On Meditation
Adihi bhagwan brahmvidyam varistham,
Sada sadbihi sevayamanyam nighudham,
Yayaachirat sarvapapebhyoh vyapohya,
Parat param purusham yati vidvan.
-Kaivalya Upanishad
“God grant me the brahmavidya or knowledge of supreme which is secret and followed by the
learned , which destroys all sins without time, by which the experienced reach the param
purusha.”
The Upanishad further says that neither through karma nor through wealth, this
knowledge can be obtained but through meditation and goes on to describe the method of
meditation. It is one of the minor Upanishads but in content is no less than a major Upanishad. In
fact, almost all the Upanishads contain direct or indirect reference to meditation.
What is meditation?
In the recent times the Ancient Indian ideas, the knowledge of Vedas and Upanishads
have surfaced again and people across the globe acknowledge the wisdom in our ancient
literature. Readings of these scriptures alongwith the equivalent or contemporary literature on the
subject reveals that basic ingredients of all the scriptures is towards the well being and evolution
of the mankind. All the contemporaneous literature gives lot of importance to the Meditation in
the process of evolution. Research and experiences in this field have emphasized that meditation
has significant role in the evolution, overall development and well being of the entire life forms
over the ages. Studies have also pointed towards the medical benefits that can be achieved by
regular practice of meditation. So the basic question that needs to be addressed comprehensively
is as to what is meditation.
Someone may consider meditation as a worship or prayer, commonly understood to mean
some form of spiritual practice where one sits down with eyes closed and empties the mind to
attain inner peace, relaxation or even an experience of God. For some meditation means
awareness. "Watching your breath" is meditation; listening to the birds is meditation, gardening
is meditation, jogging or pursuing any activity of art or music with full awareness is meditation.
All such statements are commonly heard creating confusion with regard to the understanding of
the term meditation. All such activities done with full awareness and free from any other
distraction to the mind, it is effective meditation.
Bal Ganga Dhar Tilak had very disciplined routine. Every day he had assigned time for
every thing including prayers and meditation too. On one of the busy days one of his close aides
found him deviating from the routine in as much that he did not offered prayers and did not
meditated. When he asked Tilak about it, Tilak replied that he had been meditating since
morning by the way of performing all his duties sincerely as an observer. Meditation is not a
technique but a way of life which involves the 'a cessation of the thought process. Meditative
mind is free of scattered thoughts and mind becomes the spectator to everything.
The word meditation, is derived from two Latin words : ‘meditari’(to think, to dwell
upon, to exercise the mind) and ‘mederi’ (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation 'medha' means wisdom.
Patanjali’s “Yoga Pradip”, describe that to attain true states of meditation one must go
through several stages. After the necessary preparation of personal and social code, physical
position, breath control, and relaxation the more advanced stages of concentration,
contemplation, and absorption (samadhi) are reached. While a meditative state is the natural
outcome of yoga and the spiritual benefit of meditation is supreme bliss or enlightenment, these
words are unlikely to be understood by many. However the modern approach is quite simplified
and various schools teach the meditation directly without strictly following the “asthang path”of
Patanjali. Some schools only teach concentration techniques, some relaxation, and others teach
free form contemplative activities like just sitting and awaiting absorption. Thus in modern
approach meditation has been totally delinked from the traditional yogic approach and it can be
said that in modern times Meditation is:
Not contemplation
Not religious or specific to any religion but is universal technique to quieten the
mind.
Not hypnosis or regression
How to meditate
In Svetasvatara Upanishad, an analogy of two birds sitting on a tree is given-the self and
the supreme. When the lower bird looks at the higher bird, that is meditation. This analogy
applied to the body and mind relationship is the starting point of the meditative states and
applying this analogy to the soul and divine is the ultimate goal of any spiritual meditation
Regarding how to look, thousands of methods are known. Be it reiki, twin heart
meditation, sahaj sadhana ,aum meditation, mantra meditation , spiritual meditations ,raja yoga
meditation, energy meditation and what not. Even prayers are communication with the divine.
To meditate one must understand the relationship between the body, breath, mind, soul
and divine. To begin with one can start with mind and body and gradually proceed to the higher
stages involving breath, soul and mind. Meditation is nothing but shifting from the stage of the
physical consciousness to that divine consciousness in gradual manner. The mind and body are
intimately connected. A relaxed body results in a relaxed and expansive mind. The mind creates
a situation in which we see the body as peaceful and beautiful. By creating peaceful feelings in
the body, the mind is absorbed in those feelings and gradually starts expanding to higher state of
consciousness.
Aum meditation is one of the simplest and yet one of the most powerful meditation
technique. The first requirement in all meditation is to relax both physically and mentally. One
can sit in a comfortable pose preferably padmasana or sukhasana and take a few deep breaths
and relax. Then, while exhaling say aum. With time, the mind starts becoming gradually more
and more silent. The silence between two aums is the time and point of meditation. In fact, aum
has been described as the sound of nature, the sound of creation and mergence. As the body gets
relaxed with every exhalation or aum mind expands in the stage of stillness between the two
aums. Thus with every aum mind and body move to the higher level of consciousness.
Benefits of meditation
In today’s stressful world, meditation has many health benefits. It lowers tension, lowers
heart rate, releases toxins and creates a positive frame of mind.
