Meditation is the basis of the spiritual life. It is meditation that enables us to understand the teachings of the mystics and apply them in our daily life; it is meditation that gives us the immense power to stay patient and forgiving when all our conditioning is crying out for an eye for an eye.
There is nothing exciting about meditation, nothing glamorous, and it is a lot of hard, hard work. Just as we spend time building the muscles in our bodies, we have to build the muscle in our brain as well. This is what happens in meditation. Meditation is the integration of consciousness, and one of the many physiological developments that take place naturally as our meditation deepens is that all the activities of the brain come into balance. Samadhi, which is the stupendous climax of meditation, brings about a complete transformation of personality. Afterward, there is a never-ending flow of creative power for solving the problems around us, and the immense endurance not to rest until a lasting solution can be found.
It is not enough to read about meditation, or talk about it or do research on meditation; if you want self-realization, you have to learn to meditate. And there is only one way to learn to meditate — through trying to meditate.
In order to learn to meditate, you have to put in some work. For a month or two the person who has just taken to meditation will tell you all about how great it is. But it is only fair to point out that, once you really get started, this initial surge of enthusiasm is going to wane. To guard against such ups and downs I would make these suggestions:
First, it is helpful to meditate with others. A group of friends meditating along the same lines can meditate together and draw support from one another. As Jesus says, “Where two or three are gathered in my name, I am present in the midst of them.” It is especially helpful if husband and wife can meditate together, even if it takes some rearranging of schedules.
Second, be regular about your mediation. There is a saying that if you miss meditation just one morning, it takes seven mornings to make it up. You can see that if you miss seven mornings, you have a big job on your hands. So please don”t ever skip your meditation no matter what the temptation. You can make time for meditation anywhere. I have meditated on a plane at 6:30 in the morning and on a ship in the Mediterranean. If you can always meditate at the same time of day, too, you will find that helps a great deal. Third, it is important to practice the disciplines related to meditation, such as repeating the mantram and putting the welfare of those around us first.
Fourth, check all your living habits carefully — food, sleep, exercise, everything. To make steady progress in meditation, you need to be as careful as an athlete during training – eating only good, nourishing food in appropriate quantities, getting the amount of sleep you need and getting plenty of physical exercise. Meditation is turning inward, and it needs to be balanced by plenty of physical activity. As you begin to taste the security and joy within, you should be sure to turn your attention outward – to friends and family. We need the close ties of a wide circle of family and friends in order to live in harmony with others.
Passage Meditation Clearlake Satsang (fellowship) meets every Thursday evening at 6:30 to 8 p.m. Contact Steve Shields at 350-2613 or steve@steveashields.com for meeting place and info.
For more info on the other points of the Eight Point Program of Passage Meditation please go to www.easwaran.org
