More on Raja Yoga

I need to talk more about Raja Yoga.

Purity is the key to Raja Yoga. In fact, Raja Yoga is all about purity. Purity of body, mind, and spirit.

Why purity of body?

Because, eating and drinking injurious foods is entirely harmful to the body. Natural, unprocessed foods are best. Avoid anything that is a stimulant, such as caffeine and sugars. Stay away from anything that can become addictive.

Why purity of mind?

Because, in the mind you experience life. Clouded thinking will give no clear realization of the true nature of life. Learn to focus and pierce the ceil of outer appearances to see the purity and perfection within. Purity is at the core of everything. Allow your mind to get to that level of existence and see for yourself.

Why purity of spirit?

You may ask, “Isn’t the spirit naturally pure?” Everything is in essence pure. The spirit are your hopes and dreams, your aspirations. To focus your attention on objects of true purity elevates your spirit to the realm of purity and perfection.

So, that is what the practice of Raja Yoga is all about. It is pretty simple, with tremendous results. You will feel better, be happier, more fulfilled, with more love for all in your heart.

Service to others

The basic needs are food and shelter. After that comes the nourishment of the higher functions through emotional, intellectual, artistic and spiritual pursuits.

What service do you provide for others? Are you helping people find more freedom in the pursuit of higher values or are you binding them more to their lower needs? In other words, are you truly enriching their higher values so that their existences may truly blossom?

What are your true intentions towards others?

About leaders

To follow a leader is something that is natural to social beings, like humans. As long as humans benefit from following this leader, they will continue to be his/her supporters. Peace and prosperity are desirable, while war and poverty are not.

It is also important to serve a cause higher than one’s self. To strive for a betterment of all of life is of vital necessity to keep up one’s spirit. The principle of “From darkness to light” is something that should guide every human.

Ignorance must be overcome. Small-mindedness and prejudice must be uprooted. Equality in all and for all must be striven towards.

Leaders must arise to guide people from areas of darkness in their lives to full enlightenment.

God, a parasite?

As long as people believe in a god, this god will exist. Take away the worshippers and god will dwindle to nothing. God feeds off the beliefs of people, getting his/her strength from their personal energies.

In a way, religious places, such as churches, temples, mosques, shrines, etc., are like storehouses of energy. People’s prayers fill them with energy. As long as the prayers continue, these places will remain charged up.

People in despair can come to these “charging stations” and receive energy back from these religious “batteries.”

So, where does that leave god? Is a god really necessary for the existence of these “charging stations?” Not really.

Holiness does not need a divine vehicle to exist. The strive towards the light, away from darkness and ignorance, is a natural strive that is active in all life forms.

Ever since people started thinking about the origin of this creation, they attempted to find answers to their questions. The idea of a god exists, because the people before us believed in a god, and the people before them did also. It is engrained in our thinking.

The ultimate answer to the ultimate question of, “How did existence come into being?” was answered with the simple notion that there had to be a creator who was responsible for it all. With this creator than came a set of principles “explaining” how this creator operates and how he/she wants us to operate in his/her creation.

All this conjecture about god is totally and 100% human-made. Which makes it pretty clear that it is not a god who is the parasite, but those who claim to be the intermediary between humans and god, even if done with the best intentions.

Religion and War

Religion itself is a declaration of war against the forces of materialism.

I have been thinking about god:

I have been thinking about god. And I have come to the conclusion that god is whatever is the most meaningful to me now.

In other words, whatever is most meaningful to me now, becomes my god, my highest, the ultimate.

My endeavor in life has always been to find the highest, the ultimate. And so, god becomes whatever this ultimate is.

I have found this ultimate in all of the many religious and spiritual scriptures I have read. I have also found it in some of the great philosophical works that humans have produced. Was this so, because they are writings inspired by the ultimate, and therefore I was able to find this ultimate in them?

God is great

In the name of god, who is always present. When I walk, I walk with god. When I sit, god sits with me. This is a god that is close to my heart. A god that is together with me within the cave of my heart. God is a very close companion. God is a close friend.

I am calling god “him”, because I feel him as a masculine god. He is with me. What more can I say? This is not going to be an inspirational, inspired piece of writing. It simply states a few facts based on my personal experiences.

The state of god-consciousness is highly attractive. Once in it, I don’t want to lose it again. And who says that one needs to ever lose it again? Mundane things come and go, more or less on the surface, and this god-consciousness is quietly resting right below the ever-moving facade.

About god:

God is great. God provides. These two statements are really the essence of all religious and spiritual tenets. All else flows from them.

