From “Impossible” to “I’m Possible”: Meditation, Mind, and the Making of a Better World
“Through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, one automatically makes full use of one’s surroundings.” — Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The…
“Through the practice of Transcendental Meditation, one automatically makes full use of one’s surroundings.”
— Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, The Science of Being and Art of Living (1966)
“People demand freedom of speech as a compensation for the freedom of thought which they seldom use.”
— Søren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher
We live in an age of expressive abundance. Information flows with startling speed. Social Media platforms encourage us to speak, post, proclaim — yet how often do we pause? How often do we think — not as reactive minds or rehearsed ideologues — but as beings anchored in the fullness of our own conscious presence?
The two quotes above — one from Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Founder of the worldwide Transcendental Meditation organization, and the other attributed to Danish Philosopher Søren Kierkegaard — have lately danced around in my mind. On the surface, they speak to different domains: one offers a spiritual principle; the other, a philosophical critique. And yet, they intersect on the ground of something essential: the inner life, and the consequences of ignoring it.
The Inner Is Not Optional
Maharishi’s insight — that through Transcendental Meditation we begin to make “full use of our surroundings” — reminds us of a fundamental truth. When we access Pure Consciousness, the world rearranges itself before us. Not magically, but mechanically. Subtly. Systemically. Our perception sharpens, our nervous system quiets, and what once seemed disconnected becomes integrated.
Kierkegaard, meanwhile, offers a mirror as placed before modern life. He critiques a world where the freedom to speak has become a surrogate for the courage to think — to pause, to question, to probe beyond the surface. Together, their words form a tension: the promise of deep engagement (via Maharishi) and the warning of shallow distraction (via Kierkegaard). The bridge as I observe it between them? Stillness.
Seven Layers, One Truth
In my work as a Certified Teacher of Transcendental Meditation, researcher of consciousness, husband, and parent of four beautiful children with my wife of almost fifteen years, I have come to see the human experience as unfolding across what I refer to as the Seven Layers of Manifestation. This framework, borne of my dissertation research and subsequent contemplations, maps reality from its most subtle layer to its most visible expression:
1. Pure Consciousness — the silent source of all.
2. Universal & Natural Laws — the unseen intelligence that governs flow.
3. The Phenomenal World — the field of form and sensory experience into which humans are borne.
4. Human Consciousness — our perception, awareness, and cognition.
5. The Human-Derived World — structures we have built: be they societies, institutions, systems, including physical things.
6. Constructs — inherited beliefs: race, status, identity, scarcity.
7. Outcomes — the measurable and felt consequences of what we think, believe, and build.
What we see in our lives — our Outcomes — is not random. They are the fruit of our constructs, our systems, our thoughts, and ultimately, our relationship with Pure Consciousness itself. Here, I am reminded of a well-known quote from Maharishi where he would often remark to audiences, “Water the root to enjoy the fruit.” Stated differently, meditate then enjoy the results of not only experiencing but also coming to live calmness and clarity brought about by direct experience of Pure Consciousness. While for some, such may at first glance appear impossible, allow me to posit otherwise.
To move from “impossible” to “I’m possible” is not merely a mindset shift. It is a restructuring of Being — a return to Source that enables a reordering of every other layer.
Meditation Is Not Escape. It Is Engagement.
There exists a persistent misunderstanding in public discourse that meditation is a form of spiritual escapism — a retreat from the “real world.” But in truth, and as a result of noting my experiences after now seventeen years of regular practice as well as teaching TM to others for the last twelve years, the regular practice of Transcendental Meditation does the opposite. In short, it places the practitioner in direct contact with the ground of all reality — Pure Consciousness — and from that contact, a new internal order emerges:
· The brain reorganizes.
· The body stabilizes.
· The mind clarifies.
· The intuition sharpens.
· The sense of separation softens.
As Maharishi wrote in the Science of Being and Art of Living, when we access this level, we begin to make “full use of our surroundings.” That is: we no longer operate from reactivity or compulsion, but from resonance with Natural Law. Stated another way, we go from stimulus and reaction to that of stimulus and response as the prefrontal cortex of our brain, the CEO, comes to serve as our refined and constant companion in a more beneficial manner.
We don’t force; we align.
We don’t grasp; we allow.
We don’t dominate; we co-create.
This is not passivity. It is power rightly sourced.
Kierkegaard’s Warning and the Construct of Noise
In the sixth layer of the Seven Layers framework — Constructs — we deal with the most insidious illusions: social norms, inherited hierarchies, cultural identities that harden into ideological cages. Kierkegaard saw the danger of a culture that prized public expression over private reflection. In today’s world of algorithmic engagement and outrage cycles, his warning feels prophetic.
Without a practice of silence, these constructs go unexamined. We take them as reality. We confuse echo for truth.
But through meditation, the sediment begins to settle. Thought slows. Identity softens. And we begin to see: not all that we have inherited must be retained. Some constructs must be released to the compost bin of History never to be retrieved.
The Arc from Stillness to Action
Stillness is not an end. It is a beginning.
The true fruit of Transcendental Meditation is not just inner peace. It is the outer capacity to participate more consciously in shaping reality. This is the essence of manifestation — not wish fulfillment, but aligned co-creation.
From the silence of Pure Consciousness, we return with refined perception (Human Consciousness), clearer engagement with the world of form (Phenomenal World), and a growing awareness of how to operate in harmony with Natural Law.
We build better systems.
We question broken constructs.
We create new Outcomes — ones born of wholeness, not fragmentation.
Conclusion: The Future Lies Within
During my sojourn through Atlanta for undergrad and the first leg of my grad school experience, I rented a room in a house from a gentleman named Sydney. One afternoon when we were sitting around talking, he commented that we as humans have explored the world “out there” to a greater degree than exploring the inner world. In the coming years, he suspected this would change. Little did I know that his point would later serve me in my own work.
In a world teetering between technological acceleration and spiritual amnesia, Maharishi’s statement is not just a meditation quote — it is a mandate.
If we want to live lives of deeper service, greater clarity, and meaningful impact, we must cultivate the ability to turn inward, to listen, to align, and then to act — not from noise, but from knowing. Here, I am thinking of Planck’s insight: “The future lies with the youth.” But the youth will need guides. Not only in what to say — but in how to think, how to be, and how to build from the inside out.
And so, we meditate.
And so, we act.
And so, we become . . . possible.
To learn more about Transcendental Meditation, visit: www.tm.org.
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Dr. Baruti KMT-Sisouvong, along with his wife, Mina, serves as Director of the Transcendental Meditation Program in Cambridge and the larger area of Metropolitan Boston. They are parents to four beautiful children. To learn more about him, visit his website: https://www.barutikmtsisouvong.com/.