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The Spirit of Ma'at, Volume 1 No. 5 "The Futurists Creating Peace"
A Peace Movement That's Working by Staff
In 1957, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi brought out his program of Transcendental Meditation, or TM. And in the mid-sixties, he brought this program to UCLA. There, graduate student Robert Keith Wallace wrote a PhD thesis, which has since become famous, on the ''fourth state of consciousness'' achieved by TM, and its effects in the lives of those who practice it. Dr. Wallace has since worked with hundreds of scientists and physicians at universities worldwide, identifying and quantifying the development of human consciousness. At Harvard Medical School, his seminal research on TM was published in Science and Scientific American magazines, unleashing a flood of research on TM and meditation in general. This new research, Wallace says, ''holds the key to solving critical social and economic problems, and promoting prosperity and progress as we move into the 21st century.'' Thirty Years of TM. . . Thirty years of research on TM has produced profound new insights into the development of human consciousness, Wallace says. ''Research shows that the Transcendental Meditation technique produces a fourth state of consciousness, what has been called 'pure consciousness' or 'Transcendental Consciousness.'''This state of consciousness is absolutely crucial to world peace. It's the place where, if they tried to hold a war, nobody would come. And at the Spirit of Ma'at we most certainly wish to acknowledge that many, many forms of spiritual practice, and not only TM, can lead us to that peaceful place. But the effect of Maharishi's program - not to mention Dr. Wallace's studies - upon the growth and acceptance of spiritual practice in our world cannot be overstated. Maharishi and Dr. Wallace have chosen to shine the bright light of science upon the ancient Vedic practices. And the truths they have uncovered enrich us all. Maharishi Is Well Satisfied On his website, the Maharishi is quoted as saying:We had taught Transcendental Meditation for many years in the world when I thought, individuals are gaining enlightenment and releasing their stress and strain. ... Then I thought, having achieved this betterment of the individual, we should get on to a program where we can handle the betterment of the whole society, betterment of the whole world. Now, ''betterment of the whole world'' is an abstract expression - what kind of betterment? ''Heaven.'' Everyone knows something good about it. Heaven is where everything is good, somewhere in the universe. So I made a phrase as the target of the world movement, ''Heaven on Earth.'' Bring everything that may be good for all the people in the world. We contacted Maharishi's spokesperson before publishing this article, and were told that the Maharishi had expressed, on January 12, 2001, his satisfaction with the success of his worldwide movement. He saw the end of the cold war, he said, as ''a milestone of the increase in positivity of world consciousness, influenced greatly by over 3 million people enlivening pure consciousness in themselves through their daily practice'' of TM. Maharishi illustrated this point by saying that, today, judges regularly sentence offenders to practice Transcendental Meditation as an alternative to incarceration. Maharishi has established universities and schools on all continents pioneering his Consciousness-Based approach to education. There are over 70,000 students enrolled in Maharishi schools and univeristies in India alone. To read about Maharishi and his worldwide activities, visit the Maharishi website. To learn more about Keith Wallace and his work, visit Maharishi University: No Limits. |