Published in the South Asia Mail and Mangalorean.
By Maj. Gen. Kulwant Singh (Ret.) and Dr. David Leffler
Violence and conflict have plagued mankind throughout history, and the terrorist attacks in busy locations in India's financial capital of Mumbai are their most recent manifestation. How can we protect society from these dangers? Ideally, the best way to guard against emerging terrorist threats would be to have no enemies. No enemies = no terrorism! An unusual human resource-based approach called Invincible Defence Technology could help militaries to begin creating a lasting peace by preventing enemies from arising.
Invincible Defence Technology (IDT) is a scientifically validated solution to conflict and violence, with over 50 studies confirming its effectiveness. This recently revived method of preventive defense promises to end terrorism and conflict and to set an example of peace-based defense for the rest of the world.
Militaries have tried to quell violence and conflict through a dynamic approach, i.e., with weaponry and military personnel. But even with advanced weapons, they cannot eliminate problems like terrorism. New terrorist threats constantly emerge, and the number of terrorist cadres and cells continues to grow. Even with more fully equipped police and paramilitary forces, militaries will not be able to completely contain them. More alarming, defense experts predict that terrorists will soon start using portable, easily concealed weapons of mass destruction to launch their attacks around the world.
Can war and terrorism be prevented with the military methods used in the past? Again and again, history shows that the answer is "no." War, conflict, violence and terrorism are human problems. Therefore, they require a human solution. Their underlying cause is accumulated stress in society's collective consciousness. If the collective consciousness is full of tension and fear, then disorder is more likely to erupt into violence than if the prevailing mood is one of contentment. Social injustice and unfavorable economic conditions thrive in and contribute to chaotic environments. Unresolved religious, territorial, political, and cultural differences further add to the unrest. Thus, a dissatisfied and frustrated population contributes to its own instability. The buildup of this sort of tension becomes dangerous to any nation's sovereignty, producing an unstable government that is more prone to war. However, if the collective social stress driving these problems could be prevented, such negative problems would cease. Thus, no collective stress ultimately means no war and no terrorism.
Invincible Defense Technology is rooted in the ancient Vedic knowledge of India, which describes the best approach to prevention as Heyam duhkham anagatam (Yog-Sutra 2.16): "Avert the danger before it arises." Similarly, Yog-Sutra 2.35 affirms Tat sannidhau vairatyagah: "In the vicinity of Yogic influence - unifying influence, integrating influence, coherent and harmonious influence - conflicting tendencies do not arise." These ancient principles applied in the past, and they apply today.
According to Vedic tradition, conflict results from ignorance - ignorance of how to prevent the buildup of collective stress through the harmonizing influence of coherence. For example, the Ramayana states that "...ignorance will have no access within eight miles from [the Yogi's hermitage]." The Ramayana describes the ancient city of Ayodhya, whose name means "the city none can challenge in warfare." Certainly, Ayodhya relied on the conventional defense technologies of its time. For instance, "It was enclosed by strong fortifications and a deep moat, which no enemy, by any expedient whatsoever, could penetrate." Also, "Ayodhya abounded in warriors undefeated in battle, fearless and skilled in the use of arms, resembling lions guarding their mountain caves." However, the descriptions of the enlightened, stress-free life of the inhabitants of Ayodhya may indicate that its first line of defense was the city's freedom from collective stress. According to the Ramayana, this low stress level, based on life in harmony with Natural Law, made Ayodhya worthy of its name.
In today's modern cities, however, social stress gets generated by countless violation of natural laws (i.e., crimes are committed every day). People's inability to find more life-supporting ways to fulfill their desires, or to have more life-supporting desires in the first place, contributes to this growing cloud of negativity, which, when it can no longer be contained, breaks out into terrorism and war. Therefore, ignorance, or lack of understanding of how to harness the intelligence of Natural Law, is responsible for such suffering in human affairs.
Equadorian warriors meditate in groups to protect their nation.
