TM vs Buddhist meditation?

[Spiritualseeker]

Hello all,

How does transcadental meditation differ from regular Breath meditation of the buddhist?

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namasté

Hello all, How does transcadental meditation differ from regular Breath meditation of the buddhist?

Both approaches are in the same family of āṇavopāya .

āṇu अणु = fine , minute , atomic is known as 'atom' - which is another name for the individual jiva. This upāya is the means whereby the āṇu or the individual jiva uses his own kāraṇa-s or instruments i.e. senses, prana and manas for self-realization. It includes disciplines concerning the regulation of prana, japa, concentration, meditation, etc.

The question is one of support…. TM uses the support of mantra.
The other method uses the support of 'breath' , which is is also very effective and rewarding. The attention goes to several techniques regarding the watching, regualtion, of the breath.

In both cases it is the settling of the mind that occurs and allows one to naturally go in the inward direction of the mind without pushing or prodding the mind. What occurs is 'every refreshed awareness' (anusandhāna) - see this post for more: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showthread.php?t=2996&highlight=refreshed

See this HDF post for a few more ideas on types of upāya-s ( methods) : http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18339&postcount=4
On breathing: http://www.hindudharmaforums.com/showpost.php?p=18322&postcount=3

praṇām

[Spiritualseeker]

Thank you Yajvan!

My wife purchased me the Science of Being and Art of Living Trascendental Meditation by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Do you think this will be a good read for me?

[simex]

What exactly is TM? I mean, can it be summarized in a few lines? There was a TM center in the town I used to live in, but I never went, because I'd heard it was cult-ish (i.e. paying big $$$ for the 'secret' teachings).

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namast� Spiritualseeker

Thank you Yajvan!

My wife purchased me the Science of Being and Art of Living Trascendental Meditation by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Do you think this will be a good read for me?

Mahaṛṣi-ji's offer is very good. Why so? He takes vedic principles and puts them in todays language. If you like his writing I would also recommend his translation of the Bhāgavad gītā. He only did the first 6 chapters, yet there is a wealth of knowledge he offers; I refer to his work very frequently.

praṇām

[Spiritualseeker]

Namaste!

Thank you for the response. So far the book is good. Though I was disappointed it seems that he wont teach in the book the Transcendental Meditation Technique. He said you need a teacher to show you and guide you. Which I understand, but I was disappointed that I couldnt play with it a bit. But so far a great read.

[yajvan]

hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~

Namast� Spiritualseeker

Namaste!

Thank you for the response. So far the book is good. Though I was disappointed it seems that he wont teach in the book the Transcendental Meditation Technique. He said you need a teacher to show you and guide you. Which I understand, but I was disappointed that I couldnt play with it a bit. But so far a great read.

I see your point. That said, the book will be of little use when you have questions i.e. 'Now how do I ....' , 'I felt this, what do I do now' , ' What happens when...' , 'Is this the proper approach ...'

Or the first instruction - now close your eyes - what then will be the use of the book?

These are a few questions that always come up and are different for different people, hence the value of a teacher.

praṇām

[Spiritualseeker]

Namaste Yajvan,

Yes I will be going next week to a hindu temple hopefully to learn meditation. I spoke to a guy by the name of Swami G at some Shri Shiv temple and he said I am welcome. I am excited hopefully I can learn something.

Thanks
-juan

[Nondogmatic Nondualist]

I don't think that Transcendental Meditation would necessarily be a better technique for you than a Buddhist technique or any other technique. Transcendental Meditation is more or less a mantra meditation that emphasizes effortlessness, in that the mantra is to be thought "as easily as any other thought." I learned TM at age 10, and it was the first kind of meditation I learned to do.

Personally, I never responded particularly well to mantra meditation. I prefer the kind of meditation taught by Australian teacher Barry Long. If you go on amazon.com, you can find his book Meditation: A Foundation Course on sale; it is very good, and it was much more helpful to me than Transcendental Meditation. The point of meditation is to cultivate awareness of what exists in the present moment that is independent of the mind and the body, so it is a good idea to find a meditation technique that emphasizes that. Also, it is important to bring that awareness into every moment of one's daily life; one can be aware alone in a quiet room, but what about on the streets of a busy city thronging with people? A formal meditation can be very helpful, but it is also helpful to see the whole of one's life as a meditation.

Are there any activities you do that seem to pacify your mind, activities in which you become absorbed? That is meditation. For me, walking in nature can be one of the most effective meditations.

[Spiritualseeker]

I will have to check out that book. Ive been looking at a dzogchen meditation which is buddhist but I think this meditation is also found in Hindu practice. It is called natural meditation or non meditation. You basically just sit and be present. You dont necessary focus on the breath or the body. or thoughts. You let everything arise in pure awareness. I find this might be a good way of practice for me. I am also trying Rushen or self inquiring. Asking myself who I am. Or i will relax myself with the breath concentration then try to shock my mind by saying WHO AM I, WHERE AM I, What Am I, etc... then letting go and seeing if there is a new way of perceiving.

So far...my answer is... I dont know who I am.