MEDITATION.

BY

K. S. ANANTHANARAYANAN Esq. B.A.

of Latent Light Culture, Tinnevelly.

 

    The modern world has now begun to open its eyes to the claims of the higher faculties of man. It has now satisfied itself that the pursuits after material greatness alone will not give happiness. The Western could not be made to understand the grand powers of the mind when it is at work with itself. He was the powerful outer nature and his ambition was to be intimately acquainted with her and be her master. He directed all his energy accordingly and the result is indeed grand and beautiful. He wrung out from Nature all her subtle forces and made them all his slaves. But what is the use of your having giant servants, if your house is miserable. The Westerner could not naturally feel happy, for happiness is from within and not from without. This he never understood; and could not do so, for so fondly he had expected happiness from his position as a master of the world and from the idea of having everything on Earth yield service to him, that he could not turn his mind from them. Repeatedly have sages reiterated, the truth of Happiness cannot be sought, cannot be found in other places than within ourselves. Even that Savior Jesus, the great Jesus has spoken to them the self-same truth and told them that in the stillness of solitude they should listen to the still small voice that at random speaks and that they would surely find the thing they sought for.

    But the time was not come, they would not draw their attention to the fact until at last they had found that the happiness they dreamt of was yet receding, illusive like the horizon. Sybil-like, the happiness yet sank far away. They saw this at last and when the East sent its ancient philosophy amidst the-thus-bewildered westerners, it is not curious that they should at last return from their wild goose chase and ask where then is happiness! Where then is that still small voice about which our Savior had spoken nineteen centuries ago? How can we gain that?

    Yes! Dear brother of the west and may I venture to say redeemed prodigal who has wasted his substance and returned home repentant. The bliss which you are seeking is even now with you and within you. Turn your thoughts inward and bend your energies inward. In short a communion with yourself, is the surest way to real happiness.

    You will perhaps now say that such words often been heard and they are vague and seem to be meaningless. You will like to be shown the way to attain that happiness.

    This leads to an explanation of meditation and how it is to be done. Meditation is deep fixed thinking of an object that you have chosen. It is to the mind what light and air are to the plants. If we would know mind we need only to desire, desire and desire. The intensity of desire is not needed to induce mind to answer our desire, but to induce us to put aside our false conception concerning Mind, and our capacity for understanding Mind. There is nothing in the universe that can step in between Mind and the Soul which desire to enter into communion with it. The deep thinking is preceded to enter into communion with it. The deep thinking is preceded by concentration. You withdraw yourself from all extraneous influence and fix your attention upon a chosen object. There are some methods for thus withdrawing from the external world. One is what given below.

    Seek a solitary place for your practice of Meditation, or at least a place much retired from public bustle and activity. Then according to some schools certain postures are prescribed. But the natural posture of lying down seems to be without danger of provoking certain psychic centers into alarming activity. Then breathe slowly in and out with interval. You must have some object for meditation. Subjects are chosen according to each person's like and turn of mind. Save virtue, if the person has more powers to conceive of material objects, the figure of the Lord must be conceived. He must concentrate upon this when he has attained perfect ease in his posture and breath goes in and out without his noticing it. This concentration deepens gradually into with higher consciousness. It is in this state of communion that sages have experienced Happiness.