Personal Enlightenment

The Systematic Growth of Higher States of Consciousness

In our age, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi has brought to light detailed knowledge of the highest states of human development, and the technologies of consciousness, including the Transcendental Meditation and Transcendental Meditation-Sidhi programs, for systematically attaining the full functioning of the total brain physiology.

Maharishi has formulated a complete science of consciousness — his Vedic Science — from the knowledge contained in the ancient Vedic Literature. This science describes the seven states of human consciousness—each with its own unique corresponding state of physiology and mental experience—and gives the theoretical and practical knowledge for unfolding the full value of human consciousness. The first three states of consciousness are commonly experienced and understood:

1. Deep Sleep: body at deep rest; no mental awareness

2. Dreaming: body at rest; illusory mental awareness

3. Waking State: body in activity; active mental awareness

Down through time, great individuals have glimpsed higher levels of reality beyond these three states of consciousness. The Vedic Tradition describes how through proper education it is possible to systematically unfold four higher states of consciousness. They are:

4. Transcendental Consciousness: self-referral consciousness characterized by unbounded awareness, heightened wakefulness and deep physical rest. The Transcendental Meditation program offers a natural, effortless and universal way for an individual of any background to systematically develop Transcendental Consciousness. Maharishi has brought out this path to enlightenment is ideal suited for people of activity and does not require effort and strain, renunciation, change in belief, etc.

5. Cosmic Consciousness: integration of Transcendental Consciousness with waking, dreaming, and sleeping states of consciousness. In this state the physiology is so stable and flexible that stress cannot accumulate. One experiences an underlying continuum of unbounded awareness. In this state the total potential of Natural Law is fully awake in ones awareness and one’s thoughts speech and actions are supported by the evolutionary intelligence of Nature. On this basis, one does not make mistakes but brings maximum nourishment to oneself, society and environment. Cosmic Consciousness, Maharishi has emphasized, is the normal state of human life that can be developed through proper education.

6. God Consciousness or Refined Cosmic Consciousness: When Cosmic Consciousness has been established, in this stress-free state of physiological functioning perception refines to support the richest experience of the finest level of Nature. God Consciousness is not “God’s Consciousness” but the direct experience of the full range of God’s creation. On this basis one naturally rises to the realization of God and all things in the light of God in the context of one’s own spiritual traditions.

7. Unity Consciousness: in this supreme state of human experience, one perceives everything in terms of oneness the Self. In Cosmic Consciousness one lives in harmony with Natural Law, gaining support of Nature’s cosmic creativity.In Unity Consciousness, one experiences everything as a mode of functioning of one’s own intelligence and gains command over all the Laws of Nature.

The fully developed state of Unity Consciousness is Brahman Consciousness—Totality of life. Aham Brahmasmi, the Vedic Literature says, “I am totality.”

Maharishi Vedic Science includes descriptions of the quality of physiology, perception, and behavior of individuals living higher states of consciousness.

For example, such individuals display the highest levels of creativity, intelligence, and organizing power. Their speech and actions are spontaneously most nourishing and evolutionary for others and for the environment. On the platform of inner fulfillment and enlightenment, their desires are always for the good of all humanity, and are achieved most effortlessly. They radiate an influence of vitality and harmony to the whole society, and are a source of joy and wisdom to all who know them.

Maharishi’s Science of Consciousness describes in detail the quality of human awareness that spontaneously gives rise to such behavior. In higher states of consciousness, when the full potential of the brain is being utilized, the fundamental field of Nature’s intelligence — Transcendental Consciousness, the Unified Field of Natural Law — is fully enlivened in the individual’s consciousness.

Maharishi describes this field of consciousness as containing all the Laws of Nature in their most concentrated, abstract form, just as a seed contains the whole tree. The fundamental dynamics of this field are the Veda and Vedic Literature, whose reverberations give rise to all the Laws of Nature governing the orderly evolution of the universe.

When this total creative process of Nature is enlivened in awareness, the individual spontaneously makes use of it, commanding the whole field of action, able to know anything, do anything right, and achieve any great goal — and always supported by the total intelligence of Natural Law.

Extensive research has shown that each state of consciousness has its own distinct physiological correlates.

Transcendental Consciousness, for example, is marked by heightened mental wakefulness along with deep physical rest.

Features of heighten wakefulness are increased alpha activity; increased coherence in brain functioning, mobilization of the brain’s latent reserves, increases in the brain’s processing speed, increased flow of blood to the brain.

