VOLUME 9 |ISSUE 3 |2018 1315
with TM teacher and researcher Dr. Sarina Grosswald describing
her study on TM and ADHD. The study had only 10 children and
was published in an online journal.36
In addition, the study wasn’t blinded and there was no control
group. Some of the children were on medication, but the study
does not take into account the possibility of changes in medical
therapy during the study or improved compliance. Conclusions
were based on self-report and subjective questionnaires.
TM and the Autism Spectrum
The TM.org site shows a video of one mother who discusses how
TM has helped her autistic child. That’s it—no evidence.
TM and Addiction
Several studies on how TM helps with addiction are listed on
TM.org, but the most current is 23 years old, two are 30 years
old, and two are more than forty years old. Two items reference
the same study. Finally, the majority of researchers could be
considered to be in the TM family and possibly biased.
Sanitizing 50 Years of TM History
Finally, Roth’s book attempts to sanitize more than fifty years of TM
by failing to mention key elements that reveal TM as much more
than the scientific, secular, relaxation technique it pretends to be.
Some examples:
*Roth doesn’t mention higher consciousness, which was
Maharishi’s main product before he figured out he could
make more money selling health than spirituality to
Westerners.37
*Roth doesn’t mention the TM-Sidhi program—
Maharishi’s enlightenment accelerant that he promoted
as the superhighway to enlightenment. A Sidha would
develop superpowers, including the ability to levitate,
to become invisible, and to have the strength of an
elephant, omniscience, and eternal life. In the late
1970s, TM held press conferences about levitation and
distributed photographs purporting to show people
levitating. They were fakes. For more than forty years, TM
Sidhas, whom Maharishi called “yogic flyers,” have been
bouncing around on dense foam believing they will fly
like birds once atmospheric stress clears up. Sidhi courses
are still offered today.38
• Roth doesn’t mention the rajas. Rajas are the highest-
level administrators in Maharishi’s fantasy world known
as the Global Country of World Peace. Rajas reportedly
bought their titles for a million dollars each. They wear
long white robes, necklaces with gold medallions, and
little gold crowns.39
• Roth doesn’t mention that Maharishi referred to his rajas
as the representatives of Divine Intelligence, the shining
stars who played a parental role for their people, setting
all life in the evolutionary direction. They would rule
“Heaven on Earth.” As he expressed,
This will be the Peace Government, as the
government of Nature administers a very
concrete galactic universe, but very peacefully.
We are going to be a practical channel of the
Cosmic Government on Earth. We are going to
be the administrators of Heaven on Earth.40
• Roth doesn’t mention the recertified governors, who are
the next level down in Maharishi’s elite troops. They
meditate 6 hours a day and, in the time remaining, work
full time for the organization.41
The pledge below, signed by the recertified governors,
further reveals the extent to which Maharishi embraced
Hinduism and the fantasy world he had succumbed to
toward the end of his life:
I will take all these steps so that, on this Guru
Purnima, the full moon of July 2005, my city
will welcome the descent of Heaven on Earth—
the descent of Satya Yuga saying bye-bye to
Kali Yuga.
I pay homage to Guru Dev and the Holy
Tradition of Vedic Masters through all the levels
of Rajas and Maharaja of the Global Country
of World Peace—the State Rajas, the National
Rajas and the Global Maharaja—reaching the
holy tradition of Vedic Masters whose guiding
light, His Divinity Brahmananda Sarasvati, has
blessed the world with this whole knowledge
of Enlightenment to the individual and
Invincibility to the nation.42
In Hindu cosmology, a yuga is an epoch or era within a
cycle of four ages, whose lengths vary from 432,000 to
1,728,000 years.43
• Roth doesn’t mention how Maharishi sliced and
diced the Hindu religion, selling off parts he deemed
potential profit centers. Although the following lucrative
businesses are related to the TM organization, Tm.org
includes no link for any of them.
o Maharishi Ayurvedic herbal supplements.44
o Maharishi Sthapatya Veda proposes demolishing
and rebuilding entire cities so that all buildings and
rooms have the proper orientation and proportions,
thereby allowing a harmonious relationship
between the individual and cosmic consciousness.
The billions of dollars flowing through all the
demolition projects would flow through the
intelligence of his recertified governors.45
o Yagyas. This is Maharishi’s “pay to pray” scheme.
