Comments on: Explaining Subtle Activism

By: David Nicol

David Nicol — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 08:23:57 +0000

In the last sentence of the above article I wrote “I contend that subtle activism, especially when integrated with more conventional forms of activism, can play a crucial unifying role in any holistic approach to social change…” I agree that any proposal to replace concrete action with only meditation and prayers could justifiably be critiqued as ungrounded, yet when the subtle/spiritual activity works in concert with intelligent on-the-ground social change efforts, the combined effect can be extremely powerful. A good case study is the Sarvodaya organization in Sri Lanka. For decades they have run wonderful grassroots village development programs in thousands of Sri Lankan villages, and they have also convened numerous huge peace meditations – one of them involved over 600,000 people! Sarvodaya’s holistic approach to social change has proven to be extraordinarily effective at spreading a culture of peace amidst the bitter struggle between the Tamil Tigers and Sinhalese-identified government.

In our Gaiafield Project, we have always aimed to build bridges between the “consciousness” movement and the “sustainability/social justice” movement (or between the ‘being’ and ‘doing’ realms of social change). However, I will also add that in a culture that has long had a bias (because of the dominant worldview of materialism) for seeing only the overt, measurable phenomenon as real and/or valuable, we need to especially highlight the particular power and potential of the subtle type of action to play a crucial role in collective healing.

In terms of the comment about the so-called “Maharishi Effect” research, to simply suggest that TM is a cult is not a valid argument against the evidence presented in 23 studies that have been published in peer-reviewed journals that show consistent correlations between the practice of TM meditation in large groups and improvements in social indicators such as crime rates in nearby populations. I agree that independent validation by non-TM scientists is needed to verify the claims, but it should be pointed out that (as far as I know) no independent replications have yet been attempted. I am not a TM practitioner and I have my own critiques of the movement, but when you look closely at the Maharishi Effect studies, you really have to give them their due, because they comply very well with currently accepted standards of science (which is why they were accepted by peer-reviewed journals, some of which are highly prestigious, such as Yale’s Journal of Conflict Resolution). Criticisms which do not address flaws in the design or analysis or execution of the experiments but are merely polemical attacks do little to advance the scientific conversation.
David

By: Michel Bauwens

Michel Bauwens — Sat, 22 Mar 2008 03:43:33 +0000

I would have my own general remark to the approach described above. The way I see it, what matters most is real-life concrete action, but it is obvious that such concrete engagement can be strengthened by a full awareness of possible subtle forces at work. Any technique that creates stronger bonds in the community, such as those described above, would be beneficial to the resolve of those involved. However, when such practices take the place of concrete action, replace such engagement with only prayers and meditations, then that would be problematic from my point of view. Of course, I do not know enough about this initiative to judge it one way or another.

Michel

By: John M. Knapp, LMSW

John M. Knapp, LMSW — Thu, 20 Mar 2008 22:26:21 +0000

Regarding the Maharishi Effect that you mention: This “effect” has never replicated by nonmembers of the Maharishi’s movement, Transcendental Meditation. Many critics consider Transcendental Meditation a cult led by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. For an alternative view of the TM Movement, readers may be interested in checking out TM-Free Blog, TranceNet.net, or my counseling site, KnappFamilyCounseling.com/cultsb.html, where individuals recovering from Transcendental Meditation and similar groups will find helpful information.

John M. Knapp, LMSW
http://KnappFamilyCounseling.com/cultsb.html