PhD Dissertations by MUM Students – Maharishi Vedic Science

The full-text pdf copies of all University PhD dissertations published since mid-1996 are now available free online to on-campus users.

All users can order any of the University dissertations for a fee by using the “Order” link on the citations below or on the abstract pages to which they link. Additional pre-1996 dissertations will be available for free to on-campus users in the future.

Dissertations [Updates: In Progress]

Aoki, Karen Martha — Maharishi Vedic Science

Investigating the Therapeutic Effects of Reading the Vedic Literature

Order No. 10237108

This dissertation presents the theory and tests the hypothesis that reading Sanskrit literature from the ancient Vedic tradition of India for its sound value in conjunction with the practice of the Transcendental Meditation ® technique and TM-Sidhi® program will have therapeutic effects upon the mind and body. The fundamental principles of the Maharishi Reading Vedic Literature program are based on the theories put forth by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder of Maharishi Vedic Science and Maharishi International University, and the research by Tony Nader, M.D., Ph.D., who identifies a one-to-one correspondence in structure and function between different branches of Vedic literature and different parts of the human physiology.

Maharishi considers the Vedic texts to be the reverberating frequencies of a field of intelligence that lies at the basis of creation and are, therefore, reverberating at the basis of the human physiology. Maharishi explains that reading aloud the texts of Vedic literature in sequence will train the physiology to align itself with the evolutionary sequence of natural law, thus restoring balance and health in the physiology. Nader’s findings further support this hypothesis by positing that reading each branch of Vedic literature will enliven intelligence in corresponding anatomical structures.

My research period consisted of reading Vedic literature for three to four hours per day between twice-daily practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique and TM-Sidhi program. Through a self-reporting methodology, I found the following results: Reading Vedic literature in sequence resulted in markedly improved physical, mental, and emotional health as well as increased vitality, emotional and physical strength, awareness, intuition, confidence, and happiness. While this program is still in exploratory stages, my results suggest that the Maharishi Reading Vedic Literature program may have profound effects on health and well-being and, therefore, holds great promise as an effective tool for self-development.

Beall, Richard Arthur — Maharishi Vedic Science

Development and evaluation of Maharishi Science of Creative Intelligence® curriculum for secondary education

Order No. 9636933

This dissertation describes a comprehensive research, development, and evaluation project with the Maharishi Science of Creative IntelligenceSM (MSCI) curriculum for secondary education. This science of consciousness was established by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to systematically investigate the source, development, range, and goal of consciousness. It includes the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® programs for direct experience of Pure Consciousness, the Unified Field of Natural Law, in the simplest form of human awareness. Intellectual understanding of this experience and its significance for human development is provided for secondary students by curricula in Maharishi Science of Creative Intelligence.

The project began with a five-part needs assessment to evaluate the current implementation of the secondary level MSCI curriculum at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment® (K-12) in Fairfield, Iowa. This established the goal for the project–to develop a comprehensive sequenced MSCI curriculum which would address the needs and interests of secondary students at the development site and in Consciousness- BasedSM secondary schools around the world.

The researcher reviewed the literature of Maharishi Science of Creative Intelligence to determine what material should be included in an MSCI program for secondary educations. The results were presented in Standards for Curriculum and Instruction in Maharishi Science of Creative Intelligence for Secondary Education.

Simultaneously the researcher organized and coordinated a curriculum development team which formulated broad curriculum plans for grades 7-12, MSCI Curriculum Overviews, with descriptions, goals, and objectives for twenty-seven instructional units. Sample Units were developed containing detailed instructional materials.

A formative evaluation of the proposed curriculum was conducted with curriculum experts, teachers, and administrators to determine the degree to which these curriculum documents satisfied established professional standards. The project represented the completion of the first two stages of large- scale curriculum planning: determination of general aims and planning of curriculum. Future stages will include elaboration of the MSCI curricula, tryouts, field trials, and large-scale implementation, with evaluation strategies for each stage. Note: The curriculum materials are of a proprietary nature and are not included in the body of the dissertation.

Maharishi Science of Creative Intelligence, Maharishi Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs, Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment, and Consciousness-Based Education are service marks licensed to Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation and used under sublicense. Source: DAI, 57, no. 07A, (1996): 2827

Bonshek, Anna Jean — Maharishi Vedic Science

Art — A mirror of consciousness: applying universal principles in art and theory on the basis of the description of pure consciousness, the universal source of individual consciousness, history, culture, language and art, according to Maharishi’s Vedic Science — with an analysis of the Vastusutra Upanishad.

Order No. 9701127

This thesis explores the theme of universal value in art and theory, and examines selected sutras of the Vastusutra Upanisad, a Vedic text on art, from the perspective of Maharishi’s Vedic Science — a complete science and technology of consciousness — in order to demonstrate that universal value and meaning can be spontaneously expressed in art by the universal human being and that the Vastusutra Upanisad is the expression of a universal field of self-referral consciousness.

In considering this topic it was necessary to address issues in contemporary theory arising from conflicts between modern, Indian, and postmodern theories, and to show how the principles of Maharishi’s Vedic Science, while supporting cultural integrity, are beyond cultural relativism and reconcile the above approaches. Presenting a universally applicable view of history as an infinite cycle of periods throughout time, culture and language as the expression of Laws of Nature, geographic and climatic conditions of a locality, and art and aesthetics as the manifestation of a universal, unmanifest, Absolute, field of pure consciousness or Natural Law at the basis of individual and cultural life, this science presents a holistic perspective on culture, art and theory. Natural Law, the underlying field of the basis of creation, is experienced as the simplest form of human awareness through the practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs.

By developing consciousness through these technologies, the artist can create art which, having an integrated formal unity, reflects the unified basis of creation and inspires the viewer to experience a unified sense of self — the Cosmic Self. This view differs from the elitism of Hegelian modernism and deconstructive postmodernism, where, as articulated by Lyotard and Kosuth, art, as part of customary knowledge, is a language game unable to impart absolute knowledge or meaning.

In addition, by discussing how through its self-referral nature consciousness gives rise to frequencies which are expressed in Sanskrit as the Vedic Literature and applying this understanding to an analysis of selected aphorisms of the Vastusutra Upanisad this thesis suggests that the text is an expression of consciousness. Source: DAI, 57, no. 08A, (1996): 3306

Brown, Susan May — Maharishi Vedic Science

Unity and diversity in Maharishi Vedic Science, higher states of consciousness, and a study of undergraduate student development

Order No. 3318934

Throughout the ages, the wise have recognized the unity of existence and sought to live this amidst the diversity of life. This dissertation discusses the ancient wisdom of unity found in the Vedic science of India, as brought to light by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi as Maharishi Vedic Science. It presents Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs as the means to develop higher states of consciousness, the basis for integration of life. Research on the effects of these programs for mind, body, and behavior is reviewed, and their source in the ancient knowledge of Yoga, found in the Yoga Sutra and Bhagavad-Gita.

Application of this knowledge in Consciousness-Based education is discussed as a means to unify the diverse branches of knowledge and support integrated student development, for growth of maturity and wisdom. Undergraduate education at Maharishi International University, Fairfield, Iowa, USA, is reviewed, giving insight into culturing higher consciousness in students’ formative years. Research is presented on outcomes of Consciousness-Based education, particularly for student development.

Results of an original longitudinal study are reported, involving 140 undergraduate students at Maharishi International University. Measures included self-reporting of experiences of growth of consciousness, and standardized tests of ego development (using Loevinger’s Washington University Sentence Completion Test, as extended by Cook-Greuter) and constructive thinking, as indicators of maturity, wisdom, and effective action. Analysis of variance revealed a significant increase in ego development (p = 0.04), with the mean shifting from Self-Aware (freshmen) to Conscientious (seniors). As seniors, 29.2% of the students were at postconventional ego development stages, compared to approximately 10% of the general population. Three sub-scales of constructive thinking also increased significantly (Global Constructive Thinking, p = 0.001; Behavioral Coping, p = 0.004; Emotional Coping, p = 0.002). Self-rated frequency of experiences increased significantly (Transcending, p = 0.004; Witnessing sleep, p = 0.002). Students’ descriptions of their experiences are included.

