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Tuesday 26 July 2011

Sometimes you have to try different types of meditation to find the one that's right for you

Six Types of Meditation:


There are so many different types of meditation. How many? Who knows, but enough so that you can find the one that's right for you. To get your search started, here are six types of meditation you can try.
  1. Breathe watching. Can meditating be as simple as paying attention to your breath for a few minutes? You bet. Relax in whatever position works best for you, close your eyes and start to pay attention to your breathing. Breathing through your nose gets your diaphragm involved and gets oxygen all the way to the bottom of your lungs. As your mind wanders, just re-focus your attention on the air going in and out of your nose. Just do this for several minutes, or longer as you get used to it.

  1. An empty mind meditation. Meditating can create a kind of 'awareness without object,' an emptying of all thoughts from your mind. The techniques for doing this involve sitting still, often in a 'full lotus' or cross-legged position, and letting the mind go silent on its own. It can be difficult, particularly since any effort seems to just cause more business in the mind.

  1. Walking meditations. This one gets the body involved. It can be outside or simply as a back and forth pacing in a room. Pay attention to the movement of your legs and breathing and body as you walk, and to the feeling of your feet contacting the ground. When your mind wanders, just keep bringing it back to the process of walking and breathing. Meditating outside in this way can be difficult because of the distractions. If you do it outside, find a quiet place with level ground.

  1. Mindfulness meditation. A practice Buddhists call vipassana or insight meditation, mindfulness is the art of becoming deeply aware of what is here right now. You focus on what's happening in and around you at this very moment, and become aware of all the thoughts and feelings that are taking your energy from moment to moment. You can start by watching your breath, and then move your attention to the thoughts going through your mind, the feelings in your body, and even the sounds and sights around you. The key is to watch without judging or analyzing.

  1. Simple mantra meditation. Many people find it easier to keep their mind from wandering if they concentrate on something specific. A mantra can help. This is a word or phrase you repeat as you sit in meditation, and is chosen for you by an experienced master in some traditions. If you are working on this alone, you can use any word or phrase that works for you, and can choose to either repeat it aloud or in your head as you meditate.

  1. Meditating on a concept. Some meditative practices involve contemplation of an idea or scenario. An example is the 'meditation on impermanence,' in which you focus on the impermanent nature of all things, starting with your thoughts and feelings as they come and go. In the Buddhist 'meditation on the corpse,' you think about a body in the ground, as it slowly rots away and is fed on by worms. The technique is used to guide you to an understanding that your rationalizing mind might not bring you to.

There are many other meditations you can try, such as the 'meditation on loving-kindness' or 'object' meditation, and even meditating using brain wave entrainment products. Each type has its own advantages and effects. For this reason, you may find that at different times and for different purposes you want to use several different types of meditation.

Sunday 24 July 2011

Learn How to Meditate From Animals

You can learn how to meditate from a book, but meditation is as much an art as a science, and arts especially are better taught by live teachers than by books. That is why meditation is often learned quicker and brought to a deeper level when the beginner has someone to model their practice on. Can that someone be a dog, cat or other animal?
Learn How To Meditate From Your Cat ?
Have you ever watched a cat clean itself? It is usually fully involved in the process, and if you watch, you can intuitively sense that the cat is living right in the moment. It isn't thinking about what it will do later, or something that happened this morning. Watch how a cat stretches out in the sun and relaxes.
This is the natural state of "being in the now" that mediators work towards. Of course animals are afraid, but they aren't afraid and thinking "I shouldn't be afraid." They feel pain without the added suffering of contemplating the future of it. This "being here now" is what you see in the eyes of a deer. How can we more easily achieve this?
By using an animal as a model. This takes imagination, one of the strengths of the human brain, fortunately. Watch a cat, then sit and imagine you are a cat. You'll notice that your mind doesn't wander into thoughts of yesterday or tomorrow. It is more at rest, yet open to whatever the moment brings.
When you take a walk in the woods, pretend you are a deer. See the woods around you without thinking about them. Stop short of chewing on the plants, but be a deer for a while. You may notice that your senses are heightened. Can thinking too much lessen your ability to hear and see? It certainly can lessen your listening and looking.
Animal Meditations
The point isn't to think like an animal, though that can be entertaining and instructive too. The idea is to model the state of mind of an animal at peace. Combining that with your human awareness can be a powerful meditative practice. Why does this work?


