We tend to imagine that love is something we will find outside of ourselves.
Yet there is only place we will ever find love: within our own hearts.
While we may find things or people outside us to whom we respond with love, the love they inspire is not created magically out of the ether – it comes forth from our own hearts.
Meditation is the study of our own hearts. The predominant quality we discover there – is love.
The love in our hearts is not dependent on any outer circumstance or any other being. It is inherent in our hearts the way fragrance is to a flower.
To feel, experience and flourish in this love, does not require us meeting any person or being any where or proving any thing.
It requires only a quiet mind, our opening within, our acceptance and surrender to love the way a baby sleeps in its mother’s arms.
The enjoyment of pure, objectless love is one of the most exquisite, profoundly fulfilling and illumining of all the fruits of meditation.
Exercise:
Sit in a quiet, peaceful place with eyes closed and the breath calm and controlled. Imagine a flower within your heart – first in bud form, and then slowly blooming into the most beautiful, delicate, perfect flower imaginable. The flower and your heart are inseparable.
Now place yourself inside your flower-heart. You have become the flower. Immerse yourself in simply BEING the flower. You are four qualities: simplicity, beauty, delicacy and fragrance. Nothing else. Consciously breathe in your own fragrance and appreciate it to the full. This fragrance is pure love. The more you can seep yourself in the fragrance of your flower-heart, the more love will envelop you.
Desire nothing else. Think of nothing else. Love will be your reward.
When we point to ourselves, we point to our hearts – not our heads. We’re not consciously pointing to the organ located in the centre of our chest which pumps blood through our bodies. So what ARE we pointing to? What sense of self resides in this vicinity?
Unlike many languages, English does not have a word for the deeper self beyond the physical, emotional and mental being: our centre of peace, love, light and joy; the intermediary with our soul which we sense and feel most strongly in or near our heart. Yet our language is clever. In the absence of a word, it has ascribed meaning through numerous phrases employing the name of the closest physical organ to this deeper self: the heart. Our language thus hints at the many qualities of our “spiritual heart”:
“Have a heart” – compassion, forgiveness “The heart of town” – the centre, core “Sweetheart” – love, affection “Heart-to-heart talk” – depth, sincerity “Fight with heart” – courage, bravery “Cross my heart” – honesty, promise “Wholehearted effort” – unreserved, giving it all “Wear your heart on your sleeve” – openness, emotion “Home is where the heart is” – security, belonging “A heart of gold” – self-giving, sympathy with all “Big-hearted” – kindness, generosity “Hearty soup” – wholesome, nourishing, substantial “We took heart from the win” – hope, inspiration “To learn by heart” – certainty, identification “Speak from the heart” – conviction, charisma “Heartfelt sentiments” – empathy, oneness “To your heart’s content” – satisfaction, fullness “Follow your heart” – passion, spontaneity above reason “From the bottom of my heart” – aspiration, yearning “Pour your heart into it” – commitment, intensity “In my heart of hearts” – intuition, faith
Combine all these qualities, for a sense of the immense significance and untold wealth which is our spiritual heart. We meditate to claim, become and manifest our spiritual heart and all its riches.
For meditation we must be relaxed yet fully alert and vigilant – otherwise it is impossible to control wandering thoughts.
Just as we need a quiet place to meditate, our posture must be conducive to alertness and vigilance.
First, try lying down – sitting slumped over – and then with your spine straight. You will surely feel that while sitting with your spine straight, you are the most alert and aware.
A straight spine facilitates a free flow of energy up and down the spine and its associated energy channels. This is the posture in which we can sit in a relaxed yet alert state for the longest time without physical discomfort.
To achieve a straight spine with no effort, imagine there is a thread coming from the ceiling, attached to the top of your skull, and you are dangling from this thread: rather than forcing yourself to sit upright, you are simply dangling there.
Be sure our hips, shoulders, back of the neck and facial muscles in particular are relaxed and free of tension.
It is not necessary to sit in the full or even the half lotus pose of traditional yoga, where the legs are crossed with one or both feet tucked up above the opposing knee – as long as the spine is straight, we can meditate most effectively whether sitting on a chair or on a cushion on the floor. Try not to relax against the back of a chair or a wall: dynamic energy flows far better when the spine is straight and supporting itself.
