HOLOGRAPHIC MIND and the Tantra Magic of Live Mantra - Chapter 4 by Edmond Chouinard copyright 1995 registered 1995 by Edmond Chouinard Metaphysical Measurements Inc - to expand measurement techniques on mind-matter inter-relationships - - to build a physical model to unveil psychic and religious experiences - 485 River Avenue Providence, Rhode Island 02908 USA TEL: 401/273-6222 FAX: 401/273-6267 E-MAIL: EdMeasure@aol.com Free download of book entitled "HOLOGRAPHIC MIND and the Tantra Magic of Live Mantra" 7.04 In return I ask for comment, either on open News Group or by private E-Mail. Download address for each of the 7 Chapters and this Overview: http://members.aol.com/edmeasure or ftp://members.aol.com/edmeasure Chapters of HOLOGRAPHIC MIND (to be individually downloaded) b0outlin.rtf - Overview - Introduction and Overview Summary b1mantra.rtf - Chapter 1 - The Floating Magic of Live Mantra b2tantra.rtf - Chapter 2 - Roving Mind among the Tattvas of Tantra b3psychi.rtf - Chapter 3 - Psychic Visions and Mystical Experiences b4tminit.rtf - Chapter 4 - Veda and its Potent Tradition of Masters b5invoca.rtf - Chapter 5 - Miraculous Power of Invocation & Hypnosis b6jesus.rtf - Chapter 6 - The Word of Jesus and Walking on Water b7model.rtf - Chapter 7 - A Holographic Model of Man in the World Veda and its Potent Tradition of Masters - 4 Since live mantra is an eternal possession that everyone should own, we now look closely at Transcendental Meditation which is the world's key supplier of such precious phenomena. Our concern is knowing more about live mantra and how it fits into an overall holographic man-world model of the universe. This whole chapter is devoted solely to a better understanding of live mantra and particularly to the invocation which develops the live mantra. The difference between mantra and live mantra has everything to do with invocation and verbal soundings. We begin with Veda, the most abstract expressions that depict the subtle worlds of sakti and of live mantra. VEDA - KNOWLEDGE Veda is a Sanskrit word meaning knowledge. The Vedas are concerned with laws of nature and they are typically sung. A Vedic hymn produces a specific affect on those listening, independent of the meaning of words that are sung. Vedic knowledge is less concerned with the intellectual content of specific word meaning and more concerned with its direct affect on higher levels of consciousness, though both usually happen simultaneously. Sanskrit has many words with meanings that are essentially identical. Analogously, many Sanskrit words have an incredibly large number of different meanings. Different words are sometimes used that express the same intellectual meaning. When the same set of different words are sung however, they affect the imagery in the mind slightly differently. Knowledge of Veda therefore is knowledge of the living reality of the body of impulses of creative intelligence. Vedic study without the experiences of deep meditation has little practical value. The intellectual aspects are useful in corroborating new experiences from deep meditation. This is the practical benefit of Veda. The Vedas are said to have been cognized directly from unborn universal consciousness by sages whose own high levels of consciousness are similarly attuned. The Vedas are said to be the spontaneous utterances of these singing sages. Different sages cognize different portions of the Veda because of differences in their individual nervous systems. The quality of the cognition depends directly on the quality of consciousness, because knowledge is always the projection of the knower. The Vedas are born in Sanskrit, a language that dates back several thousand years and which is often considered the eternal language of the gods. The purpose of the Vedas is to gain fulfillment and to bring mankind to a lasting state of eternal freedom. VEDA - SOUND Vedas are sung for the value of the sound. The power of the sound directly affects the fluctuations of consciousness. Evolution is brought about spontaneously by the sound. The advantage derived from the Vedas comes from the physical value of sound. As sound and meaning are closely related in the Sanskrit language, the value of the meaning is gained by way of the sounds, regardless of the level of intellectual understanding that is gained by knowing the meaning of the words. The value of Vedic knowledge is in the quality of the spontaneously created reality which becomes of immediate practical use. The value of hearing the hymns of Veda is not for obtaining an encyclopedic intellectual knowledge, it's for culturing the mind. Repeated recitation of the hymns of Veda cause spontaneous natural activity that is in accord with the values expressed by Veda, the values of nature itself. These values occur because of the intimacy of sound and meaning in consciousness. The consciousness of enlightenment is developed by the values of these Vedic sounds. The value of Veda's meaning only, without the sound, maintains ignorance. However, even if the meaning is not known, no benefits are lost in hearing the sound. Since meaning is always dependent on the level of consciousness, the value of the Vedas themselves could be lost in time if they were preserved solely through intellectual meaning. Hence, the tradition of preserving the Vedas eternally, for all times, is accomplished by preserving and maintaining the values of the sound. The Vedas are passed on from generation to generation by memorizing and singing them. Vedic sound transforms life from ignorance to enlightenment. VEDA - REST & ACTIVITY Life moves between rest and activity. Every new understanding of activity is another layer of knowledge, and layer by layer we continue until we have crossed beyond mƒyƒ, beyond the field of change to the changeless. We go to an understanding of fullness, to an awareness of what is in the midst of what is not. The fullness of complete nothingness to the fullness of complete fullness is the experience of deep meditation. We move from a thought to another thought. What joins the two thoughts? The resting gap between the thoughts joins them, that momentary experience of seedless samƒdhi. We need to put more attention on the gap. The purpose of Veda is to understand and to experience the gap. The gap exists while moving from one awareness to the another awareness. The fluctuations of consciousness rise from the gap and fall into the gap. Creation emerges and joy is felt from the gap. Creation is an expression of knowledge. Creation is the rising of mental waves from the gap. Creation develops from the gap, from the reality of pure existence to the reality of becoming. Creation is the rising of individuality from universality, it is the unmanifest made manifest. In the gaining of knowledge, intelligence is both stationary and moving, it is unmanifest and manifest. The knower and the known each continue to grow and evolve. In the relative ignorance of ordinary waking state of consciousness, the knower and the known are identified together, as being a single living reality . Later in cosmic consciousness they are identified as separately existing phenomena, and still later in god consciousness they merge together again. The waves of consciousness that begin their development