basic meditation instruction
basic meditation instruction
The Purpose of Meditation
We know the outer world of objects and actions, but our inner world of thoughts and feelings we know very little.
The first purpose of meditation is to become familiar with our inner life. As we begin to witness our negative thinking, our obsessing on the future and past, and our sense of separation - they cease to control us. Since awareness is curative, by practicing meditation we gently pull free of the tyranny of our thoughts and feelings about the past and the future, and we become aware of the mystery of being in the present moment.
The ultimate purpose of meditation is to become aware of the source of life and consciousness itself. It is not to make our lives more prosperous or better. It is to lose interest in our false-selves and to worship the One God.
What Is Meditation?
Definition: Meditation is the act of consciously turning our awareness from that which comes and goes (our false-selves) to that which is eternal and loving (the One God).
We have misidentified who we are through our focus on thoughts, feelings, and perceptions. As we lose interest in these through meditation, we find our real identity: our immortal soul. Consequently, meditation is often called “coming home.”
Meditation is barrier removal, removing the false so that the real can shine. It is unlearning everything we think, feel, and have experienced to allow the always present One God to shine in our awareness. It is not an attempt to discover something new, but is a remembering of what actually IS. It is release – releasing our ideas about who we are, who others are, and what the world is.
How to Meditate
There are literally hundreds of meditation techniques. Experiment until you find one that is right for you. But one of the best ways is to simply sit in silence and "take what you get". Don't try do do anything, don't try to achieve anything but simply submit to the silence that is always available in the present moment. Don't analyze anything, or try to control anything (your thoughts, the noises around you or anything). Just surrender. As thoughts, feelings or sensations arise, we just note them, release them, and gently surrender yourself to the silence. The four R’s are:
Take what you get from the session. Often the ‘best’ meditation sessions are those that seem most troubling.
Barriers to Meditation
Meditation is just barrier removal - don’t look for something new. The goal of meditation practice is to contact that which is nearest and dearest and can never be lost.
