Mind, Meditation, & Miracle
Mind
Any mind aught to know what this mystique mind is, what could
be its merits and miracles. Anybody who contemplates or meditates
on mind will deode the mystery of mind and will become master
of his own mind. There are various definitions and descriptions.
Let us examine some of them coming from enlightened souls with
enriched minds.
• Mind is neither the physical brain nor the intellect—although
the intellect is a part of the mind. (Swami Muktananda)
• Mind is the mental faculty that processes the information
derived from perceptions.
• The mind is the mystery of human life. It can be the
garden of joy or secret path to death. It can show us heaven or
it can take us to hell. (Swami Muktananda)
• Mind is the jewel chip of the consciousness. Mind is sentient.
• Whenever the mind is concentrated, a divine wave bathes
all the tissues with the divine elixir. All the cells are renovated
and vivified.
• "A one pointed, relaxed mind is the most powerful
and creative mind, it can do anything". (Yogi Bhajan)
• Mind is the sixth sense, directly under the control of
intellect, with four states ie waking, dreaming, unconscious (deep
sleep), and samadhi.
• " Master the mind, and you master the world,"(Guru
Nanak)
• " When one knows the mind thoroughly, one knows God,
because God is the source of the mind."(Swami Muktananda)
• The scriptures say that the individual exists because
of the mind.
• The Vibrations/ disturbances of mind create the world
outside. Karma yoga is the self-effort to quieten the mind.
• The natural tendency of the ‘mind’ (and body
& senses) is to run after the objects, just as water flows
naturally from upper level to lower level.
• When mind wakes up, world is there, otherwise not. Our
Real Self is now identified as worldly self, comprising of body,
mind and intelect (B.M.I).
• Your gross action is status or expression of your mind.
• It is the mind that makes one wise or ignorant, bound
or emancipated. (Sri Ramkrishna)
• Self-surrender is synonymous with eternal happiness. Therefore
one should try to gain equipoise of mind under all circumstances.
That is will power. (Sri Ramana Maharishi.)
• Do not overload the mind with sray thoughts. It will hurt
your attention, concentration, and impair your memory.
• Mind is the key which can open the lock to the inner domain
where our Self is enshrined and whom we have forgotten.
• Mind can bestow a long life. Breath denotes the state
of mind. If the mind is agitated or in angry mood, the corresponding
breath is short and quick. Such a temperment reduces life. If
the mind is equipoise, the breath becomes deep slow soft and rhythmic.
Such a breath gives you a longer life.
• From where does the mind originate? The Upanishads say
that the mind is the pulsation of the inner Self. It arises from
the Self, and along with the vital force, the prana, it permeates
the entire body. The Upanishads also tell us that the mind is
united with the vital force.
• Have a firm conviction in your mind that everything is
sur charged with the same divinity that is behind your identity
and activity. (Baba)
• The mind is said to be two-fold. The pure and also the
impure; Impure-by union with desire. Pure-from desire completely
free (Maitri Upanishad 6.34)
• As long as the mind is alive, you are a human being. When
the mind becomes mindless, you become God. (Swami Nityananda)
Thus we have seen there are many aspects dimensions and potentialities
of mind. Why not take advantage of its nature and achieve our
success, happiness and fulfilment. This can only be done through
a process called 'Meditation'. Let us see what it is.
Meditation
• Swami Muktananda has explained as to how oue meditation
works. Just as the mind becomes permeated with anger when we concentrate
on the thoughts of anger, it becomes suffused with the Self's
qualities of peace and freedom when we focus on the Self. The
mind turned outwards takes on the form of the objects of the world,
but when the mind turns within, it becomes pure conscious again.
• Meditation means Sadhna towards Bliss or wholesome Happiness,
in subjective domain or Self Realization. The God, who is 'Sat
Chit Anand', is Pure Bliss and subjective domain Himself. He has
created another domain, the 'Objective or Worldly' domain. As
per the law of creation, there is happiness as well as unhappiness
in this objective domain in cyclic order. Every Jeeva in this
world needs happiness but of permanent nature. He can never have
that kind of happiness with his interaction with the worldly objects.
He can get his wholesome happiness, which is his prime objective
of his life, when he undertakes to tune himself to the supreme
Self or Bliss. This daily practice of 'Tuning' or sadhna is Meditation.
Meditation is the only door to 'Happiness' .It means 'To always
remain happy"
• Meditation teaches us how to slip beyond the mental turbulence
of our ordinary thought processes into an infinite reservoir of
consciousness from which we can draw guidance, creative power,
joy, and tranquility. "Meditation can give you that which
nothing else can give you. It introduces you to yourself."
(Swami Rama)
• The only way to reach the divine within is an inner integration
of both mind and intellect when they become friends, and their
movement as a team is called meditation (Ashutosh Maharaj)
• One Vedic scholar and devotee of Shakti, once approached
Raman Maharishi and asked,"Bhagwan, what is true meditation?"
Maharishi said,"Watching the source of thought is meditation."The
source of thought is Self. Ignoring the Self is unhappiness. Being
conscious of one's ignorance is meditation. Thought projects time
veiling consciousness. Identifying with time is unconsciousness
and the cause of suffering. Consciousness is Bliss, which is transcendence
of time.
