There are many different types of meditation; but, ultimately they all share the common goal of quietening the mind and stopping our thoughts. When we meditate we must not allow either good or bad thoughts to enter the mind. No matter how illumining our thoughts are, meditation aims to give us a consciousness far beyond the domain of the intellect and our reasoning mind. By definition, words will always fail to describe the inner experience of meditation. Meditation can never be grasped by the finite intellectual mind; meditation deals with consciousness and a state of being. To understand meditation, we have to practise and experience it for ourselves.
“When we meditate we expand, spreading our wings like a bird, trying to enter consciously into Infinity, Eternity and Immortality, welcoming them into our aspiring consciousness. We see, feel and grow into the entire universe of Light-Delight.
Sri Chinmoy [1]
Why Meditate?
If you feel a sense of dissatisfaction with your ordinary life, and if you wish to enjoy a real and meaningful inner peace, then meditation is the answer. Anybody can meditate, the only requirement is our inner aspiration to concentrate and dive deep within. Nobody can meditate for you, nor can anybody take away the fruits of your meditation. Through meditation we can develop a lasting inner peace and happiness that does not depend on the outer world. Whatever other people do or say, we shall be able to retain a detachment and equanimity from the turmoil’s of life.
How to Meditate.
In the beginning we need to find a suitable quiet environment where we can be undisturbed. If possible find a quiet corner of a room to dedicate to meditation. If you decorate the area with flowers and candles, it will add to your inspiration and help to create a meditative vibration. If possible it is advisable to have a shower and wear clean and light clothes. Also, we should not meditate after eating a heavy meal, because the body will be lethargic from digesting the food.
The first thing we have to do is to sit still, if we cannot keep our body still, we have no hope of keeping our thoughts still. To meditate we should keep a straight spine; we can either sit on the floor or if we prefer meditate in a chair. Therefore, it is important to find a comfortable position which we can maintain. The next stages is to relax the body. We need to relieve our body of stress and tension. We can do this through practising a very simple breathing exercise. In this exercise, we need to just be conscious of our breathing; our breathing should also be gentle and relaxed. If someone placed a feather in front of our nose, the feather would barely move.
By simply focusing on our breathing we relax the body and also slow down the thought process of the mind.
Concentration and Meditation
The next stage to master is concentration. In meditation concentration is different to academic concentration. We are not just using the focus of the mind. What we are doing is becoming aware of only one object at a time. This is the real secret of meditation; if we can develop a one-pointed focus and not get distracted by random thoughts we will be able to make real progress in our meditation.
To develop concentration, you can try focusing on one object. For example, you can put your focus on the tip of a candle flame. The smaller the object the better.
When you have developed the ability to concentrate on only one thing at a time, you can enter the next stage which is silent meditation. With a sense of concentration we repeatedly let go of any thoughts which come into our mind. Eventually we are able to achieve an inner silence. This silence should not be confused with a blank negation. What actually happens is that when we have attained inner silence we feel the dawning of a new consciousness. Unconstrained by the critical and finite nature of the mind, we are able to identify with a boundless consciousness within our own inner self.
[1] Prayer and Meditation. Excerpt from Prayer-World, Mantra-World And Japa-World by Sri Chinmoy.
Meditation - Next Steps
- Basic Steps to Learning Meditation
- Practical tips to Improving Concentration
- How To gain Control of Your Thoughts
- How To Maintain lasting meditation practise
Photo by Unmesh Swanson, Sri Chinmoy Centre galleries
15 comments ↓
The real goal of meditation is to reach the field beyond thoughts. This is best achieved by diving deep inside the mind with the help of a thought. The meditation can be described as a journey of mind from the gross level of thought to fine level then to finer levels till the mind transcends even the finest level of thought into the region of all pervading silence. This is the state of being, the source of infinite energy, intelligence and bliss, State of Pure Consciousness.
The human mind is constantly in search of more and more of happiness, knowledge and energy. Unless it attains everlasting happiness this search will continue. Unfortunately there is nothing in this relative world that can come anywhere close to fulfill this yearning of mind. That is why it gets dissatisfied.
During meditation the mind begins to expand and when it experiences the source of infinite happiness; its search comes to an end. It becomes stress-free. The life becomes enjoyable. Every activity is an end in itself. Life is lived in perfect union with the divinity. This is KarmaYoga explained by Lord Shri Krishna in Bhagvad Gita. Meditate and then engage in the activity to live life in its Totality, in fullness.
His holiness Maharishi Mahesh Yogiji presented a very simple technique called Transcendental Meditation to the world. I have been practicing it for the past 10 years and the life has become beautiful ever since. He has truly brought light to my life and I will be forever indebted to him for such a simple yet so powerful technique.
wonderful site.
Thanks Ramesh and Connie for dropping by.
Just what I needed to read today!
[...] Introduction to Meditation [...]
let’s see if I’ve got this right- there is a Consciousness beyond thoughts, the intellect and our reasoning mind that we can tap into in meditation.
It will be a place beyond depression too I guess.
I like that you bring up the subject and how to help .It isn’t caused just by thoughts; it can have a physical basis which is why moderate excercise can help
Hi Carrie,
Thanks for dropping by our blog.
Yes, that is the essence behind meditation, attaining a higher state of consciousness. It is very effective for dealing with depression.
There are several things we can do to try and alleviate depression, - moderate exercise is one:
http://www.srichinmoybio.co.uk/blog/happiness/avoid-becoming-depressed/
I’m having problems in concentrating in what I’m doing. Like, when I’m writing an exam, I sing songs, think about misc stuff and get carried away by it. And the worse part is, I try to multitask these into my exam.
Would appreciate if anyone or if Tejvan can post a solution for this problem. Its really serious. If I don’t get this problem patched, it could affect my whole future as my board exams are coming. Please do help.
Great post on Meditation. I tried meditating like you said and guess I’m just starting to make a comment.
Very good and informative site.
[...] Introduction to Meditation [...]
[...] we don’t have to wait until we sleep for 8 hours to switch off from the mind. Through learning meditation and how to control our thoughts, we can still the mind even during waking hours. If we cultivate [...]
[...] An Introduction to Meditation Bookmark and Share with others These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages. [...]
[...] Some of us are blessed to know instinctively what it is they have to offer in this lifetime; for the rest of us, there seems so many ways to be of service, and such a short lifetime to choose in! What do we do? Well, since our life’s purpose comes from deep within, we first have to go deep within in order to find it! Here is where a daily practice of meditation or reflection can be invaluable. Meditation is often mistakenly construed as isolating oneself from the world; however what actually happens in meditation that the mind is quietened so that our true nature and purpose can come to the fore. In meditation, we also gain inner peace, joy and balance and we then can offer these qualities to the world at large. For those interested in finding our more about meditation, there is an article here… [...]
Always happy to hear new advice on how to focus and handle all the stress. Thanks!
[...] Introduction to Meditation [...]
Leave a Comment