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Page 5 of 15
Meditation
by Adrian Newington © 1991
In meditation, we go through a process of exercising and
cultivating a higher and clearer consciousness,
incorporating a technique called WITNESSING.
We do this so that we may obtain?
- A clearer understanding of oneself.
- An ability to perceive spiritual realities.
- An enhanced faith
- The authentic personal experience that goes beyond all instruction, teachings & philosophies.
A clearer understanding of oneself.
Through the use of concentration, the mind begins to be exercises in a way that gathers and focuses it energy. When done on a regular basis, it gathers to itself the mental energies and resources which serve to illuminate the mind. This illumination is the 'seeing' or 'perceiving' ability associated with an expanded awareness, and will serve to bring vital self understanding to the mediator. This self understanding is the key to personal empowerment. I have found that the self understanding obtained of myself, enables me to understand the world so very clearly. This has also allowed love and compassion to bloom as I see so many travel through and struggle with life as I have and do.
An ability to perceive spiritual realities. Primarily, we are talking about the ability to perceive and UNDERSTAND or COMPREHEND the deeper message of spiritual teachings and philosophies. So often, parables and teachings etc, are taken at their face or literal value. This can lead to incorrect interpretations of the essential message buried within the text. "Let those that have ears hear" is an often quoted phrase of Jesus. That particular message is directed at people with a sufficient foundation of intellectual and spiritually mature? This is very important for the person wishing to engage in contemplation. An enhanced faith As consciousness becomes illumined and elevated, spiritual realities become clearer as discernment becomes keener. The mental opposition that tends to undermine the best efforts of acting with faith begin to subside. The efforts of living with faith start to bear fruits of peace, contentment, and a sense of connectedness to God. Faith mainly leads to a sense of security and confidence in the reality of an intimate relationship with God.
The authentic personal experience that goes beyond all teachings. The experience sought from meditation is a revelation of self discovery or self recognition, bringing an ability to penetrate and understand the source of religion or philosophy. This recognition is in fact two-fold; the union between God and yourself, and a new and deep understanding of yourself through the gradual unfolding of self-knowledge. These experiences do not suddenly come upon you in some grand mystical experience, but rather, they are so sublime that one day you realize
you've become NEW, whilst also being aware that you have been so for some time. It's seems old and familiar, yet new and refreshing. For myself, I realized one day that my thinking and spiritual perceptions had become refined, but in looking back, I could not pin-point any particular date where I could have said 'I am new NOW!".
Having said that, I can now truly say that "I am definitely new NOW!" (Quite a delightful conundrum).
How to Meditate
Begin by choosing a time and place that is without distractions whilst assuming a comfortable posture. This can be in a chair or the crossed legged sitting position often associated with yoga, (the lotus position). The important point to consider is to allow and maintain breathing with minimum restrictions. This is done most effectively through a posture that keeps a straight back. All though meditation may be achieved by lying flat on the floor, gravity can act to introduce a certain amount of resistance to the natural breathing process. Also, there is a tendency for the individual to go into deep relaxation and sleep. It is not the aim of this meditation to cultivate relaxation or to reduce stress. Our aim is to develop and elevate the mind and spiritual consciousness. Awareness, (the opposite of sleep), is to be maintained at all times.
This single word is the essence of meditation.
Concentration is the greater part of meditation where the mediator enters a frame of mind whereby an attitude is assumed that all thoughts are to be watched or witnessed. That is, rather than entertain the thought and expand on it and follow it into another thought, it is 'watched' as if you are observing something external and apart from yourself.
Some Important points. Never is the meditator to attempt to control or stop the flow of thoughts. Never is the meditator to pursue feelings of frustration, disappointment or anger that will arise out of the perception of little or no progress. When such feelings arise, the witnessing mode that we are trying to assume MUST be quickly re-asserted. You must be WATCHFUL!
Consider also that the Mind of the individual who is new to meditation, will have had years and years of getting its own way. Mental discipline would therefore be a process that is alien to most people in this day and age. By implementing the mental discipline of meditation, one will require tenacity, endurance and the cultivation of a sense of 'important purpose' in an effort to overcome the mind's reluctance to this form of discipline. Meditation is concentration, and any concentration requires energy.
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