How to meditate - A New Hope for World Peace

We should first explain the principles of meditation as a whole. Some think of meditation as a miserable practice, as a kind of spiritual lesson or some kind of religious act or ascetiscim, but as a matter of fact meditation is a way to train the power of your mind and can be a good method to relax your mind and your body when you wish. One should learn to practise meditation skillfully in a sitting position; afterwards you may meditate in any position. However, if you sit to meditate, it should be a position appropriate to your physical body to help attain tranquility quickly, i.e. not to sit on the heels which fatigues you easily, not to sit leaning against a wall, which makes you absent-minded etc.

  1. The sitting position which has been found to be the most appropriate in helping to define the centre of gravity is to sit in a half-lotus position. Put your right leg on the left one, with the back stretched, you palm up and the tip of the right index finger touching that of the left thumb on your lap. Keep your consciousness steady and close your eyes softly and then relax every part of your body. Begin with the muscle of your face, neck, shoulders, chest, trunk, legs and arms. Make all parts of your body relaxed.

    Slowly take a deep breath of serenity, happiness, peace and joy into your body. Feel the movement. Feel the particles of happiness entering your body, relax your mind from every thought and continue maintaining your feeling of this state as long as you can.

  2. Close your eyes and stop thinking about things of the world. Slowly you will find that your mind travel from one idea to another and when it wanders, the ideas that the mind dwell upon will influence the feelings, emotions, and the state of happiness of the mind.

    Mediation means the way by which we control our mind and stop our thoughts from wandering. So the basis of all methods in meditation is to concentrate your mind upon one object or one idea and make the inherent quality of that object idea help your mind to enter a stage of success of satisfaction.

    We will use a crystal ball as an object to concentrate upon (it is easy to perceive with your eyes) and the word SAMMA ARAHAM which means the righest of highest state that a human can achieve, to lead your mind to happiness and calm.

  3. Now try to remember the shape and character of this crystal ball. Imprint it into the deepest part of your mind. Please notice its clearness, remember every proportion of the ball and close your eyes again and relax.

    Then slowly visualize the crystal ball floating before you. Make the size of the crystal ball equal to that of your eye or the tip of your little finger. Imagine that the crystal ball is floating in front of your nostril, right nostril for men and left for women. Visualize the crystal ball entering and moving inside your nostril. Let it stop when it reaches the bridge of your nose. Recite SAMMA ARAHAM three times.

  4. Now slowly move the crystal ball into the middle part of your head, to the roof of your mouth and to your throat. It moves slowly downwards like a bubble, floats downwards slowly, gently deep into your body to your navel.

    Feel that your body is an empty space with no organs, no brains, no bones or any tissues. It is a space filled with happiness and joy.

    Then move the crystal ball two fingers' width upward from your navel to the point called the centre of gravity. Let your mind be seated here in calm and silence, observe the clarity of the crystal ball and softly recite SAMMA ARAHAM without restlessness as before.

  5. The crystal ball will become brighter and brighter, clearer and clearer as if you see it with your own eyes. At this stage, you will later find the crystal ball sparkling and shinning like a diamond, called Pathamma-Magga (Primary Path), attached firmly to your mind which is seated at the centre of gravity. You will touch upon happiness and after continually gazing at its centre you will gradually see a succession of bodily sheaths until it reaches an ultimate one called DHAMMAKAYA which is the highest level of attainment of Supreme Happiness forever and ever.
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