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The most common question asked when giving meditation classes is “How to quieten the Mind”. Often people realise how busy the mind is.
I suggest we shouldn’t expect to be able to stop thoughts straightaway. THe mind is so used to thinking it takes a while for it to learn a completely new approach. 
This is an answer by Sri Chinmoy to a question “What do I do when bothered by thought in my meditations?”
Firstly persevere. This is the most common problem in the beginning because we use the mind constantly in our daily affairs. The mind can resist, it is very powerful and stubborn, but your determination and patience shall overcome these early difficulties. The soul has infinitely more capacities than the mind. The mind’s activities are only shallow, whereas the soul’s stillness lies within a much deeper and vaster reality. ..
We have to give the soul time to illumine the mind. The soul brings its qualities forward through the spiritual heart. That is why we focus on the heart in our meditation exercises. The spiritual heart is the vessel through which the soul offers its illumining, pure and divine qualities to the mind and body.
From: Meditation by Sri Chinmoy
Comments
2006-11-07 08:59 | Posted by tom useful advice thanks
My Lord,
When I most intensely pray and meditate,
The world badly misunderstands me.
My Lord, what shall I do?
“My child, you have only one world,
And that world is all love.
It needs neither understanding
Nor misunderstanding.”
Some inspiring quotes on meditation by Sri Chinmoy here at Meditation Quotes
“Meditation is an experience that cannot be described, just as colors cannot be described to a blind man. All ordinary experience is limited by Time, Space and Causation. Our normal awareness and understanding do not transcend these bounds.
” Finite experience, which is measured in terms of past, present and future, cannot be transcendental. Concepts of time are illusory, for they have no permanence. The present, immeasurably small and fleeting, cannot be grasped. Past and future are non-existent in the present. We live in illusion.”
More on Meditation by Swami Sivananda
Comments
2007-08-28 08:01 | Posted by Olga | https://www.sunnyray.org/indexE.htm There is no time and space. When the consciousness surpasses time, space, and the cause/effect relationships, we are at one with ourselves and with God.
“On the fragile layer of reality, the imagination weaves its pattern.”
Regards,
Olga
2006-10-05 13:33 | Posted by Charles Hamel | https://www.meditationworkshop.org/blog/archive/2006/09/23/meditation_sivananda#trackbacks Meditation is the key to a peaceful life. Have you ever met the person that is easy going and nothing ever seems to bother them? And you say to yourself; I wish I could be more like them. Meditation can put you on the path to becoming this personality type. Life sure is easier when you are not always sweating the stuff that really don’t matter.
Thanks for the article.
Namaste
including blog categories on meditation
- Eso Garden Beautiful site by Ursi Spaltenstein
including category on meditation
- Meditation Blog Meditation Blog with articles about Meditation
Comments
2007-09-04 05:29 | Posted by Eklavya | https://www.meditationiseasy.com It may sounds self-promotion, which I don’t like myself, but I can’t help but recommend my meditation blog which is also a good source of meditation : https://www.meditationiseasy.com/blog/
2007-07-13 16:33 | Posted by Tejvan Pettinger Hi,
Thanks for visiting.
I don’t know much about the meditation you mention so I can’t really say.
2007-07-05 23:19 | Posted by Jackie Paterson | https://www.rejoiceinlife.com Great site, heaps of information. I am thinking about doing Abby Eagle’s NLP and Osho Zen Meditation workshop on the Gold Coast in Australia. I am wondering what you guys think of Osho Zen Meditation. It sounds good but they seem to go a little crazy with the gibberish and laughter meditation. I think i might find it a little confronting. I am wondering what others think. Do you think i should just take the jump or start with something a little quieter like Vipassana meditation? Can you check out Abby’s course and get back to me: https://www.rejoiceinlife.com/zen/semZenCourse.php
Jackie xxoo
Meditation Silence is a video produced by editors of Sri Chinmoy TV. It features footage of Sri Chinmoy meditating and offering short clear guidance about the essentials of Meditation.