As for lying down, forget it! We can practise relaxation and other useful techniques while lying down, but pure meditation requires all our power of dynamic focus and concentration – which the vast majority of us simply cannot muster while lying down.
There is a strong awareness nowadays of the value of meditation and many have tried it – or at least thought about trying it. Yet still relatively few are actually practising every day, despite all meditation’s myriad benefits.
The main reason for this lack of persistence is the challenge of incorporating meditation into our already-busy daily routines. The irony is our busy lives are crying out for meditation – yet we are too busy to meditate. Catch 22.
To get lasting value from meditation it is not enough to attend a class or read a book – or think about doing so. We have to practise – daily – for months. That means establishing a practice. So let’s get started …
Where to meditate?
We are creatures of habit, so just as it is essential to find a set time, so also it is essential to establish a place – typically a corner of our room – which is set aside just for our meditation. Keep this area clean, neat and pure.
Having a “place” for our meditation is both symbolic and practical.
Symbolically, we are creating space in our lives for meditation, acknowledging that the benefits we hope to gain – peace, love, confidence, joy – are of utmost importance.
On a practical level, creating a set place helps us establish our practice. Just as we associate different places with different activities, and just seeing those places puts us in mind of those activities – seeing the refrigerator we think of food, seeing the bath we think of taking a nice hot bath – so having a place for meditation right there in front of us reminds us of our commitment to meditate, and when we sit down there, the association of place with activity helps draw us into meditation.
Because we are all time-poor, constantly busy and incessantly distracted, the most difficult part of establishing a meditation practice is – establishing a meditation practice.
The actual meditation is not the hard part. It is the discipline, making the time and space in our lives. So this commitment must come first: once the commitment is made, everything else will flow easily and naturally in time.
Meditation changes our lives for the better, true: but not by thinking or talking about it – only by practising.
To establish a meditation practice, there are two key requirements: a set time, and a set place. Once you have your set time and place and stick with them, it doesn’t matter what techniques you employ; if you practice with sincerity you are bound to make good progress.
The best time of day to practise is first thing in the morning, before we enter into the hustle and bustle of life.
It is said that “morning shows the day”. If we want more peace, poise, tolerance, patience or joy in our day, then let’s start by bringing these qualities forward right from the beginning. Of course it is also helpful to meditate at the end or at any other time of the day, but regular morning meditation provides the most solid foundation for progress.
So choose a time when you can realistically set aside 5 or 10 minutes to be alone, quiet and peaceful, before any significant outer activities.
It is essential to be awake and alert for meditation, so get out of bed, take a shower or wash and a few stretches or jog around the block before settling down to meditate. If this means getting up 10 or 15 minutes earlier than you were used to, then so be it. Do it.
From time to time, we have glimpses of an expanded, elevated awareness: a moment flooded with love, peace or joy; a flash of insight; a state of pure being beyond cares and stress, beyond our little selves, beyond even time and space. Such moments – which are rarely under our control and often appear “out of the blue” – awaken us to a sense that we are much more than we are aware of.
The conscious exploration of these deeper, hidden realms of self – is meditation.
To find what lies inside anything, we first remove the surface covering. To find what lies inside our own consciousness, we must first clear our surface awareness – our cluttered mind.
Once the mind’s thoughts, distractions and desires are brought under control, meditation is self-revealing and spontaneous.
To clear and control the mind, we need concentration. Concentration is the most essential life skill – which is never taught. Not in school (where it is desperately needed); not anywhere. Better concentration saves us time and energy, and improves everything we do.
Concentration has little appeal. Would you want to attend a class in concentration? We all want to meditate, but who’s excited about concentrating?
Yet we need to get excited – for concentration is the indispensable foundation of successful meditation. Fortunately, we can teach ourselves concentration – with commitment and practise.
Exercise:
Take a few minutes, a few times a day, to pause whatever you are doing and focus on a favourite object before your eyes. Feel that you are focussing from your heart, not your mind. Exclude all other thoughts. Immerse yourself in the object, merge with it. Project yourself into and become the object. Then from your perspective as the object, observe yourself concentrating on the object.
Have you ever felt that sense of being part of something much vaster than yourself?
