Science of meditation

Meditation – the need for it!

The scientific tradition has been to use our senses and then develop instruments that extend the reach of our senses and detect energies that are beyond range and translate them into forms that our senses can handle.

The spiritual tradition has been to not use our senses and reasoning but to extend experience beyond reasoning by invoking our inner eye to see and know beyond what others perceive. A classical example of this is Yuri Geller who realized his innate strength to easily invoke his inner eye and develop psychic powers. This leads to the discovery of reality, the truth, self, divinity and God. In Sanskrit, it is called ‘TAT’. Meditation is not only about sitting still and searching for God within one’s heart. It is also about quietening the restless mind and distancing wishful fancies to see the reality that is God.

What is self? Is it your body? Is it your mind or your bunch of reflections and emotions? Is your self in your control? Does your self have a goal? A destination?

Do you not feel pain when your car gets dented for no fault of yours? Do you not feel bad when your child cries? Do you not feel hurt when you are ill or your near and dear are sick?

Is your goal to make ends meet or to catch up with your neighbours? Is it survive happily or to achieve more and make more money than most? Is it to understand nature or push the boundaries of science or is it to serve and care for all around you?

Do you bother about your looks? Do you wonder how you appear in coloured lights? Do you wonder how you seem in ultrasound, x-rays or infra-red rays? Do you wonder how you might be under a microscope? Do you realize that reflective energies mould the way you appear irrespective of the composition you hold within. Now, pause to think of how a person who senses only infra red energy sees you or a blind person perceives you. The real you is oblivious to the visible spectrum of energies and scientific traditions. It is hence necessary to harness the wealth inside you by breaking free of this mode and slipping into the higher mode of spiritual traditions.

This is achieved by mediation wherein one does not extend the reach of energies and senses but one rests the senses to kindle the universe within. To kindle that, it is essential to be still and get lost to the world. The next is to try to recount and record the experience. How?

1^st time

1.    Slip into comfortable clothes.

2.    Move to a cosy quite environment.

3.    Sit in a sitting posture that you can hold for half an hour or more.

4.    Keep an alarm to begin with.

5.    Close your eyes.

6.    Try to blank out sounds.

7.    Observe what happens.

8.    After it is over, in your diary of thoughts, record all the things that you thought about and felt.

9.    Classify them.

a.    Some will be memories of events, places, etc.

b.    Some will be memories associated with pain or pleasure.

c.    Some will be your impressions and thoughts on what has happened or what is happening.

d.    Some will be plans of what to do next, when and how. Some plans are associated with fear, anxiety and some are with anticipation and hope.

e.    Some thoughts will lead you to others and there will be fleeting transfers like jumping from train to train as one thing reminds you of another and so on.

10. Within this, recall how long you were able to sit still with no thoughts.

2^nd time

1.    The next time onwards, tell yourself there is a divine light within that you need to discover and kindle. do this only once and for heaven’s sake, do not try to repeat this to yourself often.

2.    Do not think of candle, lamp or any light source but a source of warmth and goodness.

3.    Observe the heart condition with the eyes closed.

4.    Evolving thoughts may try to hijack you and every time this happens, draw yourself to focus on the divine power within yourself.

5.    Wait for this to happen and slowly settle into realizing the fact that mediation is a passive process and not an active one.

6.    Start recording in your diary this time onwards what you experience

o   Maybe, you have visions of water, fire, flower, animals or birds or even humansas it is the battle between your senses and you.

o   Maybe, it is a feeling of heaviness as you feel pain, fear, failure and even rejection.

o   Maybe, it is a feeling of light headedness or even just pure nothing.

o   Maybe, it is a sense of floating or falling.

o   Maybe, it is a transient feeling of goodness for yourself without any reason.

o   Maybe, it is a trail of things to do ahead, later.

7.    Slowly, you will notice that you get brilliant ideas when you repeat this. And a meditating star is born.

3^rd time

This time onwards, tell yourself that you are a master guiding yourself to discover the divine light within that only you can discover.

Think of all the qualities that an ideal master must do to influence people around.

What would such a master mean to you.

Do you think of anyone who could be fitting such a role – a philosopher, a teacher, a parent, a relative, a friend, an acquaintance?

Record in your diary the bodyache, the backache or the lack thereof.

Slowly, you will realize that you can adapt yourself to turn to be a master. And a meditating master is born.

4^th time

This time onwards, ask yourself about yourself now? Is it your body, mind or your emotions?

Try detaching yourself from earthly possessions that can distract or attract you.

Tell yourself that their loss will not affect or bother you – a sort of self hypnosis.

Experience the divinity being transmitted to you, from within.

Suggest to yourself that it is God who is transmitting this divinity from your heart to you.

Ignore the sounds and sensations around you as you now start meditating regularly and experience the new found relaxation.

Tell yourself what sort of self you would like to be and record it.

Work towards the same even while not meditating.

5^th time

This time onwards, if possible, try group meditation with likeminded people.

Record how it was to meditate with people having similar inclinations.

6^th time

This time onwards, if possible, try increasing the duration of meditation or Dhyanam.

Record how it is to meditate now as compared to the first time.

7^th time

This time onwards, record whether you have been able to realize the learnings:

1.    You understand that things may be different from how they seem to be.

2.    You understand that you have drawn your image of God from your own culture.

3.    You understand that if there is God, there is nothing wrong in turning for help.

4.    You understand that it is possible to communicate with this God.

5.    You understand that one always asks God for help without making it a point to understand all about God.

6.    You understand that meditation maybe the path to understand all about God, better & clear.

You now understand the benefits of meditation to extend a lot more to:

·         Heart and mind

·         Attitude and metabolism

·         Flight and fight response

·         Sleep and ventilation.

Please note there are rub-off effects of meditation too that need attention. All this is because greater awareness of self is like a double edged sword that permits self to step out of conceptual limitations.

·         Uncomfortable kinaesthetic sensations

·         Dissociation

·         Guilt

·         Decreased motivation

·         Depression

·         Anxiety

·         Helplessness

·         Suicide

The ultimate positive outcome of meditation would be to put oneself in touch with one’s inner self, to observe one’s ego and let go for betterment of all. Cleaning one’s heart every evening helps one sleep well and stay immersed in divinity. A teacher or guru who has done all this can help you commit to a wonderful moral framework that lets you lead a full life without detaching yourself from society, where you:

·         Continue to live and work for society & family

·         Live a truthful, moral life

·         Live a disciplined, self regulated lifestyle

Achieving this state will let you lead life as per ancient Hindu scriptures wherein you move away from Avyaktha [undifferentiated energy state] to Vyaktha [ differentiated matter state] and that will translate matter to energy. All this can only ensue as an outcome of divine energy or divya sankalpa. And then God will be perceived as divine energy. And not in any form or figure or colour!