Our minds are more powerful than our conscious thoughts alone. Try an experiment with someone willing to play along: Tell them to act tough. Maybe they'll flex their muscles and scowl. Then tell them to be Conan The Barbarian. The change will be more dramatic. Without needing to think about it much, their posture, expression and attitude will change.
This is the power of modeling. Our subconscious minds know more than our conscious minds. When you decide to be an animal for a moment, it influences you at a deep level. Pant like a dog and run around, and you'll feel quite different than you do now. Be a bear, sitting after he has eaten, and you'll feel more relaxed and content.
Watch a squirrel run around collecting nuts. He isn't worried. Of course he has fear at times, but he drops it when the cause is gone. He's just doing what needs to be done, right now, in this moment. He is at peace, even in all his busyness. Why not bring that state of mind into your practice, and learn how to meditate from the animals?

Friday 22 July 2011

How to do Meditation
 

Meditation is the journey of our consciousness towards the Self.
Sleep is unconscious Meditation 
Meditation is conscious sleep. 
We receive some amount of Cosmic Energy in sleep and in deep silence.  
We receive abundant Cosmic Energy in Meditation. 


Meditation is the journey of our consciousness from:
Body to Mind,
Mind to Intellect,
Intellect to Self,
and Beyond.
To do Meditation, the first thing is Posture.
We may sit in any posture. Posture must be comfortable and stable.
We may sit either on the floor or on a chair.
Cross your legs clasp the fingers.
Close your eyes gently.
Relax, relax.
Then,
Observe your normal Breath
Do not chant any Mantra, do not think of any God.
Just witness the Breath.
If any thoughts come, do not go behind the thoughts, do not negate the thoughts
Just come back observe the Breath.
Witness the Breath.
Be the Breath.
Just Be.
This is the WAY. This is the Meditation Technique.
Then one reaches:
No Thought and No Breath state.
This is the
Meditative State.
By more and more Meditation, we receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
With this Meditation Technique,
Our Energy body gets cleansed, Third Eye get activated, and further perfected, Astral Travel happens, we understand Life After Life and many more.



What is Meditation?
Meditation is the greatest and wonderful experience.
Meditation is the easiest and natural phenomenon that is there with every one of us.
Meditation is the only way to understand and to elevate to state of Bliss.
Meditation is the journey from known frequency to unknown frequencies.
Meditation is the journey from our limited perception to unlimitedness.
Meditation is the journey from Body-Mind Consciousness to Self Consciousness.
How to do Meditation?

There are 3 steps to do Meditation:
1. Posture
2. Meditation Technique
3. Meditative State and its Experiences
Posture:

Posture is defined as the way you sit for Meditation
Posture must be comfortable and stable.
Posture is the first and foremost step in the process of Meditation.
You can select a comfortable place in your natural environment. The place should be very comfortable and esthetic to you. You should feel comfortable in that environment.
In that place select a comfortable place.
Then sit in that place.
How you sit is what we call Posture.
You can sit in your normal way or you can sit cross legged, Sukhasana.
Then clasp your fingers. You can also do Mudras.
Then when you feel comfortable,
Slowly close your eyes.
Meditation Technique:

Meditation Technique is the technique one adopts to reach Meditative State.
The easiest and profound way is to:
Observe one’s own natural Breath.
How to adopt the technique?

