THE Global Country for World Peace, a group linked with the Maharishi group that practices transcendental meditation, assured that their plans for Rota “will not in any way” threaten the Roman Catholic faith of local residents.
“Practicing TM will have no (negative) effect on the strength of the Catholic Church. You don’t have to do anything about your religion. You just carry on with your religion as it is. Hundreds of thousands of TM practitioners don’t find any contradiction with their religion, including priests, because who would not wish to develop the full potentiality of themselves as a human being?” said Dr. Bevan Morris, president of the Maharishi University of Management and a Global Country official.
He explained that when his group teaches TM, they don’t indoctrinate. He said TM is more scientific that religious.
“When I teach TM, I don’t say, now you must believe in God, or now you must read this religious book and believe in that,” he said.
TM, as Morris explained, is “just a simple mental technique that wakes up the mind, making it more useful and productive. Just close the eyes, you practice this technique and (it brings you to) a state of silence. You come out with more of your brain potential in use. Your mind is more lively and this is based on scientific research, creativity is more, intelligence is more, academic performance is better and the disease is dramatically reduced. So this is a technique and that’s all it is.”
He said the only likely effect of practicing TM to any religious practitioner is that they “will become interested and supportive of their own religious traditions and they would also know how to respect other religious traditions.”
Global Country officials told the media that they want to acquire another 48 hectares of land on Rota to build a garden. Rota Mayor Benjamin T. Manglona said the group was communicating with the Marianas Public Land Authority to get the necessary permit.
Manglona urged the central government to “understand” the desire of Rota residents to better their lives. He said they would have such chance if the government would welcome Global Country’s entry.
“I want them to be my partner. To make my people’s dream possible for a better life, better economic condition on the island. And if we will not be given this opportunity, then what would be the commonwealth government do for my people? I think we’ve got the right to decide for our destiny. And we need the support of our central government to make us fulfill our goal,” he said.
