MEDITATION
Meditation is one of the most natural and yet most
profoundly rewarding of all human activities. The great
master of yoga, Paramhansa Y Yogananda, defined meditation
as a deep concentration on God or one of His aspects. Prac-
ticed daily it produces astonishing results on all
levels of your being - physical, mental, emotional, and
spiritual. It connects you with your own inner powers of
vitality, clarity, and love. When done deeply, it also connects
you with God and His infinite joy.
Meditation has three stages _1 relaxation,
interiorization, and expansion. The process stated simply,
IS:
1) Relax completely, both physically and mentally;
2) Interiorize the mind and concentrate it one-point-
edly on your own higher self or some aspect of God; and
3) Expand your consciousness until your individual
mind merges with the Infinite.
Although this process can be stated simply, the actual
attainment of the deepest states requires dedication and
discipline. Yet even a little practice of meditation will give
immediate results. As it says in India's great scripture, the
Bhagavad Gita, "Even a little practice of this inward reli-
gion will save one from dire fears and colossal sufferings."
There is an innate yearning in each of us to expand our
awareness; to understand the nature of the universe; to
know who and what we really are; to experience union
with God. At a certain stage in this "eternal quest," as
Paramhansa Y ogananda called it, we are led inevitably to
still the mind and practice meditation. Restless thoughts
are a kind of mental "static" which must be silenced if we
are to hear the whispers of our inner self.
The most profound perceptions about the nature of
reality come through intuition rather than logic, from the
superconscious rather than the conscious mind. When the
body is completely relaxed, the five senses internalized, and
the mind totally focused, a tremendous flow of energy
becomes available. That intense energy lifts us into
superconsciousness, where our inner powers of intuition
are fully awake, and we become aware of personal and
universal realities barely dreamed of before. But even a
little internalization of the consciousness lifts us toward
that state and benefits us on all levels.
Physiologically, meditation has been found, among
other things, to reduce stress, strengthen the immune system,
and help the body's healing processes. During meditation
the breath and brain waves slow, blood pressure and meta-bolic rate decrease, and circulation and detoxification of
the blood increase. A recent study of patients with coro-
nary artery disease showed that a combination of medita-
tion, hatha yoga, and a natural vegetarian diet could reverse
the disease far better than the best traditional medical
treatment presendy available.
Mentally, meditation focuses and clarifies the mind
better than any other activity. James 1. Lynn, the most
advanced disciple of Paramhansa Y ogananda, was the
founder and chief executive of one of the largest insurance
companies in the country. He would arrive at his office
late in the morning after several hours of meditation. When
associates wondered how he could accomplish all his work
with such a "relaxed" schedule, he responded that it was
meditation that enabled him to do all his work. With his
mind completely centered he would make decisions in a
few moments that could otherwise have taken weeks.
While the physical and mental benefits of meditation
are great, it is first and foremost a spiritual art. Its purpose,
ultimately, is to lead us to perfection, to the realization that
we are one with the Infinite. We come from God and are
made in His image, and our hearts are restless until we
again achieve unity (yoga in Sanskrit) with Him. Like lo-
tuses opening to the sun, we are compelled by our own
higher nature, the spark of God within, to move into the
liJ\it of inner communion with Him. Meditation is the
direct pathway to this divine state. In recent years meditation has become commonly ac-
cepted and widely practiced in the West. It is now taught
in churches, recommended by physicians, and widely
practiced by athletes. There are meditation chapels in
airports, hospitals, and even in Congress. It has been
estimated that more than two million people in America
practice meditation regularly.
It is an ancient art, going back in time to a period long
before historical records were kept. Stone seals showing
people seated in various yoga postures have been found in
the Indus Valley ofIndia and dated by archaeologists to at
least 5000 B.C. Yet for all those millenniums, meditation
has continued as a living, vital science.
Every religion has some branch (often somewhat secret)
that seeks mystical union, and a form of meditation to
achieve that end. And every age has examples of great men
and women who have achieved Self-realization, or union
with the Divine. In the East both a science and a tradition
of meditation developed. Over the centuries great sages
and teachers discovered truths and techniques which they
passed on to their disciples, who in turn passed it on to
their followers. Thus developed an unbroken tradition of
thousands of years. That which proved true and lasting
survived, while that which was tainted with ignorance fell
by the wayside. Moreover, a society developed in the East
which looked to these great ones for examples of how to live. Children still grow up in India being taught through
stories and examples from the lives of enlightened souls
such as Rama and Krishna, two great saints of ancient
India. It has been said that the greatness of a culture can be
judged by its heroes. In the East, and particularly in India,
the greatest heroes have been those with the highest spiri-
tual attainments.
