscious mind, beyond what the senses can experience, and beyond thought itself. He calls this field transcendental Being. He suggests that thought rises from this deep level through the multiple levels of the subconscious mind becoming less and less subtle until the conscious level of the mind is reached and the thought can actually be clearly experienced.

Maharishi describes the subtlety of thought below the level of conscious mind as generally not consciously appreciated by the mind. He uses the analogy of the bubble that in deep levels of water cannot be seen as a bubble. Only as the bubble reaches the surface of the water is the bubble known to be a bubble.

Maharishi says creation ranges from gross to more subtle levels. Human beings through their senses are capable of experiencing the gross levels of creation but generally not the more subtle levels; for example, the human ear cannot hear radio waves. He suggests that thought too has gross and subtle levels, that thought can be experienced in its more infant and more subtle states as well as its grosser states, and that if the very subtlest form of thought can be transcended, then transcendental Being can be experienced.

The Transcendental Meditation technique is a technique that with the use of a specific thought, in this case a sound (mantra) to which no meaning is assigned, allows the mind to travel in a systematic, natural way from the grosser levels of thought at the conscious level through the layers of subconscious thought eventually transcending the thought itself to transcendental Being. Maharishi says this practice, of allowing the mind to move through subtle levels of thought, over time brings those subtle levels within the realm of the awareness of the conscious mind.

“This is how the conscious mind is enlarged to its maximum capacity”, Maharishi says, "embracing within its fold subtle levels of thought and even the source of thought—or: 'source of creative intelligence'— thereby increasing the mind’s power and abilities."

Comments

Great my preference would be to go with the 2nd one Olive...I think both are fine but maybe better to get it from the horses mouth per se. I would urge you to put in and if people don't like then it can be discussed on the talk page. --Uncreated (talk) 22:15, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

I like the second one better too, which is as you say, from the source. I'll wait a day or two to give any other editors a chance to comment since that seems to work best in term of Misplaced Pages agreement /consensus. (olive (talk) 22:31, 30 November 2008 (UTC))

Exellent.--Uncreated (talk) 22:56, 30 November 2008 (UTC)

It sure sounds better, but then, I’m used to hear it from Maharishi... I just made some small changes here and there. See if the quote marks in the last sentence are as they should be. Well done! Geke (talk) 21:26, 1 December 2008 (UTC)

Actually, the quoted section is as it should be in the original stable copy since I am quoting directly from the reference ...(olive (talk) 21:31, 1 December 2008 (UTC))

Oops! I thought the last sentence looked pretty strange, grammatically I mean, so I bent it a bit. I can’t believe they printed it like that--can you tell me which section you’re quoting from, so I can look it up? :-) Geke (talk) 14:50, 2 December 2008 (UTC)

Sure. Check Appendix H under "The Main Principle" and then under subheading "Application of the Principle". Mine seems to be a 1995 edition.(olive (talk) 22:38, 2 December 2008 (UTC))

What would we call this section? Maybe "Nature of the technique"? TimidGuy (talk) 18:15, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

Also "Mechanics of the Technique"although Shear uses this, or "Principles of the Technique".(olive (talk) 20:59, 3 December 2008 (UTC))

Nice job Olive, I added 3-4 words to help clarify the meaning of a few sentences but I am not attached to any of my changes. Feel free to reverse any of them that you disagree with as they are minor. I agree with others that it is much better to have the founder of the technique describe it in the TM article. Thanks to 7thdr for his brilliant suggestion. --Keithbob (talk) 21:45, 3 December 2008 (UTC)

I've added the new text and did end up using the title using the word principles since this word is used in The Science of Being and would seem to be most accurate to the source. I am not attached if someone likes something else better.(olive (talk) 23:06, 3 December 2008 (UTC))

Appendix H?! So my copy is too old, but I managed to find a very similar text in the Amazon "look inside" of a 1994 copy. My main point was that "Maharishi said" was put in an awkard place, but now I see that it's in the right place, at least in the "Edit this copy" version. So I've just added quotes around the second part of that sentence, one comma in the first sentence of the quote, and I'm basically done... There's only two things I'm not completely happy with, but maybe they're in the book as well: "very subtlest" in the 3d para, and the formulation of "The Transcendental Meditation technique is a technique that with the use of a specific thought, in this case a sound (mantra) to which no meaning is assigned ...". I wouldn't use "technique" twice, I don't like "in this case" at all, and I would replace "assigned" with "connected". But then again, this may be the text in the book... Geke (talk) 14:23, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

Bull by the horns

I made an adjustment based on discussion just to see what it looks like and how it reads. We've been humming and hawing around this material for a long time and it seemed time to at least see what it might be like if it was Misplaced Pages complaint. Don't panic! :o) I'm happy to revert it if need be.

