Meditation is a word that brings to our mind the image of yogis sitting in Padmasana (lotus position) and chanting ‘Om’ repeatedly. To meditate simply means to ponder over a topic seriously. Now, it could be the nature of soul or the importance of money. At its core meditation, therefore, is not letting our minds wander and have a single-pointed focus.
Goal of Meditation
What purpose will meditation serve? Is it going to alleviate our misery? Meditation cannot alleviate our misery. But, it can lead us to the actual cause of our misery. Gautam Buddha started meditating and understood the cause of sorrow after attaining Nirvana under Mahabodhi tree.
Likewise, we see Ramana Maharshi has pointedly asked us to enquire about the nature of our existence. His ‘Who am I’ is a short but insightful book on how self-enquiry can help us know our true self. Self-enquiry slowly removes the layers of ignorance. According to Maharshi, there are nine layers of ignorance. Meditation removes these layers of ignorance and leads us to our true self. The self-enquiry which Ramana Maharishi speaks of is nothing else but meditation.
The point where one begins
When does one start meditating actually? What put Ramana Maharishi and Gautam Buddha on the path of meditation? The eagerness to know the ‘actual truth’ or true self puts one on the path of enquiry. ‘Athato Brahma Jigyasa’ is the first aphorism of Vedanta Sutras. The aphorism means inquiring into the supreme source of everything. Unless you have this eagerness to know the Brahma or reality you will not enquire. Meditation is just a by-product of this inquiry.
Explore your inner consciousness
Our consciousness is clouded by many material things. It could be the desire to achieve something or to escape from reality itself. Because we find the reality so distasteful. But, when we start realizing that there is a whole world within us, we will give up all the material things and begin exploring our consciousness.
The more we learn about our consciousness, the more we will understand it. In fact, there is a lot more to it than we can grasp with our limited mind and intelligence. Much more research is needed in neuroscience to uncover the mysteries of consciousness. When and how do we become conscious? In other words, do we become conscious only after we are born? Do we lose our consciousness after dying?
Meditation: A Gradual Process
For most of us, meditation will seem like an arduous task. If you are asked to meditate, you will probably do it for 2 minutes. That is because we are so much concerned about worldly things. Having deep religious beliefs can help us meditate. We can focus more when we think of the supreme personality of godhead.
If we follow what Bhagvad Gita says we will be able to meditate easily. Bhagvad Gita says, ‘Surrender to Me….”. This Me is the supreme personality of godhead or Vishnu.
Take any religion you like. All religions advocate introspection. Even Christianity asks us to meditate. Lent season is a period of introspection for devout Christians. During this period, many of them will delve deep into their conscience. The purpose is to get insights into whether they have been a good Christian.
Islam doesn’t have a tradition of meditating. But Sufism, which is an offshoot of Islam, recommends meditation as a way of understanding God.
In a way, Bhakti movement in Indian subcontinent promoted meditation. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu who appeared in 15th century founded Gaudiya Vaishnavism and asked his disciples to chant Hare Krishna mahamantra. By chanting this mantra, he said that people can gain affection for Lord Krishna. This is what you can call mantra meditation.
Sant Kabir Das was also a great exponent of Bhakti movement. His famous couplet is ‘Ram naam ki loot machi hai loot sake to loot aage phir pachchtayega jab pran jayenge chchoot. A literal translation is that one should plunder the name of Ram while one is alive. Kabir indirectly asks us to meditate.
Interestingly, couplets of Kabir Das have been incorporated into Guru Granth Sahib. And, Sikh religion also recommends the practice of Naam Simran. By way of chanting the name of Waheguru and constantly meditating on Him, you can be elevated.