This data supports the value of applying Maharishi Vedic Science in undergraduate education, to help young people grow in wisdom, capacity for leadership, and the ability to contribute to balance and peace in our diverse world family.

Eason, Rod — Maharishi Vedic Science

Growth of Consciousness Through a Systematic Program of Reading Vedic Literature in Conjunction with the Vedic Calendar

Order No. 3475628

From the varied platforms of philosophy, modern psychology and quantum physics, the phenomenon of consciousness has been discussed for centuries. Scientists in every generation have endeavored—though both objective and subjective means—to gain deeper knowledge about its nature, relationship with the brain and, more recently, a possible connection to a unified quantum field theory. In the last half century, a systematic theory of consciousness—Maharishi Vedic Science—has emerged based on ancient teachings found in the Vedic Literature coupled with a modern, insightful interpretation by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Several technologies of consciousness including Maharishi‘s Transcendental Meditation have been well documented for producing a wide range of individual and social benefit.

This dissertation discusses the theoretical foundations and practical application of Maharishi Vedic Science as a model for subjective research in consciousness, and presents the results of a three-year self-study on reading Vedic Literature in conjunction with the Vedic calendar. The dissertation begins with a comparative view of modern science and Maharishi Vedic Science, the combination of which represent a new paradigm for the advancement of scientific knowledge. The nature of consciousness is considered from several points of view including methods of research, logic and reasoning, correlation with the physiology and subjective and objective views of reality. The structure of knowledge, its relationship to consciousness and its expression in the VedicLiterature is also brought to light with examples of the text included.

Throughout history, lunar and solar calendars have been used as a way of monitoring and giving recognition to the laws of nature that constitute the cycles of time. In the Vedic calendar, the Vedic Devata are seen as the personification of those laws. The connection between the Vedic Devata and the Vedic calendar is discussed at length, with suggestions on specific texts to read on specific days. Through a systematic program of extended daily reading of the Vedic Literature, the author found numerous personal experiences of growth of consciousness, many of which corresponded to the predicted qualities of nature associated with each day or text being read.

Fergusson, Lee C. — Maharishi Vedic Science

Maharishi’s Vedic science and post-secondary art education  

Order No. 9205205

This study examines new directions in post-secondary art education showing that most theories of current educational practice are based on the revisionary postmodern paradigm. Theorists who adopt this view have realized the need to develop students in ways that promote greater awareness of their role in pluralist societies. In this thesis, the difficulties associated with achieving the goals of revisionary postmodern art education are discussed, and the significance of Maharishi’s Vedic Science® in resolving them is introduced.

Brought to light by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and restored to its former status as a science of complete knowledge, Vedic Science is said to systematically describe the total range of life. According to Maharishi, life has its source in the unmanifest field of pure consciousness, the home of all the laws of nature. Through its own internal mechanics, pure consciousness is said to sequentially give rise to the laws of nature and ultimately to the physical universe. Maharishi’s Vedic Science provides practical, universal procedures through which the complete knowledge of both pure consciousness and its expressions as the material universe can be directly experienced and known on the level of one’s own consciousness. Specifically, Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® program has proved effective in this regard.

The study considers in detail the rationale, goals, instructional procedures, and outcomes of a university art program that applied Maharishi’s Vedic Science. Evaluation of this program utilized a multiple-methods case study employing eight quantitative measures and three qualitative components to document the effects. Results suggest that Maharishi’s Vedic Science significantly impacts the lives of students and faculty, particularly in the areas of development of consciousness, enthusiasm for art, and art abilities.

As a result of this initial inquiry into post-secondary art education, it was proposed that Maharishi’s Vedic Science suggests immediate and practical ways to resolve some of the present difficulties associated with revisionary theories of art education, particularly those that call upon educators to develop a complete individual capable of upholding plurality and yet sensitive to the needs of culturing harmony and progress in the family of nations. Source: DAI, 52, no. 09A, (1991): 3158

Finkelstein, Evan I. — Maharishi Vedic Science

Universal principles of life expressed in Maharishi Vedic Science and in the scriptures and writings of judaism, Christianity, and Islam

Order No. 3173294

This dissertation examines principles of Maharishi Vedic Science®—the Science and Technology of Consciousness—in relation to the scriptures and writings of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam.

The dissertation is motivated by the desire to test the premise that principles of Maharishi Vedic Science are present within these religious traditions. Judaism, Christianity, and Islam are selected based on the presumption that these three traditions might be considered most distinct from the Vedic tradition of the founder of Maharishi Vedic Science, His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Five principles are selected that are judged to be fundamental to Maharishi Vedic Science to provide the basis for the study. These five principles can be concisely expressed in religious terminology as follows: 1) God is the ultimate reality of unbounded consciousness. Divinity is the source of creation and is simultaneously infinite silence and infinite creative dynamism. He is total knowledge and infinite organizing power—the unlimited existence of all possibilities. 2) The main purpose of human life is to become fully aligned and consciously integrated with Divinity so that humanity can live a life of peace, abundance, and fulfillment. 3) The ultimate cause of all problems and suffering in human existence is based in the ignorance of how to directly experience and permanently integrate the Divine in daily life. 4) To contact the Divine, one must learn how to allow the mind to naturally transcend the space-time boundaries of manifest creation and directly come to the experience of the transcendental light of God within. 5) The complete and lasting integration of the Divine in human life involves a process of development of higher states of consciousness. The four higher states of consciousness that are possible for humanity to realize are Transcendental Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, God Consciousness, and Unity Consciousness.

Analysis of the texts of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam reveals numerous examples of these principles of Maharishi Vedic Science. Analyzing the traditions in the context of these principles also uncovers a remarkable commonality in both theology and spiritual experience. The underlying unity among the traditions indicates a significant basis for increased acceptance and cooperation.

Freeman, Marci Tanner — Maharishi Vedic Science

Enlivening Veda in consciousness and physiology by reading the Vedic Literature in conjunction with the experience of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi

Order No. 9713469

This paper examines how reading the ancient Vedic Literature in its original Sanskrit could accelerate the development of human consciousness, when routinely added to the practice of the Transcendental Meditation® and TM- Sidhi® programs brought to light by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The practice of these prognms has been found to develop higher levels of intelligence, power, and joyfulness, as extensively validated in scientific research. Maharishi predicts that this development is enhanced by reading the sounds of the Vedic Literature.

Clarifying long-standing misinterpretations concerning thc nature of this Literature, Maharishi identifies it as the expressions or sound frequencies of the Laws of Nature structuring progress throughout all physical creation. Hence, the reverberations of Vedic sounds express the same intelligence of Nature basic to human consciousness and physiology. This structural correlation means that focusing attention, or consciousness, on Vedic sounds by reading them aloud creates corresponding resonances at the physiological structural level. Through the physiology, Maharishi predicts, this resonance modifies all sensory, cognitive, and behavioral processes in the direction of greater knowledge (intelligence), self-sufficiency and efficiency (power), and happiness (bliss).

The author tested both general and specific predictions regarding the value of Vedic Literature by routinely reading aloud from each of its branches in addition to practicing the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs. This paper considers this exploratory research by reviewing journal entries of the author’s personal experiences perceived due to this combined program. These experiences included: increased happiness, optimism, and self-regard; emotions, thoughts, speech, and behavior spontaneously more appropriate; greater effectiveness in activity; more efficient physiological functioning; increased intellectual understanding; and a more highly integrated experience of life.

