- David Lynch Foundation
-
Paul McCartney, David Lynch, and Ringo Starr at David Lynch Foundation benefit concert, Radio City Music Hall, April, 2009
The David Lynch Foundation For Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace (DLF) is a global charitable foundation based in Fairfield, Iowa.[1] It was founded by film director and Transcendental Meditation practitioner David Lynch in 2005.
The foundation primarily funds scholarship programs for schools whose students and faculty volunteer for instruction in the Transcendental Meditation technique.[2][3]
Contents
History
David Lynch founded the DLF in July 2005. An article in the New York Times described it as an organization that "offers TM at no cost to troubled students, veterans, homeless people, prisoners and others"[4] via scholarships for the Transcendental Meditation (TM) program in venues such as public, private and charter schools in the United States and abroad.[5] Lynch told ABC News,
Kids come to school and they meditate together for 15 minutes in the morning. And before they go home they meditate for 15 minutes. A lot of them come from, you know, bad situations, and so this gives them this thing you know, at the beginning and the end of the day, the rest of the time you just watch the violence stop. Watch relationships improve. Watch happiness in the hallways, in the classroom, watch creativity flow more and more, watch that heavy weight that we are living under gently lift away.[6]
Lynch, DLF President John Hagelin, and Maharishi University of Management researcher Fred Travis went on a lecture tour in 2005, giving free talks on TM titled "Consciousness, Creativity, and the Brain". Stops included University of Southern California,[7] UC Berkeley,[8] the University of Oregon in Eugene,[9] the University of Washington,[10] Emerson College,[11] Yale University, and Brown University.[12]
In 2006, six public schools in the U.S. were each awarded $25,000 by the David Lynch Foundation, and a total of 25 public, private, and charter schools in the United States had offered Transcendental Meditation to their students.[13] As of September 2006, the DLF had "helped approximately 500 students and 50 teachers learn how to meditate".[14] In October 2006, the foundation withdrew a $175,000 pledge to a San Rafael, California high school after the pro-separation Pacific Justice Institute threatened to sue for violating the First Amendment's Establishment Clause.[15] Lynch assigned all of the author royalties from his 2006 book Catching the Big Fish to the DLF.[citation needed] The DLF sponsored a presentation on the benefits of TM in education at the Harvard Club of Boston in 2006.[11]
As of 2008, the foundation had funded more than 2,000 students, faculty and parents at 21 universities and schools, in addition to substantially higher numbers at schools overseas.[16]
The 2009 "Change Begins Within" benefit concert, held at Radio City Music Hall, was hosted by David Lynch and Laura Dern. It featured performances by musicians Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, Donovan, Moby, Eddie Vedder, Ben Harper, Paul Horn, Jim James, Bettye LaVette, Sheryl Crow, and Angelo Badalamenti, and appearances by Mike Love, Jerry Seinfeld and Howard Stern.[17] It generated gross receipts of about $3 million.[18]
The foundation held its second "Change Begins Within" benefit event, titled "Operation Warrior Wellness", at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York on 13 December 2010. In addition to David Lynch, participants included actor and director Clint Eastwood, designer Donna Karan, comedian Russell Brand and several veterans.[19][20][21]
Programs
Students in Peru practicing Transcendental Meditation, paid for by the David Lynch FoundationThe David Lynch Foundation focuses on school-wide instruction in Transcendental Meditation with the aim of improving educational and health outcomes. All school program instruction is voluntary, is done only with parental permission, and is offered to children with no cost to parents or to the school.[22]
According to the DLF, it has funded school programs in Washington D.C, New York City, Hartford CT, Detroit MI, California, Brazil, Peru, Bolivia, Vietnam, Nepal, Northern Ireland, Ghana, Kenya, Uganda, South Africa and Israel.[23][24][25] According to its website in 2009, the foundation has funded over $3.5 million in school programs aiding over 55,000 students in 26 countries.[26] The David Lynch Foundation's mission to introduce Transcendental Meditation to public school students has been criticized by Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, claiming that the foundation's efforts undermine the constitutional separation of church and state.[27]
In addition to funding in-school Transcendental Meditation programs in the USA and Canada, the foundation has supported meditation instruction for over 35,000 students in South America. According to the DLF web site, Columbian priest, Father Gabriel Mejia, has founded 47 shelters for homeless children where thousands of young people practice the Transcendental Meditation technique.[28]
The Transcendental Meditation technique has also been taught to soldiers with post traumatic stress syndrome (PTSD) as part of research at the University of Colorado.[29][30] Other initiatives to teach the TM technique to war veterans who are at risk for PTSD, are ongoing.[31][32]
The DLF has the long-term goal of raising $7 billion in order to establish seven affiliated "Universities of World Peace" in seven different countries, to train students to become "professional peacemakers".[33][34]
Directors and advisors
The foundation is governed by the Board of Directors consisting of: John Hagelin, Jeffrey S. Abramson, Rona Abramson, Ramani Ayer, Robert G. Brown, Stephen Collins, Joni Steele Kimberlin, Arthur Liebler, and Nancy Liebler.[35]
Current foundation Board of Advisor members are: Russell Simmons, Gary P. Kaplan, William R. Stixrud, Frank Staggers Jr., César Molina, George H. Rutherford, Carmen N’Namdi, Ralph Wolff, Ashley Deans, Linda Handy, Sarina Grosswald.[36]
References
- ^ David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace Iowa Secretary of State
- ^ Spivak, Rachel (December 9, 2005). "Trend of Mediation Remedies Grows on Campuses". The Daily Collegian (Penn State). http://www.collegian.psu.edu/archive/2005/12/12-09-05tdc/12-09-05dnews-02.asp.
