Maharishi Peace Palace
Encyclopedia
Maharishi Peace Palace is a type of pre-engineered building
designed to house the educational and meditation
al activities of the Transcendental Meditation movement
. Each Peace Palace is built using standardized plans compatible with Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
design principles.
In 2000, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
announced plans to build thousands of Peace Palaces around the world. At least eight have been completed in the United States
to date. A spokesman at the Maharishi's funeral in 2008 confirmed that the construction of Peace Palaces would remain a top priority. A project coordinator in 2010 said there was dwindling support following the Maharishi's death.
bond said that the goal was to build 5,000 palaces worldwide. One plan called for building 2,400 in the US alone, but that goal was later reduced to 100 or 200 in the US, another 14 in Canada, and more in other countries.
"Maharishi Peace Palace" specifically refers to a "pre-engineered", MSV-designed building. Plans are available for four sizes, the "medium" option being a 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²), two-story building. They are "gleaming white", either painted or marble-clad. According to one description of a rendering of a proposed Peace Palace, it features "arched windows and beveled columns" that surround the "marble-plated exterior of a domed, modular rectangle". According to The New York Times
, a Peace Palace looks like "an Indian temple crossed with a Southern plantation mansion" and their consistent appearance is part of a branding effort.
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is described as having been compiled by the Maharishi from ancient Indian sources as an accurate form of Vastu Shastra
. MSV has strict rules on the siting, orientation, and proportions of buildings. The primary principles are that buildings must face due east or due north, and should have Brahmasthan
s (silent centers).
Depending on its size and other factors, a typical Peace Palace would have a variety of dedicated rooms and amenities. These might include a spa facility, a dormitory, a meditation room for Yogic Flying, a lecture hall and meeting room, a shop for Maharishi Ayurvedic supplies, and a library. It may also rent out office space. The Peace Palace replaces the storefronts and offices currently used as teaching centers, retail outlets, and spas. These have been called "Maharishi Enlightment Centers" or "Maharishi Invincibility Centers", but some are being renamed "Peace Palaces" even though they are not located in MSV-compliant buildings. Two Peace Palaces were built as dormitories to house the Mother Divine group. One vision of Peace Palaces is that they would be connected with organic farming
operations, either on-site or at a nearby rural location. For suburban palaces, lots of one-half to 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) have been sought.
An official of the movement said that the palaces would help to generate the Maharishi Effect, which he said would banish negative energy and violence. Film director and TM advocate David Lynch
said a Peace Palace is a "peace factory" rather than a "pretty building". Critics claim that the plan is aimed at increasing the Maharishi's financial assets, and doubt that the hundreds or thousands of proposed Palaces would be built. Other critics have questioned the ability of Yogic Flying to spread peace.
(GCWP) and overseen by the Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation (MVEDC), as well as by private partners. David Lynch
initiated an effort in 2003 to raise $1 billion for palace construction. In 2007, the GCWP applied to the Colorado Health Facilities Authority, a private group that serves as a vehicle for financing construction by non-profit healthcare institutions, for an issue of $55 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance construction of Peace Palaces in 21 cities, and the purchase of an organic farm in Goshen, New York. The GCWP would be responsible for the debt and interest. In order to get IRS
approval for the tax-exempt bond, the GCWP had to get endorsements from the city councils or state authorities of the jurisdictions where it planned to build. A 2008 report states that $40 million was borrowed to build nine Peace Palaces, and was secured with $250 million in real estate assets.
Those who finance the construction of Peace Palaces are called "Founders of World Peace". In at least some cases, the Palaces are intended to run on a for-profit basis with returns going to investors. Two or three Palaces have been built by private individuals.
Other US cities specifically mentioned as possible sites include New York City, Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, Long Island, Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, Boston, Tulsa, Hamden, Connecticut, and the San Francisco Bay area. In addition, palaces have been proposed for Montreal, Auckland, New Zealand, and Birmingham
, Coventry, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough in the UK.
Pre-engineered building
In structural engineering, a pre-engineered building is designed by a manufacturer to be fabricated using a pre-determined inventory of raw materials and manufacturing methods that can efficiently satisfy a wide range of structural and aesthetic design requirements...
designed to house the educational and meditation
Meditation
Meditation is any form of a family of practices in which practitioners train their minds or self-induce a mode of consciousness to realize some benefit....
al activities of the Transcendental Meditation movement
Transcendental Meditation movement
The Transcendental Meditation movement is a world-wide organization, sometimes characterised as a neo-Hindu new religious movement, founded by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi in the 1950s...
