Spiritual Growth and Enlightenment
Whether one is searching for inner beatitude or simply wishes to move through each day with grace, the Transcendental Meditation technique naturally unfolds the wholeness of one’s innermost Self—a sacred place within —the spiritual essence of life. This experience of transcendence is said to be spiritual because this is a state of pure abstract consciousness.
The Neuroscience of Self Actualization
During the TM practice, the mind can effortlessly transcend or go beyond its active state, awakening to one’s self-referral consciousness without any object of perception. Neuroscience has helped demystify transcendence. Studies on brain functioning during the TM technique verify that this experience of heightened awareness has its own EEG pattern or brain wave signature: high amplitude alpha coherence. Correspondingly the physiology is increasingly balanced and stress free. With regular TM practice, this psychophysiological state begins to be expressed in growing qualities associated with spirituality, such as loving and kind behavior, without one consciously trying to be spiritual.
Mistaking the goal for the path
Unfortunately, the attributes of the state of Enlightenment have often been mistaken as the path to enlightenment, leaving well-intentioned seekers straining to create a mood of equanimity or mindfulness. Living a spiritual life also does not require forsaking worldly involvement or material comforts. As a universally effective technique of transcending, the TM technique makes enlightened awareness easily accessible to everyone to maintain an unshakable, peaceful state even in the midst of dynamic activity. Enlightenment is everyone’s birthright.
Journal of Humanistic Psychology 1976 The effect of the TM technique in reducing negative personality traits and increasing self-actualization was marked and cumulative.
Journal of Counseling Psychology 1973 Changes on several measures in the direction of self-actualization were shown to occur in subjects practicing the TM technique after just 10 weeks.
Journal of Counseling Psychology 1972 People practicing the TM technique after just 2 months showed increased self-actualization as compared to controls.