Transcendental meditation in schools

Another attempt is being made to bring Transcendental Meditation, or TM, into American schools, this time in California. Some San Rafael parents are concerned about the importation of a religious practice into the supposedly secular school system. “Principal Carole Ramsey said the proposed program would not have any religious or spiritual elements,” according to The San Jose Mercury News.

TM without religious elements would be a contradiction in terms, given that the practice involves reciting mantras that are the names of Hindu deities! It would be hard to argue that getting a bunch of kids in school to sit with their eyes closed, silently repeating the name of Jesus, was not a religious activity.

Moreover, TM has already been found to be a religion. In 1977, Transcendental Meditation was ruled a religion by the United States District Court, District of New Jersey, in the case of Malnak v. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

I’ve taught meditation in schools myself, but I’ve always been careful to teach only mindfulness and lovingkindness meditations, which are practices that have no religious underpinnings and which are, in effect, secular forms of mental training.

It’s clear that the TM movement has tried to present itself (with some success, apparently) as a nonreligious movement in order to get access to public funds to help them disseminate their teachings. Let’s keep religious instruction out of US schools!

2 Responses to “Transcendental meditation in schools”

1. tina says:

   February 7, 2009 at 6:06 pm

   I am feeling a call to offer meditation in a public school setting. I am currently working as self employed artist and am not sure how to begin this new quest. If you have any advice or guidance on how to approach a school to offer an after school program for students to learn various meditation techniques to gain focus, awareness, and acceptance of themselves I would be so grateful.
2. bodhipaksa says:

   February 8, 2009 at 8:29 pm

   Hi Tina,

   I’ve been invited by a couple of schools to come and do presentations, but I’ve never tried to initiate contact so I’m afraid I’m not in much of a position to help.

   You might want to try talking to Dr. Amy Saltzman, who does a lot of work in promoting mindfulness in schools. She’s likely to have the kind of knowledge you’re after.

   Good luck with your quest!
   Bodhipaksa