Everything You Want to Know About TM -- Including How to Do It [Paperback]

John White (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 1, 2004

Wildly popular in the 1970s and 80s, Transcendental Meditation (TM) continues to be one of the most accessible forms of Eastern spiritual practice in the West. But does it live up to its hype? In this objective exploration of TM, consciousness researcher John White looks at what's billed as "a simple, natural, and effortless mental technique, practiced twenty minutes a day" and takes on its critics as well as its cheerleaders.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

JOHN WHITE is an internationally known author in the fields of spirituality and higher human development. His books include "The Meeting of Science and Spirit," "What Is Enlightenment?" and a children’s book, "The Christmas Mice." His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Reader’s Digest, Omni, Esquire, and Woman’s Day, and he lectures throughout the U.S. and Canada. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Yale University.

JOHN WHITE is an internationally known author in the fields of spirituality and higher human development. His books include "The Meeting of Science and Spirit," "What Is Enlightenment?" and a children's book, "The Christmas Mice." His writing has appeared in The New York Times, Reader's Digest, Omni, Esquire, and Woman's Day, and he lectures throughout the U.S. and Canada. He holds degrees from Dartmouth College and Yale University.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Paraview Special Editions (April 1, 2004)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931044856
• ISBN-13: 978-1931044851
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (15 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #378,762 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Mostly Fair, But Still Incomplete, April 6, 2011

By 

T. Gomez (Fullerton, Ca United States) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everything You Want to Know About TM -- Including How to Do It (Paperback)

Like many people that look into learning TM, I was immediately put off by the organization's prohibitive fees. When I first inquired several years ago they were charging $2500(now $1500) and I pretty much gave up on learning to meditate. Recently my interest was renewed when I picked up Dr. Herbert Benson's Relaxation Revolution and Meditation for Dummies by Stephan Bodian.

What struck me about hose two books was the fact that they both mention TM several times but are scant on details(naturally). After practicing Benson's method, as well as Mindfulness and various other relaxation meditations I started to feel like I was still missing something. My sessions were relaxing but nothing happened that matched the enthusiasm I've seen in practitioners of TM.

I began searching online relentlessly for alternative methods to learn TM and after many hours of searching, I finally came across a viable option, but more on that later. I read this book, "Everything You Want to Know About TM" after already having learned to successfully transcend. I purchased the book because I was intrigued by taking a skeptical look at the TM movement and on that level it delivers.

One of the main problems I had with the book is that the author never experienced states of bliss while meditating. This is something that came naturally to me in my first session and every one since. I can't help but wonder what the book would have been like had the writer been profoundly moved the way I was.

Another problem that I had was that the book was written more than 30 years ago. A lot has happened in the TM movement since then, including the passing of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This book could have greatly benefited from revisions over the years. Some of the ideas posited in the chapter, "The Future of TM" were quite simplistic.

Despite the book's flaws, it does indeed teach you the basic TM technique, it's right on page 48. Throughout the book, Mr. White characterizes new TM practitioners as being in spiritual kindergarten, which makes a lot of sense. The problem is that this book will not get you any closer to the answers that you will surely seek as you begin your journey. The TM organization might charge an arm and a leg but there is value in guidance and talking with people that have been traveling for some time on the road you just reached.

If you have the financial means, the TM org is the way to go in my opinion. If you don't have the means, I recommend learning from a former TM teacher by the name of David Spector(NSRUSA.org). The method he teaches is called Natural Stress Relief and he charges $25 for instruction with free support in the form of a public web forum. In addition, he offers expert private support at affordable rates. NSR is basically TM without the veiled quasi-religion.

I applaud John White for writing this book and I enjoyed reading it very much. His critical writings about spirituality and the science of TM were very insightful and thought-provoking. I also enjoyed the three appendix articles(written by others) as well. One thing that should be made clear, however, is that this is not a manual on TM. For greater guidance in that respect I whole-heartedly recommend NSRUSA.org and David Spector. I'd also recommend purchasing Maharishi's "Science of Being" for greater context.

Jai Guru Dev.

45 of 60 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Balance View of TM, January 14, 2009

By 

Jusuf Hariman (Australia) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everything You Want to Know About TM -- Including How to Do It (Paperback)

This little book (190 pages) is the best book on Transcendental Meditation (TM) I have ever read. Wildly popular in the 70's and 80's, TM continues to be the most accessible form of Eastern spiritual practice in the West. It is billed as "a simple, natural, and effortless mental technique practiced 20 minutes a day". One of the greatest strengths of this book is chapter 5 ie "How to Do TM?" because every student of TM has a legal contract with the TM movement not to teach it to anybody else, let alone to reveal its precious mantra (It now costs circa $3000 to study TM). I also congratulate John White, the author of the book, to include crucial articles on TM by prominent authors in Appendixes 1-3. Finally, John White appraises TM. Does it live up to its hype? Does Maharishi Mahest Yogi enlightened? What is the purpose of mantra? What does science say about TM? And whether TM ignores the core traditional concern of Indian mysticism ie "Kundalini". Read this book and you will have a balance view of TM.

35 of 49 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars very informative !!, October 21, 2004

By 

Andrew C. LING (North York, Ontario Canada) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Everything You Want to Know About TM -- Including How to Do It (Paperback)

This book is unique in that unlike most books telling readers how great TM is, White gives the pros and cons of TM from every view point. The implication I get is that TM works for some people some of the time but not for everybody all the time. No doubt further research and probings are required. To me, everyone who wants to learn TM should read this book carefully.