Quotes

~Maharishi

~Global Press Conference -- MERU, Vlodrop, Holland -- April 9, 2003

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Maharishi: Speech coming out from the home of all knowledge is true, pleasing, evolutionary & holistic

[Note: The following quote is of Maharishi commenting on the first four words of Manu Smṛiti 4.138, "Satyaṁ bruyāt priyaṁ brūyāt"]

​" 'Satyaṁ bruyāt': whatever you speak​ ​, speak truth. 'Priyaṁ brūyāt'. 'Priyaṁ': pleasing. Speak truth which is pleasing. 'Pleasing' will be that which is supportive to life. 'Supportive to life' will be that which is evolutionary to life. 'Evolutionary to life' will be that which is natural. 'Natural' will be that speech in conformity with the laws of evolution which will come out from that full value of awareness which is the home of all knowledge.

If the speech does not come out from the home of all knowledge lively, then it will not enliven the evolutionary impulse of life in the listener; and if it does not enliven the evolutionary impulse of life in the listener, it will not be in accordance with the nature of the listener; and therefore it will not be pleasing.

When Manu says, 'Speak truth, speak pleasing truth,' he does not ask for installing a computer to find out how many tendencies that man has and at this moment what is enlivened in his awareness and then compute a speech which will touch that fine level of his lively impulse at this time, in this place where he is listening to you. All that, Manu does not mean. He just means: have unbounded awareness which is the home of all knowledge, from where every messenger that goes will be the messenger supportive to the evolutionary impulse of life.

Speech is just the messenger of one's awareness. It is just the projection of one's awareness. It speaks for one's awareness.

When Manu says, 'Satyam bruyat, priyam bruyat', he only means: establish your awareness in that unboundedness which is the home of all knowledge from where any representative impulse traveling out will speak for the whole knowledge; and the purpose of whole knowledge is to inspire the boundaries in terms of the whole."

~Maharishi

~Interlaken, Switzerland (Audiotape)-- February 20, 1974

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Maharishi: Kali-Yuga is not going to live up to its full age

"The age of Kali-Yuga in number of years is still to last long -- many, many thousands of years. But one thing: someone who is not pure, he doesn't live his full age; someone who is muddled, who is dirty, who is not right, he doesn't live up to his full age. That is the reason that Kali-Yuga, even though its age has been declared to be very long still from now, is not going to live up to that age because it is not coherent; it is not neat and clean. It is muddled and confused, with all kinds of chaos -- lacking coherence.

Maybe due to this, one stroke from us in the collective manner could just lay open wide the connectedness of heaven and earth from the mid-sky -- just due to this. What it needs is collective [practice], just like group meditation. Group meditation is one thing, and now we hope to raise the level of achievement of group meditation to a level that will have the clearing effect on the whole atmosphere, like the removal of the clouds and the sun shining unrestricted. Sat-Yuga will be welcomed in this way by collective influence of what we are structuring now, some comfortable place in every city, and then the number of meditators increasing in the city. And the time will not be long when suddenly, the covering in the sky, all the clouds simply disappear."

~Maharishi

~"Welcoming the Raja of New York", March 6, 2005

~Vedic Expressions in Maharishi Vedic Science (p. 275) -- 2012

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Maharishi: A discussion of karma and not speaking ill of others

MAHARISHI: "Everyone enjoys or suffers in life due to his own karma [action]. Nobody else brings suffering to a man. His own karma brings it. If some friend of yours brings pleasure to you, it's not that he is the cause of pleasure, but some of our good karma is coming through him. The same friend tomorrow becomes a bad friend, begins to bring pain. He's not responsible for bringing the pain. Our bad karma comes through him and we suffer. He is only the donkey of our action; he's only the carrier, he carries it for us. Whatever belongs to us he brings to us, he delivers; he is just a postman bringing our letter.

QUESTION: "But for the friend, when he brings harm to us it will be a bad karma for him then?"

MAHARISHI: "He has not become the carrier of our good deeds. Unfortunately, he has become the carrier of our bad deeds."

QUESTION: "But he will suffer for this doing by him?"

MAHARISHI: "He will suffer for his doing, but I will suffer for my doing. I can't put my suffering onto someone else.