in the gap now become known and liberation is achieved. TRANSCENDENTAL MEDITATION - TM Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is the founder of Transcendental Meditation, a precious wisdom from the Veda. He began teaching TM in 1957 under the organizational structure of Spiritual Regeneration Movement. Since then, the TM movement has adopted other names under which it operates, according to the evolving emphasis and to the kind of audience being addressed. Different folks are simply interested in different things, even TM teachers. However, regardless of slight variations in intellectual approach to different groups, the mechanics and practice of TM has been and still is taught in precisely the same way, at all times, by all teachers. SEVEN STEPS OF LEARNING - TM TM is taught in seven steps over a one week period, for a total of 12 to 15 hours of instruction, in a combination of individual and group instruction. The steps are: 1st step - Introductory Lecture - describes the benefits of TM, what it is, and how it works. Scientific research is presented that supports the claims made. 2nd step - Preparatory Lecture - explains the mechanics of TM in greater depth. The origin of TM and its Vedic roots and traditions are explored. 3rd step - Personal Interview - offers an opportunity for student and teacher to be better acquainted and is a time to relate TM to personal issues. 4th step - Personal Instruction - the student receives a personal mantra and the TM technique during a short initiation ceremony performed by the teacher. 5th step - Verification of Experiences - group and personal instruction to monitor the correctness of many delightful meditating experiences. 6th Step - Mechanics of TM - group instruction on the TM methodology in light of new realities experienced. Personal checking of the TM technique. 7th Step - Cosmic Consciousness - explains the automatic attainment of higher states of consciousness by the decisive regular practice of the TM technique. 1st & 2nd STEPS - LECTURES - TM The message of TM is very simple. Mankind does not need to suffer. All suffering abides in weakness, and weaknesses exist because of resistances that prevent the full unfoldment of pure consciousness. The resistances are stresses and strains in the nervous system. To unfold pure consciousness, start to eliminate the stresses and strains, and resistances start to wither away. Pure consciousness begins coming to view, purifying the mind and body simultaneously. Clearer thinking takes place, resulting in more joy and happiness. Suffering diminishes correspondingly. Stresses and strains are relieved by practicing TM twice a day for 20 minutes while sitting comfortably with the eyes closed. TM is a simple, natural mental technique that is essentially effortless and is very enjoyable. During this meditation, mental activity spontaneously becomes very refined, causing the breathing to correspondingly become more refined. The metabolic rate decreases, and the whole mind-body system receives deep rest. It is this deep rest that automatically releases the stresses and strains, bit by bit over a period of time. That's all there is to it. It is simple, yet subtle. There are two aspects to Transcendental Meditation: the inward stroke of meditation and the outward stroke. In the inward stroke, awareness leaves the gross, relative existence and dives into the pure unbounded field of creativity within. In the outward stroke, we bring some of the unboundedness of pure consciousness out to the field of activity. Just like that, in and out. Our awareness goes to the unbounded, and the unbounded values come to us. It's similar to smiling and saying hello to someone; response of the same kind returns to us. We go directly to the center of creation and creation reveals itself to us. Our nervous system has the ability to become aware of the whole field of unmanifested pure consciousness. TM is a simple technique to accomplish this, and it is not a matter of doing anything, because the process is effortless. TM is a technique which does not accomplish its goal by making an effort. It's an effortless way. It uses the tendency of the mind to make full use of itself. Forcefully making an effort is in opposition to the natural tendency of the mind. Once the TM technique is known, it is found to be a very natural part of oneself. It is a completely innocent knowledge. It moves entirely in accordance with the impulses of nature and life. It does not conflict with one's belief, faith, religion, or life style. There are no mandates that must be or must not be. There are no dogmas. This simple technique brings unbounded awareness into our active daily life by continually being in touch with pure consciousness. It is this extended awareness that enriches all aspects of our life, that gives us a wider perspective and deeper knowledge concerning the laws of nature. The amount of unbounded awareness that can be drawn out of pure consciousness is limited only by our ability to know of its existence, and this is limited only by stresses. By the regular practice of TM, day after day for long periods of time, the stresses begin to dissolve. This happens through the regular practice of moving in and out of transcendental consciousness. Moreover, the practice is not needed to reach the goal, as the nature of the technique brings us to the goal spontaneously. Rather, the practice is needed to drag the goal, pure consciousness, out of the transcendental area of life into our every day activities. 3rd STEP - PERSONAL INTERVIEW - TM The personal interview between the teacher and the student is done on the day preceding initiation into TM. On the teacher's side there is concern about non-prescription drugs that the student may be taking. There is concern that the student has a complete and clear understanding of TM and of the needs and requirements for the next day's session, to receive the TM technique. The student is reminded that he must bring fruit, flowers, and a handkerchief for use in the 4th step; he must bring two pieces of sweet fresh fruit, a half dozen long stem fresh flowers, and a clean white handkerchief. These items will be used in the initiation ceremony. They symbolically represent a small gift of gratitude to the tradition of masters from where the wisdom of the TM technique comes. The personal interview indeed has its lighter side also. Couples often decide to learn TM together, but generally it is one spouse or the other who has taken the lead initiative. In speaking to a woman, she quickly remarked that she was learning TM only because her husband dragged her along with him, and that she really didn't believe any of the things that she had been hearing in the two lectures. I replied that she shouldn't feel pressured to learn TM, and that she should not take the 4th step if she did not feel comfortable about it. She felt that even if she continued, she would get nothing out of it. In a sense, she was warning me in advance that she would be a failure. I remarked that her personal beliefs about TM would have no bearing on her certain success in being able to receive the technique. I also emphasized that she should be comfortable with the teacher who is to instruct her in the 4th step, otherwise another teacher would be found for her. There have been many who did not believe in TM or who did not particularly want TM, having been "dragged" into the TM environment for other reasons. It is these people who experience extraordinary initial success because of the high contrast between the prevailing mental states before and after receiving the technique. They expected nothing but instead were amazed and overwhelmed. It is these people especially who come into the 5th or 6th step and rave loudly to the rest of the group, acclaiming the many virtues of the TM technique out of their delight in finding it so unbelievably powerful! In only two or three days, after just a few meditations, they have completely changed their opinions and beliefs about TM! They come to know TM only because they have experienced TM. Knowing is in the experience. The concurrently expressed intellectual knowledge simply supports the experiences. 