Global Good News: Excellence in Action

If you ask a history student about time, he may describe the vast arena in which the rise and fall of civilizations and the cycles of history take place. But if you ask the same student about time in his own life, his unbounded vision of time may collapse. He may complain that there is never quite enough time for what he wants to accomplish, as he tries to manage the demands of life as best he can, while time races on beyond his control.

Now, if you ask an astronomy student about space, he may describe the immense expanse of outer space with its millions of galaxies, stars, and constellations. But if you ask the same student about space in his own life, his expansive vision may collapse. He may describe his spatial world—a small apartment or dormitory room, the university setting, the local town, with an occasional trip farther afield. He may describe that he feels like a small, insignificant point in the vast domain of the universe.

In both cases, man is aware, intellectually, of the great infinity of time and space, and yet his own life is often lived in small boundaries, controlled by the tight confines of space and time. Man lives within the defined boundaries of space and time; that is unless he practises Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation Technique.

Through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, students open their awareness to the unboundedness of their own self-referral consciousness and begin to live freedom from limitations, even while engaged in the rigid confines of relative life. Students begin to realize the truth of the Vedic expression, ‘The individual is cosmic.’

Going Beyond Time and Space
There is a saying in the ancient Vedic Literature, ‘There is no joy in the small.’ To reach a level of happiness and freedom, one must go beyond boundaries—beyond the small—and experience infinity. During the practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique, students experience infinity within their own Self [self-referral consciousness], the Unified Field of Consciousness at the source of all thought. This eternal, omnipresent field within everyone is also known as Transcendental Consciousness, or Being.

In his book, The Science of Being and Art of Living, His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, founder of the Transcendental Meditation Technique and Consciousness-Based Education, describes 'Being', referring to the Vedic Literature, ‘The Upanishads show Being as the ultimate reality, which is imperishable and eternal. The hymns of the Vedas and the Bhagavad-Gita sing of the glory of the imperishable Self, Being, ultimate reality, Brahman which is the supreme, ultimate absolute. They say, "Water cannot wet It nor can fire burn It. Wind cannot dry It and weapons cannot slay It. It is in front; It is behind. It is above and below. It is to the right and the left. It is all-pervading, the omnipresent, divine Being."

‘The Upanishads explain the Being in terms of Ananda, or bliss, and locate It at the source of creation in the transcendental region of life permeating everything, all time—past, present, and future—all space, and all aspects of causation.'

Maharishi goes on to describe where Being can be located, ‘The great words of enlightenment found in the Vedas express Being as the ultimate reality, and they find It within man as his own inseparable Self. They reveal the truth in the expression: "I am That, thou art That, all this is That; That alone is, and there is nothing else but That." ’

Maharishi describes how to experience Being—one’s own Self—by transcending mental activity and experiencing one’s own inner silence. Transcend means ‘go beyond’. When one closes the eyes and practises Transcendental Meditation, one’s mind settles down to a state of least excitation of consciousness. One transcends thinking and experiences the eternal field of silence and bliss within. During the experience of Transcendental Consciousness, one’s mind is not bound by any particular thought, and so, one experiences unboundedness.

Individuals who practise Transcendental Meditation describe the experience of an infinite field of silence, peace, and inner happiness. The tightness of worries and anxieties dissolve in the deep relaxation and happiness of Transcendental Meditation.

After Transcendental Meditation, one enjoys more unbounded awareness infused in daily activities. Limitations that one might experience with work, school, family life, relationships, or physical challenges no longer create feelings of restraint, lack of freedom, or unhappiness.

One can be engaged in all the same activities as before, but all the boundaries of life, which previously created restrictions, are now infused with inner silence and bliss. One no longer feels confined, because intellectually one knows that there is an infinite field of consciousness that is one’s true Self; and through the Transcendental Meditation programme one experiences inner freedom, regardless of the circumstances of relative life.

As one continues one’s practice of Transcendental Meditation Technique, alternated with regular activity, one begins to live a state of perpetual freedom. One enjoys cosmic awareness, and lives unbounded freedom and bliss, even in the midst of the boundaries of daily life. One’s thoughts become more powerful because one’s awareness is connected to the big Self, the Unified Field of consciousness where all the Laws of Nature are lively. One lives one’s cosmic status.

The advantages of experiencing infinite cosmic Being
In The Science of Being and Art of Living, Maharishi describes the advantages of living Being and the cosmic status of an enlightened man. Maharishi says, ‘There are innumerable advantages in experiencing absolute Being through the practice of Transcendental Meditation. It influences the life of the individual at all levels to such a degree that the whole value of life is transformed beyond the imagination of the human mind.

‘How is it possible for a mortal man to visualize the advantages to his individual life of communion with the cosmic life of absolute Being? How can ordinary human intelligence, on the level of intellectual understanding, comprehend the greatness of cosmic intelligence to be found in the field of transcendental Being? How can an individual, functioning within the limitations of his ordinary mental capacity, conceive of the enormous possibilities of the creative energy of his full potential when he is in tune with the creative intelligence of absolute Being?’

Maharishi summarizes: ‘Through the experience of Being, man is able to use his full potential and to make full use of his surroundings and of the almighty power of Nature. The material and spiritual values of life are brought into harmony. Through the art of experiencing Being, it is possible to live life in eternal freedom while accomplishing maximum in the material field . . . .’

Maharishi has said that it is the birthright of every person on earth to live his or her cosmic reality and to enjoy perpetual freedom and bliss. Now, no matter what one does each day, one can realize one’s unbounded potential. Just 15 or 20 minutes of Transcendental Meditation twice a day opens one’s awareness to the vast potential of cosmic existence and adds infinity to one’s experience of life.

"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