Heaven: A fool's paradise

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/faith/heaven-a-fools-paradise-1949399.html

The Maharishi Effect

The source of this article is a book called "This Book is Not Real" by Chris Campbell. (An excellent read, by the way)

'This Book is not Real' is a book which aims to unify all fields of science - all the way from spirituality to physics and from medicine to mass media and to glean  out and separate Reality from myth,illusion or maya.

Excerpt:

       "Regardless of how different they may appear from one another, every mind contains the pattern of the whole consciousness. And through that link we each have direct access to the entire pattern, in other words, we all have the power to change the hologram of our world. Scientific studies support these principles and have found that when people within a group share acommon experience of consciousness, the effects can be detected beyond the group itself. One example of this phenomenon is Transcendental Meditation (TM) and its effects on large populations. (Braden, 2007)

             Studies date back to the 60’s that show that when groups of people meditate on peace,and feel it throughout their bodies, it affects the environment, and people around them.This ‘theory’ has been proven over and over by top scientists and universities. It is what is called Transcendental Meditation, a technique where you keep your focus on one feeling that creates these results. 

                        Over 500 studies have been completed on the physiological, psychological, and sociological effects of the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation (‘TM’) and TM-Sidhi programs, making it perhaps the most intensively studied technology in the field of human development. These studies have been conducted at 210 different universities and research institutions in 27 countries, and articles have now appeared in more than 100 scientific journals. These studies have been gathered in Scientific Research on the Maharishi Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi programs, Volumes 1-6,containing over 4,000 pages of scientific papers (TM.org, 2002)

                             The ‘Maharishi Effect’, which was named after Maharishi Mahesh Yogi about 50 years ago and states that the meditation of one person using correctly these TM techniques can affect about 99 people, according to their studies. Meaning, someone feeling extreme peace can calm about 99 people around them. Brain scans of unexpecting people in surrounding areas of meditations have shown this to be true. 

                        It was 1983 when Dr. Singh, the founder of TM.org and the creator of the TM-Sidhi programs assembled 7,000 trained meditators in Fairfield, Iowa for three weeks. During the three week long retreat there was a huge drop in violence and crime. These trained meditators were instructed to meditate solely on peace and to immerse themselves in nothing but peaceful thoughts. Everywhere the crime statistics dropped, as if a peaceful virus spread throughout the entire Earth.A global Maharishi effect was seen whereby conflict reduced worldwide by 30 percent and the effect was seen all over the world….

….We are convinced that we can create world peace by having a few groups, two to three, of 8,000.

Dr. Singh

                Another experiment done in the 1980’s was aimed for the war in Lebanon. This time only about 200 experienced meditators gathered in a facility near Lebanon. During the experiment, war deaths in Lebanon went down seventy-one percent, war injuries dropped sixty-eight percent, and the level of conflict stepped down to forty-eight percent.

                         Immediately after the experiment the violence rose again. When they stopped meditating, people fell back into their destructive habits.Studies show that EEG readings of people in the surrounding area have been affected by the groups from even 1,000 miles away! They also noticed that the brains of the people meditating and the people in the surrounding area produced more serotonin, the ‘happylove- peace chemical’. The serotonin levels rose and dropped in line with the times the meditators started and stopped. Low levels of serotonin is said to lead to aggression, depression, substance abuse, and crime. When the experiment was going on people were more peaceful and apt to be more optimistic. But, when the peace wasn’t in the area anymore they began to run old patterns and became more pessimistic. Somehow the meditators were able to raise the level of this chemical, and create peace all around them.

                   Studies all around the world prove this phenomenon over and over again. Even Washington DC got a taste of TM when Social Indicators Research predicted that an eight week long experiment with meditators would decrease violent crime in our country’s capital by 20 percent. They were close. During the eight-weeks, rape, murder, and violence all dropped by 23 percent. The odds of this happening coincidentally were calculated to being less than 2 in 1 billion. 

                David Edwards, a professor of government at the University of Texas in Austin says:“I think the claim can be plausibly made that the potential impact of this research exceeds that of any other ongoing social or psychological research program. It has survived a broader array ofstatistical tests than most research in the field of conflict resolution. This work and the theory thatinforms it deserve the most serious consideration by academics and policy makers alike.

                                        They concluded that if you took the square root of 1% of people in an area, that’s how many meditators it would take to affect that specific area. Claims have been made by many professionals in many different fields that since the square root of one percent of the entire Earth population is 8,000, that’s how many people it would take to create world peace."

Imagine! Meditation techniques like Sudarshan Kriya or Transcendental Meditation done correctly inducing peace in the society!

And proved by science!

Also see: Permanent Peace: How to Stop Terrorism and War — Now and Forever by Robert Oates. 

That book reveals 19 scientific studies that proved when groups of people meditate, the crime and violence in their areagoes down. 

Oates writes:

“ The basic idea is simple to state: Like ripples on a pond radiating outward from a pebble’s splash, ripples of orderliness and harmony

radiate outward from concentrated groups of meditation experts. And the evidence for this idea has been repeated and is statistically signifi

cant. Not only do signs of social disorder go down — such as violent crime, fires, traffic accidents, warfare, and terrorism — but signs of 

coherence and progress go up. Patent applications, for example, stock market levels, and economic indicators have all been shown to rise. ”

Fatso:Define your own reality

I'm no longer looking for the less than 10% bodyfat model as an ideal model.

Roman gladiators used to favour beans in their diet.

