The ‘Aura’ World of Tony Quinn Sunday World March 3, 1974

Mrs X, the mother of two who left her family to live at the Yoga Commune in Templeogue, is back home.

An avalanche of letters, most of them from the house at Templeogue, arrived at the Sunday World building during the week, defending Yoga and its exponent in Dublin, Tony Quinn, on the issue.

They say that our story was unfair.

The similiarity of their content is rather remarkable. But they agree on several points: that Mrs X only stayed in the Commune for ten days; that her husband knew she was there and gave her money while she stayed; and that Tony Quinn persuaded her to return to her children.

All the correspondents agree that ‘Mrs X’ was, while at the house at Templeogue ‘in a state of emotional shock and expressed very little feeling for her husband and children’.

Many of them say that she was mentally disturbed before she went, but their explanations vary as to why she was allowed enter in that state.

One Yoga member said that many psychiatrists recommend Tony Quinn’s Yoga for such cases.

(Mr X told Sunday World he only met Tony on the third try. He was told twice that Mr Quinn was ‘sick’.)

The letters, some of which have also come from St Jude’s, Brookfield, College Road, Cork, as well as St Columban’s, Templeogue, (the Commune hold on to the name of the house they secured from the Columban Fathers), say the writers have benefitted in health and spirit from Yoga.

Only a very few anti-Yoga letters have come from homs from which family members have left for the Commune. These complain that persons have ‘lost their religion’ and ‘given up their careers’ having sample the new philosophy.

Among the pro-Yoga letter writers were several with university degrees.

But cures from obesity, asthma, drug-addition and depression are reported by people in various Dublin addresses, apart from the letters that came from the Yoga houses themselves.

An explanatory printed letter headed, ‘Who Is Tony Quinn?’ was circulated by Yoga devotee, Sean Nolan, in Dublin last August, a photostat copy of which has been sent to Sunday World. The letter was issued with a list of classes and venues, urging people to join the movement.

Readers may remember that Tony Quinn refused to be interviewed by us and was ‘not in’ when we tried to findhim at the Templeogue Yoga house.

The letter, however, seems to speak on his behalf. Here are some excerpts.

‘Two years ago, Tony Quinn started giving classes here in Dublin. As they were concerned with the ages-old idea of perfected man, they were called yoga classes. But they bore little resemblance to conventional yoga, or indeed to any system of spiritual development in the world. The classes were unique. And Tony was unique. He was taught by no  man, followed no teacher, for he was born with certain abilities which made all of this unnecessary.

‘To begin with, there is the very cornerstone of Tony’s teaching – true meditation. Where other systems of meditation could be called passive, since they concentrate on blotting out the mind, this is active meditation. Everybody uses this type of meditation already, without realising it, but at a very low level. It is a system of getting information from that part of you that normally lies beyond your conscious mind.

‘Such people as Mozart, Leonardo Da Vinci, or Thomas Edison, all ascribed their creations and discoveries to this greater intelligence. Jesus, Buddha and other great masters of the past used it on a higher level again. Jesus in particular was the outstanding example of this positive meditation.

‘He did not retire to a cave to spend his life cultivating an empty mind. Instead, through his meditation, he was able to manifest the love, intelligence, and power of God for all men to see.

‘In the world today there is only one man who can practice this meditation at its perfect level – Tony Quinn. To watch him meditate at this level is an awesome experience. Myself and many others from the classes have seen it and would be glad to talk to you about it. What happens is the aura, or glow, around his head changes to pure white.

‘Then he seems to be transformed into light as the aura vanishes and the outline of his body becomes indefinite. The features of the face change also as it is transfigured with the power of this light shining from within. Those who have seen this count themselves among the most fortunate of people.

‘With these powers, and with the knowledge you will gain through meditation, you can at last be master of your destiny and discover true happiness. Positive meditation then, the key to Tony’s teaching is the gateway to the hidden but greater part of you.

‘I’m sure you’ve seen pictures of Jesus, the saints or other holy men with this golden or white glow painted around them. Of course, the aura around the head of an ordinary person would not be white or gold. It would be darker, perhaps blue. this is because they have a weaker connecting with God, who is the source of life itself.

‘I will explain this by saying that the energy which sustains man and the universe comes from God. Those who can accept this energy in its pure form have white auras, while those who cannot, reduce it to a lower rate of vibration. At this energy lowers its vibration it changes colour, hence the different coloured auras, since the aura is the radiance of this energy around the body.

‘The colours of the aura are, in seven descending rates of vibration: white/gold, gold with green/yellow, with green/blue, or violet/red or brown/grey or black.

‘I would like to mention here than Tony can also, if necessary, bring the aura down to black. This is because there are in the world, those who would exploit this idea of God, for money, possessions, or simply power. To capitalise in this way on the longing many people feel at this time for a teacher, is to sin to a far greater extent than the normal person could understand.

