A Selection of Principles and Analogies, Science and Technology of Consciousness, Fall 2012 (Key readings and video recordings)

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1 A Selection of Principles and Analogies, Science and Technology of Consciousness, Fall 2012 (Key readings and video recordings) Use this document as a guide for your final project or essay, to help you bring out the deeper aspects of at least a few STC topics, such as: The essential nature of pure Being The mechanics of transcending The complementary roles of intellectual understanding and direct experience Qualities and properties of the unified field of all the laws of nature The 3-in-1 reality of knower/knowing/known The role of desire in human evolution The sequential development of higher states of consciousness Yogic Flying and the Maharishi Effect Veda, the constitution of the universe PRINCIPLES The Science of Being Existence, or Being, is the unmanifest basis of manifest reality. The non-changing state of Being the Absolute is the basis of the changing phases of life the relative. All forms and phenomena have their basis in omnipresent Being. The essential nature of Being is bliss consciousness. Physics describes creation as built up of layers, from the innermost subtle levels to the outer levels of matters. Beneath the subtlest layer is the abstract, unmanifest field of pure Being. Creation is the field of consciousness in different forms; as bliss consciousness radiates out, the degree of bliss diminishes. Activity depends on thinking; the basis of thinking is Being. Cosmic means all-inclusive, of the entire universe. The cycle of creation, maintenance, evolution, and dissolution is found everywhere. Change takes place on the basis of the non-changing, ultimate constituent of creation. TM allows the mind to experience subtle states of an impulse of thought until it reaches the source of thought, the source of creative intelligence. As the natural tendency of the mind is to go to fields of greater happiness, the mind is naturally drawn to experience of bliss consciousness. Every word and thought influences the thinker and the surroundings. Infusion of Being into the nature of the mind is facilitated by transcending alternated with easy, natural activity. Being is like the silent depths of the ocean; the surface ripples and waves are the different aspects of manifest life. Without knowledge of bliss consciousness, life is like a building without a foundation, a ship without a rudder, a dry leaf at the mercy of the wind, without roots to anchor it. A beam radiating from a light bulb diminishes in intensity as it proceeds further from its source. Taking care of Being is like taking care of the sap to nourish the whole tree. Hydrogen and oxygen, the essential constituents of water, remain the same whether water is gas, liquid, or solid. A thought, like a bubble rising in the ocean of the mind, becomes bigger as it approaches the surface. The intensity of a light increases as we come nearer to its source. A stone thrown into a pond creates waves that spread throughout the pond. A cloth is dyed by dipping it in color then taking it 1

2 Energy, efficiency, clarity of mind, and better health develop through TM. Being is lived on the basis of direct experience, even if it cannot be described precisely in words. out and allowing the color to fade. When the root is watered, every part of the whole tree becomes healthier and more vital. A food can be tasted perfectly well, but the taste may be difficult to describe in words. The Science of Creative Intelligence (SCI) Knowledge and Experience Reading from original MIU Catolog: Knowledge is structured in consciousness. SCI provides a basis for interdisciplinary study and unifies other fields of knowledge. SCI s theoretical aspect gives intellectual understanding of order in nature and of the creativity that underlies growth and change. SCI s practical aspect, Transcendental Meditation, allows the mind to experience pure creative intelligence. Experience of pure creative intelligence corresponds with the physiological state of restful alertness. The pure field of creative intelligence is the source and goal of all change. Principles guiding the experience of TM can be located in other fields of study. Qualities of creative intelligence grow through development of the seven states of consciousness defined by SCI. Analogies of Principles Guiding the Experience of TM: Diving: a diver takes the correct angle, then lets go Gravity: The diver effortlessly heads toward the lake, pulled by gravity Increasing charm: A child runs toward mother; the closer he gets, the faster he goes Comfortable ride: bicycle, car, jet the fastest ride has the greatest comfort Intelligence through rest Qualities of Creative Intelligence expansive innovative inclusive of opposite values integrative discriminative self-perpetuating self-perfecting progressive self-sufficient invincible holistic 2

