Are All Meditations the Same?

http://www.mum.edu Neuroscientist Fred Travis, PhD, compares brain patterns of concentration and of Transcendental Meditation.

Maharishi University of Management (MUM) offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, sciences, business, and humanities. The University is accredited through the doctoral level by the Higher Learning Commission.

Founded in 1971 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the University features Consciousness-Based education to develop students' inner potential. All students and faculty practice the Transcendental Meditation technique, which extensive published research has found boosts learning ability, improves brain functioning, and reduces stress.

Maharishi University uses the block system in which each student takes one course at a time students report they learn more without the stress of taking 4-5 courses at once.

The University has a strong focus on sustainability and natural health, and serves organic vegetarian meals. The B.S. in Sustainable Living is MUM's most popular undergraduate major.

Maharishi University of Management http://www.mum.edu
Consciousness-Based education http://www.mum.edu/cbe/
Transcendental Meditation http://www.mum.edu/tm
Research http://www.mum.edu/tm_research
Block system http://www.mum.edu/cbe/block
Sustainability http://www.mum.edu/sustainability
Natural health http://www.mum.edu/cbe/natural_health
Organic veg meals http://www.mum.edu/campus/dining
BS Sustainable Living http://www.mum.edu/sustainable_living/

Category:

Education

Tags:

• brain
• EEG
• Transcendental
• Meditation
• concentration
• alpha
• restful
• alertness

[anon00098]

TM and Mindfulness Meditation are essentially the exact same thing.

[MaharishiUniversity]

This is one of Dr. Travis's points: you can say anything you like about different meditations, but it takes careful research to figure out which statements are correct.

[ChristPuncher1373]

Tibetan buddhist meditation has two stages, analytical and placement...so when you look at the analytical stage, of course it looks more active.....but when you move on to placement meditation, it would look just like "TM"......i guarentee you that more research would show you that TM is in no way superior to buddhist meditation.....step down off your hindu high horse

[MaharishiUniversity]

Dr. Travis did not say TM is superior. His main point is that each type of meditation has its own results, and that you can check these results using EEG patterns. It would be very interesting to compare the EEG patterns of the Buddhist placement meditation with those of TM, but until that is done you cannot be sure that they give exactly the same results.

Hindu? TM has nothing to do with Hinduism or any other religion. I know devout Muslims, Christians, Sikhs, and Jews who practice TM.

[jjlinert]

Can children (10 to 11 years) benefit from TM?

It sounds intriguing.

[MaharishiUniversity]

Yes, children can learn TM as young as 10. It's a completely natural and effortless technique, so they have no difficulty at all.

[Shwamdoo123]

I'm not experienced with the practice of TM but I have practiced several different types of Tibetan Buddhist meditations and I feel that his statement that you are actively thinking and evaluating is inaccurate. Many Buddhist meditations also aim for effortlessness. Anyways, try for yourself. In the end its about your experience.

[gilito09]

Wow, it is so cool to have practiced Meditation and to actually experience what Dr. travis is saying. People should try it and see the difference

[obi644]

honestly.... just do what works for YOU

[daddyofgayla]

Scientists, by definition, cannot use evidence gained from their investigations to say anything more than there is a mathematically derived probability that the results observed in their experiment would not occur randomly. If a person BELIEVES their meditation practice, TM, Buddhist or other wise is more effective in achieving the goals they have for themselves, they will likely ignore opinions or evidence presented by others. That being said......

[saffnpepa]

im not religious, i dont believe in god because i dont believe in the devil. meditation is a normal human activity that can be done in various ways to achieve different results of shutting of a racing mind to empowering problem solving to finding a little inner peace for soul searching to find out who you are. arguing over who is right and wrong on something as harmless as this is not only futile, its mindless.

[Benjamin42079]

wow sounds like quite a few people need to lighten up and step of all high horses. Remember beginners mind. Peace.

[beruangah]

Concentration meditaion and TM meditation opeates on different modes. The EEG patterns in the analysis did not indicate superiority of one method over the another. If it is, then I would say that the Concentration pattern is much better than TM as the frontal lobes of the brain are active indicating the focussing patterns of energy whereas TM's energy extending to the central part of the brain indicate a dispersion of link in the brain activity.

[2HundredPercent]

@anon00098 All the research indicates that this isn't true. TM and Mindfulness may well both be effective, and may well both have tangible health benefits, etc - but they are not the same thing.

They are different techniques, and not surprisingly, they result in different "meditative states" in terms of brain functioning.

[2HundredPercent]

@anon00098 All the research done on different meditation techniques shows that this isn't true. Different techniques are... not surprisingly... different! They are different in terms of the techniques themselves, the experience they produce while meditating, the way the body/brain is functioning during the meditative experience, and in terms of the long term results they produce.

It may well be true that all meditations provide benefits, but to say they are the exact same thing? Don't think so.

[xirishmagicx]

@anon00098 I thoroughly agree with you. Meditation is meditation to a degree. If the goal is to practice feeling compassion, peace, love, hate, rage or guilt then one would simply elicit and amplify that state during focused sessions. However, if the goal is a quiet, balance and calm mind, it seems most meditations do the trick eventually with practice. I've seen meditators all over the country with powerful meditations. What makes this different? Their goal is the same.

[Rocky1990]

i didn't know buddhist meditation was so unrelaxed. Is this true?

[Dookiebutt47]

ive never thought about it, but sometimes wen i fel crazy, i deffinetly feel like my concentrative pat of my brain is trying to contol my creative side