4th STEP - INITIATION - TM Initiation into TM, the 4th step, is a powerful, almost sacred phenomena, that is undoubtedly remembered vividly and possibly forever by most students. This characteristic alone sets TM apart from just about all other mental techniques. It is a moment when the student and the teacher alike stand in awe to witness a powerful age old force of nature bestowing its gift onto mankind. That which the teacher imparts to the student is greater than the teacher, and that which the student is found receiving is greater than the student and the teacher combined. A powerful influx of vibrant energy is received by the student, seemingly out of nowhere, and the pleasant feelings of contentment that tingle up and down the body are not easily forgotten. A new chapter in the student's life has begun. Teaching TM, in part, means becoming deeply involved with the eternal tradition of masters. A line of teachers begins in very ancient times with Narayana; to Shankaracharya of centuries ago; to Guru Dev, Maharishi's teacher; and down to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. This involvement takes place through the Sanskrit ceremony performed during the initiation of students. The mind and body of the TM teacher is quite literally transformed during a process of invocation to this tradition of masters. The TM teacher is in essence paying homage to the tradition of teachers, that he (or she) may be fully prepared and worthy of passing on the precious wisdom of TM to the waiting student at hand. The teacher also symbolically expresses gratitude to Guru Dev, who more recently brought this wisdom to the world again, by offering up some sweet fruit, flowers, and linen (usually in the form of a white handkerchief) during the ceremony. A beautiful, powerful, sweet, and short ceremony is now performed, exactly as it was in ancient times. Performing the ceremony, doing puja, is the teacher's traditional method of preparation for passing on a suitable mantra to the student. The student is witness to the ritual performance. A mantra is a very special word or sound, having no intellectual significance to either the teacher or the student. It becomes the vehicle used by the student to learn the TM technique. A proper mantra is passed on to the student, as well as the technique of how to use it properly. With the correct use of this mantra, the student quickly finds his awareness automatically moving to more subtle states of the mantra. Upon reaching the finest value of thought, the mind innocently dives into the center of pure consciousness, transcendental consciousness. 5th & 6th STEPS - EXPERIENCES - TM The 5th, 6th, and 7th steps are performed on the three consecutive days immediately following the day of initiation. It is important to have close follow up on these three consecutive days after initiation, not that anything can go wrong, but rather to assure that the extremely subtle technique is tuned up for maximum progress. Different experiences occur, in many shades of gray, but everyone has a common base set of experiences. The experiences are closely monitored, discussed, and analyzed during these last three steps. Several portions of the introductory lectures are now again presented to point out the new understanding of the actual mechanics of the TM technique in light of the subtle new realities experienced. For most initiates, these new experiences derived from meditation are experiences never before had. Yet they are found to be very natural and a part of oneself. Precisely the same words are used to describe the details of the mechanics as had been used in the introductory lectures, but these words now take on a new and much deeper meaning because of the intervening new experiences. Individual experiences are also expanded upon, in depth. 7th STEP - COSMIC CONSCIOUSNESS - TM The 7th Step gives a preview of the higher states of consciousness toward which one is headed by maintaining a consistent and regular meditation program. The repeated joyful dipping of the mind into transcendental consciousness, regularly every day, leads to cosmic consciousness. This eventually moves into god consciousness and then toward unity consciousness. Here in god consciousness, the goal is almost completely reached and suffering has essentially come to an end. The higher states of consciousness happen spontaneously and naturally as stresses are being dissolved, and as we move forward our life becomes progressively more gratifying. The changing appreciations which occur while moving to higher states of consciousness are analogous to the changing values that occur in growing from childhood to adulthood. Very early in life, we can be enraptured and totally absorbed in a world of tiny toys and dolls. Later, the size and complexity of the toys become larger. By adulthood the toys that are chosen to play with are considerably different and more sophisticated than those chosen in childhood. Similarly we expect the realities of higher states of consciousness to undergo some major transformations, where we will just discard many of the previously held realities in the same way that we discarded childhood realities. Evolution means change, but a joyful change. YOGA & SIVA SUTRAS - TM Many TM teachers have spent considerable time with Maharishi in studying portions of the Vedas in numerous advanced study programs over the years. A few have worked extensively with the siva and yoga s–tras where explanations of much of the detailed mechanics of TM are contained. We have quoted portions of these s–tras throughout this work. The TM technique is that magic lubricant which gives an enlivened meaning to some very abstract concepts within the s–tras by way of powerful personal experiences. Reading the s–tras is an excellent way of obtaining verification of personal experiences. Though abstract and terse by their very nature, they are nevertheless quite helpful, as we are here finding, in understanding the nature of changing mental states and the evolution of consciousness. The following are two siva s–tras and three yoga s–tras which specifically mention the fourth state of consciousness, transcendental consciousness, of which TM is the world expert. FOURTH STATE OF CONSCIOUSNESS "Within the three (waking, dreaming, and sleeping states of consciousness) is the fourth (transcendental state), like the continuous pouring of oil." (S3.20 - trisu carturtham taila vat ƒsecyam) "Plunge through one's own consciousness to enter (the fourth state of consciousness)." (S3.21 - magnah sva cittena praviset) "The fourth state of consciousness appears upon transcending these external and internal thought forms." (Y2.51 - bƒhya abhyantara visaya ƒksepŒ caturthah) "Then the covering of light disappears." (Y2.52 - tatah ksŒyate prakƒsa ƒvaranam) "The mind is fit for concentration on spiritual life." (Y2.53 - dhƒrana asu ca yogyatƒ manasah) We pierce through the well know waking, dreaming, and sleeping states of consciousness to reach the fourth state, transcendental consciousness. The process is continuous and natural, like the pouring of oil. The fourth state appears upon going beyond all external and internal thoughts, to the source of thought itself. Then the covering of light disappears and the mind is fit for concentration and a life of freedom. These s–tras tell us what is happening. The easiest way to get there is with TM's live mantra, where the whole process is then automatic. The mind becomes refined and the breath becomes refined. As breath becomes extremely fine and subtle, then both external and internal objects are transcended, and the fourth state of consciousness arises. The breath can become extremely subtle, so much so, that it appears that breathing itself has momentarily stopped. After long term meditation it can appear as if breathing is not occurring at all, though we clearly always continue to breath! Various shades of subtlety are immediately apparent to all meditators, as the breath automatically becomes fine and subtle for all. The subtle breaths spontaneously dissolve and the fourth state of transcendental consciousness appears. Upon reaching the fourth state of consciousness, the covering of light disappears. With a fast and heavy breath, consciousness attends to things in the waking state. When the breath is finer, consciousness finds itself at more subtle levels of reality. When the breath is nil, upon reaching the fourth state of consciousness, the covering of light disappears, and one is immersed in the light. The mind is now fit for concentration. With breathing occurring at a slower level of metabolism, and with the covering of light disappearing, and with the increasing luminance associated with the purified consciousness, the mind has settled down into bliss. There is a continuing need to have verification of our new experiences through independent secondary means, other than from just our own subjective response, particularly in the beginning days. One way to do this is simply through the discussion of experiences with teachers. This is the primary reason for the recommended continual checking of experiences that is always available to all meditators. We should not slow down our progress because of being unable to understand new experiences. Teachers and long term meditators have a rich background of experiences, as they themselves have participated in long term, heavy, concentrated meditation under close supervision. SIDDHIS - TM Other signs and indicators of developing states of consciousness are the siddhis, the super normal abilities or attainments as they are called. The siddhis are special powers of the mind and body that become developed over a period of time with the regular practice of TM. When fully developed, they can certainly be considered super normal abilities, a few of which are similar to the "miracles" of Jesus. We will deal with siddhis in depth in the following two chapters. Some are simpler than others and many are already being used all the time by people who never heard of the name, siddhi. Some, like the levitation group, are only suitable for the final stages of evolution and are included at the end of chapter six for completeness only, in context with the Jesus "miracles". Siddhis can indicate the degree of progress that we are making along our advancing states of consciousness. We should just plunge in and work with the simpler siddhis; we might be surprised of immediate success! GOD CONSCIOUSNESS - TM The full blooming of god consciousness is the goal of TM. The advanced siddhis are simply the result of sustained god consciousness, it is said. At this stage of awareness, the subtle realities of the glue that holds the universe together begins to become more visible. Sensory realities change their characteristics with the evolution of consciousness, and that which may have been right yesterday could be wrong today from a different, new perspective. The nature of one's own self, as relates to the rest of the environment, begins to change because the boundaries between the two areas are no longer as well defined. The differences between myself and thyself become smaller and the similarities become greater. One marvels at creation as one pops closer to the creator from time to time. The TM technique just moves us, quite innocently, into such an enlightened awareness. INITIATION & MANTRA - TM TM can be considered an ecstatic miracle, a fascinating science, or simply a mechanical routine depending upon one's perspective, and TM itself is all about perspective. It is about different states of consciousness. It is about the continually changing states of consciousness. TM is about live mantra for the initiated while it is simply some kind of imagination for the uninitiated. Initiation produces live mantra, not intellectual words. The first experience of live mantra arises spontaneously through the process of initiation. Initiation brings forward the liveliness of a suitable sound. Awareness is opened up to appreciate a tingling liveliness and this new liveliness is soon found to be a natural part of oneself. These faint pulsations are known as live mantra. It is enjoyable and relaxing and may be started or stopped at will. The process of doing live mantra is known as Transcendental Meditation. The awakening of live mantra is intimately involved with a short and beautiful initiation. However, whereas most commonly known initiations consist of some kind of social ceremony which symbolically expresses a new awakening for the participant, the live mantra initiation is always associated with a mentally and physically felt energy transfer of extraordinary comfort, regardless of ones intellectual predispositions or emotional feelings. In short, the live mantra initiation is a precisely repeatable phenomena which gives similarly measurable results for everyone. This is its great strength and is also the definition of science. Hence, live mantra initiation is a science and the intent of this treatise is to shed more light on details about the science in a vocabulary which is also consistent with science. But first we look more closely at the initiation process itself. A TM teacher begins a very exciting sing-song ritual, completely in Sanskrit while looking at a picture of Maharishi's teacher, Guru Dev. The song expresses that whether one is pure or impure, and that whether all places are permeated by purity or impurity, whoever opens himself or herself to the expanded vision of unbounded awareness immediately begins to gain inner and outer purity. The student stands to the side of the teacher and simply witnesses