The exploratory nature of this research precludes confirming the value of reading Vedic Literature on the basis of this exploratino, which simply intended to discover the existence of any effects from this practice. However, the reported results give preliminary support to Maharishi’s predictions and justify further research in this area. Investigations based on Maharishi’s knowledge may well demonstrate the potential of reading the Vedic Literature for transforming the quality of human life. Source: DAI, 57, no. 11A, (1997): 4712

de Freitas, Graham Anthony — Maharishi Vedic Science

A case study of His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s program for reading Vedic literature: Revealing the effect of Vedic sounds on growth towards higher states of consciousness, enhanced intuition, and increasingly refined poetic expression

Order No. 3053341

This case study examined the premise that reading aloud the Sanskrit literature from the Vedic Tradition of India would have beneficial effects on the mind, body and behavior of the reader. In Maharishi Vedic Science®, a unique science of consciousness, His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi identifies the Veda and Vedic Literature as vibrational modes of pure consciousness and the sounds of these texts as the frequencies of Natural Law governing the evolution of creation. If the Vedic Literature is read aloud regularly after practice of the Transcendental Meditation program, the predicted effect is growth towards higher states of consciousness.

The researcher, who was trained to pronounce Devanagari Sanskrit text but not to understand the meaning, read 35 areas of Vedic Literature over three years, kept a journal and wrote poetry about his experiences.

During the reading sessions, the researcher observed two particular indicators of growth of Cosmic Consciousness: witnessing and spontaneous life-supporting activity. The witnessing occurred when the reading proceeded automatically and effortlessly while he simultaneously experienced silence and expansion inside. The life- upporting activity came in the form of intuitive prompts to correct mistakes in the sequence of sounds. Since Maharishi Vedic Science considers safeguarding the sequence of sounds equivalent to protecting the basic sequence of the evolution of nature, these spontaneous intuitions had the property of being fundamentally `life-
supporting.’

Experiences after reading included increased reverence, greater acceptance of death and dying, more ease in life and other markers of growth towards higher states of consciousness. Analysis of the poems written over the three years, according to a model of communication based on Maharishi Vedic Science, showed improved effectiveness in using images and avoiding interpretation in the poems.

The researcher argues that practiced innocence reduced subject/researcher bias and that his observations are intrinsically no less reliable than objective measurements.
Though this study replicated other case studies, it contributes original results for reading Vedic literature and is part of an original doctoral program which trains scholars while profoundly enhancing self-development. Several new directions for research on reading Vedic Literature are recommended.

Freund, Peter F. — Maharishi Vedic Science

Vedic literature reading curriculum, Volume 1

Order No. 3222115

The Vedic reserve website presents nearly 50,000 pages of consistently type-set Devanagari text as an ordered, sequential program of reading of more than 300 heretofore scattered texts of the Vedic Literature that have been identified by Maharishi Maharishi Yogi as the essential components of a simple and universal curriculum of total knowledge.

In this program, first proposed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in 1991, students read the entire Vedic Literature in sequence from beginning to end in Sanskrit. Practical benefits of this reading program have been verified in a series of dissertations at Maharishi International University.

In this dissertation a model curriculum of reading the Vedic Literature is presented for the six Vedanga, a group of texts encompassing the Vedic sciences of phonetics. Yajna, grammar, etymology, prosody, and Vedic astrology. Included in this model curriculum are samples of each text, description of the content and structure of each text, and presentation of the correlates in human physiology, based on the research of Dr. Tony Nader. Fifty-four Shiksha texts and 72 Kalpa texts are reviewed; the Ashtadhyayi is described along with five satellite texts; Nirukta, and its word list, the Nighantu, is described, the Pingalachhandas-Sutra is presented as the textbook of Chhandas, the fifth Vedanga, and 15 texts belonging to Jyotish, Vedic astrology and astronomy, are described. In all. 150 texts belonging to the Vedanga are described, and the proper sequence and program of reading is laid out

For the 30 remaining branches of Vedic Literature that students read, 180 individual texts are identified and referenced, and an overview of the structure and the beginning and ending paragraphs of each text is presented.

Finally, the inner dynamics of the program of reading Vedic Literature is explained in terms of a revival of the ancient Vedic science of phonetics brought about by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Locating all eight vowels (Svara) of the Vedic language in the first syllable of Rik Veda, Maharishi’s science of speech synthesizes the traditional knowledge of Shiksha, Sanskrit phonetics, with the knowledge of modern physiology, physics and cosmology in one all-encompassing science of Total Natural Law.

Goldstein, Leslee — Maharishi Vedic Science

The Effect of the Transcendental Meditation® Technique on Self-Efficacy, Perceived Stress, and Quality of Life in Mothers in Uganda: A Model of Empowerment From Within

Order No. 3629592

Women in Uganda are among the most impoverished and least empowered in the world, living with a high degree of psychological distress and low quality of life. The purpose of this study was to explore the effect of the Transcendental Meditation® (TM®) program on self-efficacy (one’s perceived ability to deal with challenges in life, and a critical component of empowerment), perceived stress, and mental and physical quality of life in women in Uganda.

A controlled study was conducted with 81 women who were served by a women’s empowerment organization in Kampala, Uganda. The participants were primarily single, illiterate mothers, average age 28 years. Subjects were assigned to either practice of the Transcendental Meditation program (n=42) or wait-list (delayed start) control group (n=39). The Transcendental Meditation technique is an effortless, systematic mental procedure practiced twice daily for 20 minutes.

Participants were measured using three questionnaires: the General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and Medical Outcomes Survey-HIV (MOS-HIV) with mental and physical health subscales. The primary outcome was self-efficacy, which affects overall mental and physical quality of life and is impacted by stress. Participants were administered all measures at baseline and three-month posttest.

Analysis of co-variance (ANCOVA) with baseline dependent scores as covariates was used. Results found an increase in self-efficacy ( p < .001), a decrease in perceived stress (p < .010), and improvement in mental and physical quality of life (p < .007).

Findings suggest that the Transcendental Meditation technique can by considered a practical method for developing empowerment in the lives of mothers in Uganda, by developing one’s sense of personal competence, or self-efficacy, by reducing perceived stress, and enhancing mental and physical quality of life, and thereby improving one’s ability to cope with, take initiative, and persevere in effectively handling life’s challenges. The TM technique ® is presented here as a new model for developing empowerment from within.

Hankey, Deborah Ann — Maharishi Vedic Science

The awakening of full human potential through Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s Vedic Science: Research on the experience of reading the Vedic literature

Order No. 9948662

This paper is part of a global research program on the development of human consciousness through the technologies of Maharishi‘s VedicScienceMaharishi‘s Vedic Science is a complete science of consciousness derived from the literature of the ancient Vedic tradition. The author explores the outcomes of the technology of reading the VedicLiterature in the original Sanskrit language.

The author hypothesized that reading the Vedic Literature would enhance the evolutionary influence of Maharishi‘s technologies for the development of consciousness, the Maharishi Transcendental [special characters omitted] and [special characters omitted] programs, by structuring orderliness in brain physiology and promoting powerful, productive thinking and successful, fulfilling action. The hypothesis is based on the knowledge that the Vedic Literature is significant for its sound value. The syllables, words, and verses of Vedic texts unfold in the perfect sequence of Nature’s own frequencies. Maharishi‘s VedicScience explains that the sounds comprising the Vedic Literature are fundamental frequencies at the basis of physical creation and of human physiology.

The author investigated physiological and other effects of adding the pronunciation of Vedic texts to the regular practice of Maharishi‘s technologies of consciousness. Subjective experiences, both during and outside the reading period, were recorded and evaluated in light of the principles and predictions of Maharishi‘s Vedic Science regarding the systematic growth of consciousness produced by reading the VedicLiterature. The author considered the extent to which the reading program enlivened qualities of consciousness expressed in the Vedic texts themselves and observed new patterns of thought, perception, and behavior arising from this enlivenment.

Research findings indicated that reading the Vedic Literature strengthened various fundamental qualities of consciousness, as predicted by Maharishi, and consolidated the growth of experience in the direction of higher states of consciousness. As a result, the author recommends adding the reading exercise to the regular practice of Maharishi Transcendental [special characters omitted] and [special characters omitted] programs to accelerate the development of full human potential. The author suggests further avenues of research in education where increased orderliness of brain functioning may enhance cognitive functioning and facilitate the learning experience.

