What more do you think there could be than being always awake to your true Self, and knowing it (i.e., yourself) to be infinite and blissful? Here is a clue: In Cosmic Consciousness, individuals have stabilized Transcendental Consciousness and always experience their true identity as Pure Consciousness. This remains essentially unchanged. “I” have changed (or rather, I have learned my true identity), but the world around, the relative sphere of people, trees, cars, clouds, birds, and everything else, remains the familiar world I’ve always known. In other words, one has gained the ability to perceive and experience the ultimate, Pure Consciousness, in oneself but not anywhere else.

The richness and splendor of the subtler realms of nature and creation are perceived and enjoyed.

There is no lying when it comes to pointing that Spivack’s and Saunders’ evidence demonstrated a healthy correlation between a reduction of violence and Tm; with the studies even showcasing that the effects of non-violence and Tm are further amplified in groups of people.

With the rampant increase of school shooting over the past five years (the most recent being the Michigan School Shooting in Oxford High School), I wonder if it would be possible to integrate Tm in public schools systems: after all, since evidence shows that Tm greatly reduces violent tendencies within one’s self, would Tm be the gateway to healthy, non-destructive academic communities over the world?

Perhaps implementing an anti-violence campaign that endorses Tm would be beneficial in all schools throughout the United States. I plan to present this to my own school to see if the results match up with Spivack’s and Saunders’ evidence.

Authors Barry Spivack and Patricia Saunders, Ph.D., describe how a rise in collective tensions spills over into increased social unrest, crime, violence, accidental deaths, and hospital emergencies. They examine 20 peer-reviewed studies from over four decades, indicating that it is possible to neutralize or reduce stress in collective consciousness through the practice of the TM program by a sufficient number of individuals, an effect that is amplified in groups.

This reduction in collective stress leads to decreases in violent crime and war fatalities, and increases in quality of life and cooperation between nations. Researchers named this phenomenon of rising coherence in the collective consciousness of a community or society the “Maharishi Effect,” after TM Founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who predicted this effect in the 1960s.

The Maharishi Effect was first studied and validated by scientists in 1974, when the number of people participating in the TM program in twelve U.S. cities reached 1 percent of the population, and rising crime rates in those cities began to drop.

The term now includes the influence generated by group practice of the advanced “Tm-Sidhi” program, through which even the square root of 1 percent of a community is sufficient to create measurable changes in social trends. Published research confirms that collective practice of the TM and “Tm-Sidhi” programs by large groups of trained experts neutralizes societal stress.

David Orme-Johnson, Ph.D., one of the principal researchers on the TM program worldwide, commends the book: “This hypothesis has been tested and verified by over 50 studies on the levels of cities, states, nations, and the whole world. Spivack and Saunders carefully review the evidence and alternative explanations for the 20 strongest studies published in peer-reviewed journals. This research has been replicated on a multitude of variables, in many different cultures and countries, showing holistic effects.”

Spivack points out many reasons “why the research provides evidence for the hypothesis that the Transcendental Meditation program reduces conflict and divisions in society and improves economic performance.”

In 20 peer-reviewed studies showing statistically significant results, the TM program is indicated to be an independent variable. Since the numbers of people practicing at any given time vary randomly in these experiments, it is possible to see if there is a repeat effect whenever the predicted threshold is reached, and there is.

Additional evidence that the TM program is an independent variable is that the number of TM practitioners changes before changes in the dependent variables, such as crime rate, war fatalities, or the misery index (a measure of how an average citizen is doing economically).

The studies also show what scientists call a dosage effect: The bigger the group practicing the TM program at any given time, the larger the impact.

Last but not least, the studies controlled for other possible causes for these changes, such as population density, education, and per capita income; the ratio of police to population; weather, holidays, and political events; and demographic factors (e.g., unemployment rates or percentage of population aged 15 to 29).

