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Meditation Techniques: Detailed Method

Oct 14, 2007
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Sachkhand
Meditation Techniques

Awakening the Light within you

Meditation is a magnificent power. With meditation, you gain the desire to serve and the ability to attain; you develop compassion, fearlessness, divine wisdom, renunciation, love, and freedom from the cycle of births and deaths. Meditation allows us to meet with the King of our spirit.

To meditate is to become deeply silent, to keep listening, listening, listening to God. To listen is to become lost in God, perceiving God in all of Creation. Then one is merged with the Great Reality. No worldly pleasure can compare with the sweetness of this communion.

There are many yogic postures and methods of meditation, but even by practicing them you cannot attain God unless you feel the longing of love. God is Love, and God is too great for any method. It is God who pulls us to meditate, and it is God who teaches us how to love Him.

The only method of meditation that works is to offer God constant love. At first, continually focus all your scattered attention on the way your religion teaches. And because it is the nature of the mind to wander, you can concentrate on God by repeating God’s Name (Naam Simran for Sikhs). The energy which is scattered among all your weaknesses will be collected; negative thoughts will disappear and truth will be revealed in your mind.

The more you meditate, bringing your attention back again and again, the sooner it will return to its Home. Once it comes back Home, it will listen and it will rest. Then there will be only peace. Begin like this, and then God will show you the way. Make no demands, except for one: “Oh God, make me as You want me to be.”

Early in the morning, when you first arise (at Amritvela), thank God and do a little bit of meditation and do your Nitnem. Go deep inside, concentrating all your awareness on God. Then the whole day your mind will be concentrating on God; nothing will bother you. As you love God and practice meditation, your weaknesses and bad habits will be driven out, and love and truth will be revealed, as if dust were being cleaned from a mirror.
In deep meditation, your awareness of yourself ceases. You are unaware of the passing of time, and you do not become tired. Your breathing becomes very light. People may be beating drums or shouting around you, but you will not hear anything. Your soul rises above the body; it maintains just enough connection to keep you alive.
Over time, very gradually, the inner light, divine wisdom, vision, and truth will awaken in you. Your Isht will enter your heart and start loving and talking to you. As the Sikh Gurus say, “Sometimes you laugh, sometimes you cry, and sometimes you become silent, but you care for no one except God.” You will become detached from worldly things, for you are always connected with the Truth. You will not care if people are looking at you or laughing at you, for you are looking only at God, absorbed in the bliss of God’s Love.


As you continually look toward God, your state of mind will keep changing. Eventually your Isht will disappear, and you will see only God everywhere. You will recognize that everything is happening according to God’s orders. God will speak to you in the form of Light and be visible everywhere as Light.

Then you will not need to sit in meditation with your eyes closed in order to be aware of God. You will be united with God at all times. Whether you are walking, eating, or talking to someone, you wil truly feel, “Tohi mohi, mohi Tohi” (”You are me and I am You”). You will remain in the world, doing your worldly duties, and you will be always happy