the ceremony being sung in Sanskrit. The English translation does not matter. It is not spoken of nor is it of concern. The Sanskrit sound permeating the local environment matters. The sing-song is very important. The cadence, meter, pitch, speed, feeling, and total involvement of mind and body of the teacher all count. The momentary merging of the teacher's consciousness into the consciousness of Guru Dev matters. It is a lovely, joyful, and holy event in preparing the teacher to come up with live mantra. The student just watches and listens but otherwise does not participate in the ritual. PUJA CEREMONY - TM Immediately, though, the message of TM sounds out loud and clear within the translation of the Sanskrit sounds: whether we consider ourselves to be pure or impure or whether the local environment is pure or impure, it does not matter. Rather, whoever allow themselves to become open to unbounded awareness will spontaneously gain both inner and outer purity. Its a simple event happening deep within the soul structure of self. It is not so much that someone is teaching something to someone, rather it is a natural opening of the self to the source of creation. A chanting invocation now begins by personally addressing lord nƒrƒyana, brahma, vasistha, sƒkti, parƒsara, vyƒsa, sukadeva, the great gauda-pada, govinda, srŒ sankarƒcƒrya, padmapƒda, hastƒmalaka, trotakacƒrya, vƒrtika-kƒra, and other disciples of this eternal tradition of our masters. The teacher bows down in gratitude. This would appear to be a listing of the great gurus that have been involved with TM since the beginning of time, but it is a great deal more than a simple listing or directory of who's who among the gurus! Though it is said that these Sanskrit names are identified with many specific fleshy bodies over the ages, more importantly they are precise Sanskrit sounds which represent distinct states of consciousness and spatial structures of reality. Many of these sounds are often erroneously referred to as gods. The Sanskrit "deva" can be translated as god in appropriate philosophical context, but it does not carry the meaning of god as used in religion. In the Veda, "devas" are more specifically associated with specialized forces and naturally occurring bundles of energy. There are over 400 such devas in the various Vedic readings. There is one lord, Œsvara. NARAYANA - TM Nƒrƒyana, in the beginning of the invocation for instance, is traditionally considered to be the son of original man and is identified with brahma, visnu, and mahesh, the triad of god consciousness that was discussed in chapter two. This is the super subtle emerging thread of energetic "grace" which develops into a variety of forms which gives rise to the spectrum of experiences we perceive. Sanskrit names express a specific type of reality. Gurus pick up or are otherwise assigned names according to their particular training, make up, and purpose. Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, for instance, has brought TM to the world again. Maharishi means great teacher. Mahesh means siva, destroyer of duality and ultimate source of all. Yogi means master of yoga, union, and enlightenment. Hence Maharishi Mahesh Yogi is the great teacher of yoga for attaining enlightenment through the spontaneous annihilation of duality by union with siva which is the source of all. More simply, Maharishi, backed by the tradition of masters, has brought forward a remarkable technique that quickly and effortlessly brings us to enjoyment and eventually to enlightenment. The names at the beginning of this ceremony are sounds which permeate the environment and particularly the teacher who is invoking the sounds. This is the start of real invocation, the rousing of a higher state of consciousness in the teacher through association with the ancient masters of this knowledge who have attained a higher state of consciousness. There is real magic beginning to occur now, as opposed to a dreamy imagination which is normally not thought of as a dynamic, energy transforming, living reality. The magic occurs through the Sanskrit sounds, but all parts of the ceremony are involved in support of invocation. The intellectual meaning of the sounds need not be known to enjoy the benefits of the sounds. Knowing or not knowing the intellectual meaning of the sounds does not add or detract from the value of the sounds on our nervous systems. It would be extremely exasperating and detracting if students had to deal with such long and abstract Sanskrit names while learning TM. Indeed, people would walk away, and therefore, it's not done. There is no need. Most people are simply not interested in such details, certainly not in the beginning days of meditation. GURU - TM Some folks occasionally get terribly excited and sometimes distraught over the concept of guru, but that is only because the real value of the teaching is not known in advance as is generally the case with intellectual pursuits. We sometimes probe, "Is guru a man, a god, or man-god, whatever that might be?" It is not a trivial question because the answer is only complete after we know live mantra. For instance, the Jews and the Christians have kept an energetic battle going for some two thousand years now over just who Jesus was or is, guru or god or both? However, there is valuable truth in the perspectives of both parties. From the perspective of live mantra, guru is mostly man who may occasionally appear as man-god, and on extremely rare occasions, when headed into enlightenment, guru may appear as a god. Every human, of course, is headed to god consciousness, sooner or later, with or without live mantra. It's only a matter of efficiency and ease with live mantra. Hence, everyone has the potential to be guru, to at least momentarily have a more active link to the fundamental sƒkti of god consciousness. It is a matter of intensity and degree. Always there is someone teaching someone else about something. The guru business, however, dealing in such fleeting and elusive matters, is always potentially suspect. How are we to judge the value of the product emanating from a guru? Trying to answer this question is why many of us become uneasy when first pondering about guru. Though all of the standard, daily used guidelines in making judgements are valid, there is no intellectual criterion on live mantra, as the whole matter, by definition, is transcendental. Also, it is apparently beyond the present scope of measuring devices, though we are now trying to perform such related measurements. We simply must jump in and go by intuition. Even if not totally effective, most gurus are sincere. We must rely on our emotions and we simply do not do what we feel is inappropriate, for any reason. Live mantra will always be found enjoyable, friendly, and life supporting. It brings us home and is good for virtually every aspects of one's well being. Live mantra is something new and totally unknown to most of us. Learning about live mantra has virtually nothing to do with typical western educational methodologies and that is why it is so difficult to assimilate meaningful information about any kind of mantra. Reading this book or any other book for that matter will not put one in possession of a live mantra. Other