Body, mind and soul: lessons on the Meaning of Life

The individual has three parts: body mind and soul. All three need to be fully awake and working in harmony for the meaning of life to be fully appreciated.

Lessons on the meaning of life; ID 72221922 © cartoonresource| Adobe.com

The experience of silence

Buddha statue with flowers and candles; ID 621117427 © bluebeat76 | Adobe.com

Everyone experiences the activity of the day yet many miss the peaceful experience of inner silent wakefulness. The experience of both activity and silence is required if we are to make progress towards enlightenment, a state in which the meaning of life has reached its peak.

The experience of silence is found when our mind is completely settled yet wide awake. At this time it is not focused on anything in particular. Maharishi called it a "self-referral" state of consciousness.

This experience of deep silence cannot be forced because applying force requires an active and focused mind. Silent wakefulness appears naturally in the mind when the conditions are right.

Alternating your attention in a natural and comfortable way between inner peaceful silence and outer daily activity will clarify your mind, create flexibility and provide a stable basis for further growth.

In this way your own appreciation of the meaning of life expands.

Creating the right conditions

To begin your exploration of the meaning of life in the deep silence of transcendental consciousness you will need to create the right conditions. 

It might help if you can sit comfortably in a quiet room. But you also need to know how to "transcend". That means how to dive inwards towards the deepest level of the conscious mind.

For that, you need a competent teacher. 

Maharishi trained a large number of teachers who, between them, cover most countries in the world Find your teacher here. 

A good teacher will show you how to dive within your mind to the source of thought. Transcending all thought, you will experience a state of peaceful inner silence before naturally returning to the world of thoughts and activity.

Your teacher will also show you how to build that peaceful and uplifting experience into your life as part of your daily routine. They will help you as your journey towards the full meaning of life continues.

Integration of life - a conundrum?

It's a puzzle! ID 90066941© studiostoks| Adobe.com

The two poles of human experience, silence in the mind and dynamic activity in the busy world, appear to be opposed to each other. Common sense says that you cannot experience silence and activity at the same time.  Either your mind is silent or it is active. Either you are meditating or you are busy

The conundrum is that Enlightenment requires the integration of the two opposite poles of experience into a single whole. How do we do that? How to come to a state of life where both dynamism and silence are experienced at the same time, the one completely integrated with the other?

The Ocean and the Waves

Waves on the ocean surface are supported by the silent depths; ID 143346304 © Karla| Adobe.com

Maharishi used the analogy of the Ocean and the Waves to address this puzzle.

In the analogy, the mind is likened to an Ocean. On the surface are found the mighty waves of dynamic activity while in the depths are found the silent waters of the deep.

The two extremes are held apart by successive layers of water, each with their own dynamic character. More silent below, more dynamic above. These layers keep silence and dynamism in their respective domains, whilst maintaining the integrity of the ocean. The silent waters of the deep create a stable basis for the mighty waves above.

Like this, the conscious mind is also structured in layers. The dive within the mind goes from active surface layers through the subtle inner layers to silence at the source of thought. The flow back out goes the other way, from the silent source of thought inside, through the subtle layers of the mind and back to the world of dynamic activity in the world outside.

Silence and dynamism are integrated in the ocean through its depth. The same can be said about the mind. In this mental integration, the whole depth of the mind becomes awake and available to support mighty waves of powerful, dynamic activity.

This makes the achievement of goals a natural and satisfying experience. 

Integration of the inner and outer aspects of life develops as the mind is purified through regular practice of deep meditation.  In this way, the full scope of the mind - from silence to dynamism - becomes open to view. This is called "increasing the conscious capacity of the mind".

This purification process brings wholeness of awareness, success in activity and full enjoyment of the meaning of life.