Transcendental Meditation is a secretive mantra meditation movement founded by an indian yogi/guru. Most research on meditation benefits is on TM. To learn it, one has to pay for and participate in a course led by a certified TM teacher.
Does anybody here have had experience with TM, participated in a course and received a mantra chosen by their teacher?
Do you really need a teacher to learn it? Is the course worth it or just profiteering? Anything else one should know before going to a course themselves?
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That topic regularly came up on /r/meditation. The consensus was usually that it’s not worth it. You will learn a meditation style, yes, but it’s not better or worse than others, and you will also buy into a cult. So at best it’s an overpriced experience.
If you want to learn meditation, there are sooo many resources online and in books. Why not use one of those?
And even if you want to it retreat style, there’s free courses by dhamma.org all over the world.
It’s literally just repeating a phrase in your mind over and over again, i.e. basic concentration meditation, except a mantra instead of your breath (or whatever object you prefer).
The only “secret” is how effectively they part gullible people from their money.
You want the TM experience? PayPal me $2,000 and I’ll give you a “special” mantra phrase (chosen just for you by a 14th century reincarnated spirit and/or ouija board and/or monkey throwing a dart at the wall) and you can go nuts with it.
Not trying to make fun of anyone, but TM is your classic, boring scam/cult. I’m sure you can find their “secret” mantras if you google hard enough. It’s baloney wrapped in mysticism with some TM-funded studies to lend more credibility. Truth is, meditation – of any form – is generally good for your mind and body. There are hundreds of meditation techniques, they all serve to soothe the nervous system, concentrate the mind, and/or bring mindful awareness.
Definitely not worth paying for. If you want to do it, just pick a phrase “peace”, “relax”, whatever, and silently repeat it to yourself for 20 minutes. That’s all they’re doing.
