We Have Read...

by the Editors

Our close Christian colleagues in Bangalore, South-India, edit the excellent periodical Religion and Society. Its June issue 1979 deals with Mental Health in India.

The Editorial has the following comment:

"What then are we who seek Indian Christian models to do if we continue to reject the mindless importation of the latest from the west? Perhaps we should look closely at Transcendental Meditation, usually called "TM" - the very simple modified popular Hindu model introduced in the west by Mahesh Yogi and now reimported by him and his followers into India. Probably many in India are taking it up just because it now has the cachet of acceptance in the west. This is enough to make it slightly suspect to us. But let us not reject TM without testing and examining it. It does have Indian roots. Some Indian professors of pastoral care have found it good. Some of our close Christian colleagues in Europe are frightened by the Hinduishness of TM - especially Johannes Aagaard in several recent numbers of his new fine "New Religious Movements Up-Date". But then many of these same close colleagues have long been frightened by the Hinduishness of much of the best of our Indian Christian theology. So let us take a look at TM. We may reject it. But it might well lead us to other Indian models worth considering."

Playing on the text we should like to comment this Editorial by saying:

Why not continue to reject the mindless importation of the latest from the west? which obviously today in India is TM!

We are not "frightened by the Hinduishness of TM" and we never were "frightened by the Hinduishness of much of the best of our Indian Christian theology". We just know from experience what TM is doing to our young people, who without warning and guidance are sent into their own interior on a journey during which they only get Hindu gods and goddesses as guides.

Having been to hell with some of these young people we are not impressed by the easy approach: "So let us take a look at TM!" We have taken that look and know what it looks like.