image: internet
“I didn`t even know where I was going… for the first few hours it was a complete darkness…and it seemed to me, I was quite in a state of oblivion, yet descending down… down into the darkness, into that depth more and more… may be, in order to explore a mystery, I felt! But the more, I got descended down… the more, I felt that I was being guided up by a tiny flame of light, within… and trust me, the more I plunged deep into that darkness, I started to feel that I was not there, only to encounter with that darkness all around me. Rather, there had been a vast sea of eternal, graceful light to embrace… and that tiny flame of light was just guiding me up towards that eternal light, towards that ocean of grace and bliss…and I was just walking through it…and that tiny flame was leading me up all through my sojourn only to be merged with that eternal vastness, where there is no darkness at all, but only a vast sea of graceful light…Then I didn`t even know what is meditation… what is the exact process to experience that harmony and bliss, within. But that day something happened that made me to startle with awe and wonder. As after that experience I started to feel that beyond this mortal realm of human existence, I do have another reality, another existence. And that reality is not the tangibility, we see with the help of our ordinary perceptions, rather the reality that holds the truth of eternity; the truth of an eternal bliss that we`ve within, since the primordial time of our existence.”
She paused for a while, then continued; “You may be surprised a bit! But trust me dear, on that very moment, I was not in me…to put it right, I was beyond any realm of tangibility, beyond any realm of conscious or subconscious…but I was there with my true essence, with my entity, very much aligned with the divinity, within; very much true to my eternal existence and connected to that supreme power of divine intelligence!”
You may be perplexed a bit, may think was it really a state of meditation for her or something else that can`t be comprehended in the tangible realm of perception? If you think so and are not been able to perceive the matter in a deeper sense, I would rather assure you that it was truly a state of meditation for that lady when her inner quietude became more realistic enough in a self- reflective way and the infinite potentials of her soul became rejuvenated, once again to embrace that eternal divine grace (that is surrounded the entire universe and her entity as well). And I feel, it is the very moment of being able to feel one`s divinity, within. It is the ideal way to perceive the bliss and serenity, the truth and integrity of one`s inner self that most of the time we fail to contemplate in our day to day life of broken promises and unattainable hopes!
In this connection, once again I would like to remind you, if we consider our life as a journey itself, it would be better for us to value our life as a spiritual quest and meditation as the heart and soul of this spiritual journey not only to communicate with ourselves, to know the true purpose of our being, but also to communicate with the world outside, to heal the wounds (not only for us but for others as well) and to restore ourselves, physically, mentally and spiritually as well.
And this same case held true for that lady whom I met five years ago at one of the less renowned ashram in the northern region of India. She had been a disciple over there for the last few years. And it was one of her experiences during the time of meditation that she shared with me. I feel, you`re pretty curious to know whether she was a nun (a sanyasi in the sense) or not. So in order to satisfy your curiosity, I would like to tell you that actually she was not like that, rather an ordinary woman of barely forty to forty two years of age. And here, once again I would like to remind you that meditation is not only for the yogis but for all, especially for those who have distracted from their ideal path of truth and reality and suffering from an existential crisis like that lady who through a life of suffering, ultimately got realized that her soul needed to have a proper healing and that couldn`t be done without the help of mediation. It not only gave her that healing but also introduced before her a different reality of her existence. In this connection, once again I would like to tell you that it`s not only a scientific process, advocated by the psychologists but also acts as an antidote to eradicate all forms of wounds in order to have a greater insight, to know the real nature of yourself and to awaken your soul to that eternal truth of harmony and bliss.
When Meditation helps to ground yourself with your true Being:
If some of you are feeling that our human life is nothing but only a confinement to face several unbroken chains of miseries and sorrows where happiness can`t be perceived, can`t be embraced, I would like to remind you one simple fact that in spite of all the sufferings and miseries, there also you can have a bliss, within. And here in lies the secret of meditation that always helps you to open your heart, allowing your soul to feel that bliss, that serenity, within. During the course of this blissful practice, you may realize, where in lies the actual worth of surrendering yourself completely to the divine. What you need to do is just to meditate with a peaceful mind and with a thankful heart. Yes! It has that magical power to transcend your consciousness beyond this tangible realm of sorrows and sufferings, enabling your heart and rejuvenating your soul once again to bring an alchemy into the gross realities of your mundane life. And here in lies its efficacy in transmuting one`s ordinary life into a life of blissful truth and harmony. In this connection, one more fact that I would like to share with you. Some of you may feel that meditation is only for the spiritual persons. At this point, I must tell you that meditation is not only a spiritual exploration, but it`s also scientific at the same time. Hence, it`s for everyone. Whether you believe in God or not, you can`t deny that you`re a spiritual being; a soul with an earthly shell. Yoga and meditation is universal as it has that infinite potential of strengthening your energy and channelizing your spirit to recognize your worth, your true purpose on this planet. It enables you to eradicate all forms of dilemmas and helps you to enjoin all your fragmented thoughts into one simple harmonious accord, inspiring you once again to move forward in your life.
