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The Transcendental Meditation Technique: Royal road to Self-realization In his book Enlightenment and Invincibility: Maharishi's Supreme Offer to the World, Maharishi devotes Part VI to the topic of fulfilment and Self-realization through the Transcendental Meditation Technique. In the first part of Chapter 24, he writes about Transcendental Meditation as the royal road to Self-realization. Maharishi explains that the Transcendental Meditation Technique is a simple mental procedure that ensures that any individual can gain the state of enlightenment—full Self-realization. During Transcendental Meditation the awareness experiences progressively quieter or lesser excited states of the thinking process until the finest or quietest level of thought is transcended to reach a state of pure awareness. This is the state of least excitation of consciousness and is the source of all the excitations or thoughts experienced by the mind. The state of least excitation of consciousness is a state of extreme clarity of mind and of maximum alertness. It is experienced as a state of unboundedness, in which the mind is free from the boundaries or limitations of space, time, and particular experience. It is purely an experience of the 'Self', free from any outside influences, and is therefore the first experience of Self-realization. Transcendental Meditation is practised for two 20-minutes periods each day—morning and evening. The regular experience of the state of least excitation of consciousness results in a progressive infusion of the qualities of this state into the thinking mind, culminating in the development of a level of consciousness where the Self is a permanent reality. This is the state of enlightenment or Cosmic Consciousness in which the Self—the state of least excitation of consciousness—is a permanent and stable witness, supporting all phases of activity. In this state, the mind is fully developed, health is perfect, behaviour is evolutionary, and all aspects of life are fulfilling. From the standpoint of modern science, many experimental investigations have been made to determine the physiological and psychological characteristics of this state of awareness. The following ten characteristics conveniently summarize the attributes of pure awareness as it is directly experienced during the Transcendental Meditation Technique. This analysis of its qualities is further substantiated by the research on the Transcendental Meditation Programme, which has uncovered the existence of these qualities, either during the experience of Transcendental Meditation itself or in the activity following it. These ten qualities are: During the Transcendental Meditation Technique itself, the entire physiology gains a very deep state of rest. However, this state is one of high alertness, and electroencephalographic records of the electrical activity of the brain show unique patterns of extremely high coherence, or orderliness, reflecting the inner experience of unbounded wakefulness and integration. The orderly patterns of brain wave activity indicate perfect transfer of information from one part of the brain to another and account for the greatly enhanced orderliness of thinking and integration of the personality following the practice. Following the regular practice of the Transcendental Meditation Technique, a whole spectrum of developments are seen. These include stability and efficiency of physiological functioning, increased resistance to stress, improved health, faster reactions, superior mind-body coordination, sharper perceptions, development of personality, decreased anxiety, improved social behaviour and moral reasoning, and a decrease in the use of alcohol and non-prescription drugs. A number of research findings focused specifically on the direct academic and educational benefits of the Transcendental Meditation Programme. Results found include: increased creativity, improved learning ability, increased orderliness of thinking (improved memory and problem-solving ability), improved academic performance, increased intelligence growth rate, and increased self-esteem, individuality, energy level, and tolerance in high school students. Wherever Transcendental Meditation has been used in a classroom setting, very great improvements have been seen in the synergy, harmony, and performance of the group. From this brief survey of the major results of the Transcendental Meditation Programme, and of the characteristics of the systematic growth of Self-realization provided by the programme, its importance for education cannot be over emphasized, and all educators are strongly urged to implement the Transcendental Meditation Programme in their curricula. © Copyright 2008 Global Good News®
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