Turiya & Beyond: Turiya-Tita

By Tchiki Davis, M.A., Ph.D.
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Turiya, a Sanskrit term meaning “the fourth,” represents a state of consciousness that transcends ordinary perceptions of self and reality. Unlike experiences where the mind is absorbed in thought, emotion, or sensory input, Turiya is an awareness of awareness itself—a clear, spacious, presence that underlies all experiences.

In Turiya, there is a profound sense of openness and clarity. Thoughts may still arise, emotions may still appear, but there is a persistent recognition that none of these phenomena are you because you can observe them. Awareness itself becomes the central experience, a luminous presence in which all experiences appear and dissolve naturally. When we move into the first stage of enlightenment, we begin to experience Turiya.

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The Lived Experience of Turiya

Experiencing Turiya is subtle yet transformative. Many who encounter it describe a sense of being completely present without effort. Time and space may feel different, and habitual concerns or mental chatter often lose their intensity.

Practitioners often report:

• A sense of vastness or spaciousness: The mind feels open, with no boundaries or constrictions.
• More calmness: Emotional turbulence or anxiety softens as awareness simply witnesses these states without becoming embroiled in them.
• Direct clarity: Insight into the nature of the higher self or 'aware self'.

​These experiences are not about attaining something new; rather, they involve recognizing something that has always been present—awareness or consciousness.

Turiya in Meditation and Daily Life

Meditative practices often provide a doorway to Turiya. By gently observing the mind, noticing thoughts and sensations without grasping, one begins to recognize the constant presence of awareness itself.

In practical terms, Turiya can manifest:

• During quiet contemplation: As the mind settles, there is a moment of seeing, a recognition of being aware of thought rather than being caught in thought.
• In moments of awe or beauty: Witnessing a sunrise, listening to music, or walking in nature can spontaneously heighten awareness.
• Through daily activities: Simple acts—like washing dishes, walking, or listening attentively—can become infused with the experience of awareness when attention is fully present.

​The essence of Turiya in daily life is noticing without needing to change anything. Life continues, but the identification with habitual mental patterns softens, and a greater sense of inner freedom and calmness often arises.

Turiya Insights from Buddhism

Buddhist teachings resonate deeply with the experience of Turiya. In many traditions, this awareness is called Rigpa or the “ground of mind.” Practitioners are encouraged to notice the impermanence and insubstantiality of thoughts, emotions, and perceptions while resting in the awareness that perceives them.

From a Buddhist perspective, recognizing this awareness begins to dissolve suffering. When the mind is no longer entangled in identification with transient mental patterns, habitual reactions of craving, aversion, and attachment naturally relax. This recognition is not an intellectual concept—it is a direct, lived experience.

Rigpa: The Ground of Mind
Rigpa is primordially clear and aware, yet still part of mind itself. It is not separate from the mind, but rather the essence or baseline of mental experience.

Rigpa is sometimes described as the luminous, knowing quality of mind. It is always present, even when the mind is agitated or absorbed in thought; it simply underlies all mental activity. In this sense, Rigpa is the “ground” of all mental phenomena—it is not an object to be attained, but the ever-present field in which all experiences appear.

Practically, Rigpa can be recognized when one rests attention in the direct knowing of experience without distraction or elaboration. Thoughts may continue to arise, yet there is a clear, unshakable sense of awareness observing them. This recognition is different from ordinary mindfulness because it involves an intuitive, direct knowing—a sense of seeing the mind’s nature as it is, rather than merely noticing objects of perception.

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Psychological Perspectives on Turiya

From a psychological standpoint, Turiya reflects the capacity to observe one’s own consciousness. Modern mindfulness research highlights the benefits of cultivating an “observing self” or witness consciousness, which allows individuals to witness thoughts and emotions without being overwhelmed. Turiya represents a deep refinement of this principle: awareness itself is realized as a stable foundation in which all psychological activity arises.

Integrating Turiya Into Daily Life

Turiya is not limited to formal meditation. Once recognized, it can permeate ordinary activities:
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• In relationships: By noticing awareness behind emotions and judgments, interactions become more compassionate and less reactive.
• In work and creativity: Tasks can be performed with clarity and flow, as attention rests in awareness rather than being pulled around my thoughts.
• In moments of challenge: Difficult emotions and situations are met with equanimity, as awareness provides a stable anchor amidst chaos.

The transformative power of Turiya lies in its simplicity: it is always available, here and now. The recognition of awareness does not require effort, acquisition, or achievement—only noticing what is already present.

