What is Meditation?

Meditation, in simple words, is silencing the mind. When we are not doing anything, when all activity has ceased and we simply are, just being, that is meditation. If, for a single moment, when we are not doing anything and we are just at our centre, utterly relaxed, that is meditation. Meditation is emptying the mind of thoughts.

It has to be understood through experience first, and then we remain in that state as long as we want. Finally, we remain in that state twenty- four hours a day.

Meditation is to learn how to witness. What you watch, is irrelevant. You can watch the trees, the mountains, the river…. just anything. And that is meditation. Meditation is awareness; whatever you do with awareness is meditation!! Meditation is seeing. Meditation is awakening oneself to ‘The Altered State of Consciousness’. Meditation is silencing the 'inner-talk' and seeing with the 'third eye'. It is the total cessation of the inner mind.
It is being in the NOW!
Meditation is primarily NOT an intellectual or mental exertion.
It is NOT ‘Chanting'. It is NOT a 'Prayer':
In English language, the phrase "meditate upon" is often used, which means "contemplate deeply" or "reflect upon the pros and cons", or "ponder on" etc. It is not "contemplation"!
How to meditate? The most effective way: Anapana Sati
'Ana-Pana', is a Pali phrase to indicate 'in-breath' and 'out-breath'. 'Sati' means 'to be with'. Thus, 'Ana-Pana-Sati' means to be one with the in-breath and out-breath.
Sit in a comfortable posture i.e. Sukhasana. One who cannot sit on the floor can sit in a chair.
Keep the spine, the neck and the head in a straight line.
Clasp your hands. This is to conserve the etheric energy that normally flows out of the etheric finger-tips.
Close your eyes very gently.
Observe the breath. i.e. breathe consciously. Be aware of your breath. Feel the warmth of it.
Just flow with the process. Let your breath be very gentle, very soft and very easy. Breathe slowly and deeply.
Taoism has emphasized that, ‘Easy is right, right is easy, easy is natural, natural is easy!’
Our breath is our guide. Our breath is the bridge between us and the consciousness! In conscious breathing, we have to be aware of nothing but our breath. Our total attention should be on our breath, the inhalation and the exhalation.
When we are breathing consciously, our normal mind's broadcasting and receptor functions totally cease and one is in a 'No-Mind' state. As soon as the 'No-Mind' or ‘Non Doing' state is achieved; the 'Other Mind' starts functioning. We come out in the Astral Body and begin to have new perceptions and new experiences. The latent Kundalini Energy in the Etheric body is automatically aroused and one acquires many new capabilities by way of awakening of the Inner Senses. Normally, man is not conscious of the breathing process that is constantly happening. This is so because he is constantly involved in listening, speaking, or thinking activities. Even while he is not doing any of the above, there is a constant 'inner chatter' that is going on, which occupies his inner attention.
However, in Meditation, we are to do away with all these activities and concentrate solely on the breathing process. The objective is to be aware only of the breathing process and nothing else. This is called 'conscious breathing' - as against the normal 'unconscious breathing' that constantly goes on in the body.
It is perfectly natural that the mind keeps straying off in the beginning and it should be our effort and mission to bring our attention again and again to our chosen object of breath. With constant practice, we would soon be able to achieve being one with the breath, to the exclusion of all other thoughts!!
And that is the state of bliss…the constant joy…the Now!

Benefits of Meditation:

