The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education is a foundation founded by film director David Lynch to promote the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) to reduce societal stress and various social ills. Since its establishment in 2005, the Foundation has introduced TM to over 500,000 individuals. ¹

History

In 1973, David Lynch began practicing Transcendental Meditation (TM), a form of meditation created in the 1950s based on repeating a mantra to achieve “a state of restful alertness.” Lynch claims to have meditated twice per day, every day since he began, and the practice has led to “effortless access to unlimited reserves of energy, creativity and happiness deep within.” Lynch also noticed the success of TM in treating military veterans and battered women with post-traumatic stress disorder. ^{2 3}

In 2005, Lynch founded the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education to promote TM. ⁴ The Foundation is based in Fairfield, Iowa, the site of the Maharishi International University, the leading institution conducting research into TM. The school was founded by TM’s creator, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. ⁵

Activities

The David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education promotes Transcendental Meditation through a variety of programs targeted toward adults, children, inner-city students, military veterans, battered women, diabetics, and individuals with cardiovascular problems. TM is also promoted among individuals with mental health problems, including post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), anxiety, depression, and substance abuse disorders. TM is intended to reduce individual stress and promote general wellbeing. ⁶

The Foundation’s TM programs have been studied by numerous prestigious academic and scientific institutions, including Harvard Medical School, Stanford Medical School, Yale Medical School, the National Institutes of Health, the General Motors Foundation, the Fiat Chrysler Foundation, the W.K. Kellogg Foundation, the American Indian Education Association, and the Indian Health Service. ⁷

Peace Initiative

In April 2022, the Foundation and the Global Union of Scientists for Peace launched a $500 million initiative to train 30,000 university students to become “advanced peace-creating meditation experts and build a legacy of lasting global peace.” According to the announcement press release, David Lynch stated that violence and warfare are fundamentally caused by stress that can be effectively combatted with TM. Some 20,000 students will be trained at the Maharishi International University in Iowa and its Indian sister school; the rest of the trainees will come from ten other universities around the world. ⁸

Heal the Healers

In April 2020, the Foundation and the US TM launched Heal the Healers Now, a program that brought TM to front-line medical workers to support them during the COVID-19 pandemic. In its first 45 days, Heal the Healers Now raised $700,000 to train 1,500 workers in TM for free. ^{9 10}

Controversies

Chicago Board of Education Lawsuit

In November 2023, Mariyah Greene received $150,000 in a settlement from a lawsuit against the Board of Education of the City of Chicago and the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education. While attending Bogan Computer Technical High School in Chicago, Greene alleged that her civil rights were violated through the school’s Quiet Time program, which was sponsored by the University of Chicago to study the effectiveness of a Transcendental Meditation program created by the Foundation. Greene, a Christian, claimed that Quiet Time included “Hinduistic rituals” like the Puja, which involves Sanskrit chants of “statements recognizing the power possessed by various Hindu deities and invitations to those same Hindu deities to channel their powers.” According to Greene, non-participation in Quiet Time would result in lowered grades, the inability to play basketball at the school, and a ban on attending the school’s graduation ceremony. ^{11 12}

Pursuant to the settlement, the Foundation and the Chicago Public Schools admitted no wrongdoing. The Foundation and the Chicago Public Schools split the cost of the settlement. ^{13 14}

Abandoned Study

In August 2022, the U.S. Veterans Administration (VA) halted a study on TM sponsored by the Foundation after disabled Army Veteran Steve Udovich wrote a letter to the VA questioning its practices. Like Mariyah Greene, Udovich is a Christian who was troubled by the apparent Hindu religious implications of the Puja. After Udovich attended a non-government-funded TM seminar, he said, “I learned that deception is a big part of the TM process. Because [the Foundation] [wants] government funding to pay for TM, they can’t be honest about what they believe and what they’re doing. And, because they have to hide the Hindu religious basis of the practice, they can’t provide full disclosure or informed consent.” ¹⁵

