Meditation
Research
has shown the following to be true for people who meditate on
a regular basis:
-
Increased peace of mind
-
You will get to know self
-
You will be Calmer
-
Intuitive capabilities will open up
-
Lowered blood pressure
-
Reduced heart rate
-
Ability to concentrate and focus
-
Improved grades
-
Improvement in moral values
-
Closer connection with nature
-
Desire to preserve nature
-
There will be more beauty in the world - things will begin
to look shiny and beautiful
-
Improved relationships
-
Easier to see the Truth that pervades all
-
Deeper understanding of all that is
You will notice
the miracles that come into your life.
Warning: you will get to know yourself
How
to Meditate:
There are many forms of meditation below is one way to do a
sitting silent meditation based on the vipassana style.
Posture:
Sit with your back straight, in a chair is easiest for most
people, with your legs uncrossed, unless you are sitting on
the floor. Use a shall or blanket if you like, especially if
you get chilled when sitting.
It is best
NOT to meditate in bed as it is too easy to just fall asleep
Location:
Find a special place. Build an alter (it maybe as simple as
a candle), have a special room or chair where you will not be
interrupted.
When:
Same time every day - first week every morning (allocate
30 minutes), 5 to ground, 20 to meditate and 5 to re ground
After the
first week meditate twice a day for twenty minutes. After about
two years you can change to meditating forty minutes once a
day by adding 5 minutes to the morning meditation and taking
5 minutes from the evening meditation. Do this over the course
of 6-months or so (or whatever feels right to you). Then meditate
for life. The above time line is a general rule of thumb for
a first time meditator. Adjust the duration and instructions
based on your own past practices.
Process:
First create a ritual to be your process. For now you can use
the following:
- Go to
a quiet, special place and ground (imagine your feet sinking
deep into the earth)
- Light
a candle and set the intention to meditate as you do so
- Sit
in posture (see above) and take two deep breaths, very slowly
- Say
a prayer to set your intention (I wish my mind to be quiet
for the next 20 minutes)
- Enter
a sacred space mentally
- Notice
the in-breath
- Notice
the exhale
- After
20 minutes - very slowly come back into the room
- Re
ground
Ending the Meditation: If you come back too quickly
or do not ground afterwards you may get a headache and be cranky
or experience light headedness. Give yourself time and space.
Meditation
is about slowing down and going within - not going to sleep;
mentally you will be in a heightened state of awareness not
unconsciousness. If you find yourself going to sleep during
meditation then you need to get more rest so that you will be
able to meditate effectively. That said, some studies have shown
that twenty minutes of meditation are worth about two hours
of sleep.
Anchors
Anchors are the focus of a meditation. They can be the breath,
a mantra, silence, a mandala, motion, or any thing that keeps
the left brain occupied so that the right brain can be receptive.
Types
of Anchors:
- Breath
- notice the breath, notice body functions, notice thoughts
- Silent
Prayer - Clear the mind and notice what happens
- Mantra
- this is a repetitive phrase or word
- Moving
Meditations - waking with purpose, Tai Chi, and many other
martial arts and dance styles
- Visual
journey to a place - like a garden or a beach (you can use
prerecorded media for this or create your own journey)
- Drums
and rattles - can use our own drum or rattle or you can use
a tape or CD
- Music
- chanting, Bach, Metaphysical, didgeridoo...
Mantras
Mantras are another form of anchor. They bring in the energy
of the mantra being chanted. Using modern mantras will create
unpredictable results as they do not have the test of time to
ascertain their affects. Using established mantras will create
predictable results. Use your inner guidance as to which mantra
is best for you.
AUM
or OM
Pronounced 'OM', is a very ancient and sacred sound. It is the
all-encompassing, uncreated, unchanging essence. It is the "mind"
of the Universe. The original nature of Buddha.
OM
AH HUM SOHA
This mantra functions on many levels, below is a rudimentary
explanation:
OM, AH and HUM represent the three bodies of the Buddha. Where
OM, is the universe, the universal, the all-encompassing, the
uncreated, and/or the unchanging. The "mind"
of the Universe. The original nature of Buddha. While AH, is
the Truth embodied, the Word and "speech"
of the Universe or Dharma. HUM is the fruition, and refers to
physical manifestations i.e. the "body"
of the Universe or Sangha. SOHA is the termination of the mantra.
This mantra is the trinity.
In Buddhism,
OM is the universal Buddha mind. It is enlightenment or Nirvana.
It is simultaneously the source and the destination of everything.
From the center, out to all sorts of individualities and then
back to the center again.
AH represents
the Buddhas and Bodhisattvas (Buddhas to be), such as Shakyamuni
Buddha, founder of the present day Tibetan Tantric Buddhism.
HUM would
be correspondent to Siddhartha Gautama, the human being who
became Shakyamuni Buddha. It is the fruition, and refers to
physical manifestations, i.e. the "body"
of the Universe or Sangha.
"SO
HA" means something like "amen",
"so be it", or "let it be".
Most Tantric
mantras have the format of "OM AH HUM SOHA"
OM Mane Padme Hum
Everything has many levels of meaning - those presented here
are only one view. Roughly Translated: OM, salutations to The
Jewel of Consciousness (the mind) which has reached the heart's
lotus.
OM
- seed syllable
Mane Padme - "Jewel in the Lotus"
Hum (Sanskrit) / Hung (Tibetan) - seed syllable
The Jewel
in the Lotus is frequently taken as a reference to Avalokitesvara,
the Bodhisattva of Compassion, known in Tibetan as Chenrezig.