I wrote about this before, but I want to add some more of my thoughts based on my personal experiences.

When I say that god is great, then I am saying that based on my seeing the greatness of this creation; therefore, its creator also must be great.

When I say that god provides, then I am saying that I accept whatever happens in my life, whether it be the good things or the bad things.

The creator

This blog is called “The Art of Self-Inquiry” and it is so true that Self-Inquiry becomes almost an individualized art when practiced for a long period of time.

This is only natural, since one begins to see more and more what one’s own personal truths are. In Self-Inquiry, the focus is on the Self. “Who am I?” “What is my place in life?” “Who created me?” And so on.

The question about a creator will come up in every person’s quest for self-discovery. But, so will the question about what effect this creator has on me. How does this creator affect me personally?

Is my life happier, more peaceful, more fulfilled because of my belief in this creator? Or, am I running into nothing but problems with the world when desperately trying to live up to my creator’s expectations and wishes?

How does my creator make my life better? Of course, life will not always be only on the up and up. There will be difficult times, but on the whole, life should be pretty good, otherwise, what is the benefit I get from believing in a particular God?

Practice of any Kind of a Discipline

Anyone practicing any kind of a discipline is asked to drive the discipline forward, to develop it, to tailor it to the new needs of new moments and to advance the inner spirit of the discipline as intended by its founder.

This principle of advancement is true in the case of science, religion, sports, art, and so on. Some adherents of disciplines want to go back to the origins, back to the way the founders really thought and practiced, but that desire is an illusion, based on personal insecurity. Only someone who is insecure in her/his understanding in this world needs to exclusively hold on to the ways of the past.

Someone who is strong will have imbibed the influences of the past and has them as a living reality within herself or himself. From this base of strength, she or he can then set their foot forwards confidently, to explore the new realm of the approaching future.

Only newborn babies need to keep holding their guardians’ hand, looking up at the guardians face for approval or disapproval. At some point in everyone’s life, the hand must let go and we need to stand on our own two feet, walking down the path of life using our own strengths and abilities to go looking for our own personal goals.

The Beauty of this World

The beauty of this world is truly immeasurable. Everything that exists is being provided for, provided, it adheres to some basic principles: do not take more than your allotted share, or you encroach an other’s space and you will cause pain to them. When you cause pain to others, you are acquiring a dark cloud that will follow you wherever you may go. You will never, ever, be able to go far enough in time or space to distance yourself from this dark cloud.

Therefore, do not overstep your boundaries that are provided to you by nature. Only you know what those boundaries are, so you must look deep within you to discover them in intense introspection. Whenever you desire to engage in any kind of action, you must look deep within yourself to find your innermost intentions, your honest state of mind, your deepest reason for wanting to engage in this action.

Overstepping your bounds causes pain to others and also injures you in the process. You may not get the payback right away but be assured that it will come in some future form. You may get accused by the insured party in some way, or you may simply feel deep regrets for what you have done. A payment will come your way, that much is certain. It is better not to engage in overstepping your bounds onto others’ territory, either materially or mentally. Respect others’ areas carved out by them, and keep you distance, even if some profit tempts you to move in.

You know what you did, and the other person knows it. Whether someone else, such as judge or a jury agrees with you or the injured party does not matter. You know what was in your heart and you know the outcome of your actions. You cannot hide from your own conscience.

Life Lessons

We all have to learn our lessons in life. For influential people, that means the lessons come on a level more visible to the public. For ordinary folks, these lessons don’t make the news, but they are just as important to them as the more noticeable lessons for important people.

We are all working to preserve, maintain, and further this universe. We came here to this world because of the actions of our previous generations and because life itself developed on this planet over Billions of years. We are the product and the carrier of the life force that established an outpost on this heavenly body dancing merrily amongst Billions of other heavenly bodies.

The seed of life found itself a fertile environment and blossomed into what we see all around us today. And it is truly amazing was has developed when given the proper environment and nourishing. There seems to be no end to what this life force can accomplish when given the chance.

One stage builds upon the previous one. What was perfect for one moment, now recedes into the dust bin of history. Memories of overwhelming achievements fade only too quickly when new and exciting future accomplishments beckon. Most minds are always forward looking, sometimes worrying to much about what may lie ahead. Some minds want to preserve what has been achieved through great efforts, but the stream of history will pass them by only too soon.

Life moves on. That is a lesson to be learned. What was of utmost importance today will be almost meaningless tomorrow. And so, life stumbles, often clumsily, from perfect moment to perfect moment, in utter silence.

