Seven Levels of Consciousness in TM

Transcendental Meditation (TM), as taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, describes human consciousness as unfolding through seven sequential levels or states.

These include the three ordinary states that everyone experiences in daily life – deep sleep, dreaming, and waking – followed by four higher states of expanded awareness: Transcendental Consciousness, Cosmic Consciousness, God Consciousness, and Unity Consciousness​.

Maharishi’s core teaching is that the higher states represent a dramatic expansion of mental potential and inner happiness, far beyond the familiar three states.

Each higher level adds a new dimension of experience, leading ultimately to a fully awakened state often described as enlightenment.

TM practice is a systematic technique to experience these higher states, by allowing the mind to settle inward beyond thought and tap the mind’s deepest, most silent level – the source of thought, or pure consciousness​.

1. Deep Sleep (First State of Consciousness)

Deep sleep is a state of maximum physiological rest but minimum consciousness.

It is a state of unconscious rest without dreams or sensory awareness, where the mind is inactive and physiological functions slow down significantly, allowing the body to recover deeply.

In ordinary deep sleep, consciousness is essentially absent.

The Self is not awake to itself at all.

This state represents maximum physiological rest but minimum consciousness.

During this time, we experience a complete lack of awareness.

Mental and Experiential Aspect:

Deep sleep is the state of total unconsciousness we experience each night.

In this stage, the mind has no active thoughts or sensory awareness; it is essentially a blank or void in terms of subjective experience.

There is an absence of any discrete experience – no perceptions, no dreams, and no sense of time.

One simply ceases to be aware until waking.

In other words, the mind’s ability to be conscious temporarily shuts down, even though existence continues.

Physiological Aspect:

During deep sleep the body attains its most profound state of rest and repair.

Brainwave activity is dominated by slow delta waves (characteristic of the deepest stages of non-REM sleep), breathing and heart rate slow dramatically, and blood pressure and metabolic activity drop to very low levels.

The physiology in deep sleep is geared toward rejuvenation: growth hormone is released for tissue repair, and overall stress hormones are at their lowest.

Essentially, the nervous system resets itself during deep sleep, recovering from fatigue accumulated during waking activity​.

This deep rest is vital for health – it allows us to feel refreshed upon waking – yet in terms of consciousness, we are absent.

There is no continuity of awareness or memory in deep sleep (aside from perhaps a vague sense of well-restedness upon awakening).

Significance and Relation to Higher States:

Deep sleep provides physical and mental rejuvenation but does not itself contribute to higher spiritual development, because consciousness is absent.

It is a necessary foundation for normal functioning – if we are sleep-deprived, higher mental growth is impeded – but from Maharishi’s perspective it is a deeply conditioned, involuntary state.

Transcendental Meditation (TM) does not aim to produce deep sleep during meditation; rather, it aims to give restfulness along with alertness, something fundamentally different from ordinary deep sleep.

In higher states of consciousness inner awareness continues even during deep sleep​.

For example, in the fifth state (Cosmic Consciousness), a person maintains a wakeful witness even while the body sleeps.

By contrast, in ordinary deep sleep the Self is not awake to itself at all.

Thus, one key difference between deep sleep and higher states is the presence or absence of consciousness.

Higher states add unbroken awareness to what is otherwise an unconscious state.

2. Dreaming (Second State of Consciousness)

Dreaming is an internally active state characterized by subconscious experiences, images, and emotions without external sensory input.

The body remains mostly inactive while the mind generates vivid mental scenes.

Consciousness is present but limited and fragmented.

Mental and Experiential Aspect:

The dreaming state is a subtler state of consciousness than waking, wherein the mind experiences a world of images, symbols, and narratives generated internally.

In dreams, we have some awareness, but it is turned inward to a private mental simulation rather than the external environment.

One experiences events and emotions in the dream that may feel real while they last, yet upon waking we recognize them as creations of our own mind.

Dreaming consciousness is often fragmentary or illogical, and the dreamer typically has little control over the flow of the dream (unless one practices lucid dreaming).

According to Maharishi, the dream state is transitional, it lies between waking and deep sleep​.

It is a relative state where awareness is dimmer than waking but not as absent as in deep sleep.

We could say the mind is active (producing experiences) but not externally aware.

Significance and Relation to Higher States:

Like deep sleep, dreaming is a natural and necessary state, but it is limited in awareness.

It can provide creative insights or emotional catharsis (many artists and problem-solvers have gotten ideas from dreams), yet it does not in itself foster higher spiritual consciousness.

