Maharishi Mahesh Yogi answers: What do you meditate about?

[Rubyslipperish]

I've been able to transcend since I was about 7 yrs. old. I would have to say for me that it is not a state of thought but the absence of thought for me. As soon as thought pops in, it's done. To me it feels like total awareness or absence of even the question. It's all knowing and so peaceful as in you don't want to be anywhere else.

[MCorangutan]

what is the point of trancendental meditation? I mean I can try and trancend my problems in life but they're always there. I can try and overcome pain and sorrow but it is still there. Can any of you "TM" people say that you seen and having found the ending of sorrow?

[MaharishiUniversity]

@MCorangutan With TM you're not trying to transcend your problems. TM is a specific technique that lets your mind transcend thought so it can be completely silent, during meditation. Afterwards, you feel more calm and less stressed, so you can be more creative and see the bigger picture. This helps you deal with whatever is happening in your life. There are still challenges and if something bad happens you still feel it, but it doesn't overwhelm you so much.

[roguenoobkiller]

@MCorangutan you might find,through meditation that the things that are problems dont matter so much.and finding the feeling of bliss through being can dwarf the feelings of sorrow or sadness that you may find in worldly problems

[chess747]

I love indian deep thoughts and structure of words they string together from a deep level of universal thinking and knowledge.

[h1nY]

jgd

[KalleVarta]

I think the guy asking the question has a difficult time because of his philosophical basis in western conceptuality of subject - object, that is, intentionality. The scientific doctrine is a doctrine of knowledge of objects. (This can be read in Fichte, Husserl, Heidegger etc). He asks what being there is that one has as an object of a knowledge process in meditation, and i must say that I where surprised with the yogis philosophical insight of where this man goes wrong. The question is wrong.

[StuKnole]

When the mind (experiencer) experiences thought (object of experience) at finer and finer levels, then the experiencer also becomes finer (settling of the mind) by the finer process of experiencing - three aspects of experience brought out later by Maharishi . TM is the three going to their unified status: from distinctions of diversity to unity, then, from unity to diversity - within the field of consciousness. Commonality of the three is the field of consciousness: three-in-one structure.

[StuKnole]

The basis of the fabled "magic flying carpet" might be the precious value of stepping on to the natural process of transcending. The description of transcending but without the experiential knowledge of transcending, could over time become associated only with what is known: literal magic flying carpet. Hundreds of published scientific experiments validate that the experience of transcending is real. The genuine, validated technique is Transcendental Meditation, and, is available to be learned.

[StuKnole]

The precious value of the technique of stepping on to one's natural tendency to transcend might, at one time, have been described as that of having a magic flying carpet. Over time, with the loss of experiential knowledge, the meaning became associated only with what was known. Validated as real in hundreds of published scientific experiments, the experience of transcending can be had systematically by anyone. The genuine technique is Transcendental Meditation, and, is available to be learned.

[zappahart]

meditation helped me thru some bad stuff in my life!!!!

[frtaljbukvara]

What is between the two thoughts?Nothing!Stretch that to a longer period of time and that is a meditation!

[cerebral200]

What does finer state of thought mean? Talk is too vague for me. 

[MaharishiUniversity]

@cerebral200 Finer state of thought means the mind is more settled. For example, sometimes we think a thought sort of "loudly" – it's very clear, like a big wave on a pond. Other times, we just catch a quiet glimpse of a thought – more like a little ripple. That "quieter" thought is what Maharishi means by 'finer state of thought." TM is a technique that systematically lets the mind settle down so it functions at the finer levels.

[cerebral200]

@MaharishiUniversity ok. that's tough. I can't get my mind to stop thinking for 2 seconds.

[MaharishiUniversity]

@cerebral200 That's exactly why we need a teacher and a technique – you can't get your mind to settle down by telling it to or trying to do it. The more you try, the more active your mind gets. It's sort of like a lever: if you try to lift something really heavy you can't do it, but if someone shows you how to use a lever you ask yourself, "Why didn't I think of that?" The lever is a technique to help you do something you couldn't do by yourself. TM is a technique to let your mind settle down.