On Power

Power has always been of primary interest to people. Be it economic power, religious power, personal power, or any other form of power imaginable.

This power is always a power over something or someone else: Power over nature. Power over people. Power over the body’s innate forces of slow deterioration, etc.

This power can be felt by humans and it is felt as a kind of stimulant that can become addictive. It is also often associated with an adrenaline rush, which makes it act like an addictive drug cursing through one’s bodily system.

This power is, in its purest form, a completely ruthless power. If nothing tempers it, it will lead to inhumane treatment of others. For example, human and animal sacrifices have been performed for the purposes of appeasing a god, and to ensure that the god’s power continues to work for the benefit of the worshipping people.

Even the notion that only believers are allowed into a pleasing place, while non-believers are relegated to eternal suffering is a pronouncement of power over others.

Essence of the Qur'an (Koran)

From reading and studying and meditating on the words of the Qur'an, I have come up with what I consider the essential elements contained in it. There are really only three:

1: God is Great

2: God Provides

3: Do good and be good

The supreme purity of god

The supreme purity of god, that is what the pursuit of spiritual values is all about. The individual soul is created in the image of the supreme soul, god. What stands between the individual soul and the supreme soul? It is the created world, where the individual soul gets entangled and where it forgets its identity with the supreme soul.

But, it remembers its innate purity, and so, when it is exposed to the supreme purity of god in the spiritual and religious teachings of this world, it feels attracted to those teachings. It senses a kind of welcoming, a kind of homecoming when it gets nearer the pure inner state of its own existence.

It begins to feel something like: “I am That I am. I am pure. I have always been pure. And I will make every effort to remain in this suspended state of inner purity.”

And so it enters the spiritual path in earnestness.

Believers and Disbelievers

What are believers and disbelievers? Believers believe in a particular system, while disbelievers don’t. It’s that simple.

There are many beliefs in existence today. These beliefs cover many, and vastly different subjects. There are religious beliefs. Scientific beliefs. Beliefs in the supernatural. Beliefs in nature spirits. And so on.

Wherever you place your faith, that becomes a major belief system for you. Those inside the belief, the insiders, are called “true believers.” Those on the outside, the outsiders, are called “disbelievers.”

Tolerant people accept that different people have different belief systems. What makes you happy does not necessarily make others happy. Your taste in music may not be shared by others, but for you it is heavenly music you are listening to.

The same is true with any other belief or interest that you follow in life. There is nothing sinister about the clothes you wear, nothing sinister about any of the interests that you follow, as long as this interest is something you are truly following with a heart full of pure intentions.

Purity in your intentions is a must, if you want to live in freedom from your possessions, your accomplishments, your deeds in life. When you are selfish, and use other people for your own machinations, while giving them nothing but dirt in return, then you can be considered an evil person who needs to repent and ask for forgiveness from those you have taken advantage of.

This principle of asking for forgiveness is found in science, as well as religion, and in all matters of life where humans are involved. It has been said that god lives in the hearts of all beings, and when you break a human heart, you are breaking the heart of god, the heart of the “I am That I am.”

And you must never break the heart of god, because when you do, you are at the same time breaking your own heart. You are diminishing the love you have for yourself when you break anyone’s heart. By mending that heart again, you are mending your own heart and the heart of god, the “I am That I am.”

The Conscious Experience of Joy:

Joy is such a wonderful experience to have. Joy can come from large or from small things and events. Meeting a friend or delighting in the exquisite structure of a leaf can both bring deep joy to your emotional heart. 

Whatever is the key to your experience of you does not matter, ultimately. When you feel joy, experience it fully without reservation. Together with joy, love arises in you. In fact, love and joy go hand in hand.

In this meditation, keep your focus on the joy. When you do this, joy will fill your entire mind. This joy will color all your thoughts and all your thoughts will become joyful thoughts.

Forget the object that appeared to have caused this joy. The fact is that objects do not cause joy. They simply represent an opening in your contracted mind and thereby allow you to experience the joy of freedom.

What is it that these objects are freeing your mind from? They are not freeing the mind from anything. They are allowing the mind to experience liberation. When you feel free, you will experience joy. This is completely natural feeling.

In Self-Inquiry, you are always looking for exists into freedom. Life provides these exists abundantly. This universe is full openings. All objects are potential doors leading to the valley of peace in the state of liberation.

The Conscious Experience of Remaining in Stillness:

There is no place, no time, and no posture, that is a prerequisite to your remaining in stillness.