If I do some sin in this room and no one is here, I think no one has seen it. But it has been exposed to the whole universe. Everyone in the universe knows it, and somehow that will be delivered back to us by all the agencies in the universe knowing or unknowing. If you are committing sin in the room then you are creating sinful vibrations. And 'sinful vibrations' means wherever they go they will damage the evolution of that thing.

Someone speaks ill of the other and plans to damage him -- a very underneath [sneaky] plan, nothing on the surface. He's damaging the entire creation by his mischief because the agency of thought is just vibration.

That is why scriptures forbid us from speaking ill of someone, or damaging someone, doing harm to someone because [even though] apparently we seem to be harming him, eventually we have to be harmed by our own doing of the harm to someone else. To save the doer, the teaching is: don't do any bad thing to anyone, don't commit sin, go for virtue, help thy neighbor, so that thy[self] may be helped. ​"

MAHARISHI: "​ That is why scriptures forbid us from speaking ill of someone, or damaging someone, doing harm to someone because [even though] apparently we seem to be harming him, eventually we have to be harmed by our own doing of the harm to someone else.To save the doer, the teaching is: don't do any bad thing to anyone, don't commit sin, go for virtue, help thy neighbor, so that thy[self] may be helped. ​

In India there is a proverb: if someone speaks ill of the other, he partakes of his sin. Do we have any such proverb here in the West?"

COURSE PARTICIPANT: "If you call your brother, 'Thou fool', you are in danger of hellfire."

MAHARISHI: "Yes. That's it. 'Hellfire' means when you call someone a fool, then the vibrations of 'foolery' have been spread in the whole creation, and that 'foolery' is to return back to you from all sides.

Because man has that highly evolved nervous system, this great responsibility is unto man and not unto animals -- the responsibility of good and bad deeds, sin and virtue. All this is for man and not for animals because man is in that position to understand how the karma acts, how his action influences the whole creation and how he is then influenced back by the same.

One direct result of thinking ill of others is that your mind is captivated by that sin. If someone by mistake or by something has done sin and then you bring that sin in your mind, you make that impression deep by speaking about it to others; and by listening to the remarks [about it] from others you make it deeper still. So you only make deep the impressions in your mind if you speak ill of others.

We never criticize, we don't see fault in others. And having seen it we don't bring it on our speech, we don't speak it out. If you have committed a sin, and unfortunately if we have seen it and unfortunately the impression has gone in our mind, we don't make that impression deep by talking about it.

Try to do all good that you can. Put all your energy into doing good, but don't put your energy into criticizing the bad of someone. It's a waste of energy. Now when you are meditating, you are bringing that stable status of bliss consciousness in your mind. That is supplementing the state of the mind. At this state, if you keep on bringing in bad things, talking ill of others, and thinking of sin done by others, then you are neutralizing the power you are gaining from the Absolute.

When at leisure you sit with your friends, talk good of others, just talk good of others and don't take interest in listening and talking about something bad done by somebody. It's a very bad habit.

Nothing is more elevating than bringing the mind to the absolute Being; and nothing is more damaging than talking about something bad or reflecting on something sinful. Nothing is more damaging than this. Getting to the Transcendent is a direct way to heaven; and speaking ill of someone or thinking bad of someone or reflecting on the sin done by someone is a direct way to hell. One can commit no greater crime than talking ill [of someone] or thinking of something [bad] done by someone.

Save yourself from your mind going to the bad things. Do good to the extent you can do, but don't think of the bad done by others."

MAHARISHI: "Save yourself from your mind going to the bad things. Do good to the extent you can do, but don't think of the bad done by others.

QUESTION: "Suppose one is a scientist and finds during a scientific research that someone has made a mistake. Should one not clarify this and point out this mistake?"

MAHARISHI: "This is not thinking of sin done by someone. And there also, the best thing would be to spend 99% of our energy in bringing out the real, [correct] thing and 1% in showing the errors of the other.

We started the Spiritual Regeneration Movement, and if we want we can spend all of our time and years together criticizing what others have been doing, not doing the right thing and all. There will be no end to criticizing, but thereby our right thing will not be established. So what we are doing is spending 99% of our energy in establishing the right thing and sometimes here and there bringing out that this has been wrong.

Again, the responsibility is more unto those who are more evolved. Now we are all on the path of very swift, quick, high evolution and therefore we have to be extremely cautious in what we think and what we speak. Don't bring bad things, sinful things, wrong things done by others to your mind and don't let that mind be spoiled which is being infused with God Consciousness through Transcendental Meditation."

