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What is Transcending
When we practise Transcendental Meditation we experience a state where the mind is completely silent yet wide awake.
Transcend means go beyond. When the mind has gone beyond all activity, this is an experience of the inner Self, which is perfect peace, Transcendental Consciousness.
Experience the inner self
"It is possible for everyone to go deep within and saturate their mind with inner happiness, with that unlimited pure intelligence that dwells at the source of thought."
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi
A state of pure consciousness
To use an analogy, the mind is like the ocean - constantly in motion on the surface, but silent and immensely powerful at its depths. Transcendental Meditation involves settling without any effort to the silent depths of the ocean – becoming recharged by that unbounded state of pure consciousness. As the mind quietens down, your breathing becomes very soft and your muscles deeply relaxed. The mind settles inward, beyond thought, to the most silent, peaceful level of consciousness – your innermost self.
Transcendental Meditation compared to other techniques
The ability to transcend makes Transcendental Meditation fundamentally different from all other meditation techniques.
Other techniques involve either concentration (by controlling the mind or attention) or contemplation (an active thought process of some kind). As a result, other types of meditation keep the mind active which impedes the transcending process. more
An effortless technique
Personal experience on day of learning TM:
"Without knowing what to expect, I began to drift down into deeper and deeper levels of relaxation, as if I were sinking into my chair. Then for some time, perhaps a minute or a few minutes, I experienced a silent, inner state of no thoughts, just pure awareness and nothing else; then again I became aware of my surroundings. It left me with a deep sense of ease, inner renewal and happiness."