Simply have the intention to be still, and then be still, be still forever. If “forever” sounds like too long a time to be still, then question your motives for wanting to be still. What are you trying to achieve?

Are you truly attempting to reach the Absolute, the Eternal, Nirvana, the state of Enlightenment, the freedom of spiritual liberation, or do you simply want to relax for a while from a stressful day? All aims are equally valuable and none is more important.

What I want to convey, however, is that whatever you do, do it with all your fullness. Do not think that there is another thing to do afterwards that will bring you more happiness, more satisfaction, more peace of mind. Get away from the ingrained habit of believing that “happiness is just around the corner.” Also abstain from the notion that “if only you could have that, do that, achieve that,” then you would finally be content for good, all your dreams would be fulfilled, and you could live happily ever after. If you think like that, life passes you by, and the future will have nothing but regrets in store for you.

Now, in the moment, find a body position, that you enjoy and remain in that position forever, without movement. Simply be still. Pay attention to your body and make sure that nothing moves: no eye, no mouth, no tongue, no head, no finger, no toe, and no body part whatsoever, forever.

Do not attempt to control your breath, your heartbeat, your eyelids, or your thoughts. This meditation is only about remaining in a still posture. Allow your body to perform its involuntary functions. Do nothing to either hinder or further them in any way.

Meditation is always active

There is no such thing as a passive meditation, where you sit still and have something done to you. In meditation, you are always active, either on a surface level, or on a much more subtle level.

The activity on the surface level might be the intent to repeat a mantra, or to contemplate a particular saying or prayer. On the subtle level, the activity might be the intent to remain in the blissful state of the conscious Self.

Never allow yourself to be put into a state other than a state that you yourself can produce with your own intentions. Know where you are going at all times, and know it with clarity.

The happiness of meditation is not found in telling yourself that you are on a path that will, ultimately, lead you to happiness, either in this world or in another. The happiness of meditation is found in the clarity of the moment, when you are in the blissful conscious state of the Self. This Self is who you are on the most fundamental level of your being.

What is reality?

How can I define reality?

Is reality what I see, hear, smell, sense, taste? In other words, do my sense inputs define the nature of my reality? Yes, they do.

Dogs, for example, have differently developed sense organs, and therefore experience reality differently. They also have a smaller brain, and therefore have much less processing power available to them.

I could go on and on about the different species and their sense capabilities, but that would not bring me any closer to an answer to my opening question.

Actually, I touched a bit on something, namely that reality is unique to the different species that exist on this planet, mostly based on the input from the sense organs these various bodies have developed.

In other words, reality is what I perceive through my senses. Perhaps that is not entirely accurate, because the sense inputs get transformed into electrical pulses that stimulate various regions of my brain and trigger thoughts and feelings.

So, where am “I” in this process? I am dependent on input from any variety of sources. These sources can be external to my body or they are internal to the body. Whatever they are, they are brain stimulants. I can feel the wind on my skin, and I can feel the full stomach after a meal. I can hear the cars driving down the street, and I can see the darkness behind my closed eyes.

An “I” does not really exist independent of sense experiences. Sense experiences feed into a hub which after some time calls itself the “I”. The hub is the brain, where really all experiences take place, and where the sense of the “I” originates.

So, the experience of “I” and sense experiences are on the same level. They are experiences. So, that is where the key to reality is found, in experiences. Experiences are real. Experiences are what reality is.

I can focus on any experience and make it the central aspect of my life, my life’s mission, so to speak. I could use “love” or “compassion” or “greed” or any other experience and become the embodiment of this experience here on earth.

Why is it important to believe in the existence of a God?

What do we gain from believing in a God, a God who created all this? A God who created us, as well as the world around us. What is the benefit of such a belief? And there must be a tremendous benefit, otherwise a belief in God would be similar to believing in the wind that brings us an occasional reprieve from the heat on a summer’s day.

Well, at some point, people believed in various gods, such as gods dwelling in trees and forests, or the sun, or the rain, or thunder and lightning. Then some people simplified these beliefs and put them all into one God, who creates and maintains all of existence. This was a monotheistic belief that seemed to make more sense to them than believing in a multitude of gods, a polytheistic version of the forces behind this creation.

But, still, whether we believe in one God or a multitude of gods, what is the underlying benefit to us from such a belief? Is it, that when we believe in any god, our lives will run smoother, more in line with the wishes and desires of this god? And, will this god then help us achieve our individual goals more easily and without much struggle? Or is a belief in a god mostly designed to give us comfort for our journey after our souls depart these physicals bodies they inhabit on this material plane?