~Hochgurgl, Austria (Audiotape) -- July 1962

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Maharishi: The evolutionary trend of life should not include the element of aging

"The evolutionary trend of life should not include the element of aging, but aging enters into it unlawfully, illegally. Evolution is certainly a process of change, but change does not have to impede life, because change is structured in non-change. It is the non-change that appears as change, and non-change is just immortal. Therefore the son of the immortality does not have to be mortal.

The cause of the immortal becoming mortal is simply loss of memory (Smṛiti). It is simple loss of awareness, which is not natural. It is an abnormality which is restored by the strokes of pure knowledge. In the ultimate analysis this restoration is purely on the level of awareness, since in the ultimate analysis ignorance is purely on the level of awareness. Towards the end of the Bhagavad-Gita this theme is expressed when Arjuna admits to Krishna: 'I have regained memory.' That is why enlightenment is just a matter of conscious awakening."

~Maharishi

~Seelisberg, Switzerland -- January 19-20, 1980

~Science, Consciousness and Aging -- Proceedings of the International Conference -- Achievements in the Direction of Immortality -- 19-20 January 1980 (p. 18)

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“Vedic performances create activity through Vedic sounds, which are the sounds of the Transcendental field of self-referral consciousness, the unbounded, eternal basis of all creation.

“All activity in creation emerges from that. The Vedic performances, being performed from the most basic field of intelligence, influence all levels of intelligence in creation.” —Maharishi

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Maharishi: Truth is always relative

MAHARISHI: "...And this example of the mountain in the room -- as an intelligent conclusion, it's absurd; it's maddening to say there is a mountain in a room, but that is the reality in that [dream] state of consciousness."

VERNON KATZ: "When that state of consciousness is judged by the waking state of consciousness, the waking state judges it as false."

MAHARISHI: "It'll be absolutely false. So also, the cognition of a realized man is absolutely absurd for an unrealized vision. It's absolutely ridiculous. When someone says, 'Oh, I am everywhere', he speaks from his level of awareness. But people will say, 'What? You are here, and you are everywhere? It's absurd.' But one man is speaking from the level of the sap, which is everywhere; he is speaking from the level of Unity. And the other man is speaking from the level of separateness, division. That is his vision and that is his vision. Both are right. (Laughter) Both are right."

VERNON KATZ: "So there's no absolute truth, then."

MAHARISHI: "No. No. Truth is always relative."

VERNON KATZ: "Truth is relative to one's state of ..."

MAHARISHI: "It depends upon one's level of awareness. Truth is 'absolutely' not absolute. Anyway, this is very beautiful; so refreshing, so refreshing."

~Srinagar, Kashmir, India -- Summer 1969

~Conversations with Maharishi, Volume 1 (pp. 251-252) -- Compiled & edited by Dr. Vernon Katz -- 2011

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Maharishi: As we take care of our self, the world will take of itself for us on that level

"All desires will always be on the level of what we deserve. Whatever the level of consciousness, desires will be on that level. So we don't have to worry much about desires. What we have to look into is what we deserve. We don't have to worry for what we have; we have to worry for what we are. And as we are in an evolving context, more and more we will have of everything. More important is what we are.

The world is to us as we are to the world. The world is celestial if we have the eye to see it; the world is different from us if we have that level of consciousness; the world is part and parcel of our own Self at another level of consciousness. So it depends on what we are; it depends on where we are, and then everything is for us on that level. Everything.

So we have to take care of ourself, and then the world will take of itself for us. It's beautiful. We just take care of ourself, and what the world will be to us will be taken care of by the world. What we will be to the world, will be taken care of again by the world if we have well taken care of ourself. Only from small 's' we have to be big 'S' and that is all that is to be done. Self-realization is the key to all glories in life.

Everything is available, only we have to start using it. Everything is there -- infinity is there ready for us to use it. It's there. Better start using it. It's there. Unboundedness of life is there. Start living it." "Everything is available, only we have to start using it. Everything is there -- infinity is there ready for us to use it. It's there. Better start using it. It's there. Unboundedness of life is there. Start living it.

