Meditation:
How You Can Use It To Create World Peace

By Wendy Rosenfeldt

A group of two hundred people close their eyes to meditate in Jerusalem and war deaths go down in neighboring Lebanon by 76%. In the same area, car accidents dramatically decrease; unwanted fires begin to subside, while the stock market rises 27 points. Mere coincidence? Or is there a deeper meaning?

A research study examining the connection between people practising meditation, and improvements in the surrounding environment was published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution (32, 776-8121, The paper was accompanied by the following editorial comment "the following presents and tests a hypothesis that will strike most readers (including myself) as, to say the least, unorthodox ...y et, the hypothesis seems logically derived from the initial premises, and the empirical testing seems competently executed. These are the standards to which manuscripts submitted for publication in this journal are normally subjected."

One of the referees of the paper, while admitting that the study proved to be "logically and methodologically coherent" advised against publishing, stating that "the hypothesis, to be frank, I regard as absurd."

How can meditation bring about world peace?
Throughout the ages there has always been a tradition of people who devoted their lives to prayer and meditation. People of various cultures turn to prayer in times of crisis. In recent years there has been an increase in groups coming together to meditate for world peace.

Nice idea, and yes there may be more serenity surrounding those who spend time with their eyes shut, but how does it actually work? Do you ever stop amidst your outpourings to God or mid 'Om', to wonder how your prayers; positive affirmations or meditative impulses affect people on the other side of the world?
Just what are the mechanics of world peace?

A Quantum Leap in understanding
In the last 50 years or so, the scientific worldview has taken a dramatic shift. Quantum physics has discovered that the world is not the stable, nonchangeing, solid entity that Newton perceived it to be. It is not to say that Newton was wrong. However, scientific knowledge in his era was more limited than it is today, just as prior to the astronomical findings of Galileo, people thought that the world was flat. Looking around ourselves we do experience our surroundings as solid, separate, non-changing but if we could view life at the subatomic level of quantum mechanics we would see that everything consists of fluctuations of particles.

Pictures in a newspaper show images of people, landscapes, objects etc. but if you look at these images under a magnifying glass you see a multitude of dots on paper. Whether you see people or tiny blotches depends on what level is being viewed, likewise whether the world appears as solid material objects or fluctuations of particles also depends on what level is being perceived.

Everything Is Connected
At the most fundamental level of life, everything is connected and therefore creates an influence on everything else. This influence is not contained by the boundaries of nations or even by the receptacle of the mindlbrain. Experiments in Quantum physics suggest that the observer of the experiment influences its outcome. The thought or prediction of the scientist has actually been seen to tip the scales of probability in favour of that outcome. Science is paradoxically proving that it can no longer conclusively prove anything, at least on the quantum level of life. Could it be that objective science is implying its own subjectivity?

Quantum physicists have discovered a 'unified field' at the most basic level of the physical world that is currently perceivable by human instrumentation. Previously it was thought that there were just four main forces in life; gravity, electro magnetism, the nuclear weak force and the nuclear strong force. Each one explained particular laws of nature or natural phenomena, for example the nuclear weak force explains the production of energy in the sun while electromagnetism includes the laws that explain electricity.

Pre quantum mechanics there appeared to be no underlying laws that accounted for all natural phenomena. However scientists, looking at a deeper level of life, discovered that the same pattern of movement found in the atom could also be seen to be governing the motion of the planets, indicating a unified field effect. This field is like a blue print for the structure of the whole of nature. It contains the underlying intelligence that provides order in the universe. It is like when we put a magnet under a piece of paper with iron filings on it. While you cannot see the magnet you can observe its effect on the iron filings as you move the magnet around. We can't see the Unified Field but we can view its effects as it governs the material world.

Western Theory Meets Eastern Experience
Although, only discovered recently by western science, the idea of an underlying unity throughout nature is not foreign to the eastern world. Nor is it just a concept or philosophy. The idea of the Unified Field is not only paralleled by the notion of consciousness but it can be experienced in the individual's awareness through the technique of meditation. This experiential knowledge has been preserved for thousands of years in the timeless Vedic tradition of India.

