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June 21, 2000
Page 11
Ifor ibuxft ©bsemr------------ - Focus
The Focus Meditation, a simple guide to unlocking your potential
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All spiritual traditions from the East
and W est advocate m editation as
the m eans o f m erging w ith o n e’s
tru e s t e s s e n c e — th e so u l. T h e
en lig h te n e d sa g es say th a t th e
greatest obstacle preventing our
union with this blissful, all-powerful
S e lf is the thinking m ind.
Though the m ind is a pow erful tool
that w e use to m anage our w orldly
affairs, in its untrained state, it also
lim its o u r u n iq u e p o te n tia l to
a c h ie v e w h a t w e a re h e re to
accom plish in this lifetime. The busy
m ind traps us by identifying too
clo sely w ith p assin g em o tio n s,
p h y s ic a l s e n s a ti o n s , a n d b y
becom ing fascinated, distracted by
w orldly objects. A m idst all the
com m otion in ou r m inds, w e lose
track o f “ th e big p ic tu re ” ; w e
becom e confused, d isillusioned,
forgeting w ho w e really are and
w hat w e are here to do.
Swami M uktananda says the human
m ind is forever restless, leaping
from one thought to another, from
one desire to the next. W hat w e are
all seeking is eternal happiness and
gratification, but a m ind untrained
in m editation looks outw ardly for
guidance and gratification. It will
never find it out there because the
only place w here the m ind truly
com es to rest is w ithin— at the house
o f the inner-G od, the house o f the
soul w h ere pu re co n scio u sn ess
resid e s. In th is in n er p la ce o f
s ti lln e s s a n d q u ie tu d e , w e
e x p e rie n c e b lis s re g a rd le ss o f
external conditions.
Through meditation, the mind dives
inw ard, transcends all thought and
anxiety, and it loses itself in a larger
S e lf w h o
is a ll- k n o w in g ,
u n c o n d itio n a lly h a p p y , an d
liberated from all lim itation and
anxiety.
M y students have m isconceptions
about meditation— meditation is not
a H indu religion nor is it any other
organized religion. M editational
practice does not interfere with o ne’s
culture o r present religion; in fact,
m editation helps one understand
religion, the scriptures, and G od
better. M editation is simply a private
and peaceful rendezvous with o n e’s
inner-self; in that quiet inner-space,
you have full access to the pow er o f
self-referral and you will receive all
the guidance and know ledge you
w ill need to lead your daily life.
M editation is a joyful hom ecom ing
that stills the mind. W hen I m ention
that m editation stills the m ind,
students w orry about losing their
practical intelligence or becom ing
dull. Som e are concerned that they
will leave their jobs, fam ilies, and
society to becom e a recluse. In fact,
all o f th e e n lig h te n e d m a ste rs
encourage m editators to go w ithin.
Í0G.7 K-J a U bring*
receive inner-guidance, then com e
o ut and fu n ctio n b e tte r w ithin
society. In a deep m editative state,
your m ind will becom e very still,
yet sharply focused and aw are o f
reality w ithin your environm ent.
M e d ita tio n w ill in c re a se y o u r
co n cen tratio n and creativ ity by
re m o v in g u n d u e a n x ie ty an d
distractions.
B ecau se m e d ita tio n e lim in a te s
stress that has collected in your
body, after a few sessions you will
notice energy and optim ism that
you have never experienced before.
M editation m akes doctors better
doctors, businessm en m ore astute,
and poets m ore creative.
Here are som e sim ple instructions
for your daily m editation: to begin
with, you will need to sit with your
head, neck, and spine aligned in a
stra ig h t lin e. T h is is
because
d u rin g
m editation, a pow erful
bodily life-force called
Kundalini travels up your
s p in e .
T h in k
of
K u n d a lin i e n e rg y as
electricity traveling up a
cable. A bent or slum ped
p o stu re w ill in te rfe re
with the m ovem ent o f
Kundalini energy.
M ake sure your sitting
position is com fortable.
Pain or discom fort will
b rin g y o u o u t o f
m editation. Choose a quiet place in
your hom e and always m editate in
th e sam e spot. Rituals such as
burning incense are not a necessity,
but i f are draw n to the smell o f
in c e n s e go a h e a d an d u se it.
Rem em ber, though, that nothing
external is relevant to the practice
o f m editation.
W hen m editating, w e concentrate
the mind on the object o f meditation.
All o f us already know how to
concentrate. W e do it w hen reading,
driving, or studying. All you have
to d o n o w is r e d ir e c t y o u r
c o n c e n tr a tio n fro m in c e s s a n t
th o u g h t to th e o b je c t o f y o u r
meditation. The object ofm editation
can either be an image, your breath,
or a mantra.
Some W estern m editative practices
•focus the m ind on relaxing images.
T h is w e c a ll v is u a liz a tio n -
meditation. M editators are taught
to visualize themselves at the bottom
o f a still lake or the top o f a m ighty
m o u n ta in .
W h ile
th e s e
visualizations m ay trigger pleasant
em otions, visualization does not
al low the m editator to transcend the
m ind and the senses. All o f the
ancient sages say that it is impossible
for the mind and body to grasp or
experience the bigger S elf unless
both mind and body are transcended.
To go beyond our m ind and body,
w e must bring the m ind to a state o f
total stillness, by either following
the breath or “riding” a special sound
called a mantra.
L o n g a g o , s p ir itu a l m a s te rs
discovered the pow er o f sound.
(Please see ‘M e d ita tio n ’ page 12)
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