In August 1972 in Humboldt, California, TM Founder Maharishi Mahesh Yogi explained the role of activity in developing Cosmic Consciousness. The alternation of deep rest during meditation with activity during the day stabilizes the pure consciousness experienced during the Transcendental Meditation technique. Over time, this unbounded awareness becomes a permanent experience, even when we are engaged in the boundaries of dynamic activity.

Question: Just how does activity develop Cosmic Consciousness, or CC?

Maharishi: Cosmic Consciousness. Two things there are: meditation and action, meditation and action. What is the role of action? When it is very easy to see the role of meditation to bring pure consciousness, to bring the experience of pure consciousness, what is the role of action in developing CC?

Fading the Cloth So the Color Is Fast

This will be clear by an example of a white cloth and yellow color. We dip the cloth in color and put it to the sun to fade away. And if the sun is bright, quickly it fades away, and gives us a chance to dip it again very quickly, and put it back to the sun, and the color fades away. And if the sun is bright, quickly it gives us a chance to dip it again.

These two contrary processes of contact with the color and contact with the sun—contact with the sun takes away the color. So coloring and fading, coloring and fading, these are opposed processes, two opposite processes. But both have to be, one after the other, in order to color the cloth fast. A time will come when the color will not fade away, whatever the brightness of the sun.

Every time we dip in the color, put to the sun, the color fades away. But every time, a little more remains, and whatever remains after fading is fast. And every dip and every exposure to the sun allows a little more depth of the color, a little more steadfastness of the color.

Every dip and every exposure to the sun allows a little more depth of the color, a little more steadfastness of the color.

And in this, what we find is that the cloth has been colored fast by two opposite processes: exposure to color, exposure to sun. And therefore we can sing the glory of exposure to sun for making the color fast.

Meditation and Activity, Unboundedness and Boundaries

But it must be exposed only after dipping in the color. It’s very important. When we sing the glory of exposure to the color for making the cloth fast, yellow, then we must be careful that every exposure is only after dipping it. Otherwise, without dipping, only exposure to the sun, what is going to happen? Nothing.

Meditation and activity, meditation and activity. In meditation, the mind gains that pure awareness. It has gained that. The mind has been colored in that color of the infinite value and then comes into the activity. It becomes localized.

Expansion of the mind to become infinite, unbounded value, and localization of the mind to become this individual value, in perception, in the waking state. When we come out of meditation, we start to see and hear, all these five senses. That means the awareness becomes localized, channeled, in one localized aspect.

This localization in boundaries and unboundedness, alternating, like coloring the mind and exposure to the sun. Exposure to the sun takes away the color. Exposure to activity takes away that unbounded expansion, because now the mind is exposed to boundaries: Unbounded in transcendent through meditation; boundaries through activity. Unbounded, bound, unbounded, bound.

Boundaries are opposed to that unboundedness. But without coming to the boundaries, there is no way for the unbounded to creep and uphold the boundaries. If we want that the unbounded should come along with the boundaries, then the only way is to expose our awareness to the unbounded, expose our awareness to the boundaries. Exposure to unboundedness, exposure to boundaries. This is the only way that the two, unbounded and boundaries, begin to be lived simultaneously.

If we want that the unbounded should come along with the boundaries, then the only way is to expose our awareness to the unbounded, expose our awareness to the boundaries.

Then the unbounded supports the boundaries, and the boundaries are not able to eradicate the value of the unbounded, which in the beginning they used to do.

Grounding Infinity in Every Activity

The sun, after the first dive, eradicated the color almost completely, almost completely. But later on? Less and less eradication. The color remains more and more and more and more. At one time, the color remains so much that it will never fade.

Just this, meditation and action: Meditation is a process of minimizing activity. Coming out of meditation is a process of increasing activity. We minimize activity and increase activity, and minimize activity and increase activity. The life goes round and round and round and round. And in this rounding, the infinite gets rounded.

Meditation and action, meditation and action. This gets the infinity grounded in every activity. That is why, when we emphasize the value of meditation, we do not fail to emphasize the value of action after meditation. That’s why we say meditation and action.