Maharishi regards dreaming, along with waking and sleeping, as one of the three relative states of consciousness that do not reveal the full potential of the mind​.

In higher states of consciousness achieved through TM, even the dreaming state can be infused with inner awareness.

For instance, an individual in Cosmic Consciousness might experience witnessing of dreams – a condition where one is dreaming yet simultaneously observes the dream from a quiet, unbounded awareness.

In ordinary dreaming, such self-awareness is absent; we are lost in the dream.

TM practitioners occasionally report spontaneous episodes of lucid witnessing of sleep or dreams as a sign of growth.

This indicates the mind is carrying Transcendental Consciousness into the sleep states. But until Cosmic Consciousness is firmly established, these experiences are fleeting.

3. Waking (Third State of Consciousness)

Ordinary daily awareness involving active perception, rational thought, sensory processing, and interaction with the external world.

Consciousness here is outwardly directed and often fluctuating between clear attention and distraction, typically without awareness of deeper levels of consciousness.

Waking state is our normal awareness but lacks the depth, permanence, and total knowledge that the higher states progressively introduce.

Through TM, one begins to infuse waking life with transcendental awareness, gradually transforming even the ordinary waking experience into something far more profound and fulfilling.

Mental and Experiential Aspect:

The waking state is the everyday normal consciousness in which we spend the majority of our lives.

In waking state, the mind is directed outward through the senses; we perceive the external world, think logical thoughts, make decisions, and are aware of ourselves as individuals acting in an environment.

Mentally, waking consciousness allows for rational thinking, deliberate action, and memory of experiences.

It is the state in which we pursue goals, interact with others, and sense the passage of time. Maharishi describes the waking state (along with dream and sleep) as a highly restricted, constantly changing state.​

Our awareness in waking is usually confined to the concrete phenomena we experience and the stream of thoughts/emotions tied to those phenomena.

We identify ourselves with our body, personality, and roles.

While waking awareness is far clearer and more functional than dream or sleep, it still has limits – we do not typically perceive the deeper levels of life or the full potential of our own consciousness in this state.

In the waking state, the body and brain are in an active, responsive mode.

For example, one might feel bounded by stress or by the incessant chatter of the mind in ordinary waking consciousness.

Significance and Limits:

The waking state is obviously crucial – it’s where we learn, create, and make progress in the relative world.

However, Maharishi emphasizes that even the best waking experiences are fleeting and bounded.

Life in waking state alone tends to alternate between pleasure and pain, success and failure, because our happiness is tied to changing circumstances.

We seek deeper meaning, yet in waking state we often feel something is missing, leading us to ask, “Is this all there is?”

According to Maharishi, the problem is that waking consciousness by itself is incomplete.

It lacks direct contact with the silent self-referral state of Being, the inner core of unchanging consciousness​

In waking state, our attention is directed outward and we remain ignorant of our own pure consciousness, which lies at the silent depth of the mind.

In effect, the true Self (pure awareness) is overshadowed by the busyness of the mind and sensory engagement.

This is why, even if one has all material comforts and intellectual knowledge, one might still feel unsatisfied or limited in the ordinary waking state.

The significance of waking state in the development of higher consciousness is mainly that it provides the starting point for growth. It is in the waking state that we can learn and practice techniques like TM.

We use our waking mind intentionally to transcend itself during meditation. Thus, waking life becomes the field of application for any higher consciousness we gain.

The goal is not to abandon the waking state, but to enrich it with the qualities of the higher states.

Differences from Higher States:

Compared to the higher states of consciousness, ordinary waking is fragmentary – awareness is directed to individual objects and thoughts, one at a time, and is usually confined to the surface values of life.

In higher states (starting with Transcendental Consciousness), one gains awareness of the awareness itself (the observer) in addition to the observed, introducing a new dimension of wholeness.

Moreover, higher states add a quality of inner stability and bliss that is not present in ordinary waking.

Maharishi notes that without contact with the inner Self, the individual in waking is like a rudderless ship being cast about in a sea of continuous change”.

4. Transcendental Consciousness (Fourth State of Consciousness)

Transcendental Consciousness is an inward state of pure, silent awareness beyond thought, emotion, or perception, reached during meditation.

The mind settles into an alert, blissful silence (restful alertness), allowing deep physiological rest alongside profound inner wakefulness.

This consciousness forms the foundation for higher states.

This paradoxical combination, very low physical activity but clear alertness, is unique to the fourth state of consciousness.

