“In the waking or dream state, in which things appear, and in the sleep state, in which we see nothing, there is always the light of consciousness or Self, like the hall-lamp always burning. The thing to do is to concentrate on the Seer and not on the seen, not on the objects but on the Light that reveals them”

— Sri Ramana Maharshi

 

Imbued with the Hindu philosophy of Turiya—Sanskrit: तुरीय, meaning "the fourth”—at its heart and centre, discover the ethos and philosophy behind The Turiya

  • Turiya (Sanskrit: तुरीय, meaning "the fourth") is the underlying existence of the three common states of consciousness: waking state, dreaming state, and dreamless deep sleep. Turiya is pure consciousness, it is the Atman, it is Brahman.

  • नान्तःप्रज्ञं न बहिःप्रज्ञं नोभयतःप्रज्ञं न प्रज्ञानघनं न प्रज्ञं नाप्रज्ञम् | अदृश्यमव्यवहार्यमग्राह्यमलक्षणमचिन्त्यमव्यपदेश्यमेकात्मप्रत्ययसारं प्रपञ्चोपशमं शान्तं शिवमद्वैतं चतुर्थं मन्यन्ते स आत्मा स विज्ञेयः || 7 ||

    nāprajñam; adṛṣtam, avyavahārayam, agrāhyam, alakṣaṇam, acintyam, avyapadeśyam, ekātma-pratyaya-sāram, prapañcopaśamam, śāntam, śivam, advaitam, caturtham manyante, sa ātmā, sa vijñeyaḥ. || 7 ||

    That is known as the fourth quarter: neither inward- turned nor outward-turned consciousness, nor the two together; not an indifferentiated mass of consciousness; neither knowing, nor unknowing; invisible, ineffable, intangible, devoid of characteristics, inconceivable, indefinable, its sole essence being the consciousness of its own Self; the coming to rest of all relative existence; utterly quiet; peaceful; blissful: without a second: this is the Ātman, the Self; this is to be realised. || 7 ||

  • Verse 7 (above) of the Mandukya Upanishad discusses the Turiya.

    Whether the universe is made entirely of matter, energy, dark matter and dark energy or whether there is another “substance”, consciousness, which exists outside of space and time and being the subject, cannot be objectified, or whether the universe itself is a manifestation of consciousness, there is much debate on these alternate views found in western science and the various branches of eastern philosophy.

    Physics finds in quantum mechanics a realisation that reality is far more profound than that perceived purely by the mind and senses. However, physics remains grounded in objectivity and continues to rely on mathematics to try and understand the nature of reality. Yet one interpretation of quantum mechanics leads to the idea of an inherent relationship between the observer and the observed, between perception and manifestation.

    The ancient Indian mystics long ago reached beyond the mind to understand the true nature of reality. Their approach was experiential, directing one’s attention inwards rather than outwards. They concluded that “You” are not the body nor the mind, which are constantly changing and thus cannot be real. The separation of the unreal from the real, between that which is momentary and transient and that which is permanent, eternal, lies at the heart of the path. They suggested that the real unchanging Self is existence – consciousness – bliss (sat – chit – ananda), the Turiya.