Getting started with meditation
Many people come to me with a simple question in their hearts. They wish, from the depths of their souls, to reach as close to God as possible.
Many people come to me with a simple question in their hearts. They wish, from the depths of their souls, to reach as close to God as possible, and ask for the guidance, so as to get started in the best possible way.
It is for these beautiful souls that I go back to offer the knowledge of the very first baby steps they can take, on their homeward journey, back to where they came from. (My apologies go out to those who find this knowledge elementary)
Most of them have become tired of the routine that every human follows: eating, working, sleeping, with a bit of entertainment on the side. There is an inner vacuum, according to them, for after having achieved a comfortable enough life, there seems to be no more desire to reach out for materialistic growth.
Surprisingly, or not really so, there are scores of youngsters, mostly in there teens and twenties, who intuitively wish to follow the meditative path, to reach the innermost recesses of their souls.
We are fortunate to be born in India, the cradle of the most spiritual civilization the world will know. We all have a small place in our homes, if not a large puja room, where we have been bowing our heads, with regularity every day. This then becomes the focal centre of a serious attempt at meditation.
There are certain tools, which when used in the initial stages, prove helpful for concentration, and clearing out negative energies, which would otherwise cloud the path. Fragrant flowers and burning incense are used for this particular purpose of cleansing out any undesirable negativity.
Light a candle or a lamp, and sit before it, gazing with unfocussed eyes, until you feel you are ready to begin. Close your eyes, then follow a deep breath, from the point of inhalation through the nose, into the lungs, and slowly watch it release itself back out into the atmosphere. Repeat several times till you feel relaxed and centred. Using the Mantra "OM" with every exhalation allows you to reach this state very quickly.
Now comes the most important part. Just sit there and love God! Pull out all the love in your heart, and in every pore of your body, and watch it rise, like a fine mist of golden light upwards. Place the forceful intention that this love goes straight from the God within you to the Infinite God of the Cosmos! Ask God to send back His love for you, and then…wait! wait! in silence, wait in eager meditation, for His loving answer!
Prayer is talking to God, meditation is listening to God's answer. Do not let the chatter of your own mind push its way in to block out the answer. Sit in stillness, focused completely on your love flowing towards God. In the deep void that you have reached are the stunningly simple answers to all your questions.
A few days of this simple practice will get you attuned to His vibrations, and you can move on to Higher forms of meditation!