The foremost practical tool from the Vedic Tradition at Maharishi School is the Transcendental Meditation technique, which the children practice twice a day to develop their potential and increase their learning ability.

Applying practical tools from the Vedic Tradition
by Dr. Richard Beall, TM Magazine, Issue 8
2 September 2012

Vedic knowledge takes a variety of forms at Maharishi School, Fairfield, Iowa, USA. The fundamental premise is to connect relative and absolute, to infuse silence into activity. The first example is the experience and study of the development of consciousness as a curriculum. We explain the mechanics of the Transcendental Meditation technique and its potential to develop higher states of consciousness. Our children practice the TM technique twice a day to develop their consciousness, which increases their learning ability.

Secondly, students learn universal principles of natural law expressed in all of their subjects—and in themselves—cultivating a habit of thinking vertically, of seeing deeper principles embedded in traditional knowledge. Their awareness moves in the direction of the underlying unified field: from the surface level of thought to their own deepest Self, the source of knowledge in natural law, consciousness.

Thirdly, we teach units from specific disciplines of Vedic knowledge that Maharishi restored to vitality in his decades of research and teaching. These include:

*Maharishi Ayurveda, a comprehensive system of natural healthcare

*Maharishi Sthapatya Veda, design of buildings in accord with natural law

*Sanskrit, the “language of nature” that creates coherence in consciousness when recited orally

Fourth, students learn Vedic expressions or proverbs.
These illuminate deeper wisdom and offer life insights:

Vasudhaiva kutumbakam
The world is my family.

Heyam duhkham anagatam
Avert the danger that has not yet come.

Satyam eva jayate
Truth alone triumphs.

Dvitiyad vai bhayam bhavati
Fear is born of duality.

Satyam bruyat priyam bruyat
Speak the sweet truth.

Yogasthah kuru karmani
Established in the Self, perform action.

Vedic Science teacher Susan Marcus says, “Through the study of Vedic knowledge and the experience of its technologies, students come to understand that most problems have their basis in limited vision. Expanding consciousness results in broader thinking, seeing more deeply into the roots of a problem or issue, and being able to solve it at its source rather than on the surface level of expression.”

One school project that Susan gives her students serves as an example of this principle. For one week, students are asked to self-report their experience of being on the Ideal Daily Routine of Maharishi Ayurveda. This includes going to sleep on time, eating nutritious meals on time, and exercising and meditating on time. “One student saw such a powerful effect from being well rested in her daily life that she changed her lifestyle permanently to be more in accord with the natural routine,” Susan said.

Vedic knowledge offers the full development of human potential by providing the tools and technologies for maximum achievement. The role and responsibility of all schools requires not just a vision of the students’ potential, but the practical technologies to achieve it. By adding Vedic knowledge to the curriculum, Maharishi School is realizing new possibilities for students’ inner happiness and outer achievements.

© Copyright 2012 Maharishi Foundation USA, a non-profit educational organization