There are real problems with what I removed, and maybe we just have to be compliant. TM independent is a spam link. It points to one incident of some teachers going out on their own, and links to their commercial site. That's not really notable and violates undue weight as well as adds advertising to the article.

If we say prices vary from country to country we have to have a reference that actually says that . We can't say prices vary from country to country and then add the prices from some countries. That would actually be synthesis, and violates WP:Synthesis. Again not compliant. So take a look at the changes and see what you all think.(olive (talk) 03:38, 4 December 2008 (UTC))

Thats awesome Olive. Though I believe there is still the issue of the cult section to be resolved as well.--Uncreated (talk) 05:25, 4 December 2008 (UTC)

I think you did well. There is also an alternative TM offer in Holland, so it's not that localized, but still: Is it necessary for an encyclopedia to report all conflicts that have been there within or around TM circles? Also, the pricing problem might have largely disappeared since many national offices lowered the fees this year. If you decide to put it back, then the varying prices may still not be needed--they were just there to give the reader an idea of the course fee. The cult section was doubtful to me all the time, so I think it's good to approach it from the other end: Let people put up some good suggestions for inclusion and it'll go in. Good job, Olive! Geke (talk) 14:51, 5 December 2008 (UTC)

I think the cult section is quite another kettle of fish, or Pandora's box, or bag of snakes. To satisfy WP:Weight, on this topic we need to show the "other side" of responses to TM. What we have now does that and does so with probably the appropriate weight per the length of the article and its subject matter. I'm not sure what else can be done.(olive (talk) 21:10, 5 December 2008 (UTC))

Yes, however it has not been properly referenced...as per our discussion above.--Uncreated (talk) 11:16, 6 December 2008 (UTC)

I wrote "cult section" but I meant the section on "pop culture". Sorry if I created confusion by my remark. Geke (talk) 21:56, 6 December 2008 (UTC)

Mechanics/Principals section-a simplified version

I have added a new simplified version of the mechanics section probably easier to understand than my version. If there are objections let me know. I still have the other version at hand.(olive (talk) 20:16, 10 December 2008 (UTC))

In my opinion this version is a bit oversimplified but I know that there are many cooks in the TM kitchen so you are probably just going with consensus, which of course is good. However, having said that, I believe the 2nd paragraph needs a few changes. Here is my suggested version: "The Transcendental Meditation technique is described as a mental procedure for allowing the mind to quiet itself. During the initial instruction session the practitioner is assigned a thought, in this case a specific sound, or mantra, to which no meaning is given." What do you think?--Keithbob (talk) 16:56, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Sounds good. TimidGuy (talk) 17:35, 13 December 2008 (UTC)

Edit conflict: I'll add this anyway, and see What TG thinks.

...and actually now that this version is in place and I can see it in context of the whole article, I also have been feeling its too simple. There was no consensus for this version. I put it in place pending any discussion. I'd like to incorporate KB's changes and add a bit of what was in place before, perhaps, if no one objects. Since the editing environment here is pretty congenial, I feel we can edit directly into the article without concerns. Hope that's also OK with everyone. Oh and KB, please feel free to make changes yourself(olive (talk) 17:55, 13 December 2008 (UTC))

I did Add KB's new bit but did take out "assigned a thought" which I realized might, without explanation, sound very odd to the lay reader. How can an thought be assigned?(olive (talk) 18:14, 13 December 2008 (UTC))

It looks good to me! I just added a link to "mantra" to have contributed at least something...! Would it be a good idea to include a link to "samadhi" as well, I mean on "transcendental Being"? Geke (talk) 21:17, 14 December 2008 (UTC)

Hey Geke ... your discussion and comments definitely contribute ..... The mantra article is not great. There seems top be a fair amount of mistaken info. in it and it needs reliable references. It also a tagged artilce. I wonder about maybe removing the word mantra completely rather than linking to the article. I'll remove it , and then if you want it back in either let me know or put it back in yourself. Maybe the mantra article could be cleaned up ad linked later on. I wouldn't link sahmadi unless its in the article, and I don't think Maharishi used the term much especially in later years. (olive (talk) 22:37, 14 December 2008 (UTC))