Awakening the Light within you « The Inner Journey
 
Oct 14, 2007
3,369
54
Sachkhand
Key Guidelines To Successful Meditation

By​
Sri Swami Sivananda

Retire to a quiet place or room from where you do not fear interruption so that your mind may feel quite secure and at rest. The ideal condition cannot always be obtained, in which case you should do the best you can. You should be alone by yourself in communion with God or Brahman.
If you find it difficult to concentrate your mind within a room, come outside and sit in an open place or terrace or by the side of a river or in a quiet corner of a garden. You will have good concentration.
That place where you can get concentration of mind is the right place for your meditation and Yogic practices. This is the general rule.
At 4 a.m. do Sirshasana for 5 minutes. Then take rest for five minutes. Then sit and meditate. You will have wonderful meditation.
Before doing meditation do 20 mild Kumbhakas. Then sit for meditation. Pranayama drives away drowsiness and laziness and makes the mind steady.
Read the 11th and 13th Slokas of Chapter VI of the Bhagavad Gita wherein a description of the seat is given. Spread a fourfold blanket and over this spread a piece of soft white cloth. This will do nicely. If you can get a good tiger-skin or a deer-skin, it is all the better. A tiger-skin has got its own advantages. It generates electricity in the body quickly and does not allow leakage of electric current from the body. It is full of magnetism.
Face the East or the North. A spiritual neophyte should observe this rule. In facing the North he is in communion with the Rishis of the Himalayas and he is mysteriously benefited by their currents.
Sit in your meditation posture. Keep the head, neck and trunk in one straight line. Do not bend either forwards or backwards. Lock the fingers.
You must have a mental image of God or Brahman before you begin to meditate. Have a background of thought—either a concrete background of your Ishta Murthy along with the Mantra or an abstract background of the idea of Infinity with OM if you are a student of Jnana Yoga. This will destroy all other worldly thoughts and take you to the goal. Through force of habit, the mind will at once take shelter in this background the moment you release it from worldly activities.
Close the eyes. Concentrate the gaze on the Trikuti. Now chant Dirgha Pranava or long OM forcibly for five minutes. This will remove Vikshepa or tossing of the mind. Concentration will ensue. Now repeat OM mentally with Brahma-bhavana. Whenever the mind begins to wander, again chant OM verbally. As soon as the mind gets calm, mentally repeat OM again. The same process can be adopted for Saguna meditation also.
When you sit for meditation in the morning, send out your love and peace to all living beings. Say: Sarvesham Santir Bhavatu. May peace be unto all. Sarvesham Poornam Bhavatu. May prosperity be unto all. Lokah Samastha Sukhino Bhavantu. May happiness be unto the whole world.
When you are a neophyte in meditation, start repeating some sublime Slokas or Stotras or hymns for ten minutes as soon as you sit for meditation. This will elevate the mind. Then the mind can be easily withdrawn from the worldly objects. Then stop this kind of thinking also and fix the mind on one idea only by repeated and strenuous efforts. Then Nishtha will ensue.
As you are not used to meditation, you feel tired and hungry when you sit for meditation. This will pass off soon. Continue your practice.
Again and again withdraw the mind from the worldly objects when it runs away from the Lakshya and fix it there. This sort of combat will go on for some months.
Make no violent efforts to control the mind, but rather allow it to run along for a while and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an unchained monkey at first, until it gradually slows down and looks to you for orders. It may take sometime to tame it down first, but each time you try, it will come around to you in a shorter time.
Relax all the muscles and nerves. Relax the brain. Calm the objective mind. Close the eyes. Do not voluntarily and violently drive away intruding thoughts. Gently allow the divine thoughts to flow. Steadily think of the Lakshya, the object of meditation. Have sublime Sattvic thoughts. Vicious thoughts will, by themselves, vanish.
In meditation, do not strain the eyes. Do not strain the brain. Do not struggle or wrestle with the mind. It is a serious mistake. Many neophytes commit this grave error. That is the reason why they get easily tired soon. They get headache and they have to get up very often to pass urine during the course of meditation owing to the irritation set up in the micturition centre in the spinal cord.
If you strain yourself in meditation and go beyond your capacity, laziness and inactive nature will supervene. Meditation should come naturally on account of serenity of the mind induced by the practice of Pratyahara.
Some students like to concentrate with open eyes, some with closed eyes, some others with half-opened eyes. If you meditate with closed eyes, dust or foreign particles will not fall in your eyes. Some students, whom lights and jerks trouble, prefer concentration with open eyes. In some who meditate with closed eyes, sleep overpowers them within a short time. If the eyes are open, the mind wanders to objects in the beginners. Use your common sense and adopt that which suits you best. Overcome other obstacles by suitable, intelligent methods.
In the beginning when you are a neophyte, you can close your eyes to remove the distraction of mind, as you are very weak. But later on, you must meditate with eyes open, even during walking. You must keep your balance of mind even when you are in the bustle of a city. Only then are you perfect. Think strongly that the world is unreal, that there is no world, and that there is Atman only. If you can meditate on the Atman even when the eyes are open, you will be a strong man. You will not be easily disturbed.
