The story of the David Lynch Foundation

David Lynch and his Foundation:
powered by and for Transcendental Meditation

David Lynch is known worldwide for two things – for his mysteriously dark and inexplicable movies, and for practicing the peaceful, harmonious and lucid technique of Transcendental Meditation.

In 2005, after having meditated for over 30 years without ever missing a session, David Lynch decided to throw his public figure of a celebrity director behind the popularization of TM. After visiting a school in Fairfield, Iowa, and seeing the actual benefits of Transcendental Meditation for students, Lynch set up a foundation bearing his own name.

To those working with him, there is no split persona but a simple, accessible presence.

Chris Busch, a Transcendental Meditation teacher since 1971 and now a director of programs for the David Lynch Foundation, says in an interview to Bryan Davis: „David himself is a saint. The guy is amazing. He has got the purest heart, and the clearest mind, and the greatest intuition. He is just real, an enlightened guy. And he knows what Transcendental Meditation is and what it can do – he knows the potential. It’s natural for him to want more people experience it. Like, you have a favourite restaurant, so you would like your friends to benefit from it, too. And David wants to extend it especially to those who would not have access to it otherwise.”

David Lynch Foundation in numbers:
Aims and results

The Foundation has several stated aims. Perhaps the greatest amount of energy and dedication is presently put into the service of at-risk populations:

• students in poorer areas
• veterans of war with PTSD
• the population of American Indians, suffering from chronic diseases and high suicide rates
• homeless men striving to overcome addiction problems
• incarcerated juveniles and adults in prisons
• refugees in Africa

Through its charity programs, the David Lynch Foundation offers those people free Transcendental Meditation courses. The overarching aim here is to achieve long-term benefits in actualizing people’s potential, as well as helping them to get through their day enjoying their time and having a happy, productive life.

But the activities of the Foundation are not limited to offering free meditation courses. It also funds university and medical school research to assess the effects of the program in several practical areas (academic performance, learning disorders like ADHD, depression, substance abuse, cardiovascular disease, PTSD, and so on).

Also, since its very inception in 2005, the David Lynch Foundation has been working towards a goal of raising $7 billion to establish “Universities of World Peace” in seven different countries. Those universities – based on the example of the Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa – would incorporate Transcendental Meditation in their curriculum and therefore train “professional peacemakers”.

The results? By rough estimation, DLF has by now introduced 70,000 students in 350 schools around the world to meditation. The Foundation’s reach is best exemplified by the fact that out of those 350 schools, only 15 are located in the United States. And with encouragement and support from the David Lynch Foundation, the whole country of Brazil – over 190 million people! – is now implementing Transcendental Meditation in all of its schools…

Who and how support
the David Lynch Foundation?

As a non-profit organization, the David Lynch Foundation is supported by donations – by big and small. Often, these donations are made up of a certain portion of profits from some product. We have covered a few of these socially responsible goodies on our website – here is the Charlatans front man Tim Burgess with a good cup of coffee, and actress Gwyneth Paltrow with lifestyle items, and (why not!) some fashionable finger polish from SpaRitual.

Yet it is not that David Lynch and his team just sit back and wait for the money to flow in.

In addition to regular fundraising events with famous musicians and Hollywood stars, Lynch is also harnessing his own creativity for the Foundation’s benefit. For instance, he is now touring the world with premieres of his most recent movie Meditation, Creativity, Peace. According to Lynch, profits from the distribution of the film will support none other than the DLF.

Branching out: David Lynch Foundation TV, Transcendental Music, and David Lynch Foundation Live

As if all this was not enough, David Lynch and his Foundation have set up different media outlets. All this to generate support and introduce Transcendental Meditation to the today’s multimedia rich world.

David Lynch Foundation TV

This online TV channel, founded in 2008, celebrates ‘consciousness, creativity and bliss’. DLF.TV is showcasing high quality video content from the David Lynch Foundation events, profiles and documentaries, and exclusive content from David Lynch himself.

Transcendental Music

Transcendental Music (TMusic, set up in 2011) is a charity record label founded by David Lynch. Transcendental Music’s catalogue comprises artist donated exclusive, unreleased recordings and collectible items, and the list of the label’s artists is quite impressive. To name just a few: Iggy Pop, Arrested Development, Au Revoir Simone, Peter Gabriel, Ben Folds, Tom Waits, Charlatans, Moby, Julio Iglesias Jr, Patricia Kaas, Nancy Sinatra…

David Lynch Foundation Live

A new-born baby in the David Lynch Foundation’s family, the DLF Live is meant to be the ‘performance divison’ of the foundation.

It will be launched officially on Friday, June 15 at the Bonnaroo Music and Arts Festival  One of David Lynch Foundation Live’s goals will be to raise funds to teach meditation to 1,000,000 at-risk youth around the world over the next 5 years.

“Transcendental Meditation and creativity are beautifully and naturally connected, as music, film, the arts and meditation all communicate on the deepest level of consciousness,” explained David Lynch the idea behind the DLF Live.