… listening to your favourite music, feeling swept up to another realm of harmony, beauty and perfection …
… witnessing giant ocean waves crash over rocks, feeling this stupendous power surge through you …
… gazing into the night sky, feeling at once the inconceivable distance and intimate closeness of each star to your own heartbeat …
… running through the forest, feeling you could run forever effortlessly, your feet turned to wings soaring with the wind and the pure joy of birdsong …
… drinking in the sunset from a mountaintop, feeling profound peace as sky farewells the day and earth surrenders into the arms of night …
… observing something tiny – caterpillar on leaf, dewdrop adorning a blade of grass – feeling the entire universe held lightly in this moment …
Stop reading for two minutes. Close your eyes and re-live one such moment in your life. Recreate every detail in your mind’s eye, open every sense and breathe in that fullness of feeling. Surrender, become the moment. Find one word that expresses your feeling in this moment.
After these two minutes, chances are you will feel lighter, brighter, uplifted, clearer, happier and more complete than before. If not, try again more sincerely…
Now go back to your “magic moment” for another minute. Re-live it once more, its thrill and fullness. This time, ask yourself one question: not – what am I feeling in this moment, but – what am I thinking?
Stumped for an answer?
Most people respond: “Nothing!”
This is meditation: a moment of pure feeling, a glimpse of pure being enabled by a brief pause in our mind’s activity. These are life’s most precious moments, and pure meditation.
Everything grows from within. As a flower blossoms from the bud and the tree grows from a seed, so all our perceptions, thoughts, feelings and actions flow from our inner awareness.
Meditation dives into our inner awareness, the root of our consciousness. It can therefore benefit everything that is determined by our inner awareness – which is virtually every aspect and activity of our outer life.
It is said that “We are what we eat,” which is absolutely true on a physical, energetic level. Yet how much truer to say that we are what we think; what we feel; what we long for. Just as our commitment to good health demands we take control of our diet, so – if we are to be happy and fulfilled – is it essential to take control of what we think, feel and long for.
Yet how to do this?
The surest way is to go to the root: beyond the source of our thoughts, feelings and longings. This is practically the definition of meditation.
The root sustains the tree. Meditation re-connects us with our roots, and thus nourishes our inner – and hence our outer – awareness. Regular practice of meditation can thereby affect, influence, sharpen, enhance, intensify and expand our perceptions, thoughts, feelings and responses. It can change us at the level of our very being, and every dimension that flows from there.
Want to sleep better? Swim better? Play the harp better? Meditate …
Want to control thoughts, desires, feelings, responses? Meditate …
Want to understand yourself and your role in life, the world, the cosmos? Meditate …
Want to be happy, not by having, but by simply Being? Meditate …
How can meditation expedite all these goals and much more? The same way one Sun nourishes all living things …
Welcome to “Meditation Matters” – a weekly journal and podcast published each Thursday, exploring the many worlds of meditation.
Meditation is the gateway to the infinite, the spiritual realm, the reality within us. Meditation can energise our life, transform our outlook, solve all our problems and unlock hidden capacities.
Everyone can meditate: it’s simple, it’s natural, it’s powerful … and it’s free.
Meditation is self-discovery, self-awareness of all that lies within us beyond the thinking, rational mind. As we go deeper within, we discover that what lies within is also the key to understanding and appreciating all that lies around us as well.
We can read about meditation, talk about meditation, think about meditation – but for the many benefits of meditation, we have to PRACTISE … daily.
“Meditation Matters” will explore the theory and philosophy of meditation, but will mostly focus on the practice; the lived experience of meditation.
We’ll introduce simple, practical exercises that anyone can enjoy at home on a daily basis, and the steps to establish your daily meditation practice: how to incorporate meditation into your everyday life and make it a part of your very living – for meditation has to be a lived experience that flows into every heartbeat, every thought, every intention, every feeling, every breath of our life, to transform not only the way we see and feel, but our very way of being.
We’ll share our knowledge of meditation, our passion for meditation, our experience of meditation and our love of meditation.
“Meditation Matters” will explore all matters meditation: we’ll look at the challenges and obstacles facing someone starting a practice of meditation for the first time, and maintaining that practice. We’ll also explore the many benefits of meditation, and most importantly, delve into the infinite reasons why … Meditation Matters.