. Each Peace Palace is built using standardized plans compatible with Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is a set of architectural and planning principles assembled by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi based on "ancient Sanskrit texts" Maharishi Sthapatya Veda architecture is also called "Maharishi Vastu" architecture, "Fortune-Creating" buildings and homes, and "Maharishi Vedic...
design principles.
In 2000, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi , born Mahesh Prasad Varma , developed the Transcendental Meditation technique and was the leader and guru of the TM movement, characterised as a new religious movement and also as non-religious...
announced plans to build thousands of Peace Palaces around the world. At least eight have been completed in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
to date. A spokesman at the Maharishi's funeral in 2008 confirmed that the construction of Peace Palaces would remain a top priority. A project coordinator in 2010 said there was dwindling support following the Maharishi's death.
Design and planning
In 2000, the Maharishi announced plans to build one or more Peace Palaces in each of the 3,000 largest cities around the world. A 2006 prospectus for the movement's RAAMRAAM
RAAM, or Raam is a bearer bond and local currency issued by Stichting Maharishi Global Financing Research , a charitable foundation based in MERU, Holland. It is also the "global development currency" of the Global Country of World Peace...
bond said that the goal was to build 5,000 palaces worldwide. One plan called for building 2,400 in the US alone, but that goal was later reduced to 100 or 200 in the US, another 14 in Canada, and more in other countries.
"Maharishi Peace Palace" specifically refers to a "pre-engineered", MSV-designed building. Plans are available for four sizes, the "medium" option being a 12000 square feet (1,114.8 m²), two-story building. They are "gleaming white", either painted or marble-clad. According to one description of a rendering of a proposed Peace Palace, it features "arched windows and beveled columns" that surround the "marble-plated exterior of a domed, modular rectangle". According to The New York Times
The New York Times
The New York Times is an American daily newspaper founded and continuously published in New York City since 1851. The New York Times has won 106 Pulitzer Prizes, the most of any news organization...
, a Peace Palace looks like "an Indian temple crossed with a Southern plantation mansion" and their consistent appearance is part of a branding effort.
Maharishi Sthapatya Veda is described as having been compiled by the Maharishi from ancient Indian sources as an accurate form of Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra
Vastu Shastra is an ancient doctrine which consists of precepts born out of a traditional and archaic view on how the laws of nature affect human dwellings. The designs are based on directional alignments...
. MSV has strict rules on the siting, orientation, and proportions of buildings. The primary principles are that buildings must face due east or due north, and should have Brahmasthan
Brahmasthan
A brahmasthan is a principle of Vedic architecture and community planning that designates the center point of a building or geographical area. Vedic architecture is based on Vastu Shastra.The brahmasthan is a special central zone in a building...
s (silent centers).
Depending on its size and other factors, a typical Peace Palace would have a variety of dedicated rooms and amenities. These might include a spa facility, a dormitory, a meditation room for Yogic Flying, a lecture hall and meeting room, a shop for Maharishi Ayurvedic supplies, and a library. It may also rent out office space. The Peace Palace replaces the storefronts and offices currently used as teaching centers, retail outlets, and spas. These have been called "Maharishi Enlightment Centers" or "Maharishi Invincibility Centers", but some are being renamed "Peace Palaces" even though they are not located in MSV-compliant buildings. Two Peace Palaces were built as dormitories to house the Mother Divine group. One vision of Peace Palaces is that they would be connected with organic farming
Organic farming
Organic farming is the form of agriculture that relies on techniques such as crop rotation, green manure, compost and biological pest control to maintain soil productivity and control pests on a farm...
operations, either on-site or at a nearby rural location. For suburban palaces, lots of one-half to 1 acres (4,046.9 m²) have been sought.
An official of the movement said that the palaces would help to generate the Maharishi Effect, which he said would banish negative energy and violence. Film director and TM advocate David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
said a Peace Palace is a "peace factory" rather than a "pretty building". Critics claim that the plan is aimed at increasing the Maharishi's financial assets, and doubt that the hundreds or thousands of proposed Palaces would be built. Other critics have questioned the ability of Yogic Flying to spread peace.
Financing and construction
In 2007, The New York Times reported that 52 parcels had been acquired for Peace Palaces. They are being built in the US by the Global Country of World PeaceGlobal Country of World Peace
The Global Country of World Peace was declared by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the founder and guru of the Transcendental Meditation movement, on Vijayadashami , October 7, 2000. He described it as "a country without borders for peace loving people everywhere"...