To answer these questions, it is necessary to gain the experience of god, or god-consciousness. This can be achieved through studying the various religious scriptures and spiritual traditions available so freely. Today, we all can order books, visit websites, enter holy shrines, in order to immerse ourselves in the words and experiences of the prophets and guides that walked the earth before us. Perhaps we are even so fortunate as to find a living master who can give us pointers towards the goal of god-consciousness.

We do not practice spiritual disciplines because we necessarily enjoy doing them, but because we sense that there is more to be attained than simply sitting in meditation for a period of time and gaining some temporary peace of mind.

God-consciousness is a concept that can be found in pretty much every spiritual and religious tradition on this planet. Different paths have been established, using different methods to help us achieve this god-consciousness. Some traditions promise the final liberation to occur only after the physical death and after a subsequent resurrection of the body during the Day of Judgment at some unknown future date.

Once god-consciousness is attained, the realization comes with it that all is contained within me. “I am god. I am existence. I am.”

And then there is no more hiding behind a god. From now on, the responsibility for all my actions, my thoughts, and everything that is in any way connected to me, rests with me alone.

For me it is all about energy

There are so many energies in existence. For example: the energy of color. Each color has its own vibration, its own energy.

The energy of these colors influences the energy of my mind, and by extension, my body and my overall sense of being.

Orange is a hot color. Blue a cool color. One agitates my mind, the other calms it down.

Then there is the energy of form. There are straight-edge forms and curvilinear forms. One is less emotional, and therefore cooler, the other more emotional, and therefore warmer.

Cool and warm are some of the basic elements of nature, or better, that is how some of the elements of nature affect me.

Then there is the energetic element of quietness and the element of noisiness.

Actually, all five sense organs have their similar dual experiences, from one extreme to another. From quiet to loud (ears); from cool to hot (eyes); from salty to sweet (tongue); from rough to smooth (skin); from aromatic to stinky (nose).

Generally, I experience life within a tolerable range within these five sense experiences. Life is not generally lived in the extreme areas of sense experiences, but somewhere in a comfortable range.

Yes, there are peak experiences at times, and those are absolutely necessary, otherwise life would appear to be a series of humdrum moments. In fact, life is secretly and actively seeking to experience peak moments. Those peak moments cannot last, however, because otherwise they would cease to be peak moments. A sustained peak moment becomes ordinary after a short while. And then the search for an even higher moment begins anew.

This search for higher and higher peak moments can clearly be seen everywhere. It is in art, in science, in cooking, in writing, in sports, in spirituality, in religion, etc. It is the search for more and deeper fulfillment. It is a search for total fulfillment of one’s inner being.

This search has ultimately nothing to do with outer achievements. It is a completely inner journey for inner fulfillment on the deepest level of one’s existence. It is a search to touch the deepest center within one’s being, at one’s inner core; or, as it sometimes called, one’s soul.

To experience the coolness of blue is stimulating my innermost being through the agency of the eyes, as well as my mind, which is really the neural network of my brain being connected to my eyes. It all takes place in the brain alone. Brain is the translator of sense inputs. Brain is the canvas on which all experiences take place. Subtle stimulation caused by the brain migrates to the center of the brain, where the sense of existence resides. Stimulating this sense of existence is blissful. This bliss is the ultimate aim of all sense inputs. After the sense input has subsided, the bliss remains, if the focus had been on it, and not on the sense input.

Sat Chit Ananda. This is a statement from the Vedic scriptures, meaning: Existence Consciousness Bliss. The Self is Sat Chit Ananda. That is the experience of the human being on its deepest level. There is nothing complicated about it. The complications arise when humans deal with thoughts. What are thoughts? Thoughts are energy fluctuations in the brain that help humans to cope with the world in which they exist. If the environment it too hot, the mind tells them to go and turn on the AC, to cool the place down. Etc. Thoughts are energy fluctuations that arise out of the need of the moment.

Thoughts and feelings are the ripples on the surface of the ocean of Existence Consciousness Bliss. They are not the ocean, although they can be an interface to help humans to connect to the deeper layers of their being. The thinking and feeling mind is the interface between the inner world of the brain and the outer world of the senses. There is the subtle mind that connects to the pure experience of Existence Consciousness Bliss, and the grosser mind that connects to the sense objects.

The impact of What Is

What is, is everything that is going on at this very moment. It is what is going on inside my mind, inside my body, as well as outside my mind and outside my body.

