Draft:School of Meditation

• Comment: Please see WP:REFB for advice on correct referencing using the dynamic system of inline citations and footnotes which is the preferred method of referencing. DoubleGrazing (talk) 12:09, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

• Comment: Why is the content duplicated? DoubleGrazing (talk) 12:08, 6 November 2023 (UTC)

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The School of Meditation (SoM) teaches and supports a practice of meditation which is designed to fit in with the lifestyle of people living normal lives in the West[1]. <ref>Being Oneself</ref> The technique it teaches enables people to access deep levels of stillness, rest and peace: helping them to cope with the challenges of everyday life, while also discovering more about their own true nature.

The School was founded after <ref>Dr Francis Roles</ref> of the <ref>Study Society</ref> was introduced to the <ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi</ref> in London in 1960[2]. This organisation, set up by followers of <ref>P.D. Ouspensky</ref>, who was himself a pupil of <ref>G.I. Gurdjieff</ref>, was looking for a system to connect mind and heart[3], and on meeting the Maharishi Dr Roles realised that the mantra-based meditation that he taught was what they were searching for[4].

At the invitation of the Maharishi, Dr Roles visited Rishikesh in India where he was introduced to <ref>Shri Shantananda Saraswati</ref>, whose formal title was Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Northern India. The Shankaracharya outlined the philosophy of <ref>Advaita</ref> Vedanta, or non-duality, which supports meditation as a practical method of discovering inner unity and dissolving all feelings of separation[5].

The School of Meditation opened in London the following year, in 1961, as an independent organisation whose purpose is to make meditation available to the public and offer care and guidance to all who attend. It took guidance directly from the Shankaracharya from 1963 [6]until his death in 1997, during which time the School’s principal, Bill Whiting, had several audiences with him in India. It also draws upon religious and philosophical traditions from all times and all parts of the world[7]. Once people have taken up the practice of meditation the School provides free guidance for as long as the person wants, which is available either face to face or online.

In 1967 the School moved to its current headquarters in the Holland Park area of West London. It also has branches in other parts of the United Kingdom and has established associated schools in the Netherlands and Greece. Guided meditation sessions, also either face to face or online, are made available at no charge for those with no formal practice of meditation. The School is a UK registered charity[8], number 1171296[9], and is overseen by a board of trustees elected by the members. The trustees appoint a principal, who gives guidance on the practice of meditation, drawing on the teachings of Advaita Vedanta. Bill Whiting filled this role from the School’s foundation until 2012.

Further reading

·       Being Oneself: The way of meditation. The School of Meditation, 1985. ISBN 978-0-9511056-0-4 [check check digit]

·       Good Company. The Society for the Study of Normal Psychology. 1987. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-9561442-1-8.

·       Good Company II. The Study Society. 2009. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-9547939-9-9.

School of Meditation

The School of Meditation (SoM) teaches and supports a practice of meditation which is designed to fit in with the lifestyle of people living normal lives in the West^[1]. The technique it teaches enables people to access deep levels of stillness, rest and peace: helping them to cope with the challenges of everyday life, while also discovering more about their own true nature.

The School was founded after <ref>Dr Francis Roles</ref> of the <ref>Study Society</ref> was introduced to the <ref>Maharishi Mahesh Yogi</ref> in London in 1960^[2]. This organisation, set up by followers of <ref>P.D. Ouspensky</ref>, who was himself a pupil of <ref>G.I. Gurdjieff</ref>, was looking for a system to connect mind and heart^[3], and on meeting the Maharishi Dr Roles realised that the mantra-based meditation that he taught was what they were searching for^[4].

At the invitation of the Maharishi, Dr Roles visited Rishikesh in India where he was introduced to <ref>Shri Shantananda Saraswati</ref>, whose formal title was Shankaracharya of Jyotir Math, Northern India. The Shankaracharya outlined the philosophy of <ref>Advaita</ref> Vedanta, or non-duality, which supports meditation as a practical method of discovering inner unity and dissolving all feelings of separation^[5].

The School of Meditation opened in London the following year, in 1961, as an independent organisation whose purpose is to make meditation available to the public and offer care and guidance to all who attend. It took guidance directly from the Shankaracharya from 1963 ^[6]until his death in 1997, during which time the School’s principal, Bill Whiting, had several audiences with him in India. It also draws upon religious and philosophical traditions from all times and all parts of the world^[7]. Once people have taken up the practice of meditation the School provides free guidance for as long as the person wants, which is available either face to face or online.

In 1967 the School moved to its current headquarters in the Holland Park area of West London. It also has branches in other parts of the United Kingdom and has established associated schools in the Netherlands and Greece. Guided meditation sessions, also either face to face or online, are made available at no charge for those with no formal practice of meditation.

The School is a UK registered charity^[8], number 1171296^[9], and is overseen by a board of trustees elected by the members. The trustees appoint a principal, who gives guidance on the practice of meditation, drawing on the teachings of Advaita Vedanta. Bill Whiting filled this role from the School’s foundation until 2011.

Further reading

·       Being Oneself: The Way of Meditation. The School of Meditation, 1985. ISBN 978-0-9511056-0-3

·       Good Company. The Society for the Study of Normal Psychology. 1987. p. 9. ISBN 978-0-9561442-1-8.

·       Good Company II. The Study Society. 2009. p. 10. ISBN 978-0-9547939-9-9.

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References

[1] Being Oneself: The Way of Meditation. The School of Meditation, 1985. ISBN 978-0-9511056-0-3

[2] Eadie, Peter McGregor (2001). "The Odyssey of Francis C. Roles". The Bridge. The Study Society. 14: 27

[3]  P. D. Ouspensky, The Fourth Way. 2000.  ISBN 0-394-71672-8. Originally published in 1957.

[4] Roles, Francis. A Lasting Freedom. 1972. The Society for the Study of Normal Psychology. p. 8.

[5] Good Company

[6] Being Oneself, p. 62

[7] Being Oneself, p.viii

[8] Charity Commision listing

[9] Previously registered as the Society for Spiritual Development, from 1985 until 2016.

Sockpuppet warning

@Praseodymium-141 @DoubleGrazing

You've identified that "this submission appears to read more like an advertisement" so I'm letting you know that it is also an attempted fork or move of content from School of Philosophy and Economic Science, from which this content was cut [1]. Aspects of the "School of Philosophy and Economic Science" are notorious, as you will see from its intro. So this fork is clearly an attempt to separate the reputation of the "School of Meditation" from the "School of Philosophy and Economic Science" for public relations purposes by an WP:SPA. NB it's conspicuous that they haven't restored their cut content since you declined this proposal, and their justification for cutting was exclusively that they would be submitting it here.

Note School of Philosophy and Economic Science has had a huge WP:COI and WP:SOCK problem motivated by attempted advertising or reputation management: [2]

In principle this is possibly a new person or meatpuppet, and given the elapsed time passed a new device can be used anyway. But as a matter of rigour we need to run the WP:CHECK in case of a geolocate match - can you take that up now, to complete the task? I'd also recommend a COI and SPA warning for the user to incorporate the possibility that they are indeed new and unaware of WP policy and guidelines. -Roberthall7 (talk) 07:53, 24 November 2023 (UTC)