Features of deep physical rest are: reduced breath rate, reduced heart rate, increased stability of the autonomic nervous system, reduced metabolism in muscles and red blood cells, decreased cortisol and lactate in the blood, increased serotonin.

Recent research has further discovered that the fundamental structures of Natural Law expressed in the Vedic Literature are contained in human physiology. This discovery reveals that the physiology of everyone is the expression of the total intelligence of Natural Law — that the individual is cosmic. Functioning with cosmic intelligence becomes a living reality when the total potential of the brain is actualized.

The Global Country of World Peace offers every person the opportunity to experience peace in life through the systematic development of higher states of consciousness that allow individual intelligence to reflect the cosmic intelligence of nature. Every individual has the potential to be fully in accord with Nature’s perfect administration for a mistake-free life. Such enlightened individuals radiate spontaneously peace to their surroundings and create a nourishing atmosphere of harmony for all.

Maharishi on Transcendental Consciousness

"The Transcendental Meditation technique is an effortless procedure for allowing the excitations of the mind gradually to settle down until the least excited state of mind is reached.

"This is a state of inner wakefulness with no object of thought or perception, just pure consciousness aware of its own unbounded nature. It is wholeness, aware of itself, devoid of differences, beyond the division of subject and object - transcendental consciousness.

"It is a field of all possibilities, where all creative potentialities exist together, infinitely correlated but as yet unexpressed. It is a state of perfect order, the matrix from which all the laws of nature emerge, the source of creative intelligence."—Maharishi

Maharishi on Cosmic Consciousness

"The small individual mind grows to the status of cosmic mind.”

"The reward of bringing the mind to this state is that the small individual mind grows to the status of the cosmic mind, rising above all its individual shortcomings and limitations. It is like a small business man becoming wealthy and reaching the status of a multimillionaire. The losses and gains of the market, which before used to influence him, now have no effect upon him and he rises quite naturally above their influence.—Maharishi

"Cosmic Consciousness should not be considered as something far beyond the reach of normal man. The state of cosmic consciousness should be the state of normal human consciousness. Any state below cosmic consciousness can only be taken to be subnormal human consciousness. The human mind should be a cosmically conscious mind."—Maharishi

“This is the glory of the nature of the Self. Having come back home, the traveler finds peace. The intensity of happiness is beyond the superlative. The bliss of this state eliminates the possibility of any sorrow, great or small. Into the bright light of the sun no darkness can penetrate; no sorrow can enter bliss consciousness, nor can bliss consciousness know any gain greater than itself. This state of self-sufficiency leaves one steadfast in oneself, fulfilled in eternal contentment.”—Maharishi

Maharishi on God Consciousness

“When the fifth state of consciousness has been established, when the unbounded awareness is established on the level of the conscious mind, then the perception naturally starts to go deeper. The perception becomes refined, and refined, and refined. A distinct different value of perception will be that which is capable of spontaneously perceiving the finest relative on the surface of the gross relative ….

"The unbounded awareness is a constant feature of our conscious mind, and when the perception is most refined, capable of cognition of the finest relative value everywhere, then it's a different characteristic, and that has a different name—sixth state of consciousness.”
—Maharishi

"Philosophers call this a mystical experience, but it is no more mysterious than is the working of a clock for a child. On one level of consciousness it is normal, on another it is mysterious, and again on another it is impossible.

"The intensity of God-realization in its personal and its impersonal aspects depends upon the level of Being, or the purity of consciousness.

"It is not possible to conceive of God-Consciousness through any state of consciousness that is not God-Consciousness itself; but it is possible for everyone, at any level of human consciousness, to rise to the realization of God-Consciousness through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, which is a simple and direct way of developing pure consciousness."
—Maharishi

Maharishi on Unity Consciousness

"The seventh state of consciousness we may very well call the unified state of consciousness—where the ultimate value of the object, the infinite, unmanifest, ultimate value of the object breathes life, or becomes lively.

"When the conscious mind, being lively and vibrant in the unbounded value of awareness, falls onto it, the object is cognized in terms of the pure subjective value of unbounded, unmanifest awareness. This cognition, rising to the infmite value, gives a status of the seventh state of consciousness ....

"The knowledge has bridged the gulf between the knower and the object of knowing. The object is being verified in its total reality when the infinite value of the object, which hitherto was underlying, has come up to be appreciated on the surface. Then the perception is of supreme value."
—Maharishi