Thursday, December 5, 2013

TM Real or Fantasy?

First of all, I'd like to say that if anyone practices TM, I am not "attacking" you or your religious beliefs.  I am just raising concerns and questions that I have wondered about for a long time and stating the reasons why I don't practice TM.

Delusions of the Human Mind

I am a fiction writer, therefore I have a vivid and very unique imagination.  I wouldn't be much of a fiction writer without that imagination, but when I write, I place myself in the shoes of my characters to get a feel for who they are and what I want them to think, do, and say.  They characters have no feelings in and of themselves, but are an extension of the author or are pieces of those the author has met or knows.  However, I have to feel what those characters feel so I can interject their feelings into the dialogue.  It's like an actor when he or she "gets into character."  Yes, I really do get into my characters sometimes (some call that method acting).  But I can personally enter a place of bliss, happiness and confidence when I become that character.

For example, if my character is truly loved by a man who accepts her the way she is, faults and all, that sends me into an almost indescribable euphoric state of happiness like I've never experienced before.  I've even had experiences where the very core of my being feels pulled and has felt like it wants to come out of my body and join with the soul of that man my character loves.  But through my story I imagine the day the two finally meet.  Their eyes lock and there is "electricity" between them and they both instinctively know they are to be together. When they finally consumate their relationship it's something beyond supernatural. Their souls finally embrace and never let each other go. Those feelings of ecstasy can be so addicting that I just want to bask in them until I die.

But despite the seemingly real feelings, it isn't real, it's something I've convinced myself is real at the time and makes me feel happy, loved, confident and a whole plethora of feelings that go along with being that deeply in love.  Sometimes those feelings last for hours and even now, thinking about those euphoric feelings brings them to the surface and the pulling starts again.  But in reality I don't have a man who loves me like that.  If I did, I'd be in eternal bliss because those feelings are absolutely out of this world.  But I'm the one creating those feelings within myself; I'm creating my own happiness with fantasy.  I know it sounds like I'm a sad case, but it does help me with my writing.

I believe TM is the same kind of fantasy.  It deludes your mind for a short time into believing that the practice itself is bringing happiness and wholeness when it's actually the person bringing it to themselves.  Fantasy is an amazing gift and is needed from time to time to alleviate stress.  But the imagination is a very powerful thing, and it can delude people, even to the point of making someone believe they've had a unique or supernatural experience but, as in my case, it's usually based in something untrue.  But there are some people who believe the fantasies they've created in their minds and act on them (like stalkers), which shows how strong and deceptive the imagination can be.

Automatic Response or Power of Suggestion?

Those who say that they automatically go into a trance or altered state of consciousness, I believe are actually saying that they have disciplined themselves into such a habit of behavior that it SEEMS as if it's automatic.  The only processes in the human body that I know of that are automatic are normal breathing, heart beat and other necessary biological and scientifically documented functions to keep our bodies operating, and it is a common denominator that ALL human beings share. There are electrical impulses in the brain that signify thoughts being processed, but what those thoughts are remain a mystery until they're communicated by the individual having them (which requires thinking).

But those who claim that they stop thinking to enter those states of mind really don't stop thinking.  For instance if you have to push the thoughts out of your mind with your mind, you're still thinking.  If you have to trace the path of your breath, you have to feel or see the path it takes, maybe even knowing something about biology and anatomy, which requires thinking.  If you count down to your altered state or have someone help you count down, counting requires thinking. Speaking to any spirit guide inside your inner sanctum requires thinking.  So the myth that you are blanking out your mind is just a delusion THEY TELL YOU that you are doing or should be doing.

Don't believe what they tell you, thinking is a GOOD thing, it keeps you out of trouble and from believing in fantasies. vHowever, I've encountered more and more people who don't want to think.  Having to depend upon those people is like riding a bus without a driver-- very scary.  I think thinking has become a lost art.  I see that as laziness in some ways because the person wants to be spoon-fed instead of reasearching and finding the answers themselves.  The biggest danger in trusting just anyone or any "guide" and not thinking for yourself is you can and more than likely will be LIED to.  I am a person who loves to think because that's a sign of intelligence and a sign of someone who loves to learn.  Learning something new is wonderful to me, but I'm very afraid for our generation because people want to blank out their minds and hand the control over to something or someone that I do not know nor can I truly trust.  That's just plain foolish to me.

Spirit Guides?

But if you give your mind over to something (a force, a guide, etc.) that's trouble with a capital T. You've been given responsibility for the body and mind you have been entrusted with.  There's a reason no one else has control over it.  Some TM practioners have testified of having people (dead or living) within their inner sanctum or their world that they "go to" (actually created with their OWN imaginations), and they have these people there for guidance and help.  But where do these alleged guides get their information?  I believe it's from one of two places, either the person him/herself have that knowledge within them already or it's from an outside source.  If it's from the person, then they are the ones animating those inner guides much like an actor brings a character to life.  But the guide is an extention of that person not anything separate.

The other source is not a good source, despite what it may say.  I've heard some TM practioners say that they've experienced some very frightful things during their meditations.  Now, if it's good, why would they scare the pants off of them?  That's mental torment and unloving, but I thought TM was supposed to bring peace,  love and harmony.  But if that doesn't happen to everyone who practices TM then why are some tormented and some are not?  That's not fair nor right, which tells me TM isn't right.  If we are all part of the god-consciousness and all the same, then isn't that inequality hypocrisy?  Either way, I don't want to get involved with it because it's too unproveable, unpredictable, and I personally believe based in a very deceptive evil mankind has no business tampering with. Update:  If you think about it, TM gurus are teaching people to talk to entities that are not really there.  According to psychology that's schizophrenic behavior.  And according to Johanna Michaelson, former psychic and author of The Beautiful Side of Evil, people have gone insane as a result of these experiences.

But who better to deceive and to use to perpetuate that deception than through those who make their living in the world of fantasy? The entertainment industry is plagued with those practicing TM and making all kinds of claims that are subjective experiences with no tangible evidence backing them up.  Some may say I'm misunderstanding TM, maybe so, but I believe TM is just another modern day quick fix to mask  problems rather than delving in and solving them.  Real problem solving requires ACTION (which is what love is -- action).  Sitting somewhere meditating isn't going to feed a soldier's family or even change what has happened to him/her in battle.  Some may protest, but it may spark creative ideas on how to help them.  So can a lot of a thing called hard work (i.e. talking to the soldiers, making phone calls, contacting agencies, taking food to their door, and so on).  TM was orginally developed in ancient Eastern religions like Hinduism and Buddhism.  But the method (if you can call it that) is based in our natural ability to daydream and create our own idea of a "peaceful environment."  It's just a mental vacation.  But to deal with this reality, we must work with what is truly tangible.  TM seems to have very little to do with reality, therefore I don't believe TM can benefit us any more than daydreaming of a non-existent love.  It's not real.

But I want to encourage those who have both inner and outer battle scars. Battle scars are beautiful badges of honor separating the brave from those who want it easy.  No one should ever try to hide those "beauty marks," but be proud because they're a sign you survived and are strong.  You've not said, "Let someone else do it," you've taken the challenge and the responsibility upon yourself, and this generation needs to exhalt the warriors in this reality far above those who are on the silver screen (they're not real or true). I understand that some will disagree, but that's their choice and I respect that.  But I just ask that you respect my choice.  Because calling me names or putting me down, like many people do in this generation, will be adding to my long list of battle scars.

Thank you for taking the time to read this.

Email me at:
mkaym2012@gmail.com


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