And we have a systematic procedure that is a procedure-less procedure, a pathless path. We want to cognize and accomplish infinity, but that infinity is so close to us; it's permeating every fiber of us, every fabric of us, it's there. It's not that it's so far away beyond everything. That which is beyond everything is contained in everything, sustained in everything. The Self is composed of that. That is the essential constituent of life, so we don't have to go far beyond. We just look within. And there we are in infinite value, in the unboundedness.

That is the home of everything; That is the goal of everything; everything is coming on to That just like the ocean is the home of all the rivers. All prosperity, all knowledge, all power, all glory keeps coming on to the infinity. All the channels of life and living proceed on towards infinity, and that infinity is our own Self.

Therefore, we don't have to run here, there or anywhere. We just be where we are, and then everything will come on to us as rivers naturally come on to the ocean. Only we have to be aware of our ....oceanhood, if it's a right word. We are an ocean, only we have to be aware of that ocean-like unboundedness. That is all that is necessary.

Be and [since] all the beings have their existence from It, in It, and all are proceeding onto It what we find is that all the enumerable channels of life keep creeping onto us, and we are then the well-wisher, the supporter of everything, and everything supports us. It's a mutual give-and-take. So why not take care of ourself and then everything will be taken care of in a very, very nice way? This is our message which we want to whisper to every man everywhere, 'Now, come on, take care of yourself and everything will be glowing.'

If the bulb does not take care of the light within itself, it cannot emit light. If the Self cannot take care of the unbounded possibility within itself, it can't radiate that infinite, that unbounded glory of life, that grace of God. No, it can't. Everything will radiate what it is, that's all. And therefore, it is very, very vital that every meditator is aware of this fact that as he takes care of his own Self more and more, all the streams of growth, progress, achievement and fulfillment will rush on to him just as all the rivers rush on to the ocean and bring everything from every side at his feet.

This is the gospel of Being. We just be; we have only to be."

~Maharishi

~"Experiencing the Source of Creation through the Transcendental Meditation Program" (Videotape)~

​~Humboldt State University, Arcata, Califorinia, USA -- August 7,1970

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Maharishi: We are bound by the non-awareness of the Unbounded not by material possessions

QUESTION: "I understand that in the third state of consciousness [waking] we are bound by the effects of our actions and our material possessions. My question is: do material possessions, material ownership, wealth, inhibit our...."

MAHARISHI: "Let me remark at this point, at this stage of your question. We are not bound by material possessions EVER. We are bound by the non-awareness of the Unbounded. As long as we are not aware of the Unbounded, we are bound by EVERYTHING.

We are not bound by our material possessions. Material possessions don't bind us. What they do is liberate us from the pangs of unfulfilled desires. Our desire is to get this and this and this, and then if we don't get, we feel miserable. Whatever we have, that is a solace to us in that misery. Material possessions are not a means of bondage. If anything they are a source of solace in our weakness. They do not bind us. If anything, they are a source of solace, contentment, happiness, joy, peace.

Possessions will always be a means of joyfulness. It is the non-possessions that bind us in the craving to get them. Do you see the point? It is something that we don't possess, that non-possession binds us in the craving to possess it. Possessions are not a bondage. They are a means of joy, happiness.

What is bondage? Lack of awareness of the Unbounded. That means: ignorance, ignorance of our unbounded nature, ignorance that the Self within is unbounded, eternal, infinite, absolute, bliss. Lack of knowledge about this is ignorance, and this ignorance is a bondage to us. Material possessions are never a bondage. They are a means of happiness."

~"Growth of Consciousness" (Videotape) -- August 1970

~Humboldt State University, Arcata, USA

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Maharishi: The individual is a wave of the infinite value of life/Infinity is its own container

QUESTION: "If every man's own essential nature is the unbounded Absolute and therefore the same for all men, what is the basis of our individuality that makes us all unique?"

MAHARISHI: "A wave of the ocean. The basis of a wave is the desire of the ocean to play. That's the basis of individuality. And the play must be in the midst of many. So the ocean swells itself this way and that way, and then waves are created. The individual is just a wave of the infinite value of life, and that is why whatever is the content of infinity is the content of the individuality. And the content of infinity is: unmanifest, unbounded, absolute, immortality, stability, immovability, infinite harmony. This is the content of individuality just like whatever is the content of the ocean, water, same is the content of its waves."

QUESTION: "What's the container?"

MAHARISHI: "The container is again the same. Infinity is its own container. It is its own container. And that we know directly from personal experience in UC [Unity Consciousness]. It's contained in itself.

