Transcendental Meditation? Is The Way Back stiller?
In this video, which was filmed in 2015, Mick discusses how Mark’s meditation teaching approach is different from Transcendental Meditation (TM), leading to much deeper and more profound experiences within meditation. Transcendental Meditation, which is a mantra based approach, has many well documented benefits but as Mick demonstrates from his own experience, many people find that it has limits in terms of how far it can take them and often describe reaching a plateau.
This video refers to Pure Energy Meditation, which was the name Mark used for his teachings before co-founding The Way Back in 2018.
Transcendental Meditation, is it spiritual?
Ultimately this is something that people must discover for themselves however when you look at the substance of Transcendental Meditation, it is primarily based upon a mantra, which is a set of sounds that are repeated by the mind either out loud (chanting) or more commonly internally (mantra).
Since a mantra is made by the mind and has a definite sound and qualities, then it can be said to be dependent on the mind and having limits or edges. A “RAA” sound for example is not an “EEE” sound so one sound will always have something missing from it, which is why it is said to be limited.
So mantra meditation is of the mind and limited, whereas the pursuit of a spiritual journey is ultimately to go beyond the mind and beyond limits, to enlightenment.
Mark’s experience
“I spent 13 months meditating on a powerful mantra for two hours every day and up to six hours once every weekend. Prior to this mantra I had experienced a number of other mantras too and could tell the different sounds had different qualities. But they all were working within the same level of stillness. When I was initiated, which means I got access to inner light and sound energy, I was literally blown away by the contrast. Whereas a mantra gets its energy primarily from the one saying it, this light and sound energy was on a completely different level and I knew then that no amount of mantra meditation, or any other mind based activity, would come close to what I was now experiencing. The mantra helped prepare me and I can see the value for people in the beginning stages of learning to meditate. But I highly recommend that people experience light and sound meditation if they are really interested in finding a much more profound level of stillness, peace and spiritual insight.
When teaching Mick, I had no idea he had done decades of Transcendental Meditation, and the profound contrast he experienced in the two lessons he had with me, was based primarily on breath meditation and being guided into stillness. Anyone can have these experiences and at this stage he had not even started the light and sound meditation. I tend not to even teach mantra meditation to those who wish to explore more advanced forms of stillness because experience has shown it to be unnecessary.
I am grateful to Mick for giving this testimonial and when you watch it to the end you will realise I really had no idea of his transcendental meditation background so it was interesting for me to hear his comparison too. In the years I have been teaching, others have also reported similar experiences, saying how they have persisted with their TM Mantra for many years but feel they are not getting any further with it. If you relate to this then we are here to help you get further, if you wish, and if we can.”
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