Meditation Silence at Sri Chinmoy TV
An Introduction to the techniques of Meditation
Meditation is an experience that cannot be described, just as colors cannot be described to a blind man. All ordinary experience is limited by Time, Space and Causation. Our normal awareness and understanding do not transcend these bounds.
Finite experience, which is measured in terms of past, present and future, cannot be transcendental. Concepts of time are illusory, for they have no permanence. The present, immeasurably small and fleeting, cannot be grasped. Past and future are non-existent in the present. We live in illusion.
The meditative state transcends all such limitations. In it there is neither past nor future, but only the consciousness of “I am” in the eternal NOW. It is only possible when all mental modifications are stilled.
The closest analogous state that we can experience is deep sleep, in which there is neither time, nor space, nor causation. Meditation, however, differs from deep sleep, for it works profound changes in the psyche. By curbing and stilling the oscillations of the mind, meditation brings mental peace.
On the physical level, meditation helps to prolong the body’s anabolic process of growth and repair, and to reduce the catabolic or decaying process. Ordinarily the anabolic process predominates until the age of 18. From 18 to 35 there is balance between the two, and after 35 the catabolic process dominates. Meditation can significantly reduce the catabolic decline. This is because of the innate receptivity of the body cells.
Each of our body cells is governed by the instinctive subconscious mind. They have both an individual and a collective conciousness. When the thoughts and desires pour into the body, the cells are activated; the body always obeys the group demand. It has been scientifically proven that positive thoughts bring positive result to cells. As meditation brings about a prolonged positive state of mind, it rejuvenates body cells and retards decay.
One cannot learn to meditate, anymore than one can learn to sleep. one falls into both states. There are certain points to remember regarding the techniques and stages of meditation.
The 14 Points of Meditation
1. Regularity of time, place and practice are important. Regularity conditions the mind to slow down its activities with a minimum of delay.
2. The most effective times are early dawn and dusk, when the atmosphere is charged with special spiritual force. If it is not feasible to sit for meditation at these times, choose an hour when you are not involved with daily activities, and a time when the mind is apt to be calm.
3. Try to have a separate room for meditation. As meditation is repeated, the powerful vibrations set up will be lodged in the area; an atmosphere of peace and purity will be felt.
4. When sitting, face North or East in order to take advantage of favorable magnetic vibrations. Sit in a steady, comfortable, cross-legged position with spine and neck erect but not tense.
5. Before beginning, command the mind to be quiet for a specific length of time. Forget the past, present and future.
6. Consciously regulate the breath. Begin with five minutes of deep abdominal breathing to bring oxygen to the brain. Then slow it down to an imperceptible rate.
7. Keep the breathing, rhythmic, inhale for three seconds and exhale for three seconds. Regulation of breath also regulates the flow of prana, the vital energy.
8. Allow the mind to wander at first. It will jump around, but will eventually become concentrated, along with the concentration of prana.
9. Don’t force the mind to be still, as this will set in motion additional brain waves, hindering meditation.
10. Select a focal point on which the mind may rest. For people who are intellectual by nature, this may be the Ajna Chakra., the point between the eyebrows. For more emotional people, use the Anahata or Heart Chakra. Never change this focal point.
11. Focus on a neutral or uplifting object, holding the image in the place of concentration. If using a Mantra, repeat it mentally, and co-ordinate repetition with the breath. If you dont have a personalized Manta, use Om. Although mental repetition is stronger, the mantra may be repeted aloud if one becomes drowsy. Never change the Mantra.
12. Repetition will lead to pure thought, in which sound vibration merges with thought vibration, without awareness of meaning. Vocal repetition progresses through mental repetition to telepathic language, and from there to pure thought.
13. With practice, duality disappears and Samadhi, or the superconscious state, is reached. Do not become impatient, as this takes a long time.
14. In Samadhi one rests in the state of bliss in which the Knower, the Knowledge, and the Known become one. This is the superconcious state reached by mystics of all faiths and persuasions.
If you meditate for half an hour daily, you will be able to face life with peace and spiritual strength. Meditation is the most powerful mental and nerve tonic. Divine energy freely flows to the adept during meditation, and exerts a benign influence on the mind, nerves, sense organs and body. It opens the door to intuitive knowledge and realms of eternal bliss. The mind becomes calm and steady.