(GCWP) and overseen by the Maharishi Vedic Education Development Corporation (MVEDC), as well as by private partners. David Lynch
David Lynch
David Keith Lynch is an American filmmaker, television director, visual artist, musician and occasional actor. Known for his surrealist films, he has developed his own unique cinematic style, which has been dubbed "Lynchian", and which is characterized by its dream imagery and meticulous sound...
initiated an effort in 2003 to raise $1 billion for palace construction. In 2007, the GCWP applied to the Colorado Health Facilities Authority, a private group that serves as a vehicle for financing construction by non-profit healthcare institutions, for an issue of $55 million in tax-exempt bonds to finance construction of Peace Palaces in 21 cities, and the purchase of an organic farm in Goshen, New York. The GCWP would be responsible for the debt and interest. In order to get IRS
Internal Revenue Service
The Internal Revenue Service is the revenue service of the United States federal government. The agency is a bureau of the Department of the Treasury, and is under the immediate direction of the Commissioner of Internal Revenue...
approval for the tax-exempt bond, the GCWP had to get endorsements from the city councils or state authorities of the jurisdictions where it planned to build. A 2008 report states that $40 million was borrowed to build nine Peace Palaces, and was secured with $250 million in real estate assets.
Those who finance the construction of Peace Palaces are called "Founders of World Peace". In at least some cases, the Palaces are intended to run on a for-profit basis with returns going to investors. Two or three Palaces have been built by private individuals.
Completed buildings
Peace Palaces have been completed in at least seven locations:- Lexington, KentuckyLexington, KentuckyLexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
. Located at the University of KentuckyUniversity of KentuckyThe University of Kentucky, also known as UK, is a public co-educational university and is one of the state's two land-grant universities, located in Lexington, Kentucky...
campus, it opened in April 2003. It was built by TM-advocate and oil broker Howard Settle at a cost of $4 million. It also houses his corporate offices. - The Woodlands, TexasThe Woodlands, TexasThe Woodlands is a master-planned community and a Census-designated place in the U.S. state of Texas within the metropolitan area. The population of the CDP was 55,649 at the 2000 census—a 90 percent increase over its 1990 population. According to the 2010 census, The Woodlands' population rose...
(suburb of Houston) It was also built by Settle and he has office space there. - Rockville, MarylandRockville, MarylandRockville is the county seat of Montgomery County, Maryland, United States. It is a major incorporated city in the central part of Montgomery County and forms part of the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area. The 2010 U.S...
(suburb of Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C.Washington, D.C., formally the District of Columbia and commonly referred to as Washington, "the District", or simply D.C., is the capital of the United States. On July 16, 1790, the United States Congress approved the creation of a permanent national capital as permitted by the U.S. Constitution....
) It opened in May 2003. - Fairfield, IowaFairfield, IowaFairfield is a city and the county seat of Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The population was 9,464 in the 2010 census, a decline from 9,509 in the 2000 census. - History :...
Two have been built on the MUM campus, one for women and one for men. - Maharishi Vedic City, IowaMaharishi Vedic City, IowaMaharishi Vedic City is a city in Jefferson County, Iowa, United States. The city was first incorporated in 2001 as "Vedic City" but then officially changed its name to "Maharishi Vedic City" five months later. It was the first city to incorporate in Iowa since 1982...
It is located at the Brahmasthan of the city and is owned by the GCWP. - St. Paul, Minnesota The title to the building is held by the GCWP.
- Livingston Manor, New YorkLivingston Manor, New YorkLivingston Manor is a hamlet in Sullivan County, New York, United States. The population was 1,355 at the 2000 census.Livingston Manor is in the south part of the Town of Rockland, adjacent to New York State Route 17.-History:...
(in the Catskill MountainsCatskill MountainsThe Catskill Mountains, an area in New York State northwest of New York City and southwest of Albany, are a mature dissected plateau, an uplifted region that was subsequently eroded into sharp relief. They are an eastward continuation, and the highest representation, of the Allegheny Plateau...
) Two buildings have been built, two more are planned.
Proposed buildings
Other Peace Palace locations are still pending or have been dropped:- 12 Peace Palace buildings are planned at the Brahmasthan of America in rural KansasKansasKansas is a US state located in the Midwestern United States. It is named after the Kansas River which flows through it, which in turn was named after the Kansa Native American tribe, which inhabited the area. The tribe's name is often said to mean "people of the wind" or "people of the south...