[mini071978]

Guruji allow me,......Transcendental Meditation experience is freedom of mind from all illusions...when i took diksha on TM i was young and experience a way of simplifying or solving of knots in mind...providing me rest and peace.....

[19justme51]

"Mind is the experiencer, and the thought is the object of experience."

So MMY equates mind with "experiencer"? That implies that the "I" IS the mind. How can that be?

[SurvivalistGuy101]

What are you, and how do you experience the world? YOU experience thoughts...WHO ARE YOU??? and What Exaciticly IS your Problem?

[theonlysaltspring]

"I" is the ego. Mind is infinite and never dies.

[sirius7xx]

@theonlysaltspring if you look at what Osho says mind and body are same the finite your mind dies when your body dies too . whats infinite is mindlessness egolessness then real you there the soul . Meditation is for getting rid of the mind  and all thoughts inside and experience the ultimate mindlessness ,plus thoughtlessness .

[13314u]

On one level "I" is everything - the mind, intellect, body and senses etc.

On another level the "I" is more abstract and subtle. We must transcend the mind to experience the Self or the "I". The goal is to infuse Being into manifest life on a permanent basis.

This is enlightenment where bliss is unbounded and one ceases to make mistakes.

Maharishi is a genius!

[jonnyvautour]

this commonly used concept of "I" is useless other than for maintaining the ego. TM Is for moving beyond the label to allow room for greater awakening.

[HeshimaJameni]

I think, therefore I am!

[bhumimanusha]

my understanding is that when we get into deeper level of consciousness, there would no longer be a sense of "I", because the consciousness becomes universal and one with all that is.

[jea740]

The mind comes from the i but its just a vehical because if there was no mind he wouldnt be able to give concepts and communicate with others

[jonnyvautour]

"I" is a concept of the human ego, both of which are only a facet of mind.

[tedsmithsr]

this is simply incorrect; rethink what you're saying here; the "mind" is nothing other than an implied collection of thought.  mind is in consciousness; not the other way round.

[boxlessfellow]

I don't think that that's a correct implication to draw. it seems like you're using the idea of the experiencer to bring in the notion of 'I' since experiencer insinuates agency and from there saying that 'I' is the mind because MMY says that mind is the experiencer. I don't see how the 'I' arises in your logic, but regardless notice how many times I said 'I' in this very post. look how many times we use that word and are still curious as to what it exactly denotes--it's really an illusion

[mydakini]

thank you for sharing this!

[13314u]

Transcendental Meditation means going beyond all thoughts and getting to the source of thought - the field of all possibilities. It is so simple but incredibly profound! Thank you. :)

[GitanoRenegado]

@13314u how do you find that sorce while meditating?? do we make our minds blank?? and empty our minds? and just think of a white empty space and not let anything influence or interrupt our focus? un till we reach that level? is this the goal?

[MaharishiUniversity]

@GitanoRenegado  TM is a specific technique that lets the mind settle down completely to silence. It's completely different from the way we usually think. It's not trying to empty the mind or think of a white space or keep out thoughts. All those things are a form of thinking. With TM, the mind becomes less and less active and naturally settles down to silence. That's why you need to learn it – it's not like any other mental activity.

[MaharishiUniversity]

@GitanoRenegado In TM, you're not thinking about a goal. You're letting the mind settle down completely.

The purpose of TM is to saturate the mind with that silence, peacefulness, clarity, so that after you meditate you've take that clarity and peace into whatever you're doing. You think more clearly and aren't so disturbed by all the things that happen during the day.

[superiormentality]

@MaharishiUniversity i think i understand. its like the mind is a wild animal and one lets its keep going until it calms down and goes back to a place of calm. let it empty out its rubbish and once this occurs you are able to put everything into perspective. by the way are there any mantras involved?

[zappahart]

@MaharishiUniversity turn off your mind relax and float down stream!!!ommmmm