'A state of great quiet and deep satisfaction' - St. Teresa of Avila
by Craig Pearson, PhD

www.TM.org/blog    Translate This Article
9 July 2011

The Excellence in Action page of Global Good News is featuring this article with colourful photos.

Please click on the following link to read more about ''A state of great quiet and deep satisfaction''—St. Teresa.

The article is another in a series of brilliant essays by Craig Pearson, PhD,* about great historical figures in world culture whose thinking, speech, actions, and written works have expressed a deep familiarity—based on direct experience—with the transcendental field of life. This one is about St Teresa of Avila, who was born in 16th-century Spain and is considered one of the greatest women of the Roman Catholic church.

As in articles on Helen Keller, Henry David Thoreau, Walt Whitman, and Alfred, Lord Tennyson, Dr Pearson analyzes beautiful passages from St Teresa's writings, articulating the details of experiences she describes in terms of the knowledge and experience of transcendental consciousness—the fourth major state of consciousness, beyond waking, dreaming, and sleeping—brought to light from the ancient Vedic tradition by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi.

Experiences she describes—such as: 'There sometimes springs an interior peace and quietude which is full of happiness, for the soul is in such a state that it thinks there is nothing that it lacks'—'remind us of the fourth state of consciousness, Transcendental Consciousness, that comes with Transcendental Meditation practice,' Dr Pearson comments. 'Mental activity settles inward, moving beyond perceptions, thoughts, and feelings. We experience an inner quiescence. The mind [remains] awake and alert, the ocean of consciousness now aware only of itself, of its own unbounded nature.'

He goes on to say that 'the practical benefits of this inward settling of the mind are almost beyond description. As hundreds of research studies on the Transcendental Meditation technique have made clear, regular experience of this fourth state of consciousness integrates brain functioning, reduces stress, improves health, increases creativity and intelligence, develops one's personality, promotes fulfilling personal relationships—even improves the quality of life for others, whether they meditate or not.'

Enjoy the complete essay on the Excellence in Action page.

* Dr Pearson is Executive Vice-President of Maharishi University of Management in Fairfield, Iowa, USA. He has served the University for 33 years, also as Dean of Faculty, Dean of Students, Director of Maharishi University of Management Press, Director of Freshman Composition, and Professor of Professional Writing. He holds a PhD in Maharishi Vedic Science from MUM and is the author of books on the development of full human potential, including The Complete Book of Yogic Flying.

© Copyright 2011 Maharishi Foundation USA

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