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Learning notes from the lecture "Meditation - The Science of Quieting the Mind" by AGEAC Vietnam on 09.07.2016 in HCMC.
Meditation was found at Inca, Maya, Egyptians, Christian (mystic ecstasy)... The passive state of mind, feeling and personality demands tremendous activity of the Consciousness. The more active the Consciousness remains, it's much easier to achieve the awakening.
Every psychological gymnasium, no matter how tough it may be, no matter how difficult it may seem, is indispensable for us. The entire secret is in not allowing neither feelings nor the mind to interfere in practical matters of our life.
We must always allow the Consciousness to be the one that acts, the one that commands, the one that works, the one that speaks, does, and executes all of our daily activities; in this way we prepare ourselves harmoniously for meditation.
Without meditation, it is impossible to have serious innerwork and calibrate our path towards the being.
The mind loves chattering incessantly, it is not quiet for a single moment. It is critical to abtain a passive mind. The highest way of thinking is not to think; and this requires patience, discipline.
The mind and feelings react all the time. It is important not to allow the mind and feelings to take an active role and to react. Bringing meditation to our daily activities is transformation of impressions.
Illuminating Void is beyond time and beyond eternity.
What can we achieve through meditation?
On a basic level:
- Peace of mind
- Increasing concentration, memory, efficiency
Intermediate level:
- Self-knowledge, getting rid of psychological defects
- Improving our interpersonal relations
Advanced level:
- Experience the truth of any phenomenon
- Investigate the past history of anyone or anything
Basic steps of meditation
1. Asana: body posture
2. Pratyahara: quietmind, introspection, without thinking of anything
3. Dharana: concentration on a single thing
4. Dhyana: meditation, contemplation
5. Samadhi: ecstasy
1. Asana - Body posture
Relaxation of the body. Pay attention to the breathing. Straight spine.
2. Pratyahara - Serenity of the mind
There is a thinker behind each thought, you should not identify. "Thoughts must pass through the screen of the mind just as birds in the skye... without leaving trace."
Mantram creates a vibration:
Om Mani Padme Hum
Gate Gate Gate Parasamgate Boddhi Swaha
WU: sound of the wind in the forest
3. Dharana - Concentration
Practices to increase concentration:
- candle light
- glass of water
- heart beat
4. Dhyana - Deep inner meditation
Achieve information through:
- conscious imagination
- inspiration (have knowledge about something)
- intuition
5. Samadhi - Enlightening Void
Sunyata. Ecstasy. Satori.
The mind is absolutely quiet. The Essence can become completely free from the Ego and the Reasonality. The Essence then perceives everything without using the mind as an mediate, that is the direct perception of the Truth.
At that moment, "I was the flower, the river... And I felt myself mixed with everything, being everything. I was no longer living as a person..." ~ Samael
Helpful hints for meditation
- Incense
- Music - vocalization of the mantram
- Prayer
- Patience
- No time dependence
- Sit comfortably, place the palm of left hand open and facing up and the back of right hand upon the palm of left hand. Relax the body the best possible and then inhale profoundly, very slowly.
- When inhaling imagine that the creative energy rises through the spermatic canals until the brain, and pronounce the mantra HAM, like this: "HAAAAAAAAAAMMMMMMMM". Exhale short and rapid, whilst you pronounce the mantra SAH: "SAAHH"...
- Inhale through the nose and exhales through mouth. When inhaling, one will have to mantralize the sacred syllable HAM (mentally, as one is inhaling through the nose); but when exhaling one will be able to articulate the syllable SAH in an audible way.
The inhalation is done slowly, the exhalation short and rapid. The creative energy flows with every person from inside to outside, in a CENTRIFUGAL way. But we must reverse that order for reasons of spiritual improvement. Our energy must flow in a CENTRIPETAL way (from outside to inside). If we inhale long and slow, the creative energy will flow in a centripetal way, from outside to inside. If we exhale short and rapid, then that energy will become every time more centripetal.
During the practice one must not think of absolutely anything. The eyes must be profoundly closed; only HAM-SAH will vibrate within our mind, and nothing more.
Through practice the inhalation becomes deeper and exhalation shorter and quicker.
Great Masters of meditation reach to make breathing into pure inhalation; then that remains suspended. And in such state the Master participates in NIRVI-KALPA-SAMADHI or in MAHA-SAMADHI; there comes the irruption of the Illuminating Void, one precipitates into that Great Void, where nobody lives and where only the word of the Father who is in secret is heard.
With this practise one obtains the irruption of the Illuminating Void under the condition of NOT THINKING absolutely anything, not admitting into the mind any thought, any desire, any memory. The Mind must stay completely quiet, from within, from without, and in the middle. Any thought, no matter how insignificant it may be, is an obstacle for Samadhi, for Ecstasy.
The Samadhi is produced during this practice if meditation because the creative energies flowing from outside to inside - impregnate the Consciousness and result in making it leave the Ego and the body. The Consciousness, un-bottled from admidst the Ego, in the absence of Ego and out of the physical body, undoubtedly penetrates the Illuminating Void, it receives the Tao.
*Mantram: a wise combination of sounds that produces internal benefits.
Om Mani Padme Hum
Gate Gate Gate Parasamgate Boddhi Swaha
We meditate for self-knowledge, to destroy ego and experience TRUTH. We need correct position, quiet mind, concentration, imagination, intuition and samadhi will come.
We should meditate daily. Goal is to put the consciousness to work in place of the Minds and Emotions. We need to persevere and be tenacious if we want to experience truth.
"Peace of mind comes from eliminating the useless thoughts from the mind and peace of heart comes from eliminating negative emotions." ~ Samael Aun Weor
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