What It Is (Mental/Experiential):

Transcendental Consciousness (TC) is the first of the higher states of consciousness and is often described as the direct experience of pure awareness or pure consciousness itself, independent of any thoughts, perceptions, or mental activity.

Unlike regular states of awareness, this state is distinctly different because the mind becomes completely alert yet entirely silent.

As Maharishi explains, in this state, the “thinking mind becomes consciousness itself” – aware only of its own unified, unbounded nature.

The Meditative Journey

Initially, Transcendental Consciousness is typically a temporary experience during meditation.

Practitioners often notice peculiar temporal sensations – time may feel suspended, with 5 or 10 minutes passing in what seems like an instant.

Interestingly, many individuals only fully recognize they’ve been in this state after emerging from it, noting its refreshing and pleasant quality.

This state represents more than just a meditative phenomenon.

It serves as a foundational experience of consciousness, offering a glimpse into a pure, unmodified state of awareness that exists beneath our typical mental fluctuations.

By repeatedly accessing this state, practitioners begin to understand consciousness as something far more expansive and profound than everyday mental experiences.

Significance in Development:

Transcendental Consciousness is considered the foundation for all further higher states.

It is the meditator’s first direct contact with the transcendent Self – pure Being that underlies all the changing states of mind.

Maharishi emphasizes that this contact with pure consciousness unfolds the full possibilities of human life by beginning to use parts of the mind and brain that normally lie dormant​

Even though initially TC may be momentary, repeated experiences of Transcendental Consciousness through regular TM practice have a cumulative effect.

Each meditation, the nervous system gets a chance to function in this highly orderly, rested mode, which cultures it over time.

Gradually, the benefits of this state spill over into daily life: people report feeling more calm, focused, and happy after meditation.

This happens because the inner silence and bliss of transcendence leave an impression on the mind.

With continued practice, one’s baseline of awareness begins to rise.

The significance of TC is that it is the gateway to enlightenment – without this fourth state, the higher fifth, sixth, and seventh states cannot develop.

In Maharishi’s words, Transcendental Meditation has made the experience of the Absolute (pure consciousness) a systematic, scientific phenomenon open to everyone​.

By regularly contacting this pure awareness, one begins to neutralize the tension and stress that blocks the efficient functioning of the mind and allow more of the brain’s potential to be used​.

In essence, the 4th state plants the seed of inner awakening that will grow into permanent higher consciousness.​

5. Cosmic Consciousness (Fifth State of Consciousness)

Cosmic Consciousness is a permanent state where transcendental awareness coexists with waking, dreaming, and deep sleep.

The individual experiences constant inner silence and witnesses life’s activities from an unshakeable inner peace, including awareness maintained even during sleep, marking the beginning of stable enlightenment.

What It Is (Mental/Experiential):

Cosmic Consciousness is described by Maharishi as the first permanent higher state of consciousness, often equated with enlightenment in many traditions.

In Cosmic Consciousness (CC), an individual maintains the experience of Transcendental pure awareness at all times, even while engaged in daily waking life (and even during sleep and dreaming).

In other words, the silent, unbounded awareness gained during meditation becomes stabilized 24/7.

One continues to perceive the world and function normally, but along with all activity there is an inner unshakable peace and witness.

Maharishi calls it “cosmic” consciousness because it is all-inclusive: it includes Transcendental Consciousness along with waking, dreaming, and sleeping simultaneously​.

In CC, you have a dual state of awareness: on the one hand, you perceive the changing relative world as before; on the other hand, you have a continuous “inner wakefulness” or pure consciousness underlying every experience.

This often manifests as a feeling of being a witness or observer to one’s own thoughts, feelings, and actions.

Even in the midst of dynamic activity, a part of the mind remains silent, unattached, and free. Because of this, individuals in Cosmic Consciousness report a profound state of inner freedom and contentment.

They no longer feel bound tightly to the ups and downs of life.

Emotionally, this state is marked by stable happiness (inner bliss) that doesn’t fade, because it is not dependent on external circumstances.

One hallmark sign of reaching Cosmic Consciousness is the phenomenon of “witnessing sleep”: even while the body sleeps and dreams, there is an underlying continuity of consciousness.

The person may be aware that the body is resting and even have awareness during dreams, as a quiet observer, without losing the thread of Self.

This indicates that pure consciousness has been maintained independent of the state of the body or surface mind​.

Such ever-present wakefulness, even during sleep, is a strong marker that Cosmic Consciousness has been established​

6. God Consciousness (Sixth State of Consciousness)

God Consciousness is a refined state beyond Cosmic Consciousness characterized by heightened perception and profound love, devotion, and appreciation for the divine essence perceived within all creation.

