Arrange a convenient time and place. Sit in a comfortable but alert manner. Settle down. Close the eyes. Use an Effortless Focus Begin the soft mental repetition of a simple word. Alternatively, put your attention on your breathing. Letting Go & Coming Back When you lose your “effortless focus”, just let it go. When you notice it’s gone, gently return. Simple! Not Trying Don’t try to control or force it. Simply take it as it comes. Ending Meditation Remain with your eyes closed for 2 or 3 minutes. Ease out of meditation. Gradually enter back into activity. Daily Practice 15 to 20 minutes twice a day is good. Now, here's more detail on these points: On TIME AND PLACE Having exactly the same time and place to sit is not essential. But you will see how your special place develops a attractive aura of tranquility. (I can’t keep my son and cat out of my special chair I have under a tree.) Some preparations may be needed-- washing up, silencing the telephone, dimming the lights, asking others not to interrupt you. Any fancy setup-- incense, special music, special clothes, total silence,etc.-- is okay, but one's practice could become dependent on it. You don’t have to sit cross-legged. You don’t have to even sit straight, tho it’s a good idea to start off—after that, let your body move if it wants to, or re-adjust your posture if you feel to. For your safety you should not sit too high in a chair you could fall off, and may want a wall behind you if your head tends to fall back. The support of a cushion can prevent lower back strain or be used to raise yourself up to prevent knee strain. On EFFORTLESS FOCUS
Bhairava Tantra
representative. The word should have a harmonious sound or vibration in the nervous system. It may or may not have a special meaning for you. Some examples of meditation words used are: Traditional mantras:, raam, shriim, hari-om Religious Words: alelu-ya, maranatha English words: one, I am, calm
not to change it frequently. It is suggested to keep it private. "The word is not selected for its meaning, rather for the intention it represents. The word is considered sacred because it is a symbol of our intention to open to the mystery of the presence of a divine reality." Father Thomas Keating 2. Silent mental repetition of the word should be serene and effortless. Don’t rush it, or force the rhythm, or try to think it clearly and distinctly. Let it be just a faint idea. Give it a gentle start and then let it continue on as it will.
cotton fiber." Thomas Keating
breathing. There are other methods of “effortless focus”. In some traditions they rest the awareness in the area of the heart or third eye. Meditative music can be softly played. Visualization is used. All these methods can be used in the same simple way. On LETTING GO and RETURNING 1. During the sitting, the meditation word may change. It may become slower or faster, clearer or fainter. It may change its sound into something different. It may seem distant. It may fade away or get lost completely. Sometimes it may synchronize with the breathing or be present along with other thoughts. Don't resist any such changes. Just take it as it comes. 2. Then, if a moment comes when it is noticed that our effortless focus is gone, we just very gently return to it. And then again, let it go on as it will. This "letting go and coming back” allows for a gradual refining and deepening of the awareness. This creates the meditation state-- in mind, brain and body. And this in turn brings all the benefits. So… let's keep it simple and let the process do itself.
will be less concerned with technique and self-effort and will feel that all will be given to you.” Shri Chinmoy On THOUGHTS ARE OKAY Consider thoughts as part of meditation. Allow them to come and go as they will. If you try to stop thinking you will just create strain! So we don't resist thoughts, nor do we try to hlod onto them, nor do we give importance to what they are about (during meditation). Nor should we use our mantra, or any other centering method, to try to block out thoughts. On NOT TRYING In natural-style meditation we are not trying to do anything nor to get somewhere-- like if we were driving a car. It’s a natural, spontaneous process, similar to falling asleep or waking up. Here are some hints: Don’t resist thoughts, feelings or bodily sensations. Don’t resist disturbing noises. Don’t look for any special experiences. Don’t worry if you’re doing it right or not. Don’t try to analyze or judge the process. Don’t try to make your mind a blank. Don’t try to do anything. Even if you’re doing these "don't does", don’t mind! Simply take it as it comes.
sometimes clouds come, sometimes rain or lightning .... but the air is never broken. This space is never broken. Yeah, other things are broken but this space is never changing." Seung Sahn On ENDING MEDITATION Take at least 2 or 3 minutes before opening the eyes. When our time is more or less finished, we need a period of transition before coming out of it. The nervous system needs a gradual return from the state of deep restful-alertness back to the active state. On EVERY DAY Regularity is critical. It’s great to meditate a lot from time to time, but it is best to maintain a daily practice. Every day's meditations recreate freshness and clarity, just like our daily shower and night's sleep do on their levels. Furthermore, regular practice creates a powerful rhythm between the state of restful alertness and dynamic activity. This moves our life in a progressive direction. Especially, try not to miss during difficult or busy periods of you life. Don't stop during “dry" periods when the experience doesn't seem as profound. These periods are testings of our resolve!
channel in our consciousness, a bandwidth of tranquility, energy and joy that reveals itself when we learn to pay attention. Once you discover how to tune yourself to the meditation bandwidth, it will empower your life from within." Sally Kempton
possibly learn it from anybody, that is the beauty of it. It has no technique and therefore no authority." Krishnamurti When I say to you that meditation is nothing but thoughtlessness, you can misunderstand me. You are not to do anything to become thoughtless, because whatever you will do will be again a thought. You have to learn to see the procession of thoughts, standing by the side of the road as if it does not matter to you what is passing by. Just the ordinary traffic -- if you can take your thoughts in such a manner that they are not of much concern, then easily, slowly, the caravan of thoughts which has continued for thousands of years disappears. Osho Meditation is one of the greatest arts in life - perhaps the greatest, and one cannot possibly learn it from anybody, that is the beauty of it. It has no technique and therefore no authority. |
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