The problems of typology of Transcendental Meditation movement (TM)

The article addresses the challenge of creating a unified classification system for new religious movements by examining the Transcendental Meditation movement. It analyzes scholarly and organizational perspectives on the movement's theory, practice, and social features, highlighting difficulties in typology—particularly conflicting views on how Maharishi Mahesh Yogi's teachings blend Hinduism with modern science, described with ambiguous terms. The conclusion proposes two stratified typology variants: one for inclusion in an extended unified classification of religions with multiple levels of generalization, and another for cataloguing new religious movements.

Study at a glance

Abstract

One of the most important tasks of present-day religious studies is developing a united and detailed systematisation of new religious movements. With the aim of fi nding out what place the Transcendental Meditation movement could occupy in it, this article considers various characteristics of the theory, practice and social peculiarities of this movement, off ered by researchers of new religious movements and representatives of the organisation itself. This paper also reveals problems of typology, the main of which is that diff erent opinions about the relationship of ideas of Hinduism with the elements of modern science in the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi are designated in scientifi c and educational literature by diff erent terms, which, moreover, are ambiguous. In the conclusion of the article, variants of the stratifi ed typology are off ered, revealing a complete picture of the origin and transformation of the theories and practices of the Transcendental Meditation movement. The fi rst variant is aimed at inclusion in the unifi ed classifi cation of religions, which is supposed to be extended according to the principle applied by other scientifi c systems that take into account several levels of generalisation. The second variant can be employed in cataloguing new religious movements.