"Here is an exercise for meditation: Concentrate on the sound of your own breath, as it comes in and goes out.Draw the breath in with the sound,So.
Release the breath out with the sound, Ham. As you breathe, the prana (the
subtle breath) is drawn upward, through the spinal column,the cervical vertebra, and into the cranial region.Consciously draw the breath all the way to the top of the head. As you exhale, feel the prana descend down the front
of the head, neck, chest, abdomen, and to the perineum,from whence it ascends on the next inhalation. Feel the muscles of the perineum contract as the new subtle breath is drawn upward. As you breathe in, allow the diaphragm to relax outward for maximum breath intake, and expand the
soft palate so that the air rushing upward makes a jet-likesound inwardly and causes your inner ears to pop. It maybe that your breath will comfortably remain suspended upward for quite a while; or it may remain suspended after
you have exhaled. Or, after breathing in this way for a while,your breath may become very shallow, and spontaneously cease, becoming balanced in perfect stillness. In such a state, conscious-ness becomes focused and clear, and it is
possible that the Self will reveal Itself.Concentrate on this process, and think of nothing else.Aspire to lift your consciousness to the crown of the head,
while breathing in with the sound, So, and out with the sound, Ham. This is the famous Hamsah mantra, which is
sounded as So-ham. The phrase, So-ham, consists of two Sanskrit words: Sah, “That,” and aham, “I am.” Let itsmeaning permeate your awareness as you rise into the light at the crown of your head. Become aware, “I am That!”Aspiration, whether it is the longing for God, or for therealization of the Self, lifts the consciousness above the ego involved mind. Just as, on a mountaintop, the air become thinner and purer, so, as the mind focuses its intent upwardtoward the supreme Consciousness, it transcends thehillcountryof deliberate thought, and enters the high atmosphere of pure Spirit, where reigns the silence of theclear blue sky of sweetness, peace, and light.There, no world, no thoughts, exist; from the top oft he mountain, the gaze is fixed upward, into the silver,silent sky of God, or the Self. That is meditation. And if,from there, we are drawn inside His mystery, above that sky, to know His perfect identity in ourself, then that is His most wonderful Grace. If not, we nonetheless absorb from that sky some of the radiance of His Light, some of the nectar of Self-awareness, to keep in our minds and hearts;and we offer thanks to Him, and pray for His continued
presence in our conscious life By repeated practice, we learn to identify more and more with the witnessing Self, and less and less with the thought-activity of the mind; and the various habitual traits of the mind have less and less power to uproot us from our natural peace. Meditation is not meant only for those times when one is formally “sitting”; meditation is really a state of awareness that can be stretched to include all of one’s time, during all of one’s activities.During the time of sitting, the mind is filled with the blissful awareness of the Self; this is the practice of Truth.As that practice permeates our awareness more and more, it will be carried into more and more of our active life as well. Listen to what the great 13th century mystic, Jnaneshvar,who had wholly incorporated Self-awareness into his life,
had to say about this:One who has drunk of the nectar of Selfawareness
may say whatever he likes; his silent contemplation remains undisturbed. His
state of actionlessness remains unaffected—even though he performs countless actions. 1)Whether he walks in the crowded streets or
remains sitting in his room, he is always at home. His “rule of conduct” is his own sweet will. His meditation is whatever he happens to
be doing. 2 )Now, there are times when, as a soul, you will feel the
desire for God, as a lover for her beloved. The love in your heart will bubble up to express itself as devotion to the Lord of the universe. This is the noblest and best path for the soul, to focus on God within itself with true humility and
love, in simple prayer and worship. Even after the supreme realization that your true Self is the universal Self, still you
will joy in the singing of His name, and in serving Him in all His creatures and in remembering His presence at every moment in every place.
And there will also be times when you will become intensely focused and quiet, and your breathing will become shallow and soft, and you will taste something of the certainty of your eternal and limitless Self hood. And you
will rest in that quietude, that solitary joyfulness—without thought, without movement, aware only of your own infinite presence.
