I read an article an old issue of The Intelligent Optimist (formerly Ode Magazine) called "When Monks Rule" and found it fascinating. The article, by Jurriaan Kamp, illustrates how "rigorous research shows that group meditation reduces conflict and violence in society."
It begins by pointing out how long ago the rulers of India kept monks close to their courts and how once again India is leading the way in the rediscovery of the value of group meditation. I read that in the geographic center of India there is a growing community of Vedic pandits or Hindu priests, there are around 2,000 in all thus far. It is expected that at some time in the not so distant future their numbers will increase to 9,000, this is the number of people, according to what I surmised in the article, that it would take meditating to reduce violence the world over rather than in just one city or town. All of these monks adhere to a daily regimen of meditation. According to ancient Sanskrit scriptures, violence is less likely to occur in the presence of those experiencing unity or oneness. A study from the 1980’s is sited where during the peak of the conflict between Israel and Lebanon, there was a group of 600 to 800 people practicing transcendental meditation who gathered around the world, particularly in Israel, Lebanon and other areas of the Middle East. Various experiments were performed, all of them demonstrating a clear connection between the number of meditators and the levels of violence in a particular area. For example, in one area where there was an average of 12 deaths per day over the course of a two year study, numbers dropped to only 3 per day. That is a 75% decrease when meditators were involved.
Interestingly enough, Lebanon wasn't the only place affected and it wasn't just the conflict itself that was affected. In Israel, crime went down and even the number of car accidents and fires decreased. The likelihood of the results of these experiments simply being a coincidence was less than one in 10,000.
The article demonstrates through other examples not only how group meditation is beneficial to a society, but also to individuals and highlights the type of meditation brought to the U.S. most famously by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 60's. Best known for being a Guru to the Beatles he made TM (transcendental meditation) a big deal in the United States. For some time interest in TM waned but with the current resurgence of living a fuller and more grounded and spiritual life, it is becoming popularized again. Of course it is yet another aspect of living a more spiritual life that is being exploited by many who would have you believe that the only way one can properly learn TM is from a licensed TM instructor, which of course will cost you $1500 to $2500. In truth, TM is not rocket science, the basic premise is incredibly simple. Of course one must practice it to become proficient in its use but the same is true of riding a bike or doing tricks with a yo-yo. Of course response to these tests and studies at that time was less than stellar, it likely would be the same now despite the rise in popularity of meditation.
People who have shelled out that much money to learn TM might disagree with me when I say it could be learned without having to spend thousands of dollars. They wouldn’t want to feel that they made a foolish investment. And those people who are teaching it and likely making a killing off of being “experts” in this highly coveted skill hurl their zafus at me. However, there are numerous people out there happy to teach it for free and there are also tons of resources on the internet where one can learn it as well. Like most skills, the main component is practice, not high attendance at overpriced ashrams. If someone tells you that if you learned how to do it on the internet or through practicing it on your own then you can't be doing it "right" is trying to sell you something. One knows when they are doing it “right” from the way it feels, yoga is very similar in that if you are doing an asana improperly, it simply won’t feel right and you can adjust your body position and breathing until it does. I was only around 6 years old when I started learning TM and at the time there was no internet and to be honest, not a lot of information out there regarding meditation. Back then it wasn't "trending," the world was very different. I suppose I was lucky to have had someone proficient to teach me. At the end of the day not all of us are so lucky and now that meditation is so very trendy there is more misinformation out there than ever. There are more people trying to line their pockets once they convince folks that their way is the best way, that other ways won't work and that unless you have paid for it, it isn't the "real" deal. Make up your own mind. Go to the seminars, spend the money, buy the program; follow the programming that unless it's bought and paid for it isn't valid. Meanwhile, you could be missing out. On the other hand, there are alternatives and there are some who have taken the idea of large numbers of people meditating together seriously.
The MedMob (Meditation Mob- Like a flash mob but less flashy) was started by a yoga instructor named Ben Heath who organized a public meditation event in Austin Texas years ago. He guessed that maybe a handful of his friends would show up but instead 50+ people joined him in meditating for Peace on the steps of the capitol building. The next month, 250 people showed up. “Seeing 20, 30, 350 people sitting in meditation starts to have a major impact,” Heath says. “When everybody, from every walk of life, is invited to experience it, you create a global community.” Not long after that 10 more cities including La Manzanilla, Mexico staged MedMobs on the same day. Soon after, groups in 25 cities participated, then people from all walks of life and all areas of expertise in meditation sat together in 80 cities including locations in Japan, Australia, Israel and Kenya. There is an hour of meditation followed by an 11 minute “sound bath” of rolling Oms. “No one is touching or speaking, but we’re holding the space with one another, sharing our vibrations.” –Ola Akinmowo; Yoga instructor and founder of the Brooklyn New York chapter.
I haven't caught wind of this profoundly impactful experience happening anywhere recently and wonder why. Anyone here participate in those original medmobs? Can you imagine if rather than SJW's and antifa and whoever else in their masks and riot gear, all screaming at one another, fists raised were replaced by hundreds of peaceful people and rolling Om's?
