One of the main items on the Norwegian main TV news broadcast tonight (18th Oct) was on David Lynch – coming to Norway not only to promote his films, but mostly to market Transcendental Meditation to the Norwegian media and to two cabinet ministers in direct meetings – see link. The reason why he is given so mush space, is, of course, that it looks strange. He is overenthusiastic, promises miracles, a revolution of the school system etc. The news broadcasters love stars making a kind of fool of themselves. As part of what I somewhat immodestly would call a more realistic meditaion movement, where also former practicioners of TM might find a very interesting approach to meditation, the Lynch-episode awokes ambivalence. On the one hand, it makes meditation look strange and unreal. On the other hand, it might help more persons to become aware of organisations like Acem.
We’ve already seen people whose interest in meditation has been aroused by David Lynch and who have then come to learn Acem Meditation. I am not sure they would agree that Lynch is just making meditation into a circus, since he is an undoubtedly creative person who speaks warmly of meditation as a boost to creativity. That media instead choose to focus on his more fantastic visions of meditating schoolchildren and prisoners is a great pity. But I guess he’s asking for it.
I listened to an interview with David Lynch over the radio (NRK P2) this afternoon. He was worried about the restlessness in our society and how it in particular affected our childre. I found this to be an interesting analysis, although his solution (meditation in school) was rather far-fetched. The interview was followed by an enthusiastic supporter of Lynch’s moves and series (Blue Velvet, Twin Peaks). She was not surprised that he practices meditation, and explained this with his films going deeply into the unrealistic, mystic, and hidden sides of the human condition. I reacted against the presentation of meditation as a struggle with internal devils. Those who look for something more in meditation will find a better and non-esoteric alternative in Acem Meditation.
That is the way of the media, isn’t it? Lynch is a very interesting filmmaker, but not very interesting when it comes to his meditation comments. Maybe he uses TM as a sort of public image, so that he can be exposed in the media spotlight with slightly bizarre statements? I don’t know, but the guy is obviously smart. I doubt, though, that many people choose to learn Acem Meditation because of David Lynch.
Being a great fan of David Lynch’s films, I suspect that he has benefited creatively from practicing a meditation technique such as TM that is based on a free mental attitude. I also suspect that this has brought him in contact with some “darker” places in his mind, and that he has been able to make use of what he has been brought into contact with there for creative purposes. And I suspect that part of the mystical explanation of meditation may also appeal to his fascination with the mysterious, which is obvious in his movies. Here, as elsewhere, it is very important to make a distinction between the technique, and the ideological or explanatory or interpretive superstructure that may be imposed on to the technique by certain organisations or movements, in the case of TM in the form of mysticism, guru-worship etc. Happily, Acem has shown that you can make use of a method without buying into that kind of ideology.