Because the one Reality is both subject and object, both the personal and the Impersonal, both the manifest and the Unmanifest, and because both of these aspects are contained within man, both of these paths, or methods, of
Self-awareness are perfectly valid and equally true. Just as a ray of sunlight is both distinguishable from and also identical with the Sun; as a thought-image is both distinguishable from and yet identical with the mind; as a
wave is at once distinguishable from and identical with the ocean; we too are both distinguishable from and identical to that one Self. Whether we turn to It as particularized souls, or as Consciousness to Itself, we are looking toward the one light.
We should come to understand ourselves so well that we can worship God with heartfelt love at one moment, and know Him as non-different from our Self at another moment, and not feel the slightest contradiction is so doing.
This whole world of creation is God’s, and it is also Himself.If God in the form of His creature lovingly worships God,the Creator, the inner Controller, the Self—who is going to object? Once again, listen to Jnaneshvar:
Everything is contained in the being of God. If a desire for the Master-servant relationship arises, it is God alone who must
supply both out of Himself. Even the devotional practices, such as repetition of God’s name,faith and meditation, are not different from
God. Therefore, God must worship God with God, in one way or another. 3)
...God Himself is the devotee; the Goalhas become the path [in order to enjoy the journey]. The whole universe is one solitary Being. It is He who becomes a God, and He who becomes a devotee. Yet, in Himself, He
enjoys the kingdom of utter Stillness.4)I’d like to say a few words about the benefits of meditation: Everyone knows that it is through meditation
that we are able to know the Self; but there are also many side benefits. Peace of mind lends itself very beneficially to health of body. When the mind becomes focused on God,and all your energies are focused upward, the brain
becomes infused with energy and the light of Consciousness.
Whatever you focus on in your daily endeavors will be illumined by the much increased clarity and intensity of your intellect, and you will easily find solutions to all your problems.
You won’t need to jog ten miles to feel healthy. Just by raising that conscious Light within your body, you will feel like a god. And you will radiate that light of health to all around you. According to the Svetasvatara Upanishad, the
first fruits of meditation are: “health, little waste matter,and a clear complexion; lightness of body, a pleasant scent,and a sweet voice; also an absence of greedy desires.” 5) But,above all, of course, meditation enables one to become centered in the eternal Self; to rise above all the vicissitudes
of life, and to remain established in peace and goodwill,
attuned to the inner joy of the Eternal, while seeing the one God in all creation.
Here are a few suggestions to those who may be new to meditation: First, find a convenient time for your regular practice. In the Vedantic tradition, the times for meditation are spoken of as the brahmamuhurta, the times just after
the Sun goes down and just before the Sun comes up. Most people find it difficult to meditate during the brightest of th daylight hours, as at those times the mind and body are most inclined to activity.
Second, have a regular place in which to meditate where it’s quiet and you will be undisturbed. Sit in a comfortable position. Yogic texts recommend various
postures, but always insist on a straight spine, so that the
subtle energy (prana) may flow freely to the head.Third, the length of time for sitting will vary with the depth of your practice. Beginners and even long-time
practitioners find it difficult to concentrate intensely for longer than one hour.
Fourth, don’t let the mind just wander; you will only get into bad habits that will be difficult to break. Use one of the two methods or paths, which I talked about. If you’re able to sit peacefully, absorbed in the Self, by all means do
so. But when, because of the forces of nature, which are always in flux, your mind becomes very active or agitated, then put it to work singing God’s name. Be very strict with your mind. Tell it, “Please sing God’s name with love, O my
mind! Please chant His name with a voice that is sweet with love!” If you try to quiet your mind by force of will, it will only become more agitated and antagonistic. But, if you lead it gently toward God with love, it will rush to bathe in the sweetness of devotion. It will quickly soar with emotion to the heights of Divinity, and become absorbed in God.Fifth, whatever you do, never become disgusted with yourself—not even in a dream! Always respect your Self.Love your Self. Contemplate your Self. Your Lord lives
within you as you. Never forget that you are the Divine Self of all, ever-free, ever-blissful, the One in all."----Swamy Abhayananda(The wisdom of Vedanta)
