Window to the Infinite Omnipresent
How can omnipresence be hidden from view if everything is made of it and it is everywhere?
To begin to understand this, we need to look at what physics has revealed. Physics teaches us that nature is structured in layers. At the source of the world’s layers of diversity there is an infinite field of potential. This infinite field manifests itself as the subatomic particles, atoms, and molecules, which make up the most concrete manifestations of our ever-expanding universe. This same field of pure infinite potentiality lies not just at the fundamental level of all matter but is also the source of all activity. It is locatable deep within the mind at the source of the activity of our own thinking process.
How do we go beyond intellectual understanding and intuition to experience and incorporate this infinite field with all its potential into our daily lives? Infinity is found as consciousness deep within the mind. It is the absolute foundation and nature of the mind—always there as the source of our mental activity. By virtue of infinite consciousness, we are able to be conscious of anything. The reason we don’t ordinarily have the experience of it is because of the mind’s tendency to get involved in those experiences which we are conscious of—and thus consciousness itself is hidden. It is transcendental—beyond our usual perception.
What allows us to transcend the boundaries of perception—our sensory perception, emotions, and thoughts—is a simple, natural technology of consciousness itself. Transcendental Meditation is a finite tool that locates the infinite.
During practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique, the mind settles effortlessly from the concrete, active layer of the mind to quieter, more subtle layers of mental activity until all activity is transcended and the mind rests within its own silent infinite nature.
Laozi, who is said to have lived from 571-531BC, was the revered founder of Taoism. Experiencing the Tao, he observed, involves transcending the superficial activity of thought and perception:
“A mind free of thought,
merged within itself,
Beholds the essence of the Tao
A mind filled with thought,
identified with its own perceptions,
beholds the mere forms of this world.”
The field of infinity is experienced beyond all boundaries of perception. Experiencing the Tao, Laozi observes in this verse, is the basis of eternity and universal love:
“Be still
Stillness reveals the secrets of eternity
Eternity embraces the all-possible
The all-possible leads to a vision of oneness
A vision of oneness brings about universal love
Universal love supports the great truth of Nature
The great truth of Nature is Tao
Whoever knows this truth lives forever
The body may perish, deeds may be forgotten
But he who has Tao has all eternity”
In transcendental consciousness, we experience the “stillness” that is the source and goal of everything. This “reveals the secrets of eternity.” Grounded in this experience, one attains a “vision of oneness,” leads a life of “universal love,” and achieves immortality in infinite awareness. To this transcendental field of life Laozi gives the name Tao, usually translated as the Way, or the Path. The term is often understood to mean “nature.” Clearly it refers the deepest level of nature, because, as Laozi says, when you gain the Tao, you gain “all eternity.”:
So what we see is that the practice of the Transcendental Meditation technique is a window through which we can perceive omnipresent infinity within ourselves and the world.
About the Author
Lesley Goldman is the retired director of a non-profit educational organization.