Whatever I am aware off right now is contained in the What Is. To have this deep realization is to be connected with full consciousness to what is happening right now as experienced by me.

I am the one who is this being that experiences all this fully. Whatever my strengths or my weaknesses are, there is no profiting or escaping from them. I am what I am. That is a fact I must face constantly, from moment to moment, in full consciousness.

I am all alone in all of this, but when the burden gets to heavy, I have the option of calling on others to help with the load. To ask for help in times of physical, emotional, or spiritual needs. There is no shame in needing help at times.

The one thing I cannot do is, to use others as props or crutches and use them for personal gains or personal needs of any kind; to use them to make me more than I am, or to fill weaknesses in me.

I also cannot hide behind a god who somehow has set up rules of behavior that I must follow in order to be a good person who ends up in heaven. Otherwise, while having lived sinfully, I would be relegated to spending time in the fire of hell.

I must live ethically, never hurting someone intentionally, always looking out for the needs of others, helping others as much as I can to overcome their personal obstacles that prevent them from accepting life in the What Is.

The state of What Is is the central focus of my life. It is my core interest, my core conviction. It is the greatest joy of my existence. On the other hand, it is also the greatest fear of my life. Panic sets in when I am confronted with deep structural change and I begin to feel like I am in a bad dream that just doesn’t want to end, although I desperately want it to. But, I have no power over what is going during those times, and that brings out the feeling of true inner panic, and I want to run away, but don’t know where, and I also don’t really want to run away, because I need to go through the experience, whether I like it or not.

The impact of What Is is truly mind opening at times. Sometimes I feel like new pathways are being carved into my brain. I sense a crackling inside my brain, and an expansion of some sort, as if blood is now flowing in areas where before there was less activity.

Life is truly amazing and never boring. As someone once said, “There is never nothing going on.”

The Meditations of the Vijnana Bhairava

Vijnana Bhairava denotes knowledge of the Lord. Meditation means to be in the moment without thought, to be in the state of blissful consciousness.

1.   The still space between in-breath and out-breath.

2.   Focus attention between the eyebrows.

3.   Look at a blank wall or other blank surface.

4.   Meditate on all-encompassing space.

5.   Meditate on all-encompassing emptiness.

6.   Close all openings of your head (7) and meditate on stillness.

7.   Close your ears and listen to your own internal sound.

8.   Meditate on the sound OM and let it take you to the expanded state.

9.   Pay close attention to the space where sounds emerge and disappear. This is the Non-state.

10. When listening to music, pay attention to every appearance and disappearance of the sounds. Let the sounds carry you into stillness.

11. Go through the letters of the alphabet one by one. Meditate on the sound of each letter individually. Focus your attention where sounds merge and where they emerge.

12. Meditate on your form as being filled with blissful light radiating in all directions simultaneously.

13. Meditate on the timeless moment in the moment. Maintain this timeless experience forever.

14. Meditate on space filling you completely.

15. Meditate on the finer and finer forms of the objects around you. Meditate on the fact that all objects and you are made of the same substance.

16. Meditate on God who pervades this entire creation.

17. Meditate on the sensation that you are the jar that contains the entire universe.

18. Meditate on the space that is contained within a container. Do not meditate on the confinement created by the sides, but meditate on the space that fills it.

19. Meditate in a place where you feel the infinity of space. Meditate on this infinite space.

20. Meditate on the empty space that is created when you move your attention from one object to another.

21. Just when you feel the need to act, stop, and meditate on the sensation of expectation, the sensation of intense waiting.

22. Meditate on the notion that your form and the form of the universe are identical.

23. Meditate on the still space between inbreath and outbreath. Bliss follows.

24. Meditate on the sensation that your body (flesh, bones, blood) is saturated with the essence of the universe, which is bliss.

25. Meditate on the sensation of bliss when your senses bring something astonishing to your attention.

26. Meditate on the sensation of bliss when you experience the bliss of orgasm.

27. Meditate on the joy you experience during any of your daily activities.

28. Meditate on the memory of a joyful experience.

29. Meditate on the memory of a blissful experience.

30. Meditate on the joy of meeting a long lost dear one.

31. Meditate on the joy of experiencing pleasureble foods and drinks.

32. Meditate on the joy of listening to pleasurable music.

33. Meditate on the joy of any kind pleasurable experience.

34. Meditate on the state that occurs when you are on the threshold between waking and sleeping states.

35. Meditate on the state that emerges when you are seated in a relaxed upright and balanced position.

36. Look without blinking at an object for a long time.

37. Laying on your back, completely unmoving, be the witness of your thoughts.

38. When you experience obstacles to your meditation, realize that the obstacle is also a part of your meditation.

39. Through discrimination, realize that “you” do not exist, “your” body does not exist, the “world’ does not exist. What exists is non-dual emptiness.

