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Three
thoughts for contemplation that will take you into meditation instantly |
A very important thing before starting meditation
After knowing in detail about meditation and about 3 important yogic aids to
prepare ourselves physically as well as mentally for meditation, it is
natural that most of you will want to start meditation. However I beg
your pardon for delaying your entry in to the world of meditation
techniques for some more time. It is essential that we discuss some
very important thing before starting meditation. Knowing them is
really important if we really want to derive some real benefit from
meditation. Meditation can make unbelievable change in once
personality. It make the path of spiritual progress very smooth. So it
is important to perform following three things before starting meditation
:
(1) Be kind towards everybody
Please
remember:
If you are not kind enough with
your neighbors, if you are not loving
with your fellow men, if you are not thankful to God for all things that he
has given to you - then forget about meditation. It has no use for you
and no meditation technique will help you.
Before doing meditation it is necessary that we have a feeling of true
compassion for the whole universe. And when I say 'Whole universe', I
really mean it. It means a feeling of compassion for all. For each and
everybody. A feeling of love, compassion and kindness for every living
and non-living object. Just be loving to your friend, your neighbours,
your colleagues, your parents, your relatives and…… to your
enemies and your competitors too !! Yes I mean it.
It may sounds quite odd, but it is the experience of millions of
people who have meditated.
With a bitter heart and animosity for
someone, we simply can't meditate
. It is simply impossible. I'll try
to explain it:-
Please do this before starting meditation - just sit comfortably. You
can sit on a chair, on bed, on earth in lotus pose (cross legged) or in
anyway of your liking. Close your eyes and send thought of good will
to everybody. Just say in your mind - " I love everybody. My love
compassion and kindness is for everyone. "
It may be the case that somebody has hurt you. Somebody has deceived
you or you have been the victim of other people's bitterness,
ignorance, smallness or insecurities. Even if such is the case thank
God that he does not make you like those people. Things could be
worse. You could be one of them ! Forgive them honestly and say in you
heart" Now I forgive them"
I know that it is really difficult to forgive many times. Sometimes we
have to suffer badly for no faults of ours. However, I earnestly
request you to please consider this clichéd but golden advise that to err is
human and to forgive is divine. Please forgive those who have hurt
you. Think over this: Had you been in their shoes, had you gotten the
same kind of upbringing, education, had you been in the same sort of
environment, then in all likelihood, you will be just like them .
Please realize that we all are the result of our circumstances and
thoughts. If people are bad, it is not that they have chosen to be
bad. There are many factors like circumstances, financial &
domestic conditions, educational background, friends-circle etc. that
shapes our lives.
Just think from the perspective that people are bad
because of many external factors over which they do not have any
control. Have sympathy with them, be compassionate and loving towards
them and…….forgive them.
It appears difficult but is not very
tough. To forgive somebody requires some real effort but the mental peace
it provides is worth that effort. Now spread feelings of goodwill to
all.
Say- " May I find true happiness."
Say- " May all people who are close to my heart- my family, my
parents, my very close friends; they all find true happiness."
Slowly start expanding your area of goodwill.
Say :
" May all people on earth- whether I know them or not,
whether I like them or not, they all find true happiness. "
Spread this good will to not just people but to all living creatures
in all directions.
"May they all find true happiness. I love them all. Everybody is
my friend. No one is my enemy"
This internal preparation is a very powerful way of preparing body for
meditation and will make you very calm. Now we come to the second
thing…
(2) Thank God for everything you have :
This is the second thing to
do. Once you have spread the thoughts of goodwill to whole universe,
just be thankful to the universe. Be thankful to everybody for helping
you at any point of time. Be thankful to God for all that he given to
you. Have a feeling of gratitude for all that you have gotten. There
are so many things in your life for which you should be thankful to God. Thank him
for the present day he has given us, thank him for the pleasant wind
outside, thank him for trees, for sky, for the breakfast you have in
the morning, the lunch in office and dinner at home. Thank him for
giving you wonderful friends, a loving spouse, and a lovely child.
Thank him for the beautiful music, the sun rise,
the baseball, the TV, DVD, the Car, the bus, the fruits, the day free
of traffic jams ! Well the list is endless. 95% things in our life are
all right. Forget about the rest 5%. If you find it difficult to find
anything good in your life for which you should be thankful to this
universe please read this inspiring verse
Think About this
Should you find it hard to get to sleep tonight;
Just remember the homeless family who has no bed to lie in.
*****
Should you find yourself stuck in traffic; don't despair.
There are people in this world for whom driving is an unheard of
privilege.
*****
Should you have a bad day at work;
Think of the man who has been out of work for the last three months.
*****
Should you despair over a relationship gone bad;
Think of the person who has never known what it's like to love and be
loved in return.
*****
Should you grieve the passing of another weekend;
Think of the woman in dire straits, working twelve hours a day, seven
days a week, for -15.00 to feed her family.
*****
Should your car break down, leaving you miles away from assistance;
Think of the paraplegic who would love the opportunity to take that
walk.
*****
Should you notice a new gray hair in the mirror;
Think of the cancer patient in chemo who wishes she had hair to
examine.
*****
Should you find yourself at a loss and pondering what is life all
about, asking "what is my purpose";
Be thankful. There are those who didn't live long enough to get the
opportunity.
*****
Should you find yourself the victim of other people's bitterness,
ignorance, smallness or insecurities;
Remember, things could be worse. You could be them!!!
*****
Should you decide to tell the above to a friend;
You might brighten someone's day!
*****
After reading the above inspiring verse, I hope you must be aware of so many things for
which you should be thankful to God. So thank him and proceed to third
step.