Vedic science maintains that it is possible that the mind can in fact settle down and experience the unified field. Even though we may experience life in an excited sometimes turbulent state, when the mind settles down it is like diving beneath the waves of the ocean to experience the quiet depths below. This settling down of awareness has been described as a unique state of consciousness called Transcendental Consciousness. It has been measured physiologically as different from waking, dreaming and sleeping. It is identified by increased orderliness in the brain wave functioning and a profound level of physical rest recorded by lower oxygen consumption, half that of deep sleep

Once the human mind begins to attune itself with these quieter depths of awareness, human nature begins to evolve rapidly. It can be likened to tapping into the cosmic plan rather than drifting aimlessly in life. Like attending a meeting at work, if you go, you know the overall direction and work in with the rest of the group. If you miss it, you can be working hard but at odds with everyone else.

Transcendental Meditation - Beyond Thinking
However, it has been found that not every person in the society needs to meditate. If the technique that is utilized can elevate the awareness to the level of the Unified Field, then even a fraction of the population can radiate enough of a harmonizing and positive influence throughout the 'collective consciousness' (the level of the collective mood of a population). This has been shown by numerous studies on Transcendental Meditation as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Transcendental Meditation literally means to go beyond thinking. In the state of Transcendental Consciousness the mind does not think about peace or war, or anything. It actually becomes the Unified Field or the source of life. After meditation, when the mind reemerges into activity, it then carries that influence of increased coherence. However, the influence of this experience IS not limited merely to the increase of positivity and clarity in that person, which they then radiate out to others. The unique benefits of someone experiencing Transcendental Consciousness is that it operates through the field of consciousness, even affecting people who have had no physical contact with the meditator.

When a person's awareness is on this very subtle level, the mind is infinitely more powerful. We know from our knowledge of nuclear weapons, which function at the atomic level, that atomic and sub atomic levels are more powerful. The same is true of thought, which is also a form of energy. It is like watering a tree, to take care of the whole plant we water the roots, and then all the leaves, flowers and fruit benefit also. By enlivening the basic field of infinite orderliness at the source, we can enliven it everywhere.

The Effect of Coherence
Conscious thought takes place on the surface, active level of the mind, and will therefore have a limited effectiveness. For the mind to use its full potential it must settle down and experience the bigger self - pure consciousness. Pure in the sense that it is in its complete, most unified form as opposed to limited by just the conscious awareness of the individual. By functioning from this level the awareness is beyond the experience of individual opinions such as "our leader is incompetent" or that "the enemy should be put to death". Instead an indomitable influence of coherence is generated, which brings about solutions that are positive for the whole. It is not on the intellectual level that the answer suddenly pops up, e.g. that one side is wrong or we should all love each other.

It is the experience of unity that is created, the experience that I am everything that is felt" and therefore, "I would no more harm someone else than I would myself." When this experience is felt, the idea of blowing up another nation is about as logical as amputating one's own leg.

The Unified Field is beyond space and time. Somewhat hard to conceive, but when you think about it, in order to experience space or time you need a fixed point of reference. We experience that we are here now because we have bodies. The Unified Field or the field of consciousness is everywhere all the time. When we experience Transcendental Consciousness we let go of our boundaries and connect with a pure consciousness that is omnipresent

Studies Prove Benefits
There have been many studies on the coherence-creating effects of groups practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM). One of the most conclusive experiments was the 1983 International Peace Project. 200 people practicing Transcendental meditation and the advanced TM-Sidhi program came together in Jerusalem with the intention to reduce war deaths in Lebanon. It was also predicted that car accidents and fires would decrease, and the stock market would improve.