Quantum physicist John Hagelin, Ph.D., president of Maharishi International University and the Global Union of Scientists for Peace, suggests, in his introduction to the book, “the existing research, while compelling and rigorous, presents a direct challenge to established mainstream sociological paradigms and may be difficult for some to accept. Even more rigorous and repeated testing of the theories presented here is therefore essential to ensure widespread acceptance of this demonstrated sociological phenomenon.”

Dr. Saunders agrees. “We have three aims for the book,” she explains: “We want to inspire scientists to investigate collective consciousness. We also want to inspire them to investigate peer-reviewed research, which suggests that the Transcendental Meditation technique and its advanced programs can influence collective consciousness in a positive direction. And we want to encourage governments to create the Maharishi Effect in their own countries, not only for the sake of their country, but also to establish peace in the world.”

Change-makers Books publisher Tim Ward, who was struck by the book’s thought-provoking premise, gives his reasons for publishing it: “While the evidence gathered in this book is striking, more research needs to be done to prove it true. And that’s why I chose to publish An Antidote to Violence. Too much is at stake to let this possibility slip through our fingers. Just as we must explore every scientific means for beating COVID-19, we must also follow every lead for defeating the virus of violence.”

“These findings are more relevant now than ever before, at a time of pandemic and social unrest,” says Spivack, offering three examples from the studies cited in the book. Each of these experiments consisted of large numbers of people practicing the TM program on their own or in groups for a period of weeks or months, and in some cases years, in societies wrestling with violence:

• on 93 experimental days in Lebanon and Israel, between 1983 and 1985;
• in Cambodia, between 1990 and 2008;
• and in the United States, between 2007 and 2010, compared with the previous four years.

In each case, statistically significant drops in violence occurred during the periods when the numbers practicing the TM and TM-Sidhi programs were above the predicted threshold of the square root of 1 percent of the national population.

As this state of consciousness grows, all the physical senses become refined. Through every channel of perception—sight, sound, smell, taste, touch—we experience the subtlest, most celestial values. Every perception becomes nourishing, a wave of joy. We enjoy greater harmony, evenness, and intimacy in the quality of our vision, our emotions, the whole of our life.

The following passage, reported by an advanced practitioner of the TM technique, describes the experience of increasingly refined perception: “Generally, whenever I put my attention on an object (e.g., when looking at scenery out the window or sitting in the kitchen), I become aware of the subtler qualities of the objects around me. For instance, when looking at a tree, I first become aware of the object as it is—a concrete form bound in space and time. But then I perceive finer aspects of the object coexisting along with its concrete expression.“ On this subtler level, objects are perceived as almost transparent structures of soft, satiny light (unlike harsher, normal daylight) through which the very essence of life appears to flow. This flowing field of life underlies and permeates the objects of perception. Perceiving these finer aspects of creation completely nourishes the finest aspect of my own being.”

Another TM practitioner describes refined perception and a growing intimacy with the surrounding world:“I noticed an ever-increasing evenness, balance, and concrete smoothness developing. The contrast between meditation and activity grew less and less, and my focus on difference began to recede as harmony and smoothness began to predominate…“Often I would have long periods of the day when everything I saw seemed to be glowing with divine radiance. Sometimes I would even be able to see the tremendous energy at the basis of every object, minute particles of energy (light?) moving very rapidly at a different rate and pattern for every object, yet unified somehow in a ‘unified field.’”

What remains to be developed? In Cosmic Consciousness, although consciousness is unbounded, our senses still experience the outer world superficially, much as in the ordinary waking state. The world remains a collection of things, separate from each other and separate from one’s Self. If there is to be further growth, Maharishi points out, it will have to be in our relationship with the world around us.