‘The way things stand at the moment, any guru-so-called can, if he knows certain techniques to show people a light, impress them to the extent that they will fall down and worship him as God. Taking all their money is nothing compared to the damage such an individual can do to the soul.

‘I have seen him heal the sick, cast out evil spirits (low forms of energy, which can live in the aura and control the person in that way – possessing him, in fact) and do many others things which I will not dwell on here, as I feel they distract from the greatest miracle of all, if your could only understand it, which is to change the aura.

‘The reason I’m telling you all this is to get you along to the classes. Tony wants the auras of as many people as possible improved. You have nothing to lose. Even in the 24 lesson preparing for having the aura changes, you will gain all the knowledge necessary to become happy.

‘Yes, it costs money to attend the classes. The world happens to run on it, so we need it. Even getting this printed for you to read costs money.

‘So now you have some idea of Tony Quinn, and what he represents. You may be wondering how somebody with a name like Tony Quinn, coming from a place like Ireland, rather than India, could represent anything. Two thousand years ago they were saying nothing good could ever come out of Nazareth. Or you may consider him an odd sort of fellow, suffering from delusions. It is we who are deluded. Tony is the perfect example of man as he should be, even at this stage.

‘He has a well-developed body and mind. He eats, drinks and does everything a man does, and does it well. But he is different in another important respect. Unlike you and I, he can change all this at will and become something quite different. Tony is a sane voice in a world of confusion. He offers real life – will you grasp it now, or forever turn away, never understanding?’

The author of the circular letter, Sean Nolan, whose address is at Kylemore Road, Bluebell Avenue, Dublin, told us that he has been with Tony Quinn, now for three years. The reason he thought that Tony did not speak to the reporter was that he had been on a ten-day fast, experimenting to discover suitable diets to eat after fasting.

Sean Nolan says that healing sessions are held each Sunday in the Templeogue House where many people have been healed of a ‘wide range of infirmities’.

Printed with this circular were venues for classes in various suburbs of Dublin and in Kildare areas.

The circular seemed extraordinary to us but one of the protestors from the Commune (among the many that jammed our telephone system for several hours) boasted that he had seen Tony Quinn in meditation and could bear witness to the aura that surrounded him.

He said that modern science was discovering more about his aura and especially the investiations were being made (and published) by Soviet scientists.

Others said that as far as they were concerned Tony Quinn Yoga was a matter of diet and the proper way to meditate.

Our telephonist noted that there were no concurrent telephone calls about Yoga, only consecutive ones. And some of the protesters began by saying, ‘I want to add my voice…’

It would appear that our aura with this group of disciples appears black.

Tony Quinn – a priest replies

Dear Sir

Your article on Tony Quinn’s Yoga was referred to me during the week. Twice during the past year I have had to help people as a result of their participation in Mr Quinn’s Yoga.

In one case, the person involved suffered a mental breakdown and had to be hospitalised. In the other case, I had to call a doctor owing to the near physical breakdown of the person involved.

The person in the former case has written a complete testimony of her experience and it makes fascinating and frightening reading.

I think it is important that people know exactly what Mr Quinn is offering before they enrol as members of his group and I feel that you have done a service to the community to point out the possible dangers in these Yoga classes.

Your sincerely

Martin Tierney CC

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION

[L. Hughes, op: NRMs of Indian Origin - lecture 3 - 11/3/99]

TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION

Transcendental Meditation (TM) was developed by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi,
who was born Mahesh Prasad Varma in Central India in 1911 (or 1918
according to some sources). After graduating in Physics from Allahabad
University in 1940, he studied for thirteen years at Jyotirmath in the
Himalayas with Swami Brahmananda Saraswati (1869 – 1953), usually
referred to by his title “Guru Dev”. Guru Dev had discovered (or possibly
rediscovered) from Hindu Scriptures a simple *japa yoga meditation
technique. It is said that just before he died, he commissioned Mahesh
Yogi to make this form of meditation widely known. The result is what is
now known as Transcendental Meditation or TM. In 1956 Varma took to
himself the title maharishi which means “great seer”. The Maharishi
brought his technique to the United States and other countries in 1959.
In the same year he founded the International Meditation Society. During
the next few years the practice of TM spread rapidly, helped in no small
way by the involvement of a number of celebrities such as the Beatles and
actresses Mia Farrow and Jane Fonda.