One reason was that eating beans gave them a layer of fat on their torso...which protected them in their fights.

Th other was biological warfare.

Low body fat is good if you plan on wearing swimwear for the rest of your life, but nothing much else.

I like soft women.A good 16-25% body fat makes them soft to touch.Keeps them healthy and glowing.Definitely keeps them more womanly.

I don't want six packs on my woman.Nor should her biceps be bigger than mine.That would be plainly wrong.And scary.

It would also be smacking at the face of womanhood.

I want real women who is proud of her real curves.

Is there anyone woman enough?

Men...I don't care.Do what you like.

I had long ago defined fat as 'Not being able to see my six packs'

So I took a good hard look at my abs in the mirror once again.

One, two, three, four...holy shit!

I've become fat! 

I can't find the fifth and the sixth pack.They are buried under layers of fat.

I guess now I was fat by my own definition.

Now there were two things I could do.Change myself or change my definition of being Fat.

I followed the americans on this one.(onion movie - obesity clip)

I changed my own definition.It is much more easier.

Now, I consider myself fat the day I cannot see any more of my abs.

And once that happens, I'll change my definition once again.

This way, I can go and never be fat.

And when people tell me I've become a Fatso, 

I'll go 'LALALALA-I can't hear you-LALALALALALALALA-I can't hear you-LALALALALALALALA-I can't hear you-LALALALALALALALALALALALALALA'.

Fatso:In search of Sunken Cheekbones

A part of the story that I had told Fat Henry was true.I worked on a rustbucket, and many times for long gruelling hours , sometimes even forgetting to eat , or going hungry wilfully just to finish my work.And as a result, I lost unhealthy amounts of weight...

Sadly people thought that my cheekbones had risen and that suddenly I looked much better than before...

Mass media and advertisements had made anorexia a positive desirable trait- even among males.

I had sunken hollows under my cheekbones that made made my cheekbones stand out in prominence.

My cheekbones stood out like perky nipples on a cold day...I looked emaciated...And I looked good.With some rouge and mascara I'd look" Fashion TV" good.

I had resolved right then and there that I'd never go hungry for the sake of my work...

And now, my cheekbones are missing...buried beneath tissue once emaciated.

Fatso:Denial is not a River...

Fatso fatso fatso fatso fatso fatso fatso fatso...the word kept ringing in my head.

Denial? Huh?

Was I in denial?

No that can't be true...

In that case , was I in denial about denial?

No!

Then...was I in denial about denial about denial?

Whoa there! If you continue this line of reasoning...soon you'll be stuck in an infinite loop of denials.

It was true that I had gained weight.

It took me nearly a year and a half and a lot of weight training and a lot of disciplined eating to gain four kilos.I had become noticable bulkier and brawnier, as one of my old friends remarked.

But there was another side to it.

These days, I had reduced my exercise...

In my yester years, I was an exercise fanatic because I had zero social life.

yes...Zero social life.No friends, no socialising, no relationships.

My exercising was a way of keeping boredom off the bay.

But now,after a major personality transplant(done at a clinic nearby),I was more outgoing and  I finally had made some new friends...really cool ones, and suddenly I had a social life.

I never knew social life was so exhausting! Phew!

I had to make some sacrifices in my exercise schedule to fit in my social commitments.

I had to stop exercising like before!

Kuch panekeliye kuch khona bhi padtha hain.

Fatso: Ortho-Tyranosaurus Rex

Mom read something on the net about a new health crisis, and sent it over to me.

Orthorexia!

People who are too healthy or obsessed with being too healthy!

These are the very same people who go out to a restaurant only to eat salad, and top it off with a mouthful of mineral water, while you're having the entire menu as the  entree`.

Then they give you that look...the look of concealed disgust and pity...a pity that goes 'tch tch' in your face.You know that although they wanted to, they  haven't yet said 'oink oink' to your face yet.

These are the same people who advocate vegetarianism as a cure it all for cancer, constipation or a colorectomy.

These are the same people constantly yak nonstop about exotic food supplements and wonder drugs with miraculous effects.

I mean how do you know if  Yohimbe is something like Nintendo?

These are the same people who stuff exercise advice down your throat when you are happily noshing on a bag of doritos.

The high and mighty and the know it all...with nauseating self righteousness around them.

Oh how you hate them.

Oh how you want to stuff butter chicken down their throats and see them enjoy it, and get fat, and cry bitterly.

But mom, am I an orthorexic?

Sure I'm a picky eater...but that's because our entire family is made of picky eaters.

Sure I'm a vegetarian...but only because the rest of the family is vegetarian.

Sure I like to exercise...But that's only because the rest of the family exercises a lot.

Sure I like to read about healthy living...but that's only because the rest of the family does it, all the time.

Mom...do you think...I have become some kind of a Monster...Orthotyranosauraus Rex...a tyrant king orthorexic ?

If so, know that you have created this monster...a monster with sculpted pecs,bulging biceps,washboard abs,teardrop quads and glutes you can bounce a coin off.You are responsible.Yes YOU!

Mom, I may be a monster, but don't I deserve happiness? 

Then stop accusing me of taking supplements and protein shakes to grow into a grotesque muscular hulk that you so readily despise.

For the last time, I'm not taking any supplements...They are expensive crap that will ultimately damage the body...C'mon Mom! you know that I know better.

Eagles - Heart of the Matter

The Song that took 42 years to write and four minutes to sing.

An absolute beauty of a song in terms of lyrics and composition.

Or maybe I just like country more than other genres.