Questions and Answers

'What we need is an enthusiastic but calm state of mind and intense but orderly work.'
Mao Tse-Tung

Following are some of the most commonly asked questions relating to the Calm Technique. If, at the end of this book, you have questions of your own, please feel free to write to Paul Wilson's calm research group, at The Calm Centre, PO Box 404, Northbridge, NSW 2063, Australia. Or log on to, http://www.calmcentre.com. You can also e-mail the author at, paulwil@calmcentre.com.au.

There are many different types of meditation. Which type is superior?

It is a dangerous precedent for a self-improvement book to admit that there might be more than one 'right' direction to follow. However, the truth is there are thousands of 'right' directions. The fact that you meditate is all that's important. How you meditate is a matter of personal preference. The important thing is that you choose one type of meditation and practise it sincerely and consistently. As far as the quality of the technique itself is concerned, Zen meditation is no better than Tai Chi; Raja Yoga is no better than reciting the Rosary; Sufi rugweaving is no better than Dervish whirling. As long as each of them is practised sincerely and consistently, each is as effective as the other. The only advantage the Calm Technique has over all of them is that it's so easy to learn. In my humble opinion, that is a real superiority.

How important is Indian meditation to the Calm Technique?
I have never seen a hint of evidence which shows that culturally based formulae have any special spiritual relevance when they are exported. No doubt, because of some very old traditions, there is a popular misconception that India has some sort of franchise over proper meditation practices. Experience and common sense have shown that this is not so. Most Western teachers these days tend to agree that you must approach your particular meditation programme from within the framework of your own culture and environment. While this is not intended to denigrate the imported varieties (many of which have a great deal to offer), there has been too much of an Eastern bias in meditation. The Calm Technique is for everyone.

Is it possible to produce an experience similar to the Calm Technique by using drugs?
Drugs will never equal the purity of the Calm Technique experience. The ability to focus your attention on one thing is sometimes possible under the effects of marijuana, but the experience is shallow and meaningless. Focusing in itself is not meditation, especially when it is enhanced by a stimulant such ad marijuana is. You can achieve this same capacity to focus through your own efforts with the Calm Technique. With the Calm Technique you do it with a highly alert, perfectly balanced frame of mind. There is no comparison.

Does the Calm Technique impinge on my religious beliefs?
The Calm Technique offers no spiritual or philosophical advice. It is simply a technique for getting the most out of the temporal side of your life. It has no direct relevance at all to your religious beliefs or lack thereof.

Would you call the Calm Technique a trance?
Of a fashion.

Is it possible that the Calm Technique could be a form of self-hypnosis?
Hypnosis, being a state where you place your will in the hands of a third party, is the opposite to the Calm Technique. Hypnosis, as a means of limiting the consciousness, differs from the Calm Technique, which is a means of expanding the consciousness. The physiological state of hypnosis reflects whatever state has been suggested to the subject, while the Calm State is one of wakefulness combined with the calming qualities of deep sleep - a physiological condition that cannot be induced through hypnotism. Hypnotism is usually conducted with a definite goal in mind. The Calm Technique, in itself, has no goal.

Two similarities do exist, however. First, hypnosis and the Calm Technique both depend on highly focused attention. Second, hypnosis and the Calm Technique are both self-induced states. While self-induction may not appear to sit comfortably with the definition of hypnosis (a state where one's consciousness and will are placed under the control of a third party), it is the only way the hypnotic state can be attained. Having said that, self-hypnosis induces a physiological state that is similar, or even the same as meditation. I suppose you could even say that most forms of meditation are essentially self-hypnosis.

However, the most significant difference between the two states is simply their reasons for being. Hypnotism is concerned with instilling 'truths' and attitudes in a subject's subconscious, whereas the Calm Technique is dedicated to discovering the truth that already exists there. Which means there can be no comparison.

-- This excerpt was taken from The Calm Technique by Paul Wilson