Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Osho : I do not mean that you have to repeat the words ”I am,” rather, have the feeling. Taking a bath, feel ”I am.” Let there be the touch of the cold shower, and let yourself be there behind, feeling it and remembering ”I am.” Remember, I am not saying that verbally you have to repeat ”I am.”
You can repeat it, but that repetition will not give you awareness. Repetition may even create more sleep. There are many people who are repeating many things. They go on repeating ”Ram, Ram, Ram…” and if they are just repeating without awareness then this ”Ram, Ram, Ram…” becomes a drug. They can sleep well through it.
That is why Mahesh Yogi has so much appeal in the West, because he is giving mantras for people to repeat. And in the West sleep has become one of the most serious problems. Sleep is totally disturbed. Natural sleep has disappeared. Only through tranquilizers and drugs can you sleep; otherwise sleep has become impossible.
This is the reason for Mahesh Yogi’s appeal. It is because if you constantly repeat something, that repetition gives you deep sleep; that is all. So the so-called transcendental meditation is nothing but a psychological tranquilizer. It is nothing – just a tranquilizer. It helps, but it is good for sleep, not for meditation. You can sleep well, a more calm sleep will be there. It is good, but it is not meditation at all. If you repeat a word constantly it creates a certain boredom, and boredom is good for sleep.
So anything monotonous, repetitive can help sleep. The child in the mother’s womb sleeps for nine months continuously, and the reason for this you may not know. The reason is only the ”tick-tock, tick-tock” of the heart of the mother. Continuously there is the beat, the heartbeat. It is one of the most monotonous things in the world. With the same beat continuously repeating, the child is drugged. He goes on sleeping.
That is why whenever the child is crying, screaming, creating any problem, the mother puts his head near her heart. Then suddenly he feels good and goes into sleep. Again it is due to the heartbeat.
He becomes again a part of the womb. That is why even if you are not a child and your wife, your beloved puts your head on her heart, you will feel sleepy from the monotonous beat. Psychologists suggest that if you cannot sleep, then concentrate on the clock. Just concentrate on the clock’s tick-tock, tick-tock. It repeats the heartbeat, and you can fall asleep. Anything repetitive will help.
So this ”I am,” the remembering of ”I am,” is not a verbal mantra. It is not going to be repeated verbally – feel it! Be sensitive to your being. When you touch someone’s hand do not only touch his hand, feel your touch also, feel yourself also – that you are here in this touch, present totally.
While eating, do not only eat, feel yourself eating as well. This feeling, this sensitivity must penetrate deeper and deeper into your mind. One day, suddenly, you are awake at your center, functioning for the first time.
And then the whole world becomes a dream, then you can know that your dreaming is a dreaming. And when you know that your dreaming is a dreaming, dreaming stops. It can continue only if it is felt as real. It is stopped if it is felt as unreal.
With all due respect to Osho, and I do respect him, I am at a loss to find accuracy in these words regarding Transcendental Meditation. I wonder if he actually said quite this.
I do believe that Osho was a wise man and offered something of immense value to those around him. Maharishi always spoke highly of him, and defended him when others assailed him. So it's slightly disconcerting to read these words said to be from Osho, critical of Maharishi. But no matter. Masters have their way of saying what their disciples need to hear at the the time.
Anyway, the facts about TM are well known: it doesn't make you sleepy, but produces a state of restful alertness, clearly indicated by EEG brainwave studies and by the physiological signature of the unique, fourth state of consciousness typically experienced during TM. The physiology of restful alertness or "Transcendental Consciousness" has been studied and verified by numerous peer-reviewed research studies, published in leading medical journals, and all of the major findings have been replicated in independent studies. The state is known to be nothing like sleeping, dreaming or ordinary waking. This meditative state experienced during TM is traditionally called "turiya" meaning "the fourth state" in Vedic literature–and it's also known as "Atma," "Samadhi," "Brahman" or many other technical terms, applicable to various levels of the experience. Aside from the scientific research verifying the fourth state, anyone who has extensive experience with Transcendental Meditation (or in many cases even beginner's experience) knows that TM doesn't tend to induce sleep. To the contrary, it's a technique for waking up. uh..a state also known as Enlightenment.
This Osho Discourse is from Osho Book "Vigyan Bhairav Tantra"
I was also surprised to read the statements attributed to Osho about the Transcendental Meditation technique. They indicate a complete misunderstanding of the technique and its effects. I have been practicing Transcendental Meditation for over 40 years — since I was 18 years old. Maharishi called in "Transcendental" Meditation because it is a technique for transcending the fluctuating states of awareness — waking, dreaming, and sleeping — and experiencing pure consciousness. Over time, pure consciousness becomes more and more infused into the mind; one becomes increasingly alert; and the infinite and eternal nature of pure consciousness gradually becomes stabilized as the background of all mental and physical activity.
One of the delightful aspects of the practice is that it is completely effortless and natural. As a result, if one is fatigued when one sits to meditate, one may fall asleep as the mind settles down into more refined states of awareness. But this sleep is usually brief and extraordinarily refreshing. After a few minutes, one wakes up, much clearer than before and ready to continue the practice. When the mind is fresh, the spontaneous result of the practice is transcendental consciousness, pure consciousness: the mind is fully aware, but not aware of thoughts, ideas, feelings, or any other conditioned state. The mind experiences its own essential nature, which, as countless sages have said, is sat (being), chit (consciousness), and anananda (bliss).
After all these years of regular practice, I can personally attest to the wonderful physical, mental, and spiritual benefits of Transcendental Meditation. It is an amazingly effective practice.
Thanks to laughing crow and Eric Dahl for so clearly explaining this misunderstanding by Osho . I would have just said he obviously didn’t have the whole story. But then, everyone is entitled to their own opinion, whether it’s accurate or not. It’s best to find out for yourself the truth of these matters.