The Theory of Meditation

Let all beings be Peaceful; Let all beings be Happy; Let all beings be Blissful!

One of the most impactful practices to develop is one of meditation. Meditation has the potential to profoundly impact and transform one’s life. Before embarking on the journey of meditation, it would be helpful to understand a few concepts pertinent to the realm of meditation. An understanding of these concepts will help the practitioner to deepen their practice, and make a worthwhile attempt to achieve meditative states.

• Foundation of spirituality: The core of spirituality, in my opinion, rests on the fact that a human being is not the body nor the mind. There is a state beyond the body and the mind which needs to be realized or experienced. This exercise will help the reader to intellectually grasp the concept of ‘I’ beyond the body and the mind. Only when one is convinced that life is more than our material nature, one should move ahead in spiritual life. Otherwise, spirituality will just be another source of entertainment.
• Awareness: Awareness is the canvas on which we experience life. We know we are alive because of our awareness of the body and the surrounding world.
• Attention: Attention is an effort to focus our awareness on an object or subject.
• Concentration: Attention intensified becomes concentration.?
• Mindfulness: When we place our attention on an object or subject in our sphere of awareness, we become mindful of that subject or object. Think of mindfulness as a gentle form of attention.
• Consciousness: State or entity that experiences the existence. Experiencer who is aware, who is mindful, who is paying attention, and who is concentrating. Consciousness is said to be the truth that unites all of the existence. It is the common thread that runs through the whole of existence.

Why should anyone meditate?

1. Meditation is an attempt to experience the truth which is consciousness
2. Meditation is an attempt to go beyond the body and the mind
3. Once the truth is realized or experienced, there is end of suffering and fear ?

What are the benefits of meditation as it relates to the material world?

Regular practice of meditation has the potential to:

1. Induce calm states
2. Reduce stress and anxiety
3. Improve sleep quality
4. Improve mental clarity and promote better decision making
5. Improve concentration ability
6. Increase happiness
7. Increase emotional intelligence

What are the desired qualities of a meditator or a spiritual aspirant?

1. Discipline
2. Cheerful
3. Loving
4. Compassionate
5. Patience
6. Perseverance
7. Optimistic
8. Contentment
9. Process oriented
10. Renunciation and chastity
11. Restraining of the senses

What are the prerequisites to enhance one’s quality of meditation?

Purity of mind, body and emotion

1. Read books written by realized or enlightened people
2. Avoid fictional shows, entertainment, movies, TV series etc.
3. Avoid entertainment that provoke emotions pertinent to greed, sensuality, anger, hatred etc.
4. Cultivate unconditional love for all.
5. Keep the body strong with yoga practices and postures
6. Vegetarian diet that stabilizes emotions and enhances energies is preferred
7. Avoid caffeine, alcohol and drugs that stimulate nervous system and blunt the organs of perception
8. Practice honesty and truthfulness

What kind of environment is ideal for practicing meditation?

While one should not wait for an ideal place to meditate, following are the guidelines to promote meditative states:

1. Dedicated meditation room/area
2. Clean and neat
3. Well ventilated
4. Use incense regularly
5. Keep fresh flowers
6. Promote silence in that room/area, avoid any discussions specially conflicts, anger or unholy thoughts should be avoided
7. Place holy and pleasing pictures of enlightened masters or Gods/Goddesses

What mindset is needed before starting meditation practice?

• Drop any expectations or judgement
• No goal is to be achieved nor any analysis is to be done
• Be ok if you gain nothing (actually, nothing is to be gained from meditation)

‘Realization is not an acquisition of anything new nor is it a new faculty. It is only removal of all camouflage.’-Said an enlightened being

What are different forms of meditation techniques?

There are a wide variety of meditation techniques derived from various cultures and belief systems. A paper by Matko and Sadlmeier, published in Frontiers in Psychology, proposes 7 main clusters of meditation techniques, namely:

1. Body-centered meditation
2. Mindful observation
3. Contemplation
4. Mantra meditation
5. Visual concentration
6. Affect-centered meditation
7. Meditation with movement

Suggested Reading/References:

• Meditation and its Methods by Swami Vivekananda
• What Is Meditation? Proposing an Empirically Derived Classification System by Matko and Sadlmeier.