Over the following decades the Maharishi initiated a number of additional
projects. He founded the Maharishi International University (MIU) at
Fairfield, Iowa in 1971. MIU offers undergraduate and postgraduate
courses in the Maharishi’s philosophy. In 1972 he launched his World Plan
which aimed at establishing 3,600 meditation centres throughout the
world, each staffed with a thousand TM teachers. He predicted that his
plan would lead to a significant improvement in the psychological, social
and political condition of the world. In 1976 he created the World
Government of the Age of Enlightenment, described as non-political but
holding authority in the domain of consciousness. It claims to be able to
solve the problems of all governments. More recently the Natural Law
party was formed in 1992 to give expression to the Maharishi’s political
ideas. It has enjoyed very little electoral success. All of the
afore-mentioned organisations are administered by the World Plan
Executive Council, which though officially unconnected with the
Maharishi, is nonetheless dominated by his ideas.

Transcendental Meditation is presented by its promoters as a “simple
natural technique which allows mental activity to settle down to a state
of increasing inner quietness, producing deep mental and physical rest”.
It is taught only by an approved TM teacher for a fee which is roughly
based on what a would-be meditator earns in a week. The teaching consists
of an introductory session, an hour-long personal initiation ceremony and
three shorter follow-up consultations. During initiation the candidate is
given a mantra which is not to be revealed to anyone. Thereafter the
practice of TM involves the silent repetition of the mantra twice daily
for at least twenty minutes.

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TM PROS AND CONS

1. Physiological: Systematic studies like the above do indeed support the
   claim that practising TM quickly leads to a deep state of physical
   relaxation. However, some of these studies also suggest that other forms
   of meditation produce the same results. Dr. Herbert Benson has already
   been mentioned in connection with some of the early research into the
   benefits of TM, much of which was sponsored by the organization itself.
   In his best-selling paperback, The Relaxation Response, published in
   1975, Benson distanced himself a little from his earlier studies. Benson
   refers to research results which indicate that the same technique that TM
   uses allied to any sound or phrase or prayer or mantra, brings about the
   same physiological results. Among alternate techniques known to produce
   the Relaxation Response in a similar way to TM, are zen and yoga.
2. Psychological: While supporters of TM are enthusiastic in advancing such
   claims, some ex-meditators have gone so far as to take the Maharishi
   International University to court for failing to deliver on promised
   results for which they had paid thousands of dollars. Instead of
   “improved memory, reduced stress, perfect health, increased academic
   ability and expanded awareness” they claimed that they ended up with
   “misery, beset by anxiety, irritability, rage, guilt and loss of memory .

   Some serious research supports the view that TM can produce adverse
   psychological effects such as anxiety, physical and mental tension and
   boredom. Contrary to what one group of researchers expected, these
   negative results were most marked among TM teachers and others who had
   been meditating for eighteen months and longer.

3. Spiritual: The Maharishi speaks about various states of consciousness
   that the individual experiences as he progress in TM. These include
   “transcendental consciousness”, “cosmic consciousness” and “God
   consciousness”. These states are not clearly distinguishable one from
   another and tend to overlap. Together they involve the mind’s
   transcending or going beyond itself. As he puts it: “The mind loses its
   individuality and becomes cosmic mind….Here the mind does not exist, it
   becomes existence.” temporary union with the Absolute”.
4. Social: According to the TM organization significant social benefits
   result from the practice of Transcendental Meditation in concentrated
   groups of a certain size. Consumption of narcotic drugs and crime
   generally are said to be significantly reduced. In fact, if a certain
   minimum proportion of a country’s population can be persuaded to take up
   TM, it is supposed to lead to a dramatic reduction in crime and
   anti-social behaviour. This outcome is promised by the “Maharishi
   technology of the unified field”, a supposedly scientific theory which
   attempts to apply the language of physics to human consciousness:
   “…only the square root of one percent of the population of the country
   (a slightly larger proportion for a country with a small population)
   practising the Maharishi Technology of the Unified Field in any one place
   in the country is sufficient to fully awaken national consciousness.” As
   a result “law and order are spontaneously maintained, and administration
   becomes simple, effective, free from problems, and free from the elements
   of fear and punishment”. This thesis remains unproven

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IS TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION A RELIGION?

The TM organisation states that the practice “has profound relevance to
religion” . However, it has always strenuously denied that it is itself a
religion. Rather, it is “a purely practical technique, which can be
practised by anyone, whatever his beliefs or lack of beliefs”. This
opinion however, has not been universally accepted.

In October 1977 the U.S. District Court in Newark, New Jersey ruled that
the use of taxpayers’ money to teach Transcendental Meditation and its
theoretical counterpart the Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) in New
Jersey public schools was a violation of the First Amendment to the U.S.
Constitution, on the grounds that TM is religious by nature. This
judgement was upheld in the U.S. Court of Appeal in Philadelphia in
February 1978. The case had been initiated by the Spiritual Counterfeits
Project, an evangelical group based in Berkeley, California.