Meditation is a procedure for gaining Transcendental Consciousness, and coming out into the action is a procedure for bringing the value of the transcendental, unbounded consciousness into the field of boundaries, of action.

The boundaries dissolve when we get to Transcendental Consciousness. And the unboundedness of Transcendental Consciousness is maintained within the boundaries when we come to actions after meditation.

That is why both are necessary, meditation and action. In this respect, we value our activity. Activity is a means of making permanent the unbounded stage of life. Activity is a means.

Activity is a means of making permanent the unbounded stage of life.

Increasing One’s Territory of Influence through Action Is Evolution

That is the reason why by nature one wants to be active, by nature one wants to be active. No one wants to be passive or inactive, unless unduly influenced by some chemicals. Activity, dynamism, is natural to life.

And then one enjoys one’s activity. There is a joy in being active. There is a joy in being active. One likes to do things, and then one enjoys doing things. This is because by virtue of action, the Self increases its territory of influence. It’s very beautiful.

Action is adorable. Action is liked. One enjoys acting, just because action is a means of increasing the territory of one’s influence.

The Self is hidden behind the scene. It is located in the transcendent. Nobody knows. And then it always has a tendency to come out, and it has come out in the whole creation. But as long as it is there unconsciously, it’s uncomfortable, wants to be on the conscious level. And for that, the action.

Action is the increase of one’s territory of influence. And this increase of one’s territory of influence is development, progress, evolution. And because the whole life is upheld by the force of evolution, and evolution is brought about by action, that is why by nature, one enjoys being active.

Because the whole life is upheld by the force of evolution, and evolution is brought about by action, that is why by nature, one enjoys being active.

Progress Is through Rest and Action

To be active is natural just because the whole individual existence is upheld by that force of evolution. And when we closely analyze and look into the mechanics of evolution, we find this evolution is in two processes. This we discussed the first day: action and rest, and action and rest. Every step of progress is through some action, rest, action, rest. This is what progress means.

Through meditation, rest. And on that basis, more dynamic action. Rest and action, rest and action. This is the natural state of existence in progress. Existence in progress. Existence in evolution. And for that, the procedure is rest and action, rest and action.

This is what a wave brings to us: action, rest, action, rest, action, rest. The wave according to quantum theory is said to be the fundamental of life, fundamental of all physical existence. Fine, but its operation is through this fundamental law of evolution: rest, action, rest, action, rest. This is what a wave is. Action and rest, action and rest.

This is what makes us say: meditation and action. It is nothing but the expression of a close analysis of existence and evolution, a clear understanding of the mechanics of evolution: meditation and action, meditation and action, meditation and action.

Every step of progress is through some action, rest, action, rest. This is what progress means.

Transcendental Meditation for Infinite Rest and Maximum Dynamism

Throughout the ages, meditation has been a part of life. But when this insight into the mechanics of evolution becomes clouded, becomes shadowed, then the word remains in every culture—the meditation word remains—only how to go about it gets clouded, gets distorted. And therefore all kinds of meditation: this and this, contemplating, concentrating, all the prayer, and all kinds of, very much on the surface. But the word remains adhered to every culture: meditation.

Different meanings come about it, when the reality of it gets shadowed. But then, once it is a reality, it can’t remain shadowed for all times. It must come up. The sun must shine, even if temporarily some clouds seem to overshadow it.

So meditation and action: Meditation means this Transcendental Meditation, where the rest comes to be infinite, maximum rest. And on that basis, maximum dynamic activity, and then maximum rest, maximum dynamic activity. This is how the life evolves, and this is a procedure which offers very solid steps of evolution.

In this sense, we support action after meditation. This, just this, these two steps, meditation and action. They come out of this very close analysis of the reality of evolution and how that unbounded can possibly be simultaneously lived in the field of boundaries. It makes us very clear.

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Meditation means this Transcendental Meditation, where the rest comes to be infinite, maximum rest. And on that basis, maximum dynamic activity… this is a procedure which offers very solid steps of evolution.