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Meditation, creativity and a small university town ‘Why, why, why Fairfield, Io-why?’ sings a German student, wondering how he found himself in a small university town in the middle of ‘nowhere’. A short film at the Maharishi University of Management Video Cafe on student life revealed that tuning in to his music gives the first clue to the answer as his creativity and delight fill the listener’s heart. Surya Zeeb is a student at Maharishi University of Management (MUM) in, yes, a very little town amidst the cornfields of Iowa, USA. Yet the enormous flow of creativity which pours from him is common in this most unlikely location. ‘What makes this place so unique? Is it the TM [Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation] Technique?’ he sings on. A large number of people in Fairfield, including the students, faculty and staff of the university and many people in the town and surrounding area, would answer a resounding ‘Yes’. So would great filmmaker, David Lynch. Dr Lynch is chair of the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, whose cornerstone is the Transcendental Meditation Programme. In speaking of the programme, the filmmaker emphasizes both the uniqueness of the practice and how it brings the experience of unlimited creativity and intelligence, which is nothing but the deepest level of one’s true nature. ‘The Transcendental Meditation Technique is a simple, effortless way to '‘dive within’', to experience an ocean of pure consciousness, pure creativity, pure knowingness,' Dr Lynch says. ‘It’s a unique experience but also very familiar—it is your own Self.' Fairfield resident, Laurie Stokes, expresses similar thoughts about the technique and the blossoming of her own creativity and happiness. ‘TM has allowed me to know my own self. Having an increased awareness of what resonates inside of me, I naturally make more creative and life-supporting decisions that bring me the most happiness.' And Rod Falk, originally from Vancouver but now a long-time member of the Fairfield meditating community, says, ‘I love my Transcendental Meditation. As an artist, it is extremely valuable because it provides me with a constant flow of creativity and inspiration.' Distinguished molecular biologist, John Fagan, was working at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland in the 1980’s when he discovered the creative influence of Fairfield. Already a practitioner of the Transcendental Meditation Technique and the advanced TM-Sidhi Programme, including Yogic Flying, he was aware of the creativity which these programmes stimulate. He regularly spent time at Maharishi University of Management and noticed ‘that after every visit, I returned to my NIH lab with a stack of good research ideas.’ Dr Fagan believes that ‘the deep inner experience of meditation allows us to connect directly with the field of abstract intelligence where the laws of nature reside’ and that regular practice of Maharishi’s Technologies of Consciousness develop what he considers to be ‘that most prized scientific quality—a penetrating intuition into nature’s functioning.’ (www.winstonbrill.com/bril001/html/article_index/articles/51-100/article70_body.html) So he took the opportunity to be in a place where not only his, but, in his words, ‘everybody’s mind was being fine-tuned twice a day’ by Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Programme. Dr Fagan left NIH and moved to Fairfield. His own career has flourished ever since. And he has seen MUM scientists not only produce excellent science, but create great practical advances. Great contributions of Fairfield scientists As an example, Dr Fagan refers to the work of Dr Vincent Argiro who ‘devised a revolutionary approach to real-time three-dimensional imaging of living cells. This led to the researcher forming a company, Vital Images, that has successfully applied this new method to such diverse fields as medical diagnostics, oil exploration, and the testing of airplane wings.’ Dr Fagan also points to the founding of Enlightened Audio Design, which markets a virtually noise-free compact disk player developed by MUM faculty. ‘These are not the kinds of contributions one usually expects from the faculty of a small university. Even with limited resources, researchers at MIU [former name of MUM] compete successfully in fast-moving areas where innovation is essential,’ the scientist says. While Jeffrey Abramson, a partner in the Tower Companies, lives outside of Washington, DC, as a long-term practitioner of the Transcendental Meditation Technique, he is acutely aware of the creativity it enlivens. And as a member of the Board of Trustees at Maharishi University of Management, he often visits Fairfield and enjoys its added benefits. Dr Abramson comments, ‘What I notice is that creativity was really a product of the stillness of the mind, the quiet of the mind. The quieter the mind, the more coherent the mind, the more coherent, the more intuitive, the more intuitive, the more flexible. . . . I don’t know anyone who couldn’t use that.’ (increasing creativity and productivity video at www.tm.org).He now makes the Transcendental Meditation Programme available to all his employees. Surya Zeeb’s lyrics echo Dr Abramson’s recognition of the value of the profound silence and creativity which the Transcendental Meditation Technique and Fairfield bring. He sings, ‘People from all over the place, enjoying the silent space. . . Fairfield Io-why, Fairfield Io-why, Fairfield Io-why. Soon you know why.’ © Copyright 2010 Global Good News®
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