books might go into lengthy expositions about all kinds of dead mantras, and one may then falsely come to believe that such mantras are live mantras, and worse, even the book writing guru, though acting in good faith, may not be in possession of a live mantra. This is a great dilemma for everyone because such dead mantras are never found to be very useful and they fall away quickly, simultaneously giving a bad reputation to live mantra. A live mantra always gives comfortable and enjoyable experiences, effortlessly, regardless of personal life style. INVOCATION - TM We now continue the initiation ceremony where due respect is paid to the world of wisdom of srutis (revelations), smrtis (codes of behavior), and puranas (ancient records), and to the compassion of sankara, emancipator of the world, and to these the teacher bows in gratitude. The word, sankara, means emancipation. Sankara also refers to a specific guru in the distant past, a soul-mind-body who was an extraordinary master on emancipation. Hence a special tribute is paid to him as we continue acknowledging sankarƒcƒrya, the emancipator, who is adored as krsna and badarayana, and to other expressions of the divine, in sankara. To these and others the teacher bows in gratitude. Not only is sankara the emancipator but he is adored as krsna and badarayana. The attributes or flavors of krsna and badarayana accrue during emancipation. To both expressions of the divine the teacher bows down again and again. We always need a sense of humility in preparing the way for gifts to arrive smoothly. These various gurus surely have positive characteristic qualities to offer us as they are all involved in god and unity consciousness. Abiding near these folks brings us much closer to the source of creation than is usually possible in our normal daily experiences. They know and have experienced phenomena that we hardly can yet even imagine, so we must play by their rules for time being. But their rules are far from being difficult or restricting. Just remain open and ready to accept live mantra. GURU DEV - TM The ceremony continues as the teacher acknowledges the whole galaxy of gods who pray for perfection day and night, and who are illumined by their own internal radiance, having bowed to the source of creation to gain fulfillment. Skilled in dispelling the cloud of ignorance, the bestower of happiness, the glorious emancipator brahmananda sarasvati (Guru Dev), the supreme teacher, full of brilliance, is brought to the awareness of the teacher. The teacher steadily assimilates a greater awareness of sankara through Guru Dev while in sympathetic compassion with their ideals. The emancipation qualities of sankara and the tradition of masters is now focussed on Guru Dev as the teacher continues to look at his picture while chanting. Guru Dev's extended name is Brahmƒnanda Sarasvƒti (the flowing sŒva bliss of brahma). The live mantra ceremony is all powerful, let there be no doubt about it. The puja is ultimately responsible for providing a live mantra to the student, one might even say, in spite of the teacher, as the teacher is merely a vehicle for passing on live mantra. Similarly, the live mantra itself is merely a vehicle for the student to come in touch with the most abstruse and vibrant aspect of one's own self. It is the precision nature and ritual furnishings of the ceremony combined with the tradition of masters that present live mantras, not the particular egos in the specific bodies of teachers. This is a new kind of knowledge and teaching, otherwise rarely heard of in the western world. GIFTS OF GRATITUDE - TM The various masters of the TM teaching tradition have been brought to the forefront of consciousness. The teacher now ceremoniously offers a few gifts to Guru Dev as an act of gratitude, similarly as might be done upon visiting a friend for an evening. Flowers, fruit, and linen (usually a handkerchief) are symbolically offered to the tradition of masters, gifts that have been brought to the ceremony by the student being initiated. Such gifts are placed at the feet of Guru Dev while the teacher continues chanting and acting out a flawless pageantry. Giving is the key to receiving. The methodology of giving is just as important, or more important, as the gift itself. The teacher moves the gifts about on a small table along with a few other pieces of ceremonial furnishings, such as incense, rice, water, and fruit while simultaneously continuing with the Sanskrit intonations. This whole symbolic act of giving in gratitude is very beautiful, very innocent, and quite short. Yet, there is more happening here than immediately meets the eye, an interrelationship of consciousness with space-time. The interdependent relationship between space and time are well known, of course, by physic's relativity theory. One does not (cannot) exist without the other. The time aspect is associated with energy transformations, which in our present context corresponds to changing states of consciousness. Changes in the fluctuations of consciousness occur simultaneously with the spatial movement of the various ritual paraphernalia. The Rosicrucians have mastered this art form with great precision. For reasons that are yet far from clear, the spatial movement of objects are interrelated with changes in consciousness. The appreciation of reality spontaneously changes, in that there is response to the self. The interrelationship between space-time and consciousness is of major concern for us in this treatise and is further discussed in the chapter seven. The initiation ceremony continues where even the invocation itself is offered up to Guru Dev. Guru Dev becomes the focus of attention and mediator with the tradition of masters. The creative impulse of cosmic life, the very core of creation now begins to surface to the consciousness of the teacher, like an emergence of white light through the sympathetic compassion with the essence of creation, which is adorned with a garland of brahman. This is the abstract sparkle from which live mantras are made and it is ever dwelling deep within the heart. The teacher is literally floating in sheer joy, a joy coming from the momentary transfiguration of Guru Dev who is sitting in a picture in front of the eyes. The subtle, flowing reality of the sakti of live mantra is now temporarily surfaced on the expanded consciousness of the teacher. It is to these creative impulses that the teacher bows down. It is these creative impulses that are now beginning to permeate the local environment and that are likewise starting to be transferred to the student. These are the creative impulses which in a few moments are to give supreme life to mantra for the student. Such fundamental creative impulses are immediately recognized by the student through feelings of spontaneous relaxation and overwhelming peace, and through the experience of satisfying internal glows which evoke the pleasant feelings of being at home. Indeed, the whole physiological metabolism is the first to know that something very good is happening. Spontaneous breathing patterns of the student go through extremely predictable changes upon first experiencing the full effects of live mantra. Verbal responses to universally prepared questions are also highly