Thanks for the kind words, but maybe the friendly atmosphere in here is distracting a bit? ;-) I mean, there should certainly be some mention of "mantra" in the article, even if I don’t especially like the mantra article either. Maybe we could link to "japa" instead? (Something else completely: when I type "TM" in the search field, I get to a disambiguation page, where I can click on the link to the "Transcendental Meditation" article in two sections: "Pop Culture" and "Science". I think that’s pretty hilarious!) Geke (talk) 13:59, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

As per Misplaced Pages as I understand it, we can only link to what we are using in the article otherwise we are creating a kind of synthesis or WP:OR. My concern is linking to an article that gives misleading information and that is not referenced, but if you want mantra in the article it can be put back in ..... Just go ahead and re add it. I am definitely taking matters into my own hands by making this kind of move, unusual for this article, but as long as we all respect the other editors we can edit right into the article with no issues, seems to me. Just let me know what you want, or if you want to do it yourself, of course, go ahead. I didn't mind personally not using mantra because the new section on Mechanics is so simple that mantra didn't really seem necessary. I'll be waiting to hear what you want or will do.

... and the friendly atmosphere is supposed to be what its like on Misplaced Pages so its nice here right now, but not necessarily the usual on the TM article.(olive (talk) 14:36, 16 December 2008 (UTC))

oh ... and not trying to distract, but definitely being WP:Bold :O)(olive (talk) 14:48, 16 December 2008 (UTC))

Hi all, I agree with Olive on these two points about mantra and samadhi. Both of these terms are generic to the entire field of meditation and Indian philosophy. In this section we are specifically describing a particular technique. In order keep it distinct I would vote to keep the generic terms to a minimum. At the same time the removal of the mantra word made the paragraph very odd. IE. what do they do with the 'sound they are given'? So I added a phrase to indicate that sound is used as a thought in the meditation. Hope its helpful. --Keithbob (talk) 22:19, 16 December 2008 (UTC)

What I mean is that anyone reading the TM article, especially the "principles" section, would expect something being said about the mantra. So, being bold :-) I’ll just put it up as I think would be appropriate. See if you like it. Geke (talk) 13:38, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

OK great. I'll see if I can do a little work on the mantra article today, adding refs and so on.(olive (talk) 15:02, 17 December 2008 (UTC))

I think to have the word mantra in the sentence is fine i just think it shouldn't be linked. Maharishi's definition of what a Mantra is, is different from what is defined in the link given...I think the link should be removed unless the page linked to the word mantra reflects Maharishi's defintion of what a mantra is.--Uncreated (talk) 22:11, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

I agree on one hand but this aticle will not be in our hands forever and eventually someone will come along and link mantra .... so I guess I'll make a stab at the mantra article to make it sure it reflects multiple usages/meanings of the word - unless someone has a better idea.(olive (talk) 22:23, 17 December 2008 (UTC))

I have no problem with linking mantra...just we shouldn't link until the source linked is accurate.--Uncreated (talk) 22:32, 17 December 2008 (UTC)

Maybe I didn’t make it clear enough with my putting in "mantra" but linking it to "japa". Let’s try something else and see if you like this one: inserting "(Compare the use of mantras in japa.)" Geke (talk) 13:24, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Hi Geke.We can't by Misplaced Pages policy on WP:OR make the addition you did by linking to Japa. We don't use the term in the article, Maharishi didn't use the term that I know of, so I doubt we could find it in the TM literature. The only way we could use the term and then link it is if we found it somewhere in the TM literature. Then we can add and ref it. I did clean up the mantra article in part by adding a couple of references and removing inaccurate info in the lede. So I had linked back mantra to the WP

article on that topic . Because we use the word in the article and can reference it if need be its fine to link it. I hope that makes sense. I was going to leave in the link you added until you responded, but probably since its clearly OR , it should be removed immediately. I guess the problem is solved though, since the original issue was with the Mantra article and its inaccuracy.(olive (talk) 15:00, 19 December 2008 (UTC))

I still don’t really understand that OR policy, so I’m sure you’re right. But have you seen the Japa article? I think it gives much better info about mantras and their use than the Mantra article; isn’t there a non-OR way to link to that article? Maybe in a See Also section? Geke (talk) 13:30, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

Neutrality tag

Whats the story with the Neutrality Tag? --Uncreated (talk) 00:52, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

