Meditation
Check if they did their homework. They had to meditate by
repeating silently in meditation pose a positive word in chinese.
Any feelings or results?
Which word did they meditate on?
1.
Affirmation even stronger when it uses a Mantra.
Why is that and first of all...
- What is a Mantra?: "sound that liberates the mind"
- the best mantras have 4 qualities:
A.
Incantative: it's
sound or music calms the mind. (like a symphony). The mental
activity has its particular vibration as shown by EEG
experiments. An ordinary agitated mind shows a disorderly
pattern, called beta waves (13 or more cycles per second). But
the meditator can bring his mind to a harmonious and slower alpha
waves (8 to 12 cycles per second) just by sitting in lotus, or
even
deeper theta waves, (4 to 7 cycles per second), through the
repetition of a mantra. The mantra itself has a very slow
vibration which affect our mental vibration by slowing it.
The mantra are in Sanskrit, best suited for incantations.
Invented by Yogi who could feel and hear the vibrations emanated
by things, and who made words with them to describe the objects
with their sonic emanations. For exemple, the word ananda, is not
only the translation for the word bliss, but it is the sonic
vibration of bliss. So, hearing or saying ananda will directly
make us feel it's vibration, and we will be more able to
experience it. That's why all words that need to be powerful like
magic curses or spiritual mantras are in Sanskrit.
Game: Put object on the desk; students feel it, listen to it.
What vibration do they hear. what sound does it make? Make a word
out of this sound. Then compare everyone words. Now give them the
real sanskrit words. Which one is nearer from the real sanskrit
word?
I like rock and he likes classical. In the same way some mantras
will be calming for some but not for others. The mantra's sound
has to be in resonnance with the entitative rythm of the person,
for a best incantative effect. The master can see which mantra
fits who. Also, the incantative effect changes with the location
associated with the mantra. Best result will come for some with
concentration on a particular cakra, and on another cakra for
others. In the process of initiation, the master will give the
proper mantra and cakra for best incantative result.
B.
Pulsative: it has 2
syllabus. following the inspiration and expiration. The
repetition of such a mantra will automaticaly slow down our
breathing.
The slower our breathing, the quieter our mind. A person who just
finished a 100 meter run would be unable to answer a difficult
question, because of his or her mental agitation. "let me
first catch my breath" would probably be his answer. Once
the breath is normal, the runner can think about the proper
answer to give.
If nervous or anxious, practice deep breathing.
Yogis count our life span in number of breathings. To slow down
the breathing will increase the longevity.
C.
Ideative: Like the
chinese word you repeated, a mantra also has a positive meaning.
for exemple: "I am the Infinite Consciousness".
With the repeating you must also think about and feel it's
meaning, and you will slowly come to realize it. Because as you
think so you become. Without ideation, still some effects will be
there if your mantra has some of the 3 other qualites, but much
less. Because this is the most important part of meditation, that
can propulse us beyond mantra and sound, to the level of pure
consciousness, when the mind will completely quietened.
The other 3 qualites are just there to help in this realisation,
to give the right environment.
D.
Spiritually charged:
A great master can charge a Mantra with his or her own spiritual
power. When one repeat the mantra, the power of the master is
transmitted and push meditator towards realization. For this
transmission of power to take place, the mantra should be
received in a formal initiation in which the disciple starts
accepting and following a master, and take the vow to follow his
or her teachings. If you practice a mantra found in a book, you
might benefit from only its pulsative and ideative qualities.
So take initiation from a realised master is primordial for
proper meditation.
On another occasion Babaji's sacred circle was disturbed by the
arrival of a stranger. He had climbed with astonishing skill to
the nearly inaccessible lodge near the Guru's camp. "Sir,
you must be the great Babaji." The man's face was lit with
inexpressible reverence. "For months I have pursued a
ceaseless search for you among these forbidding crags. I implore
you to accept me as a disciple." When the Great Guru made no
response the man pointed to the rock-lined chasm below the ledge.
"If you refuse me I will jump from the mountain. Life has no
further value if I cannot win your guidance to the Divine."
"Jump, then," Babaji said unemotionally. "I cannot
accept you in your present state of development." The man
immediately hurled himself over the cliff. Babaji instructed the
shocked disciples to fetch the stranger's body. After they had
returned with the mangled form, the Master placed his hand on the
dead man. Lo! He opened his eyes and prostrated himself humbly
before the omnipotent Guru. "You are now ready for
discipleship," Babaji beamed lovingly on his resurrected
disciple. "You have courageously passed a difficult
test."
The great Indian intellectual, Ram Mohan Roy, had sought the
Truth in thousands of scriptures which he had even traveled as
far as Tibet to read. But he was always unfulfilled, always
search ing. One day as he was walking down a country road, a
common peasant passed him and said in a friendly voice,
"where are you going?" and handed him a leaf. The
peasant's use of the familiar "you" form irritated Ram
Mohan and he walked home with the leaf still in his hand,
thinking about the insolence of the man. When he arrived home he
glanced at the leaf he had been carrying unconsciously and saw
written on it a mantra. His Guru had come in the form of that
simple peasant whom he had resented so, to initiate him with his
own special mantra. With great sincerity Ram Mohan practiced
sadhana with that mantra and after some time he attained
realization of the Truth.
The mind is like a lake, and the moon is our true self. When the
water of the lake is agitated, we can not see the reflection of
the moon properly. In the same way, if our mind is agitated with
countless thoughts, we can not see realize our true self. Mantra
meditation can make the lake of the mind perfectly calm, and we
can know ourself.
2.
Try meditation with the mantra Baba Nam Kevalam.
Explain mantra. The meaning is: "Infinite Consciousness is
the Essence of all things." Or "Love is all there
is".
Guide meditation in begining, then silent for 5 minutes, by
repeating mentally the mantra, and ideating on its meaning.
Baba Nam Kevalam guided meditation:
Connect yourself with the Soul of the Universe, with the Infinite
Cosmic Spirit. Fill yoursef with its vibration of joy, love and
peace. Joy...Love... Peace....
Visualize one of the objects around you. You can easily see its
atomic structure. Concentrate on one of the atom. Inside you can
feel this energy of joy, of peace and love from the Soul of the
Universe. Yes, each atom is the essence of the Cosmic Spirit!
Now observe for a while your own passing thoughts. See how each
thought carries a message of hope, of love and peace. They are
the very thoughts of the Universal Soul! Yes, each thought is the
essence of the Cosmic Spirit!
Now concentrate on your own feeling of existence, your
"I", present in each thought. See how the existence it
relates to, is full of joy, love and peace. This "I" is
truly the ego of the Universal Soul.... Yes, your "I",
is the essence of the Cosmic Spirit. You are the essence of the
Cosmic Spirit, and all is you, all is you...
I love each one of my atoms, I love each one of my thoughts, I
love my "I", my ego, and my ego dissolved by this love,
becomes itsel love.
And I am only love
and the entire universe is only love
and this infinite love is all there is.
Baba Nam Kevalam.
Love is all there is.
Exchange feelings
Give home work: Do Baba Nam Kevalam meditation twice daily. Write
feelings and results.