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Accessing creativity through the Transcendental Meditation Programme Great accomplishments in all areas of life are fueled by the flow of creativity. Do you want to be great and accomplish great things? Do you believe you can? To achieve your goals—whether as an artist at one end of the spectrum, or as a scientist or engineer at the other, or anywhere in between—the flow of creativity is essential. In an article entitled ‘High Art’ in the Harvard Crimson this past November, authors Barlow and Kim write that ‘present-day artists continue to seek ways to emerge from a hackneyed state of consciousness—where the sky is blue and grass is green—into a kaleidoscopic world where they can discover new possibilities for their work.’ They talk about the use of ‘weed and wine’ among Harvard students, especially art students, who want to achieve their ‘artistic objective to break from a preconceived reality’. The article suggests that the artists are seeking a deeper level, the unconscious, and want their creativity to flow in an unrestricted way without ‘predetermined images of the world in their accepted states’. However, one student, the Crimson article reports, isn’t interested in using 'unnatural elements’ to reach her goals. She feels that they ‘will hinder your own ability to pursue what you want to achieve in life.' And a Harvard instructor points out that ‘diminishing returns [from drug use] set in pretty quickly.' So, where can one go to enjoy a free flow of creativity and how does one get there? An artistic giant shares his secret Famous filmmaker, David Lynch, relates his personal story of how he found himself looking for more in life, how it led him to meditation, and how the specific form of meditation he found, Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Technique, has resulted both in making him feel very good and in freeing his creativity. Reflecting on why he started the Transcendental Meditation Technique, Dr Lynch says he would hear phrases like ‘true happiness is not out there, true happiness lies within.’ He knew there was some truth to these words but wondered where that happiness was and how to get to it? More words of wisdom came to his notice—‘know thyself' and, he remarks, ‘it doesn’t mean sitting in front of a mirror and having a chat with yourself or looking at your hands because you could lose a hand and you still have the self’. He wondered, ‘So what is the self?’ and couldn’t help but feel that the self is something very abstract. ‘First seek the Kingdom of Heaven that lies within'—another “within” thing, and where is it?’ Dr Lynch’s search continued. The filmmaker had heard of meditation and started to consider whether that was the way to go within. He began to think that perhaps meditation isn’t a waste of time but is something profound. Wondering at that point which meditation, he found himself talking on the phone to his sister. She had been practising the Transcendental Meditation Technique for about six months. There was something both in what she said and a perceivable change in her voice—‘a kind of happiness coming through the words,’ Dr Lynch says. He had been looking into different things and at that point he knew that ‘Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation is what I want’. The result: life got happier, negativity dropped off, creativity blossomed Dr Lynch elaborates. For creating things, ‘ideas are very important,’ he says. ‘I really believe ideas are able to be caught at a deeper level once you start meditation.’ He then adds, ‘I believe intuition grows [through the Transcendental Meditation Technique,’ and, expanding upon the significance of that, he continues, ’This intuition is a knowingness. And when you’re making something, if this knowingness is flowing, then you just know what to do and you know what to say, you know how to go to make it feel correct, whatever it is. And this grows.’ Dr Lynch found that the Transcendental Meditation Technique did even more than that. ‘At the same time as these positive things grow—like creativity and bliss and enjoyment of doing grows— negativity starts receding,’ he says. Fears, anxieties, anger begin to leave. ‘It’s like a heavy load just lightening, lightening.’ This, he explains, has allowed him to fulfil his creative desires. ‘You’re just going along feeling very good and you have to feel good to create something. If you’re depressed and you’re filled with fears and anxieties or anger, negativity just cripples you. And so, it’s money in the bank for me.’ David Lynch has been practising Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Programme twice a day for over 30 years. He says that he has never missed a meditation since learning and wouldn’t want to. ‘I love meditation,’ Dr Lynch expresses his feelings candidly. ‘I love feeling this bliss. I love feeling more wakefulness and more energy.’ Dr Lynch is literally sharing his profits with the world. He has established the David Lynch Foundation to ensure that any child in America who wants to learn and practise the Transcendental Meditation Programme can do so. In the past year, the Foundation has provided millions of dollars for thousands of students, teachers, and parents to learn to meditate. Dr Lynch sees that this programme—in his words, ‘the most thoroughly researched and widely practised programme in the world for developing the full creative potential of the brain and mind, improving health, reducing stress, and improving academic outcomes—is transforming lives. He says, ‘I have had the pleasure of meeting many students who are “diving within” and experiencing Consciousness-Based Education [utilizing the Transcendental Meditation Technique]. These students are all unique individuals, very much themselves. They are amazing, self-sufficient, wide-awake, energetic, blissful, creative, powerfully intelligent and peaceful human beings. Meeting these students, for me, was the proof that Consciousness-Based Education is a profoundly good thing for our schools and for our world.’ Faculty and students speak for themselves Children throughout the world are profiting from the work of the David Lynch Foundation. At the Museum of Art School in Tucson, Arizona, USA, the Project Manager, Kate Samson, says, ‘It seems to me that after they meditate, the students really know what their purpose is for that day and they can go ahead and achieve it.’ The students also share their thoughts on the benefits they are receiving from their practice of Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Programme, particularly, as art students, focusing on the area of creativity. A young girl comments: ‘My creativity is opened a lot because of meditation.’ A boy comments: ‘Whenever I do TM, my imagination starts flowing.’ Another boy thoughtfully says: ‘I feel that all art forms are very honest. It comes from [somewhere] deep inside of you that you can’t put on or lie about.’ And a Tucson school faculty member observes very simply, ‘My observation is that the kids who are meditating are happier.’ © Copyright 2010 Global Good News®
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