Wisdom Archive on Meditation

What is meditation?

There are many forms of meditation, such as chakra meditation, yantra meditation, vipassana meditation and mantra meditation. While the forms of meditation vary, they all use concentration techniques, which help us to becoming a witness of our thoughts. The idea is that when the mind is calm, like a lake without any ripples, we experience total peace and empowerment.

The tradition of meditation dates back to the begining of human history. Thousands of years ago, Patanjali, an Indian Sage of legend, described the process by which the capacity to meditate is actualised. He called it "Self Realisation" since, in the state of meditation, he experienced an absolute awareness of his "Self".

The mechanism by which "Self Realisation" occured was a closely kept secret that was handed down from a Guru to his disciple after long penences, discipline and purification.

In the 14 th century the great saint Gyaneshwara of Central India took permission from his Guru to translate the secret texts written in Sanskrit into the popular vernacular.Thus the tradition of mysticism and meditation began within the populace in India.

The process of meditation

The entire process of meditation usually entails the three stages of concentration (dharana), meditation (dhyana) and enlightenment or absorption (samadhi). The individual preparing to meditate usually starts off by harnessing his awareness, such as focussing his mind onto a certain object. Once attention gets engaged, concentration turns into meditation or dhyana. 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). And this self-realization or self-awareness (as popularized by Paramahansa Yogananda), is nothing but the knowledge of the pure being, the Self

Meditation in modern society

Meditation as a universal tool

Links to related topics

Sub topics

Types of Meditation

Traditions

Meditation Experiences

Related topics

Introduction and links to related topics

Below are some short introductions. Click on the blue hyperlinked word to get more related articles.


Meditation - Meditation
According to Swami Vishnu Devananda, meditation is "….a continuous flow of perception or thought, just like the flow of water in a river." A practice wherein there is constant observation of the mind, meditation brings awareness, harmony and natural order into life. It helps you dig deep into your inner self to discover the wisdom and tranquility that lie within.

Principles of Meditation

The basic points to be kept in mind in practicing meditation are :
Have a special place and specific time for meditation. Try doing it daily.
Choose a time when your mind is not clouded with worries.
Sit up straight with your back, neck and head in one line. Facing north or east.
Condition your mind such so as to remain quiet for the duration of your meditation session.
Regulate your breathing. Start with 5 minutes of deep breathing. Then gradually slow it down.
Follow a rhythmic breathing pattern - inhale and exhale.
Initially let your mind wander. It grows more restless if you force to concentrate.
Then slowly bring it to rest on the focal point of your choice.
Hold your object of concentration at this focal point throughout your session.
Meditation happens when you reach a state of pure thought. Even while retaining an awareness of duel self.

Followed diligently you will soon be able to attain a super-conscious state.

Tips on Concentration
At the outset, it is hard to keep your attention to keep focussed on one object.
So it is better to start off by limiting your field of concentration to a category of objects.
Choose your objects with care e.g. any four flowers, fruits, trees...etc. You must feel at ease with what you choose.
After concentrating on one, you can move on to the next, if & when your mind starts wandering.

This style of meditative exercise will help you control your mind down to a finer focus, teaching you the principle of single point concentration.

Meditative Postures

Yoni Mudra
Close your ears with thumbs.
Cover your eyes with your index finger.
Close your nostrils with your middle fingers.
Press your lips together with your remaining fingers.
Release the middle fingers gently to inhale and exhale while you meditate.

Frontal & Nasal Gazing
Gaze at a point between your eyebrows, seat of the ''Third Eye'' or at the tip or your nose.
This would improve your level of concentration. At the same time, strengthening your eye muscles. Nasal gazing has a positive effect on the central nervous system.
Remember not to strain your eyes. Start with one minute of gazing and then slowly build it up to ten minutes.

Candle Gazing
Place a candle at eye-level in a darkened, draught-free room.
Close your eyes and hold an after-image of the bright flame.
The practice steadies the wandering mind, leading you to focus with pin-point accuracy.

Meditation - Meditation The attempt to raise the self-conscious mind to the level of its spiritual counterpart, to unite manas with a ray from buddhi. It is a positive attitude of mind, a state of consciousness rather than a system or a time period of intensive thinking.

It corresponds in its more perfect form to the ecstasy of Plotinus, which he defines as "the liberation of the mind from its finite consciousness, becoming one and identified with the Infinite."

It is silent prayer in one real sense, for the heart aspires upwards to become freed from all desire for personal benefit, and the mind frames no specific object, but both unite in the aspiration; not my will, but thine, be done. When engaged in at the outset of the day, or on retiring to sleep, it often takes the form of reflecting profoundly and impersonally on spiritual teachings, as well as self-examination, attuning of the mind and heart to calm and unselfish thought and feelings, as well as the endeavor to realize in consciousness one''s highest ideals of duty, purity, and truth, and inducing thereby a general harmonizing and one-pointed adjustment of the whole nature.

