The ancient theme of education emphasizes that knowledge of Transcendental Consciousness, the Self, is the basis of all knowledge. This experience is open now to students through Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation.

Fulfilling the ancient and modern goals of education
by Global Good News staff writer
7 October 2008

The foundation of education in the Age of Enlightenment is 'higher education for higher consciousness' to open the door of all possibilities for everyone. Through Maharishi's Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme, one develops the ability to think and act from Transcendental Consciousness, unbounded awareness, which is the home of all the Laws of Nature, the field of all possibilities.

In this talk* given in July 1977 in Seelisberg, Switzerland, Maharishi explained that 'since unbounded awareness is the home of all the Laws of Nature, any thought from this level will be evolutionary, life-supporting, and enriching to the environment.

'Unbounded awareness is the field of infinite correlation,' he said, 'the very basic ground of all life, which connects everything with everything else. Consciousness, the field of the knower, is the common basis of all disciplines because all knowledge is gained on the level of consciousness or intelligence,' Maharishi said.

'Education until now has lacked the knowledge of the knower in its infinite capacity, but now with the introduction of Transcendental Meditation into education, the full value of consciousness, unbounded awareness, will make the study of every discipline complete and fulfilling.'

Maharishi said that education should create in the student the most settled state of awareness, the simplest form of awareness, the field of all possibilities. Established in this state, one gains the ability to accomplish anything. This is the ancient Vedic theme of education.

'The Upanishad [one aspect of the Vedic Literature] reveals that there are two fields of knowledge: knowledge of the relative field and knowledge of the transcendental field. Knowledge of the Transcendent is supreme knowledge because it liberates one from boundaries and is capable of bestowing all possibilities,' Maharishi explained.

'Awareness is the basis of knowledge. In the Vedic Tradition there are four levels of awareness on which knowledge is gained: the senses, mind, finest senses, and Transcendental Consciousness. In order to gain knowledge of any desired level, one must take one's awareness to that level. Knowledge of the Transcendent can only be gained by opening one's awareness to Transcendental Consciousness.'

The foundation of action lies in the settled state of consciousness from where activity begins, and 'that settled state of Transcendental Consciousness can act within itself because it is conscious of itself. The whole foundation of education, therefore, lies in Transcendental Consciousness, the Self.

'As the value of the Self is unfolded more and more,' Maharishi continued, 'one enlivens the foundation of education, the field of knowledge within oneself. By completely enlivening the field of all knowledge, one gains proficiency in all fields of action.

'Education takes the student from the gross field of perception to finer and finer levels of relative creation. It is the knowledge of these changing values of creation that takes one beyond the field of change to the field of non-changing, immortality.'

Through the practice of Transcendental Meditation not only does one awaken to the eternity of life, one also gains mastery over the field of change.

'The utility of the knowledge of different sciences is to systematically unfold deeper values of knowledge in order to gain its basic value—the Transcendent, which is the pure potentiality of all knowledge, the ultimate truth.

'The two foundations of education are the relative field of knowledge and the absolute field of knowledge—the field of organizing power and the field of pure knowledge. These correspond to the outward direction of awareness and the inward direction of awareness during the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme. By directing awareness inwards to the field of all possibilities, one creates a powerful momentum for thought, action, and achievement in the outer field of life.

'The process of education should remove all limitations that have made life a struggle. This will allow the flowering of the total potential of life—the fullness of knowledge and organizing power—which will enable the individual to act in accordance with all the Laws of Nature.'

Life has been a struggle throughout the ages only because the knowledge of the Transcendent was not available. 'Through the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation Sidhi Programme every aspect of life will now blossom in ever-expanding waves of happiness, fulfilment, and all possibilities,' Maharishi concluded.

* This talk is also presented in Maharishi's book Maharishi Speaks to Educators: Mastery over Natural Law.

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