In the West, however, there has been no living tradition
of meditation. Great saints there have certainly been, but
they have tended to stand out as unique individuals who
had to discover the pathway to the Infinite with little or no
help. Moreover, they knew no techniques to channel the
enormous inner energy awakened by their intense devotion.
Without teachers to guide them, or techniques to help
them, their lives often lacked any semblance of balance and
were commonly beset with great physical suffering. And in
a society which didn't understand, nor necessarily respect,
sanctity, many had to face the opposition of their families
and even their spiritual "superiors."
Our heroes in the West have tended to be more warlike
than Godlike. Mahatma Gandhi was once asked what he
thought of Western civilization. His wry but perfectly
understandable reply was, "I think it would be a good
idea." Finally, with the influx of teachings from India, the
tradition and benefits of meditation are being introduced
to the West. The practice of meditation has tremendous potential for enriching both our individual lives and our
society. The historian Arnold Toynbee has called the
introduction of the Eastern traditions into the West the
most important influence in the twentieth century. Meditation is a simple process which can be done any
time and anywhere you can interiorize your mind. It is not
based on dogma, faith, or ritual but is concerned, like
science, with experimentation and experience: Just as science seeks to uncover the secrets of nature, meditation
seeks to discover truths about the nature of consciousness.
Its tools, rather than microscopes and oscilloscopes, are
concentration and intuition. While nothing is needed for
meditation except a willing and inquiring mind, several things can be done to make the search
easier. The following are helpful aids.
Set Aside a Special Area for Meditation
It is very helpful to have an area that is used only for
meditation. It will help reinforce a meditative mood and,
over time, will become filled with meditation "vibrations."
A small room or closet is ideal as long as it can be well i
ventilated. If you don't have enough space for a whole I
room, then set aside a small area in your bedroom or some other room that can be kept just for meditation. Your area
can be kept very simple - all you really need is a small
cushion or a chair to sit on.
You may also want to set up a small altar with a picture
or pictures of those great souls who particularly inspire
you. Many people also like to have a small candle for
evening meditations and perhaps an incense burner. Your
altar can be elaborate or simple according to your own
tastes. A pure heart is, in any case, the true altar.
Cooperate with Natural Forces
Certain natural forces can either help
or oppose your efforts. Magnetic forces in the earth tend
to pull one's energy down. Certain natural fibers serve as
insulation against these forces just as a rubber coating
insulates an electrical wire. Traditionally, yogis sat on a
tiger or deerskin, but it works nearly as well to cover your
meditation seat with a woolen blanket, a silk cloth, or
both.
Especially good times to meditate are dawn, dusk,
noon, and midnight. At these times, the gravitational pull
of the sun works in harmony with the natural polarity of
the body. It is somewhat easier to meditate at night or
early in the morning while others are asleep. Thoughts
have power, and the restless thoughts of people around you will have a subtle tendency to make your meditations more
restless.
Develop Good Habits
Good habits will be the major force in determining
whether or not you benefit from the science of meditation.
A bold statement, perhaps, but a true one. Good intent-
tions and bursts of enthusiastic devotion will dissipate
unless they become translated into daily habits.
The first thing you need to do is settle on when it is
convenient to do your meditations. In choosing a time for
meditation, regularity is the most important factor, so set a
time when you can be consistent. Meditate every day.
Even if you meditate only five or ten minutes at a time, at
least start! Better yet, try to meditate fifteen to twenty
minutes twice a day in the beginning and then increase the
time gradually; but don't go beyond your capacity to enjoy
each meditation. Depth of meditation is more important
than the length of time spent. As you progress you will
find that you naturally want to meditate longer. The more
you meditate, the more you will want to meditate! Once
you have chosen a time for your meditations, stick with it
until a strong habit has time to form.
For most people, the best times are just after rising in
the morning and just before bed at night. These times are the least likely to have scheduling conflicts, and it is easiest
to re-program the subconscious mind, where habits are
rooted, just after or before sleep. Many people also like to
meditate before lunch or after work, before eating dinner.
Wait at least a halfhour after eating - up to three hours
after a heavy meal - so there will not be competition for
energy between digestion and meditation.
A very helpful means of increasing the length and
depth of your meditations is to have at least one long
meditation each week. Your long meditation should be
about three times as long as your normal ones. If you are
normally meditating for twenty minutes at a sitting, try,
once a week, to meditate for an hour. Not only will you
find that you can go deeper in the long meditation, but
your usual twenty minutes will soon begin to seem short.
Group meditation is also very helpful. If possible, try
to find a group of people who meditate regularly. The
encouragement of others who have been meditating longer
than you is a very powerful spiritual force. In the Indian
scriptures it says that satsang (the company of other truth
seekers) is the most important aid on the spiritual path
after the grace of the guru.
Let us now address the three stages of meditation:
relaxation, interiorization, and expansion.
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