Hi,

I have a question:

What makes the difference between NSR(TM) and a normal mantra meditation described in various books?
What defines TM? Is it the Mantra, the Posture, the time of Meditation ...

I also can not differentiate between the term "restful alertness" used by NSR(TM) and "relaxation response" used by Benson. Where is the difference?

Maybe someone can bring light into this.

BR,
Nick

Nick,

"What makes the difference between NSR(TM) and a normal mantra meditation described in various books?"

I'm not sure what books you mean, or what you mean by 'normal'. There is no single, standard definition of mantra meditation. In fact, there are hundreds of different forms of meditation, most of which are quite different from NSR Meditation.

I could attempt an answer, but I would just be guessing at what you might have in mind. Instead, I'll give you a chance to clarify your question so I can give you an answer that you might really want.

"What defines TM?"

TM (Transcendental Meditation) is a trademarked term that refers to instruction given by organizations founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Further details about TM can be found at www.tm.org. The best definition of TM may be simply that it is the standardized 7-session course offered by these organizations.

"Is it the Mantra, the Posture, the time of Meditation..."

I think the answer is no (the heart of TM is effortless transcending, not any specific detail like mantra, posture, or meditation time), but again, I'm not quite following the intent of your question and await your clarification.

"I also can not differentiate between the term 'restful alertness' used by NSR(TM) and 'relaxation response' used by Benson. Where is the difference?"

My understanding is that Benson's "Relaxation response" is a sort of simplified view of meditation involving the mental repetition of the word "one" (or perhaps including words chosen by the practitioner). There is little or no understanding of transcending, states of consciousness, the technology of mantras, or how to handle various situations or experiences that many arise during meditation. His technique may be appealing to those looking for simple "alternative medicine" approaches in a medical setting. Benson's book and website (www.mbmi.org) contain details about his technique.

"Restful alertness" is a name sometimes used for Transcendental Consciousness, a fourth major state of human consciousness (along with waking, dreaming, and deep sleep). It is distinguished (as are the other major states) by unique measurable changes in physiology, including unique metabolic changes, unique brainwave patterns, and unique serum biochemistry. Restful alertness is a natural state, which can be gained at will by anyone practicing a transcending technique such as Transcendental Meditation or NSR Meditation.

I hope these answers help. Feel free to clarify your questions or ask others.

We are here to provide accurate information about how anyone can enjoy the dissolving of daily stress through two 15 minute a day effortless NSR Meditation sessions. Our websites are listed at the top of this page. Please explore them for full details on NSR Meditation.

David Spector
NSR Meditation/USA

David Spector of NSR USA wrote:


My understanding is that Benson's "Relaxation response" is a sort of simplified view of meditation involving the mental repetition of the word "one" (or perhaps including words chosen by the practitioner). There is little or no understanding of transcending ...


Not only Benson's "Relaxation response" is simplified view of meditation, but it involves breath control, making it more complicated from a technical point of view...
So, TM is simpler from practical point of view, but much richer than "Relaxation response" for the deep interpretation of the technique itself. NSR has been created to keep simplicity of TM practice (making its instruction even simpler, and less expensive) and possibly to keep the deep knowledge behind it.
Practical results of "Relaxation response" on reduction of anxiety has been modest, compared to the excellent results achieved by TM (Eppley et al., Journal of Clinical Psychology, 1989), and preliminarly by NSR (Psychological Reports, 2007).

Fabrizio Coppola
Istituto Scientia
http://www.natural-stress-relief.com

Thank you for your response!

First of all I want to say that the NSR manual is by far the best/practical written meditation instruction I ever saw.
All the books I mentioned in my first message only give a very general overview how mantra meditations work without any practical instructions. These general information were quite like those from the NSR manual.

So the intent of my question was to find out what makes NSR(TM) so special compared to these other mantra meditations?

For example what difference does it make to use the mantra synchronized with breath (this is instructed in some books) to the unsynchronized repetition of the mantra (NSR)?

BR, Rainer

Nick, or Rainer,

I think your question is, "why is the NSR manual so much better than other forms of meditation instruction that I have seen?"

A simple answer might be, "because NSR is based on better knowledge and better understanding of how the mind and body acquire and release stress than other books you may have read."

Your question about synchronizing thinking the mantra with breathing has a simple answer, "because being concerned with breathing, or other aspects of the body, is not as simple, natural, or efficient as NSR Meditation."

As another example, meditating while simultaneously swimming, or solving nonlinear differential equations, would be more complex than simply transcending, that is, following a thought to the source of all thoughts. Therefore, it would be less efficient. In fact, one might not be able to transcend at all under such conditions!

Feel free to ask any follow-up questions.

David Spector
NSR Meditation/USA