Meditation
Meditation is the state of thoughtless awareness, profound, deep peace that occurs when the mind is calm and silent yet completelyalert .This is the beginning of inner transformation that takes us to the higher level of awareness.
The word meditation, is derived from two Latin words : meditari(to think, to dwell upon, to exercise the mind) and mederi (to heal). Its Sanskrit derivation ‘medha’ means wisdom.
One thing has to be remembered about meditation; it is a long journey and there is no shortcut. Anyone who says there is a shortcut is be-fooling you.It is a long journey because the change is very deep and is achieved after long journey of routine habits, thinking, desiring. And the mind structure; that you have to drop through meditation.
In fact it is almost impossible – but it happens.
A man becoming a meditator is the greatest responsibility in the world. It is not easy. It cannot be instant. So from the beginning never start expecting too much and then you will never be frustrated. You will always be happy because things will grow very slowly.
Meditation is not a seasonal flower which within six weeks is there. It is a very very big tree. It needs time to spread its roots.
Main Benefits of Meditation
There are numerous benefits of meditation. It is an essential practice for mental hygiene.
1. It calms the mind.
2. It increases the concentration.
3. Clarity of perception.
4. Improvement in communication.
5. Sharpen the skills and talents.
6. Gives you an unshakable inner strength.
7. The ability to connect to an inner source of energy.
8. Relaxation, rejuvenation, and good luck are all natural results of meditating regularly.
Physical Benefits of Meditation
1. Meditation helps in the proper functioning of all body parts and improves our immune system.
2. It purifies the blood in our body and helps us to fight against disease.
3. By meditation our body internally as well as externally becomes the source of energy or the energy level gets increased.
4. Communication skills gets improved and we become more confident on every thing.
5. It increase the production of hormone serotonin that improves mood and behavior.
6. It nurtures the higher level of clarity , harmony and joy.
7. Meditation keeps our journey towards growth , discovery and new experience.
8. It encourage a healthy lifestyle , blood pressure can be maintained.
9. Meditation reduce stress and slows ageing.
10. Body glows more naturally, charm increase.
11. It improves metabolism and helps us to lose and gain weight.
Mental and Spiritual Benefits of Meditation
1. Anxiety decreases.
2. Emotional stability improves and intuition develops.
3. By meditation we can increase Creativity , happiness ,peace of mind (inner peace ) , concentration , truthfulness , remembrance power , decision making power , intelligence , sharpness of mind.
4. We gain clarity and peace of mind and problems become smaller.
5. Meditation sharpens the mind by gaining focus and expands through relaxation , a sharp mind without expansion causes tension, anger and frustration.
6. Meditation balance sharp mind and expanded consciousness, The balance of a sharp mind and an expanded consciousness brings perfections in every field. An expanded consciousness without sharpness can lead to lack of action/progress.
7. We become more positive on all things, negativity destroyed totally.
8. It improves the functioning of our brain and helps us to have a good night sleep.
9. It increase our attention span , mind becomes more alert and more calm.
10. It helps us to feel more connected.
11. Relaxation and rejuvenation of mind and body increase.
12. Attraction in our personality and hypnotism gets increased.
13. It helps us to know past births.
14. Mind become free from all boundations and we become able to know all about others.
15. To help others by using our positive energy as by curing disease.
16. We become able to know the phenomena occurring on other planets and in all universe.
How to do meditation – 5 Steps to Remember
1. What is meditation: Meditation is a single lesson of awareness, of no-thought, of spontaneity, of being total in your action, alert, aware. Ultimately, meditation is an experience which is not easily described, like the taste of cheese or falling in love — you have to try it to find out.
2. Meditation is not concentration: Meditation is not concentration. In concentration there is a self concentrating and there is an object being concentrated upon. There is duality. In meditation there is nobody inside and nothing outside. It is not concentration . There is no division between the in and the out. The in goes on flowing into the out, the out goes on flowing into the in. The demarcation, the boundary, the border, no longer exists. The in is out, the out is in; it is a no-dual consciousness.
Concentration is a dual consciousness; that’s why concentration creates tiredness; that’s why when you concentrate you feel exhausted. And you cannot concentrate for twenty-four hours, you will have to take holidays to rest. Concentration can never become your nature. Meditation does not tire, meditation does not exhaust you. Meditation can become a twenty-four hour thing – day in, day out, year in, year out. It can become eternity. It is relaxation itself.
Meditation is in the present, pure present. Meditation is immediacy. You cannot meditate, you can be in meditation. You cannot be in concentration, but you can concentrate. Concentration is human, meditation is divine.
3. Choosing a meditation: From the very beginning find something which appeals to you.
Meditation should not be a forced effort. If it is forced, it is doomed from the very beginning. A forced thing will never make you natural. There is no need to create unnecessary conflict. This is to be understood because mind has natural capacity to meditate if you give it objects which are appealing to it.
If you are body oriented, there are ways you can reach towards God through the body because the body also belongs to God. If you feel you are heart oriented, then prayer, If you feel you are intellect oriented, then meditation.
Always remember, whatsoever you enjoy can go deep in you; only that can go deep in you. Enjoying it simply means it fits with you. Once you enjoy a method then go into that method as much as you can. You can do it once or, if possible, twice a day. The more you do it, the more you will enjoy it.
So when you are enjoying a method go into it as deeply as possible, but never become addicted to it because one day you will have to drop it too. If you become too much addicted to it then it is like a drug; you cannot leave it.
Choose two meditations and stick to them. In fact I would like you to choose one; that would be the best. It is better to repeat one that suits you, many times. Then it will go deeper and deeper.
Meditations are not fun. They can sometimes be dangerous. You are playing with a subtle, a very subtle mechanism of the mind. So never try to invent, and don’t make your own hotchpotch meditation.
4. Creating a space for meditation: If you can create a special place – a corner in the home where you can meditate every day – then don’t use that corner for any other purpose, because every purpose has its own vibration.
Use that corner only for meditation and nothing else. Then the corner will become charged and it will wait for you every day. The corner will be helpful to you, a particular atmosphere in which you can go deeper and deeper more easily. That’s the reason why temples, churches and mosques were created – just to have a place that existed only for prayer and meditation.
5. Don’t be obsessed: One can be obsessed with meditation. And obsession is the problem: you were obsessed with money and now you are obsessed with meditation. Money is not the problem, obsession is the problem. One should be loose and natural and not obsessed with anything, neither mind nor meditation. Only then, the ultimate happens to you.
112 Meditation Techniques given by Shiva
MEDITATIVE THERAPIES:
1. The Mystic Rose
2. Born Again
3. No-Mind
ACTIVE MEDITATION OR DYNAMIC MEDITATION:
1. DYNAMIC MEDITATION
2. KUNDALINI MEDITATION
3.NATARAJ MEDITATION
4. NADABRAHMA MEDITATION
5. NO DIMENSIONS MEDITATION
6. GOURISHANKAR MEDITATION
7. MANDALA MEDITATION
8. WHIRLING MEDITATION
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
1. Will meditation help me to be happy?
2. What will meditation do to solve my problems?
3. Is meditation for me?
4. How does Osho’s approach to meditation differ from that of TM?
5. Is there a connection between sports like running and meditation?
6. What about Yoga?
7. What are Active Meditations?
8. Does Osho recommend sitting meditations like Vipassana?
9. Is it possible to meditate without any technique?
10. What is the role of therapy in Osho’s approach to meditation?
11. What is the relationship between consciousness and energy?
12. Are Osho’s meditations dependent on his presence?
13. Why has Osho given so many talks?
14. What is the purpose of these talks?