When we meditate, what we actually do is to enter into a calm or still, silent mind. We have to be fully aware of the arrival and attack of thoughts. That is to say, we shall not allow any thought, divine or undivine, good or bad, to enter into our mind. Our mind should be absolutely silent. Then we have to go deep within; there we have to observe our real existence.
Meditation is that very state of our consciousness where the inner being, instead of cherishing millions of thoughts, wants only to commune with God.
Meditation means conscious self-expansion. Meditation means one’s conscious awareness of the transcendental Reality. Meditation means the recognition or the discovery of one’s own true self. It is through meditation that we transcend limitation, bondage and imperfection.
- Sri Chinmoy explains meditation for beginners
Why do we meditate?
If we feel that we are satisfied with what we have and what we are, there is no need for us to enter into the field of meditation. The reason we enter into meditation is because we have an inner hunger. We feel that within us there is something luminous, something vast, something divine. We feel that we need this very thing badly; only right now we do not have access to it. Our inner hunger comes from our spiritual need.
- Sri Chinmoy meditates in New York
Will you please tell me how a beginner should start meditation?
First you have to read a few spiritual books in which they teach the various ways to start meditation. Then you start. Soon you will see that reading books is not enough. You will see that you need a particular teacher. The teacher will know which kind of meditation will most suit your nature and soul.
When your meditation is correct, you will feel a kind of joy all over your body. But if you do not feel that joy, if, on the contrary, you feel a mental tension or disturbance, then you will know that that particular kind of meditation is not meant for you and is not advisable. When you get a kind of spontaneous inner joy, then the meditation you have adopted is correct.
- excerpts from “Meditation: Man Perfection in God Satisfaction” and “Meditation: God’s Duty and man’s beauty” by Sri Chinmoy