In the sixth state of consciousness, the senses perceive the subtlest levels of natureCosmic Consciousness provides the platform from where our perceptual machinery becomes profoundly refined. With unbounded awareness now established on the level of the conscious mind, and with the physiology now virtually free of stress, the organs of perception now embark upon a remarkable and spontaneous process of refinement. We gain the ability to perceive finer and finer levels of nature, increasingly subtle strata of creation.In time, perception becomes so exquisitely refined that we can discern nature’s subtlest material structure. In everything around us, we perceive what Maharishi terms the finest relative domain of nature—the most delicate, most refined value of matter, or “relative” existence.

This represents an altogether new state of consciousness, distinctly different from Cosmic Consciousness. Now, unbounded awareness is coupled with perception of the finest relative. Perception now embraces the entire range of relative life, from surface values to the subtlest material level—the full majesty of God’s creation. Maharishi calls this state Refined Cosmic Consciousness or God Consciousness.

What is the nature of this finest relative level of life? Maharishi describes it as vibrant infinity, vibrant Absolute. The essential nature of this finest relative field is light, which Maharishi has described as “the self-illuminant effulgence of life.”

The experience of growing Cosmic Consciousness is natural, normal, and enjoyable. As your nervous system becomes progressively free of stress, you spontaneously express more of your inner potential. You grow in creativity and intelligence, alertness and evenness, happiness and fulfillment.Cosmic Consciousness does not involve some new kind of thought, attitude, or mood. It is a direct and continuing experience of the silent and unbounded field of pure consciousness, which was once hidden by physical and mental stress. It becomes the eternal background of all experience.

Here is how one TM practitioner describes the experience of growing Cosmic Consciousness: “The experience of bliss consciousness has become more clear, intense, and stable not only during Transcendental Meditation but also during activity. Now I find that a soft but strong feeling of blissful evenness is present most of the time in both mind and body. Physically, it is experienced as an extremely delightful liveliness throughout the body.“

This evenness is so deep and stable that it is able to maintain its status even in the face of great activity. Even when faced with great problems, this blissful evenness of mind and body continues. Every day it grows stronger and more stable. The evenness cushions one against all possible disruptions and makes all activity easy and enjoyable. Every place is heaven when you feel that evenness. One is completely self-sufficient. Nothing can prevent one from having that fabulous inner mental and physical blissfulness.”

This blissful inner wakefulness continues during sleeping and dreaming states as well, as this meditator describes:“Often during deep sleep, I am awake inside, in a very peaceful, blissful state. Dreams come and go, thoughts about the dreams come and go, but I remain in a deeply peaceful state, completely separate from the dreams and the thoughts. My body is asleep and inert, breathing goes on regularly and mechanically, and inside I am just aware that I am.”

Cosmic Consciousness brings a transformation of life. The body is now virtually free of stress, consciousness is unbounded, and we are ever anchored in the Self. We enjoy absolute freedom and 24-hour bliss. We live in accord with natural law, with nature supporting our every thought and action.

If the mind can become fully awake for short periods of time, as it does in Transcendental Consciousness, can it remain fully awake permanently? The answer is: it can. And with repeated transcending, it does.

Gradually, with regular experience of Transcendental Consciousness through the TM technique, the mind and body become accustomed to this style of functioning. One spontaneously maintains unbounded awareness, the fully expanded state of mind, at all times, along with waking, dreaming, and sleeping. The physiology becomes free of stress, and brain functioning remains integrated throughout the day.

In Cosmic Consciousness the mind is fully expanded and awake, along with waking, dreaming, and sleep statesWith regular TM practice, Transcendental Consciousness becomes permanent, forming an underlying continuum that coexists with waking, dreaming, and sleeping. These three states continue to come and go as before. But the underlying continuum of pure consciousness is never broken. The experience of inner silence is never lost—the inner light of the Self is never extinguished.This is a fifth state of consciousness, altogether different from waking, dreaming, sleeping, and Transcendental Consciousness.This fifth state Maharishi terms Cosmic Consciousness. Cosmic means all­ inclusive, all­ encompassing. In Cosmic Consciousness, the mind is fully expanded. The ocean of consciousness is awake to its depth.