Transcendental Awareness
Living a Truly Sustainable Life:
WordPress Daily Prompt: “Are there things you try to practice daily to live a more sustainable lifestyle?”
When sustainability is mentioned in today’s world, we often think of actions like recycling, reducing plastic, saving electricity, or switching to organic food. These are undoubtedly important for ecological balance. But sustainability goes much deeper than that—it begins with the self.
As a lifelong practitioner of Advaita Vedanta, and someone deeply engaged in research on the parallels between modern physics and ancient Vedic wisdom, I have discovered that the most profound sustainability is inner sustainability—the ability to return again and again to a center that is undisturbed, non-consuming, and deeply aware.
The Core of My Daily Practice: Transcendental Meditation as Living Awareness
Every day, without fail, I practice Transcendental Meditation (TM). But more than a timed technique, it has evolved into a continuous undercurrent of consciousness in my daily life. Whether I’m reading the Mandukya Upanishad, writing on the concept of OM̐ as the universal vibration, or exploring parallels between string theory and Shankara’s non-dualism, this awareness remains present.
It’s not escapism—it’s returning to what’s always here. It is the Atman, the Self that is identical with Brahman, the unchanging reality behind all phenomena.
“यत्र तु तस्य सर्वं आत्मैवाभूत्” — Where everything is the Self alone.
(Chandogya Upanishad 7.25.2)
Why This Is the Most Sustainable Practice
Consciousness, in Vedantic terms, is limitless, non-consuming, self-sufficient. The ego, on the other hand, is restless and constantly seeks fulfillment through outer consumption—whether material, emotional, or mental.
By returning to pure awareness through daily meditation, I find:
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Mental simplicity replaces mental clutter.
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Inner fulfillment reduces the urge for material accumulation.
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Time and energy are used more mindfully.
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Actions become deliberate, ecological, and compassionate.
This creates a ripple effect: from the subtle body to the gross world.
Sustainability Meets Science: Vedanta and Quantum Physics
In my recent post, Om̐ and the Quantum Field: Undivided and Ubiquitous, I explored how the ancient insights of Vedanta mirror what quantum physics is discovering today—everything is vibration, interconnected, and arising from a singular field.
This understanding deepens the reason why we must live sustainably. Not from fear or guilt, but from a direct knowledge that we are not separate from the Earth, the air, the forest, or the stars.
As I also noted in Om̐kāra and String Theory: Unifying Vibrational Reality, the spanda (cosmic vibration) described in the Upanishads is not metaphorical—it may well be a pointer to the very frequency-based unity modern science is just beginning to comprehend.
Simple Daily Ways I Practice Sustainability Through Awareness
Here are a few ways my transcendental approach becomes action in daily life:
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🌱 Mindful Eating: I eat with awareness, honoring the source of food and often choosing plant-based options in tune with ahimsa (non-violence).
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🌿 Minimal Consumption: Buying less, choosing quality over quantity, and asking: Do I really need this?
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✨ Silent Reflection: Even in activity, I carry a subtle awareness—this cultivates patience and presence.
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🔄 Digital Minimalism: I avoid overconsumption of digital noise, which depletes mental energy and disconnects us from nature.
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📿 Daily Study (Svādhyāya): Revisiting texts like the Mandukya, Taittiriya, or Brahmananda Valli reminds me of my essence beyond the body-mind complex.
Conclusion: A Sustainable Life Is a Spiritual Life
In the end, the most sustainable thing we can do each day is to live from the Self—the source, the witness, the undivided reality. When we do this, our choices naturally become more harmonious with the planet, with others, and with our own inner clarity.
So yes—my daily sustainable practice is the continuous remembrance of the Self, through meditation, mindful action, and the deep wisdom of Advaita. In this, there is no waste, no fragmentation, no excess—only wholeness.
Very nice read, and well said that the most sustainable thing we can do each day is to live by ourselves..
Thank you so much Sir for your kind words.🙏
To remember the Self “remains” implies a temporal process (things come and go, but the Self stays). Yet the Self is timeless—it doesn’t “persist” because time itself arises within it.As the Kena Upaniṣad (2.3) says: “It is known to him who does not know it; he who knows it knows it not.” Or am I mistaken Arun? Your call.
You are absolutely 💯 right 🙏
Keno Upanishad is perfect reference.
Not only Keno. Even the first of Ten principal upanishads, Ishavashya explains same.
I am grateful to you for your support and encouragement on my posts through your lines
🙏
Beautifully expressed. True sustainability begins in the soul. I find that same stillness and wholeness in Christ, our source of peace, purpose, and unity with creation. 🙏
By both improving ourselves and the environment, we will be able to grow …
Both are essential. The Environment and the Self. I am thankful to you for your kind words.
Regards
Arun