40. When a desire enters your mind, ask yourself “am I this desire?” The answer will be “no”. Then revel in the state of emptiness that results.

41. When you desire to know something, ask yourself “will this knowledge make me complete?” The answer is “no”. Revel in the state of emptiness that will follow.

42. See only consciousness in this world.

43. Every time you experience strong feelings, withdraw from them and become their uninvolved blissful witness.

44. See the whole universe as a mirage.

45. See yourself mirrored back at yourself in all that exists.

46. See the spark of consciousness in all beings, whether high or low.

47. Clear your mind of all help to meditation and experience the joy of freedom from these crutches.

48. The creator and the created have the same qualities. You are not different from the creator. Therefore you have a hand in everything. You are omnipresent.

49. Dance with abandon. Then drop to the ground as if dead and experience the total absence of yourself.

50. When sudden activities shake up your mind, you can find yourself in the Non-state.

51. Focus your attention on a single object. This will bring about the experience of the blissful conscious Self.

52. Realize that there is not such thing as a pure or an impure thought. Experience the freedom that comes with this realization. Free yourself from all so-called ethical injunctions.

53. Bring your feelings into a state of balance. Meditate on the joy you experience in this state of balance.

54. Contemplate the empty space that surrounds all objects. This focus frees the mind from the limitations set by concrete forms.

55. Chant one of the many names of God with ecstasy.

56. Meditate on the joy you experience whey you have truly imbibed new knowledge.

57. Have a stable and balanced mind. This leads to the experience of joy.

58. Pray to God with single-minded attention. Experience the bliss contained in this prayer.

59. Breath in with the sound of HAM and breath out with the sound of SA. But, be the witness of HAM and SA. Live in the space where the Non-State naturally exists.

60. Meditate on the joy of victory. Do not gloat!

61. Meditate on the joy of moments of perfection.

62. Meditate on the notion that you are perfect, this world is perfect and God is perfect.

63. Meditate on the notion that this moment is perfect.

64. Hold back the tide of your memories and the tide of worries about the future. Be joyful in the space between the past and the future: this moment.

65. Meditate on the notion that your body is filled with void.

66. Meditate on the notion that the universe is filled with void.

67. Meditate on nothingness in a cemetery.

68. Meditate on the astonishment experienced during a magic act.

69. Meditate on the miracle of the existence of creation.

70. Meditate on the experience of pain. Find the witness behind the pain.

71. Meditate on the point of emergence of strong emotions as well as on the point where these emotions subside.

72. When finding your attention being pulled towards sense objects, turn our attention within and experience the freedom from attachments.

73. Meditate on the question “who am I?”

74. Meditate on the fact that knowledge and the knower merge the moment something becomes known.

The State of Meditation

Meditation has enormous power. It helps focus the mind and thereby allows the mental energies to be concentrated when engaged even in simple everyday thinking.

You can understand how important it is when trying to solve a problem – complicated or not – to be able to concentrate on the matter at hand until a solution is found. Nothing is more of a hindrance to success in any venture if the mind keeps losing the train of thought and veers uncontrollably off the path.

Meditation is concentration on an inner center, a center that is not of the mind, but that is beyond the mind.

You might ask: How can I concentrate the mind on a center that is beyond the mind? Wouldn’t that center have to be in the mind? How can the mind go beyond the mind?

The answer to these questions is this: When I use the word mind, I refer to the thinking and feeling mind. Beyond this thinking and feeling mind is the purely aware mind. This aware mind is like the ocean, while the thinking and feeling mind is like the waves on the surface of the ocean.

The waves of this ocean generally do not reach to a great depth. Sometimes, there is a powerful storm that really stirs up the water, but even that force can’t reach the bottom of the ocean, where all is still, forever so still.

Meditation works from the inside out. In meditation, your intention is to concentrate on the still aspect of the ocean. You are the entire ocean, active waves and restful depth.

Every heavy object thrown into the ocean will break through the waves and will slowly sink through stiller and stiller layers toward the eternally still bottom of the sea.

What pulls the heavy object toward the bottom is natural gravity, the intention to concentrate all matter in one place.

In your mind, the same force of gravity exists. You simply need to drop a thought colored with the intention to concentrate and you will find yourself in the stillness of the bottom of your being.