Hatchard, G. D. — Maharishi Vedic Science

Maharishi Vedic Economy: wholeness on the move: an analysis of improved quality of life and enhanced economic performance through the application of the Maharishi Effect in New Zealand, Norway, USA, Mozambique, and metropolitan Merseyside, UK.

Order No. 9971789

This dissertation studies improvements in economy and quality of life in New Zealand, Norway, USA, Mozambique, and metropolitan Merseyside, UK through the Maharishi Effect created when 1% of a population practice the Transcendental Meditation® program or when the square root of 1% of a population practice the Maharishi TM-Sidhi® program including Yogic Flying in a group twice-daily.

Time series analysis shows that crime fell in Merseyside by 13.4% in 1988 (p <0.00006) when the size of a group of Yogic Flyers in nearby Skelmersdale exceeded the Maharishi Effect threshold.

The economies of New Zealand and Norway were examined before and after they passed the Maharishi Effect threshold in 1993 with reference to the IMD Index of National Competitive Advantage compiled from over 224 economic and social statistics. The scores of New Zealand and Norway increased significantly when they passed the predicted threshold as shown by panel regression analysis robust to serially correlated errors, heteroscedasticity, and contemporaneous correlation of residuals (p < 3 x 10-15). Subsidiary analysis and OECD data confirmed that the changes were broad-based (p < 3.5 x 10-8), sustained, and balanced in nature with five years of high growth, low unemployment, and low inflation. Economic data from Mozambique, and USA reveal a similar picture of stable economic growth along with capacity to resist economic shocks and repay government debt.

A research-based estimate of the dollar savings and revenue generation through the implementation of the Maharishi Effect in the education and health systems or in the military is calculated. For every $1 spent on creating the Maharishi Effect, government savings are estimated as up to $5,600 from the national budget through increased GDP, reduced crime and conflict, improved health, and reduced unemployment.

Maharishi Vedic EconomySM theory is explored as a prescription for balanced and sustained growth for society, and health and well being for the individual. These theoretical considerations are developed with reference to both models from physical theory and the human factors of economy including creativity, innovation, and health. A literature review of over 250 studies of the impact of the Transcendental Meditation program on health shows that all categories of quality of life measures used by health economists are improved. Source: DAI, 61, no. 04B (2000): p. 2271

Hebert, John Russell — Maharishi Vedic Science

Restructuring consciousness theory from its foundation in light of Maharishi Vedic Science.

Order No. 3318942

Most contemporary neuroscience theories of consciousness are object-referral based on zero-lag phase synchrony in the gamma frequency. The alpha frequency has for the most part been left out of consciousness theory, even though it is the first frequency to appear in the EEG upon waking up and the first to disappear during sleep onset. This orientation of neuroscience to object-referral consciousness reflects a classical physics, reductionist model of consciousness. Maharishi Vedic Science presents a different theoretical perspective on consciousness, a model that includes object-referral consciousness but in addition includes what is called self-referral consciousness. Alpha was selected for study because of previous work showing enhanced alpha coherence during Transcendental Meditation. Also alpha in Transcendental Meditation may be linked to self-referral consciousness.

The study examines the EEG alpha phase synchrony in fifteen long-term practitioners of Transcendental Meditation who were investigated during eyes-closed and Transcendental Meditation practice. Twelve controls were evaluated for EEG changes during eyes-closed rest.

The study found higher alpha phase synchrony. Subsequent re-analysis of the data also found higher long-range alpha coherence during Transcendental Meditation compared to eyes closed. Significant changes were found globally and most prominently in long-range EEG connections during meditation practice as compared to eyes-closed resting. No changes were found in controls. The alpha coherence findings replicate previous findings. The alpha phase synchrony is a new finding.

The results are used to describe stationary zero-lag alpha as the benchmark of consciousness. The beginning point or “ground state” may consist of a zero-lag whole-head alpha field associated with subjectively unified states during Transcendental Meditation. The finding of phase synchrony over the whole cortex gives evidence for stationary standing wave patterns.

The results suggest that alpha is the primary resonant frequency of the brain capable of generating standing waves. In addition, physicists have laid importance on global EEG phase patterns in the brain as a link to resonance phenomena in quantum models. Thus, the dissertation research and theoretical discussions presents a paradigm shift from gamma orientation to alpha; a turnaround in emphasis from object-referral to self-referral orientation, and a shift from classical physics to a quantum physics model.

Hensley, Park — Maharishi Vedic Science

Maharishi Vedic Science and the Upānga as a Framework for Scientific Methodology

Order No. 3629748

Maharishi Vedic Science and the Upānga provide criteria to validate complete knowledge. This dissertation investigates how well modern science satisfies these criteria. The goals are to place modern science into a completely unified framework, locate the unmanifest source of any object of knowledge in the unified field, and apply this knowledge for a completely unified experience of nature. Maharishi Vedic Science is a revival of the holistic nature of Vedic Science by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. It accomplishes this through analysis of the properties of the object and by subjective technologies to directly experience the ultimate source of the object. Modern science is an objective approach through repeated experimentation of model-derived hypotheses. Even in this objective approach, physics has developed much more refined understanding of matter than Newton’s historical view of matter as separate, hard, and impenetrable. With discovery of the unified field, a standard much closer to the Upānga has been achieved in physics. But the question remains whether a strictly objective approach accounts for both objectivity and subjectivity, as in the Upānga. The most successful physical theory is “”The Standard Model””, but it does not completely unify fundamental forces. Advanced string and loop quantum gravity theories are progressing toward a mathematically elegant unified field theory. This progress is inexorably from concrete physical to abstract non-physical levels. But because of its objective third-person approach, physics views the unified field as extending the physical. On the other hand, the Upānga incorporate the first-person approach, and identify the unified field as also the most fundamental level of subjectivity, pure consciousness. Recent progress connects quantum field theory to information field theory, which implicitly acknowledges intelligence, meaning, and subjectivity. This field underlies matter and energy, and is underlain itself by the unified field. Because subjectivity is understood as too variable, modern science has relied solely on the objective approach to eliminate this variability. It does not provide complete knowledge of the knower. Maharishi Vedic Science restores the field of knowledge to completeness by identifying the unified field as the single source of objectivity and subjectivity, the unified field of consciousness itself.

King, Jeams Lynwood — Maharishi Vedic Science

Fundamentals of Maharishi Vedic Science

Order No. 3269319

Developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to accelerate human evolution, Maharishi Vedic ScienceSM is consciousness-based: its theories and programs promote connection with the field of consciousness deep within individual and cosmic life. Fundamentals of Maharishi Vedic Science examines the insights and principles which define and support these theories and programs. Understanding its fundamental ideas reveals how Maharishi Vedic Science systematically enlivens the field of consciousness, improving every aspect of life.

Part I. Consciousness and Veda highlights fundamentals concerning the nature of consciousness and its infinite creativity. It views consciousness as the source and essential constituent of all subjective and objective aspects of the universe. The dynamics of creation within consciousness are outlined: how, in a self-referral manner, this unmanifest field generates all manifest forms and phenomena. Included is an explanation of how infinite creativity within consciousness is harnessed by developing higher states of consciousness, which result from direct experience of pure consciousness, the simplest form of human awareness.

The structure of consciousness is described as Veda, the total potential of Natural Law and blueprint of creation. Forty Aspects of Veda and Vedic Literature represent 40 qualities of consciousness ultimately expressed as speech, matter, the human physiology and the entire cosmos.

Part II. Foundations of Enlightenment examines technologies which enliven pure consciousness. Maharishi YogaSM , including Transcendental Meditation®; Maharishi JyotishSM , the Vedic science of prediction; Maharishi Sthapatya VedaSM , Vedic architecture; and Maharishi Gandharva VedaSM music all establish nourishing integration between inner consciousness and outer activity.

