Maharishi: A rare glimpse into the message of meditation from 55 years ago

Bob Roth
2010

There are many hours of audiotape and videotape footage of Maharishi speaking about the unbounded nature of human consciousness, the meditation benefits of Transcendental Meditation, and the underlying unity of life that connects humanity and nature. Many of the videotapes come from Maharishi’s speeches at government conferences, science symposiums, education seminars, and business meetings in almost every country.

There are also numerous hours of videotape of Maharishi talking to the press.

In 1968, when interest in the Transcendental Meditation technique was on the rise, Maharishi was interviewed by the Canadian Broadcast Corp (CBC) Television while leading an advanced meditation course at Lake Louise in Canada. As Maharishi strolled along the lake, he discussed the inner essence of life and how meditation enables individuals to tap into the boundless energy, creativity, and power within each person.

In 1968, the term “meditation” was still unfamiliar; research on the Transcendental Meditation technique began at Harvard and UCLA medical schools, and there were only a few hundred thousand people practising meditation worldwide.

Today, much has changed. Just look at the content of this blog and the tm.org.au website.

This classic video offers a rare glimpse into Maharishi’s message from over 55 years ago—a message that inspired a whole generation of young people, caught the attention of researchers, and led Time magazine in 2004 to proclaim Maharishi as the teacher most responsible for the upsurge of interest in meditation in the West.

The video is just six minutes, but it tells the whole story.