Meditation
: Knowing the Knower
In meditation, we come in contact with self, our
true identity. By regular
practice of meditation, slowly we start knowing this self in its
various facets. We start recognizing ourselves distinctively from our
body and mind.
Now many of you may ask :
"OK, I now realized that I am separate from my body and mind.
In reality I am consciousness which is part of some supreme consciousness. So
what ? What's the big deal in it? Is this going to help me in someway in
coping with my already stressed life? ."
Here is the answer :
The very process of realizing this self through meditation brings significant outcomes. To be centered in our self makes us calm, provides
us an everlasting peace and gives us a never ending bliss. Moreover there
comes a dramatic change in the way we perceive this world. A positive
change in our perspective, a feeling of blissful calm and a unique
joy comes through it. Moreover these positive outcomes do not depend upon
any external circumstances since the bliss of the Self does not depend on any external factor. It is completely
independent and arises, unconditionally, from within.
In the course of any single day we are subjected to numerous sensory
inputs and our mind is constantly engaged in a never ending
process of thinking. We read the newspaper, study books, write reports, engage in
conversation & meetings, solve problems, etc and all these activities
result in a constant mental commentary inside us. Seldom or never
our mind gets any chance to be still and calm.
However , sometimes as if by accident most of us attain a state of
thought-free mind. If you have relaxed looking at a beautiful sunset, allowing
your thoughts to quiet down, this is close to meditation. If you have been reading a book for awhile, 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 incident when our mind is
not reflexively engaged in any thought, when we are just present in the
moment, we come close to this self or (to say in another words ) we get centered in our self. And this contact with self brings peace,
bliss and joy. Though 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 self in order to get its benefits
on a permanent basis.
I hope by now, it should be clear to you what is meditation. Let me
summarize all this by giving this simple definition of meditation.
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"Meditation is a systematic way of making our
mind quiet so that we can contact our true identity -self, which is the
source of everlasting joy, bliss and peace."
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There are few other definitions of Meditation which I find very true. (relate these definitions with the concept of self)
"Meditation is a state of
choiceless awareness."
"Meditation is a state of no mind."
"Meditation is a state of once being when once true self is
revealed to him/her"
"The state of awareness when mind cease to exist is meditation."
"Whenever
you are relaxed, when your mind is quite and observant, when you are not
reflexively engaged in any thought - you
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."
I believe that now you know what is meditation.
Now let us see how
meditation started
click
How
meditation started