Do not shake the body unnecessarily. By shaking the body very often, the mind also is disturbed. Do not scratch the body also every now and then. The Asana or posture should become as firm as a rock. Breathe slowly. Do not change the seat very often. Sit in the same place, at the same time, every day. Have the right kind of mental attitude as taught by your Guru.
Sometimes the mind will be sluggish or slothful. You cannot concentrate. It will refuse to work. The same vigorous mind may become sluggish in the later part of concentration, just as the horse that was running with good speed in the beginning of the journey becomes sluggish in the end. Just as the driver goads the horse by giving a little grass and water, so also you will have to inspire the mind with some Kirtan and elevating thoughts and discipline it with undistracted attention.
If the mind is restless or wandering, sit in a quiet room. Or lie down in Savasana like a dead man for 15 minutes and relax the body and mind completely. Entertain some pleasant thoughts. Think of some beautiful flowers, the glaciers of the Himalayas, the blue expansive sky, the vast ocean or some beautiful scenery in the Himalayas or Kashmir or in any other place. Now you can sit again for meditation.
When you sit on Asana for meditation, you want to get up soon, not on account of pain in the legs, but on account of impatience. Conquer this undesirable negative quality by developing patience gradually. Then you will be able to sit for three or four hours at a stretch.
When you are tired by too much meditation, suspend for a time the abstract Nirguna meditation or the image-making Saguna meditation. Fix your thoughts gently and lovingly upon all that is holy and sublime, upon the lofty acts of saints such as Sri Sankaracharya, Guru Nanak, Kabir, Sri Dattatreya, Sri Ramanuja, Lord Jesus and Lord Buddha. You will gradually regain the normal tone of your mind.
A weak aspirant, though he may be strong in concentration, is overcome by idleness. But a strong aspirant, if he is weak in concentration, is overpowered by Vikshepa or tossing of mind. Concentration and energy should therefore be well balanced.
Energy is wasted in useless idle talks and gossiping, planning and unnecessary worry or Chinta. Conserve energy by getting rid of these three defects and utilise it in meditation on God. You can do wonderful meditation then.
Just as you conserve the physical energy by observing Mauna, so also you will have to conserve the mental energy by stopping useless thinking. Then you will save abundant reserve energy for meditation.
Do not store in your brain needless information. Learn to unmind the mind. Forget whatever you have learnt. It is useless for you now. Then only you can fill your mind with divine thoughts in meditation. You will gain fresh mental strength now.
During meditation, you will be frequently talking to somebody mentally. Stop this evil habit. Have a careful watch over the mind.
The mind has attraction for certain new words or names of towns or persons. Suppose you have come across certain new words or names of towns or persons such as ‘ecstasy’, ‘Fyzabad’, ‘John Herbert’. If you sit for meditation, the mind will repeat ‘ecstasy’, ‘Fyzabad’, ‘John Herbert’. Sometimes it will sing some songs, repeat some old poems or Sanskrit Slokas which you got by heart during your boyhood. Watch the mind carefully and try to bring it back to the point or centre.
Drive off all negative thoughts. Become positive always. Positive overpowers the negative. You can do nice meditation when you are positive.
You must daily increase your Vairagya and Sattvic virtues such as patience, perseverance, mercy, love, forgiveness and purity. Vairagya and good qualities help meditation. Meditation increases the Sattvic qualities.
During meditation when your mind is more Sattvic, you will be inspired. The mind will be composing fine poems and solving intricate problems of life. Stamp out these Sattvic Vrittis also. This is all dissipation of mental energy. Soar higher and higher to Atman only.
During meditation, note how long you can shut out all worldly thoughts. Watch the mind very carefully. If it is for 20 minutes, try to increase the period to 30 or 40 minutes and so on. Fill the mind with thoughts of God again and again.
There is one good mood in those who practise meditation. It is termed the "meditative mood". Those who practise concentration and meditation feel this kind of mood. When this mood manifests, you must immediately give up reading, writing, talking, etc. You must immediately sit on the usual Asana and begin to meditate. Meditation will come by itself without effort. This mood is very favourable for contemplation. Watch for this kind of mood. If light disturbs you, close the windows or put on a curtain along the window. A dark room is favourable for beginners in meditation.
Practise regular systematic meditation during the same hours daily. You will get the meditative mood easily.
If you find great interest and pleasure in meditation, if you are progressing, stop even study for sometime. Study also is a Vishaya (object of perception)—God is not in books. He is beyond the Panchakoshas, He can be reached only by constant meditation. Erudition is to gain applause in society. Avoid pedantry.
During meditation, when the mind passes into a calm state of Samata (balance), when you feel a peculiar concentration-Ananda (Bliss), think you are entering into the Samadhi state. Do not disturb this state. Try your best to keep it for a long time. Mark this state very carefully.
If the Yogic student who practises regular meditation is gloomy, surely, there is some error in his meditation. If he is depressed and weak, surely, something is wrong somewhere. Meditation makes a man strong, cheerful and healthy.
If there is any error in meditation, at once consult the senior Sannyasins or realised souls and remove the mistake.
April 2007 - Key Guidelines To Successful Meditation