- ^ Orange County Register, Peter Larsen, Tapping into TM, August 10, 2005
- ^ "Look Who’s Meditating Now". Archived from the original on 2011-11-22. http://www.webcitation.org/63OaTU45y. Retrieved 22 November 2011. "Mr. Brand was the M.C. at a benefit for the David Lynch Foundation, an organization that offers TM at no cost to troubled students, veterans, homeless people, prisoners and others."
- ^ Springen, Karen "The Magic of Meditation"
- ^ ABC News, Transcendental Meditation Thrives in Iowa, John Berman and Maggie Burbank, January 8, 2010, [1]
- ^ Booth, William (December 2, 2005). "Yogi Bearer; Dark Films Aside, David Lynch Brims With the Light of Transcendental Meditation". The Washington Post: p. C.01.
- ^ Harmanci, Reyhan (November 6, 2005). "FIVE QUESTIONS FOR: David Lynch / Bliss and world peace, one campus at a time". San Francisco Chronicle: p. D.4.
- ^ Keefer, Bob (November 6, 2005). "Movie director takes cues from Transcendental Meditation". The Register-Guard (Eugene, Or.): p. G.1.
- ^ GOODNOW, CECELIA (November 5, 2005). "DAVID LYNCH IS SPREADING THE GOSPEL OF MEDITATION". Seattle Post - Intelligencer: p. D.1.
- ^ a b David Lynch Foundation "Conferences on Video", retrieved July 17, 2009
- ^ Houpt, Simon (October 10, 2005). "From Twin Peaks to inner peace". The Globe and Mail (Toronto, Ont.): p. R.1.
- ^ NEA Today, National Education Association, Clear Your Mind, May 2006,
- ^ Teacher Magazine, Taker you Meditation, Denise Kirsten Wills, September 1, 2006
- ^ Californian Catholics against teaching of meditation in public schools, The Buddhist Channel, 6 August 2007
- ^ Conant, Eve (May 29, 2008). "Much dispute about Nothing". Newsweek. http://www.newsweek.com/id/139206.
- ^ Variety Magazine "Change Begins Within", retrieved July 18, 2009
- ^ The Hollywood Reporter "Change Begins Within at Radio City Music Hall -- Concert Review", retrieved July 18, 2009
- ^ Announcement for Second veteran Annual Change Begins Within Benefit at the Met
- ^ Dec 15, 2010, "Eastwood meditates to battle stress", The Gold Coast Bulletin (Australia).
- ^ Dec 13, 2010, "Celebs, war vets promote meditation" Agence France Presse.
- ^ David Lynch Foundation "Transforming Lives: The David Lynch Foundation", retrieved July 17, 2009
- ^ "Stress-free urban schools". David Lynch Foundation. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5slwFYdj7.
- ^ "At-risk children in developing countries". David Lynch Foundation. Archived from the original on September 15, 2010. http://www.webcitation.org/5slwM7Jc4.
- ^ Ehud Zion Waldoks, "School crisis? Send the kids to the corner – to count to 10 cross their legs and hum..." The Jerusalem Post November 22, 2007
- ^ David Lynch Foundation "David Lynch Foundation", retrieved July 17, 2009
- ^ Levitating Over the Church-State Wall? Church & State magazine, June 2009
- ^ [2] DLF official webs site, Global Outreach page, see the "Support the David Lynch Foundation—Center de Fundación Hogares Claret Project" article in lower right hand corner, retrieved April 11, 2011
- ^ Military Officer Association of America, Promise for PTSD, Don Vaughn, retrieved 10/5/10, [3]
- ^ CAM and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Pub Med, retrieved 10/5/10. PMC 1810367. http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pmcentrez&artid=1810367.
- ^ [4] Wall Street Journal, Film Maker Introduces Veterans to Meditation, Nov 26 2010
- ^ [5] Syndney Morning Herald, "Stars Hum Praises of Meditation's Healing Power", Dec 15 2010
- ^ Wasserstein, Scoop, "David Lynch meditates on peace", Harvard Crimson (September 30, 2005)
- ^ Hoover, Eric, "Filmmaker starts foundation to help students chill out - with Transcendental Meditation", Chronicle of Higher Education (July 21, 2005)
- ^ "David Lynch Foundation for Consciousness-Based Education and World Peace: IRS Form 990, Fiscal year 2008" (PDF). GuideStar. February 12, 2010. http://www.guidestar.org/FinDocuments//2009/830/436/2009-830436453-05b71ec3-9.pdf.
- ^ David Lynch Foundation "Directors and Advisors, retrieved Feb. 3, 2011
External links
Transcendental Meditation Techniques and programs Transcendental Meditation technique · TM research · TM-Sidhi program · Maharishi Vedic Approach to Health · Maharishi Sthapatya Veda · Maharishi Peace Palace · History of Transcendental MeditationOrganizations Transcendental Meditation movement · Global Country of World Peace · Maharishi Group · Maharishi Heaven on Earth Development · David Lynch Foundation · Natural Law PartyEducation People Brahmananda Saraswati · Maharishi Mahesh Yogi · Tony Nader · John Hagelin · Bevan Morris · Deepak Chopra · David Lynch · Ashley Deans · Nancy Lonsdorf · David Orme-Johnson · Neil Paterson · The Beatles in India · List of practitionersSettlements and buildings Books Categories:- Organizations based in Iowa
- Organizations established in 2005
- Transcendental Meditation movement
- David Lynch
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.