"Meditate all the time -- nothing is so easy and so helpful. Far better is this for most students than to have a set period: quiet, unremitting thought on the questions you have, continuing even when the hands are busy with the tasks of the day, and the mind itself quite absorbed by other duties. In the back of the consciousness there can still be this steady undercurrent of thought. It is likewise a protecting shield in all one''s affairs, for it surrounds the body with an aura drawn forth from the deeper recesses of the auric egg . . ." (FSO 39).

Transcendental Meditation - A technique of meditation taught by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, involving the repetition of a sound (mantra).

Nectar Meditation - curling the tongue around and back in the esophagus to taste the divine dew within.

Seated Meditation - Zen Buddhist practice of sitting and meditating on ordinary conscious experience for long periods of time.

Tapas - Tapas means devoting oneself single mindedly to spiritual practice and it is often translated as spiritual austerity or penance. When Shri Swamiji uses the term tapas, he usually refers to meditation in samadhi for at least twelve hours every day. He explains that such tapas is necessary if one wishes to attain God realization.

Brihadaranyaka Upanishad - (Sanskrit) One of the most important Upanishads, part of the Shatapatha Brahmana of the Yajur Veda. Ascribed to Sage Yajnavalkya, it teaches modes of worship, meditation and the identity of the individual self with the Supreme Self.
See: Upanishad.

Manduka Yoga - Manduka Yoga (Sanskrit) [from manduka frog]

A "particular kind of abstract meditation in which an ascetic sits motionless like a frog" (Monier-Williams). However, all true yoga practice involves complete mental abstraction from exterior concerns and the outer environment, so that all yogis, while practicing yoga sit motionless "like a frog." It is not a particularly high kind of yoga, in any case, for true spiritual yoga is the yoga of the inner man, implying intense intellectual and spiritual concentration on affairs and subjects of spiritual character, and need not necessarily involve any sitting in yoga whatsoever.

The true disciple may be doing his master''s business and going about in pursuit of his duties from day to day, and yet be practicing this spiritual yoga without a moment''s intermission. All forms of yoga practice which involve postures, sittings or similar things in which the physical body is active or inactive, technically belong to one of the various kinds of hatha yoga and are to be discouraged.

Raja Yoga - (Sanskrit) "King of yogas."

Also known as ashtanga yoga, "eight-limbed yoga." The classical yoga system of eight progressive stages to Illumination as described in various yoga Upanishads, the Tirumantiram and, most notably, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali.

The eight limbs are as follows.
yama: "Restraint." Virtuous and moral living, which brings purity of mind, freedom from anger, jealousy and subconscious confusion which would inhibit the process of meditation.
niyama: (Sanskrit) "Observance." Religious practices which cultivate the qualities of the higher nature, such as devotion, cognition, humility and contentment- giving the refinement of nature and control of mind needed to concentrate and ultimately plunge into samadhi.
asana: "Seat or posture." A sound body is needed for success in meditation. This is attained through hatha yoga, the postures of which balance the energies of mind and body, promoting health and serenity, e.g., padmasana, the "lotus pose," for meditation. The Yoga Sutras indicate that asanas make the yogi impervious to the impact of the pairs of opposites (dvandva), heat-cold, etc.
pranayama: "Mastering life force." Breath control, which quiets the chitta and balances ida and pingala. Science of controlling prana through breathing techniques in which lengths of inhalation, retention and exhalation are modulated. Pranayama prepares the mind for deep meditation.
pratyahara: "Withdrawal." The practice of withdrawing consciousness from the physical senses first, such as not hearing noise while meditating, then progressively receding from emotions, intellect and eventually from individual consciousness itself in order to merge into the Universal.
dharana: "Concentration." Focusing the mind on a single object or line of thought, not allowing it to wander. The guiding of the flow of consciousness. When concentration is sustained long and deeply enough, meditation naturally follows.
dhyana: "Meditation." A quiet, alert, powerfully concentrated state wherein new knowledge and insight pour into the field of consciousness. This state is possible once the subconscious mind has been cleared or quieted.
samadhi: "Enstasy," which means "standing within one''s self." "Sameness, contemplation." The state of true yoga, in which the meditator and the object of meditation are one.

See: yoga, asana, samadhi, raja yoga.

Patanjali - The author of Yoga Sutras, the foremost scripture on Raja Yoga, The Yoga of meditation and mind control. He lived around the time of Christ and brilliantly summarized and synthesized the yoga practices of his time.

Healthy Happy - An instructional group founded by the Indian Sikh Dharma Yogi Bhajan in Los Angeles, California, in 1968 to promote holistic well-being through kundalini yoga.

