MEDITATION
In meditation there is perfect concentration of the highest order. The mind is not disturbed by external or internal factors, by any exterior noise or by any disagreeable thoughts.
Meditation is the only means to check or control the onrush of the mind. When the mind is under control, it becomes calm. Perfect calmness or balance is the real nature of the mind. Pure consciousness fills the mind as the pure thoughts are transformed into pure consciousness. This will facilitate meditation and help to enter the state of superconsciousness.
The mind has three states, the subconscious, the conscious and the superconscious. The highest is the superconscious. From the conscious state, during meditation one can experience a higher level of consciousness, the superconscious state of the mind. When the mind has attained to that superconscious state it is known as Samadhi, the state of perfect meditation. Samadhi is absolute peace and absolute bliss. To realise this state is to discover the real value of life.
The conscious state is limited to gathering knowledge which will be transferred and stored up in the subconscious. This stored knowledge will unconsciously influence both body and mind. The subconscious state manifests as instinct, habit, memory and acquired knowledge.
In meditation there is barely any activity as the body becomes motionless. It requires a minimum of energy. The valuable energy thus saved will be transformed into higher consciousness. The breath slows down to a faint motion hardly perceptible or audible. As meditation deepens there is hardly any sensation of the body, only the awareness of its existence!
Meditation brings detachment from the senses. Yogic breathing help prevent the mind from getting distracted by the senses. The mind is turned inwards to concentrate upon itself. In meditation, the respiratory rhythm changes. It gradually slows down to become barely perceptible. In deeper meditation there is an exquisite floating sensation. One can experience sublime inner visions and a wonderful sensation of weightlessness.
Prana and mind are closely linked. Thoughts are the finest vibrations of prana. Once prana is controlled and rhythmic, the intense activity of the mind will calm down. It will help the mind go higher and higher to attain the superconscious state. Until the mind is perfectly controlled, balanced and silenced, it is difficult to reach the state of meditation.
Only when concentration is very deep can one enter the state of meditation. As meditation advances and becomes deeper and deeper the state of superconsciousness is attained. The mind is transformed into pure consciousness. Superlative peace permeates the core of our being. We have come face to face with the highest plane of consciousness, beyond physical existence. This is the objective and ultimate goal of the science of meditation.
There are three stages in meditation. In the first stage, Pratyahara, the mind is withdrawn from the senses. In the second stage, Dharana, concentration proper, the mind remains in focus on some object, indefinitely. There is not the least distraction. Repetition of a sacred syllable like ‘OM’ will help rid the mind of the hundred and one thoughts that constantly plague it.
Concentration is not meditation. Perfect concentration, Dharana, will slowly lead to meditation, Dhyana. Meditation reveals to man his own soul. In meditation the mind is turned inwards upon itself. Man’s consciousness expands. The more he meditates the more and more he will expand beyond consciousness into superconsciousness.
The science of meditation has as its basis the science of yoga. Bhakti yoga, Karma yoga, Jnana yoga, Raja yoga, as all other yogas are so many ongoing stages in preparation for meditation. They have one and same objective, the awakening of the Kundalini lying dormant in every human. The awakened Kundalini makes meditation easier. The early stages of most yoga disciplines, ethics, like truthfulness, non violence and all other virtues are practiced to quieten the mind in preparation for meditation.
Siddha kundalini mahayoga is different from other yoga techniques. Here, the awakening of the Kundalini depends entirely on the guru’s grace. The siddha guru transmits his divine powers into the recipient to awaken the dormant Kundalini. Meditation experience will occur spontaneously from then onwards. However, to progress in meditation the recipient has to master a sitting posture and practice yogic breathing as prescribed in all yoga disciplines. Ethics too are fundamental. The recipient has to observe the restraints and disciplines, the Yamas and Niyamas.
The aim of restraints and disciplines is to purify the mind. The finer and higher the thoughts, the higher the plane the mind can exist. The ethics are as fundamental to spiritual progress as in our everyday life. No one is an exception. Both mind and body have to be pure for one to progress spiritually. The ancient seers of India stressed the importance of both internal and external purification. They help convert the physical and mental prana into higher spiritual energies, Ojas, to facilitate meditation. If not wantonly wasted, all the forces that are working in the body can be transformed into Ojas.
Repetition of a sacred word such as ‘OM’ is indispensible for access to the great source of spiritual power. These sacred words, together with yogic breathing and a thoroughly mastered yoga sitting posture form the basis of the science of meditation. Yogic breathing is the easiest way of getting control of the vital energy, prana, in the body. Proper diet is also important. All the forces working in the body come from our intake of food and the prana therein. A poor diet weakens the body and the mind.
Meditation gives intensity to our thoughts. Even scientists unknowingly use this power of meditation for all their startling scientific discoveries. That is the secret of their success. They are lost in their subject, forgetting their own self and everything else. They are cut off, although momentarily, from their physical body. Only their search exists in their mind until the truth flashes within.
The average man is assailed with worries, anxieties, fears, blunders and endless tribulation because he is only body conscious. As long as body identification remains, man will remain a slave to the senses. Even his sleep is burdened with dreams and nightmares. Meditation shows the way out by turning the mind within. Only meditation brings genuine peace and happiness. This is the ideal way to unwind the entire system. One or two hours of meditation are worth the most marvellous and superb rest. Rest never experienced before. It is joy sublime!
The whole science of yoga and meditation is to help man understand his true identity. He is beyond body, he is beyond mind, he is Spirit.