Transcendental meditation (TM)

A meditation technique taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi and his followers which, by turning the attention inwards, allows the conscious mind to experience increasingly more subtle states of thought until the mind transcends the experience of the subtlest thought-state and arrives at the source of thought. This expands the conscious mind and brings it in control with the unlimited reservoir of energy and creative intelligence. The practice enables the individual to use his full potential in all fields of thought and action. For this increase in capacity and fulfilment to take place, it is necessary for the person to be in contact with transcendental pure consciousness, his own essential nature. Without having to observe or struggle with himself, quite spontaneously the individual's natural inclinations then begin to come into harmony with the natural laws of the evolution of life. His desires become increasingly life supporting and, simultaneously, increasingly fulfilled.

The premise of transcendental meditation is that the attention of the mind has as its special characteristic the tendency to scan the field of its experience in search for a greater intensity of happiness than it is at the moment experiencing. The attention is governed and directed by this natural tendency of the mind, to search for greater satisfaction, greater joy, greater fulfilment than it is at the moment experiencing. Transcendental meditation is thus understood simply as a means of opening the wandering mind to the riches of happiness which it has erroneously been seeking in external objects and events. As the mind moves in the direction of the absolute bliss of the transcendental being, it finds increasing charm at every stage, whether or not the person is emotionally or intellectually developed.

In transcendental meditation each person practices in solitude with a sound as a focus for meditation. Each person is given the sound most suited to his temperament. In contrast to other techniques using a mantra, the sound is not chanted aloud nor mentally, the sound itself is thought. Although the sound is sacred, it is said not to be the invocation of a god. As the mind transcends during meditation, natural physiological changes occur in the body corresponding to changes in mental activity and the level of experience. The mind and body achieve a state of restful alertness which, on the psychical level, corresponds to the state of pure consciousness. The physiological processes, seemingly more efficiently than during sleep, relieve the stresses which accumulate in the nervous system.

The reported physiological changes during practice of this (and other) forms of meditation include: reduction of the metabolic rate by up to 25-30 per cent; reduction of the total oxygen consumption by up to 20 per cent; reduction of the breathing rate to 4-6 (from 12-14) per minute; an increase of the amount of alpha and theta waves of the brain; a reduction of the blood pressure by 20 per cent in hypertensive patients; decrease in the cardial output (heart blood flow) by 25 per cent.

Regular practice of TM is said to improve both the physical and the psychological quality of life, allowing deep rest, improved health and the regaining of mental stability. It is a very effective way of removing stress and works towards the achievement of full human potential. Meditators have been shown to be happier and less dependent on their surroundings than non-meditators; they experience more enjoyment, develop deeper personal relationships and have a deeper sense of purpose.

The Maharishi describes seven modes of awareness open to human beings in the path to transcendence: (i) Jagrat state of waking consciousness; (ii) Svapna state of dream consciousness; (iii) Susupti state of unconsciousness (deep sleep); (iv) Transcendental consciousness (wakeful hypometabolic state, field of being, creative intelligence, pure thought); (v) Transcendental cosmic consciousness; (vi) Refined cosmic consciousness; (vii) Unity consciousness. Progress on this path using transcendental meditation is said to be faster than the paths of other similar techniques such as those employed in [yoga]

or [zen]

. In addition there is no question of renouncing the world, simply a state of well-being in which one lives in the world but is not attached to it. It is not that the material world is an illusion, simply that one may be deluded in one's awareness of the relationship between the relative and the absolute.