IOWA: The atmosphere was surcharged with bliss and silence on Sunday, July 22 as 96 members of the Indian Senior Group of Chicago witnessed a MahaRudra Abhishek with 121 pandits in Maharishi Vedic City, IA.
The pandits are among the 1000 pandits in Maharishi Vedic City who have been specially trained for the purpose of creating invincibility for the US and India.
The historic visit was organized by CV Desai. The group arrived Saturday afternoon at the Argiro Student Union of Maharishi University of Management (accredited through PhD level with students from over 90 countries.) Jon Lipman, AIA, talked about the principles of Vaastu architecture based on Sthpatya Veda, the Upaveda of Atharva Veda. The group asked brilliant questions, and Dr Lipman gave brilliant answers on the importance of eastern entrances, brahmasthans, and correct proportions. Dr Lipman, the main architect on campus, mentioned about the “fortune-creating” nature of Maharishi Vastu homes and buildings.
Neuroscientist Fred Travis, PhD, gave a live demonstration of the brain waves of grad student Vivek Iyyer practicing Transcendental Meditation. Dr Travis told of the three major types of meditation and their correlated brain wave patterns.
Oft-practiced “Focused Attention” activates the brain centers concerned with focusing, and vibrates at 40-50 cycles per second. This patterns are found in techniques that involve concentration and control.
The second pattern of theta activity at 6-8 cycles per second, is associated with contemplation and is seen in mindfulness and Vipasanna meditations.
Thirdly, Transcendental Meditation uniquely represents a new pattern of functioning which simultaneously enlivens all areas of the brain, “whole brain thinking.” In particular, the pre-frontal cortex, the “CEO” of the brain, shows highly coherent Alpha-1 activity throughout the TM practice.
Uniquely, this technique is effortless; Dr Travis calls this “Automatic Self-Transcending” and labeled it a major state of consciousness, different from waking, dreaming and sleeping, or “turiya”, the “samadhi” laid out by Maharishi Patanjali in his cognition of “Yoga Sutras”. During the practice of TM, the body achieves a state of rest much deeper than the deepest point of sleep, also contributing to the cascade of health benefits, including less utilization of medical interventions.
The group enjoyed Q and A with Dr Travis, including the in-depth on Transcendental Meditation (of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi) before and the principles behind building Vaastu buildings.
Rasik Shah, one of the attendees, observed “One of the things I noticed was the degree of spirituality was correlated with different brain wave frequencies and patterns (alpha, gamma, theta).’
“We will never forget the hospitality shown by hosts including James Greg, Bob and Carol Markowitz, Eloise Raymond, and others. It was unbelievable, “said CV Desai
The group was thrilled with tours of the Vaastu homes in Maharishi Vedic City, and saw the vast greenhouses where Vedic organic, non-GMO food is grown 24/7/365 and sold to Whole Foods, etc., in Chicago and Des Moines.
Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment is one of the top private schools in the US. Its Principal, Richard Beall, outlined how all children begin and end the school day with Transcendental Meditation (TM). This makes the students relaxed, attentive, and socially mature. The students win many national and international competitions.
The next MahaRudra yagya is scheduled on the Vedic Visitors Weekend on Sept 21-23. Space is highly limited, and bookings are done on a first-come, first-served basis.
James Greg