Note: Sivananda ji is highly espected spritual master that India has produced. Needless to mention that he followed and preached Vedantic phiplospht.However, meditation techniques as stated by him can be suitably amended by sikhs , if something is found that is not aligned with the sikh philosphy. Although meditation Techniques are the same. There may be difference only in the words that one is required to meditate upon.
happy
 

spnadmin

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amarsanghera,

What is happening here just happened to me twice. If a person posts twice in the same thread then the first comment is merged with the second one. This is an effort to limit comments in a thread to one a day -- I think -- am not certain. It is called "Automerge Doublepost" and the idea is to prevent spamming by endlessly responding to yourself.

So Sikh80 must have been autopost doublemerged and he just started a new thread to work around the problem.

But it backfired in this last hour on me. I was posting lines from Gurbani. Then found more lines and posted them as a continuation.

I got autoposted too. So even mod's are getting autoposted. Even when the two comments are completely different and one is a continuation of the first. Hahhhh! Hahhh! I don'd like it.
 

Astroboy

ਨਾਮ ਤੇਰੇ ਕੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਲਗਾਈ (Previously namjap)
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Jul 14, 2007
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I got autoposted too. So even mod's are getting autoposted. Even when the two comments are completely different and one is a continuation of the first. Hahhhh! Hahhh! I don'd like it.


Aad ji,
Two things that got me bursting with laughter today.

Your above comment and Aman Singh Ji's comment in "Blast Billiard". Because it took me 'ages' to beat him in the game but it took him only 'a while' to regain his top position. So I laughed and said - all we need is a challenge to motivate us.

And I think the greatest challenge is to know ourselves more than we claim to know others. That's where meditation comes into the picture. We can learn from those who only take 'a while' to get there.
 
Oct 14, 2007
3,369
54
Sachkhand
I had posted a nice article on meditation in a new thread.
After some time I found very interesting article ,I just wanted to post it.On looking the earlier thread I found almost a similar thread, And I posted it.

Yes, automerged double post is a hopeless feature of the software. It shall not only reduce the posts but also reduce the interest in postings.



