--- In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, Vaj <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > In the Hindu yogic tradition I practiced in, the "gap" or > transcendent in TM speak is only just the beginning...and it's not > truly transcendental consciousness, it's merely a thought-free > state. It is however an important sign that practice is ready to > go to another level, one where the transcendent is nurtured and > the "gap" becomes much longer. From what I've seen in TM research, > the longest recorded by their "research" in just a couple of > minutes.
More like 20-something minutes, actually. Oh, and it's real research. There's no need for scare quotes. But for a > yogin going deeply we're talking something that goes for several > hours or much longer, at will. Of course, if will is involved, it isn't transcendental-consciousness-by-itself; it includes some element of waking consciousness. What TM researchers have been measuring is not this mixed state, but TC-by-itself, where the will cannot be exercised, by definition. Many TMers remain in the mixed state-- spontaneously, not by an effort of will--for most of the meditation period; it's sometimes referred to as "witnessing" one's meditation. Plus which, the principle of TM is cycling effortlessly back and forth between mantra, TC- by-itself, and thoughts, the point being to allow release of stress. Stress release is said to be what "kicks" one out of TC-by- itself. If one were to resist this "kick" by an effort of will in an attempt to repress thought, that would defeat the whole purpose. In any case, these are obviously very different approaches to meditation.
