Readers of this blog who learned TM may recall the importance Mahesh placed on how to think the mantra. My notes on how to check a person's meditation, which date from approximately 1973, read in part, "...Now this time, when we close our eyes, sit easily, and after about 1/2 a minute begin to think the mantra in the same, effortless way we think any other thoughts." And, "In this meditation, we do not concentrate; we do not try to think the mantra clearly. Mental repetition is not a clear pronunciation; it's just a faint idea...Just think the mantra easily, effortlessly...."
In my TM-Free research, I stumbled on an older set of checking notes, from about 1961. There I found that Mahesh did not tell people to "think" the mantra. Rather, back then he talked about "listening" to the mantra. I don't have the notes on hand, but here is my best recollection of what was written: "Think the mantra easily, and then just follow it down; listen to it as it changes."
Does anyone have an old set of checking notes that they can share with the readers? Do you think this change is significant?
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