Even TC [Transcendental Consciousness] gives us the glimpse of this reality. Now when we transcend the mantra, in what is contained that liveliness, that unboundedness? We analyze our experience of transcendence. In what That is contained? We don't see anything else other than That in that area. And therefore we frame an expression: That is contained within Itself; It has no other container other than Itself.

Not even waiting for UC to realize this value, even in TC we know that this unbounded awareness is contained within Itself. It is its own container; It is its own content. The container also is infinity, content also is infinity, experiencer also is infinity, the object of experience also is infinity, there is nothing but That, and That I am."

~Humboldt State University, Arcata, USA -- August 1970 (Audiotape)

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Maharishi: Why was the universe created?/Why does one have to become many?

COURSE PARTICIPANT: "Many thinkers and advanced yogis believe that you can always explain the 'how' of creation but never the 'why' of creation, that is, why the universe was created. If a man reaches supreme knowledge which is the seventh state [of consciousness], would he know why the universe was created?"

MAHARISHI: "The 'why' of creation is hidden beneath the 'how' of it. Once we know the creation is a display of cause and effect, and that effect serves as a cause for further effect, [then] it's a display of cause and effect and cause and effect and this is how manifestation evolves and evolves. In this how of creation the why is found. Why creation? To evolve. How creation? From cause to effect, from cause to effect. So in the answer of how of creation, the answer of why of creation is found.

The purpose of creation is expansion of happiness, expansion of life, expansion. Expansion of happiness is the purpose of creation. And how? From more latent states to more expressed states, from finer particles to the nucleus, and from there the electron, and then the atom, and then the molecule and then the muscular level --the whole creation in sequence of evolution from finer to grosser.

From grosser to finer we experience in TM. So from this way to that way, from that way to this way. And this is natural, nature. The Absolute evolves to the relative; the relative evolves to the Absolute and in both ways life flows because it is meant to be that way. This is the nature of life."

COURSE PARTICIPANT: "Perhaps I'm asking ultimate questions and you don't have too much time, but why does the one have to become the many in the unmanifested state?"

MAHARISHI: "Because there is no fun in loneliness."

COURSE PARTICIPANT: "I think you've answered my question."

MAHARISHI: (Laughter) "The Almighty can't possibly remain lonely all the time. And in His almighty-ness, He remains lonely even in the midst of the many. He is the one, and He is the many; and many in one and one in the many and that is the Almighty nature. The whole thing is natural, nature, nature of the Almighty."

~Humboldt State University, Arcata, USA -- August 1970 (Audiotape)

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Maharishi: The habit of surviving without breath/prana during TM eliminates suffering at death

MAHARISHI: "Death is a great, great joy [much laughter from course participants] -- very great joy, same joy manyfold when we transcend. There are some similarities of breath ceasing to be.

Now many times in our morning and evening meditation breath ceases to be. It ceases to be or slows down to a great extent. The system is used to that phenomenon of ceasing of breath -- it's used to it. Therefore, when the breath begins to cease to be [in death] it's no pain but that exaltation of pure consciousness -- great exaltation.

Being vibrates when the death comes, and that is how the yogis die -- absolute, great bliss, vibrant Being in that ultimate level of prana* ceasing to be. Nothing but vibrant Being, and then that's it, because the Being was vibrant through their activity, and now the machinery is coming to silence forever. Just as when the oil in a lamp is finished and it is to extinguish, it blows up once and then it goes out. When the system is ultimately coming to a stop of speaking, then [there is] that vibrant Being. Through all his activity Being was vibrating, and now the vibration of Being is coming to an end. So the last experience [of the yogi] is that of great vibrant state of Being before actually coming to that flat level of eternal Being. It's completely opposite to the death of an ordinary man whose system is not used to coming to silence. It's a very great thing.

COURSE PARTICIPANT: "Maharishi, what is the experience of death like for a man whose nervous system is very pure but not quite yet enlightened?"

MAHARISHI: "If full, absolute Being is not yet a habit, if living full Being is not yet a habit, then living individuality is all that is there. So he has to go from here and again go and take another birth and then start on that level. But even in that case the phenomenon of death is the same: the system is stopping to function."

COURSE PARTICIPANT: "The degree of suffering must be moderated by the person having meditated...."