The benefits of meditation are manifold. Most physical afflictions, i.e., almost 99%, are psychosomatic in nature, i.e., born in mind and later manifested in the physical realm. They arise because of mental worries; and all mental worries are because of a certain lack of clarity in analysis and thinking and consequent intellectual immaturity. This intellectual immaturity is due to a lack of basic spiritual knowledge.
Spiritual knowledge is obtained only through meditation, by having out-of-body experiences. Our practical, spiritual knowledge is further strengthened by studying all the existing literature in the field of Spiritual Science, wherein, the experiences of meditations, astral travels etc., are given in great detail..
In Meditation, one's energy is increased through in-flow of energy from cosmic energy sources; new information about alternate realities is obtained; and, consequently, there is a constant Expansion of Consciousness.
Meditation enables us to be:
Physically fit
Mentally perfectly agile
Intellectually razor-sharp
Emotionally full of love and joy peace
Existentially full of positivity, creativity and spontaneity
Spiritually illumined.
Through meditation, we come to know of our own eternity and of our infinite capabilities. In short, we know of our ‘Godhood’
When should we meditate?
Any time is the right time for meditation! However, early morning, i.e., pre-dawn hours are the best.
How long should we meditate?
We should meditate at least for our age in minutes. i.e., if a person’s age is 30 years, he should meditate for 30 minutes.
'Pratyahara' or Inwarding of the Outer Senses: What happens to you when you are one with your breath? You will encounter a wonderful new silence! Soon, you will find that the magnitude of breath becomes shorter and shorter. Finally, the breath becomes so short that it seems to take place only in the upper part of the nose or what is called as the 'nasika-agra'. This is the space between the two eyebrows.
We find, now, that the 'inner-chatter' has totally ceased and that we are in a state of deep inner silence. We enter into such a deep inner silence that we loose totally the awareness of our breathing process too. Now, we cannot hear outer sounds; we go beyond them. This stage is called 'Pratyahara' (Prathi+Ahara) i.e., total inwarding of the outer senses.
'Dharana' or 'Vipassana' or Activation of The Inner Senses: What happens when we are in a state of deep inner silence? "Things" will begin to happen! We will begin to encounter entirely new and unearthly phenomenon!
We may begin to hear new sounds, see new sights and smell new scents. We may see absolutely brilliant light and new worlds. We will find our self face to face with several new reality systems.
It is natural that in the beginning we would be unable to make 'head' or 'tail' of these new snapshots that we see. However, we become an expert soon and a measure of control in 'seeing' would be achieved. This is the beginning of interaction with the new realities with a greater degree of will and purpose. This is the stage of establishing contacts with astral persons and having dialogues with them. Questions may be put and answers received - all telepathically.
Now, we proceed to the next stage i.e., dhyana: The Sanskrit word "dhyana" is actually "dhi-yana"."dhi" = the complex of subtle bodies, and "yana" = traveling.Thus, 'dhyana' means 'travel in higher bodies', i.e., astral, causal or cosmic bodies. Remember that man has seven bodies. He exists in all these seven bodies at the same time. These seven bodies are contained in the Divine Consciousness itself.
The Seven Energy Bodies and Planes Of Consciousness
Barbara Brennan's description of auras and subtle bodies agrees with the "periodical" theory of planes of existence.  The Etheric Body on the physical plane, and the Etheric Template Body on the Spiritual plane are obviously equivalent (as their names indicate).  What she calls the Astral Body is clearly a higher octave of the Emotional Body, and a lower of the "Celestial".  And the Mental body would perhaps have a similiar relationship to the Ketheric template Body as the Etheric and Etheric Template bodies have to each other.   There are no apparent higher octaves to the gross physical body, unless one considers the etheric.

