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The Share Guide: We all know
that the world is in a fragile state today, on many levels. What
steps can we as individuals take to improve the health of our
planet?
Dr. John
Hagelin: The impact of
our actions, individually and collectively, is inconceivably vast. We
can all appreciate, to some extent, the environmental impact of
polluting behavior. But based on what we now know about the universe,
the true impact of our actions is far broader. For example, chaos
theory has established that even our most minute actions can have
incalculably large effects. This places a great burden of
responsibility on everyone. Exercising common sense consideration and
care towards our environment is a good start. But if we really want
to protect our planet against the negative effects of human behavior,
we must bring our thinking and action into spontaneous accord with
Natural Law. We must align our behavior with the universal
intelligence that governs the universe and sustains millions of
species on Earth. Fortunately, such spontaneously life-nourishing
behavior is natural; the human brain physiology is hard-wired to
experience Enlightenment--higher states of consciousness in which we
directly experience, and become attuned to, cosmic intelligence, or
the Unified Field in the terminology of modern physics. The
development of our total brain potential, and the resulting expansion
of human comprehension to be universal, should be the goal of
education today.
The Share Guide:
Is the Unified Field another term for the Cosmic Consciousness?
Dr. John Hagelin: The
Unified
Field is the deepest level of physical reality discovered by Science.
It is a universal field of Nature's intelligence that governs the
vast universe with perfect order. Cosmic Consciousness is the state
of Enlightenment, a state of human awareness in which the individual
mind directly experiences (and identifies with) universal
intelligence. In this state, the individual ego expands to become
Cosmic. Such individuals are Cosmic individuals, and their actions
are spontaneously supportive to all life.
The Share Guide:
I'm interested in the connection between individual meditation and
the Unified Field. How does it work, in relation to daily meditation
practice? And how does it translate into creating peace in the
world?
Dr. John Hagelin: The
connection
is simple. During meditation, consciousness quickly expands to
experience universal consciousness (the Unified Field). The
individual consciousness temporarily identifies with universal
consciousness in the simplest state of awareness--the state
physiologists call "pure consciousness." Not all meditation
techniques achieve this pure consciousness experience, however. My
remarks pertain to meditation practices that provide this fundamental
experience in an effective and efficient manner. Among such
practices, Transcendental Meditation (TM) developed by Maharishi
Mahesh Yogi is the most extensively researched and widely practiced.
It is safe, highly effective, and universal; it works for people of
all religious persuasions and cultural backgrounds.
The Share Guide:
In a lecture you gave last year in San Francisco, you said "Group
meditation is now a proven technology for peace, just in time, when
our weapon technology can yield mutually assured destruction." Please
explain.
Dr.
Hagelin: More than 50
studies, published in the world's most esteemed scientific journals,
have repeatedly demonstrated that group meditation can quell violence
and war in war-torn areas. It defuses the acute religious, ethnic and
political tensions that fuel social conflict. It has been shown to
prevent global terrorism, and to reduce crime, domestic violence, and
all negativity born of acute social stress.
The Share Guide:
Many of us understand that meditation develops our natural
invincibility to the ebb and flow of daily life. But from this state
of calmness, how do you get to the "squaring principle" of group
meditation?
Dr.
Hagelin: When two
nearby loudspeakers emit the same sound, these sound waves add
constructively. They produce a sound volume equivalent to four
loudspeakers (the square of the number of speakers, which is two).
This is a universal principle of wave behavior. When a ripple in the
Unified Field is generated by individuals in close physical
proximity, the power of their combined waves grows as the square of
the number of individuals. This is what the research confirms.
Because of this, even relatively small groups can have enormous
societal impact. Indeed, 8,000 individuals meditating together for
extended periods can transform world events. This has been very
rigorously demonstrated.
The Share Guide:
I know you are working on a plan to put this into action. Please
discuss the program for thousands of pandits to meditate year-round
in India.
Dr.
Hagelin: 8,000
full-time advanced medition experts can change the destiny of
civilization. This has been amply demonstrated. We are shooting for
the number 40,000, just for a safety factor. A Vedic "pandit" is a
meditator who, in addition to their practice of Transcendental
Meditation and Yogic Flying, practices advanced peace-promoting
technologies from the ancient Vedic wisdom known as Yagyas. These
Yagyas reinforce the global peaceful impact of medition. I have been
raising the funds to establish such a permanent group of 8,000 to
40,000 full-time, professional meditators in India, where it is very
cost-effective. I have raised about $90 million, which is enough to
permanently endow almost 8,000. Once we succeed in assembling and
training this group, I predict we will be looking at an entirely
different world. I hope to achieve this by Spring 2003. I pray that
America and the world can avoid any disastrous confrontations until
then.
The Share Guide:
What is Yogic Flying?
Dr.
Hagelin: It is an
advanced technique of Transcendental Meditation derived from the Yoga
Sutras of Patanjali. During this practice, the body involuntarily
starts to "hop" from the lotus position, in a spontaneous effort to
fly. Historically, sustained practice leads to the body's ability to
float and fly. It is practiced today primarily because research has
found this to be the most powerful technique to reduce societal
stress and social conflict. It is a technology for world peace.
The Share Guide:
What do you mean when you say that meditation is a fourth state of
consciousness, distinct from the three recognized states: waking,
dreaming and sleeping? And please discuss the fifth state,
transcendental or enlightened awareness.
Dr.