. These are intended to be the centerpiece of the American Peace Palaces. - In February 2008, MSV Homes submitted plans to build a £2 million, three-story, 33-bedroom Peace Palace in Rendlesham, Suffolk. It would be part of the 30-home, 24-apartment Maharishi Peace Colony. The plans were approved two months later, despite community concerns. The building will replace a center in Badingham that was used for 25 years.
- In 2005, the GCWP purchased a 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) property west of Lincoln, NebraskaLincoln, NebraskaThe City of Lincoln is the capital and the second-most populous city of the US state of Nebraska. Lincoln is also the county seat of Lancaster County and the home of the University of Nebraska. Lincoln's 2010 Census population was 258,379....
. The Prairie Peace Park had been inaugurated there years earlier but it was never developed beyond some large sculptures. At the time, local GCWP organizer Eric Michener, said the Palace would encourage peace by enlivening "the underlying field of consciousness, the consciousness of peace". The plans were dropped in 2009. In 2010, Michener said that the project lacked funds, and that declining support may have been due to the Maharishi's death in 2008. - A proposal for a Peace Palace in unincorporated Manakin-Sabot, VirginiaManakin-Sabot, VirginiaManakin-Sabot, consisting of the villages of Manakin and Sabot, is an unincorporated community in Goochland County, Virginia, United States. It is located northwest of Richmond and is part of the Greater Richmond region. The area is home to several country clubs. Justin Verlander, pitcher for the...
was submitted to the Goochland County Design Review Committee in 2008. It would be built on a 1.5 acres (6,070.3 m²) lot across the street from Satterwhite's Restaurant. - In Ohio, ParmaParma, OhioParma is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. It is the largest suburb of Cleveland and the seventh largest city in the state of Ohio...
, WestlakeWestlake, OhioWestlake is a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The population was 32,729 at the 2010 census. It is an affluent suburb of Cleveland, Ohio and is located 12 miles from Cleveland's downtown.-Geography:Westlake is located at...
, and Mayfield HeightsMayfield Heights, Ohio-External links:*...
were proposed locations. The movement sued the city of Mayfield Heights when it was not granted a requested setback variance. - Moon, Pennsylvania is another site proposed for a Peace Palace. The GCWP bought a 7.4 acres (29,946.8 m²) lot in 2005 and applied for approval in 2007. It also sought an endorsement from the county supervisors in order to qualify for a tax-exempt bond to finance the project.
- In 2007, a Peace Palace was proposed at a 19.3 acres (78,104.4 m²) lot on the site of the former Flagship Inn, at the intersection of Interstate 30 and Texas Highway 360, in Arlington, TexasArlington, TexasArlington is a city in Tarrant County, Texas within the Dallas–Fort Worth metropolitan area. According to the 2010 census results, the city had a population of 365,438, making it the third largest municipality in the Metroplex...
, which had been purchased by the Maharishi in 1993. - There was a proposal to build a $4.5 million Peace Palace next to the MAPI Headquarters in Colorado Springs.
- Two Peace Palaces were proposed for the Philadelphia area, and properties were purchased, but the Palaces remained unbuilt in 2006, more than three years after they were announced.
- The movement vacated spacious, but inauspicious, quarters near the Pacific OceanPacific OceanThe Pacific Ocean is the largest of the Earth's oceanic divisions. It extends from the Arctic in the north to the Southern Ocean in the south, bounded by Asia and Australia in the west, and the Americas in the east.At 165.2 million square kilometres in area, this largest division of the World...
in Los Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles, CaliforniaLos Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
and moved into a cramped office building on a busy street while trying to find an affordable and auspicious lot to build a Peace Palace. The effort was announced in a 2003 press conference that included movement leaders and celebrity meditators. - A 63000 square feet (5,852.9 m²) Peace Palace was proposed for Ottawa, Ontario.
- A Peace Palace was suggested as the centerpiece of a planned community in Wellington, ColoradoWellington, ColoradoWellington is a Statutory Town in Larimer County, Colorado, United States. The population was 6,289 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Wellington is located at ....
called "Shanti Village", the brainchild of Cheryl Beckett, who was not affiliated with the Global Country of World Peace.
Other US cities specifically mentioned as possible sites include New York City, Atlanta, Denver, Minneapolis, Long Island, Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, Boston, Tulsa, Hamden, Connecticut, and the San Francisco Bay area. In addition, palaces have been proposed for Montreal, Auckland, New Zealand, and Birmingham
Birmingham
Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
, Coventry, Glasgow, Newcastle, Sunderland, and Middlesbrough in the UK.