If being awakened to your soul`s purpose seems to you as some sweet fragrance of the morning buds, remember meditation is that special moment of a newer dawn to enrich their fragrance, helping them to bloom once again with all those inherent potentials they`ve, within since eternity. While, you`re considering your life as a spiritual quest, meditation can be considered as that magical stone that will help you all the time to feel this quest not as a tough one, but a blissful sojourn in order to come back to your center, avoiding all forms of distractions and leading your consciousness towards a higher level of contemplation where you`ll be able to free yourself from all forms of illusive expectations through an insightful realization and also can feel the highest truth of life and that blissful divinity, you`ve within, since eternity. Meditation is nothing but to explore your divinity once again in spite of living in this mortal realm of existence, unfolding another truth of your existence where the concept of `I`, your ego self, gets faded away and quite automatically you start to feel that you`re getting invited into a state of blissful silence in order to be aligned to the reality of your spiritual being. And here in lies its magical power, making you realize that you`ve a hidden truth under the layer of your mortal existence. And that truth is nothing but the truth of your spiritual essence, the truth of eternity itself.
Though meditation doesn`t have any specific process. It`s all about grounding yourself, coming back to the depth, within that still seems to us as an unfathomable mystery. It`s all about to feel, to experience and to transcend beyond this tangible realm, uplifting our consciousness and introducing ourselves with the truth, within our entity. It is meditation that awakens us to feel who we truly are and what is our purpose on this earth. Though here we don`t need to have any special arrangement or any special method to connect to the divine as meditation needs not to have any special arrangement, but always needs to have an intense urge to feel the connection with the higher source of intelligence. It`s also a journey where your body, mind and soul are integrated with each other in a harmonious way and you can feel that you`re treading along a blissful path only to know your inner self, your connection to the divine.
But do you ever know how is it possible to evolve yourself, being grounded with your true being at the same time? Here in lies the mystery of this art. Yes! it`s an art, an art of channelizing your mind in a concentrated way but at the same time elevating your consciousness beyond this tangible realm of perception. Though meditation always needs to have a proper concentrated mind, but never think that this concentration is enough to bring that divinity, within. As concentration means an one-pointedness of thought and meditation is delving into the depth of your being through a concentrated mind in order to bring a balance, within guiding your consciousness in a constructively fruitful way so that you can realize the real truth of life itself, the reality of your inner world.
And here in lies its distinction with concentration, its demarcation with an ordinary prayer. Though a faithful prayer also acts as a bridge between your conscious and subconscious self and it can also bring a miracle into your life. But meditation is something higher. And remember, during that moment, you`re not only elevating your concentrated energy towards a fruitful exploration, but also rejuvenating your soul`s intense yearning, once again to be reconnected to the divine, to that supreme power of intelligence, surrounding the universe, since eternity. In a simpler way to interpret, meditation is nothing but a reunion of your soul with that greater womb of creation from where she came and will be merged into. So whenever you feel bereaved enough, wandering and stumbling across the darker corners of realities, never get disheartened. Rather, pause for a while, feel free to contemplate. Never force yourself to do so. Rather, try to detach yourself from all the worldly distractions in a spontaneous way. Still, some thoughts, some memories (happy or unhappy) may want to pop up into your mind. You may feel you`re getting distracted again. But don`t be bothered. Rather try to descend more into the depth, within, surpassing the limitations and distractions of your conscious self. The dark passageways of tangible realities may distract you for a while, but try to ignore their call and listen what your inner self is trying to whisper into your ears. And I’m sure there, once again you may feel that strong yearning of your soul who wants to be merged with the divine light, with that supreme power of intelligence.
