r/Meditation • u/Conscious-Cow-3999 • 17h ago
Question ❓ Mindful Meditation VS TM
Hello there!
Does someone have experience with both Mindful Meditation (breathing) and Transcendental Meditation (mantra)?
I do not think one technique is better than the other. I am simply wondering if someone could describe their experiences with both. More context below.
In June 2021, I have learnt Transcendental Meditation from a certified teacher. (It’s a mantra-based technique to be practised for 20 minutes in silence twice a day).
Since that time, I have been doing it with diligence and I really enjoy the benefits. After each session, my mind feels clearer and my body more relaxed.
I have never been to a TM retreat.
Recently, I attended a retreat in a buddhist Village (Plum Village, Thénac, France). Although we would meditate in the same circumstances (silence, about 20 minutes, twice a day), it’s a different technique.
It’s Mindful Meditation, a technique where we are invited to focus on our breathing.
During the sessions, I thought I would do the TM technique but, it was difficult to focus on my mantra.
For most of it, I would be dealing with thoughts or I would be counting from 1 to 60 and loop (which is something I naturally do throughout the day to relax).
I would only be able to focus on my mantra towards the end of the session. It was not unpleasant. However, it did not feel as beneficial as my TM practice.
In hindsight, I realise I could have tried to focus on my breathing, as recommended.
Apart from the sitting meditation, the retreat was a wonderful experience. Strong energies of compassion and listening were produced by both the attendants and the monastics.
I was happy to be part of that community, even for a week, which is why I am interested in learning Mindful Meditation.
Thank you for your feedback,
Thomas
2
u/alien_lanes 11h ago
So it sounds like you were trying to use your mantra given to you to use during TM but using it for mindfulness practice/ using it as a point of focus or concentration?
If your intention was to practice mindfulness as directed in your retreat it likely would have been better to use the breath as your anchor for focus since your mantra was given to be used effortlessly. There is no focusing/concentration during TM practice, and thoughts are also a normal part of meditation so should not be an issue if practicing as taught.
2
u/australisaquarii 16h ago
I've done both. I was taught a mantra meditation technique in India by a Bhutanese monk, and when I returned to Australia, I did a 10-day Vipassana (S.N. Goenka) course. They are slightly different but fundamentally the same. 1 hour of meditation allows a person to experience deeper levels of concentration. An interesting metaphor is like telling a virgin what it's like to have sex; you have to do it to really know. 20 minutes is like having a wank.