Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , better known as Maharishi (nee Mahesh Prasad Varma , January 12, 1917 , India - February 5, 2008 , Flodrop , Netherlands ) is a neo-Hindu preacher , founder of transcendental meditation (TM) and the TM-Sidhi program.
| Maharishi Mahesh Yogi | |
|---|---|
| Maharishi Mahesh Yogi | |
 | |
| Birth name | Mahesh prasad varma |
| Date of Birth | January 12, 1917 |
| Place of Birth | Jabalpur , British India |
| Date of death | February 5, 2008 (91 years old) |
| Place of death | Waldrop , Netherlands |
| A country | |
| Occupation | , |
| Site | tm.org |
Biography
There is little information about the early life of Maharishi. In his youth, he studied physics at Allahabad University and worked at factories for some time [1] . He was interested in the activities of spiritual teachers and, when the guru of Dev Brahamanda Saraswati visited Allahabad, he became his follower. Mahesh spent thirteen years with guru Deva Brahamanda Saraswati in the Himalayas [1] , becoming his closest student.
In 1953, Maharishi retired to the caves of the “Valley of Saints” in Uttarkashi . After two years of seclusion, in 1955, he returned to the world and settled in the state of Kerala in southern India. Here a monk from the north was offered to give a weekly cycle of lectures on the knowledge obtained in the Himalayas [2] . In his first book, The Light of the Himalayas Lighthouse, Maharishi argued that through TM the “true meaning of the Vedic sacred texts” could be revived.
In 1957, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi presented his theory of TM at the "Festival of Spiritual Lights", and then distributed it through the organization "Spiritual Revival Movement" ( Eng. "Spiritual Regeneration Movement" ).
In 1958, Maharishi visited Singapore and Hawaii, and in early 1959 he arrived in California , where for several months he taught those who wanted TM. Interest in “Vedic knowledge” allowed the organization of a permanent TM center, as well as in New York and Europe. In the 1960s, the hippy movement also made a major contribution to the distribution of TM in the United States .
Maharishi decided to start training TM teachers. In the early 1970s, Maharishi launched the “World Plan” for the distribution of TM, which included the creation of one TM training center for every million people on the planet [2] . In Russia, a massive enthusiasm for meditation and, in particular, TM, occurred in the late 1980s and early 1990s.
Dissemination of Doctrine
Initially, teacher training took place in India, in the small town of Rishikesh . Outside the city, on a steep hill overgrown with forests, Maharishi built the Ashram Center, which trained future teachers of TM. The first set consisted of about thirty students, and by 1960 their number had increased to two hundred. Faced with the growing need for teachers, Maharishi opened teacher training courses in Europe , which trained more than a thousand people.
In 1960, Maharishi changed the name of his organization to "International Meditation Society." And in 1963, the "International Student Meditation Society" was created, since the activities of Maharishi aroused great interest in student and youth circles [2] .
The Maharishi International University ( MIU ) was created, in which education was based on the Science of Creative Mind ( SCI ), a teaching synthesizing the study of TM with traditional academic disciplines. The declared goal of this "new science" was the use of the benefits and advantages of TM for the prosperity of people. In 1977, SCI and TM were recognized as religious teachings by the New Jersey State Court and banned from teaching in public schools. [3]
By 1965, through their centers, Maharishi had already trained a total of about ten thousand teachers of TM. The number of trained TM in America amounted to 550,000 people, and more than a million worldwide, with a movement growth of 35,000 people per month. In 2014, the number of practicing TM in the world was several million people [3] .
Value
In 1968, the students of the legendary band The Beatles became students of Maharishi, who quickly became disillusioned with the guru after traveling to India. After returning, John Lennon wrote the sarcastic song Sexy Sadie . It is believed that the break with The Beatles subsequently led to the closure of the ashram in Rishikesh. Despite the break with Maharishi, the Beatles remained faithful to the teachings of meditation [4] . In 1978, Lennon wrote that he considers meditation "a source of creative inspiration," and Starr stated: "He gave me a mantra that no one can take away, and I still use it." In the 1990s, McCartney and Harrison apologized to the guru [5] . Maharishi replied that he considers the Beatles to be angels, and he cannot be offended by angels [6] .
Notes
- ↑ 1 2 Dutta Promeet, Amy Tikkanen. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi // Britannica .
- ↑ 1 2 3 Peter Russell. Higher Consciousness .
- ↑ 1 2 Maharishi Mahesh Yogi Sect "Transcendental Meditation" (Neopr.) . Missionary Apologetic Project "Toward Truth". Date of treatment December 19, 2014. Archived on August 11, 2014.
- ↑ The Beatles in Rishikesh. Ashram Maharishi Mahesh Yogi | Pilgrim's (rus.) (Neopr.) ? . pilgrims-trip.ru. Date of treatment June 1, 2017.
- ↑ Orr David. The Beatles - Relation to Religion // Newspaper. - 2006. - February 19.
- ↑ The Beatles were angels ... " . Beatological Institute . Beatlelogy-inst.ucoz.ru. Date of treatment June 1, 2017.
Literature
Scientific
- Knorre B. K. Movement "Transcendental Meditation" ("TM") // Modern religious life of Russia: the experience of a systematic description. / Ans. ed. M. Burdo , S. B. Filatov . - M .: Logos, 2005 .-- T. III. - S. 420-431. - 2000 copies. - ISBN 5-98704-044-2 .
Journalism
- Morozov, Dmitry. Sighted heart // Around the World Magazine. - 1991. - No. 9 (2612) .