The journey within takes just a moment. Meditation is not a process, it is a state that get’s attained through your intent. You are in control of your mind. You have always been in control of your mind, and will always be in control. (Development and condition of your physical brain are other matters).

It is important to learn meditation while you are are still in full possession of your mental faculties. Once you begin losing brain capacity through the influence of old age or a deteriorating body, the subtleties of concentrated meditation may escape you.

Allow the natural gravity of intention to pull your attention toward the place of eternal stillness. Bliss awaits you where you are beyond the waves of the thinking and feeling mind in the state of pure being.

Where do you find comfort?

Where do you go for comfort when you feel stressed? Do you go to the past or to the future for help? Do you want to find comfort in the things that you are familiar with, or do you charge ahead and attempt to find a new way of dealing with reality?

The past and the Ego are really one and the same. There is no “absolute” past in the sense that there is only one version of it. Each one of us has a personalized version of the past, that’s why the past and the Ego, the personality, are really identical.

If the past and the Ego are the same, what about the future? The Ego tries to establish itself in the new territories it encounters, essentially imposing the patterns of the past on an area of unlimited possibilities.

Nothing about the past can be changed. Perhaps your understanding about it can deepen over time, but the events will always remain the same, unalterable. The future is where the possibilities for true growth lie.

So, when you attempt to find solace in the things you have already done, then you are not giving the future a change to prove that it holds adventures for you, more magnificent than you can imagine.

Stillness of Mind

Stillness of mind is experienced when the focus naturally concentrates on the potency of the moment. In this quiet moment there is only the potency of the moment and nothing else.

That is really all there is to the “Art" of finding peace. What is peace but the harmonic fusion of all energies involved at a particular moment in time and space? Peace is the being in balance.

The Potency of the Moment

The potency of the moment should not overwhelm the mind. Mind should be able to contain it. By potency I mean the near overwhelming power of existence, of being, of the Divine.

By divine power I mean the direct experience of what I have called “sweet brutal consciousness.”

It is a blissful experience, and also brutal in that it reveals all the weaknesses of the mind with brutal honesty. Only the truly pure at heart can withstand the flow of this power through the mind/body system.

Those with an impure heart will suffer from the onslaught of this divine revelatory and cleansing power.

The divine power is absolute in the sense that it is the greatest power in existence. And it supersedes all other powers that followed its manifestation. All human powers are subjugated to it.

Each new thought energy arising in the mind is in a way a version of the Big Bang, having the power to create a whole new world out of seemingly nothing.

It is important to cut through the thinking mind to the origin of the mind’s energies and find the place of still potency that is at the heart of the mind. And one needs to cut deeply and mercilessly. Something important lies there and it needs to be discovered.

Use the ax of dispassion or the scalpel of discrimination to get to the deeper layers of the mind. Use the tools that are most in line with your personality. Finding the truth is not a cookie cutter affair. One size does not fit all. Being born to particular parents at a particular place and time do not determine your path towards this divine power.

Ask for help and it will arrive. Be open when it does. Dogmas are not helpful on the path. Neither is the constantly thinking and evaluating mind. The divine has many forms through which it may appear. But then, it appears in all of them. Although to some of them certain minds have an affinity and respond better than to others.

The Struggle

The struggle for consciousness to express itself. I know that I am, but how does that manifest in the world? Others see what I do, but not who I am. I am me. There is always a slight uptick to me, no matter how dark the clouds are that have gathered in the mind. This is not the effect of positive thinking, but the effect of life, which always seeks new ways of expressing itself.

So, I am never completely alone. I am always with my deep inner sense of being. I am by myself, but not lonely.

Inspiration

Inspiration is the key to everything. Without it nothing ever changes. Inspiration is like a force that gets applied to an object and propels it in a new direction.

The question science, religion, philosophy, etc, are trying to answer is this: “what is the inspiration behind this creation?”

I know that I exist. That is the only indisputable fact. Everything else is relative. “You” are relative. “This world” is relative. “My thoughts” are relative. “My knowing” of my existence is absolute.

Seeing a table is relative, because it depends on sense organs and a mind. Knowing that something is there is absolute.

The questions regarding me are: “Who am I?” “How did I get here?” “What am I doing here?”

The question regarding the table is: “What is it?” “How did it get here?” “What is it doing here?”

Questions like these are inspiring to me. They cause me to us my mental energies to explore the mystery of existence.

I listen, I read, I meditate, I write. Those are the means of my exploration.

And then, whatever I produce must provide inspiration, otherwise I am wasting creation’s “time.”