After selecting the place, posture with the eyes closed,
Take deep breath.
Inhale deeply. Exhale deeply.
Do Inhalation, Exhalation consciously with total relaxation for 5 times.
Inhale slowly and exhale slowly. Take your own time.
Then,
Slowly stop the inhalation and exhalation which you were doing consciously.
Relax…totally relax…
Slowly you will witness a miracle.
What you were doing consciously is still happening without your commands.
Breath is happening on its own. Sometimes erratic, some times rhythmic.
Observe that natural flow of Breath.
Let it happen on its own. Just witness it.
Do nothing. Just witness the Breath.
Do not do conscious breathing. Breath happens on its own.
Just be with the Breath and its flow.
Miracles start happening.
Breath slowly becomes thinner and thinner. Breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind zone.
Here in the process,
Thoughts may creep in. Known and unknown thoughts may just creep in.
It may or may not disturb you.
If it is not disturbing you,
Just be with breath. Slowly thoughts reduce.
If thoughts are disturbing you.
Thoughts will be there in the process of transcending the mind, because mind is nothing but bundles of thoughts.
When thoughts come and haunts you,
Just witness consciously your in-breath and out-breath.
Do not negate the thoughts. Do not energize the thoughts. Do not go behind the thoughts. Just allow it to happen.
Relax…relax…
Just observe the Breath.
Witness the in-breath … out-breath…
Breath will be erratic…
Slowly the breath becomes rhythmic.
Breath becomes thinner and thinner.
Thoughts too become lesser and lesser.
Thoughts will not disturb you. It just happens as if it is happening some where and you are only witnessing it.
Slowly thoughts become zero and breath becomes shorter and shorter.
Slowly you will transcend the mind/thought zone.
Meditative
State and Meditative Experiences:
By Observing, Witnessing
you will slowly reach No Thought No Breath State.
It is the Meditative State.
In this state you will receive abundant Cosmic Energy.
By continuously doing Meditation,
Third Eye gets activated. Further, Third Eye gets perfected.
Astral Travel starts happening. We ‘see’ our own physical body.
Our Energy body gets cleansed.
We will get glimpses of our past-lives.
You will ‘Experience’ many more.
By doing Meditation,

Our understandings will change.
Our perceptions will change.
We will understand our unlimited less.
We will understand Death and Beyond.
We will be blissful at all times and situations.

HEALING OF BODY AND MIND THROUGH MEDITATION

 

Mind and body are connected through yoga. Meditation is a part of Yoga. The Ashtanga Yoga of Patanjali speaks about eight “limbs” or steps of yoga which are Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayama, Pratyahara, Dharana, Dhyana and Samadhi. The first thing we are taught when we start pranayama is how to sit straight with the spine erect. This is known as Asana Jay (i.e. perfecting of posture). Pranayama is control of prana or vital breath. Pratyahar is withdrawing the senses inward. Dharana is fixing the attention on a single object i.e. concentration. Dhyana is meditation or becoming thoughtless. Samadhi is the experience of unity with God and a kind of superconciousness.

Meditation is a technique that we can use at any time and place to quieten the mind and restore peace and harmony within ourselves. This subsequently gets manifested in our outward life as well. Meditation is intended not to stop us thinking but to help us to produce order in the midst of our confusion. By relaxing our mind through meditation, we can clear the chatter for a time and experience a renewed sense of energy. This enables us to bring identity, clarity and freedom to take control over our lives to become healthier and happier.

Accumulated stress is the root cause of a high proportion of illnesses, including many common and serious conditions. By eliminating stress, meditation offers important benefits for the cure and prevention of a wide range of health problems and allows the mind and body to function with maximum effectiveness. This leads to good health and longevity.

The manifold benefits of meditation can be categorized as under:



  • improved hearing and mental performance

  • improved memory

  • improvements in psychosomatic and stress related disorders

  • benefits for mother and child during pregnancy and childbirth

  • improvement in heart disease

  • reversal of tumours

  • disorders of the nervous system can be improved

  • nose, throat and lung problems can be minimised

     

  • increased muscular tone and flexibility

  • Posture gets corrected, allowing deep breathing

  • Resetting of the navel point to strengthen the lower triangle

  • Strengthening of the nervous system

  • Bringing normalcy to the glandular secretions of the endocrine system

  • Improving resistance to stress and disease

  • Opening of the chakras, rendering you more loving and open to others

  • Deep relaxation and spontaneous healing


 Meditation can also be termed as an energizing practice that strengthens the body and improves concentration abilities.

