In 1974 I was doing some legal work for the Transcendental Meditation movement, headquartered in Los Angeles. I was also teaching the Transcendental Meditation technique part time. During that time, over a period of about one year, I noticed an increasing pressure in my eyes. It kept increasing until my eyeballs felt like they were going to burst. I kept waiting to see if the pressure would correct itself. But, it did not. In two more months I was scheduled to attend an advanced teacher training course with Maharishi in France. So, I decided to postpone further concern about my eye pressure. But in the passing of two more months, when I arrived in Courchevel, France, my eye pressure was severe and very uncomfortable. Nevertheless, I decided to just ride it out, and never said anything to anyone about it.

Soon, Maharishi greeted us and gave a lecture. The room was crowded. The only place I found where I could sit and still get a glimpse of Maharishi was behind the tripod of a cameraman. I was watching him intently as he lectured. Then, quite unexpectedly, while still lecturing, Maharishi made eye contact with me through a small line of sight between the tripod legs. He kept this eye contact with me for a few seconds. Then, he glanced away. I thought I noticed a vibration sensation in my eyes. I reflected on the experience, not knowing what to make of it. At the same time I felt as if the pressure in my eyes may have dropped. I thought that maybe it was my imagination. I shrugged it off and continued listening and watching Maharishi.

After about a half hour of lecturing, Maharishi again made eye contact with me, which he continued to hold for a few seconds. Again, I felt a vibration in my eyes and this time, very distinctly, I noticed the pressure in my eyes had markedly dropped.

Maharishi looked away as he continued lecturing. Then again, after about half an hour, as he lectured, Maharishi made eye contact with me. And, as before, he maintained this contact for a few seconds. And as before, I felt a vibration in my eyes and noticed that the pressure in my eyes had dropped. I reflected on this experience and realized that all the pressure in my eyes had totally disappeared. It became obvious to me that Maharishi had healed my eyes. To this day I have not had additional problems with pressure in my eyes.

Certainly Maharishi had the power to heal which he used under certain circumstances. But, healing people was not his mission. He was a great world teacher. His mission was to give the world a simple do-it-yourself technique whereby everyone could directly connect with, and directly experience, their inner divinity, and thereby live life to its fullest.

All life, including the entirety of the physical universe, is an expression of divinity. Permeating all of creation is a divine essence, a creative intelligence, a transcendental reality, that lies hidden from our sensory-oriented perceptions. The human being is also an expression of this transcendental divine essence. This is the reality of individual life. Inner life is divine. However, being caught up in a sensory world, the human being has lost awareness and contact with his inner divinity.

The Transcendental Meditation technique is a simple mental technique that enables everyone to become aware of their inner divine nature through the direct experience of their inner divinity. Having established the mind in its own nature, one then can live life to its fullest.

All problems in life are due to the lack of knowledge and the experience of one's true inner divine nature. The TM technique enables one to experience that inner divine essence that lies transcendent within him. As a result problems in life melt away. The human being is born with a nervous system, a diamond-like nervous system that is capable of reflecting that inner divine essence. However, most everyone's nervous system is polluted by the stresses and strains of life. And, therefore, the nervous system does not reflect that inner divine essence in its fullness. The TM technique acts as a sonic cleaner that dissolves the stresses and strains from the nervous system.

The TM technique uses the natural tendency of the mind. The natural tendency of the mind is to seek greater charm. The greatest charm the mind can experience is to connect with its own inner divine nature. So, the mind naturally wants to go there. The TM technique reverses the mind 180 degrees, away from the outer material world and inwards to experience thought at increasingly finer levels. This experience of increasingly finer levels of thought is characterized by increasing charm. Therefore, the inward drifting of the mind is automatic. Finally, the mind transcends the finest level of thought to experience the source of thought, that divine essence within us that is characterized by greatest charm, and is experienced as bliss.

As one experiences thought at increasingly finer levels during the practice of TM, mental activity becomes less and less. Because the mind and body are related, as mental activity becomes less and less, physical activity becomes less and less; the body settles down into a deep state of rest far deeper than deep sleep. Yet, the mind remains alert, fully awake.

Rest is directly opposed to stress. Therefore, with the deep state of rest achieved with the continued practice of the TM technique, the nervous system is purified of its stresses. Thereby, it begins to reflect more and more of that inner divine essence. As more and more of that inner divine essence is reflected in the nervous system, outer life is lived with increasing fullness. With continued practice of the TM technique the nervous system is purified whereby it reflects that inner divine essence in its full glory.

Most health problems, family problems, social problems, and problems in general are due to stress. This is why the TM technique is so effective and has been referenced as the most effective transformational self-development technique available in the world today. Since its introduction to the Western world over fifty years ago, the Transcendental Meditation technique as a means of personal development has been the subject of over 600 scientific research studies conducted at 200 independent universities and research institutions in thirty-three countries. These studies have been published in such leading journals as Academy of Management Journal, American Journal of Physiology, American Journal of Psychiatry, Hypertension, the Lancet, Science, and Scientific American. No other system of personal development has received such scrutiny and acclaim.