​ MAHARISHI: "During the lifetime the nervous system is habituated to come to a stop: prana comes to a stop, mind comes to a stop, senses come to a stop, all comes to a stop in Being. This is during the practice of Transcendental Meditation: everything comes to a stop. That also is a phenomenon similar to this thing coming to a stop [in death]. ​

​Individuality of the prana coming to an end, this has been the natural habit morning and evening [in TM]. It has been a natural habit morning and evening that the prana should come to an end, the individual mind should come to an end. Because of this habit of transcending the phenomenon of death takes that pattern and then one glides off."

COURSE PARTICIPANT: "So it can be thoroughly enjoyed."

MAHARISHI: "Enjoyable, enjoyable. Death is an enjoyable phenomenon [for the meditator], absolutely opposite to the phenomenon of suffering in the ordinary case where the body is not accustomed to be without prana. Those who don't practice TM, their body is not accustomed to be or to survive without prana. In our case the body survives without prana [during TM] -- even if it survives [only] for a few moments but that period is there -- the survival of the body, the continuity of the survival without prana. So this habit is quite good enough to eliminate any suffering [at the time of death]."

~Rishikesh, India -- February 1969 (Audiotape)

*"Prana, the breath" ~Maharishi -- Rishikesh, India -- February 1968 (Audiotape)

*"Prana is the expression of manifesting Being. It is the tendency of the unmanifested to manifest." ~Maharishi -- Science of Being and Art of Living (p. 35)

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Maharishi: How past karma is effected by this meditation of transcendental value

"Regarding meditation, it is said in the Upaniṣhads that even if there is a mountain of karma extending for miles, it will be burnt away by this meditation which is of transcendental value, which takes the mind to the transcendent. This is the great purifier."*

~Maharishi

~Hochgurgl, Austria -- July 1962~

~Thirty Years Around the World/Dawn of the Age of Enlightenment (p.431) -- 1986

*"Truly there is in this world nothing so purifying as knowledge; he who is perfected in Yoga, of himself in time finds this within himself."

~On the Bhagavad-Gita, Maharishi's translation of Ch 4,vs.38 (p. 311)

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Maharishi: Only we can create Utopia

"This is one process on the basis of which all levels of life, our own individual life and all levels of creation, find enrichment just like that thing watering the root, freshening the sap, and enlivening all expressions of the sap, all the leaves, flowers, branches, fruits. [It's] one operation in order to enliven all that WE are physiologically, sociologically, intellectually and also on the level of Being -- all these are the different levels of our own individual existence -- and all our concerns: the society, nation, world, the universe. It's a huge enlivenment of natural law all over.

This is what gave that name a few years ago to the experts in this performance of the Sidhi sutras: Governor of the Age of Enlightenment. He has the technique to govern the universe. He knows how to function in a self-referral way, enrich all levels of creation. This is governing capability, and what he governs is: the whole range of time and space. That is the first thing that he governs.

He functions from the transcendental level where there is no space and time, and therefore, the first thing he nourishes is: the basic value of space and time. And from that basic value of space and time being nourished from the transcendental value, the whole space-time geometry, the whole universe, [the whole] manifest creation gets nourished. This is the Governor of the Age of Enlightenment.

What we require is: one group of seven thousand on a permanent basis.

We have such a beautiful gift for the world, such a priceless gift for the world, and only we know that we have it.....some of our friends also know here and there. Therefore, only WE can create Utopia."

~Maharishi~

~"Maharishi Discusses Experiences at the Taste of Utopia" (Videotape)~

~Fairfield, Iowa, USA -- December 30, 1983

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Maharishi: The revival of knowledge comes when both the purity & the impurity in the atmosphere are acute

MAHARISHI: "....The absolute value of knowledge, existence and intelligence is non-changing, and because it's non-changing it's possible for its expressions to be more clear sometimes and be less clear at other times."

QUESTION: "Is that due to the purity of the atmosphere?"

MAHARISHI: "Purity of the atmosphere and impurity of the atmosphere both at the same time. Impurity of the atmosphere necessitates the expression of knowledge. The necessity of revival comes when there is quite a lot of good and quite a lot of nuisance. The good wants to expand, from the side of the good it wants to expand; from the side of the nuisance it wants to have relief. When both are of acute nature, rather acute, then this path of knowledge gets created from the acuteness of these two values: positivity and negativity, a lot good and a lot of bad, great virtues and great sin. It must be of a top value.