In this connection, I would like to remind you that meditation is essential not only to be psychologically balanced but also to maintain your integrity as a spiritual being. If meditation is the heart and soul of your spiritual life, your mind has to be considered as the principal equipment to continue that life. Though there are always different opinions, regarding to this paths of meditation, multiple opinions and multiple ways to connect to the divine. But the first and foremost way to this connection is to calm your mind and allow it to follow the path of that ideal truth that you`re seeking for a long period of time. Though there is no formality in this path. But if you`ll be able to attain that path, trust me you may find yourself into a state of sublime bliss. There you need not to be baffled or wandered around like a hopeless tramp, rather you may realize where in lies the mystery of your existence, the truth of your being. You can even explore the eternal knot that you share with that universal divine source of intelligence. And quite surprisingly all the thoughts of worries and sorrows gradually start to fade away and once again, you may start to feel that you are an eternal source of energy and your purpose on this earth is not to mourn over some past grieves, but to contemplate, to observe and to feel the bliss, within, instead of seeking it from the external world.
Though there is no formality of attaining this path. But one thing we should have to remember that it`s neither a tough nor an easy one to undergo. Even the mystics, the yogis sometimes fail to attain this path. It takes time, it`s a long process; an art of exploration indeed; exploring yourself, exploring the spiritual essence that you`ve within, since eternity. And here in lies its truth; its wonder.
Meditation; an integrated and blissful experience of Body, Mind and Soul:
Though there is no specific process regarding to this art of meditation, but to connect ourselves completely to the divine in order to elevate our consciousness beyond this tangible realm of perception, we need to maintain a proper balance, within. As it may help us to get more enlightened in a spontaneous and constructive way. Though there are several opinions and principals regarding to this art of meditation. But there is also a general principal that embodies the universal truth and that truth is nothing, but the truth of controlling your mind and elevating your consciousness in that way from where you can feel your spiritual essence within yourself and your eternal connection with the divine as well. Here, in this section, I would like to give you some of the disciplines that may lead your consciousness to feel that harmony and bliss, within once again;
- Since meditation is a harmonious practice of mind, body and soul, so in order to attain that highest sublime bliss, along with a thankful heart and a peaceful mind, you also need to have a healthy body. As during this course of meditation, a comfortable and steady posture is essential to calm your mind, to relax your nerves and to feel better to connect to the divine with an open heart. A steady but comfortable posture not only helps you to maintain your mental equilibrium but also helps to concentrate more on a specific thought and to contemplate over that in a spontaneously peaceful way. Your insight becomes more clear and gradually, you start to feel that you`re aligning yourself with your divinity, within.
- Next comes the discipline of breathing. As breathing is very much connected to our life force. So, a proper way of breathing is essential to heal yourself and to feel your connection with the eternal forces of nature itself. A proper way of breathing ( breathe in and breathe out) not only helps you to eradicate all forms of worries and tensions, but also gives you that strength to reground yourself, once again to your center, helping you to have a greater insight and also enables to broaden your vision in a systematic way. But I think, this breathing (this rhythmic pattern of breathe in and breathe out) has to be learned under some supervisor. As it`s very much scientific. Hence it`s not advisable to do it in a haphazard manner. If it`s done in that improper way, it may create an imbalance not only in your mind but also in your body as well.
- Cleanliness of your body and purity of your heart and mind is essential to feel the blissful reality of your life through meditation. As with an impure heart and a restless mind you can never be able to devote yourself to the divine. It`ll always hold you back withdrawing you, once again from surrendering yourself to the divine in a spontaneous way.
- In this connection, I would remind you that our mind is very much insolent in nature. And it`s also an art to learn how to bring that unruly mind completely in your own control. Actually meditation is all about controlling your scattered mind at one time in a harmonious, constructive way, withdrawing your sense organs from all forms of worldly distractions and fixing your mind into one simple thought without an interruption, without any forceful external intrusion or any kinds of contradictions. As it is that state of your mind when your internal stream keeps flowing without any interferences.
- To put it in a more comprehensible way, meditation is that state of your mind when within yourself you may not find any objective consciousness to perceive your tangible existence. But that doesn`t mean that there is no consciousness at all. There is a consciousness, indeed; a pure consciousness, a state of bliss and solitude where you`re with your real nature, with the truth of your existence that you`ve, within since eternity.
- If you think, meditation is only a simple process of concentrating and controlling your mind just to bring a balance in your personality, I would rather say, apart from that it also serves a special role in your life. And that is bringing an integrity within your being. And here meditation is serving that purpose to get yourself reunited with your original center, the truth of your being that you`ve lost in the course of your everyday life.