The research listed in the article is not neutrally weighted. There are over 350 peer review published studies on TM done over the last 40 years at over 100 different research institutions worldwide (likely too many studies to list in this article, though perhaps in a newly created separate entry on just the research done on TM). Of those, approximately 16 report equivocal results (approximately 4% of all peer reviewed research). Of the ~30 studies referenced in this article, four of them indicate equivocal results and one (a survey by Otis in 1971, which was never peer review published) reported negative feelings of anxiety, confusion and depression associated with TM practice. These inaccurately weight the research to be approximately 16% equivocal or negative. So to be weighted accurately (neutrally), we would either need to edit out four of the existing referenced equivocal studies (IMO, the Otis reference should definitely be edited out, being non-peer reviewed) or else add in ~90 more studies, or some combination of both adding new studies and editing out some of the existing ones to reach a neutrally weighted (~4% equivocal) representation. Duedilly (talk) 05:08, 11 December 2008 (UTC)

Tag

The article has come a long way since the tag was first placed on it, and it seems time to remove it. I note Duedilly's comment that the science sections are not weighted as correctly as they could be. His comment is on record and correcting the balance could and should be a job for the future.(olive (talk) 19:35, 12 December 2008 (UTC))

TM in Corporations

I would like to create a new section in the Reception section to do with TM and its reception in the Business world. A possible source for this could be this article printed in the "Candian Banker" a canadian Magazine.

http://www.accessmylibrary.com/coms2/summary_0286-9244531_ITM

I think it would be good to bring this to light in the article as way to show how widspread the Practice of TM is in the world especialy in the business world. Over 100 Corportations in Japan have implemented the technique in their existing training programmes. Thoughts? —Preceding unsigned comment added by Uncreated (talk • contribs) 05:43, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

We have to be cautious about making the article sound too promotional. And similar to our discussion above, it's hard to achieve balance when talking about reception, simply because it's a big world out there. My inclination is to keep this short, and just focus on the two issues that come up the most. As it is, the scientific research already says quite a lot about the reception -- publication in major medical journals, funding by NIH. Seems like what we want to do here is simply describe the technique and its effects. My guess is that most articles about behavioral interventions don't talk about how widely they're used. And I think that a reader would just assume that anything that's found to be effective would be widely used. Anyway, those are just some thoughts. For a long time there was a list in this article of famous people who practice TM but an editor pointed out how it gave the article a promotional tone, so we had consensus to delete. (Though we did, at the time, delete it with the idea of making it into a separate article.). TimidGuy (talk) 16:01, 18 December 2008 (UTC)

Yes, I agree with TG. With an organization the size of this one there is a lot we could add to this article. As a solution to what to add and what not, I think there has been a general agreement to keep it succinct, and to give the reader a clear sense of things, but not to overwhelm. If interested in TM the reader,as with any encyclopedic article can look and read further.There have been some formidable battles on this article as well over weight, and I'm reluctant to upset the balance too much in any direction as could happen with this suggested addition. Thanks for looking into this.(olive (talk) 17:44, 18 December 2008 (UTC))

Hi Guys, thanks for your thoughts and I agree largely with what has been said. But on something’s I disagree...I will probably have to give more thought to how I want to articulate my thoughts though. But one thing I do feel is that I think the article is in a good state...but that balance has not quite yet been met. I absolutely do not want to turn this into a promotional article about TM but I think there is room for a sentence here or a sentence here to express how TM is received in the world.--Uncreated (talk) 04:54, 19 December 2008 (UTC)

Hi Uncreated, I think you could write a first paragraph for the "Reception" section, before the other existing text there. That would make the heading "Reception" more appropriate as well. Something like a time line from the first controversial beginnings, then hippie acceptance, then again resistance and more focus on Ayurveda, until now kind of mainstream as part of a wave of meditation in the west? Geke (talk) 13:38, 20 December 2008 (UTC)

The trick is that everything must be referenced, otherwise we are dealing with OR.(olive (talk) 22:07, 21 December 2008 (UTC))

Hi Geke Olive is right everything needs to be referenced and to write the sentence your are suggesting would require an article printed in a Newspaper or something maikng that point. If we were to add something small to the reception section about TM in the world as far as i can see it would have to be point by point with a source for each point. I will see if i can write something up and present it with all of the appropriate references to see how people feel about it.--Uncreated (talk) 04:32, 22 December 2008 (UTC)

I wonder if some of this would overlap into the history section?(olive (talk) 18:29, 22 December 2008 (UTC))

Perhaps that would be better to have some more information in the history section. Something about how TM is now taught across the world in Academic institutions, Corporations and different Militaries around the world.--Uncreated (talk) 00:30, 23 December 2008 (UTC)

Tag

The weight of the article has been pretty carefully considered by all editors involved in the more recent discussions, and if anything the article is somewhat skewed towards the negative since it does not indicate the range of peer-reviewed research now over the 350 mark showing positive effects. I am removing the tag pending discussion here.(olive (talk) 02:23, 8 January 2009 (UTC))

Note the comment by Duedilly above.