predictable so that the teacher always knows precisely when and at what depth live mantra is first being appreciated. It is the tradition of teachers and the fundamental properties of nature itself that brings up the creative impulses for live mantra. It is a gift from Guru Dev, Maharishi, and from the rest of the tradition of masters that this TM technique is available for everyone to enjoy. HANDFUL OF FLOWERS - TM The next section of the ceremonial puja is called a handful of flowers. It is the most sublime part of the puja. The picture of Guru Dev has now come alive and the flow of life seems all around. Guru is seen as the creative triad, brahma, visnu, and mahesh, corresponding to the creative triad of god consciousness which subsequently affect the sattva, rajas, and tamas gunas in the subtle body. Guru as the supreme transcendent beyond brahma even is personified to the teacher. Guru is now that thread of grace or sƒkti which showers the local environment with a view of god and unity consciousness. To this supreme transcendence the teacher bows down. Life now is but a flow of energy, ƒnanda, bliss. The liveliness of the supreme transcendent is now amplified. Guru Dev is now seen as the unbounded, like the endless canopy of the sky, which pervades both the seen and unseen universe. To this unbounded, to that (tat), the teacher bows down. Guru Dev embodies brahmƒnandam, the bliss of brahma, transcendental joy, which is the pure knowledge of self sufficiency. The aim of tat-tvam-asi, thou art that, and other such eternal expressions of wisdom are experienced, just like that, spontaneously. Who can believe this? Priest, monks, and other devotees often spend a lifetime under different philosophical and religious persuasions, looking toward such experiences without success. Overnight almost, are we able to find such experiences? Yes, the formula for experiencing grace (some may prefer to say sakti or ƒnanda) is at hand for everyone, now. The greatest single problem in selling this message is, of course, that it sounds too good to be true. Continuing the ceremony to the one, eternal, pure, immovable, witness to all beings, the transcendent that is beyond both thought and world objects, to that teacher, Guru Dev, the teacher bows down. Here is an expression which categorically notifies us of the one, single godhead at the source of creation. The 400 or so "gods" (devas) that can be found in Vedic literatures and a few of which are mentioned in this puja are inaccurately called "gods" by some Sanskrit translators, at least relative to the meaning of god in the western world. The devas are expressions to name and identify the shades of differences among the creative impulses which give rise to the manifold variations of joy found among the living. The function of devas are more akin to the function of genes and DNA, though much more fluid in these initial creative stages, in that certain combinations of devas and their representative bŒja seeds give rise to a living consciousness called my-self while another combination is responsible for a living consciousness called your-self. Other combinations can create thunderstorms and lightening while yet others are involved in affecting our thought forms through "waves of predisposition" that affect the whole universe. Devas are the backbone of the universe, a spin-off from the lord, so to speak. They are the tiny speckles of creative impulses which are responsible for empty space to become alive and for souls to sprout. They manifest in prakrti. The final verses of the ritual ceremony expresses the stark reality of the benefits obtained through the application of the ointment of live mantra; the blinding darkness of ignorance is removed. Incredible. TM is two things, both equally important: receiving a live mantra and then learning how to use it. Both events happen quickly and spontaneously for all students, just because the whole process is so natural. Again we bow down to Guru Dev (and in our hearts also to Maharishi and the whole tradition of masters) from where this precious knowledge has come. With deep gratitude we bow and offer a handful of flowers to Guru Dev. By now most readers will have noticed a certain sense of casualness in discussing what purports to be direct contact with the highest forms of divine manifestation. That's because divine contact has become a natural day to day occurrence over many years. The established religions, in contradistinction, intercede with priest, bishops, cardinals, and even popes to communicate with Jesus or with angels or possibly directly with god. The religions of the world place their gods and all of the chief angels so far away and make them so sacred relative to the so-called unworthiness of the sinners, that we seldom if ever make any contact at all with the real, live, spiritual world that is existent all around us. However, make no mistake, TM teachers always stand in amazement and awe after every initiation. It's an act of grace! Far from being a chore, its performance is simply a spontaneous outburst of divine joy, and it is not that the teacher is doing anything, really, other than to precisely chant, without flaw, the whole glorious ceremony. TEACHER TRAINING - TM A TM teacher knows this Sanskrit ritual, puja, at least as well as his or her own name, and it is never forgotten. Perfection of puja is an impeccable aspect of TM teacher training. The puja is practiced and individually monitored many times a day, seven days per week, for many weeks and months until numerous repetitions of perfected precision are mastered. Final testing is done in large halls where many teacher candidates are simultaneously and individually monitored by other teachers. The candidates start the puja at different random times and are thereby singing out of synchronization with each other. In such an environment of loud Sanskrit "noise", each candidate performs the puja, over and over again until repeated perfection is achieved. Not even a single error is forgiven. TM becomes extremely fascinating for many meditators, and some wish to become more involved. In principle, anyone who has practiced TM for a short period of time can become a TM teacher, by going to teacher training under the direction of Maharishi Mahesh Yogi. Many thousands have done this. The TM technique cannot be passed on from a meditator to another potential candidate who wants to learn it. If such teaching is attempted, it will not work, to the detriment of all parties. TM can only be learned from a TM teacher. Teaching TM is not like teaching philosophy or physics or anything else that the world normally knows about. It is much more involved than this, as is surely appreciated by now. Becoming a TM teacher is a highly dedicated activity for a period upwards of a year, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. It includes all of the best western world teaching methodologies along with the most highly pertinent methodologies of the eastern tradition of masters. Training is total absorption with single pointed concentration around the clock. TM teacher training is a composite of activities, similar in scope to specialized philosophy, physics, and teacher training courses at prestige universities, to boot camp of the