Web source: Meditation at Sivananda.org
picture by Richard Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries
If you have difficulty learning to meditate I strongly recommend the use of mantra. A mantra is a certain discipline which helps to create a meditative consciousness. When we repeat a mantra many times we seek to purify the mind and also gain inspiration from the quality of the mantra.
“If you repeat the mantra out loud, you will get physical purity. If you repeat the mantra in silence, you will get purity in your inner existence. Without inner purity, you will make no spiritual progress. “
– Sri Chinmoy [1]
One useful mantra exercise is to choose a word like “Aum” or Supreme” and repeat it 500 times in a day. The repetitions need not be long, we can repeat them relatively quickly, otherwise it will take too long. On the next day we increase the number of mantra repetitions to 600. The following day we can increase the number by another 100. At the end of the week we will be repeating the mantra 1200 times. On reaching 1200, the next day we should reduce the number by a 100 and go back down to 500. After this 2 week period, we should repeat the exercise going upto 1200 before returning to 500. The whole exercise, therefore, takes 1 month. If we follow the exercise properly we will definitely feel a real improvement in our meditation. The exercise is most effective because it forces us to be concentrated and disciplined. The mind cannot wander and we also benefit from the spiritual vibration of the mantra we choose.
When we implement the mantra, the most difficult thing is counting the number of repetitions. There are various solutions for counting mantras.
- We can use our fingers, enabling us to count in batches of ten.
- We can try visualise the number in our mind and see the number increasing. Personally, I find this difficult.
- Use Mantra Beads.
- We can time it. If our mantra is very constant, we may find that repeating 100 mantras takes, say, 3 minutes. Therefore, we can make a rought estimate of the count by timing our mantra.
This is not precise, although, it is worth mentioning that the getting absolutely the precise number is not the most important aspect of the exercise. For example, if we are chanting the mantra and we become unsure of the number, it is fine just to continue with the most likely number.
What is important in this exercise is making sure we stay focused on the mantra. Don’t let our mind wander onto other things at the same time as repeating the mantra. Also, we should just do the mantra mechanically, the mantra should be repeated with intensity and awareness it is more than just a word. To avoid becoming mechanical it is good to vary the rhythm with which we say the words. For example, we can vary our breathing; every time we complete 10 we can make that mantra a little longer.
It is best to do this exercise at the same time each day, but, if this is not possible, no harm. We can also split it up into different sections. For example, we can do 2 * 600. However, I personally prefer to do it all at once because it builds up a certain vibration. I also find it is good to meditate in silence after completing the number of mantras. Sometimes our mind will keep repeating the mantra is silence. This is good because it shows the mantra has become part of our inner existence.
This mantra exercise is a very powerful tool. I try to do it once a year. After completing it, I always notice an improvement in my meditation.
It also gives a certain sense of achievement. Usually when we meditate there is nothing to gauge our efforts. On one level we shouldn’t need to achieve anything in meditation. However, for beginners like myself, it is good to be able to do something concrete that definitely helps our concentration and meditation.
By: Tejvan Pettinger.
[1] Excerpt from My Meditation-Service At The United Nations For 25 Years by Sri Chinmoy.`[1] <https://www.srichinmoylibrary.com/meditation-service/252.html>`__
Sources
Meditation is an inner activity. When we meditate we make an inner connection with our inner pilot, our inner self. To attain the highest meditative consciousness we do not need any outer aids. However, if we are a beginner then there are several things that can help us in our meditation. Although they may only add a little benefit to our meditation, it is definitely worth taking the help of these outer aids.
1. Flowers
Having flowers on our shrine help our meditation. The fragrance and beauty of a flower help to create an inspiring atmosphere. When we look at a beautiful flower, we momentarily gain happiness and this helps us to enter into a good meditation.
2. Candle.
A candle is a symbol of our inner flame of aspiration. When we see a candle flame, we are reminded of this inner aspiration. A candle flame embodies great simplicity; it is simply a flame of one pointed aspiration up to the highest. The second aspect of a candle is light; the outer light is again symbolic of the inner light we seek to discover in our meditation. Thus, a candle is a very useful addition to our meditation shrine.