You think the article is skewed negative. I think it is clearly biased positive. The neutrality is disputed. That's what the tag says. Rracecarr (talk) 01:38, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

The several editors involved in the discussion up to the removing of the tag seemed to be fine with the tag's removal since no one commented. Your move to replace the tag despite this seems somewhat disruptive. If the other editors involved want to comment on your move, fine, but you are welcome to leave the tag in place as far as I am concerned.(olive (talk) 02:52, 24 January 2009 (UTC))

Rracecarr a number of editors working on the article felt that it had reached a neutral state...if you think it is not neutral why don't you point out why you think it is?--Uncreated (talk) 11:40, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi Uncreated. I wouldn't be too concerned about the tag. Duedilly has serious reservations concerning the neutrality of the article as he indicates here in that it under represents the over 350 and still counting peer reviewed studies. With Rracarr's comment the tag simply can be seen as making reference to the concerns on neutrality from different sides of the coin.(olive (talk) 15:17, 24 January 2009 (UTC))

I do not replace the POV tag to be disruptive. I replace it because I sincerely believe that this page is biased, particularly with regard to cited literature and external links. Why all the research by MUM folks and no reference to published research which criticizes their methods (e.g. Markovsky)? Why all the links to pro-TM propaganda pages like TruthAboutTM.org and none to critical pages like skepdic.com? Rracecarr (talk) 17:55, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

I believe Markovsky's study was a criticism of the study on the Maharishi Effect published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution. The latter study wasn't on Transcendental Meditation per se but entailed the group practice of the TM-Sidhi program, a separate technique. In general, Misplaced Pages disallows personal websites. TruthAboutTM meets the exception in WP:V, in that David OJ has published in reputable third-party publications -- over 100 studies, most of them in peer-reviewed journals. It's my feeling that the balance in this article reflects the way TM is presented in the scientific literature and the mainstream media, though perhaps a bit weighted toward the negative. TimidGuy (talk) 18:06, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

You cannot really believe that TruthAboutTM is an appropriate source for a Misplaced Pages article on TM. It is not an unbiased source of information--not even close. It is a propaganda site. Rracecarr (talk) 18:19, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

It's not ideal to cite a personal website. I think we only use it once, right? He's actually in the process of publishing his study on the cult issue, so soon we won't need to cite it in that section. For now, I think it's fine. It seems to be in accord with WP:V on selfpub, and he's merely citing studies relevant to cult accusations. TimidGuy (talk) 18:33, 24 January 2009 (UTC)

Rracecarr Mate, thats cool...I get it that you don't mean to be disruptive. As TG pointed out Markovsky is critical of the Maharishi effect not Transcendental Meditation so it couldn't be used, also like TG said because OJ is an authority in his field and can be sited per wiki policy...are you disputing that he is an expert in his field? Also what information linked from skepdic.com would you like to see in the Article on TM?

In regards to the editing in the Research section, what is the use of having this sentence? "(Robert Wallace, the lead author of these publications, subsequently became a faculty member at the Maharishi International University, which was founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.)" I don't think adding this gives a neutral tone to the article and I think it should be removed. --Uncreated (talk) 04:12, 25 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi all, as much as I am loath to say so, I think that racecarr is correct in stating that the neutrality of the article being in doubt. This is due to the fact that at least two of the editors work for the companies university. The Robert Wallace, comment and his history after his publications is very important. The reason is this; unlike many religions, TM claims to have direct impacts on people health states (by claimed alterations in physiological processes (indeed, it is this fact alone that keeps me coming back here. IMO this article tends to draw the attention of many biased opinions - especially from the Christian Right and care must be taken for this reason) and supports this with peer reviewed "evidence". However, care must be taken as much of this research is conducted and funded by the organisations own university. In many cases, were the researchers did not work for MUM at the time of the research they later go onto get "lucrative" (or at least prestigious) posts with MUM (you will need to go through the history of this article to see this). It is important to say that Robert Wallace, went onto work for MUM after his "positive" research was published as much as it would be to say a consultant Radiologist went on to work for PHILIPS after publishing research which found that their newest Spiral CT scanner was the best for identifying PEs.