military services, and to sacred study at a monastery. The big difference, though, is that no stress is produced, just the reverse. In this environment, one becomes saturated with a level of joy and contentment that is unrivaled by any other known environment. Becoming a TM teacher is not only an enjoyable activity, but it can be the most profound learning experience of one's lifetime. Yet, TM is not a religion, even though there are many phenomena seemingly associated with religious concepts. TM supports every religion, but one need not be religious to meditate or even to become a TM teacher. Perhaps some of the confusion arises over the fact that TM is now beginning to provide a life that is more free from suffering, a highly desired state of existence that religions normally promise to provide. TM is sometimes confused with religion because Maharishi comes out of India where Hinduism prevails. However, just as we do not call Einstein's theory of relativity a form of German reality, nor do we call Chopin's music a form of Polish reality, neither should we call the TM technique a form of Hindu reality. TM does not depend on belief. Rather, it is universal knowledge that is structured in consciousness, and it is equally applicable for all people. TRAPPIST MONK - TM Indeed it is most informative to discuss how the religious affiliations of a Trappist monk were strengthened with live mantra. I did my TM teacher training with a large group of professionals in Switzerland: lawyers, psychologists, physicists, engineers, biologists, soldiers, social workers of various kinds, preachers, and teachers of all sorts. One man was very quiet and seldom spoke. Having a crew cut hair styling, I thought he was a military officer in civilian clothing or even possibly CIA. The students had a short party one evening to celebrate the American Halloween holiday (not wine and cheese, but rather warm milk and sweet rice). Everyone wore some extremely simple costume or just a face mask in masquerade. The man with the crew cut wore a finely tailored costume, a monk's uniform. He addressed the group and "confessed" that it was he who had been masquerading for months in civilian clothing and that he was now in his natural clothing, a Trappist monk! He and Maharishi thought it best that he remain in camouflage for awhile so that the rest of the teachers in training would not mistakenly get the idea that we were studying in a religious order (the student group was of international origin, deriving from many world religions, and some were non-religious altogether). It should be born in mind that anyone, from any origin, and of any persuasion can become a TM teacher, though surely not everyone would choose to go through the rigorous training and pre-training schedules. However, the Trappist monk one day posed a tough question to Maharishi who was conducting a typical teacher training session in a large auditorium to a large groups. "I'm not certain if I can continue this teacher training to become a TM teacher, Maharishi, because I've spent 25 years as a Catholic monk adoring Jesus. I just don't know if I can bow down to Guru Dev." The whole assembly of trainees was absolutely quiet and spellbound by the gravity and sincerity of the question. Maharishi looked around in thought for several seconds, what seemed like many minutes. He looked squarely at the monk, and the monk looked back, and he finally said, "You can't love two people?" The monk smiled with overwhelming relief to a gnawing problem and soon thereafter became a TM teacher, returning to his domain of monks to teach TM to other monks. Whether one thinks of Jesus as a man, a man-god, or a god, it doesn't matter as far as TM is concerned. Live mantra will enhance one's own thinking and probe deeper into the mysteries of life. The monk was irresistibly drawn to TM teacher training for the same reasons as all other persons are so drawn, even the professed atheist, because of the amazing influx of grace, of divine joy. Among those who are seriously involved in religious pursuits of one kind or another, it is not unusual to hear within a few days of being initiated into TM, something to the effect, "My God, this is amazing! All my life I've been looking for something like this. I've had some similar experience once or twice over the past 20 years and now I have it every time I sit down to meditate!" The Trappist Monk and I had several deep, inspiring talks during our acquaintance at teacher training. He broke silence from time to time for such discussions. He would say mass every day as every Catholic priest does and then study puja and other related teacher training activities. At first it was uneasy for him to answer me, but I asked him if he thought the Catholic mass once had the divine power that the puja has. We probed this thought for many weeks. The very question presumed that the mass had little divine essence left to it compared to the live mantra ceremony. I was not being gracious to a new friend. He never did fully answer this question, but also he did not deny its relevance to his thinking. I would ask, "Do you think that Jesus was probably teaching TM or some similar powerful divine phenomena that is full of experiential peace like live mantra?" He seemed rather certain of some such phenomena in his heart, but his mind was grappling feverishly with the issues, as was mine and the other teacher candidates. Only a dedicated and righteous person will continue in such ego shattering inquiries. Imagine that a simple little TM initiation lasting just a few minutes can result into experiential phenomena of far greater magnitude than did 25 years of dedicated hard work in a monastery! "There is no need to suffer", Maharishi would often repeat, "Suffering is for the ignorant". This is in contradistinction to most Christian teachings where suffering is thought to be a "path to heaven". The idea that we need to suffer to receive the holy spirit is deep rooted in Christianity, though not in the New Testament itself. However, if we have never received any holy spirit of any kind, then we come to accept the Christian point of view, especially when the suggestions are reinforced for a life time! Until some holy spirit is received it is never experienced and it would then seem natural that we must continue in suffering until we chance upon some holy spirit, perhaps after death? Terrible notions. Our Trappist monk was a brilliant scholar and philosopher. Mental conflicts were deep within him after receiving live mantra. A religious career was being torn and flipped upside down. His thinking and our thinking alike would ask, "How can a whole world of priests, from many denominations, categorically reject TM when they haven't even experienced it yet?" However, we need not pick on priests only, as scientists are just as good as priests in categorically rejecting TM without ever bothering to first experience it! New phenomena is always suspicious, even to scientists. Until there is a strong personal experience, no knowledge of live mantra is really possible. We invite any and all of good will to inquire to Edmond Chouinard at: Metaphysical Measurements Inc, 485 River Avenue, Providence, RI 02908 USA TEL 401/273-6222 FAX 401/273-6267 E-Mail EdMeasure@aol.com