Part III. Restructuring Society: New Principles of Healthcare, Education, Management, Government, Defense and Creative Expression examines theories which foster well-being in every sector of society. When social institutions become consciousness-based, good health becomes the rule, education produces graduates awake in the source of all knowledge, administration gains the efficiency of Nature’s administration, the infinite peace of pure consciousness is lived in the world family, and creative expression enlightens while entertaining. Through its fundamental insights and principles, Maharishi Vedic Science provides the missing ingredient to successful living–experience and understanding of the innermost, transcendental value of consciousness–thereby restoring the potential for life to be lived in happiness, abundance and fulfillment.

King, Michael Sandford — Maharishi Vedic Science

Nature’s intelligence or human reason? Natural Law in Maharishi’s Vedic Science and in legal and ethical thought.

Order No.9735104

Most Western natural law theories assert that there is an order in nature from which universal moral norms–‘natural law’–can be derived through a process of reasoning for the purpose of promoting right conduct and just law. Criticisms of these theories include: fallacious reasoning–in attempting to derive an ‘ought’ from an ‘is’–being inevitably colored by the theorist’s subjectivity, and offering no practical formula for achieving their purpose.

Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s new approach to natural law avoids these problems. Unlike natural law theories, his Vedic Science is not based on a process of reasoning, but on a universal, invariant field of pure consciousness, which although not commonly experienced, is the fundamental level of awareness–the Self. Within pure consciousness, Maharishi teaches, is the blueprint of nature, the universal, impersonal intelligence ordering the universe, which he calls ‘Natural Law.’ But he does not derive universal moral norms from it. Instead, his principle is that his Transcendental Meditationa® and TM-Sidhia® programs allow the awareness of anyone to effortlessly settle down from the surface levels that usually engage it to experience pure consciousness, thereby aligning individual intelligence with universal intelligence, dissolving stress in mind and body that causes errant behavior, and promoting right action and fulfillment in life.

Maharishi holds that stressed individuals create a stressed society, typified by chronic social problems and ineffective government. Such problems cannot be solved by moral codes, legislation, or law-enforcement alone, for they do not remove their underlying cause. Maharishi proposes collective practice of his Transcendental Meditation and TM Sidhi programs to dissolve stress in collective consciousness and promote positive trends in society, its government and law. Over 500 scientific studies verify Maharishi’s approach to promoting right conduct and an ideal, harmonious society.

This dissertation asserts that the practice of an inner self- development method to align individual intelligence with universal intelligence to promote wisdom, virtue, and right action was advocated by Aquinas–the classical natural law exponent–and by Plato, Stoic philosophers, and others, but that without self-development techniques the ideal of action in accord with natural law became distorted. Source: DAI, 58, no. 06A, (1997): 2243

Kinzel, Ria Miller — Maharishi Vedic Science

The use of an analytical model based on the sixteen elements of Nyaya in teaching English Literature with middle and high school students in consciousness-based education.

Order No. 3374436

This dissertation begins with an account of those principles and structures of consciousness presented by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi that are most pertinent to Consciousness-Based education, a system he developed with the primary goal of expanding the consciousness of students. A secondary but important goal is the achievement of excellence in the academic disciplines. Consciousness-Based education perceives pure consciousness as the ultimate reality, which may be experienced but not fully expressed in words. This renders doctrinaire definitions of ultimate truth suspect.

To integrate this perception of reality and these goals in the literature classroom, a critical-analytical approach is needed that recognizes both objective and subjective experience as essential to thought and understanding, and both heart and mind as essential elements of decision-making.

Nyaya, the Sanskrit text devoted to “distinguishing and deciding”, expresses the Vedic science of reasoning which contains sixteen points by which to test the procedure of gaining knowledge. This dissertation presents, describes and demonstrates a model of critical-analytical thinking based on these sixteen points or elements. In this model, nine of the elements are essential to decision-making, and eight of them contribute specifically to obstructing one of the essential nine. The elements have a sequential relationship, first breaking-down preconceptions and then creating new perceptions and conclusions.

This model has been systematically tested in the analysis of literature and also to a lesser degree in social studies. Because it has a firm structure and sequence the model provides teachers with a “map” by which to direct classroom discussion towards a recognizable conclusion while allowing students freedom to explore what interests them. It provides structure, sequence and great flexibility. It focuses on the process of decision-making rather than on the product. It facilitates exploration of concepts and themes in depth. Because the model students are applying is a model of their own thought process, they find applying it meaningful and significant to their own lives. Weaker students find the structure to be a helpful organizer of their own writing. Strong students use the new understanding gained to generate their own questions and to integrate it in original ways.

Kleinschnitz, Anne Christy Chapin — Maharishi Vedic Science

Reading the Vedic Literature: the approach in Maharishi’s Vedic Science for accelerating the development of consciousness.

Order No. 9701128

This exploratory self-study reports the effect of reading the Vedic Literature on development of consciousness, in a program formulated by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. The research consisted of two components: (1) regular daily reading in Sanskrit for its phonetic value and occasionally in English of the aspects of the traditional Vedic Literature, together with (2) twice daily practice of the Transcendental MeditationΠand TM-SidhiΠprograms, including Yogic Flying.

The theoretical foundations of this subjective research exist in Maharishi’s Vedic Science, an integrated science of consciousness that locates the source of all manifestation in a holistic, unmanifest field of pure intelligence or consciousness, also called the Unified Field of Natural Law. Maharishi has identified thirty qualities or essential characteristics of this field that served as organizing principles for evaluating and reporting the research results.

Maharishi’s Vedic Science explains that the Veda is knowledge structured in pure consciousness, the basic foundation of life, and is a “blueprint” of the inherent structure and sequential expression of Natural Law. The Vedic texts record the cognitions of ancient seers whose awareness was fully awake to its own self-referral fluctuations. Maharishi describes Rk Veda and the Vedic Literature as the eternal reverberations or fluctuations of the Unified Field of Natural Law within itself, and explains that these fluctuations or impulses of sound sequentially manifest into form, including forms of speech, the material particles of the manifest universe, and the human physiology.

Maharishi’s Vedic Science predicts that reading each Vedic text sequentially for the inherent organizing power of its sound value regulates and balances the brain physiology, trains the mind to flow spontaneously according to Natural Law, enlivens all qualities of Natural Law in the reader, and accelerates development of higher states of consciousness. Research results were in the predicted direction, and ‘bliss’ was the quality most enlivened. The conclusion recommends that anyone wishing to enhance and accelerate development of his or her full human potential read the Vedic Literature in Sanskrit for its orderly, evolutionary phonetic value, combined with research in consciousness through the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs. Source: DAI, 57, no. 08A, (1996): 3471

McQuiston, Tina Colleen — Maharishi Vedic Science

The Maharishi program for reading Vedic literature: Results utilizing the technology of Vedic sound in the light of Prachetana

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This dissertation documented the beneficial effects of the technology of Vedic Sound utilized in the Maharishi program for reading Vedic Literature to transform human awareness, physiology, and environment in the evolutionary direction of Natural Law.

His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has made his Vedic Science and Technologies of Consciousness (the Transcendental Meditation® technique, the TM-Sidhi® program, etc.) available throughout the world and over 600 scientific research studies have documented their benefits. The Maharishi program for reading the Vedic Literature is a Vedic Technology of Consciousness that involves specific procedures for reading verses of the Vedic Literature, not as an intellectual exercise, but as a technology of sound. Maharishi Vedic Science® identities Vedic Sound as the expression of the infinite silence and dynamism in self-referral consciousness — the Veda — that unfolds into specific frequencies of intelligence. These frequencies, expressed in the sounds of the forty branches of the Vedic Literature, embody the structure and structuring dynamics of Natural Law in self- referral consciousness responsible for the evolution of consciousness into all forms and phenomena in the universe including the human physiology.

