Transcendental Meditation and the David Lynch Foundation
I remember when I was younger, I was gifted a signed copy of a book by my favourite director, David Lynch, called Catching the Big Fish - Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity. The book outlined a plethora of autobiographical topics. and also many chapters that acted as a sort of self-help book. The book was primarily inspired by Lynch's experiences with Transcendental Meditation, along with his filmmaking and approach to art. The title of the book came from Lynch's notion that ideas were similar to fish:
"If you want to catch a little fish, you can stay in the shallow water.
But if you want to catch the big fish, you've got to go deeper."
This led me to be more interested in this specific technique, and after a bit of research, I found it was a bit harder to grasp than I had initially assumed. Today we're going to look at the history of TM, how it's very close to Lynch, and how you can go about practising it.
What is Transcendental Meditation (TM)?
Transcendental meditation (TM) is a specific type of silent mantra-based meditation that was created in India in the mid-1950s by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. In the 1960s and 1970s, TM became wildly popular across the world as the Maharishi taught thousands in a series of world tours, subsequently changing to more technical presentations. Through the publicity given by organisations and celebrity endorsements, TM continued to grow and has become one of the most highly researched and practised meditations in the world. Certified teachers teach the meditation for a course fee that varies from country to country. According to TM, the meditation is a non-religious method for relaxation, stress reduction and self-development. However, there has been some controversy over the years as to whether the movement was indeed non-religious or religious in nature. You might be wondering why when researching TM, David Lynch is such a prominent figure attributed to it - we'll look at that below.
The David Lynch Foundation
In Catching the Big Fish - Meditation, Consciousness, and Creativity, the book I mentioned above, there is a large focus on TM and the benefits to Lynch's life, health, career and creativity that he attributes to it. In the opening chapter, Lynch outlines his initial reluctance to meditate and how his opinion was swayed when he began practising TM:
"When I first heard about meditation, I had zero interest in it. I wasn’t even curious. It sounded like a waste of time. What got me interested, though, was the phrase “true happiness lies within.” At first, I thought it sounded kind of mean because it doesn’t tell you where the “within” is, or how to get there. But, still, it had a ring of truth. And I began to think that maybe meditation was a way to go within. What got me interested, though, was the phrase “true happiness lies within”.
I looked into meditation, asked some questions, and started contemplating different forms. At that moment, my sister called and said she had been doing Transcendental Meditation for six months. There was something in her voice. A change. A quality of happiness. And I thought, “That’s what I want.”
So, in July 1973 I went to the TM center in Los Angeles and met an instructor…
I have never missed a meditation in 36 years. I meditate once in the morning and again in the afternoon, for about 20 minutes each time. Then I go about the business of my day. And I find that the joy of doing increases. Intuition increases. The pleasure of life grows. And negativity recedes."
Fast track 40 years later to 2005 and David Lynch founded the David Lynch Foundation, also known as the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace (DLF). The foundation began as a way to fund the teaching of TM in schools, and later other at-risk groups such as U.S. military veterans, African war refugees, the homeless and prison inmates. Locally, in Australia, the David Lynch Foundation was set up around two years ago and has been focused on teaching TM to victims of domestic violence, first responders suffering from severe stress, and at-risk youth who have experienced family trauma.
The TM Practice
The TM technique consists of practice twice per day for 20 minutes. During the practice, the individual silently repeats a mantra with 'gentle effortlessness' while sitting comfortably with their eyes closed. No specific yoga or meditative position is necessary, and it can be practised almost anywhere. The mantra given to the individual is said to be the vehicle that allows them to relax and for their attention to travel naturally to a quieter state of mental functioning. During the meditation, Maharishi has said that 'bubbles of thought are produced in a stream one after the other' and that the experience of a 'proper thought' is broken down into subtler states 'until its subtlest state is experienced and transcended. TM meditators are instructed to keep their mantra secret, due to the belief that speaking it aloud defeats the purpose of the meditation, and jeopardises accurate teaching to others.
How to Begin Practicing TM
As mentioned above, to properly practice Transcendental Meditation, you have to learn it from a qualified instructor, and learn your own mantra. David Lynch had addressed this when he said:
“The ability to transcend—to dive within and experience an ocean of energy, intelligence and happiness—is the birthright of every human being. If you want to master anything truly worthwhile in life, you want a qualified teacher. That is the same way with mastering meditation. And that is why Transcendental Meditation is taught one-to-one by a trained teacher—it is not taught through a book or a tape. My feeling is, if you are going to take 20 minutes out of your busy schedule to meditate, you might as well be sure that you are doing it right.”
It's a fascinating topic and was interesting to find out more about the practice that can seem to be shrouded in imagery. While I haven't personally learnt TM myself, I am interested in trying it one day. I'm a big fan of David Lynch who speaks so highly of it, but, as my dad said to me: "if something is really a form of meditation, you shouldn't have to pay for it".
You can visit either the David Lynch Foundation or Transcendental Meditation to find out more about the practice, and more information on how to learn it.
With wellness,
Aleksandar
Title artwork by James Turrell