• Master your vagabond thoughts, try to raise yourself above
the fluctuations of life, and you will see all your anxiety disappear
thro' meditation. (Ma Ananda Moyi)
• Just by meditating, as a concept of "Appointment
with God", everyday, regularly, at the same time, for the
same length of time deepens our determination immeasurably. Meditation
produces subtle miracles every day. It injects conviction, determination
in you, makes you more responsible towards our dharma and duties.
Meditation is an art and skill of living. This skill will help
us in our interactions with home, office, boss, subordinates,
friends and enemies. (Eknath Easwaran)
• “Do not be anxious if you don’t have meditative
experiences. The path to God is not a circus! Don’t even
be anxious about such fruits of meditation as inner joy and peace.
Every thing will come in God’s time. Meanwhile, consider
meditation, too, as a form of karmayoga: action without dsire
for the fruits of action. Meditate above all to please God, not
yourself. Every sincere effort is registered in the divine consciousness.
Your duty as a devotee is to accept whatever He sends you-and
for that matter whatever He does’nt send. God alone knows
what past karma keeps you away from perceiving Him right now.
He may want you to finish up your karma in this life, before He
gives you eternal bliss in Him.”(Paramhans Yoganand).
• Learn a practical, time-tested, and balanced approach
to meditation, which guides you through the three stages of relaxation,
concentration, and expansion of awareness. You’ll learn
how to:
-reduce tension and stress at will.
-Feel happier, more relaxed, and at peace with yourself.
-Improve your health, mental clarity, and vitality.
-Develop a more intuitive, heart-centred way of life.
-Discover and explore your inner spiritual nature, and your own
unique relationship with the Divine. (Swami Yogananda/Kriyananda)
• When we sit for meditation, even though it seems that
we are not doing very much, a lot is happening on the inside.
This practice is the highest form of seva; it brings about each
individual's transformation. When you carry your inner transformation
to wherever you live and wherever you work, you are performing
a great service to humanity (swami Chidvilasananda)
• The word 'Meditation'often leads most people to believe
that it is a very difficult process. This is a great myth. We
all need to recognise that meditation has many forms and its basic
objective is to enhance our state of being Blissful. A simple
meditative practice of just sitting quietely for ten minutes with
our eyes closed in a darkened room can be very uplifting. Whilst
sitting in such a meditative ambience, we may find thoughts crowding
our head but that is natural, just like clouds moving before the
sun. Reflect that in just sitting peacefully with our attention
on a mantra or a pleasing visual of a spiritual Master or our
favourite God will enhance the quality of our day. We can also
be constantly meditative in our work, output and our thoughts
by focussing our attention on the tasks at hand in a calm &
collective manner, dedicated to Him. (Vikram Raina)
• Maharishi Raman says 'watching the source of thought is
meditation'. Another Gyani says,'just watching the breath is meditation'
• Contemplation is thinking (of God), listening (about
God and to God), conversing (with God), praying (to God) and speaking
(about God).
• Meditation is the process of unifying the mind with God.
Contemplate on Him at all times, at all places and under all circumstances.
Miracles
• Meditation has been practised for thousand of years by
those searching for spiritual enlightenment, but one of the main
reasons of its popularity today is that a proven side effect is
a marked improvement in both mental & physical health. Above
all it is an effective antidote to stress. Dubbed the relaxation
response, meditation has been found to stem the flow of stress
hormones and produce a response that is the reverse of the fight-fight
or stress response. Regular meditation is accompanied by a significant
decrease in heart rate, lowering of blood pressure, a calming
of the nervous system and an improvement in all kinds of stress-related
disorders, such as depression, migraine and insomania. (An excerpt
from a book)
• WITH MEDITATION, ONE COULD OPEN UP THE CLOGGED HEART
ARTERIES (published in a paper on 'Stroke' in the journal of American
Heart Association-Ref TOI 23/10/03)
• It is not only a stress reliever but the newest suggests
that it actually decreases the thickness in arterial walls, meaning
it probably lessens fatty deposits in the arteries. (Mort Crim
in Free Press)
• MEDITATION IS A GREAT ENABLER: When you are in deep slumber,
God makes you live in the tranquil superconsciousness, in which
all the fears and worries of this existance are forgotten. Meditation
is one of the most natural and rewarding of all human activities.
Yogananda defined meditation as deep concentration on God, or
one of the aspects of Spirit. Practice on a daily basis produces
profound results on all levels of your being – physical,
mental, emotional, and spiritual. It connects you with your own
inner powers of vitality, clarity, and love. When done deeply,
meditation connects you with the Divine.
In summary, meditation bestows the following
benefits/miracles.
- Improves/upgrades physical mental & emotional health.
- Antidote to stress and stress-related disorders eg depression,
migraine, insomnia etc.
- Calms the nerves system.
- Provides maximum relaxation.
- Significant decrease in heart rate
- Lowers blood pressure
- Decreases thickness in arterial walls. Opens up the clogged
heart arteries.
- Great enabler. It enables you to face the problems and challenges
of life squarely without any worries.
- It improves the life-style, widens awareness & leads you
to divinity.
- Bestows contentment, peace, happiness wisdom, success, fulfilment
and long life.
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