After becoming compassionate and thankful to the universe for all
that it has given to you, come to the third step. This third step is
unique and very helpful. It is like this:
(3) Just remind yourself that you are an ordinary, simple person.
It may sounds strange. But it is not. I am using the words 'remind
yourself' .
You may say :- Hey! I am not an ordinary and simple person. I am so
talented, so intelligent that only yesterday Boss gave me an
appreciation letter recommending my out of turn promotion. Only
because of my idea and original planning, my company could execute
that different project in time. How I can be an ordinary person. I
have been a consistent topper in my academic years. Well, there may be
many ordinary and simple person but I am certainly not one of them. I
am so intelligent, so beautiful and handsome, so rich !How can I call
myself simple and ordinary when I am not.
If you are experiencing the same feelings as above or similar to that
then let me tell you a truth:
" THERE IS NO PLACE FOR EGO IN MEDITATION."
Meditation, rather, will melt your ego and make you a down to earth
person.
Yes ! you are important There are many achievements, many great
qualities, many awards and success stories which can be attributed to
you.
But tell me - does they really matters ?
One of the most important quality in the world is to become truly
simple and down to earth without pretending.
Our life on earth is limited. There was a
time when you were not there. Then you came in this world. And you are
here, living life to its fullest, facing and solving its problems. And
a day will come when you will no longer remain on earth. Death will
end your small journey of life. In between these two days of birth and
death there is a life which you have to live. Just think ! How many
people will remember you after your death. Rest aside your death, if
you are working, how many people will remember you after your
retirement. Very few ! and if they do, they'll do it only for a few
days ! Life is just like that. Tell me for how many times you remember
those colleagues who have long retired. I can bet, seldom or never we
remember them. It is not that we do not like them or respect the good
work they did in their time; the thing is that every day comes with
new sets of problems. We all spend our day in solving these newer sets
of problems that we have no time to remember those who have worked
with us in the past. It may sound bitter but the same thing will happen in
your case too. You may be a brilliant and outstanding person. You may
have the uncanny ability of solving the problems in the blink of an
eye. You may be the most successful and intelligent person in your
entire country.
However, remember this :
At present you are facing and solving 'a particular set of problems'
that have arisen in a 'particular period of time'.
In future in 'an another set of time', a 'very different set of
problems' will arise and there will be people who'll solve them. Only
when a difficult problem having a precedent in the past will pop up,
then somebody will remember you and say " hey this is similar to
the one that Johnny had solved 5/10/x years ago !"
Why I am telling you all this. I just want to familiarize you with the
ephemeral character of life. In the ultimate analysis nothing is going
to matter.
The truth is that no matter how important, affluent and
successful we are or how ordinary, failure or simple we are, we all
will be forgotten by generations to come.
But don't take it as a bad
thing. After all we ourselves have forgotten all man of past. Except a
few rare great personalities like Lincoln, Gandhi & Jefferson etc
how many men or women of 17th or 18th century are in our memories
? They all have been buried in the past. And sooner or later, one day
we'll also be forgotten by future generation. Yes there will be some
exceptions. Some great men and woman among us. But tell me honestly,
how many greats of past are remembered by us ? We remember them
whenever there is a need to take some inspiration from past. We
remember them on their birthday or on their martyr day. But all in
all, our 'present day' life is full of its own quota of 'day to day'
problems that most of us will spend our life in solving them.
Remember the immortal saying of Professor William James - " The
keenest desire of human being is the desire of becoming
important"
Everybody wants importance. So don't expect that you will be
considered a VIP forever. There were VIP in the past. There are VIPs
in present (you may be one of them) and there will be VIPs in future.
And this'll go on and on.
Actually our existence is just like an ocean.
You are a wave of the
ocean. You may be the most powerful, most thunderous, most beautiful
and most inspiring wave of this ocean. But in the ultimate analysis
you are just a wave. And the destiny of a wave is to merge again into
the ocean. One day your little wave will also merge in the ocean of
existence. Contemplate on this and understand the reality. We all are
simple and ordinary in front of this huge cosmic play that is going
on.
The socialism is disappearing fast. After USSR, China has also started
adopting the capitalist way. It might happen that one day there will
be no country left professing socialism. But the greatest socialist
phenomenon will remain in this world and will continue making
everyone equal. Do you know what is it ? It is … Death.
Death does not
discriminate between poor or rich, healthy or ill, king or pauper. It
makes everybody equal. All who have died are equal. Contemplate on
this stark reality. Understand the ephemeral character of life.. and
remind your self that you are a simple and ordinary person.
Let me summarize all that I have described - Before doing meditation,
sit quietly in a comfortable position in a silent places. Then do
these three contemplative acts:
(1) Be loving to all -
Spread thoughts of good will to each and
everybody in this universe. Remove all kind of animosity and hatred
from your heart.
(2) Be thankful for all that you have gotten -
Say thanks
to God for all the good
things he has given you. If you are an atheist, be thankful to the
universe. Almost 95% things in our life are alright.
Forget about the rest 5%.
(3)
Remind yourself the ephemeral character of life - Life is small. We are just like a wave of ocean that will merge again into ocean.
Doing this three emotional contemplation will immensely help you in
meditation. They will have a very cleansing effect on your internal
being. You will be able to achieve meditative state very quickly. You
will experience a deep mental peace. Though these 3 things are not
meditation, they make the meditator highly receptive to all positive gain
he/she will draw in meditation. I strongly recommend you to do these
contemplative acts before meditation .
Now let us enter into the world
of meditation techniques.
Meditation
Techniques