Types Of Meditation

Concentrative meditation

Concentrative meditation focuses the attention on the breath, an image, or a sound (mantra), in order to still the mind and allow a greater awareness and clarity to emerge. This is like a zoom lens in a camera; we narrow our focus to a selected field.
The simplest form of concentrative meditation is to sit quietly and focus the attention on the breath. Yoga and meditation practitioners believe that there is a direct correlation between one's breath and one's state of the mind. For example, when a person is anxious, frightened, agitated, or distracted, the breath will tend to be shallow, rapid, and uneven. On the other hand, when the mind is calm, focused, and composed, the breath will tend to be slow, deep, and regular. Focusing the mind on the continuous rhythm of inhalation and exhalation provides a natural object of meditation. As you focus your awareness on the breath, your mind becomes absorbed in the rhythm of inhalation and exhalation. As a result, your breathing will become slower and deeper, and the mind becomes more tranquil and aware.
Mindfulness meditation

Mindfulness meditation
, according to Dr. Borysenko, "involves opening the attention to become aware of the continuously passing parade of sensations and feelings, images, thoughts, sounds, smells, and so forth without becoming involved in thinking about them." The person sits quietly and simply witnesses whatever goes through the mind, not reacting or becoming involved with thoughts, memories, worries, or images. This helps to gain a more calm, clear, and non-reactive state of mind. Mindfulness meditation can be likened to a wide-angle lens. Instead of narrowing your sight to a selected field as in concentrative meditation, here you will be aware of the entire field.

Meditation, Types of Meditation, Classification of Meditation, Concentrative meditation, Mindfulness meditation, Mind-Body Therapy, Alternative Therapy
 
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Astroboy

ਨਾਮ ਤੇਰੇ ਕੀ ਜੋਤਿ ਲਗਾਈ (Previously namjap)
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Re: Meditation Techniques

YouTube - bhai manpreet singh ji(tuhi-tuhi)
deep-simran.jpg
 
Oct 14, 2007
3,369
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Sachkhand
Re: Meditation Techniques

Meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Meditation has been defined as: "self regulation of attention, in the service of self-inquiry, in the here and now." The various techniques of meditation can be classified according to their focus. Some focus on the field or background perception and experience, also called "mindfulness;" others focus on a preselected specific object, and are called "concentrative" meditation. There are also techniques that shift between the field and the object.

In mindfulness meditation, the meditator sits comfortably and silently, centering attention by focusing awareness on an object or process (either the breath, a sound: a mantra, koan or riddle evoking questions; a visualisation, or an exercise). The meditator is usually encouraged to maintain an open focus:
... shifting freely from one perception to the next clear your mind of all that bothers you no thoughts that can distract you from reality or your personal being... No thought, image or sensation is considered an intrusion. The meditator, with a 'no effort' attitude, is asked to remain in the here and now. Using the focus as an 'anchor'... brings the subject constantly back to the present, avoiding cognitive analysis or fantasy regarding the contents of awareness, and increasing tolerance and relaxation of secondary thought processes.​
Concentration meditation is used in most religions and spiritual practices. Whereas in mindfulness meditation there is an open focus, in concentration meditation the meditator holds attention on a particular object (e.g., a repetitive prayer) while minimizing distractions; bringing the mind back to concentrate on the chosen object.[8] In some traditions, such as Vipassana, mindfulness and concentration are combined.


Meditation can be practiced while walking or doing simple repetitive tasks. Walking meditation helps to break down habitual automatic mental categories, "thus regaining the primary nature of perceptions and events, focusing attention on the process while disregarding its purpose or final outcome." In a form of meditation using visualization, such as Chinese Qi Gong, the practitioner concentrates on flows of energy (Qi) in the body, starting in the abdomen and then circulating through the body, until dispersed.Some meditative traditions, such as yoga or tantra, are common to several religions or occur outside religious contexts

In Sikhism, the practices of simran and Nām Japō encourage quiet meditation. This is focusing one's attention on the attributes of God. Sikhs believe that there are 10 'gates' to the body; 'gates' is another word for 'chakras' or energy centres. The top most energy level is the called the tenth gate or dasam dwar. It is said[attribution needed] that when one reaches this stage through continuous practice meditation becomes a habit that continues whilst walking, talking, eating, awake and even sleeping. There is a distinct taste or flavour when a meditator reaches this lofty stage of meditation, as one experiences absolute peace and tranquility inside and outside the body.


