MEDITATION(Med 89)

MEDITATION(Med 89)
Swami Chidananda)

Meditation is that ultimate process, when one has laid the foundation of spiritual life, when one has overcome the constant pull of the senses and has become master of the senses. In that condition of perfect sense-control and self-restraint, and conquest of desires and mastery of one’s passions, in that condition of enlightenment, inner stability and equipoise, one begins to gather oneself and move towards the Reality. The ingathering of the totality of your being, and the centralising of this ingathered power in one specific self-chosen direction is the object of meditation, when this ingathered and in-directed, continued, unbroken movement succeeds, you are in a state of meditation. It is the successful, continuous movement in a self-chosen direction of the totality of your being.

Meditation requires the being to be firmly and perfectly grounded in virtue, the spiritual qualities, which are the building blocks of the structure, which ultimately attain the pinnacle of meditation. Meditation is the upper point of the pyramid, which is grounded in virtue. Meditation is an interior process. The senses always keep your entire psyche in an exteriorized condition. Unless you control your senses, the psyche can never be ingathered. Next comes the calming of the mind – its desires, passions, ambitions, attachments and the constant cravings that keeps the mind always flux and ferment. This process of attaining a certain amount of absolute quiescence of mind takes many years.

There should be unified aspirations for that ultimate Goal. There will be no other ambitions, no other desires, no other attachment, no other passions and cravings. The mind will be in a state of total ingatheredness and unity. This mind alone, which has now been rendered subtle by giving up gross sensual desires, and by renunciation, attains a state of purity.

Mind is very subtle matter. When it is filled with earthly tendencies, passions and greeds, it is full of tamas and rajas, and it becomes more gross due to restlessness, selfish desires and activities. When these have been transcended and to a certain extent mastered, then mind attains a state of purity and subtleness. In that state off subtle purity, mind assumes an upward direction. Only such a mind, which is rendered subtle by absolute purity and virtue, sense-control and elimination of desires and passions, becomes the instrument of Atman, the Reality. Such total transformation in your interior by bringing the mind into that state of subtleness and purity is absolutely necessary to initiate the process of meditation inside. A subtle pure mind, completely still and calm, and totally inward, is the instrument for meditation. With that mind alone one can meditate.

Swami