Practical Guidance for Experiencing Turiya

1. Pause and observe: Take brief moments during the day to notice the awareness behind your thoughts and sensations.
2. Nonjudgmental attention: Simply notice without trying to change anything. This reinforces the recognition that awareness is independent of experience.
3. Rest in presence: Allow yourself to be fully present without distraction, cultivating a sense of spaciousness and clarity.
4. Integrate into daily life: Bring awareness to ordinary activities, allowing the recognition of Turiya to inform relationships, work, and personal challenges.

Even brief glimpses of Turiya can create lasting shifts in perception. Over time, these moments deepen, and the recognition of awareness becomes a helpful tool for progress on the awakening path.

Beyond Turiya

Beyond Turiya, traditional Indian philosophy, especially Advaita Vedanta, sometimes points to states described as Turiya-Tita or “beyond the fourth”. It points to an even deeper dissolution of the distinction between awareness and what awareness is aware of. Here’s how it may be described:

​1. Turiya-Tita / Beyond Turiya

• The Sanskrit term Turiya-Tita literally means “beyond the fourth.”
• While Turiya is the recognition of consciousness itself, Turiya-Tita points to the absence of even the subtle sense of “I am aware”.
• It is sometimes described as non-dual absorption where there is neither experiencer nor experience—pure being without any reflective awareness.
• This arises in the 3rd and fourth stages of enlightenment.

2. Paradox of Beyond Awareness

• Turiya represents the awareness that underlies all experiences.
• What lies beyond is less a new “level” and more a recognition of the emptiness or ungraspable nature of even awareness itself.
• Philosophers describe it as a state where distinctions dissolve entirely: no self, no other, no awareness—it’s just the natural state of reality as it is, often called absolute or ultimate reality (Brahman).

3. Buddhist Perspective

• The state beyond Turiya aligns with the notion of non-dual rigpa fully realized or the emptiness of awareness itself.
• It’s beyond conceptual reality: you cannot point to it or label it without creating a duality, because language is dual and conceptual.

4. Experience
In Turiya-tita, everything is the same thing. Anger may feel like same thing as the heat of the sun, the wind, and the whatever is seen in the visual field. Fear may feel like the same thing as the sensation of sitting on a chair, tension in the chest, and the space in the room. There is no more awareness or observer to put us at a distance from anything. It is all completely interpenetrating, whole, and nondual. 

Aspect	Turiya	Turiya-Tita (Beyond Turiya)
Core Recognition	Recognition of awareness underlying experience; still identified with the observer	Complete dissolution of observer and observed; nondual realization
Sense of Self	Sense of "I am" or “I am aware” remains	No sense of separate self; no subject-object distinction
Relationship to Mind	The concept of awareness remains; reality still experienced as separate conceptual objects	Transcendence of mental structures; awareness is not experienced as separate from the content of awareness
Experiential Quality	Spacious, clear, observant, distanced	Interpenetrating, intimate, inescapable, borderless
Duality	Some duality remains: experiencer vs experience	Nondual; duality fully dissolved
Time and Space	Often feels expansive; infinite time & space	Beyond time and space; experiential boundaries vanish; beyond cause & effect
Phenomena	Objects and thoughts are seen within awareness	Objects, thoughts, and even the sense of awareness itself are interpentrating
Accessibility	Can be glimpsed through meditation and introspection	Rare, subtle, often described as the ultimate realization; requires deep dissolution of identification
Practical Implication	Reduces suffering by creating spaciousness and clarity; awareness of mind	Radical freedom from all conceptualization and identification; radical liberation from the idea of suffering, itself

Final Thoughts on Turiya

Turiya-Tita, the state beyond Turiya, represents the ultimate dissolution of duality. Whereas Turiya provides recognition of awareness underlying experience, Turiya-Tita transcends even this subtle distinction between the observer and the observed. In Turiya-Tita, there is no sense of self, no reflective awareness, no temporal or spatial boundaries—only the ungraspable, nondual reality that is both everything and nothing.

​This state is not something to achieve or produce; it is the natural, ever-present ground of existence. All experiences, thoughts, and sensations arise and dissolve within it, yet it remains unaffected, beyond comprehension, and ineffable. Encountering Turiya-Tita is said to bring ultimate freedom: freedom from identification, conceptualization, and even the subtle sense of awareness itself.

In practical terms, glimpses of Turiya-Tita cultivate profound equanimity, spontaneous compassion, and a radical clarity that transcends ordinary understanding. It is the realization that the ultimate nature of mind and reality cannot be grasped or labeled—only lived and recognized in the immediacy of experience. Turiya-Tita is, therefore, the consummation of the spiritual path, revealing that the deepest truth is already present, beyond all striving, beyond all states, and beyond all distinction.

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