The Method of Meditation

Self-Inquiry – Personal Progress Check:

(a) How much does your experience agree with the Warrior’s

comment (#8) below? ____________%

(b) How much progress have you made since you

started meditating? ____________%

(c) If unsatisfied, ask gently within for help.

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In the Bhagavad Gita Krishna reveals that:

“The inner discipline called meditation is very important…

___ 1) Meditation is a process for achieving lofty, necessary ends:

• to become immersed in the Atma, (Self)

• to control the mind, body, and senses

• to get free from expectations, desires, goods, and greed.

___ 2) The details change over time, but the basic idea is to:

• strive to still all thoughts and sensations

• return the mind to its original state

• invite Divinity to reenter

___ 3) While meditating, sit up straight, keep your body still, keep your eyes from wandering by gazing at the tip of your nose, or close them and focus on the center of spiritual consciousness between the eyebrows.

___ 4) Remain in perfect calmness, with your thoughts fixed on God, and after long concentration your mind ceases its wandering.

___ 5) Meditation dissolves sorrow and destroys mental pain. With experience you develop an intuitive penetrating skill (medhanadi ) that makes the knotty issues of life no longer problems.

___ 6) With your mind constantly on the Divine you find deep serenity and reach the zenith of Self-realization: you merge with Me!

___ 7) If you eat too much or too little, or sleep too much or too little you will not succeed in meditation. Eat food that does not heat up the body or excite the mind.

___ 8) The Warrior interrupts, “Impossible! My mind is so restless, stubborn and full of desires I can’t imagine ever achieving such loftiness. If it doesn’t get what it wants it turns petulant and scheming. Trying to catch and tame my mind would be like trying to restrain the wild wind!”

___ 9) “Yes, warrior, the mind is hard to discipline and subdue, but mastering it is essential—and it can be done. There are four main ways:

• Regular practice (abhyasa)—constantly, incessantly drawing the mind away from worldly attractions and back into the Atma. As the mind becomes more interior it becomes calmer.

• Relentless inquiry (vichara)—persistently inquiring into the Atma leads to knowledge of the reality of the True Self Within.

• Non-attachment (vairagya)—is the outcome of self-inquiry and discrimination. When thoughts are turned to the negative consequences of desires as they arise the passion in the desires slowly but surely dries up. As the fervor diminishes, your mind comes under control.

• Firm dedicated faith (sraddha)—is very important as it fosters determination and brings the force of will.

You must struggle by the correct means (relentless practice and nonattachment), then you will gradually prevail over your wayward mind.” – Krishna

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