During the 6 weeks of the study, every one of the predictions was confirmed and the results were statistically significant. For the two weeks with the highest attendance of meditators, war deaths in Lebanon dropped an average of 76%. The wide spread improvements illustrate the holistic influence on the increased orderliness in the whole society. This field effect in consciousness is called the Super Radiance effect. The results of this study were published in the Journal of Conflict Resolution edited at Yale University. The struggle for publication took three years but the evidence was indisputable. In fact the mathematical analysis of the probability of coincidence yielded an almost inconceivable figure: p< .00000000000000000001, less than one chance of coincidence in ten million trillion!

For the five years prior to the Washington DC Crime Reduction Project (top chart) violent crime tracked closely with temperature from spring to fall. During the 1993 project (bottom chart), violent crime suddenly plummeted despite near record temperatures.

Crime Rate Reduced by 23%
In Washington D.C. in 1993, this Super Radiance principle was again demonstrated. The project set out to lower the crime rate, focusing on the reduction of rape, homicide and assault. Dr Haglin, a quantum physicist trained at Harvard, recruited a 27-member review board of scientists and public leaders to oversee the study and lodged his predictions in advance with this board and also the Washington police. Prior to the project Dr Haglin asked the police what reduction in crime would they deem to be significant. The answer came back 20% and that the only way for this to occur

"... we can send positive thoughts of peace or we can actually transform the experience of conflict and disharmony to unity."

would be a blizzard in July! In previous years, as temperatures rose, violent crime also rose in close correlation. It has long been known to police forces, that increased personal violence is directly related to increased temperatures. In 1993, while temperatures rose in June, and then jumped to near record temperatures in July, violent crime suddenly plummeted, dropping far below average levels. With the largest attendance of meditators in the first week of July, the reduction in crime was found to exceed 23%. Stringent investigation and statistical controls indicated that this dramatic drop in crime could not be attributed to other possible causes, in fact the probability of this being pure coincidence is less than 2 in one billion. This study was published in the Social Indicators Research (47, 153- 201 1. This research is particular to the technique of Transcendental Meditation and should not be taken to show the effects of meditation in general.

Waves of Coherence
In quantum physics we know that an 'incoherent system' is one with destructive interference. This means that various wave patterns interfere with each other in such a way as to annihilate one another. In a coherent system the waves reinforce each other, such as in the Radiance Group experience in Washington. The different elements of the society decrease in destructive interference, demonstrated by reduction in crime, accidents etc. Increased orderliness and cooperation are also found, indicated by a rise in support amongst society members. This can be seen in improvements within the Stock Exchange, which is a general indicator for the mood or confidence of a nation. There is nothing esoteric about it. The field of consciousness displays the same qualities that science has discovered in the Unified Field. A New Technology.

Peace has been an aspiration for centuries. Wars, sanctions, protests, all have taken place in the name of peace but still there is conflict. Therefore a new technology is needed. Peace is not on the level of understanding; it is on the basis of creating the effect that will not allow conflict to exist. Thoughts, prayers and positive intentions can all be transmitted through the field of consciousness. Whether you call it Consciousness, or Mother Earth, or God, it doesn't matter, it describes the same thing. Quantum physics identifies this underlying intelligence as the Unified Field. The effects of our impulses illustrate a principle of physics that states "for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction". Send out a positive thought and it will have a result.

Everything we do creates an effect. As we have discovered from our knowledge of the Unified Field and illustrated by the research on Transcendental Meditation, there are levels of effectiveness. To use the analogy of war technology, we can fight each other with sticks or we can blow each other up with atomic warfare. Likewise we can send positive thoughts of peace or we can actually transform the experience of conflict and disharmony to unity, thus creating indomitable waves of coherence and peace throughout the universe and preventing the birth of negativity or enmity.

You are not powerless, but potential peace creators. By creating increased coherence in the population through the experience of Transcendental Consciousness, it is possible to actually improve the clarity of our leaders minds. Instead of fretting and bemoaning the world's situation, you can begin to change it!

For further information check out the website -
www.createpermanentpeace.com

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