TM charges between $1,000 and $3,000 (recently
reduced from $10,000) for Hindu prayer services to
with TM teacher and researcher Dr. Sarina Grosswald describing
her study on TM and ADHD. The study had only 10 children and
was published in an online journal.36
In addition, the study wasn’t blinded and there was no control
group. Some of the children were on medication, but the study
does not take into account the possibility of changes in medical
therapy during the study or improved compliance. Conclusions
were based on self-report and subjective questionnaires.
TM and the Autism Spectrum
The TM.org site shows a video of one mother who discusses how
TM has helped her autistic child. That’s it—no evidence.
TM and Addiction
Several studies on how TM helps with addiction are listed on
TM.org, but the most current is 23 years old, two are 30 years
old, and two are more than forty years old. Two items reference
the same study. Finally, the majority of researchers could be
considered to be in the TM family and possibly biased.
Sanitizing 50 Years of TM History
Finally, Roth’s book attempts to sanitize more than fifty years of TM
by failing to mention key elements that reveal TM as much more
than the scientific, secular, relaxation technique it pretends to be.
Some examples:
*Roth doesn’t mention higher consciousness, which was
Maharishi’s main product before he figured out he could
make more money selling health than spirituality to
Westerners.37
*Roth doesn’t mention the TM-Sidhi program—
Maharishi’s enlightenment accelerant that he promoted
as the superhighway to enlightenment. A Sidha would
develop superpowers, including the ability to levitate,
to become invisible, and to have the strength of an
elephant, omniscience, and eternal life. In the late
1970s, TM held press conferences about levitation and
distributed photographs purporting to show people
levitating. They were fakes. For more than forty years, TM
Sidhas, whom Maharishi called “yogic flyers,” have been
bouncing around on dense foam believing they will fly
like birds once atmospheric stress clears up. Sidhi courses
are still offered today.38
• Roth doesn’t mention the rajas. Rajas are the highest-
level administrators in Maharishi’s fantasy world known
as the Global Country of World Peace. Rajas reportedly
bought their titles for a million dollars each. They wear
long white robes, necklaces with gold medallions, and
little gold crowns.39
• Roth doesn’t mention that Maharishi referred to his rajas
as the representatives of Divine Intelligence, the shining
stars who played a parental role for their people, setting
all life in the evolutionary direction. They would rule
“Heaven on Earth.” As he expressed,
This will be the Peace Government, as the
government of Nature administers a very
concrete galactic universe, but very peacefully.
We are going to be a practical channel of the
Cosmic Government on Earth. We are going to
be the administrators of Heaven on Earth.40
• Roth doesn’t mention the recertified governors, who are
the next level down in Maharishi’s elite troops. They
meditate 6 hours a day and, in the time remaining, work
full time for the organization.41
The pledge below, signed by the recertified governors,
further reveals the extent to which Maharishi embraced
Hinduism and the fantasy world he had succumbed to
toward the end of his life:
I will take all these steps so that, on this Guru
Purnima, the full moon of July 2005, my city
will welcome the descent of Heaven on Earth—
the descent of Satya Yuga saying bye-bye to
Kali Yuga.
I pay homage to Guru Dev and the Holy
Tradition of Vedic Masters through all the levels
of Rajas and Maharaja of the Global Country
of World Peace—the State Rajas, the National
Rajas and the Global Maharaja—reaching the
holy tradition of Vedic Masters whose guiding
light, His Divinity Brahmananda Sarasvati, has
blessed the world with this whole knowledge
of Enlightenment to the individual and
Invincibility to the nation.42
In Hindu cosmology, a yuga is an epoch or era within a
cycle of four ages, whose lengths vary from 432,000 to
1,728,000 years.43
• Roth doesn’t mention how Maharishi sliced and
diced the Hindu religion, selling off parts he deemed
potential profit centers. Although the following lucrative
businesses are related to the TM organization, Tm.org
includes no link for any of them.
o Maharishi Ayurvedic herbal supplements.44
o Maharishi Sthapatya Veda proposes demolishing
and rebuilding entire cities so that all buildings and
rooms have the proper orientation and proportions,
thereby allowing a harmonious relationship
between the individual and cosmic consciousness.
The billions of dollars flowing through all the
demolition projects would flow through the
intelligence of his recertified governors.45
o Yagyas. This is Maharishi’s “pay to pray” scheme.
TM charges between $1,000 and $3,000 (recently
reduced from $10,000) for Hindu prayer services to