This study on reading Vedic Literature found three areas of results of development of consciousness similar to: (1) benefits documented in the 600 scientific research studies, (2) Maharishi’s descriptions of higher states of consciousness, and (3) the forty structures and structuring dynamics of Natural Law available in the 40 branches of the Vedic Literature.

These results were presented using the Prachetana Chart format from Maharishi Vedic Science as a method of verifying personal experiences of development of consciousness through three angles of knowledge: the Vedic Literature, scientific research on growth of consciousness, and scientific principles. The Prachetana format connects individual experience to all streams of knowledge available in modern science and Maharishi Vedic Science.

The research results of this program documented over three years indicate that reading the sounds of the Vedic literature trains the brain and whole physiology to function in that same sequential flow of intelligence as the structure of Vedic Sound in self-referral consciousness, resulting in the development of human potential and higher states of consciousness.

Muehlman, John M. — Maharishi Vedic Science

Maharishi’s Vedic mathematics at the elementary level: improving achievement, affect, and mental mathematics through Vedic sutra based computation

Order No. 9431798

Maharishi’s Vedic Mathematics offers a new, holistic approach to mathematics and mathematics education. Its range extends from the most basic skills of counting and computation to the precise understanding of how the unified structure of pure consciousness knows and thereby quantifies its own infinite status. At the primary level, Maharishi’s Vedic Mathematics includes arithmetic operations based on Vedic sutras, the origin of number in the self-interacting dynamics of consciousness, and Maharishi’s Transcendental MeditationŒ technique.

On one level, the Vedic sutras describe actual algorithms for computation. However, Maharishi explains that on a deeper level, each sutra or aphorism produces a high degree of coherence and orderliness in the brain facilitating the rapid and precise solution to the computation. Their use in conjunction with the other technologies of Maharishi’s Vedic Mathematics cultures the ability of the mind to function from the level of pure consciousness–the unified field of all the laws of nature– while involved in solving a specific mathematical problem. This brings harmony with natural law, perfect accord with all the laws of nature.

Results from this empirical study of Vedic sutra based computation at the third grade level indicated that the general method of Vedic multiplication gave rise to significantly higher achievement scores, better retention, more mental mathematics, and greater overall enjoyment than the standard approach to multiplication. Also, results related to checking indicated that students were able to detect significantly more of their incorrect answers with the Vedic Check method as compared to the standard method of checking. After all students involved in the study knew both techniques of multiplication, 75 percent stated that they liked the Vedic sutra based approach the best and preferred to learn more about it next year.

Based on these results and the research review of Maharishi’s Transcendental MeditationŒ and TM-SidhiŒ program, a foundational area of Maharishi’s Vedic Mathematics, there is reason to conclude that Maharishi’s Vedic Mathematics connects mathematics to pure consciousness and develops the students’ ability to think and act in accord with the total potential of natural law while solving mathematics problems. Thus, Maharishi’s Vedic Mathematics is a means to develop the students’ full potential, enlightenment, as they grow in the skill of computation. Source: DAI, 55, no. 07A, (1994): 1861

Narayanan, Vijayakumari — Maharishi Vedic Science

Research in Consciousness and Reading the Vedic Literature: An Integrated Program Offered by Maharishi Vedic Science for the Development of Consciousness Through Vedic Sound

Order No. 3479903

This dissertation presents the results from the Maharishi Program for Reading Vedic Literature in the original Sanskrit, a doctoral program structured by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi to evaluate the benefits on the level of mind, body, and environment from regular use of Vedic sound.

The reading program is based on a unique understanding of the nature of the sounds of the Vedic Literature as fundamental frequencies of intelligence, the laws of nature responsible for all evolutionary processes in creation, including the human physiology. The prediction that reading the sounds or listening to them enlivens the fundamental field of intelligence accessible within human awareness, which is the source of Vedic sound, was verified by the results of the practice. It was observed that results arising from the previously adopted practices of the Transcendental Meditation technique and the TM-Sidhi program, comprising research in consciousness, were also enhanced, with all technologies accelerating growth towards higher states of consciousness.

The author found that reading the Vedic Literature in the prescribed manner produced two broad categories of results: i) a new category comprising cognitions and insights into the structuring dynamics of Veda and Vedic Literature and the nature of reality; and, ii) a category of eight pre-existing groups of experiences, which showed marked enhancement during the research phase. These groups were: i) refined perception; ii) refined feeling; iii) cognitions of Vedic Devata and other manifestations of the impulses of creative intelligence responsible for administering creation; iv) spontaneous right action, and experiences revealing the structuring and organizing power of natural law; iv) nature support, infinite correlation, and fulfillment of desires; vi) bliss; vii) intuition and premonition; and, viii) experiences of the Self as the witness.

The integrated practice of the technologies used in this program did not obscure the results arising from reading the Vedic Literature, but analysis also revealed the contribution made by both the “eyes-closed” and “eyes-open” methods to accelerated growth during the research phase, and more details of holistic growth of consciousness. Thus, the results show the value of this integrated approach for the holistic development of higher states of consciousness.

Oates, Patricia Ferguson — Maharishi Vedic Science

The program of reading Vedic literature in Maharishi Vedic Science: Fundamental principles and application

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This paper explores eight basic principles of a program of reading Vedic Literature for its sound value (in conjunction with the practice of the Maharishi Transcendental MeditationSM and TM-Sidhi® programs) and experiential results of applying this program as a research project in Maharishi Vedic ScienceSM. These principles of reading Vedic Literature are from the writings of His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, leading expert in the field of consciousness, and Dr. Tony Nader, M.D., Ph.D., an eminent scholar in neurophysiology and in Maharishi Vedic Science, who has documented one-to-one correspondences in structure and function between the human physiology and Vedic Literature.

Maharishi has clarified the unique nature of the sounds of Veda and Vedic Literature: these sounds or vibrations are spontaneously expressed within atma, the field of pure consciousness, due to its self-interacting nature. As reverberations of consciousness, these sounds are the laws of nature, the precursors and inner nature of material creation, including the human physiology. When one recites or listens to these sounds, therefore, the field of self-referral consciousness, the home of all the laws of nature, is enlivened.

Maharishi and Dr. Tony Nader indicate that reading Vedic Literature (1) cultures holistic brain function, (2) cultures the sequence of Natural Law, bringing life in accord with the laws of nature, (3) enlivens corresponding qualities of consciousness, (4) enlivens corresponding anatomic structures, (5) clears and balances the physiology, (6) enlivens the sequence of proper neuronal activity, (7) prepares a fertile ground for other technologies of Maharishi Vedic Science, and (8) enhances and accelerates growth of higher states of consciousness.

Reading Vedic Literature, the author found that experiences of growth of consciousness were marked and corresponded to the principles listed above. In addition to enriching experiences from the Transcendental Meditation® and TM-Sidhi® programs, reading Vedic Literature produced outcomes unique to this program. Future subjective and objective exploration will establish a fuller understanding of the nature and value of the program. In the meanwhile, this research project enhanced both knowledge of the field and holistic growth of the researcher.