Hagelin: Pure
consciousness, the direct experience of the Unified Field, is a
fourth major state of consciousness, physiologically and subjectively
distinct from waking, dreaming and sleeping. This was first
discovered and published around 1970 by Robert Keith Wallace and
collaborators. But this experience is a temporary state at first.
With regular practice of meditation, the experience of universal
consciousness becomes permanently established, so that it is
experienced ALONG WITH waking, dreaming and sleeping. This then
constitutes a fifth state of human consciousness, traditionally known
as Enlightenment. In this state of 24-hour bliss, all actions are
fully in tune with Natural Law, which is spontaneously
life-supporting.
The Share Guide:
Many people are skeptical of the concept that group meditation has an
effect on world peace, and may not accept the studies cited in your
research booklet. How do you respond to this skepticism?
Dr.
Hagelin: It's not a
matter of opinion. The scientific method provides incontrovertible
methods of establishing scientific fact through rigorous
experimentation. The efficacy of group meditation to reduce crime and
war has been more extensively studied and rigorously established than
any phenomenon in the history of social science. It is a scientific
fact; there is no room for arguement.
The Share Guide:
How do we know when we meditate that we are not connecting with other
aspects of our individual self, rather than Cosmic Consciousness?
Dr.
Hagelin: The experience
of pure consciousness is self-evident. Just as when you're awake, you
know you're awake. If you're not absolutely sure you're awake, the
chances are you are dreaming. Similarly, if you're not sure you are
experiencing pure, unbounded consciousness, then you're probably not.
It may be time to try a more effective system of meditation.
The Share Guide: You
recommend the
concept of "bracketing" your daily activities with morning and
evening meditation periods. This allows you to relax back into your
eternal nature through meditation and perform actions in the world
from this vantage point.
Dr.
Hagelin: Yes, that is a
wonderful routine. Regular experience of pure consciousness is
necessary to stabilize that experience, and thereby rise to
Enlightenment.
The Share Guide:
You have been a presidential candidate. In the forward to the book A
Reason to Vote, you are quite hopeful when you state that the
greatest epic of American history will be "the story of a people who
reclaimed their government, and their country, from an entrenched,
self-serving political-industrial oligarchy, enshrined in two
parties, and their corporate sponsors that, above all else, seek to
preserve the status quo." You also state that this is the "story of a
people who returned their country to the principles of natural law
upon which it was founded." But most everywhere we look we see our
leaders are natural outlaws, working against the laws of nature. How
can we as individuals turn the tide of current events which lead to
environmental and social decay?
Dr.
Hagelin: Unfortunately,
as a nation we tend to get the government we deserve! It's just
karma. Especially in a democracy, where we elect the government.
Hence, we cannot expect a better government unless and until we
awaken the masses. This is why I am personally focused today on
raising the collective consciousness of the nation and the world.
This may sound like a hopeless task, but it is easier than it sounds.
It is not really necessary to enlighten everyone, or even to reach
everyone. We can leverage our power, so that those who are awake can
exert a disproportionate influence on society. This is the power of
collective meditation. Group experience of the Unified Field, of our
shared cosmic reality, powerfully stimulates this universal field and
has a profound awakening effect on everyone. It creates indomitable
waves of positivity and peace. Such group meditation has been
repeatedly shown to quell social violence and even open warfare in
war-torn areas, such as the Middle East. For more information on
this, people can read the excellent book Permanent Peace
by
Robert M. Oates or visit www.createpermanentpeace.com.
The Share Guide:
You said in your San Francisco lecture that we Cultural Creatives
should exercise our political clout. What effect can we have in the
political sphere by joining a third party like the Green Party or
Natural Law Party, as compared to trying to rebuild the Democratic
Party? The book Crashing the Party, by Ralph Nader, shows how
much the odds are stacked against third parties, but I've heard you
state repeatedly that "third parties traditionally push the nation in
new directions." Would you care to elaborate on this?
Dr.
Hagelin: Ninety percent
of all the ideas we cherish in our democracy originally came from
third parties. Such parties have a power that is disproportionate to
their size. As for the Democratic Party, during decades of leadership
in the House and the Senate, the Democratic Party has demonstrated
its allegiance to special interests. Today, it is demonstrating it's
impotence in the face of Republican war-mongering. But political
activism without a deeper transformation in our national
consciousness is too superficial to effect substantive change. We
need to target the root cause of political graft and inertia. We have
to raise the collective consciousness of the nation.
The Share Guide:
Are there any other serious third party alternatives besides the
Green Party and Natural Law Party? What about the Libertarian Party
and Reform Party?
Dr.
Hagelin: The
Libertarian and the Reform Parties both have laudible ideas that
deserve to be heard. Of all these parties, however, the Natural Law
Party has the most complete and comprehensive platform of
forward-looking, sustainable solutions in harmony with Natural Law,
plus the most truly wonderful core of dedicated activists. (For
information go to www.naturallaw.org)
The Share Guide:
What are your suggested references (books and websites) and how can
we stay informed of current work on group meditation?
Dr.
Hagelin: My own book, Manual
for a Perfect Government,
is concise, yet fairly
comprehensive. I recommend checking out The Project for Perpetual
World Peace, whose website is www.maharishi.invincibledefence.org.
And as I mentioned before, I recommend the book Permanent
Peace at www.createpermanentpeace.com.
For
information on Transcendental Meditation, visit the Maharishi
Vedic University website at www.TM.org.
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