World Peace News: Top Stories

Peace in the Middle East: Scientific solution to a political problem?

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11 July 2009

Press Release*

June 30, 2009

Peace in the Middle East is easily within our grasp, as indicated by a new scientific paper published in the Journal of Scientific Exploration on 29 June 2009.

The study addresses the possibility that a relatively small group of people practising the Transcendental Meditation^™ and TM-Sidhi programme^®, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, twice daily together in a group can create peace in the Middle East.

The hypothesis is not new. Fifty studies have found that when 1% of the population practises Transcendental Meditation, or sufficiently large groups practise the TM-Sidhi programme together twice daily, it can have a positive influence on society as a whole. The studies show, for example, decreased violence, crime, car accidents, and suicides, and improved quality of life in a society. Critics had questioned the credibility of the evidence in light of the unconventional nature of the proposition.

The new analysis addresses this question more thoroughly than previously. It presents new statistical evidence that all credible conventional explanations—such as military and political events, public holidays, and the weather—could not explain the observed statistically significant changes in sociological variables shown in an earlier study on the influence of groups practising the TM-Sidhi programme (Orme-Johnson DW, Alexander CN, Davies JL, Chandler HM, & Larimore WE. International peace project in the Middle East: The effect of the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field. Journal of Conflict Resolution 1988 32:776-812, findings illustrated here). The observed changes in the Middle East included reductions in war deaths of 75%, war intensity of 45%, in crime of 12%, in fires of 30%, plus there were improvements in national mood of 27% and the stock market of 7% during the experimental period.

Although conventional factors did have a measurable influence on the level of violence and other sociological variables, the effect of the Transcendental Meditation group was, according to the researchers, both independent of these other factors and approximately two to five times stronger.

Brain research has found that Transcendental Meditation increases coherence in brain functioning. Lead author of the new study David Orme-Johnson, former Chairman of the Psychology Department at Maharishi University of Management, suggests that: 'Given the assumption of Maharishi's theory that individuals are the units of collective consciousness, increased coherence at the individual level could be expected to have a positive effect on the population level.'

According to a number of earlier studies, this effect is magnified when, in addition to Transcendental Meditation, the more advanced TM-Sidhi programme, which includes Yogic Flying, is practised in a group. In this case, the square root of 1% of a population practising Yogic Flying in a group is the threshold at which changes in social trends begin to be observed. Interestingly, this effect appears to be irrespective of national borders and different cultures. According to the theory, a group of 10,000 generating such an influence of coherence would be sufficient to noticeably influence the collective consciousness of the whole world.

If the science is so watertight, and the potential benefits so great, the obvious question, then, is: Why has no one yet established such a group anywhere in the world? One reason why policy makers have been reluctant to do so is that they take the view that conventional military and political factors must have more influence than Transcendental Meditation and Yogic Flying. However, the new research has shown that this assumption is quite incorrect.

A coherence-creating group of 10,000 people could be established for less than 0.2% of the world's military expenditure, and yet, according to the research, could ensure a stable state of world peace.

The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, founded by the award-winning filmmaker, joined with Paul McCartney in April to raise funds to teach Transcendental Meditation to one million at-risk children. The benefit concert in New York is said to have raised £2m on ticket sales and fund raising continues. The philanthropic Foundation is already involved in teaching Transcendental Meditation in schools in the Middle East with the explicit aim of creating permanent peace in the region.

Dr. Orme-Johnson is available for interview: Website: http://www.truthabouttm.org/

Dr. David Leffler is available for interview and to set up interviews with other military-related people. See this website: http://www.invinciblemilitary.org/
Tel 001 845-489-8653.

APPENDICES

A: What academics have said about the Maharishi Effect
B: Key facts about Transcendental Meditation
C: TM-Sidhi programme
D: Brief history of the Maharishi Effect
E: Some research references on the Maharishi Effect, showing changes in conflict, crime, and other sociological indicators
F: Peer-reviewed journals that have published research on the Maharishi Effect
G: Publications that recently ran articles on this topic
H: Military-related academic publications and presentations
I: Military-related leaders who support implementation

Global Good News comment:

* This press release was published in its entirety in Beirut-Online on 1 July 2009.

In the coming days, Global Good News will feature Appendices A-I.

For information about Maharishi's seven-point programme to create a healthy, happy, prosperous society, and a peaceful world, please visit: Global Financial Capital of New York.

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