 106. Meditation |
They should be held up, grasped lightly, but the focus on the words and the meaning of the statement of spiritual purpose which has been chosen should be retained. As the mind is flooded with fragments of the unconscious mental activity, one may become conscious of what might be called guidance. This is especially true when prayer is substituted for discipline of the body, the conscious and unconscious mind. Such guidance coming as impression, hunches, even a voice, must be understood for what it really is. The unconscious need not be considered omniscient.
If one is taking only the mental activity based on suppression as the basis for guidance, it can be very self-centered and egotistical, when silence and light are ignored. "God's will" for such persons can be as twisted as the guidance of the medieval monk who led the Children's Crusade. Gradually there will come a quieting of the body. The day will arrive when if asked suddenly to move a foot or a hand, it will be impossible to do so, for one would simply not know where it was. The conscious mind will have grown quiet; the pictures and scenes from the unconscious will have stopped flickering against the wall of the mind. At this point, an individual is ready to begin deeper meditation. Longer periods then will be both possible and rewarding. Cycles of activity of the body, the conscious mind, and the unconscious will be repeated. They will remain quiet for periods and then move again with renewed activity. Each time they must be quieted, not by force, nor by pressure, but by simply returning attention to the affirmation. This is a process of releasing by focusing consciousness. As one approaches the point of stillness, there will be a better understanding of "Be still, and know that I am God." -Ps. 46:10. At this point of stillness, there will be light. For some this will be a tiny point of brilliant white light. For others it will be a golden speck or a tiny ball. For others it may be a warm, enveloping, penetrating flow of light. Consciousness, at this point, can be moved to the light. At this instant, there will be a knowing, an awareness, which cannot be described, for the meaning is different for every man. Symbolically, as Jesus may have been explaining in His famous parable, the prodigal son of man's consciousness which has been lost in matter proclaims at this point, "I will return to my Father." What is to be gained through persistently pursing the simple discipline of body and mind as outlined above? This light may not come in a day or in a week or in a month. For some it may mean years of work. However, the immediate gains will be many and different for various individuals, according to their needs, their purposes, their development. For some there will come an inner peace arising from release of tension. The quietness achieved, gradually, for mind and body, will begin to show in the daily thought, word, and action. There will come for some a growing sense of balance and poise. Control will seem to come more from within, rather than from without. For others mental activity, such as memory, reason, concentration, may improve noticeably. Creative activity may be extended. Psychic sensitivity may increase. Dreams will become clearer; hunches and intuitive flashes will be more frequent. There will be a greater awareness of the mental and emotional state of others. This kind of "knowing" must not be exploited for selfish ends, either to take advantage or to show authority. Entrance into the unconscious through this doorway makes exacting and challenging demands on an individual. Thought it is hard for a Westerner to grasp the full meaning, it is possible to say with the Chinese:
"To concentrate the seed-flower of the human body above the eyes, that is the great key of the human body. Children, take heed! If for a day you do not practice meditation, this Light streams out, who knows whither? If you only meditate for a quarter of an hour, you can set ten thousand aeons and a thousand births at rest. All methods take their source in quietness. This marvelous magic cannot be fathomed."