Description:

As the name suggests, this guided meditation technique called ‘Tratak’, begins with fixing the gaze at one single point, for a certain period of time. The mind is subtle and difficult to catch, however gaze can be fixed at a point and eventually the mind follows. There is a subtle connection between your body movements and cognitive power of the mind. As we are able to cease the restlessness of eyes seeking something or the other, by fixing its gaze, the restlessness of mind too comes to a halt. Tratak meditation extends beyond a simple gaze; it is about attuning to your higher-self. If a seeker sincerely enters into Tratak meditation daily, he will quickly experience the beauty it adds to his life. The seeker is filled with will power, determination and focus. The mind energy which was dispersed into various thoughts comes to one single point. And this point sinks too into vast silence. Silence is the ultimate source from all derivations that comes through - creativity, power, focus, lucidity. It is a highly apt meditation for students, it not only sharpens memory and improves concentration, it also brings with it relaxation and stress relief. The meditation music as a back drop facilitates the seeker to absorb the technique in a very beautiful manner and discover the treasure of peace and tranquility within.


Pranayama and meditation correct basic faults within the body system, remove energy blockages and stress, improve blood circulation and enable higher level of oxygen intake. Pranayama helps us in removing symptoms of irritation, anger, listlessness, and lack of energy through retention of breath, both inward and outward (kumbhak and rechak). Meditating twice a day helps in prevention, regression and reversal of ageing. Meditation is the perfect medicine. It is thousand times superior to medication. It helps in coping with negative stress which accelerates ageing whereas positive stress helps in reversal of ageing. Meditation can help us in changing our physiology, biochemistry and improve our immunity to combat diseases. 

Meditation enables us to remain in the present and removes regret for the past and anxiety for the future. 

It is said that the deeper the meditation, the deeper would be the healing. The mind and body are intimately connected, and the relationship of the mind to the body in meditation is very interesting. The mind creates a situation in which we see the body as peaceful and beautiful. By creating peaceful feelings in the body, the mind is absorbed in those feelings. So although the body is the object to be healed, it also becomes the means of healing the mind – which is the ultimate goal of meditation.

Tuesday 19 July 2011

MEDITATION INTRODUCTION AND REVIEW

Meditation is an intensely personal and spiritual experience. The desired purpose of each meditation technique is to channel normal waking consciousness into a more positive direction by totally transforming one`s state of mind. To meditate is to turn inwards, to concentrate on the inner self.

The entire process of meditation usually entails the three stages of concentration, meditation and enlightenment or absorption. The meditator starts off by concentrating on a certain point. Once attention gets engaged, concentration turns into meditation. And through continuous meditation, the meditator merges with the object of concentration, which might either be the present moment or the Divine Entity.  In some branches of Indian philosopohy, direct perception from the inner self (mana) together with perception that is filtered through the five senses (pancha indriya) form a part of their valid epistemology (pratyaksha jnana). 

 

Meditation is not necessarily a religious practice, but because of its spiritual element it forms an integral part of most religions. And even though the basic objective of most meditation styles remain the same and are performed in a state of inner and outer stillness, they all vary according to the specific religious framework within which they are placed. Preparation, posture, length of period of meditation, particular verbal or visual elements—all contribute to the various forms of meditation. Some of the more popular methods are, Transcendental Meditation, yoga nidra, vipassana and mindfulness meditation.
HOW TO MEDITATE MEDITATION  
  
With the hectic pace and demands of modern life, many people feel stressed and over-worked. It often feels like there is just not enough time in the day to get everything done. Our stress and tiredness make us unhappy, impatient and frustrated. It can even affect our health. We are often so busy we feel there is no time to stop and meditate! But meditation actually gives you more time by making your mind calmer and more focused.