3 16 SCI principles of the Science of Creative Intelligence (MSAE) The principles of SCI are the laws of nature that uphold growth and progress of everyone and everything. They are everywhere, guiding the progress and evolution of the ant and the elephant, the cell and the planets. These 16 principles are a subset of innumerable principles of SCI, selected for Consciousness-Based education at Maharishi School of the Age of Enlightenment. PRINCIPLES The nature of life is to grow Order is present everywhere Life is found in layers Outer depends on inner Seek the highest first Rest & activity are the steps of progress Enjoy greater efficiency and accomplish more (or: Do less and accomplish more) Every action has a reaction When we look around, we see everything growing and evolving plants, animals, people, societies, ecosystems An apple tree only produces apples, not mangoes The laws of nature that give rise to the universe are unchanging and consistent throughout time and space The hollowness of a banyan seed is the unmanifest basis for the expression of the entire tree Water the root to enjoy the fruit When mother is at home, the child feels safe and plays with greater creativity and freedom A tall building rquires a deep foundation Capture the fort to command the whole territory Befriend the president to gain greater influence Pull the arrow back on the bow to shoot it forward When we walk, one foot stays stationary while the other moves ahead A state-of-the-art computer is cappabel of calculations far exceeding earlier models Nature operates according to the law of least action A stone tossed into a pond creates ripples that affect the whole pond One happy person can influence others to be happier 3

4 PRINCIPLES (continued) Purification leads to progress The field of all possibilities is the source of all solutions Thought leads to action, action leads to achievement, and achievement leads to fulfillment Knowledge is gained from inside and outside Knowledge is structured in consciousness Harmony exists in diversity The whole is contained in every part The whole is more than the sum of its parts A snow plough clears its own path as it moves forward A glass of muddy water gives a muddy reflection of the sun; removing the mud improves the reflection Purify the blood to remove a boil and prevent future boils Access to the treasury or bank gives us maximum effectiveness in the market When we have the thought that we would like an apple, we get up and get it, then we eat it and enjoy the fulfillment We gain kowledge of a strawberry by learning about it, but also by tasting it and experiencing it for ourselves Different-colored glasses change our experience of the world If we have a diamond but don t know its worth, we may feel its weight and discard it A string perceived as a snake creates distress; when the truth dawns, the fear disappears When we are tired and dull, our experience is limited; when rested and fresh, we have greater intelligence and enjoyment An orchestra unifies many different notes, rhythms, and instruments into a harmonious symphony The same colorless sap upholds the root, stem, leaves, thorns, and petals of a rose The seed contains the whole tree The DNA in each cell contains the genetic information of the entire body A house is more than a collection of bricks 4

5 PRINCIPLES Video: Experience, the Practical Basis of SCI (SCI Lesson 1) The natural tendency of life is to evolve and progress to more and more. The quest of SCI is: How can we live in abundance and fulfillment? Satisfaction comes from fulfillment of desires; every step of fulfillment raises the standard of desiring towards the ultimate goal. The basis of failures, disappointments, and suffering is inability of the mind to accomplish its aspirations, due to lack of full use of creative intelligence. The infinite reservoir of creative intelligence at the source of thought can be open to experience. Rest and activity are the basis of progress; action rests on rest. Experience is the practical basis of knowledge. Transcendental Consciousness - Video: Transcending, the Nature of the Experience Transcendental Consciousness is an abstract experience, unlike experience through the senses; it is natural to think maybe, maybe not; probably I have experienced it Clear and unclear has different meanings for different people. Even a glimpse is rewarding. With growth of experience, the abstraction of TC becomes more concrete. Cosmic Consciousness Reading: Bhagavad-Gita, Ch. 4, v. 38 Balanced alternation of meditation and activity results in pure consciousness being infused into the active mind. Each state of consciousness has a corresponding state of the nervous system. Through gradual and systematic culture of the nervous system, the state of physiology corresponding to TC comes to co-exist with the physiology of waking, dreaming, and sleep states Video: SCI and Seven States of Consciousness (SCI Lesson 23) Waking, dreaming, and sleeping are the three relative states. 4th state: Transcendental Consciousness (TC) restful alertness. Pure, unbounded awareness. Use full potential of wealth by going to the treasury first, then the market; know the bank so wealth can be used. We walk through steps of rest and activity. We gain knowledge of a strawberry by tasting it. experience of TC is like putting on the best glasses sharpness of vision increases, but we don t see the glasses. A cloth is dipped in dye then put in sunlight to fade the color; when this process is repeated many times, the cloth becomes colorfast. One can experience the rose without losing inner unboundedness. 5