Personally, I think that most religious articles in WIKI should have a tag claiming doubting neutrality as they tend to be edited by members of said religion. However, TM is especially prone to this due to: 1, the fact that mush of the research is paid or conducted by MUM, many of those not connected then get positions at MUM afterwords, it claims "health benefits" 3 it is a commercial activity only indeed, claming not to actually be a religion. As to OJ, I have said it before and I will say it again, using him as a "neutral" counter to the "cult" arguments throws the neutrality of this article into clear doubt and is another reason that I keep returning. Not only is it clear that he worked directly for MUM for many, many years; that a large percentage of the positive research was conducted by him, but that even now - having left MUM - he is conducting research on TM paid for by MUM and other TM subsidiaries. Sorry. The7thdr (talk) 00:50, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Hi 7thdr, thanks for the response...though i don't really no where to begin. First of all where do you get this idea that TM is a Religion? For one thing TM is a technique that is practiced and it is not a set of beliefs, if you have a source for this assertion please post...Can you please direct me via links to show where you came by your understanding that most of the research on TM is conducted and funded by "the organisations own university". Once again can you please post a source for you assertion that researchers go on to get lucrative/prestigious positions with MUM...I think you will find in the Robert Wallace case that he didn;t so much as go on to work for MIU because of his research he went onto become the founding President of MIU because of his passion for the research he conducted.

You assert that TM is a Religion but i can't see how it can be myself since it is a technique, not a set of beliefs...you should learn Transcendental Meditation and then you would see that it is not a religion, simply a technique that is practiced by people of all cultures, creeds and religions alike. I can't help but think that a number of editors on the TM article seem to have a lot of misinformation about what TM is and the organisation that promotes it. I look forward to your response. --Uncreated (talk) 01:40, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Whew, 7th you make multiple blanket statements..

• The so called organization's university is neither lucrative nor prestigious in the academic world in part because it is a relatively young university although it is slowly building a reputation..

• There is a well accepted precedent to say the least for research to be done on university campuses. Peer review is the standard for controlling quality in any research. We denigrate multiple peer review boards of multiple prestigious journals if we say the TM peer reviewed research is not legitimate.

• There are over 350 peer reviewed studies on TM and counting... They are not all done on this campus by a long shot. Even if they were university professors are traditionally paid to teach and to research on any given a campus... Again the quality control of those studies is peer review and the quality of the publication.

• Studies indicate multiple health benefits...The NIH recognizes those benefits and has funded research on the campus to the tune of 25 million dollars.

• OJ is a recognized professional in his field and cites studies, not his own, that indicate findings in behaviour opposite to those found in cults. Under Misplaced Pages Policy although not the best source he is a legitimate exception... If we want to get into a cult discussion we could take the section out completely since I believe Persingers' book is self published, Hassan is questionable and there is other information indicating TM is not a cult ... so if we want to get rid of the whole cult section fine. I've been supporting keeping it in for the time being.

• You also call into question the neutrality the editors editing here. We judge the editor on the editor's edits as Misplaced Pages says and not on a perceived COI.

• As well, what you see in place in this article is not the work of a couple of editors but of many editors over time.(olive (talk) 02:08, 26 January 2009 (UTC))

I would like to reiterate that 7th has made many factual errors in his statements, about funding, the generalizations about the research and about getting positions, about David OJ's employment, etc. Take the latter instance for example. How could you, The7thdr, possibly know that he's paid? Where on earth would you get that information, such that you would state it as fact? TimidGuy (talk) 12:26, 26 January 2009 (UTC)

Here's a neutral viewpoint. I have no dog in this fight. I have no interest in editing the article. But, if you wanted the perspective of an entirely neutral observer on whether or not to leave the "neutrality disputed" tag in, here's my 2 cents: This is not a neutral article, and the tag should stay in. Fladrif (talk) 19:31, 27 January 2009 (UTC)

Links

The links section as it appears now in the article is the product of discussion and agreement by several editors.Discussions here. Re adding links to that section or adding new links should be discussed here first and agreement reached in line with what's already been done on this section. Thanks.(olive (talk))

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