Friends !
Now I am going to describe a meditation technique which is one of the
most effective and easiest meditation techniques of all times. Here is
a technique which you can perform anytime, anywhere and in any
position. .
I hope by
now you know what is meditation (if not please see what
is meditation ). In order to understand this technique let us
recall the meaning of meditation.
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.
This state
in which our mind becomes absolutely calm and relaxed is also known as the
state of choiceless awareness i.e. the state where we are fully aware
of the moment yet our awareness is not focussed on any physical or
mental image/object. It is a choiceless awareness. In the 'Here and now' meditation we
will gradually achieve the state of choiceless awareness with the help
of three easy steps. For the sake of simplicity I am referring
these steps as three individual steps. In reality as you perform
these steps, you will realize that these three steps happens
simultaneously and thus are parts of one single
step.
The three
steps of 'here and now' meditation technique are :
(1) Remind
yourself that you exist here and now.
This will make you aware of your body as it exists here and
now.
(2) Just
be aware of the activities going on in and around you at this
moment.
This will make you aware of the universe as it exists here and now.
(3) From
now onwards start doing everything with awareness.
This will make you aware you of your self as it exists here and
now.
Let
us understand these three steps is detail :
First
step:
"Remind
yourself that you exist here and now "
Remind yourself that you exist here and now.
I am using the word ' remind' because most of us tend to forget that
we ,in reality, exist here and now. We exist in the present. Nobody
can live in past or future. Whatever we do, feel, think or experience,
we do it in the present moment. You may think about past, you may
plan for the future but the very process ( of thinking about past or
planning for the future) always happens in the present because at any
given moment you exist in the present.
Your
existence in this world is the sum total of many things. Your present
personality is the combined result of your physical makeup ,
your cultural, social and educational background, your thoughts,
your feelings, your past life, your future plans, your ambitions and
desires etc. However, you, who is the combined embodiment of all
such varied factors, exist here and now - in the present moment ! You
can escape from the past, you can evade the outcome of future but you
can not escape from the present. Most of us just keep thinking about
the memories of past or fancies of the future and give very little
importance to present whereas one
of the most important and fundamental requisite for meditation is that
you should live in the present.
In
order to meditate and make our mind quiet, it is important for us to accept
our life as it exists in the present moment. No matter how boring, banal,
stressful , sad or colorless our present life is; at any given
moment, it is all that we have with us. So accept your life as it is
and remind yourself that you exists in the present moment. The aim of
this step is to focus your whole attention on the present
moment. This initial step act as a launching pad for the 'here and
now' meditation as the entire attention of the meditator get focused
on the present moment. So: Just be aware of the fact that you
exist here and now !
Second
step:
"Just be
aware of the activities going on in and around you at this moment. "
At any given moment. there are many things that are happening
in and around you. Even if you are just sitting and not doing
anything, many things are going on. Your breathing process is going on, your
heart is pumping the blood and ensuring its circulation in body, the digestion process is going
on inside you, kidneys
are filtering the blood, various glands in your body are secreting
hormones to ensure proper metabolism of the body. Your hair and
nails are growing at a small speed, in short -
hundred of
activities are going on inside your body at this very moment.
In the
outer world also numerous things are happening around you at the present moment.
You are surrounded by a very active atmosphere, whose properties
such as temperature, pressure etc are changing every
moment. There are numerous sounds echoing around you at this very moment -
movement of fan, ticking of clock, music in radio or your PC,
conversation of people, rain drops outside the windows , the water you sip from the glass, sounds of your own
movements etc all these phenomena are producing sound around
you.
Well if you observe
closely you will find yourself surrounded
by a pool of various activities. This collective pool of activities constitutes
the choreography of the universe as it unfolds itself every moment. Universe or
creation is an ongoing phenomenon. It is a kind of cosmic dance that is
going on. It's not only you who is surrounded by so many activities.
Each and everyone among us is enfolded by this dance of universe. We
seldom or never give our attention to these activities that goes on in
and around us. However, the truth is that they keep happening on their
own and produce an effect in our lives.
So in the second part of this meditation technique,
you are required to become aware of this cosmic dance. Just be aware
of the present moment. Just be aware of all those activities which are
going on in and around you at this present moment. Do not concentrate
upon them .Thing are happening on their own.
