The word meditation is derived two latin roots - meditari (to think about, contemplate) and mederi (to heal) - here lies our answer - this is "healing through contemplation".
Recent experiments by the psychologist Jon Kabat-Zinn (1) have used control and active groups and brain measurements via EEG tests - the results were that people who meditated became strikingly happier and physically healthier than the control group. Furthermore, this change was of a lasting and significant nature.
Meditation is good for the spirit and perhaps the most powerful method on hand to train ourselves in the skills of being happy.
The key to proper meditation is to somehow stop the churning flow of thoughts and emotions as they overpower and overtake our very selves. The direct approach of "thinking your way out of it" fails because meditation can start and happen only when the thinking is stopped. Meditation is a specific technique for resting the mind and attaining a state of consciousness that is neither th enormal waking state, nor sleep. You are fully awake and alert, but the mind is not focused on the external world and events. Neither are you dreaming or fantasising. Instead the mind is clear, relaxed and inwardly focused.
Liken yourself to a jar of muddy water - the more you leave the water without interfering or stirring it, the more the sand and dirt will sink to the bottom, letting the natural clarity of the water shine through. So it is with thoughts and emotions which we can learn to still.
Indeed, meditation is the liberation of a great power within yourself - the yogic science through which you can become a true master of your own destiny.
Thoughtlessness and full consciousness is meditation.
First we must acquire the ability to look within. We must separate objectivity from emotion and then in a detached manner view ourselves as a bird might - flying overhead and watching our mind. This ability to become a silent observer of your own self, the workings of your inner life and motives, intentions and purposes, words and deeds - is the key to meditation.
As you attempt this exercise, millions of thoughts swarm by in nanoseconds,running riot and become wild and wilder! Don't get disheartened or give up - this is the correct process of catharsis. So long as you have a mind, there will be thoughts and emotions, but the trick is to observe these. Gradually you learn to reduce these virus attacks.
Begin by learning to focus on something non-threatening, not an objective or emotion but on a sound or visible object - a flower or word or candle flame - this will relax you and interrupt the mind chatter and churning.
Notice how your thoughts wander. Don't try to fight this but observe your thoughts and emotions with detachment.
Over a few days, you will recognise a pattern to your thoughts - this is the DNA of your inner self. Over a few weeks you will notice a marked rise in your capacity to look farther and better, through the clouds of thoughts and emotions and your capacity to focus is sharply enhanced.
The yogis would now tell you that your awareness and consciousness are heightened. You feel more alive and on better terms with your world.
There are several, however to quote the famous J. Krishnamurti "As patiently as a hunter trakcs its prey, the seeker tracks his mind, until it leads him to its lair, the source of thought. You learn to watch yourself, watch the way you walk, how you eat, what you say, the gossip, the hate, the jealousy - all the dark recesses of the mind".
The method can be either visual using imagery, or sound & mantra meditation. Popular methods used are Osho Dynamic Meditation, Vipassana, Zazen, Sudharshan Kriya, Preksha Dhyan, Acem, Creative visualisation and Raja Yoga - to name but a few.
- Certainly not contemplation which is thinking about a concept or idea. Meditation goes beyond thought.
- Not hypnosis either where the mind is manipulated and controlled.
- not a religious activity, but a pure and simple method available also to agnostics, as a tool to explore the expand your consciousness. Religion
teaches what to believe, however meditation teaches you experience directly for yourself.
- not a paranormal "new-age" perception to lose yourself in.
- not an ascetic or mystic idea that asks you to withdraw from active participation in the world, or shun any worldly pleasures and pursuits.
- not some sort of philosophical or psychological sect,creed or pursuit, but entirely experiential and readily available to all.
- Meditation is not a seeking or charting the way, but a wonderful experience to be enjoyed as it unveils your underlying spirit.
- not some sort of fix that gives either instant relief, like a drug. Rather meditation helps to integrate your expanded consciousness with everyday life.
A large body of research conducted by Dr. Andrew Newburg (2), Dr. Bension (3) has measured the brainwaves of meditators using sophisticated neurological tools and concluded that indeed it affords permanently lasting benefits.
- enhance blood circulation whilst lower blood pressure
- slow the heart rate and enhance exercise tolerance
- lead to a deep level of relaxation, better than sleep
- lower levels of blood lactate (associated with anxiety)
- decrease muscle tension
- alleviate pain of various kinds
- heal wounds faster - both emotional and physical
- enhance the immune system
Dr. David Johnson (4) has labelled meditation as the fourth state of consciousness where both active awareness are high whilst the mind is peaceful as in deep sleep.
(1) Davidson et al. (2003)
(2) Dr. Andrew Newburg, University of Pennsylvania, U.S.A.
(3) Dr. Herbert Benson, Harvard Medical School
(4) Dr. David Orme Johnson, Maharishi International University, Iowa from 508 studies conducted .
WORKPLACE BENEFITS OF MEDITATION
Meditation makes you aware of your highest potential by quietening your chatterbox mind. You learn to listen understand and listen to yourself and liberate your creativity by enhancing your awareness and focus. Meditation training is now used by General Motors and other large corporations
THE ULTIMATE STATE
Meditation becomes a continual living companion, opening up new perspectives to experiences and through heightened awareness, widening your horizons. Meditation is part of your living experience - blissful, clear, peaceful and without any stress. As you go deeper into meditation, even everday activities of walking or some hobby can become your meditation - lreleasing love, compassion and humor within. You unleash your creativity and liberate your inner self - now no external shock can touch you.
Over a period of time, meditation synchronises the logical left and the crative right hemispheres of the brain. This whole brain functioning activates the unused potential of the brain and leads to experiences of timelessness and bliss.
The more you experience this liberation and drink in the abundance that surrounds you, the more your ego evaporates. Your fears dissolve and you become closer to an infinite wisdom. There is no barrier between "I" and "you" and you enter a state of non-duality. As a way of life, where one has gone beyond the act of physical experience, you discover your silent Self . This is the key to bliss.
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