Alternative Spirituality and Religion Review

Volume 4, Issue 2, 2013

Legitimization Strategies within the Cultic Milieu

Aspects of Schism and Controversy in the History of Transcendental Meditation and the Art of Living Foundation

This article addresses controversies in Transcendental Meditation (TM) and its history in the West (and especially in North America), chronicling periods of less or more mainstreaming on TM’s part – moving from world peace and psychedelics in the Beatles era to science as a way of attracting the ‘Average Joanna’ practitioner in later years. Furthermore, as schisms in New Religious Movements (NRMs) tend to be controversial, I examine the Robin Carlsen case and, notably, that of the Art of Living Foundation (AoL) schism. AoL has become a global NRM in a few years. In addition to exploring the likelihood of schisms from AoL, I also assess controversial (and non-controversial) interactions between AoL, TM and the mass media.