Global Good News: Excellence in Action

In a talk given on 18 March 1978 and published in his special volume of pocket-size books for students, Maharishi spoke about the Yoga Sutra of Patanjali, which, he said are 'the engineering of consciousness; through each Sutra, consciousness gains the skill of creating a particular result.

'The practice of the Pantanjali Sutra enlivens the infinite creative potential of consciousness so that every desire in practical life is automatically fulfilled.'

Maharishi said that for consciousness to be a field of all possibilities it must be a field of infinite correlation, with the property of frictionless flow—no barriers in time and space. Only in this state will consciousness be able to structure any specific values of space and time. To achieve this state, consciousness must be as pure as possible.

'Consciousness in its pure state is the simplest form of awareness,' Maharishi said, 'the most natural state of consciousness, completely on its own. This is the unmanifest value from where any manifestation is possible—the level of life that is infinitely creative, purely from within itself.'

The process of transcending during Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation takes our awareness to its simplest form: the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme makes the simplest form of awareness more and more lively in itself, in order to create any specifications of itself.

Maharishi continued, 'When awareness is fully competent to create every specification, then it knows Aham Brahmasmi, "I am everything," "I am great," "I am Brahm." Then this Vedic expression of the Totality of life, from the individual 'I' to the universal existence, becomes a living reality structured on the level of the physiology itself.'

Maharishi explained at some times certain areas of the brain, or consciousness, remain closed to themselves, while other areas are open to themselves. These changes produce the waking, dreaming, and sleeping states of consciousness.

'When the whole of consciousness is completely awake to itself, this fully enlivened physiology projects the full awakening of the individual to his university reality,' Maharishi said.

During the practice of the Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme, both consciousness and physiology are brought to the simplest state of functioning. Only when brain functioning is in its simplest state can consciousness assume any desired tone, or quality, and produce the corresponding effect.

'By exposing the functioning of the physiology to its entire range, Patanjali's Sutra culture infinite flexibility in the physiology,' Maharishi continued. 'On this basis, consciousness becomes infinitely adaptable and then it is fully lively in all possibilities. The individual becomes an expression of all possibilities, capable of accomplishing anything.

'When consciousness is able to create anything it desires, then the ultimate awakening of enlightenment comes: consciousness is the essential constituent of all the expressions in creation. One then experiences a continuum of life in terms of consciousness—in terms of one's own Self.'

This experience of full enlightenment does not negate the world; it raises the dignity of every object to its infinite value—as infinite as one's Self.

'Both Veda and modern science present the same theme of life,' Maharishi said. 'The Veda is pure knowledge—the state of consciousness in which the knower is fully awake in its Self, the field of all possibilities.'

The Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme enlivens the natural relationship existing between mind and body. Perfect mind-body coordination is the realization of the full potential of individual life. 'On that basis one rises to the supreme level of behaviour where one's territory of influence becomes the entirety of the universe,' Maharishi said.

The most fascinating frontier of scientific research today is research on consciousness. New avenues of research are opening a new vista of knowledge: the mind could be all-powerful and the individual could realize 'I am everything.'

'This practical technology of consciousness [the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme] is culturing and enriching life so that it finds its true dignity in its full potential of all possibilities,' Maharishi concluded.

"The potential of every student is infinite. The time of student life should serve to unfold that infinite potential so that every individual becomes a vibrant centre of Total Knowledge."—Maharishi