Transcendence is to go beyond the material world!

Transcendence means that which is beyond the material world. So, material needs can be understood as food, clothing and shelter which pertain to the body; and thinking, feeling ad willing pertain to the mind; discrimination pertains to the intellect; and identity pertains to the ego. But all these are still material in nature. Transcendence refers to the needs of the spirit soul. These needs are the spiritual practices which free the soul from the conditioning of matter and enable it to regain the spiritual world.

Transcending also means experiencing the cessation of a phenomenon (as it fades away) by virtue of realizing its gross nature, and going beyond it. For example, transcending thoughts means going beyond thinking (such as reasoning or logic) by realizing its coarseness (lack of depth), which is all it takes for thinking to fade away and for thoughtfulness to arise. Thinking generally involves a quick and perfunctory application of thought, as we customarily do it during our daily activities. Because of this habit, most of us live a superficial mental life. Thoughtfulness, on the other hand, generally involves a sustained application of thought. It is a focused state of mind, which makes mental activity more enjoyable, as you will soon find out.

If you were to go further and realize the coarse nature of thoughtfulness, you will develop the habit of contemplation, a subtler mental activity than thoughtfulness. As you will soon find out, contemplating is subtler because it is rooted in equanimity, a state of mind that is free of personal views, prejudices, and past conditioning. While reading this book, if you realize that, simply reading it while in bed did not reveal its depth, you might attempt to study it thoughtfully sitting in a chair, which then might lead you to contemplate its contents. In other words, due to transcending, you might be able to apply higher states of mind to experiencing this book and benefit much more from it than you would by abandoning it the moment you were unable to understand a sentence or two.

Similarly, due to transcending sensual pleasures, meaning, realizing their coarse (mundane) nature, you might be able to experience happiness, delight, and joy—experiences that are subtler than sensual pleasures. By transcending further, you might be able to experience rapture, ecstasy, and bliss. Transcending is the way to attain extraordinary and empowered states of mind such as contentment, equanimity, non-attachment, blissfulness, and peacefulness. It is so because the inherent nature of transcendence is to surmount, overcome, and effectively still the consciousness and to facilitate the penetration of subtler and subtler realities.

In daily life, transcending can be practiced as: Graduating from sensual pleasures: To try to graduate from sensual pleasures does not mean to forget sensuality and become a vegetable. Simply make a consistent effort to realize the mundane nature of sensual experiences, such as feasting, entertainment, too much sex, so you can transcend them and experience higher mental states. Neutralizing the mind: To try to neutralize mind does not mean to become inactive and ineffective. Simply make a consistent effort to transcend excess and deficit in order to attain balance and moderation in your daily activities.

Non-reacting to life conditions: To try to non-react to life conditions (life situations and circumstances) does not mean to become insensitive to what occurs in your life. Simply make a consistent effort to transcend liking, disliking, craving, and aversion so you can develop calmness, composure, and equanimity—the sublime qualities that facilitate deeper contemplation and spiritual growth. Letting go of plans, goals, and passions: To try to let go of your plans, goals, and passions does not mean to give up your dreams. Simply make a consistent effort to transcend your attachment to the outcome so you can better focus on the process and accomplish whatever you dream of without stress and striving.

Becoming desireless: To try to become desireless does not mean have no aspirations or wishes. Simply make a consistent effort to transcend self-interest and live a purpose driven life. Going beyond family so you can serve others: To try to go beyond family and serve others does not mean to abandon your family. Simply make a consistent effort to transcend the sense of exclusive responsibility and duty towards your family, which is largely rooted in family attachments, and expand your love. Non-differentiating people or circumstances: To try to non-differentiate people or circumstances does not mean to become indiscriminate. Simply make a consistent effort to transcend preferences, differences, prejudices, and partiality so you can develop the qualities of discernment and wise judgment.

Becoming disinterested in any particular person or thing: To try to become disinterested in any particular person or thing does not mean to become indifferent and apathetic towards someone or something. Simply make a consistent effort to transcend all barriers and cultivate oneness. Renouncing the world: To try to renounce the world does not mean to leave, reject, or abandon it. Simply make a consistent and diligent effort to transcend all worldly attachments so you can abide here and now with a sense of relinquishment and surrender. If you try genuinely, you will mature in transcendence. As you mature in transcendence you are certain to experience a sense of contentment, a sense of renunciation, a sense of blissfulness, a sense of equanimity, a sense of non-attachment, and ultimately peacefulness, in that order of increasing subtlety.

Transcendence is considered one of the highest states of consciousness. It is when we are more focused on things beyond the self (nature, spiritual awakening, service of others etc.) than our own being. When operating in a state of transcendence, simply being and relating are considered an end in themselves, not simply a means to an end. Not many know this, Abraham Maslow formally amended his Hierarchy of needs and replaced Self Actualization with Self-Transcendence at the very top. I’ve always loved the idea that you need to attach yourself to something greater than yourself to full actualize the self.

Transcendence is also a way of describing growth, where one keeps transcending the old ways of seeing life into increasingly larger and more holistic viewpoints. Think of how a child awakens again and again into the adult world and, for the adult, aha! moments when insight brings theretofore disconnected facts together. In a larger sense, however, Transcendence means the actual transition from waking state reality into a fourth state of consciousness (beyond waking, sleeping, and dreaming)—into total silence were there is no thought, no sensory awareness, only pure consciousness itself.

Then, in yet a larger sense, Transcendence is the complete shift of awareness out of the limitations of waking state consciousness into the fifth state, or Cosmic Consciousness, where the mind has both simultaneously—ordinary awakened consciousness along with the presence of the silent state. In yet a larger sense, Transcendence is crossing the line from cosmic consciousness to the refinement of the fifth state, so that perception develops the the point that it can see the celestial level. That is the sixth state, or God Consciousness, what might be described as “I and Thou.”

The final state is the dissolution of the sense of I and Thou into oneness, Unity consciousness. This is where one understands, “I am that, Thou are That, All This is That.” According to Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who gave us this enlightening structure, this is the level at which we don’t have to change our minds any more. There is still growth beyond that, so transcendence continues, but it is a refinement of Unity. In philosophy, there are the American Transcendentalists and other references to it by other philosophers, when in fact, Plato and countless others either discussed it directly (the allegory of the cave is a description of transcendence, of awakening from the lower level to the more real, larger larger levels) or they discussed aspect of it.

The problem with philosophy is that as it is expressed in everyday life, it is less the love of wisdom (Philo Sophia) than it is complication of the mind. Truth goes in the direction of greatest simplicity but explaining it complicates it often beyond recognition. Also, there is the problem that most people can’t understand it because they have not experienced transcendence in their own lives.

However, it is useful to repeat the saying that all philosophy is a footnote to Plato, because Plato was describing enlightenment, then philosophers afterward fragmented the knowledge into pieces and angles, each taking a life of their own with followers who found some kernel of truth in it. The person who has made sense of the complications is Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, who turned mysticism into a legitimate matter to be studied by science. Now we have the science of consciousness, with increasing understanding of the mind and how it functions as it goes into the direction of transcendence. Cheers!