- As in a deeper state of meditation, you`ll be able to elevate your consciousness beyond any level of tangible perception, beyond all forms of worries and anxieties. And it is that stage when your soul, breaking the shackles of ignorance, finds her own way to realign herself with the supreme power of universal intelligence, with her true home; the home of infinite potentials and unperturbed bliss. In a way, meditation is to be considered as a blessing in this spiritual journey, we`re embarked on as with the help of it, quite automatically the unifying, constructive undercurrent of your inner self start to flow, within in a harmonious way and quite surprisingly start to channelize its energy even on the external layer of your mind, enabling you to restore your inner balance and helping you to communicate not only with yourself but also with the world outside in a proper way, eradicating all forms of inner conflicts and dilemmas and opening up a newer insight to perceive the world with a newer vision of reality.
Some of you may think that it`s only a spiritual process and only the yogis can attain this path with a long perseverance. But here, I would like to remind you that it`s not only a spiritual process but also a scientific process, indeed advocated by most of the psychologists to heal their patients where the patients themselves can explore their real essence and ground themselves with their true being by the help of this artful discovery. Knowing ourselves, our soul`s nature and responding to her call is the actual knowing and aligning ourselves with the truth of our existence. And here in lies the efficacy of meditation; the art of discovering yourself.
It always invites you towards a state of Self- reflection:
In this life, we all are seeking something, something that may embrace us with joy and happiness, totally forgetting where in lies the actual secret of being happy for ever. Actually we all are spiritual beings in mortal forms and that`s why our essential nature is something beyond this tangible realm of worldly perceptions. But most of the time, we engage ourselves into the trap of this mundane reality and ignore the reality of our being, the inherent core of our existence that we`ve within, since eternity. And I feel meditation is nothing but only a systematic and scientific practice to uplift our consciousness from that level of ignorance in a self-reflective way, making us to realize that our human life is not only to seek pleasures and happiness out in the external world, rather to discover that bliss and serenity, within that remained unexplored due to our mere ignorance.
During the deeper state of meditation you can perceive the ultimate reality of your inner self, the truth you bear, since eternity within your entity. But it`s possible only when your mind is calm enough. Then only you can feel that this meditative state is nothing but a mirror itself to hold your real nature in front of you. And gradually you start to feel that you`re no longer an earthly body, but a soul with a human form. And this world of earthly belongings, your name, your fame and all other worldly things are nothing but only some illusive things to be lulled on.
If we consider our mind as an ocean and the waves, hitting at the shore as the regular thoughts that come into our mind, (sometimes intentionally and sometimes unintentionally) I would rather remind you that meditation is that helping guide to explore the deep down of that ocean. And there you may not find any ripples, any constraints or any bubbles of thoughts, coming to and fro, but only can feel the sublimity, the serenity and peace, inviting you into a world of harmony and bliss! During this meditative state you may not perceive your real being on a very first place, but if you probe deeper within, you can feel the magic, you can hear the soft mumblings of your soul and what she is sharing with you, even in the midst of that silence around. Here in this deeper stage of meditation, you can no longer feel any restrain from your ego self, rather may start to feel that you`re opening up a newer door to liberate your soul from all the barriers and bondages of this tangible world, true to her real essence in order to be merged with the supreme power of intelligence from where she came into this mundane world of existence. And coming at this point of experience, you can only realize, where in lies the secret of feeling the bliss, within, the secret of feeling happy, while your external scenarios are not even permitting you to do so. Some of you may doubt the entire process, may not perceive its utility in your life with the help of your ordinary consciousness. But my dear, if you allow your consciousness to broaden its horizon, I can assure you that there you may have a grater insight through this self- reflective way where this self- reflection ultimately will prove as a revelation itself. A revelation of the higher truth, the truth of your existence as well.
When purification happens, Enlightenment comes in a spontaneous way:
Do you ever know what the real purpose of meditation is? Is it only calming your mind or integrating it in a harmonious way? Or something else, something beyond our ordinary perceptions? To put it in a simplistic way, I would rather say that meditation is that purified state of our mind when we`re totally free from all forms of negative emotions and thoughts and can engage ourselves only in quest of an ideal truth, in order to explore our true spiritual nature and to be enlightened with the eternal light to feel the divinity once again, we already have, within.
