With a purely mental practice, it is impossible to separate the practice, from teh way it was taught, so claiming that something else is "TM" merely because it can be described the same way, is a very big intellectual failure.
Samatha practices can be described the same way as TM, but the way they are taught, they are certainly in the mainstream of "focused attention" practices, and the EEG signature reflects this. TM, on the other hand, is described as mind-wandering, taught in terms of mind-wandering, and the theoretical explanation for how it works is also in terms of mind-wandering. Not surprisingly, the EEG signature of TM is very similar to the EEG signature of mind-wandering, albeit "more so." L ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <sharelong60@...> wrote : But Curtis, you already have some big filters: one, and imo the most significant one, that it's preferable to come to a new experience as filter free as possible. Shouldn't we challenge this belief too? And two, don't you already have some significant filters about mindfulness simply from reading about it here and elsewhere? Not to mention, from all your experiences and beliefs around TM? And Richard, how can we possibly separate belief and practice completely? I don't think we can simply because we don't live our lives with our heads cut off from our bodies! On Thursday, May 1, 2014 10:39 PM, "curtisdeltablues@..." <curtisdeltablues@...> wrote: I believe this is what Sam Harris is advocating, separating the practices from the beliefs. I do not believe all meditations lead to the same mental states. TM has never been taught this way through the organization so I guess we don't know what innocent TM practice would be like.Even after dropping the beliefs my TM practice was influenced by what I had previously believed about it. Shaping our beliefs about the practice was a huge priority for Maharishi. I am hoping to enjoy mindfulness sitting with less concept clutter. Of course I can only be marginally successful with this goal, but I am not presently reading a bunch of stuff about it yet. Someday I'm sure I will, but I would like some more "less filtered" experience first. This is pretty much the reverse of how I approached TM. ---In FairfieldLife@yahoogroups.com, <punditster@...> wrote : On 5/1/2014 9:43 PM, curtisdeltablues@... mailto:curtisdeltablues@... wrote: It's all the same Unified Field once you get going. C: Although Sam Harris practices a form of meditation that came from the Buddhist traditions he does not self identify himself as a Buddhist. > The concepts and practices of "Buddhism", according to Stephen Batchelor, are not something to believe in but something to do. It is a practice that we can all engage in, regardless of our background or beliefs, as we live every day on the path to spiritual enlightenment. Basic TM is Buddhist yoga - it may be that MMY should have left it at that and retired back in 1955 instead of muddying the waters, so to speak. Basic TM should be able to stand on its own. That's what I think. Recommended: 'Buddhism Without Beliefs: A Contemporary Guide to Awakening' by Stephen Batchelor Riverhead Trade, 1998 This email is free from viruses and malware because avast! Antivirus http://www.avast.com/ protection is active.
