Maharishi University plans to accommodate 2,000 more people

Maharishi International University President John Hagelin said the university is about to embark on an ambitious plan to increase the number of students and meditators on its campus in Fairfield.

Hagelin said the university plans to accommodate 2,000 more people, and that it plans to break ground on the venture in two weeks.

“A large source of funds will be needed to achieve this goal over the next several years, but this is the appeal,” Hagelin told The Union.

Hagelin’s announcement comes on the heals of filmmaker David Lynch calling for a “Flagship University of World Peace” in Fairfield and another in central India. In a news release last week, Lynch called upon the world’s philanthropists to create these universities of world peace, with 10,000 students practicing Transcendental Meditation in each of those two places, plus another 1,000 students practicing TM in 10 hot spots around the world.

Hagelin’s full remarks responding to Lynch’s proclamation are as follows:

“It’s been MIU’s mission since its founding to create world peace. It’s been our desire for decades to have a permanent group of Transcendental Meditation participants large enough to create peace for the United States and ultimately for the whole world.

“Whenever the group at MIU has reached the requisite size, the results have been spectacular. As dozens of published scientific studies have demonstrated, quality of life improves throughout the society, shown in reduced crime rates, reduced accident and sickness rates, reduced opioid deaths, reduced infant mortality, and more.

“But these periods have always been temporary. Why? Simply because we’ve lacked the financial support to permanently maintain the larger group numbers we need. So we’re thrilled to have David Lynch’s visionary leadership in spearheading an effort to raise the needed funds once and for all.

“MIU is a natural place to grow and achieve these numbers. Our scientists conducted and published the first scientific studies to confirm the existence of this peace-promoting effect with group meditation. We have the Golden Domes to accommodate thousands of people using this technology of peace.

“Pending fundraising, we also have a detailed plan to grow our campus, increasing the number of meditators, including students. We have a blueprint for accommodating 2,000 more people, and we are breaking ground in two weeks getting that started.

“A large source of funds will be needed to achieve this goal over the next several years, but this is the appeal.

“There are many billionaires who, if they knew how great and lasting an impact they could achieve with a relatively small investment, should be interested in the project. Governments at every level also stand to benefit from this coherence-creating effect, which improves quality of life in every measure for the whole society while significantly reducing governmental costs.

“I appeal to people of means to support this scientifically demonstrated approach to creating a better world for all, and I would be delighted to meet and speak with anyone interested.”

Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com