Terra Linda High School

In 2006, Terra Linda High School in Marin County, California, applied for and received a $175,000 grant to institute a TM program. However, after public outcry from many of the school’s parents, the Foundation abruptly terminated the grant. The school’s parents had concerns that TM was based on the teachings of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who was addressed by followers as “his holiness” and was arguably constituted a religious leader. ¹⁶

Funding

In 2019, the David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education received a $2,537 grant from the New York Health Foundation to attend the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Veterans and Community Oversight and Engagement Board meeting. ¹⁷

Since 2019, the Foundation has received funding from the Pershing Square Foundation. ¹⁸

Since 2015, the Foundation has received $160,000 in contracts from U.S. Army Health Contracting. ¹⁹

1. “About DLF.” David Lynch Foundation. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/about-us.html.
2. “Message from David Lynch.” David Lynch Foundation. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/message.html.
3. “Transcendental Meditation (R).” Cleveland Clinic. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/treatments/22292-transcendental-meditation.
4. “Message from David Lynch.” David Lynch Foundation. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/message.html.
5. “David Lynch Announces $500 Million Peace Initiative.” CISION. April 14, 2022. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/david-lynch-announces-500-million-peace-initiative-301525865.html.
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7. “About DLF.” David Lynch Foundation. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.davidlynchfoundation.org/about-us.html.
8. David Lynch Announces $500 Million Peace Initiative.” CISION. April 14, 2022. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/david-lynch-announces-500-million-peace-initiative-301525865.html.
9. “The David Lynch Foundation Raises Over $700K in Grassroots Funding For “Heal the Healers Now” in First 45 Days.” Heal the Healers Now. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://healthehealersnow.org/press-kit/DLF_Heal_The_Healers_Now_PR2.pdf.
10. “Homepage.” Heal the Healers Now. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://healthehealersnow.org/.
11. Curi, Peter. “Former CPS student alleges forced participation in rituals, settles for $150K.” WGN9. November 1, 2023. Updated November 3, 2023. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/former-student-awarded-150k-after-cps-forced-participation-in-hindu-rituals/.
12. Camarillo, Emmanuel. “Former CPS student is awarded $150,000 in religious freedom suit over ‘Hinduistic’ meditation program.” Chicago Sun Times. November 2, 2023. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/11/2/23944366/former-cps-student-awarded-150k-religious-freedom-suit-over-hinduistic-meditation-program.
13. Curi, Peter. “Former CPS student alleges forced participation in rituals, settles for $150K.” WGN9. November 1, 2023. Updated November 3, 2023. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://wgntv.com/news/chicago-news/former-student-awarded-150k-after-cps-forced-participation-in-hindu-rituals/.
14. Camarillo, Emmanuel. “Former CPS student is awarded $150,000 in religious freedom suit over ‘Hinduistic’ meditation program.” Chicago Sun Times. November 2, 2023. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://chicago.suntimes.com/2023/11/2/23944366/former-cps-student-awarded-150k-religious-freedom-suit-over-hinduistic-meditation-program.
15. “Disabled Army Vet Persuades VA to Abort $8 Million David Lynch Foundation Study on Transcendental Meditation and PTSD.” EIN Presswire. August 1, 2022. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.einpresswire.com/article/583527644/disabled-army-vet-persuades-va-to-abort-8-million-david-lynch-foundation-study-on-transcendental-meditation-and-ptsd?r=paHk_LfeAPQb2ob40b.
16. Whitaker, Tad. “No TM at TL: Filmmaker David Lynch pulls grant for high school.” Marin Independent Journal. October 19, 2006. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.marinij.com/2006/10/19/no-tm-at-tl-filmmaker-david-lynch-pulls-grant-for-high-school/.
17. “David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness Based Education and World Peace.” NY Health Foundation. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://nyhealthfoundation.org/grantee/david-lynch-foundation-for-consciousness-based-education-and-world-peace/.
18. “David Lynch Foundation.” Pershing Square Foundation. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://pershingsquarefoundation.org/portfolio-organization/david-lynch-foundation/.
19. “David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace.” Higher Gov. Accessed November 7, 2023. https://www.highergov.com/awardee/david-lynch-foundation-for-consciousness-based-education-and-world-peace-10061747/.