Modern times have quite a lot [of both]. Such great comfort. You sit without moving, and you travel five hundred miles an hour. Such great comfort, such huge speed, and you don't feel anything. Such increase of comfort on one side, and on the other the danger of annihilation of the entire planet at any moment due to hydrogen bombs.

Both are at a very great pitch [intensity], and then the revival of knowledge comes. And it does both things: it annihilates the negative powers, and it supports and allows quick growth of the virtuous field of life. Virtues grow, and non-virtues disappear. Revival does both things because it is born of both together. It is born of the influence of both, and therefore it brings blessings to both. Virtues grow and non-virtues disappear. Revival does that thing.

It's a very beautiful time in the whole history of the human race; it's a very, very beautiful time when the knowledge of the Absolute -- so simple, so natural, so fascinating -- [is revived.] It's so complete seen from every side, so complete, so practical and so natural."

~Arosa, Switzerland -- 1974 (Audiotape)

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The Future of the TM Movement (8MAR2006 press conference)

Mr. Jones: ‘I do not know precisely what age you are, but clearly you will not live forever, like any of us. What will happen to the TM Movement when you pass on? Do you have successors in mind? Do you need a successor to be a figurehead of the Movement or how will it work?’

Maharishi: ‘It does not work on the individual level; it works on a cosmic level, which is expressed in the individual. A body is to pass on, but Transcendental Meditation is not my creation. Transcendental Meditation has been throughout the ages since time immemorial. The unmanifest, self-referral, Unified Field is Transcendental Meditation.

People forget about it; someone comes to say it is there with you. He passes away. This passing away is not of any importance. We do not give importance to the individual. We give importance to the transcendental reality, which transcends the individual and establishes the universal, eternal oneness of Being. ‘A man speaks on it in these years, and another man speaks on this in that year. So it is not the individual; it is the same reality that is eternal. It is being spoken by those who like to enjoy speaking about it.

I am not thinking of my life or death or this. I am thinking that Transcendental Meditation has now very properly come to bless nations as a whole, to bless the unified value of all nations at a time when all the people of the world—all your intelligent people I mean—are hankering to find a solution. This gives a solution to them. ‘When all these organisations, like the United Nations and all the governments of each country who like to do maximum for their people, find their fulfilment in this programme, the whole world will rise to a Divine level rather than being exposed to the human level. The human level is a very unsatisfactory level.’

Source of Maharishi’s Energy (8MAR2006 press conference)

Mr. Jones: ‘Thank you very much. One more question: Where do you get your tremendous energy? I understand that you only sleep about two hours a day.’

Maharishi: ‘Nobody knows what even those two hours are like. Nobody knows if I am sleeping even those two hours. People make their stories, but these are not significant in my case, because I am not living in terms of how much I sleep, and how much I eat, and how much I wake up and all. This is not my life. My life is that level where unmanifest prevails through all differences in manifestations. ‘It is like the life of everyone: how much one sleeps, and how much one wakes, and how much one eats, and what one eats, whether one eats sweet more, or pungent more, or salt more—what does it mean? It is a waste of life, waste of time.’

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The mind that is familiar with the field of Being virtually becomes the basis of all the laws of nature

"The mind that is familiar with the field of Being virtually becomes the basis of all the laws of nature because all the laws of nature are functioning on the level of Being, and Being is omnipresent. Being is everywhere only it is in the transcendental area. It's not obvious. All the laws of nature are functioning from that level of Being.

The mind which is in tune with Being forms the basis of all the laws of nature, and, therefore, all the laws of nature obey the commandment or the desire of such a mind. The impulse of such a highly cultured mind in tune with Being is respected by all the laws of nature. That is how the whole of nature, almighty Nature, sympathizes and supports and upholds the desire of the mind in tune with Being. This is the technique to win the sympathy and support of nature."

~Maharishi

~Audiotape -- Date and location unknown

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Maharishi: The cosmic purpose is fulfilled when cosmic intelligence finds itself being lived in the individual

"The highest dignity of cosmic purpose is to raise the individuality to that unboundedness of life. That is the play of cosmic life. The individuality starts from the unmanifest, and it rises and rises and rises and reaches the value of the unmanifest -- seed from the tree and tree from the seed, seed from the tree and tree from the seed. The cycles continue, and this is all the play of cosmic life -- manifest and unmanifest, manifest and unmanifest.

