Maharishi Mahesh Yogi answers: What do you meditate about?

http://www.mum.edu Maharishi answers the question: "In Transcendental Meditation, what do you meditate about?"
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, speaking to the Harvard Law School Forum (1970).

Maharishi University of Management (MUM) offers undergraduate and graduate degree programs in the arts, sciences, business, and humanities. The University is accredited through the doctoral level by the Higher Learning Commission.

Founded in 1971 by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, the University features Consciousness-Based education to develop students' inner potential. All students and faculty practice the Transcendental Meditation technique, which extensive published research has found boosts learning ability, improves brain functioning, and reduces stress.

Maharishi University uses the block system in which each student takes one course at a time. Students report they learn more without the stress of taking 4-5 courses at once.

The University has a strong focus on sustainability and natural health, and serves organic vegetarian meals. The B.S. in Sustainable Living is MUM's most popular undergraduate major.

Maharishi University of Management http://www.mum.edu
Consciousness-Based education http://www.mum.edu/cbe/
Transcendental Meditation http://www.mum.edu/tm.html
Research http://www.mum.edu/tm_research/welcome.html
Block system http://www.mum.edu/cbe/block.html
Sustainability http://www.mum.edu/sustainability.html
Natural health http://www.mum.edu/cbe/natural_health.html
Organic veg meals http://www.mum.edu/campus/dining.html
BS Sustainable Living http://www.mum.edu/sustainable_living/

Category:

Howto & Style

Tags:

• maharishi
• mahesh
• yogi
• transcendental
• meditation
• tm
• harvard
• university
• contemplation
• concentration
• college
• education
• students
• learning

[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.

[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.

[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. :)

[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.

[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.