by Stephanie Schumann

Dr. John Davies tells the story of a physician in a Lebanese village in the Chouf mountains who taught his patients to meditate in 1981 during the worst of the Lebanese Civil War. The village had been subjected to continuous bombing, as had the whole area; but when one percent of its population began meditating, the bombs stopped falling on Dr. Tony Nader’s village although the violence continued in the surrounding villages, both Christian and Muslim. The phenomenon could not be explained by either the residents of the village or the people who were independently responsible for tracking the bombings.

Dr. Davies has taught and conducted research at Harvard University, the University of New England, Maharishi International University, and Murdoch University in his native Australia. He holds degrees in law, psychology and political psychology/international relations. As Co-Director of the Partners in Conflict Project and adjunct faculty in the Department of Government and Politics at the University of Maryland, Dr. Davies is an internationally recognized expert in the field of Conflict Management and has published detailed research on the effects of transcendental meditation on levels of violence throughout the world. His interest in the role of meditation on instances of violence and terrorism was piqued by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi’s theories on the individual and collective impact of meditation on the collective consciousness.

In the 1970s, Maharishi said that, “just as the consciousness of an individual determines the quality of his thought and behavior, so also there exists another type of consciousness for a society as a whole; a collective consciousness for each family, city, state, or nation, having its own reality and the possibility of development” (Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, 1977). He also described the interrelationship of the individual and collective consciousness as being reciprocal, and he predicted that if one percent of a population of more than 10,000 people practiced meditation it would have an impact on the collective consciousness of a society. This impact, he posited, would result in a reduction of violence in the community and on armed conflict throughout the world.

Earlier theories of collective consciousness were put forth by such leading social scientists as Gustav Fechner, William James, Emile Durkheim and Carl Jung.

The Maharishi proposed that “all occurrences of violent conflict arise from the accumulation of collective stress” (Davies, John L., Alexander, Charles N., 2004). The most fundamental technique for reducing stress is the practice of Transcendental Meditation which is experienced as a silent, peaceful state of heightened awareness that has been closely related to higher EEG coherence and with reduced anxiety and hostility. Dr. Davies said that if you have a large group of people meditating together, you can have “constructive interference. … a common phenomenon in physics with waves of any type” (Anderson, Sandra, 2005).

In three international studies conducted in Fairfield, Iowa (1983-1984); The Hague, Netherlands (1984-1985); and Washington, D.C. (1985), “there was a highly significant decrease in international conflict during each of the three assemblies (36%, 24%, and 35%, respectively); a 72% drop in international terrorism … and a significant increase in the World Index of stock prices during the three assemblies taken together.” (Orme-Johnson, et. al., 1989). In another study, a group of over 7,000 (constituting the square root of one percent of the world’s population) assembled in the United States and “was found to be associated with reduction of armed conflict on a global scale (e.g., Nicaragua, Afghanistan), compared to immediately prior and subsequent periods and to the same period during the previous year (Orme-Johnson, et. al., 1988).

Between 1983 and 1985, Dr. Davies and his colleagues conducted a study that brought together seven different groups of meditators in Jerusalem that were, according to the Maharishi’s theory, large enough to create an impact in southern Lebanon, where the civil war was raging, as well as in Israel. During these periods of meditation, average fatalities in Lebanon dropped by more than 70% (the probability that these results were due to chance was less than one in a hundred billion,) and in Israel the level of violence (crime, car accidents and fires) dropped significantly. The only reference point to explain these phenomena is the meditation intervention, and the implication is that “when you have a coherence in the collective consciousness, it creates an environment that allows people to approach issues differently.” (Anderson, S., 2005). People came together in a spirit of cooperation and partnership (an increase of 66%,) and progress was made in mediation and agreement between Lebanon, Syria and Israel. Unfortunately, when the meditating group disbanded or the numbers dropped significantly below the threshold size, this progress fell apart.

The one percent paradigm has been proven to have an impact under conditions of rigorous scientific testing (Studies) with statistical controls for a number of variables that affect violent crime and quality of life, among others. These studies have consistently shown that one percent of the population can affect a decrease in violence and an improved quality of life through daily meditation.

Dr. Davies feels that we need to recognize the value of the spiritual approach to bringing about peace and “encourage meditation and prayer groups for peace in all traditions” (Anderson, S., 2005.) He works across religious lines and recognizes the integrity of all beliefs – Christian, Muslim, Vedic, Jewish, Yogic, Buddhist, Taoist – in working together to create peace.

There was reliable data because the Lebanese police kept detailed daily statistics on how many people were killed or injured. Precise predictions about the outcome were made to the international press and a panel of independent scientists. The timing was dictated solely by funding and availability of the participating meditators. Statistical controls were put in place for changes in weather, holidays in both countries, and fluctuations in the meditating group size.

References

“A Methodological Review of the Maharishi Effect Research,” link from “Research on the Maharishi Effect,” in Maharishi University of Management [database on-line], available from http://www.mum.edu/m_effect; Internet; accessed 3 January 2006.

Anderson, S. “The Real War on Terror: An Interview with John Davies,” Yoga International, June/July 2005, 62-71.