A simple ten or fifteen minute breathing meditation as explained below can help you to overcome your stress and find some inner peace and balance.  Meditation can also help us to understand our own mind. We can learn how to transform our mind from negative to positive, from disturbed to peaceful, from unhappy to happy. Overcoming negative minds and cultivating constructive thoughts is the purpose of the transforming meditations found in the Buddhist tradition. 


This is a profound spiritual practice you can enjoy throughout the day, not just while seated in meditation. On this website you can learn the basics of Buddhist meditation. A few books are mentioned that will help you to deepen your understanding if you wish to explore further. Anyone can benefit from the meditations given here, Buddhist or not. We hope that you find this website useful and that you learn to enjoy the inner peace that comes from meditation.

Meditation for Learners and Beginners

Defining meditation is the easiest thing and it would not take so much time to describe it. But is should not be studied, it should be experienced. The feel and pleasure that the meditation gives is wordless. There are no side effects in meditation. The only effects in meditation are confidence, positivist, and concentration. The initial steps of meditation can be learn't through videos which are available in CDs and online. For beginners, there are simple exercising techniques which can be beneficial. 

The simplest meditation technique for beginners is to count breathe. Concentrate on each breathe that is inhaled and exhaled. Find the rhythm of breathing. The concentration may miss but practice regularly and the concentration will improve automatically. Do not stress the mind too much to regulate the breathing. Initially, try breathing without counting. Once the breathing gets regulated with pace start counting. 

First set less number of targets based on the duration of breaths. Eventually increase the target. The important thing that should be noticed is once the meditation is over, the eyes should be opened slowly and acceptance of surrounding should be slow and gradual. After meditating, get up unhurriedly from your position.




There is another method of meditation for beginners which is called visualization of meditation. This method is effective to relieve from stress and tension. The method needs calm and quiet place. Sit in that kind of place and close your eyes. Start breathing normally. Once your breath is regulated, start visualizing the air movement inside the body. Feel the air going through the nose and filling the lungs.


Visualize that all positive thought are coming inside with inhalation and negative thoughts going out through exhalation. The visualization method is quite complicated for fresher but with time he or she will get used to it. After acquiring enough control in visualization method, one can start visualizing an image or feeling which gives calmness and tranquility for the mind. As a result of this medication, soon the practitioner will start visualizing senses like smell, touch, etc.


There is a third type of meditation for beginners. It is called flame meditation. This meditation requires a candle lighted and placed at eye level in a partially dark room. Before starting the meditation sit and relax for some time. Then sit in front of the candle, keep the eyes on candle and concentrate. Focus on the flame of the candle and start breathing. Think and concentrate only about the flame. After sometime close the eyes and visualize the flame. When the flame’s visualization disappears or disturbed, open the eyes and concentrate on the flame again. These meditation techniques are good as well as effective for beginners. They improve concentration and provide relaxation.

Monday 18 July 2011


The Different Types of Meditation



Click to go to Yoga and Meditation - Active Meditation 1

Click to go to Martial Arts and Meditation - Active Meditation 2


Click to go to Dance and Meditation - Active Meditation 3


Click to go to Pain and Meditation - Active Meditation 4


Click to go to Buddhism and Meditation - Passive Meditation 5


Click to go to Tibetan Buddhism and Tantra - Passive meditation 6


Click to go to Zen Meditation - Passive Meditation 7





Click to go to Jainism and meditation - Passiove meditation 8

Click to go to Other Religions and Meditation - Passive meditation 9


Click to go to Mantras - Passive Meditation 10


Click to go to Mandalas and Yantras - Passive Meditation 11


Click to go to Tai Chi and Chi Gung - In Between meditation 12


Click to go to Taoism - In Between Meditations 13


Click to go to Sounds and Meditation - Sounds 14

Natural Melodies in Meditation for Self Development


We can learn and reprogram our brains and mind by listening to natural melodies in meditation for self-development. Change your attitude and improve self-development by listening to low and soft natural music in meditation for self-development skills.  Sounds in music form can improve your inner thoughts to help use be successful and be the person we really want to be that is hidden inside of us.  Soothing music can lead us to meditation for relaxation weather we are asleep or awake. You can listen, you a low soft soothing music at work, play or while cleaning house and meditate during you daily.