Flourishing during the period of most intense international interest in Asian meditation techniques, the 3HO taught a simplified or neo-Hindu practice for awakening the psychic energy believed to lay dormant within the human body. (See 3HO)

Dyadic Eye Fixation - meditation technique of mutually gazing into one another’s eyes. (NAD)

Vedas - Veda is a generic name for the most ancient Indian sacred literature, i.e. the Rg-veda, Yajur-veda, Sama-veda and Atharva-veda. Each of these books is divided into two portions, mantra and brahmana. The term Veda is generally reserved for the mantras or metrical hymns, especially those of the Rg-veda. Sri Aurobindo has translated and/or commented on many of the Vedic hymns. Most of his writings related to the Vedas have been collected in Volumes 10 and 11of the Sri Aurobindo Birth Centenary Library(SABCL), The Secret of the Veda, and Hymns to the Mystic Fire.

"I propose...that the Rig-Veda is itself the one considerable document that remains to us from the early period of human thought of which the historic Eleusinian and Orphic mysteries were the failing remnants, when the spiritual and psychological knowledge of the race was concealed, for reasons now difficult to determine, in a veil of concrete and material figures and symbols which protected the sense from the profane and revealed it to the initiated. One of the leading principles of the mystics was the sacredness and secrecy of self-knowledge and the true knowledge of the Gods.

The Veda...is an inspired knowledge as yet insufficiently equipped with intellectual and philosophical terms. We find a language of poets and illuminates to whom all experience is real, vivid, sensible, even concrete, not yet of thinkers and sytematisers to whom the realities of the mind and soul have become abstractions.

The Vedic Rishis believed that their Mantras were inspired from higher planes of consciousness and contained this secret knowledge. The words of the Veda could only be known in their true meaning by one who was himself a seer or mystic; from others the verses withheld their hidden knowledge.

Many of the lines, many whole hymns even of the Veda bear on their face a mystic meaning; they are evidently an occult form of speech, have an inner meaning.

Under pressure of the necessity to mask their meaning with symbols and symbolic words...the Rishis resorted to fix double meanings, a device easily manageable in the Sanskrit language where one word often bears several different meanings, but not easy to render in an English translation and very often impossible....The Rishis, it must be remembered, were seers as well as sages, they were men of vision who saw things in their meditation in images, often symbolic images which might precede or accompany an experience and put it in a concrete form, might predict or give an occult body to it. ...The mystics were and normally are symbolists, they can even see all physical things and happenings as symbols of inner truths and realities, even their outer selves, the outer happenings of their life and all around them."

-- Sri Aurobindo, The Secret of the Veda, SABCL Vol. 10

Asana - Asana (Sanskrit) (from the verbal root as to sit quietly)

One of the postures adopted by Hindu ascetics; five are usually enumerated, although nearly ninety have been noted. However, they are not of deep spiritual value or meaning: "Providing that the position of the body be comfortable so that the mind is least distracted, genuine meditation and spiritual and actual introspection can be readily and successfully attained by any earnest student without the slightest attention being paid to these various postures.

A man may be sitting quietly in his arm-chair, or lying in his bed at night, or sitting or lying on the grass in a forest, and can more readily enter the inner worlds than by adopting and following any one or more of these various Asanas, which at the best are physiological aids of relatively small value" (OG 7).

Cin-mudra - ("consciousness seal"): a common hand gesture (mudra) in meditation (dhyana), which is formed by bringing the tips of the index finger and the thumb together, while the remaining fingers are kept straight

Asrama - Asrama (Sanskrit) (from the verbal root sram to exert oneself spiritually)

A sacred building, a monastery or hermitage for ascetic purposes; likewise one of the four periods of effort or inner development in the religious life of a Brahmin in ancient times.

These asramas were
the student or Brahmacharin;
the householder or grihastha, the period of married existence when the Brahmin played his due role in the affairs of the world;
the period of religious seclusion or vanaprastha, usually passed in a vana (forest), a period of inner spiritual recollection and meditation on philosophical and religious matters; and
the one who has renounced all the distractions of worldly life or bhikshu who has turned his attention wholly to spiritual affairs, although he may have returned to the world of men for purposes of aiding and teaching.

Ass In the cults of Asia Minor a symbol of Set, Typhon, Satan, Jehovah, or Saturn. Jesus rides into Jerusalem "upon an ass, and a colt the foal of an ass," in accordance with the prophecy in Zechariah (9:9). If the ass is Saturn, and its foal the earth (whose physical globe is governed by the genius of Saturn in connection with the moon), this is an apt symbol of the descent of the Christos into the lower worlds. Plutarch relates that Typhon or Set fled on an ass into Palestine and there founded Hierosolymus and Judaeus (De Iside et Osiride, ch 30).