“You can concentrate anywhere: on the heart, on a candle or on any object. But if you are concentrating on a candle flame, please feel that nothing exists between you and the flame. Feel that nothing exists in your aspiring world but the flame; and while concentrating, feel that the inner flame is climbing high, higher, highest. The candle flame means aspiration. When you look at the flame, try to feel that you are aspiring, that there is no thought, nothing, in you or around you.”
– Sri Chinmoy [1]
3. Incense.
Good quality incense helps to purify the air and create a spiritual vibration. Burning incense helps to create a meditative vibration, and over time we will associate the smell of incense with meditation. Thus, when we burn incense we will feel ready for meditation.
4. Meditation Cushion.
If we can learn to sit on the floor in the correct way, we will find our meditation improves. If we can sit on the floor with our back straight, meditation can become more fruitful than sitting in a chair. Sitting on the floor, we are less likely to fall asleep and will have a posture more conducive to meditation. However, when we sit on the floor we need to make sure that we are balanced. If we just sit cross legged, we will have a tendency to lean forward. To compensate for this we will strain our muscles, making it difficult to forget the body. However, if we use a meditation cushion or meditation stool we raise ourselves off the floor and enable our knees to be parallel to our thighs. In this position we will be comfortable and can sit in perfect balance for a long time.
5. Clean light Clothes.
A significant aspect of meditation is purity. When we meditate powerfully we will feel tremendous purity in our inner system. This purity will give tremendous joy. To gain inner purity we should give importance to outer cleanliness. If we have a shower and wear clean and light clothes it will expedite our meditation.
It possible to meditate well without using any of these objects, but, if you do use some of these outer aids you will help create an inspiring place and vibration to meditate. Also by preparing a meditation shrine we give our meditation greater importance and focus.
[1] Excerpt from The Silent Mind by Sri Chinmoy.
Statues and pictures are an important part of many spiritual traditions, whereas other traditions view them as obscuring the real nature of the truth. The latter hold that since God is formless and beyond human comprehension, people should meditate on the formless Reality rather than pictures or statues. It is certainly true that God is beyond the comprehension of the limited human mind. And it is also true that in the past, people have engaged in idol worship of statues rather than focusing on their inner life. However, for thousands of years statues and pictures have served as an inspiration for many spiritual seekers to reach the highest. When we look at a stature or a picture of a great spiritual master, we feel tremendous peace and love emanating from his features, which inspires us to pursue our prayers and meditations to find the Source of that peace and love.
One of the main obstacles on the spiritual path is doubt: at times the limiting mind clouds our view and we doubt that God really exists, but more often we doubt ourselves, we doubt that it is possible for us or indeed any human being to overcome the defects of our nature and reach the Highest. However, if we know of people who have reached that goal, we become surcharged with new inspiration, and we are filled again with determination to climb the mountain that these saints have successfully scaled. Even people who have no connection with spirituality whatsoever nowadays often have a Buddha statue in their houses: the statue creates a sense of peace and serenity, and indeed perhaps it may in future inspire them if they decide want to explore the inner life more fully.
In recent years, photographs of great spiritual teachers have become an invaluable resource for their students, especially when they are physically separated from the master. When they meditate on the photograph, they are not meditating on the physical person of the master, they are meditating on the meditative consciousness which through years of meditation has risen above all earthly fetters to become one with the highest. Through this meditation, they get a glimpse into this vast state of oneness with God, which inspires them to press ahead in their own spiritual journey until they can reach that state for themselves.
Comments
2007-08-28 02:40 | Posted by Olga | https://www.sunnyray.org/indexE.htm I am awed by the maturity and insight that the author shows while contemplating on the subject of approaching God. Even more simple is turning our attention toward our inner being, and, in this way, expanding our consciousness. This will bring us to the Source of all things. The statues and pictures can sometimes pull our attention off, but they can certainly be beneficial in the beginnings of one’s meditativeness.