Education News: Top Stories

Filmmaker David Lynch to launch Foundation to bring the Transcendental Meditation Program to the classroom

Institute of Science, Technology, and Public Policy Translate This Article
6 October 2005

America's students and teachers just got a new ally—David Lynch. The award-winning filmmaker is on the road, promoting the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace, dedicated to bringing the benefits of the stress-reducing, health-promoting Transcendental Meditation Programme (TM) to students, teachers, and parents.

After Lynch saw the serene faces of children deep in their practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique at an inner-city Detroit school, watched teens who meditate at a school in Iowa act in a play with great poise and skill, and heard a college student talk frankly about how daily practice of the TM technique had brought down his high blood pressure and saved him from a life of drugs, the celebrated filmmaker knew he had to do something 'big and bold' for America's students.

Mr Lynch, who is in the midst of directing his new film, 'Inland Empire', says his Foundation is aimed at helping students of all ages, nationalities, and religions learn better, handle stress better, and 'know themselves' better through the Transcendental Meditation programme. Mr Lynch believes that in this way his Foundation will help to promote a strong basis for a healthier, more harmonious, and peaceful world.

'The Transcendental Meditation Technique has been learned by tens of thousands of students in schools, colleges, and universities all over the country. There is also extensive published research to document the technique's wide-ranging health benefits for mind, body, and society. I am starting this Foundation to ensure that every child in America who wants to meditate can learn,' Mr Lynch said.

Dr John Hagelin and his staff at the Institute of Science, Technology and Public Policy have been working very closely with Mr Lynch this year to establish the David Lynch Foundation. To launch the Foundation and build up its capital, Mr Lynch and Dr Hagelin have undertaken this national tour, visiting leading philanthropists, celebrities, and entrepreneurs to secure their support for the Foundation and its educational initiatives.

The David Lynch Foundation will fund in-school TM programmes—and support scientific research on the effects of the technique—for developing students' brain potential, improving academic performance, and helping students with learning disabilities, high blood pressure, and other stress-related disorders, such as anxiety, depression, drug abuse, etc.

'Our schools are under enormous pressure to cram as much information as quickly as possible into a student's brain. But the sheer amount of information is exploding so fast that students are physically incapable of absorbing all that information and putting it to use. And that is why the problem of stress has become so all-pervasive in our schools,' Mr Lynch said.

Mr Lynch says the TM programme is the ideal antidote. 'The Transcendental Meditation Programme makes it much easier for students to learn and teachers to teach,' Lynch says. 'It can be a huge help for our schools.'

Mr Lynch has been practising the TM technique for over 30 years.

Copyright©2005 Global Good News(sm) Service

http://istpp.org/news/2005_07_lynchfoundation.html

Translation software is not perfect; however if you would like to try it, you can translate this page using:

(Google)
(Altavista babelfish)