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THE TM MANTRA

Every TM beginner without exception is given a mantra or word to be
repeated mentally every time he or she sits down to meditate. The mantra
is given in the course of the initiation ceremony. The aspiring meditator
is told that this is her or his own personal mantra and that it must on
no account be revealed to anyone else – otherwise it will lose its power.

The sense of specialness in which the giving of the TM mantra is shrouded
might seem to suggest to the individual meditator that he or she alone
has been given that mantra and that the TM organization must have
dispensed many thousands, even millions of different mantras to
corresponding numbers of meditators. The reality, as told by instructors
who have defected from the movement over the years, is rather different.
A variety of sources suggest that only sixteen different mantras are
given to new meditators. Moreover, the mantra one gets is determined
solely by one’s age at the time of initiation. The complete list seems to
be as follows :

Age	Mantra	Age	Mantra
0 – 11	Eng	26 – 29	Shiring
12 – 13	Em	30 – 34	Shirim
14 – 15	Enga	35 – 39	Hiring
16 – 17	Ema	40 – 44	Hirim
18 – 19	Ieng	45 – 49	Kiring
20 – 21	Iem	50 – 54	Kirim
22 – 23	Ienga	55 – 59	Sham
24 – 25	Iema	60 +	Shama

In reality these sixteen different TM mantras are sixteen anglicised
versions of just six Sanskrit mantras.

More significantly, these mantras, far from being sounds without meaning
as is sometimes thought, have in fact a long history of use in the
context of Hindu worship and meditation. Most, if not all, of them are
regarded as bija or “seed” mantras and, according to one contemporary
authority on yoga – Swami Vishnu Devananda – should be handled with
special care: “Bija Mantras and certain mystic Mantras…should not be
repeated by those who are not well acquainted with them and with the
Sanskrit language”. Vishnu Devananda gives a breakdown on a number of
bija Mantras. For example, if one takes the TM mantras Kiring and Kirim
together as one mantra (which Vishnu Devananda renders as Kreem): “With
this mantra Kalika should be worshipped. Ka is Kali, ra is Brahman, and
ee is Mahamaya.” Likewise Hiring and Hirim (alternately Hreem): “This is
the mantra of Mahamaya or Bhuvaneshvari. Ha means Siva, ra is prakriti,
ee means Mahamaya.” Shiring and Shirim (alternately Shreem) are used in
the worship of the goddess of wealth, Lakshmi, while Ieng, Iem, Ienga and
Iema (alternately Aim) is the mantra of the goddess Saraswati.
Agehananda Bharati, a leading authority on tantric yoga, states that the
bija mantras Aim and Hreem are used to invoke the goddess shakti in the
course of tantric ritual sex. For Hindus and Buddhists generally
mantras are much more than words. Particularly within the tantric yoga
tradition a mantra is regarded as “a vehicle of salvation”. The peculiar
power that mantras have is due to the fact that “they are – or at least,
if correctly recited, can become – the ‘objects’ they represent. Each
god, for example, and each degree of sanctity have a bija-mantra, a
‘mystical sound’, which is their ‘seed’, their ‘support’ – that is, their
very being.” However, it has always been believed in the East that
mantras, if they are to be effective, cannot simply be picked up and used
haphazardly. An initiation by a qualified guru who imparts the mantra is
required.

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THE INITIATION CEREMONY

Every person without exception who wants to learn TM is required to go
through an initiation ceremony in Sanskrit with his or her teacher. The
would-be meditator is asked to bring along a white handkerchief, some
fruit and flowers. These “gifts” are placed on a small table in front of
a picture of Brahmananda Saraswati, who in the course of the ritual is
addressed with his honorary title “Guru Dev. The text is never translated
for the initiates. In the context of the symbolic gifts which the
initiate brings to the ceremony, it was concluded by the Courts and by
other authorities that “the ‘initiation’, at which the pupil is present,
includes, on the one hand, ritual offering with an invocation to Hindu
gods in Sanskrit, on the other, the use of a mantra of the name of a
Hindu god, in the actual process of meditation itself”.

The notion and practice of diksha or “initiation” is common to Hinduism
and Buddhism. A guru or teacher is even defined as “one who gives
diksha” to others who are ready to receive it. The competent guru will
be able to recognize when a person is ready for a particular rite, and
also what kind of meditation etc. is likely to yield the best results for
each aspirant.

Offerings of fruit and flowers have for centuries been an integral part
of *tantric yoga rituals. The flowers offered by the aspirant are used in
that part of the ceremony known as pushpanjali or “flower offering”.
Other gifts may also be given, which in modern times can include a
cheque. However, the heart of every initiation ceremony is the giving of
a mantra. During the ritual the guru whispers the aspirant’s special
mantra into his/her ear, having first warned him to keep it secret and
not to write it down.