FOR SALES' SAKE MEDITATE!

Thoughts are said to have energy because they flow. And thoughts have intelligence because they choose a direction. Every thought impulse, therefore, is an expression of energy and intelligence. Hence, the source of thought must be an infinite reservoir of energy and intelligence. Every human being is connected to this source to one extent or another. Psychologists tell us that we use only a fraction of our mental potential, which gives us a clue just how poorly most people draw on their inner resources.

The Transcendental Meditation technique enables you to make daily contact with this omnipotent and omniscient reservoir of energy and intelligence - the inner aspect of your own nature - in a systematic way. Self-discipline is not required to do the Transcendental Meditation technique. It is enjoyable and you will look forward to doing it. It takes only a few minutes morning and evening. It is not something that you need to do for a few months with the hope of noticing some results. The benefits begin from the first day one begins Transcendental Meditation, and the growing benefits derived from each succeeding meditation are self-reinforcing.

How does one contact that level of life deep within one's self and make use of one's inner abundant resource? The answer is very simple. If there is a difficulty in understanding the answer it lies in the simplicity of the answer. Our own experience tells us that our mind wanders. But why does the mind wander? And is this wandering random? One statement will answer both questions - the natural tendency of the mind is to seek greater charm. The mind leaves one thing because it is no longer charming to the mind. The mind, although appearing to drift aimlessly, is seeking something more charming. We know from prior discussion that that level of life deep within us contains the full potentiality of life. If it contains the full potentiality of life it must contain maximum charm. And if it contains maximum charm the mind will naturally want to connect with it because that is the tendency of the mind; to go to a field of greater charm. All the mind needs is a means whereby it can transcend to that level of maximum charm.

To better understand the Transcendental Meditation technique we can consider thoughts as coming from the source of thought in the same way as tiny bubbles of air would come up from the bottom of a pond. As the bubbles of air come up to the surface they become bigger and bigger, eventually popping up on the surface. Likewise, as thoughts emerge they become more and more concrete, less abstract, until they come to the surface level of the mind at which point we become aware of them as thoughts. The Transcendental Meditation technique enables one to go from the surface thinking level of the mind to experience thought in its prior stages of development, i.e., to experience increasingly finer levels of a thought, and then to transcend the finest level of the thought to arrive at the source of thought, being - imbibe the nature of being into one's awareness, and with that awareness as a basis, perform action.

To facilitate this inward vertical stroke of the mind it is necessary to have two elements: a vehicle for the mind to use in order for it to transcend, and a technique for using the vehicle. The vehicle that is used is a particular thought. A thought has two aspects to it; it has meaning and it has a sound quality. Take, for example, the Spanish word bueno. Assuming you do not know Spanish this word will have no meaning to you, but it does have a sound. And the thought of that word is the subtle aspect of its sound. The thought that is used in the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique is chosen based on its "sound" suitability, i.e., its resonating quality with an individual's nervous system. There is no associated meaning to the sounds used in the Transcendental Meditation technique. Were there an associated meaning the mind would dwell on that level of meaning, thereby remaining on the surface horizontal thinking level caught up in some mood or daydream. This would be contemplation, not transcending.

Due to the resonating quality of the vehicle used in the Transcendental Meditation practice, the experience of the vehicle, i.e., suitable thought, at increasingly finer levels is accompanied by increasing charm. If you recall, the natural tendency of the mind is to seek increasing charm. Hence, the inward march of the mind occurs in a natural, easy, spontaneous manner. We create a condition which enables the mind to transcend, and then we allow the natural tendency of the mind to take the mind to its source. For example, if we want to go to sleep we create a condition suitable for sleep to come. We turn off the lights, lie down comfortably, close the eyes, and sleep naturally comes. To do the TM technique we sit comfortably in a chair, close the eyes, mentally use the sound as instructed, and naturally slip into the transcendental state of the unified field of pure consciousness, thereby making direct contact with that infinite reservoir of energy and intelligence - that unmanifested field of pure potentiality - deep within us. We do not lie down to do the Transcendental Meditation technique because, from habit, we may fall asleep in that position.