Consciousness-Based Education - Maharishi University of ...

the maharishi effect and governmentTM-Sidhi program, and many practice individually as well as thosewho participate in group practice. There are several research studiesindicating that the square root of one percent of a population practicingthe Transcendental Meditation and TM-Sidhi program bringsgreater coherence to society as seen by changes in crime rate (Hatchard,Deans, Cavanaugh, & Orme-Johnson, 1996), accident rate (Dillbeck,Larimore, & Wallace, 1991), and indices of quality of life (Dillbeck,Cavanaugh, Glenn, Orme-Johnson, & Mittlefehldt, 1987; Orme-Johnson, Alexander, Davies, Chandler, and Larimore, 1988; Orme-Johnson, Gelderloos, & Dillbeck, 1988). Thus, according to the theorythat informs this research, the numbers of individuals practicing theTranscendental Meditation technique and the TM-Sidhi programthroughout the country have contributed to development of coherencein society which could support a more sustained effect of any particularproject.As well, a permanent group of practitioners of the TranscendentalMeditation and TM-Sidhi program was established at Maharishi Universityof Management (formerly known as Maharishi InternationalUniversity) in 1979, and have continued group practice to date. Severalprevious studies have assessed the influence of that group along withseveral short courses similar to the Demonstration Project on a numberof variables including the economy, U.S.-Soviet relations, and crimerate. The influence of the permanent group on approval ratings and themedia are discussed in a longitudinal study (Goodman, 1997).The sustained effect after the Demonstration Project may have alsobeen partially due to the synergistic interaction between the variables,whereby the Maharishi Effect influences the media, for example, whichin turn influences approval ratings. The longitudinal study (Goodman,1997) examined the implications of this relationship between variablesin an interactive system. Because the Maharishi Effect appears to havean impact on the media as well as on the approval ratings perhaps thepositivity attained by the media, resulting from the influence of theMaharishi Effect, is passed on at various lags to the approval ratings,thus providing for delayed effects of the Demonstration Project whichwould contribute to the extended duration of impact.The major premise of the National Demonstration Project was thatalleviating crime would create a more coherent atmosphere within253