Concentrative MeditationThe Pros And Cons Of TM and Mantra Meditation
Transcendental meditation was introduced in 1958 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who rose to stardom as a meditation guru in the 60s and 70s. Since then, more than 600 studies have been conducted on the effects of the TM technique. TM's many beneficient health effects is explained as a result of the mind settling into a state beyond thought to the source of thought. This state is pure awareness, which is known as transcendental consciousness - your innermost Self. How does the mind go beyond thoughts? Repetition of a mantra - a sound, word, or phrase - is known as one-pointedness. Focusing on this one point/mantra cuts through all other thoughts. But there's a caveat here... I Object, Your Honor!TM claims that no concentration is required while focusing on a mantra. This is not true. As thoughts emerge and your awareness drifts away from your mantra, you need to re-focus your attention and start concentrating on your mantra. Time and time again. Don't get me wrong. TM is effective and can be quite relaxing, but it is not the best technique against stress, which they claim. I received personal training from a certified TM instructor several years ago. I was quite surprised at how stubborn and narrow-minded this instructor was. He showed a severe lack of mindfulness. I soon left to continue my mindful practice, incorporating elements from TM along the way. You see, concentrative meditation is a great principle to train razor-sharp focus (one-pointedness). But one-pointedness is a bad way of learning because seeing things in only one way is counter-productive to absorbing many sources of knowledge. A one-pointed, fixed perspective is not a path to wisdom. In fact, one-pointedness is the main reason for fanaticism, war, obsessive-compulsive disorders, and plain old ignorance. One-pointedness can also be a means to success if you have chosen the right path/career for you, and if you learn to be open for unexpected opportunities along the way. Finding Your True Self...The true Self is more revealed through mindfulness and gently observing how your mind works, than by pinning down your mind with a mantra. I believe the true explanation of TM's effects lies in its concentrative effect, which shuts out the external noise in order to relax. But a problem may develop if a person practices twice daily for 20 minutes, forces the mantra on his mind, and starts applying this element of one-pointedness to other aspects of his life. You see my (one) point? My advice is to adopt mindfulness into your practice of concentrative meditation (into any meditation and business technique) in order to remain balanced and truly get to know your Self and the opportunities surrounding you. How do you balance mantra and mindfulness for optimal, self-developing meditation?
You learn meditation in a slightly different way.
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