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Meditation in Sahaj Marg
Under Sahaj Marg
system of training we start from dhyan
, the seventh step of Patanjali yoga
, fixing our mind on one point in order to practise meditation.
The previous steps are not taken up separately but they
automatically come into practice as we proceed on with meditation.
Thus much of our time and labour are saved.
Meditation may be defined as the continuous thinking of something,
or about something. In a sense, therefore, anybody who is thinking
continuously of something may be said to be involved in meditation.
Ancient teachers, both in the East and the West, have taught that as
one meditates so one becomes. It therefore follows that what we meditate
upon we get or become and, inverting this formula, if we want to become
something we must meditate upon that and nothing else. Therefore if
our aim is Realisation or the attainment of oneness with the Ultimate,
the object of meditation must be that Ultimate and nothing else.
PLACE FOR MEDITATION:
Have a special place for meditation,
have a special asan (posture),
have a special time. It is creating an environment into
which, as you come, automatically we get into the meditative,
contemplative mood. So, that particular spot, that we reserve
for meditation, you can say, is an ashram too.
POSTURE: Sit in an easy posture for an hour in the morning in
quite a natural way. Posture must always be the same. The reason is
that in this way he gets himself associated with the great power, the
very thing he takes up in the beginning for the attainment of his particular
objective. Thus the form which is associated with Reality helps him
a good deal in his primary initiation.
The upright position of the backbone, neck and head in an erect straight
line during meditation has been thought to be most advantageous from
very ancient times, because the flow of Divine Grace is believed to
descend straight upon the abhyasi
in that posture. In our way or practice, however, this is not insisted
upon. I advise the abhyasis generally
to sit in a natural, easy posture. Moreover, even those who assume a
tight straight pose, are found to give way automatically to a suppliant,
slightly forward drooping posture, as the state of blissful absorbency
sets in. As such, it may be considered to be more natural even for the
purpose of an ascent into higher states of consciousness. In fact a
controversy over a point of comparatively lesser significance seems
irrelevant.
TIME FOR MEDITATION:It is better to sit in the grey of
the morning for meditation, or when that is not possible,
at any fixed hour convenient to the abhyasi
. Do not feel disturbed with the outer things but remain
engaged with your own work thinking that they are in a away
helping you to feel the necessity for greater absorption
in your practice. It is good to meditate between 2 and 4
A.M. because that's the best time during the 24 hours.
WHY SHOULD WE MEDITATE FOR ONE HOUR?In the beginning, when we
start meditation, it is possible that you may not be able to really
meditate, even for one minute in that one hour. And progressively we
are able to meditate, really meditate, for longer and longer and longer
times. Because when we start, much time is wasted in adjusting ourselves
to the situation, trying to gain control over our own minds, putting
it on the object of meditation and keeping it there.
First we have to make the body comfortable; and very often you will
find that people are not able to do that even during the whole period
of meditation. They are twisting and turning and trying to find a comfortable
position. After that, we have to start marshaling the forces of the
mind, the senses.
So if you think over these things, you will really appreciate that
to meditate properly takes a great deal of time. And it is only from
the time that we really start meditating that our progress begins. So
that is the problem with meditation, that while it holds out an enormous
promise, it depends on us, how we do it. And therefore the Master said,
"Meditate every day." Because by doing it again and again,
we progressively increase our ability to take command of the situation.
So meditate every day, and he has clarified, it must be
at the same time, in the same place, because then the mind
automatically becomes attuned to what it has to do. So it
is advisable to have these practices ordered and in a regulated
manner. Because then we automatically slip into meditation
at the right time. You know, when cows are being milked
at the right time, the milk starts dropping automatically.
See, that is the value of regularity.
CAN WE MEDITATE FOR MORE THAN ONE HOUR AT A TIME?We should
not. We have to exercise some sort of discriminatory control
over our meditation time. It can happen occasionally that
we meditate for more than an hour. But if it is a regular
affair, then we should perhaps keep an alarm clock and get
out of it. Because in Sahaj
Marg too much meditation puts a pressure on the brain
- at one sitting. Because Babuji has said we can meditate
for one hour at a time, as many times as you have time for,
in the day, but not more than one hour at a time.
It is quite possible for a one hour sitting to look as if
it lasted for five minutes, and for a five minutes sitting
to look as if it was one hour. It has nothing to do with
the quality of the transmission. It only shows that there
is a change in our perception of temporality as we understand
it.
WHY SHOULD WE CLOSE OUR EYES WHEN WE MEDITATE?When we open the
eyes we see the external world. When we close the eyes, we can divert
our attention to our own inner self. Therefore in meditation we have
always to close our eyes.
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