The individual experiences reality as deeply meaningful and suffused with divine presence, nurturing intense joy and devotion.

What It Is (Mental/Experiential):

God Consciousness, also referred to as Refined Cosmic Consciousness, or sometimes Glorified Cosmic Consciousness, is the sixth state of consciousness, characterized by a profound refinement of perception and an expansion of heart.

Once the inner silence of Cosmic Consciousness is established, the quality of one’s perception of the world begins to transform.

In God Consciousness, the individual not only maintains unbroken inner peace, but now perceives the finest subtleties of the environment and feels a deep devotion and love towards all of creation.

Maharishi describes this state as the unbounded awareness of Cosmic Consciousness coexisting with a greatly enhanced appreciation of the full range of creation.

In practical terms, it means one begins to sense the divine essence in everything.

The world is no longer experienced in a mundane way; instead, even ordinary objects or people may appear radiant, beautiful, and imbued with intelligence or light.

Traditions refer to this as celestial perception, the ability to perceive more refined levels of creation that are normally hidden from our gross senses.

For example, one might literally perceive a subtle glow or aura around living beings, or hear a more delicate, harmonious quality in sounds.

This isn’t fantasy or imagination, but a result of the senses becoming more attuned as the nervous system refines.

Along with this enhanced perception comes an overflowing of the heart: individuals in God Consciousness often report waves of intense love, compassion, and devotion that arise spontaneously.

Maharishi says in this state the heart swells in devotion to the creation and one’s heart is filled with love and devotion to God.

The term God Consciousness is used because one experiences the world as the play of the divine, and thus one feels deeply connected with and lovingly devoted to the creator (however one conceives of the Creator or God) as well as the creation.

Every encounter in life in this state can evoke reverence and awe – seeing the miraculous intelligence in a flower, or experiencing another person as if they are an expression of the divine.

It’s a profoundly personal relationship with the universe: the individual (now established in inner Self) becomes the lover of God in all things.

Emotionally, this is described as an extremely blissful and tender state – a continuous love affair with the divine aspect of the world.

Where Cosmic Consciousness brought peace, God Consciousness brings love and sweetness in full measure.

It is sometimes analogized to seeing the Light of God permeating creation or experiencing the finest celestial level of creation.

Importantly, all the while, one still retains the witness consciousness insid, you don’t lose the inner Self; rather, you now see the divine values of the objective world alongside that unchanging Self.

Significance in Development:

God Consciousness is significant as the stage where the separation between inner silence and outer world begins to dissolve in love and appreciation.

It represents a dramatic expansion in quality of life – even though one was already inwardly free and content in Cosmic Consciousness, now the world itself is experienced as infinitely more beautiful and meaningful.

This greatly increases one’s enjoyment of life and capacity for compassion. In Maharishi’s words, “perception and feeling reach their most sublime level” in this state​.

It is as if the divine nature of creation reveals itself to the enlightened individual.

This stage is often associated with deepening spiritual devotion – many describe it as seeing God in everything, hence naturally one feels devotion to God.

This devotion is not born of longing or lack (as it might be in earlier states of consciousness when one prays for help); instead, it is born of direct perception of the divine.

God Consciousness is sometimes likened to the great saintly experiences – e.g., the blissful love described by mystics like Saint Francis or Mirabai, who saw God in all and overflowed with love.

Maharishi’s framework makes it clear that this is a higher stage than mere inner peace – it is enriched peace, or peace combined with supreme love and appreciation.

Philosophically, one could say that in Cosmic Consciousness the Self was realized as separate from nature, while in God Consciousness the glory of nature is realized.

The significance also lies in it being a precursor to Unity Consciousness. In GC, there is still a slight distinction: the lover (individual Self) and the beloved (the divine in the object of perception).

This refined duality sets the stage for final Unity. It’s as if consciousness appreciates the twoness (lover and beloved) to such an extreme, filled with love, that it eventually merges into oneness.

Thus, God Consciousness is the final elaboration of duality, making every individual perception as rich as possible, before the collapse into absolute Unity.

For the individual, living God Consciousness means living in a state of reverence and joy, which is profoundly fulfilling.

It also naturally results in extremely harmonious behavior: when you perceive others as essentially divine, you treat them with utmost respect and kindness.

Maharishi notes that in this state profoundly loving and peaceful relationships are cultivated with all others.

