The Transcendental Meditation Movement

Hinduism was introduced to the United States during the World's Parliament of Religion in Chicago. This event took place in 1893 where Swami Vivekananda came to talk about Hinduism, as an uninvited guest. He made a speech which had increased the popularity of Hinduism and the Vedanta Society (created by Vivekananda in 1896) in the United States. Later in the early 1900s a master of hindu philosophy named Paramahansa Yogananda arrived in the United States. He used the practice Yoga to “free the self from mind and body and to redirect energy invested in the outside world inward, toward one’s spiritual center”(Para 2). Basically yoga is used in order to calm the mind and body and to use the energy you would use for outside interactions, for increasing your spiritual center (religion). Paramahansa Yogananda then stayed in the united states for 30 years and he became the “longest-serving Hindu master in the West”(Para 2).
It was led by the Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. He became popular when the Beatles had become disciples during their trip to India. The TM had become “a trendy, largely religionless movement emphasizing the physical, mental and spiritual aspects of meditation, rather than spiritual”(Para 3), as a result. Another popular Hindu movement in the United States was the Krishna Consciousness movement. These movements have been know to attract celebrities, but they really don’t care about the religion and its adoption. They are very ignorant about it and don’t really think it is important or very significant. But, many “Hindus in the United States are as devoted and serious about their faith as Christians and