Seven Bodies and Seven Chakras

Suddenly, we may find ourselves outside our bodies and we may be traveling at a fast pace in new frequency-worlds. This is much like our traveling in a train while seeing the fleeting sceneries through the window.
One may also encounter the classic "tunnel experience" i.e., one will see oneself traveling in a deep, tunnel-like hole, at the far end of which one will emerge out into brilliant light and bright worlds. This stage is called 'Dhyana'. It is natural, that in the beginning, it would be a rather random or spontaneous or uncontrolled traveling. But soon, with greater practice, one achieves wishful and directed astral travel.
And, at deeper levels of meditation, one will also encounter another phenomenon called 'Kundalini Awakening'. Kundalini is a force that is dormant in the etheric body in the Muladhara Chakra, and when aroused, will help in the activation of subtler energy centre right up to the "Thousand Petalled Sahastrahara". This results in the activation of one's higher bodies like the spiritual and cosmic bodies. Subsequently, corresponding higher worlds are visited with the help of these vehicles. Only Ascended Masters live in these worlds.
Samadhi or Nibbana or Enlightenment: After an immense amount of 'dhyana' or 'Vipassana' i.e., third eye seeing, and an immense amount of 'dhyana', i.e., astral travel what naturally gets ensured is Enlightenment.
Now, one would be able to see and know for oneself one's true multidimensional nature; and, also the nature of the whole "COSMIC REALITY". One would begin the research into one's own 'Akashic Records'.
Whatever has 'happened' is 'happening' now, or will happen, in 'future' times, in the various parallel 'Physical' planes, is all automatically recorded or impressed in the etheric matter of the astral worlds. These records are readily available to trained astral vision.
Going through the whole tapestry of one's own infinite life-times, one would perceive the inter-connecting thread of the Law of Karma kneading through all of them. One would gradually arrive at the grand understanding (as per 'SETH) that - "You create your own reality, wherever you travel, and in whichever dimension you find yourself".
This state of understanding is Enlightenment. This is the stage of 'Samadhi'. Samadhi can be interpreted as 'Sama-dhi' or the state of perfect equanimity of intellect, or also as the stage of having obtained all the answers or 'samadhana's. This is the stage of 'Nibbana'.
Now, in this state of Enlightenment, Samadhi or Nibbana, one is unaffected by all the dualities like birth/death; loss/gain; pleasure/pain etc. The restless nature of the mind is truly and finally overcome. The intellect is freed forever from the encumbering 'Chitta' and is available for the first time for performing its ordained function of Research and Investigation.

Full Moon Meditation

The Full-Moon period is the most opportune time for the Forces of Light because the influence of the moon is at its lowest ebb, and it is at such times that the Extra-Planetary Beneficent Forces can be contacted with safety and with great benefit to humanity.
Sometimes, when the heavens are full of black clouds, suddenly a window of blue sky opens up and the rays of the sun beam down to earth. Exactly the same thing happens at the time of the full-moon; a spiritual window opens between Humanity, the Hierarchy and Shambala, and a river of light, love and power streams forth, charged with divine impressions.
.....Torkom Saraydarian
" Symphony of The Zodiac "

Group Meditation

Meditating in a group is group meditation. In Group-Meditation it is easier to reach higher levels and to penetrate deeper than in individual meditation. Group-Meditation is a process of forming a united channel for receiving light, love and power and radiating it toward all levels on which the members of the group are found.
Group-Meditation and Group-Service are like a Symphony! They are the finest of many instruments, tuned and harmonized with each other in Group-Consciousness.
Group-Meditation creates a magnetic centre wherever it is done because it creates a focus of higher-energies around the group that meditates; this focus of energies is anchored in the location where the meditation is done.
The greatest protection on The Path is the Group-Aura, the Group- Radiation. This aura or radiation is created only through Group-Meditation and Group-Service.
In Group-Meditation, the sense of unity is tasted, the sense of brother - hood is experienced, and great decisions are made for great sacrifice and service. Group-Meditation creates a pool of energy, love and light, and the members of the group can draw from it to meet their own need in any condition, at any time.
Group-Meditation wipes this selfish attitude away from our minds, and slowly we see that " There Is Only One Goal for Meditation: To serve humanity in the light of the hierarchy and to become charged with the Power Of The Divine Will ".
KEYNOTE of the full moon Approach to the Hierarchy
He who faces the light and stands within its radiance is blinded to the issues of the world of men; he passes on the Lighted Way to the great Centre of Absorption. But he who feels the urge to pass that way, yet loves his brother on the darkened path, revolves upon the pedestal of light and turns the other way.
He faces towards the dark, and then the seven points of light within himself transmit the outward streaming light, and lo! the face of those upon the darkened way receive that light. For them the way is not so dark. Behind the warriors - twixt the light and the dark - blazes the light of Hierarchy..

.....Torkom Saraydarian
" Symphony of The Zodiac "

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