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In the modern world, the pace is fast and most people are
running after one thing or another. The work world has a competitive intensity
that pushes people to strive to improve their performance, until the stress
can become almost unbearable. Advertisements are ever sending out images
of success stories, of film stars, athletes and celebrities with more
fame, beauty and buying power than the rest of us. The latest cars, houses,
and other flashy goods are kept constantly before our eyes. So the consumer
society incites us to have more and more, rather than just to be. Too
often the symptoms of a distressed body are ignored, when in fact a calmer
lifestyle would be a great benefit to one's health.
Essentially all want to be happy, and free from sorrow.
Even when one is perfectly satisfied materially, there is nevertheless
often something lacking in one's life. To find what is missing and quench
the thirst of the spirit for peace and serenity, a discerning person may
start a search for inner peace and happiness that may ultimately lead
to the practice of meditation.
Most religions teach some form of meditation or prayer.
In India, many realised souls have taught the benefits of yogic meditation,
and its techniques have traveled across the world and are now practiced
in many different countries. People are eagerly taking to the practice
of meditation to better understand themselves and their world. Many yoga
centres and ashrams are welcoming seekers of all ages and backgrounds
to their meditation classes.
People long for meditation not in the same way they might
for the latest merchandise of the consumer society, but because they recognise
its intrinsic value and benefit. It brings peace of mind and soothes the
heart. In the beginning stages of meditation one observes the intense
play of the mind, and one wonders if it will ever become still. But with
regular practice the mind becomes peaceful, and one reaches a state of
inner silence and serenity. That silence points the way to yoga that is
the eventual cessation of the thought process, as well as the movement
towards communion with the spirit divine.
It is advised to practice meditation in the early hours
of the morning, mid-day and at dusk. Regular practice will ensure that
the body and mind are recharged with divine energy, and tension of body
and mind are gradually reduced. The regular practice of meditation can
help modern man to transform his whole being. The inner absorption helps
one to touch at times the source of one's being. Once established in the
practice, there is a continual process of letting go and inner surrender
to the Self.
In the following pages we have gathered teachings of
Revered Swami Sivananda Maharaj, Revered Swami Chidananda Maharaj, and
Revered Swami Krishnananda that will light the way to a greater understanding
of the process of meditation. The revered Mahatmas have practiced meditation
and realised the truth of the Upanishads concerning the nature of the
Self. They are sharing here the nectar of these teachings on meditation.
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