7. Unity Consciousness (Seventh State of Consciousness)

The highest state, characterized by the complete merging of inner Self with the external world, dissolving all duality.

Everything is experienced as one unified field of pure consciousness.

Individual identity expands universally, resulting in complete inner freedom, supreme bliss, and the experiential understanding that “I am everything.”

What It Is (Mental/Experiential):

Unity Consciousness is the culmination of the progression of consciousness – the seventh and highest state in Maharishi’s framework.

In Unity Consciousness (sometimes simply called “Unity” or Brahman Consciousness), the final veil of separation falls away, and one experiences all aspects of life as one with one’s own Self.

In other words, the inner pure consciousness that one knows as the Self is now directly experienced as the essence of everything, every person, every object.

The subject-object distinction disappears in its most fundamental sense.

Even though the world of multiplicity continues to appear, the enlightened individual perceives that underlying all diversity is one unified field of Being – and that Being is what I am.​

Maharishi describes Unity Consciousness as the state where “one experiences Being as the basis of and permeating all aspects of life: everything is perceived as nothing but expressions of Being.”​

This means when you see another person, you literally experience the same Self inside them that you feel inside yourself.

The Upanishadic mahavakya or great saying “I am That, thou art That, all this is That” becomes a living reality​.

There is a famous verse Maharishi often quoted: “He sees the Self in all beings and all beings in the Self.”

That is Unity Consciousness: the cosmic Self (pure consciousness) is fully recognized in the relative world.

The sense of an individual “me” separate from “you” or “that” dissolves into a unbounded wholeness.

It’s important to note that unity does not obliterate the appearance of diversity – one still perceives the world with its myriad forms, but the dominant reality is the One that connects them all.

An analogy often used is wave and ocean: previously one identified with a single wave (the individual), then one identified with the ocean depths (pure Self in CC), and appreciated other waves as expressions of the ocean (GC), and finally in Unity one knows that all waves are the ocean – everything is essentially that one ocean of consciousness taking different forms.

Experientially, Unity Consciousness is described as a state of total completeness and liberation. The individual feels literally universal – “I am the universe, the universe is myself.”

It is accompanied by supreme inner contentment and freedom from all fear. Since there is no “other” outside oneself, fear has no basis (fear arises only when something appears separate and threatening)​.

Love is also in its ultimate form here: it is not a flow between two (as in God Consciousness’ refined duality of lover and beloved) but rather an all-embracing oneness – one loves everything as one’s own Self.

Unity Consciousness is often equated with the state of Brahman in Vedanta (Brahman meaning the Totality).

It is the state the Bhagavad Gita refers to as established in Brahman.

From the standpoint of personal development, this is full enlightenment or full self-realization. The person perceives no division between the inner and outer – life is one seamless wholeness.

Significance in Development:

Unity Consciousness is the endpoint of the developmental journey – the realization of one’s full potential.

It is total enlightenment, in which the individual consciousness has expanded to cosmic proportions.

At this stage, Maharishi says one experiences the unified field of all the laws of nature in one’s awareness​.

This means one’s desires and actions become spontaneously in tune with the evolutionary power of nature.

A person in Unity is said to be able to fulfill desires effortlessly because the intentions arising in their consciousness are aligned with the universal intelligence that runs the universe.

This state is also described as one of continuous miracles – not in a flashy supernatural way, but in the sense that whatever is needed tends to happen naturally around such a person, as if nature supports their every move.

Ancient texts refer to this as Brahmi chetana (Brahman consciousness) and say that the knower of Brahman becomes Brahman.

The significance for the individual is an ultimate fulfillment: life is lived in wholeness, with maximum joy, freedom, and wisdom.

There is no longer any seeking – the person is the sought. In terms of personal growth, all aspects (mind, heart, senses, body) have reached their peak development and integrated into oneness.

Maharishi would call this “total potential of Natural Law fulfilled in an individual” – meaning every aspect of Natural Law that governs the universe is lively in that person’s awareness.

For humanity, even a few individuals living Unity Consciousness are considered extremely beneficial, because they radiate harmony and peace into the collective consciousness by virtue of their fully coherent state of life.

Unity Consciousness has been the goal of spiritual quest for millennia under various names (nirvana, moksha, liberation, enlightenment, the kingdom of heaven within, etc.).

Maharishi’s contribution was detailing the steps to get there and asserting it as a real, attainable state through a scientific approach.

The person in Unity is often described as “Brahmananda” – bliss of Brahman – enjoying an intimate union with the divine in everything. It is the state of complete non-duality (Advaita).