Just be aware of them. Wind is blowing, machines are running, fan is
moving, TV is on, music is coming from the radio, traffic is running on
the roads, trains are running on tracks, dogs are barking, children
are playing & fighting, hawkers are shouting to attract the
customers. At any given moment the whole world is full of activities of every kind.
. Just be aware of these activities. Don't
contemplate over them, don't try to make them a part of your
thinking process. Just, at this very moment, be aware of this cosmic
choreography. This step of becoming aware of the
present moment helps the meditator in increasing the depth of his/her
awareness.
After the first step of meditation ( which requires you to
be aware that you exist in the present moment), this second step
will help you to be aware of the whole cosmos as it exists in
the present moment. So just be aware of the activities which are
going on in and around you at the present moment.
| This
moment is as it should be, because the whole universe is as it
should be. The moment -- the one you're experiencing right
now-- is the culmination of all the moments you have
experienced in the past. This moment is as it is because the
entire universe is as it is.
A
relevant thought from:
The seven spiritual laws of success
By Deepak Chopra
|
Third step:
"From
now onwards start doing everything with awareness"
This step is the
third and the most important step of this meditation technique. In the
previous two steps you become aware of the present moment and of the
cosmic chaos which exists at this moment. In this third step, you are
not required to do anything special. Just keep doing whatever you are
doing at this moment but ---- do it with awareness that you are doing
it.
Let me
explain what I mean:
If you
are eating anything : eat it with awareness that you are eating
something. Just be aware of every step you take in eating. Right from
holding (say bread for example) in your hand , taking the bread
towards your mouth, inserting it in your mouth, chewing the bread and swallowing
it in mouth, just perform everything with awareness.
Same
with drinking : Whatever you are drinking, drink it with absolute awareness of the process
of drinking. If you drink a glass of water, drink it with full
awareness while you hold the glass of water in your hand. Be aware of
the sensation your hands feel on touching the glass, take the glass
near your mouth with awareness, just be aware of every sip you take.
After drinking, put back the glass with awareness.
If you
walk, walk with awareness. While you walk, just be aware of the
movements of body as you walk. If your right hands comes forward while
you move your left leg, just be aware of this. If while walking in the
garden you feel the urge to take a deep breath, take the long breath
but take it with awareness.
Include this practice of awareness in all those
process also where some kind of movement is not required. For
example if you are not doing anything and just sitting somewhere, be
aware of that (i.e. sitting), just have an awareness of your sitting posture,
watch with awareness as your body changes it's position while sitting.
Similarly, if you are lying on a bed, just be aware of the fact that
you are lying. Have an awareness of the movements your body
performs while lying on the bed.
Doing
everything with awareness is something that can be done anytime,
anywhere and in any posture. It does not requires
allocating some extra
time, or sitting in a particular place. Just start doing everything
with awareness. It is very simple and you can do it right now.
If you
drive, drive with awareness.
While
bathing, take your bath with awareness, just
be awareness of the sensation you feel when you pour water on your
body. Just be aware of how it feels when you use the towel to rinse
the body.
How do you greet a regular friend, neighbor or
coworker ? When you say him Hello, do you wait for his response
? Does your act of greeting others has become an unconscious
mechanical habit ? Think over it. Are you living with awareness ?
Tomorrow as you start for your office, greet the
people with awareness. Just say hello in a warm, conscious manner and
wait for other people's response. Don't make your life mechanical. Try
to do as many things as you can with awareness.
The main aim of this meditation
is to break the habit of a mechanical life which most of us are
living. We all have become some sort of robots. There is very little
awareness left in us. Almost all our daily work such as eating,
drinking, bathing, reading, playing, driving, talking, traveling,
writing, listening, watching etc are done by us in a mechanical
manner. In such a mechanical life, when we are not even performing
very basic mundane tasks with awareness, how we can explore or know
the awareness of our self ?
This Here and now Meditation
aims to increase our overall awareness of everything. When you perform
every task with awareness, slowly you will start recognizing the
witness in you who watches everything as you perform the task. As your
awareness increases, you will start becoming more and more aware of
your true self.
As you keep practicing this
meditation, after some time a stage will come when two distinct
aspects of your identity will emerge : one - doing and another -
being. You will be doing every work assigned to you, yet there will be
some in you (the being aspect) who will remain intact as a
watcher while you perform your work. This 'being aspect' is your true
self. Once you realize this 'being aspect' you will realize the
immortal part of your existence. You will realize the supreme
consciousness.
Next
Meditation Technique : 
Death
Meditation
