Meditation

  Some of the definitions of meditation:

•"Meditation is a state of no mind."

•"The state of awareness when mind ceases to exist is meditation."

•"Whenever we are relaxed, when our mind is quite and observant, when we are not reflexively engaged in any thought - we are meditating."

•"Meditation is not thinking about anything. It is not contemplation. It is not concentration. In fact, it is actually a process of thought removal."

•"Meditation is a systematic way of making our mind quiet so that we can contact our true self, which is the source of everlasting joy, bliss and peace."

In fact, meditation is a process of getting to know who we really are.

  Answering the question “Who are you?” we all give some description and attributes about ourselves which totally depend on the external circumstances. These are all identities or roles that we are giving to ourselves in life: mother, father, engineer, manager, lives in Sweden, looks like that, so on and so on. However, there is one part of us that remains unchanged and untouched from the outer world and it represents the very core of our being.

  Meditation is a means to recognize that part - our true identity.

In reality we are just consciousness. We are not our body, we are not our emotions, we are not our mind, we are not our thoughts, we are a soul. We are just consciousness which feels and witnesses everything as we play our part in life. This consciousness by its very nature is peaceful, calm and rejuvenating.

  Meditation is a process of getting to know this consciousness within us.

In order to understand meditation, it is important to know this 'consciousness'. In the spiritual language, this consciousness is known as 'self'. If, for example, we are watching the flow of our thoughts, we should be different from our body and mind. If we are lifting our hand, whose hand is this? Are we our hand or are we something different that has a hand in possession?

  One thing is certain. There is someone in us who is carefully watching the thought process or lifting the hand and knows the way to do it. This inner knower is the self. The one who makes us aware of the existence of any thought or image and of exactly what it is, is nothing but the self, the witness. Inside and outside, no matter what happens, no matter what we do, the self sees everything.

  To know the self is true meditation.

  The self is the pure awareness of "I am", the original "I' consciousness which has been within us ever since we came into this world. That 'I' is without form, color or any other attribute and it doesn’t refer to any aspect/role of our everyday human life. When we wipe them all away, that "I" is nothing but pure consciousness.

  In meditation, we come in contact with the self, our true identity. By regular practice of meditation, slowly we start discovering this self in its various facets, and we start recognizing ourselves distinctively from our body and mind.

  Self-realization through meditation brings dramatic change in our perception of the world. To be centered in our self brings calm, provides peace and gives us explainable bliss. Moreover there comes a positive change in our perspective, a feeling of unique joy and unshakable unconditional love and compassion for all that exists comes through it. What is the most important, these positive states of being do not depend upon any external factor, they are permanent. Self-realization states of being are completely independent and arise, unconditionally, from within.

  Leading our everyday life we constantly engage in sensory stimulation, thinking, analyzing, feeling, making all kinds of intellectual activities, never calm, often in a rush, stressed, filled with inner chatter. However, sometimes as if by accident most of us attain a state of thought-free mind. If we have relaxed looking at a beautiful sunset, allowing our thoughts to quiet down, this is close to meditation. If we have been reading a book for a while, then put it down to take a break and just sat there quietly and peacefully for a few minutes without thinking, this is also close to meditation. In these momentary incidents when our mind is not reflectively engaged in any thought, when we are just present in the moment, we come close to this self or (to say in other words) we get centered in our self. And this contact with the self brings peace, bliss and joy. Although only for a moment, our mind becomes peaceful, calm and focused.

  Meditation is the systematic way to achieve the above mentioned accidental/occasional encounters with the self in order to get its benefits on a permanent basis.

  Meditation, if done on a regular basis, can do wonders for us. Here are some basic benefits which we will draw by regular meditation or realization that we gain.

•We are intelligent beings and recognition of divinity in all beings.

•Focus on the present moment and be in control of mind and emotions.

•Perceive the unconscious causal connections between thoughts, attitudes, perceptions, feelings, body states, and behaviors.

•Change of attitude towards life, appreciate good deeds of others, enjoy little moments of happiness.

•Clear sight of the larger picture of things instead of small day to day problems.

•Acceptance of all the things as they are not as we desire them to be.

•Understanding towards others.

•Increase of the inner ability to solve complex issues.

•Stress relief.

•Increased concentration, self-esteem, spontaneity, creativity, and depth of awareness.

And more…

  In addition, with regular practice of deep breathing, deep relaxation and deep contraction in our life we can have the strongest foundation of health and a overflowing abundance of physical and mental energy. No matter how busy and demanding our life is, with the help of these three aids, we can not only manage our life easily but also ensure a steady spiritual growth through regular meditation session.

  There are various types of meditation:

•Meditation on Twin Hearts

•Meditation of the Blue Pearl

•'Here and now' Meditation

•Vipassana

•Meditation of Gautama Buddha

•Mantra Meditation: Use the power of sound for meditation.

•Dynamic Meditation: The original meditation technique of Osho.

•Zen Meditation

•Energy Meditation

•Transcendental Meditation etc.

  We invite you to meditate and choose your own meditation style which suits you best. It takes time, but it is the personal experience that makes it count.

Anyone can meditate…