Oates, Robert M. Jr. — Maharishi Vedic Science

Consciousness and the quantum: Maharishi’s self-interacting dynamics of consciousness as the interpretation of quantum mechanics

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From the beginning of the quantum era in 1900, physicists and philosophers wrestled unsuccessfully with the interpretation of quantum mechanics. Although the probabilistic predictions for large numbers of quantum events were impressively confirmed experimentally, no persuasive understanding of the workings of the quantum realm — and especially of the motions and interactions of individual quanta — had been offered. This dissertation intended to establish a consciousness-based interpretation of quantum mechanics through the comparison of what had been often called conventional quantum mechanics with Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s self-interacting dynamics of consciousness . In Part One, the current state of quantum interpretation was reviewed from a historical perspective, with the twin goals of (1) demonstrating that the materialist paradigm, along with its investigative modality, objective science, did not apply at the level of individual quanta and their interactions, and of (2) establishing conventional quantum mechanics as the most suitable and defensible version of quantum mechanics available (though it offered no understanding of the independent reality of the quantum realm). In Part Two, Maharishi’s theories of consciousness were laid out, with reliance as far as practicable on quotations from his published works, in the interests of both clarity and authenticity. Maharishi’s theories were shown to be based, not on individual consciousness, but rather on an unbounded, omnipresent field of consciousness (like the gravitational field or the electromagnetic field), which, by virtue of its nature as consciousness, knows itself, thus stirring up fluctuations or vibrations in the abstract field of consciousness that appear first as subtle sound and then as ‘material particles.’ In Part Three, quantum mechanics was compared against Maharishi’s theories of consciousness, resulting in point-for-point isomorphism in even the most arcane details. The conclusions were that (1) quantum mechanics and Maharishi’s self-interacting dynamics appeared to describe the same underlying reality, (2) aspects of quantum mechanics that appeared unresolvable conundrums, when viewed from the materialist perspective, appeared natural, and even necessary, from a consciousness-based perspective, and (3) Maharishi’s self-interacting dynamics of consciousness therefore appeared as the first comprehensive and persuasive interpretation of quantum mechanics, a consciousness-based interpretation including the motion and interactions of individual quanta.

Pearson, Craig Alan — Maharishi Vedic Science

The supreme awakening: Maharishi’s model of higher states of consciousness applied to the experiences of individuals through history (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi).

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This dissertation extends and elaborates a theory of human development which significantly advances what is commonly considered possible for human life. The research entailed collection and multiple analysis of historical texts, specifically personal descriptions of exalted experiences from a range of individuals representing a range of cultural, religious, and historical periods.

These accounts were collected and analyzed in the light of the understanding of higher states of consciousness brought to light from the ancient Vedic tradition of knowledge by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Maharishi has described the range of human development as consisting of seven states of consciousness altogether; beyond the three common states of waking, dreaming, and deep sleep, he has described four higher states of consciousness, termed Transcendental Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, God Consciousness, and Unity Consciousness. This dissertation compiles and analyzes experiences suggestive of the first two of the higher states, Transcendental Consciousness and Cosmic Consciousness.

The accounts were analyzed (1) in terms of the chief features of higher states of consciousness as set forth by Maharishi, (2) in light of the results of the extensive scientific research on higher states of consciousness (as elicited by Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation(r) and TM-Sidhi(r) programs) that has been conducted over the past 35 years, (3) in light of the proposed identity between pure consciousness and the unified field of all the laws of nature, and (4) in terms of the meta-themes of experience that emerge from these accounts taken collectively. The results suggest that higher states of consciousness, experienced even as glimpses, are universal, i.e., that they are independent of cultural background and historical epoch. The results extend and elaborate the model of higher states of consciousness and demonstrates the model’s power to illuminate descriptions of exalted experiences by individuals through history.

 

Pohlman, David Matthew — Maharishi Vedic Science

Unfolding spiritual potential through the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs and reading Vedic literature

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His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi explains that complete spiritual development results from the full development of human consciousness. This paper explains and demonstrates how regular practice of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation® and TM- Sidhi® programs, and reading Vedic Literature in Sanskrit, promotes spiritual development through growth toward higher states of consciousness.

For three academic years, I practiced these technologies for the development of consciousness and recorded my experiences of growth in a journal. In this paper, I present my journal experiences in light of Maharishi’s explanation of the role of transcendence and higher states of consciousness in living one’s religion and understanding scripture. Specifically, I present my journal experiences in a scripture-experience exercise in which I examine the relationship between my own experiences of spiritual growth, through the development of consciousness, and selected teachings from religious scripture. My scripture-experience exercise utilizes the canonical Christian Gospels, as well as selections from Buddhist and Taoist texts.

The results of the scripture-experience exercise illustrate that (1) the practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM- Sidhi programs, along with reading Vedic Literature in Sanskrit, facilitated the growth of my consciousness and deepened my sense of spiritual development, and (2) I was able to make personally meaningful and relevant connections between my experiences of growth and a selection of religious texts. These results suggest that the experience of transcendence and the development of higher states of consciousness through the practice of the Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs, and reading Vedic Literature, augment spiritual growth and scriptural understanding.

Ramberg, Jan Bengt Tonnes — Maharishi Vedic Science

The effects of reading the Vedic Literature on personal evolution in the light of Maharishi Vedic Science and Technology

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Maharishi Vedic Science, founded and organized by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, includes a body of fundamental principles about consciousness, and mental techniques to directly experience consciousness in its pure state. Maharishi Vedic Science locates pure, unqualified consciousness as the fundamental level of both subjective and objective creation. This pure consciousness can be experienced and enlivened through the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation‘ and TM-Sidhi‘ programs. This experience directly verifies the principles of Maharishi Vedic Science. Striking quantitative and qualitative similarities have been found between the description of pure consciousness in Maharishi Vedic Science and the most basic level of nature’s functioning described by modern physics as the Unified Field. These similarities indicate that pure consciousness and the Unified Field are identical. Maharishi describes how, by interacting with itself in an orderly manner, pure consciousness, the Unified Field, evolves the whole universe from within its own structure. The sounds of this orderly self-interacting dynamics of consciousness are found in the evolutionary set sequence of sounds in the Vedic Literature. Through the momentum of evolution, the Vedic sounds develop into more concrete expressions such as forms of sounds, particles of matter, congregations of particles, and finally the whole universe. Maharishi explains that replicating these sounds by reading the Vedic Literature in its correct sequence enlivens their evolutionary qualities in the reader’s consciousness, leading to improvements in all expressions of individual functioning.

Personal experiences during a time period when the Vedic Literature was read on a regular basis showed increased support of nature, improved personal evolution, and a number of positive effects in the following nine areas: individual consciousness, ego, emotions, mental capacity, mental perception, sensory perception, physiology, action and behavior, and the environment. All predictions derived from statements by Maharishi about the outcome of the reading were supported by the experiences. Some of the strongest support came for the prediction that reading of the Vedic Literature promotes evolution of consciousness, which translates into holistic growth of the individual and improvements in all areas of society. Source: DAI, 60, no. 06A (1999): p. 2065

Richards, William Thom — Maharishi Vedic Science

Additions to John L. Holland’s theory of career choice and development based on Maharishi Vedic Science

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Holland’s theory of career choice matches personality types and occupation or environment types. Maharishi Vedic ScienceSM places career choice in the larger framework of dharma. This study investigates the following question: Can the concept of dharma from Maharishi Vedic Science, including the concepts of heart and mind, natural action, absolute dharma and higher states of consciousness, expand and give greater precision to the theory of career choice presented by John L. Holland?

This study uses both quantitative and qualitative procedures in the context of exploratory methodology. Thirty-two advanced teachers of the Transcendental Meditation® program participated as subjects. All subjects completed standardized tests (SDS, PCI, CASI-Job Satisfaction Scale, Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire and a higher states of consciousness Experience Questionnaire), and were interviewed in a structured format.

There were four major findings of this study: (1) A Holistic Factor, representing “action in accord with dharma ,” also described as “expansion of consciousness as related to career,” was operationally defined as a combination (by means of factor analysis) of higher states experiences (Experience Questionnaire), happiness (Fordyce Emotions Questionnaire), restedness (a Likert scale) and congruence (Richards Agreement Index); (2) The Holistic Factor correlated highly with job satisfaction; (3) Evidence was found for a heart-mind division of Holland’s personality types, with Artistic, Social and Enterprising on the heart side and Conventional, Realistic and Investigative on the mind side; (4) Qualities of high Holistic Factor individuals were identified in terms of code families derived from qualitative analysis of the structured interviews.

There were three results not anticipated by the research questions: (1) A new calculation for congruence (the Richards Agreement Index) was developed which produced scores correlating better with job satisfaction than those of the commonly used Iachan Agreement Index; (2) Large, significant, and unexpected gender differences were found with regard to all major concepts investigated in this study; (3) Stages of coding qualification and stages of exploratory analysis not found in qualitative analysis literature were developed and used in this study.

