Meditation Exercise
First, let's get a feeling for what meditation is, a simple introduction to what you do and what you don't do.
Take a deep breath, and relax.
Take another deep breath, and relax.
Just for this moment, let go of everything that is driving you, everything that is pulling you from every direction.
Take another deep breath, and relax, and slowly exhale.
Just take a moment to be. Be with yourself. Be your self. Just be.
How does that feel? Do you think it might be enough to just be you? To just be with you? To just be, and not have to always be doing everything?
Meditation is a process of letting go of the external, the nonessential, needless complexity, and pressures of "the world." It is a process of settling down — away from more doing, and closer to simply being. To find Peace within. Preferably, choose a quiet time and place, free from distractions or interruptions.
A basic meditation exercise:
(1) Sit comfortably, and close your eyes. Always begin meditation by seeing yourself surrounded by Light. If you wish, you can further ask for help, protection, or guidance from the Divine, God, Christ, Jesus.
See or imagine yourself completely surrounded by a bright ball of golden Light, which surrounds and fills your being on every level, physical, emotional, mental, and spiritual.
(2) Next, take a few deep breaths, and relax on each exhale. Let your awareness settle on your breathing. Simply be aware of your breathing, in and out, whether in your nostrils, in the middle of your chest, or lower in your abdomen. Allow yourself to relax. You are not trying to control your breathing in any way.
(3) As you become aware of thoughts, feelings, desires, or expectations, gently let go of them. Let any thoughts or feelings simply come and go. Let them pass by you, or pass through your mind, without trying to hold on to any of them, and without trying to forcibly remove them or suppress them in any way. When you notice you are lost in thoughts, simply bring your attention back to your breathing and continue.
(4) Simply notice whatever you experience, calmly, quietly, patiently. There is nothing else to do but remain aware, awake inside. Be aware of what captures your attention, and then gently bring your breathing. No effort is needed, just a simple shift in attention. Continue for about 10 minutes.
(5) When you are ready to end, sit with your eyes closed for at least a minute, not needing to focus on anything. When you are ready, you may rub your hands together, and slowly open your eyes. Always come out of meditation gently; sit quietly for a minute or so rather than jumping up. Do not focus your mind right away. Just let your awareness gently open to your outer experience, again.
It is suggested that you do the above meditation exercise before you read the explanation that follows. Otherwise, your mind may be full of "understanding" which interferes with simply experiencing the reality of the experience for your self.
Meditation is not as much a process that you control as you relax into. This is an important distinction. It is the ego that wants to control everything, that has expectations, that measures the value of everything by erroneous external standards. The ego is what you need to get past, not cater to. If you give your externally-derived thoughts, feelings, and desires a chance to pass by, without interference, judgment, resistance, or attachment, your awareness becomes more free. You become more aware of things that invite your attention: some block or trap your awareness, and you can then let go of them; others, arising from a deeper level within you, reveal the truth. Do not have any expectations about meditation. They only interfere with letting go of external things. The process works even if your outer mind says it does not or doubts your inner experience. Let go of expectations. Let go of doubts, too. Regardless of what occurs, realize that you are the aware or conscious being who is experiencing. Realize who you are, separate from what you experience.
Meditation is simply turning within, but has very positive results. The inner experience of meditation results in a clearer awareness, a kind of inner quietness. It lessens the boundaries or limitations of your outer experience; problems become less limiting or oppressive. You can more easily expand your vision beyond problem boundaries as well as focus within the boundaries of a problem, as needed. You break the habit of a continually active or reactive outer mind. True awareness is a quiet state, commonly overshadowed by thoughts, feelings, and desires. A deep or momentary silence reveals the presence of the quiet, inner, intuitive mind. It is as if a Light is illuminating what you perceive, so that you can see more clearly. You see more clearly with the Light, although you may not see the Light itself, at least not at first.
Meditation is coming to the inner Light. With practice, you will find that you feel very much "at home" in your inner being, as if you are basking in a soft warm glow. You learn to attune with the Highest Good, within you, and bypass negativity, programming, indoctrination, and all the world's illusions.
There comes a time when you will know the Truth, within you. It will shine like a Light, and you will be see things clearly, as if for the first time. In the Light, it is much easier to differentiate between things; you can begin to discriminate, to discern clearly. You will realize who you are, and who others are. You will realize your purpose, and see the purpose that others have. You will see the traps that you have been stuck in, and see how to get out of them. You will draw upon your own inner wisdom and creativity. You will lose your attachments; the world will lose its iron grip on you.
When you are no longer holding on to the world, or anything in it, problems will no longer have any hold on you. You will have learned how to rise above all of your problems. Notice, we did not say you would not have problems, but rather, you would experience them in a different way, a less personal way. The same situation, even if you were able to do nothing about it, would trouble you less, would drain you less, would eat at you less. That is the proper way to relate to problems. Again, it isn't that you just don't care, or that you become irresponsible or acquiescent. It just means you are no longer bound by, defined by, identified with, and controlled by problems. You gain a truer perspective. You become more responsible for and responsive to your true inner being.
Notice how uncommon it is to turn away from the outer world to solve your problems. You habitually, mechanically, mindlessly turn to the world to solve the problems you have. But, your problems and suffering are due to the world; any further "solutions" offered by the world are a trap, a delusion. There are few solutions outside you, in this world. Of course, if you have a mechanical problem with your vehicle, you probably need to work on the physical or electrical level. But, human problems are spiritual in nature and origin. The idea is to remove yourself from the outer circumstances or forces which are producing the problem, at least for a little while. Look within your self; go beyond external impressions, the outer-physical mind, through the inner mind, the intuition, to the inner being — this is where your answers are. This is the doorway to all knowing.
Notice your reaction to the idea of essentially closing your eyes to the outer world to solve a problem. Do you welcome that approach or do you resist it? Do you have confidence in your ability to find answers within your self? If not, the world has done its work on you; it has reduced your connection with your own intuitive inner being, your true self, and made you unduly and erroneously reliant upon it for your answers. This is what defeats you. It keeps your vision locked into the wrong perceptions and the wrong answers. Notice how reliance upon inner knowing does away with reliance upon outer authorities (and often proves them wrong, in the greatest way). This is precisely why authorities (religious and otherwise) do not want you to look within you to find your own answers, to know the truth. They lose their control over you. You see through their "absolute" truths; you begin to realize the truth, yourself.
The world-at-large does not want you to do this — intentionally. The outer world causes you to doubt your inner self, and then tells you to look to the world (or others) for answers. Look at what everyone else is doing, and do that. As absurd as this might seem, it is the modus operandi of the majority of people. The majority refuses to accept a higher Truth or Reality. The straightjacket of the physical mind and senses — and group thinking — feels reassuring and strengthening, in a delusory way.
If you like, you can practice meditation, with eyes closed, for 10-20 minutes a day. Take time for your self. Don't worry that the world is passing you by. There isn't much you can do to stop it from passing you by. The only thing you can do is to stop your life from passing you by, unaware.