(Image by Dr. David Leffler) Details DMCA
Ecuadorian warriors meditate in groups to protect their nation
Could the ideal of Ayodhya's preventive defense again be accomplished by militaries today? Yes! It is already being done in Latin American countries like Ecuador. Are soldiers willing participants in such an unusual endeavor? Again, yes! A study was conducted by Ecuadorian army psychologists to assess the value of the IDT preventive defense program after soldiers had been practicing it for one month. The results? Over 96% of the soldiers thought it was a very practical activity. Why are these warriors convinced? As the study showed, 92% felt their performance in activity had improved and they were better able to deal with stress; 96% declared their relationships with others had improved; and 95% said their practice of IDT was completely satisfying.
The late Vedic scholar Maharishi Mahesh Yogi revived the practical components of this silent approach of IDT - he calls them the Transcendental Meditation (TM) and TM-Sidhi program. These human resource-based technologies are easy to implement and practice, and do not involve religious belief or practices. Members of many faiths worldwide have practiced these meditation techniques. Extensive scientific research documents the ability of the TM and TM-Sidhi program to dissolve stress on the individual and collective levels.
The operative part of IDT requires having a Prevention Wing of the military. This wing is comprised of a small portion of the armed forces of a country. The rest of the military carries on with their usual duties. The Prevention Wing of the military creates societal coherence by practicing the TM and TM-Sidhi program in large groups morning and evening. Their collective practice produces positive benefits for both themselves and their adversaries. Peaceful overtures increase from all sides.
Similar coherence-creating groups have been deployed in many war zones and conflict-prone areas with great success. Extensive scientific research indicates that when the square root of 1% of the population practices the advanced TM-Sidhi program in a group, a "field effect" is created. Scientists call this field effect the "Maharishi Effect." Many carefully controlled studies have documented and validated positive social trends such as reduced conflict and lowered crime rate resulting from the Maharishi Effect. These studies have been scrutinized and published in respected peer-reviewed journals such as Social Indicators Research, Journal of Conflict Resolution, Journal of Mind and Behavior and Journal of Crime and Justice.
This coherence-creating effect has also been documented on a global scale in a study recently published in the Journal of Offender Rehabilitation. When large assemblies of practitioners of the TM-Sidhi program exceeded the Maharishi Effect threshold for the world (about 7,000 at that time) during the years 1983 - 1985, international conflict decreased 32%, terrorist casualties decreased 72%, and violence was reduced in other nations without intrusion by other governments.
IDT is a force multiplier because it creates coherence for the entire military and the whole country, thus making everyone's jobs easier. While the majority of the military continues with the dynamic approach (weaponry, equipment, training), the minority implements the silent approach of Invincible Defense Technology. Defense of the nation is perfect, thus invincible, when both these approaches are combined.
Militaries cannot solve the problem of terrorism by standard military means alone. They also need a silent approach that will help people focus more on peaceful means of settling differences. All nations need to deploy Prevention Wings of the Military immediately to achieve true invincibility and permanent peace.
About the Authors:
Maj. Gen. Kulwant Singh, UYSM, Indian Army (Ret.), received his Ph.D. and M.Sc. in Defence Studies from Chennai University. He also has a postgraduate diploma in Human Resource Development from Indira Gandhi National Open University (IGNOU) in New Delhi. Dr. Singh leads an international group of generals and defense experts that advocates Invincible Defense Technology. He was awarded the Uttam Yudh Sewa Medal, the second highest decoration for senior officers during operations in Sri Lanka as part of IPKF (Indian Peace Keeping Force).
Dr. David Leffler, a United States Air Force veteran, is the Executive Director of the Center for Advanced Military Science (CAMS) Click Here and a certified teacher of the Transcendental Meditation technique. Dr. Leffler served as an Associate of the Proteus Management Group at the Center for Strategic Leadership, US Army War College. The Journal of Management & Social Science, a peer-reviewed journal published by the Institute of Business & Technology BIZTEK in Pakistan, published his paper: "A New Role for the Military: Preventing Enemies from Arising - Reviving an Ancient Approach to Peace," about the strategic advantages of applying Invincible Defense Technology.
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