The concept of dharma as presented in Maharishi Vedic Science is found to expand and give greater precision to Holland’s theory.

Sands, William F. — Maharishi Vedic Science

Maharishi’s absolute theory of government in the Valmiki Ramayana

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This study attempts to demonstrate that the principles found in the Absolute Theory of Government of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi are the same as those upon which the ideal civilization of ancient Ayodhya, described in the Valmiki Ramayana, was founded.

Maharishi’s Absolute Theory of Government offers a method of enabling governments to more effectively solve their current problems and prevent new ones from arising; it promises to create an ideal society in which every citizen fulfills the deepest aspirations of individual life, and society as a whole lives fully in accord with Natural Law. Maharishi’s theory does not entail a specific system of government, but rather offers a technology that will enable any government to fulfill its objectives and bring fulfillment to the goals of its constitution. This technology has been well-supported by empirical research, performed in many locations throughout the world in a variety of cultural and sociological contexts.

According to Maharishi’s Absolute Theory of Government, the most effective government is a field of pure consciousness at the source of the material universe, which gives rise to and maintains the universe through its self-interacting dynamics. It is, in Maharishi’s account, the expert administrator, that has administered the universe for millions of years without a problem. It can be located as the simplest form of human awareness through the technologies of Maharishi’s Vedic Science, and on this basis it can become available to individual and collective life.

Maharishi’s political theory is not without precedent. The Valmiki Ramayana also describes an ancient civilization in which every citizen was fulfilled, harmonious, and prosperous, and lived in accord with Natural Law. The central hero of the Ramayana, Rama, is depicted as the ruler of the universe, the embodiment of Nature’s government, administering the diversity of the universe. During his reign, the citizens of Ayodhya enjoyed a perfect society in accord with Natural Law. The principles underlying the ideal society of Ayodhya appear to be identical to those that Maharishi upholds in his Absolute Theory of Government, thus providing Vedic authenticity to Maharishi’s teaching in this age. Source: DAI, 55, no. 06A, (1994): 1682

Svenson, Eric Johan — Maharishi Vedic Science

Experiences from Participants in Large-Scale Group Practice of the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi Programs and Parallel Principles of Quantum Theory, Astrophysics, Quantum Cosmology, and String Theory: Interdisciplinary Qualitative Correspondences

Order No. 3704971

Participants on the Invincible America Assembly in Fairfield, Iowa, and neighboring Maharishi Vedic City, Iowa, practicing Maharishi Transcendental Meditation™ (TM) and the TM-Sidhi™ programs in large groups, submitted written experiences that they had had during, and in some cases shortly after, their daily practice of the TM and TM-Sidhi programs. Participants were instructed to include in their written experiences only what they observed and to leave out interpretation and analysis. These experiences were then read by the author and compared with principles and phenomena of modern physics, particularly with quantum theory, astrophysics, quantum cosmology, and string theory as well as defining characteristics of higher states of consciousness as described by Maharishi Vedic Science. In all cases, particular principles or phenomena of physics and qualities of higher states of consciousness appeared qualitatively quite similar to the content of the given experience. These experiences are presented in an Appendix, in which the corresponding principles and phenomena of physics are also presented. These physics “commentaries” on the experiences were written largely in layman’s terms, without equations, and, in nearly every case, with clear reference to the corresponding sections of the experiences to which a given principle appears to relate. An abundance of similarities were apparent between the subjective experiences during meditation and principles of modern physics. A theoretic framework for understanding these rich similarities may begin with Maharishi’s theory of higher states of consciousness provided herein. We conclude that the consistency and richness of detail found in these abundant similarities warrants the further pursuit and development of such a framework.

Toomey, Mark — Maharishi Vedic Science

The effects of the Transcendental Meditation program on carotid atherosclerosis and cardiovascular disease risk factors in Native Hawaiians

Order No. 3269320

Background and objectives. Native Hawaiians have high rates of cardiovascular (CVD) morbidity and mortality compared to other ethnic groups in Hawaii. Research has shown that the Transcendental Meditation ® (TM) program reduces CVD risk factors, markers of clinical CVD, and mortality rates in other high-risk populations. This pilot clinical trial evaluated the effects of the TM program on markers of CVD in Native Hawaiians.

Methods. This was a single-blind study conducted over 9 months. Entry criteria included: >=55 years, Hawaiian ancestry, and at least one CVD risk factor. Subjects were randomly assigned to the TM program or health education (HE). Both groups participated in a matched seven-step initial instruction program and follow up group meetings over 9 months. Primary outcome was carotid intima-media thickness (CIMT); secondary outcomes included blood pressure, cholesterol, depression, anxiety, dietary habits and exercise.

Results. Sixty-one subjects who met eligibility criteria were randomized into the study. Forty-eight subjects completed both initial instruction and had complete posttest data (TM, n=25; HE, n=23). Analysis of covariance for these completer subjects showed a non-significant reduction in CIMT in the TM program compared to the control group (-0.010±0.035 mm vs 0.004±0.062 mm; p=0.39). There was a marginally statistically significant reduction in depression in the TM group compared to HE (-1.73±7.46 vs 1.10±7.28; p=0.07). For the high cholesterol subgroup, there was a marginally significant reduction of CIMT in TM subjects (n=14, -0.019 ±0.027 mm) compared to HE (n=17, 0.019±0.068 mm; p=0.07). Within group analysis showed reductions in the TM group for DBP (p<0.05), SBP (p<0.07), total cholesterol (p<0.01), LDL (p<0.01) and total cholesterol (p<0.01) and an increase in HDL (p<0.01); HE showed reductions in LDL (p<0.02) and total cholesterol (p<0.01). Ninety-two percent of the TM subjects and 79% of the HE subjects reported practicing their assigned programs on a regular basis.

Conclusion. The Transcendental Meditation program was feasible to implement and may be useful for the reduction of carotid atherosclerosis and CVD risk factors by enlivening the “body’s inner intelligence.” Future research should include larger sample sizes to increase statistical power to confirm and expand these pilot data.

Wegman, Keith Stewart — Maharishi Vedic Science

Applying the principal educational methodology of Maharishi Vedic Science — the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation program and Maharishi’s program of reading the Vedic literature — for accelerated development of higher states of consciousness characterized by life in accord with natural law

Order No. 3130321

This dissertation presents the theoretical understanding and application of a holistic educational methodology utilizing the Maharishi Transcendental MeditationSM program and a program of reading the Vedic Literature as formulated by His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. These two programs represent the principal educational methodology of Maharishi Vedic ScienceSM, an integrated science based on the ancient Vedic understanding of Natural Law. The goal of this methodology is the full development of human life in higher states of consciousness, characterized by individual thought, speech, and action in complete accord with all the Laws of Nature governing the evolution of life throughout the universe. This dissertation outlines the theoretical principles underlying this methodology and documents the profound personal development that occurred through its application over nearly seven years as part of a doctoral-level research program.

The theoretical foundations of this educational methodology are located in Maharishi Vedic Science, which describes a universal level of intelligence or Natural Law, known as atma, underlying all forms and phenomena throughout the universe, including the human mind and body. It describes in detail how this underlying intelligence manifests into the vast universe as frequencies of intelligence, known as the vrittis of atma, the Veda and Vedic Literature, and indicates the relationship of these frequencies to the individual physiology and all thought, speech and action.

The Transcendental Meditation® technique is an easy and systematic procedure which allows the conscious mind to settle down in the simplest state of awareness and directly experience its essential nature, atma, what physiologists have determined is a fourth major state of consciousness. Scientific research indicates that the regular experience of this state leads to growth of higher states of consciousness characterized by increased fulfillment and more refined functioning of the nervous system. Recitation of the Vedic Literature for its phonetic value is a technology that accelerates this development by extending and integrating the direct experience of atma into the development of all thought, speech and action. These two technologies represent the foundation of an educational system that can deliver the ability to make full use of Natural Law for profound individual development and social progress.