I called the Art of Living center in Boulder Colorado and spoke with
an individual who said that the Art of Living meditation technique is
different than the TM technique. He also said that there is an
emphasis on krias (purification practices) and pranayama in
conjunction with meditation. The meditation is called SaHaj in which
the attention is put on the heart along with the use of a mantra as
opposed to TM in which the mantra is effortlessly repeated with
transcending naturally occurring. To say that both techniques are
identical according to this individual is incorrect. He knows because
he was a TMer and learned SaHaj as taught by the Art of Living also.
So at this point, I've decided to go with TM for my daughter and hope
she likes it and sticks to it. This individual also mentioned that
there is no tension between Shankar and MMY, that MMY support
everything Shankar is doing. He also said that prices are negotiable,
students pay half the price and that there is no problem if someone
cannot afford to pay at all. He said that Shankar was a secretary of
MMY's and when he became enlightened, MMY encourage Shankar to go off
and teach with MMY's blessing. That according to this person I spoke
with, there never was a problem with MMY and Shankar. I get the
impression that many of the TMers who went with this group were
looking for a more personal relationship with a master/organization
which is what it sounds like, like what the TM organization was back
in the 60s early 70s, loosely conducted with a Guru who is very
assessable. Mark