If you want to be spiritually enlightened, always remember that purification of your mind and heart and enlightenment of your soul are inextricably connected to each other. It`s utterly impossible for you to reach that greater height of pure enlightenment, unless and until you`re fully able to free yourself from all forms of negative and lower vibrational energies, surrounding yourself. Sometimes you yourself are responsible for welcoming those and sometimes circumstances bring those unwanted vibrations, close to you. So always try to keep in your mind, whenever you`re going to attain the path of meditation, you need to be very much free from all the toxicities of your surroundings. As a toxic, impure mind never can attain that highest path of connecting to the universal source of intelligence. Purification of your mind not only frees you from all forms of toxicities and negativities, but also enlivens your soul once again in order to reach to that highest order from where you can get the knowledge of self- realization. And this self- realization is the ultimate way to ground your being and elevate your consciousness at the same time to enlighten your being and to emerge before the world as a truly balanced and enlightened individual who knows how to feel the bliss, within in spite of living in this mundane world of existence. In a way, it also provides you a greater insight to comprehend yourself and the world outside, more in a cognitive way. And here in lies its ability to provide you a better intelligent understanding to recognize your true purpose on this planet and your relation to it.
Knowing your spiritual worth is the ideal way to heal yourself:
Most of you may feel that on this planet your existence doesn`t have any meaning at all. As here all the time you`ve to face different circumstances at different scenarios. Sometimes favorable, sometimes not. Most of the time you feel a lack, inside. Your conscious self every time harks you back. Sometimes tempts you to enjoy some worldly things to fill in that lack. But most of the time you fail to do so and discover yourself once again trapped into another labyrinthine pleasure seeking track where, once again you find nothing, but only that same lack!
Do you ever know why again and again, you feel the same lack, in spite of having everything around yourself? I think, you don`t know the answer. And here in lies your ignorance. Actually that lack is not coming from the external world, but it`s coming from your inner self. Now a days, the more you`re getting attached to the external worldly pleasures, remember the more you`re ignoring the truth that you`re a spiritual being and on this planet you also have some destined purpose. And here in lies the root cause of that lack, you`re feeling every hour of your survival. In this connection, one more thing that I would like to share that most often we tend to see our existence as a mere survival, while the truth is something higher than that, something very much aligned to the truth of the universe that we already have within, since eternity.
I feel, suffering in our physical plane and experiencing that lack, within is nothing but one of the real consequences of our spiritual deprivation. And this process of meditation is nothing but to realign ourselves with our true home, strengthening our spirit, healing our wounds, bringing before us the real nature of ourselves and allowing our soul to evolve once again, true to her own essence. In a deeper way to interpret, meditation is that state of your mind, when the depth can only speak with the depth and open up all the doors of perceptions to allow your consciousness to transcend beyond the ordinary level of perceptions, beyond all the sufferings, beyond all the tangibility that is harking you back every now and then. And the moment you`re encountered with your true spiritual self, quite automatically you get to know who you truly are and from where did you come into this world of existence. And gradually you start to feel that here on this earth you`re not a single entity, but eternally connected to the supreme power of universal intelligence, surrounding the entire creation and responsible for your existence well. So you need not to be frightened or depressed for anything external, as you`re already complete, within. And while you`re already complete, within, you need not to lend something external to make yourself happy. And now, you already aware of who you truly are. You know your spiritual worth; your eternal self, the truth of your being, the Absolute Reality that you possess, within since the time of your primordial existence. And the moment you start to accept who you truly are, quite automatically, you`ll be able to heal yourself and evolve, within. As acceptance can bring within you that feeling of bliss, your soul have been searching for a long. And quite automatically you start to feel that the cause of your depression was nothing, but an estrangement from your inner seed, your center, your reality, within.
I personally feel that meditation is a blessing for both of our psychological and spiritual well- being. Actually this is a moment of revelation; a revelation of the truth of our being, a revelation of our real self; the infinite power and eternal strength that we all have within our entity.
This is that precious state of our mind when we get to know that we don`t have any beginning, don`t have any end. We don`t have any particular place! We don`t have any color, don`t have any shape! Rather, we`re eternal! We`re souls on a mortal frame!
Yes! it`s an wonder to have that feeling, within. And meditation can make this wonder happen into your real state of existence, that state of existence where you cannot distinguish yourself from this universal source of energy, rather can identify yourself everywhere, with that. And this is the highest form of wisdom that a true meditator can attain. And here in lies the true worth of meditation where self-realization is the only keyword to elevate your mind, balance yourself and enlighten your soul with the grace of harmony, truth and eternity.
