TURIYA

Human experience tends to encompass three main states of being—jagrata, the state of waking consciousness; svapna, the dream state; and susupti, the state of deepest sleep. Understanding them clearly, makes existence of a fourth state possible. Early Hindu philosophy told of another state of consciousness known as turiya, which underlies the common states of consciousness while also transcending them. This is also called as Transcendental Consciousness. In turiya, the self does not think, feel, or do, but rather observes thought, emotion, and action. In Hindu philosophy, it is a state of pure consciousness - the experience of ultimate reality or truth.

Transcendental consciousness is self-referral consciousness. Self-referral means referring to our Self, which is a state of pure silence at the source of thought. The source of thought is the home of all creativity and intelligence within us and all our thoughts arise from here. In the process of hypnosis, usually, the transcendental consciousness of the subject is stimulated and made to realize, wherein, the subject may stand as a third person and merely witness what had happened in the past rather than actually participating in the events, especially when the past is bitter.

Research confirms that Transcendental Consciousness is a fourth major state of consciousness, distinct from waking, dreaming, and deep sleep. Scientists can actually identify Transcendental Consciousness by monitoring changes in brainwave patterns, breath rate, and metabolic rate. It deals with the unique state of mind and body called "restful alertness". The three stages that are involved in achieving restful alertness are Concentration, Contemplation and Continuation.

More than 600 researches have been conducted in this regard and it has been proven that this state can be attained through Transcendental Meditation. It is a simple, natural, effortless procedure practiced 20 minutes twice each day while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. It is not a religion, philosophy, or lifestyle. It is the most widely practiced, most researched, and most effective method of self-development. More than six million people worldwide have learnt this simple, natural technique — people of all ages, cultures and religions.

Anxiety is a psychological measure of an individual’s level of inner peace. If Transcendental Consciousness is indeed a state of inner peace, regular experience of that state should reduce anxiety markedly. Studies indicate that, as compared to all other meditation and relaxation techniques tested to date, including the widely used technique of progressive muscle relaxation, Transcendental Consciousness reduces anxiety at least twice as effectively. Regular experience of this fourth state is said to lead to rapid and cumulative benefits for the individual—growth toward the highest states of consciousness. The power of peace creation depends upon the level of experience of Transcendental Consciousness.

During the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, the mind settles down to its most silent level. Since the mind and body are intimately connected, as the mind settles down the body also settles down to a deep state of rest. Transcendental consciousness bestows peace and makes our mind work better all day long. It enables us to easily direct our awareness to life improvement at our own will. It helps us sense the underlying beauty and purpose of life.

Though this technique originated in India, some thounsand years ago, there are a lot of institutions around the globe who charge thounsands of dollars to teach this technique. But I would say, it is not something to be learned; it is something to be practised. Even if we learn it methodically, I beleive, the teachers would add a "clause" in the last session of the course, that mastering the technique comes only through vigorous practice. So, why waste some bucks?