6 PRINCIPLES continued: Video: SCI and Seven States of Consciousness (SCI Lesson 23) 5th state: Cosmic Consciousness (CC) established when TC co-exists permanently and spontaneously with the three relative states: the inner unbounded Self co-exists with the boundaries of non-self (a dual state). Pure bliss 24 hours a day. Witnessing. In CC, we see only the surface value of the object; then perception guided by the heart penetrates more deeply into the finer values as we grow toward the next state: 6th state: Refined Cosmic Consciousness, Glorified Cosmic Consciousness, or God Consciousness (GC) established when the finest relative value of the object is open to perception. 7th state: Unity Consciousness (UC) established when the unmanifest value of the object is realized; everything perceived in terms of the Self. In Unity, knower and object of knowledge are unified, infinite; knowledge is complete, supreme. The Absolute is at much at the surface as the depth of things Unity dominates thinking and behavior; diversity becomes secondary. That which was previously transcendental becomes dominant. Selected readings compiled by Craig Pearson In all cultures throughout human history, there are writings by great men and women who have described clear experiences of the three higher states of consciousness CC, GC, and UC. Other key points on the practice of TM Concentration and control are opposed to evolution. A normally functioning nervous system spontaneously maintains TC. Yoga means union. The eight limbs (ashtanga) of Yoga have been misinterpreted as eight steps. The eight limbs corresponding to environment, behavior, body, breath, senses, mind, intellect, Self are unified by experience of Transcendental Consciousness (Samadhi). Why does the Absolute manifest? There is no fun in loneliness. A wide angle lense comprehends a greater horizon, not only horizontally but vertically. Knowledge is different in different states of consciousness. The colorless sap is at the surface of the petal as well as at the tip of the root. Petal remains petal, leaf remains leaf but the colorless sap zooms forth in awareness. The river of life is flowing trying to tie up the boat of the mind is opposed to this flow. The eight limbs of Yoga grow simultaneously, like the limbs of the body; not eight steps. TM gives eight steps in one lift direct experience of TC. Praising the bank without drawing from its wealth doesn t reach the goal. 6

7 PRINCIPLES Nature of Desire Video: Desire and Evolution. The cycle of desire action achievement is the process of evolution. TM is the skill of resting and skill of living. Support of nature is the most important factor in fulfillment of desires. Success demands right thought, and action in accord with evolution. The nature of the mind is to go to fields of greater happiness. All activity aims at reaching the goal of unboundedness. Accomplish more with less effort Reading: Bhagavad-Gita, 2, 50 and 2, 70 Bondage means being bound by the cycle of action impression desire, and is born of the weakness of the actor (the mind). Action creates a strong impression on a weak mind. Action cannot make a strong impression on a mind established in bliss consciousness (CC) this is the established intellect. It is not possible for a living man to be without desires. The state of Being is the natural state of detachment, or non-attachment; cultivating an attitude of detachment is unnatural and damaging to life. Physics and Unified Field Theory As you sow, so shall you reap : a huge, automatic computer computes the effects of our actions. Befriend the general manager who can organize anything for us in his factory. Support of nature is like a father who buys the son a coat even before the old coat is torn. Story of young man in Germany starting to laugh at work after learning TM but more efficient. Being, like an ocean, accepts any stream of desire and satisfies it, yet the status of the ocean remains unaffected Mathematics proves that at the level of the quantum fields, no object can be precisely located in time and space. Any item (table, person, electron...) is only mostly in the specific location that we can see and measure with a ruler, but is also a little bit locatd everywhere else in the universe. Thus, modern science has glimpsed the ancient, Vedic wisdom that unity is the ultimate reality of life. 7

8 PRINCIPLES Principles of Maharishi Vedic Science based on Inauguration of MVU reading and video Knowledge is the relationship of knower (Rishi), process of knowing (Devata), and known (Chhandas). When we experience pure consciousness, consciousness is aware of itself alone this is self-referral consciousness. The 3-in-1 structure of knowledge is Samhita (togetherness) of Rishi, Devata, and Chhandas. The interactions between three and one create infinite dynamism. (Also explained as pure awareness knowing itself as infinity and point converging/expanding with infinite dynamism.) Infinite dynamism means infinite vibrations the sounds of Veda and the Vedic Literature.Veda is a clear script of the self-interacting dynamics of consciousness, the whisper or hum of the unified field to itself. These interactions of consciousness transform sequentially into matter. Consciousness expresses itself at different stages, becoming matter; impurity arises if connection with the Self is lost. Ayur-Veda deals with this impurity. Life is most successful when mind and body are connected to the Self. String theory describes the unified field and the mass of particles in terms of vibrations, likened to the vibrations of a violin string producing more or less excited states of sound. DNA transforms itself into proteins through RNA. A plane is connected to ground through the radio; a kite to boy through the string. Video: The Whole Vedic Literature is the Sequentially Emerging Totality of the Self Atma the Self contains infinite silence and infinite dynamism. The total creativity of nature is in the sequence of sounds and gaps of the Veda. The sounds of the alphabet are the reverberations of the Self (swa Self; ra reverberation). The first vowel is A, the sound of unified wholeness, the flow of silence. Each word (sound) of Veda dives into the unmanifest gap, and the next word emerges. The sequentially developing flow of Vedic texts comes from infinite silence in the gap. Our awareness opens to unmanifest, infinite creativity in the gap. 8