Followers of the Sikh religion also believe that love comes through meditation on the lord's name since meditation only conjures up positive emotions in oneself which are portrayed through our actions. The first Guru of the Sikhs, Guru Nanak Dev Ji preached the equality of all humankind and stressed the importance of living a householder's life instead of wandering around jungles meditating, the latter of which being a popular practice at the time. The Guru preached that we can obtain liberation from life and death by living a totally normal family life and by spreading love amongst every human being regardless of religion.

The way I do it Sometimes.

It may look egotistic to talk about myself but some good things that we have should be shared else what is there to share with you. I have my study, the room that I occupy for 2/3 hours.Not a sound can be filter. I play 'waheguru' at the minimum possible volume, close my eyes and focus on breathing. After only 5 minutes I feel charged.Sometimes I can go upto 20 minutes at a stretch. But it is occasional only. It is a nice experience. You may device your method.
 
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listick332

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Well I find lot of information here but most were copied. Is that allowed here??? if yes then I had written various articles on meditation for various other sites, May I post those here as well???? cheerleader
 

spnadmin

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llistick332 ji

Good questions.

We do copy articles from other sources. It is mandatory to include the url, or web address, of the source when we do that. Sometimes you will find articles where this has not happened. Either by oversight, or because of a change in forum software over a year ago where the url's were wiped out by a change in page formating.

I tried to correct those when someone calls my attention to it.

You are permitted to copy your articles here. Keep in mind they are subject to moderation and compliance with forum rules and terms of service. In particular you may not undermine SGGS in your content or proselytize for other religions or belief systems in the process. For example, if you proclaim that yoga is the way to god, and forget to say that it is the way to God for followers of yoga only and not everyone else, that will be deleted. Do not include your name, address, email address or phone number anywhere in the article. Do not include links to commercial sites. Thanks for the question.
 

Jasmeet s

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I think that the first meditation technique described here is the best one but first things first the waheguru mantra should be chanted every time when you are free and the first thing in the morning. the time of waheguru mantra Simran is 2-4 am in the morning in Summers and 3-5 am in the winters in the respected time zones of the meditator than slowly and gradually one will be hearing a sound after 1,2 or 3 years . And it's the sound of complete silence. Then you should practice the above stated meditation technique ( the first one listed here ) with the 2nd line of 2nd paragraph says listening listening listening but first wake up take a bath or panchsnana ( wash hands face and legs ) and sit in meditation first recite (Dhir Ghar baiso harjan pyare satguru tumre kaaj savare ) for a 20 mins in this 20 mins try to stretch your spine minimum than stand up do ardass and than sit and recite dhan guru Nanak 7-10 times than waheguru mantra for half an hour or as desired. May stretch to 2-3 hours or more than after 1,2 or 3 years according to your karma or deep love for the supreme by that time you must be having a good meditation time of around 1.5 to 2 hours when you start hearing the sound of deep silence and then start the above stated technique of listening listening listening and 1 more meditation technique I am sharing close your eyes. While breathing in concentrate on the place where you feel little cool on top of your nostrils. Don't wander if you see images colors clouds or anything they will take you down. concentrate on top of nostrils. It is ecstatic blissful there each and every cell of the meditator will be busting in joy for the love of waheguru. .

Caution don't try to focus on guru nanak or any other picture or photo in your mind
.
It will create Hassels in further practice

Enjoy each and every moment of your life be Happy be in gratitude surrender to god don't cut your hair don't tie your beard . Don't drink or smoke.
If you do don't try meditation. It's not for you. Enjoy the life with all your mind desires.

But when you want to let go of your mind surrender to god
 

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