AN ANNOTATED HISTORICAL SURVEY OF 84 PUBLICATIONS BYMAHARISHI MAHESH YOGI FROM 1957-2015 -Abstract -Fergusson 2016

Abstract

There is a significant body of extant published literature about Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and the impact his insights into Vedic Science have had on the modern academic disciplines, on applied areas of personal and collective life, and on the future. This literature appears throughout the academic record, and includes publications on topics as diverse as the arts and architecture, the environment, higher education, health and healthcare utilization, management and leadership, and government; even specialist analyses of supersymmetric quantum unified field theories, neuroscience, genetic engineering, mathematics and gerontology by Nobel Laureates, business and government leaders, academics, educators and scientists from virtually every major discipline form part of this anthology. These publications have appeared in the literature of countries as diverse as Australia, Sweden and Senegal, with the bulk of the collection published in Europe, India and the United States. Moreover, leading peer-reviewed journals, including Scientific American, American Journal of Physiology, British Journal of Educational Psychology and International Journal of Neuroscience have published empirical findings and theoretical papers, and some of the world’s most notable research institutes have conducted research, on Maharishi’s programs. However, few, if any, scholarly research studies have attempted to document the publications by Maharishi himself, despite the fact he was a prolific writer and teacher over the course of 50 years. For this reason, the present paper introduces an annotated historical survey of 84 published documents by Maharishi from 1957 to 2015, all of which form part of the public record. By evaluating this catalogue of published material—including the identification of central themes, key words and phrases, and encapsulating quotes—and by cross-referencing the material with an index of terms and a bibliography of 419 related third-party publications which validate the written statements made by Maharishi, it is hoped this study will serve as a platform upon which further reading and analysis of Maharishi Vedic Science can systematically be conducted, thereby preparing the ground for future scholarship and research.