In his 1963 book “The Science of Existence and the Art of Living”, His Holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogi states that through the practice of Transcendental Meditation (TM) techniques, over time, the conscious mind becomes familiar with the deeper levels of the mind and the subconscious mind becomes familiar with it naturally.
He said he would bring it within his capabilities. It leads to conscious mind upliftment, leading to expanded awareness in everyday activities. He also teaches that a practitioner of TM transcends all mental activity and experiences pure silence, pure consciousness, or a transcendent being, the source of thought, which is said to be the ultimate reality of life.
According to Maharishi, there are seven levels of consciousness. Waking, Dreaming, Sleeping, Transcendental Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, God Consciousness and Unity Consciousness.
TM allows the practitioner to move beyond the thinking mind into a field of pure awareness or pure consciousness. This is the 4th state of consciousness and is experienced as a deep inner silence or stillness. This is the experience of one’s own true nature, one’s own self. From this place of restful alertness, the meditator experiences a profound refreshment of energy, creativity, and intelligence.
As a person continues to practice transcendental meditation regularly, they may spontaneously begin to experience deeper levels of awareness or higher states of consciousness. This includes the experience of cosmic consciousness, the 5th state of consciousness.
In this state, one not only experiences the transcendent aspect of consciousness but also feels a connection to the entire cosmos. The boundaries between the individual self and the universal self becomes less distinct.
With further practice, one may experience God-consciousness, the 6th state of consciousness. This level is characterized by a deep sense of unity and oneness with the divine. There is a profound experience of the divine presence in everything. The heart is filled with love and devotion to God.
Finally, unity consciousness, 7th state of consciousness, the complete identification with the unified field of all laws of nature is the highest state of human development possible. In this state, the individual experiences a complete merging with the absolute, where there is no distinction between the self and the ultimate reality. It is a state of supreme bliss and unity.