The entire purpose of the cosmic intelligence in the individual is that the individual gains that ability whereby spontaneously his life keeps on evolving at the fastest rate so that as soon as possible he lives that infinite value of life, he lives that cosmic intelligence in himself. When the cosmic intelligence finds itself being lived in the individual status, then it's the fulfillment of the cosmic intelligence, it's the fulfillment of the cosmic purpose.

The fulfillment of the cosmic purpose lies in elevating individuals so that the cosmic intelligence can become a living reality here, there and everywhere. In this ability is the expression of the Almighty. In this display of evolution is the glory and grandeur of the Almighty's creation and the Almighty's wish that every individual rises to a value where the cosmic intelligence, the wish of God is lived in every breath of the individual, every individual lives that cosmic life. Because man's nervous system has that ability, [because] the individuality of man has that ability, that's why it is said 'man is created in the image of God'. And that image must be lived."

~Maharishi

~Humboldt State University, Arcata, USA -- August 1970 -- Audiotape

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Maharishi: Do you think your offer to governments may be too extreme to be taken seriously?

QUESTION: "I find it interesting that at a time when the world is at its most precarious state, Maharishi is announcing his offer to not just stop war but to actually create a world without any problems. With all respect for what Maharishi is doing in the world, is Maharishi concerned that his offer may be too much, too extreme for existing governments to take seriously given their current problems?"

MAHARISHI: "I'll say a hundred times 'yes' to you. What I am offering is above the head of the present understanding. When so much suffering and so many wrong things are there, then I suddenly begin say this, it's like in the darkness of midnight I begin to say, 'What a beautiful sunshine in the morning dawn.' It is above the head of the people, and that is why we have to keep on saying, and keep on saying, and keep on saying.

Because we are saying something neat and nice and pure and pious, it will make a dent in society. There's no doubt about it. Gradually, gradually it will sink in, and that I know from my own experience. I was one single man in the world to say, 'Now, let's have twenty minutes morning and evening. Close your eyes.' How many kinds of logic I had to face in the world, but I knew that what I was saying was right. Then gradually, gradually over these forty, fifty years and now I have come to a level where nations could be captured, nations could be influenced, and nations could be raised without problems.

God's Will will always prevail even if it takes time, but time has already been taken. Forty, fifty years is quite a long time for one thing to be accepted in society [Laughter], but it has been accepted and with a little more [time] we will have the whole world.

It is true as you say that it is above the head of everyone, because when everyone is suffering, how can one say suffering can be eliminated? So much pitch dark in the night, who will believe it if someone says, 'Now the dawn is coming, the sunshine will come and there'll be light.' It all seems to be a gossip of goodwill, but it's going to be true in this scientific age.

What is in favor of establishing this is human nature. What is human nature? Even though suffering, one wants to get out of suffering. No one wants to suffer. For life to be in bliss is a natural direction of life, natural evolution of life. This is our strength. What we are saying is natural, simple, in accordance with the nature of life. That is our strength. That's why we keep on saying, saying, saying, and we don't get tired saying the same thing over and over again. [Laughter]

It's delightful to talk about the light even in the darkness."

~Global Press Conference -- MERU, Vlodrop, Holland -- February 5, 2003

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Maharishi: The free will of man and the free will of angels is influenced by their environment

"Freedom of action. This freedom of action in man is also due to the value of the atmosphere [environment] about man.

The atmosphere about angels is so pretty that even though they have principally, and practically also, greater ability of performance and action [than man], their free will is hampered by the great prettiness of the atmosphere.

Here in man, the atmosphere is just enough to keep him hoping for more. [Laughter] If it were that the man were to become a little bit self-sufficient, then he would not be able to use this free will which he has from birth. So the atmosphere of man which is of a non-fulfilling nature, adds to the strength of his free will. It's a beautiful point. And this is what we can incorporate in the consideration of the value of the atmosphere on action and actor.

It's a very beautiful point that even the free will is influenced by the atmosphere. The free will of man is influenced [strengthened] by the non-fulfilling atmosphere in the human species; and the greater free will in the life of the angels is hampered by the much more valuable and more fulfilling atmosphere, environment of the angelic world. Beautiful point."

~Maharishi

~Rishikesh, India -- 1969 -- Audiotape

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