How did meditation help?
In 1992, Chissano learnt transcendental meditation. After discovering it’s benefits he taught it to his family, cabinet ministers and his wider government. In 1994, it became a requirement for military and police to meditate twice a day for 20 minutes.
“The result has been political peace and balance innaturein my country. The culture of war has to be replaced by the culture of peace. For that purpose, something deeper must be changed in our mind and in our consciousness to prevent the recurrence of war,” says Chissano.
What is the Maharishi Effect and why should you care?
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi started the Transcendental Meditation movement in 1957 and introduced it to the West in 1959. Known as TM, Transcendental Meditation involves closing your eyes for 20 minutes twice a day, while silently repeating a mantra with the aim of:
- Gaining deep relaxation
- Eliminating stress
- Promoting good health
- Attaining clear thinking
- Reaching inner fulfilment.
The Transcendental Meditation movement had a founding influence on what has grown into a multibillion-dollar self-help industry. Since the launch, many scientists have uncovered the physical and mental benefits of general meditation, but specifically transcendental meditation, especially when it comes to reducing stress.
In the 1970’s, the movement continued to grow as the Maharishi spread his movement globally and its techniques gained respectability within the medical world.
The 1% effect: The Massive Impact of a few Meditators
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi spoke frequently about the positive and peaceful global transformation that would naturally result when as little as 1% of the global population practised Transcendental Meditation techniques.
In 1975, a scientific study found there was a statistically significant decrease in crime rates in 12 American cities that had at least 1% of their population practising the Transcendental Meditation technique. “When the body becomes better, the mind becomes better, the behaviour becomes better. With this orderly brain, a few people—one percent, half a percent—moving around in the city can improve the trends of life. It requires only a few people, just a few people,” explains Maharishi.
Research has subsequently found that Transcendental Meditation creates maximum brain wave coherence and increases the power of positive influence on the meditators’ surroundings, which is an after effect of their experience of transcendence. Further research also found that when Transcendental Meditation was practised in groups the positive impact was significantly increased. They calculated as little 1% of the population practising Transcendental Meditation would create a powerful influence of coherence on the entire population.
30 Minutes a day
Maharishi explains what cities need to do to benefit from Transcendental Meditation: “15 minutes morning and evening, less gossip, and close the eyes. Fathom the depth of unboundedness deep within one’s own consciousness. Realise that fullness of life, that wholeness of life, that level of enlightenment which is kindled within, deep within everyone’s heart. Unfold that, experience that, and that is enough to make the whole day more orderly; life in accordance with all the laws of nature.”
For example
A small source of light in a room can lighten up the entire room. A bulb is just a small filament, yet it lights up the entire volume of a room. It’s an insignificant size compared to the room, yet when it turns on it brightens the whole room.
“One simple, single individual brain becoming a little bit more orderly — how much more orderly could one become in fifteen minutes, with all the chaos and disorderliness of the whole day? —but that little orderliness increasing in the mind of an individual is good enough to radiate its influence,” explains Maharishi. One small filament emitting light is enough to light the whole room.