Sanatan Weekly Online
Issue No. 266 · March 13, 2005
Editor: Mr. Pruthviraj Purushottam Hajare

Articles

Need For Spirituality

Common Misconceptions

Did You Know?

Clarification of Doubts

Messages to Seekers

Children's Corner

Spiritual Experiences

Saints' Quotes


“Meditation made easy!”

    One often comes across articles and advertisements on various tips to meditation, in short, ‘meditation made easy’. One article on a popular news website spoke about five easy steps to learn meditation. The article also said that one does not need a Guru to master meditation. The testimony of one practitioner, featured in the article, said, “Like most men, I’ve always been skeptical about meditation. You don’t have to visit a Guru to learn meditation. My solution was to meditate on my own to become, in effect, my own Guru. I’ve since discovered that just fifteen minutes a day of meditation helps me not only to relax, but also to concentrate better when I’m working. It can do the same for you.” Many people practice such fifteen-minute meditation and come under the impression myth that by doing so, they are being spiritual and following the Path of Meditation.

    The following points are helpful in getting some understanding about meditation as a spiritual practice, and how the 15-minutes-a-day meditation does not qualify as such:

  • The Path of meditation (Dhyanyoga) consists of many steps such as yam - niyam, asan, pranayam, pratyahar, dharna, dhyan, and samadhi. Quotes like, “Meditation isn’t about sitting in the lotus position. Even being engrossed in a game and losing track of time and what’s going on around you, you’re doing what’s called active meditation.” reflect the speaker’s ignorance about the Path of Meditation.

  • One has to be initiated by a spiritually evolved seeker or a Guru practicing this path, to truly start practicing meditation as a pathway to Self-realization or union with God.

  • Quick fixes like fifteen-minute meditation may yield some physical and emotional health benefits, but have no value from the viewpoint of Self-realization. True meditation refers to intense contemplation on God to the point of merging with God. The following may give an idea about the intensity of meditation needed to merge with God:

        Purification of the mind occurs to an extent if one meditates continuously for days, weeks, months or years. So imagine the intensity* of meditation necessary for complete purification of the mind, intellect and ego, to merge with the God principle!

* This kind of intensity of meditation is very difficult to achieve in the present times. Hence, one can try the spiritual practice of chanting The Lord’s Name, recommended by Saints and Holy texts of all religions for this era. Some suggestions on chanting:

    If one is not currently doing any spiritual practice, or to complement one’s current spiritual practice, one can begin with the simple, but powerful spiritual practice of chanting or constantly remembering God's Name according to one's religion. Chanting also acts as a useful complement to any spiritual path one may be already following. It is a practice recommended for the current times by Holy texts and Saints of all religions.

  • Seekers in the initial stages of spiritual practice (less than one year) can repeat The Name of the Lord as per their religion (refer to Issue 3 Clarification of Doubts section for details).

  • Seekers who have been doing regular spiritual practice for over a year or so can determine the appropriate chant for them from the experiment given in Issue 124, Message to Seekers section.



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