Listening to natural melodies of music will help us become healthier and feel better about how we feel about our lives. We learn how to make changes to improve our performance and attitude by listening to natural music during actives anytime of the day or night.  Music and meditation can help us sleep more restful, gives us the ability to learn faster and easier, and puts a boost to our immune system. Lessen the amount of anesthesia during surgery by meditating and learning to relax, along with easing the fear and doubt feelings you have stored deep down.

Listen to natural music to give you a better performance at work. You can perform and make better decisions; possibility getting you that promotion you want to bad by using good self-development skill in making good decisions.  Increase your motivation and become more energetic by meditating with music. You will be able to change your negative thoughts to positive ones to make actives more fun with positive thinking skills by the natural melody sounds from music.
 
 

Reprogramming your brain and mind to thinking positive attitudes can be scary for some people. With music you will learn the skills of reprogram them and not even realize it. Repeating the same relaxation sounds over again is the process to reprogram your brain with unconscious thoughts. Reach success by reprogramming your inner thoughts with music melodies for self-development skills.  Music can give you energy, positive attitude thoughts, and determination with meditating for self-development. Learn to do and say things like the person you wanted to be. Reach those goals that you have failed with in the past by changing and reprogramming your anxiety inner thoughts. You will learn to make changes with how you live, relieve stress, and prevent anxiety attacks by forgetting the negative thoughts and thinking positive thoughts with music for meditation.

Learn to be in control and not let stress or others things take over. Stress and anxiety can promote diseases such as depression and high blood pressure.  Prevent those anxiety attacks that keep popping up giving you a poor performance to making good decisions. Stopping the frustration feelings that cause you to give up when performing, and reduce the anger thoughts that interfere with success. These thoughts will cause you depression because you’ll begin to feel like you’re a failure.  Using positive thinking and using meditation with music of natural melodies will help you to develop and maintain you self-development skills in a natural way. You will become healthier by keeping your diet under control that causes people to overeat.

Some people tend to eat and not even realize that are eating the whole cake if they are depressed or frustrated.  You can find natural music for meditation on the Internet and even free download for your PC. Most bookstore sell these CD’s as well. Learn to break bad habits, lose weight and prevent illness by searching the Internet and listening to music.

Sunday 17 July 2011

MEDITATION FOR BEGINNERS

Process:


1.   Focus your attention on the art object to the right, and try to turn off the left side of your brain (the part that functions to analyze things logically, verbally, rationally), and let the right side take over (the part that is governed by feelings, emotions, perce-ptions) for awhile.

2.   I like to have some music playing softly in the background. It isn't essential to the experience but it may help to blot out some 
     of the constant noise clutter that seems to be everywhere these days. The music should not be familiar in melody and, if there is anything vocal, it should not be recognizable English language. In short, nothing distracting, no matter how beautiful in its own right.

  

3.  I usually start with a "centering time" to let go of everything that I'm carrying around mentally and spiritually, and that's helped by a brief prayer inviting God's peace into my mind and heart.

4.  Unless I'm sharing this process with others, I do not verbalize or vocalize what comes to me as I look at the art piece. I let myself move in and with the experience of light, color, shape, mood, and seek to perceive and respond to God however God is revealed in that moment. The experience, for me, is one of “together," a sharing or communion in which I am led without any plan or effort on my part. What I am given to " see" or understand is not of my own initiative. It cannot be produced by an act of will. Sometimes it is very deep and involving; other times less so. Each occasion is unique.

5.  It is a "stream of consciousness of free-association" sort of experience that is guided only by my intention to seek God and, so, that is where God leads it and in which God participates. Experiment to see what works best for you. It does take a while to get comfortable with the whole concept and to discover how best to give yourself to it.