The human being is his own worst enemy. Not having the experience of his inner divine nature man is highly susceptible to the influences of his lower nature and falls as easy prey to lust, greed, jealousy, self-aggrandizement, addictions, selfishness, sense-gratification, etc.

Through the practice of the TM technique one infuses into the mind more and more of the nature of his inner divine essence. Thereby, he rises above his lower nature. His lower nature surrenders to his higher divine nature. He becomes free from the grips of temptation. He becomes invincible and no longer able to be influenced by his lower nature. What was before a quick surrender to a temptation, no longer is even a consideration. This is not due to any willpower or effort or mood. This is simply the benefit resulting from connecting with and experiencing that inner divine essence, which is one's own inner Self.

I have been practicing the TM technique for over 40 years. The benefits realized by me have been transformational and nothing short of amazing. I was 27 years old when I started TM. At that time I was the national manager of field engineering for a computer company, headquartered in New York City. I had a Park Avenue office, good salary, stock options, expense account and a company car. I was successful! I gained that success by being a competitive workaholic. My job was my first priority and my family life suffered for it. My success was also characterized by frequent pounding migraine headaches that sometimes lasted one week. I suffered from extreme anxiety, insomnia and chronic fatigue. I also suffered from asthma, panic attacks and long bouts of depression. I was a compulsive eater. And, I was addicted to sugar and to cheese. I received the deserved sobriquet of "King Pig" from my associates for often making an embarrassing spectacle of myself due to my uncontrollable appetite for cakes, pies, pastries, chocolate and candies. Also, I was highly susceptible to alleviate my suffering through addictions and vices. However, I was most fortunate to have been introduced to TM just in time to avert my flirting with activities that could have easily led to my self-destruction.

I was initiated into Transcendental Meditation in February, 1968. My first experience of transcending and making a connection with my inner Self, that divine essence, was profound and wow'd me. I felt a strong sense of peace and bliss within. I had received the key to my inner treasury, and I could not stop myself from laughing about it. I laughed from the bliss and joy of it for a month.

I felt a growing inner peace. Soon, I noticed that my migraine headaches disappeared. And, with continued practice of the TM technique, my anxiety melted away. My obsessive eating disappeared. My insomnia, asthmatic attacks, panic attacks and depression went away. All these conditions never came back. I became freed from my worst enemy, myself. Over the years, my life transformed into a life of happiness and fulfillment. I developed a tremendous inner peace and contentment. I still had problems come up in life, but they did not overshadow me as before. I became anchored in my inner divine nature which became the growing foundation for living my life. I felt fortified.

Resident within the divine essence that permeates and gives rise to all of creation are all of the laws of nature. The divine essence is the home of all the laws of nature. So, when we connect with that ubiquitous, universal divine essence, which is also within us, we are connecting with the home of all the laws of nature. Therefore, the more we become one with our inner divine essence, through our daily practice of TM, the more we become attuned with the laws of nature; thereby, the more we gain support of nature. Life, then, flows more easily and is more fulfilling. This gives us invincibility!

Further, I feel that my over 40 years' practice of the TM technique has developed a positive energy field around me, a magnetic aura which attracts prosperity and success. For example, in 2001, I beat extraordinary odds by winning second place in California's SuperLotto Plus. I do not mean to imply that practicing TM will enable you to win lotteries. However, I do credit my practice of Transcendental Meditation for making me a winner in all areas of my life.

My transformational experience is not unique. Shortly after starting the TM technique I attended a residence course in Squaw Valley where I met the Maharishi. I told him I wanted to become a teacher of Transcendental Meditation. In response, he invited me to study with him in India, which I did. The first thing I wanted to do after becoming a TM instructor was to introduce TM to my parents and sister. They all tried it.

My mother was a chain cigarette smoker for over twenty years, averaging four packs of cigarettes daily. She would light her next cigarette from the one she was just finishing. My father smoked about one to two packs a day and my sister smoked about one pack daily. I never smoked. Within about one to two years after teaching my family the Transcendental Meditation technique they all stopped smoking. This is remarkable since none of them began the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique in order to stop smoking. They quit smoking naturally and spontaneously without will power or any effort on their part to stop smoking. Their quitting smoking was a by-product of their Transcendental Meditation practice. None of them ever returned back to cigarette smoking - they quit smoking, permanently.

A similar experience was shared by a friend of mine. He told me that the day after beginning the practice of Transcendental Meditation he was walking along and out of habit reached into his pocket and pulled out his pack of cigarettes. He lit up a cigarette and noticed it was not pleasant to him anymore. He told me that he then questioned why he was smoking, and then knew that smoking was not part of him anymore. He said he threw the cigarettes into a trash barrel and never went back to smoking since.

These are examples of invincibility! Invincibility is getting hold of your Self, identifying with your inner divine essence. Established with that inner divine essence as your foundation, you will become unconquerable, invincible in the arena of daily activities of life. This is an amazing ability. Everyone has this amazing ability to be invincible. This amazing ability is your birthright.

For more information about the Transcendental Meditation technique please visit: www.tm.org/.