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It cannot be more ironic. Just a few days after I posted the news about TM founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s retreat into complete silence, came the news of his death in Holland.
Maharishi Yogi, he founder and spiritual leader of the Transcendental Meditation movement, died in his sleep at his Netherland home in Vlodrop. He was 91.
Maharishi, known for his flowing beard and long graying hair, is credited for Transcendental Meditation or TM, whose main characteristic is the chanting of the mantra “Om” in a lotus seated position.
He described TM as “the unified field of all the laws of nature”, and through the years the practice gained medical respectability.
He was “guru” to leading celebrities such as the Beatles, Rolling Stones, Shirley MacLaine, Mia Farrow, Clint Eastwood, Director David Lynch, and Deepak Chopra, another New Age icon.
The roots of Maharishi’s life remain unknown. He was born Mahesh Srivastava in central India sometime 1911 to 1918.
A son of a civil servant, he studied physics at Allahabad University before becoming the right hand of a well known Hindu holy man, Jagadguru Shankaracharya, who taught him TM. After Jagadguru’s death, he continued the TM tradition.
Maharishi went into a two-year retreat in the foothills of the Himalayas before introducing TM to the West in the 1950s. In January 2008, he announced his retirement from active life, and devoted his remaining days studying ancient Indian texts.
My tribute to this great man who made India proud.
Suggested reading : My views on Transcendental Meditation
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3 responses so far ↓
1 Paul Maurice Martin // Feb 17, 2008 at 4:02 am
Thanks for that information. Of course I’d heard his name, but hadn’t realized how important it sounds like he was to the greater popularization of meditation in the west.
2 Psychologist Jerry Solfanelli // Mar 25, 2008 at 3:57 am
This site is an AWESOME video! In order to complement the positive effects of meditative hypnosis, I highly recommend this psychologist’s unique FREEWARE program (the “Virtual Light & Sound Machine” Meditation Software) that effortlessly induces DEEP MEDITATIVE states, via the phenomenon of audio-visual stimulation…FREE DOWWLOAD!
ThePsychologist.com/virtuallightandsound.htm
3 seven rays meditation // Apr 22, 2008 at 7:40 am
He was a great spiritual teacher and leader. My tribute to him.
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