MEDITATION


Within there is the lion - the eternally pure, illumined and ever-free Atman; and directly one realizes Him through meditation and concentration, this world of Maya vanishes.  The highest ideal of every man is called God. Ignorant or wise, saint or sinner, man or woman, educated or uneducated, cultivated or uncultivated, to every human being the highest ideal is God. The synthesis of all the highest ideals of beauty, of sublimity, and of power gives us the most complete conception of the loving and lovable God.

 

Meditation is the focusing of the mind on some object. If the mind acquires concentration on one object, it can be so concentrated on any object what soever.  The mind uncontrolled and unguided will drag us down, down for ever - rend us, kill us; and the mind controlled and guided will save us, free us.  It is meditation that brings us nearer to truth than anything else.  All knowledge depends upon calmness of mind. All minds are the same, different parts of one Mind. He who knows one lump of clay has knows and controls his own mind knows the secret of every mind and has power over every mind.  The concentrated mind is a lamp that shows us every corner of the soul.

 

Raja-Yoga is divided into eight steps. The first is Yama-non-killing, truthfulness, non-stealing, continence, and non-receiving of any gifts. Next is Niyama-cleanliness, contentment, austerity, study, and self-surrender to God. Then comes Asana, or posture; Pranayama, or control of Prana; Pratyahara, or restraint of the senses from their objects; Dharana, or fixing the mind on a spot; Dhyana, or meditation; and Samadhi, or super consciousness. The Yama and Niyama, as we see, are moral trainings; without these as the basis no practice of Yoga will succeed. As these two become established, the Yogi will begin to realize the fruits of his practice; without these it will never bear fruit.  The purer the mind, the easier it is to control.  'Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.' This sentence alone would save mankind if all books and prophets were lost. This purity of heart will bring the vision of God.

 

Meditation again is a constant remembrance (of the thing meditated upon) flowing like an unbroken stream of oil poured out from one vessel to another. When this kind or remembering has been attained (in relation to God) all bondages break.  The greatest help to spiritual life is mediation. In meditation we divest ourselves of all material conditions and feel our divine nature. We do not depend upon any external help in meditation.  There is the infinite joy, unchanging. Meditation is the gate that opens that to us. Prayers, ceremonials, and all the other forms of worship are simply kindergartens of meditation.




Sri Ramakrishna used to say, 'In the morning and evening the mind remains highly imbued with Sattva ideas; those are the times when one should meditate with earnestness'.  Do not spend your energy in talking but meditate in silence; and do not let the rush of the outside world disturb you. When your mind is in the highest state, you are unconscious of it. Accumulate power in silence and become a dynamo of spirituality.  Think of a space in you heart, and in the midst of that space think that a flame is burning. Think of that flame as your own soul and inside the flame is another effulgent light, and that is the Soul of your soul, God. Meditate upon that in the heart.

 

Dharana is when the mind holds on to some object, either in the body, or outside the body, and keeps itself in that state.  The flow of this continuous control of the mind becomes steady when practiced day after day, and the mind obtains the faculty of constant concentration.  Meditation is one of the great means of controlling the rising of these waves. By meditation you can make the mind subdue these waves, and if you go on practicing meditation for days, and months, and years, until it has become a habit, until it will come in spite of yourself, anger and hatred will be controlled and checked.  To succeed, you must have tremendous perseverance, tremendous will. "I will drink the ocean;" says the persevering soul "at my Will Mountains will crumble up." Have that sort of energy, that sort of will, Work hard and you will reach the goal.

 

Practice hard; whether you live or die does not matter. You have to plunge in and work, without thinking of the result. If you are brave enough, in six months you will be a perfect yogi.  One ounce of practice is worth twenty thousand tons of big talk.  How are we to know that the mind has become concentrated? Because the idea of time will vanish. The more time passes unnoticed the more concentrated we are. In common life we see that when we are interested in a book we not note the time at all; and when we leave the book, we are often surprised to find how many hours have passed.

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