9 A few of Maharishi s Vedic Technologies of Consciousness Maharishi Ayurveda: Ayu life. Veda knowledge: knowledge of life, of health, Swastha. swa Self; stha established. Self-pulse assessment, Nadi Vigyan, is a technique of reading the pulse to assess the levels of balance in the process which transforms consciousness into physiology. In the pulse we feel the three doshas, Vata/Pitta/Kapha. They are an expression of the self-referral dynamics of consciousness: Vata movement corresponds to Rishi; Pitta metabolism corresponds to Devata; Kapha structure corresponds to Chhandas. Maharishi Sthapatya Veda: Vedic architecture; knowledge of building in accord with natural law. Stha established. Maharishi Gandharva Veda: Musical note Swara: swa Self; ra reverberation. So, musical notes are reverberations of the Self. Music is known to have a powerful effect on the physiology. Physics states that matter is made of vibrations. The Vedic Literature states that matter is made of the self-referral vibrations of consciousness. The laws of nature vibrate the universe into existence. The purpose of Vedic music is to make audible the vibrations of nature, and create balance in the physiology and environment through resonance with natural law. Gandharva Veda is called the eternal rhythms and melodies of nature. Vedic Recitation: Reading of the Vedic Literature. Veda is pure knowledge, and the purpose of Vedic recitation is to enliven natural law. This means that the sounds of Veda ARE the laws of nature themselves. Therefore, at MUM, reading the Vedic literature or listening to Vedic recitation is primarily for the value of sound itself. Intellectual analysis of the meaning of the texts is secondary. Reading: Maharishi on Modern Science and Vedic Science Vedic Science is the science of Veda pure knowledge and infinite organizing power. Modern science gives knowledge of that which is perceived, the object: Vedic Science incorporates knowledge of the knower and process of knowing. Vedic Science gives knowledge of the subjectivity at the basis of objectivity. Knowledge of the unified field discovered recently by modern physics has always been available in the Veda and Vedic Literature. TM-Sidhi program, Maharishi Effect The TM-Sidhi program trains the mind to think and act from the unified field, so thought is supported by total natural law. Individual consciousness is the unit of collective consciousness; government is the mirror of collective consciousness. Super radiance: the power of individual coherence is squared with group practice of Yogic Flying. Group practice by the square root of 1% of a population enlivens constructive tendencies; destructive tendencies become latent. 9

10 Forty branches of Veda and Vedic Literature Maharishi identifies a specific quality of intelligence for each of the 40 branches of Veda and Vedic Literature and has organized this literature into an integrated structure. Each branch of the Vedic Literature corresponds to Rishi, Devata, or Chhandas. The structure and function of Veda and Vedic Literature is precisely related to the structure and function of the human physiology the 40 qualities of intelligence are expressed in the corresponding area of the body. Unified Field Charts Unified field charts relate parts of knowledge to the wholeness of knowledge, and the wholeness of knowledge to our own inner Self. This process structures holistic thinking in the awareness, and fosters evolution to higher states of consciousness. Vertically, the discipline is always organized from subtlest to most concrete. Horizontally, most disciplines are organized by Knower, Process of Knowing, and Known (exceptions: physics ad physiology). The TM cone emerges from the unified field, showing transcendental consciousness as the source of thought. The unified field of all the laws of nature is shown at the bottom of the chart, as the basis of both objective understanding and subjective experience. Maharishi Vedic Science has many other names for the unified field, such as: The Unified Field of Natural Law The Absolute Pure Being The Self Unbounded Awareness Pure Bliss-Consciousness Self-Referral Consciousness Transcendental Consciousness The Simplest Form of Awareness The Gap The Source of Thought The Home of All Knowledge The Constitution of the Universe The Unmanifest Blueprint of Creation The Field of Infinite Harmony Total Knowledge Veda Wholeness on the Move The Field of All Possibilities and Source of All Solutions The Infinite Reservoir of Creative Intelligence The Field of Coexistence of Opposites The Togetherness of Infinity and Point The Coexistence of Pure Silence and Infinite Dynamism The Integration of Purusha and Prakriti The Togetherness of Knower/Knowing/Known The Samhita of Rishi/Devata/Chhandas One Unbounded Ocean of Consciousness in Motion 10