The Hindu : Miscellaneous / Religion : Types of meditation

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Apr 06, 2004

Miscellaneous

Miscellaneous - Religion

Types of meditation

CHENNAI, APRIL 6 . The various spiritual practices described in the scriptures have been recommended with the purpose of enabling the mind to develop the quality of meditation, which is single-pointed attention on the Supreme and devotion to Him. They can be broadly classed as: meditation on the divine sports of the Almighty in His incarnations; on His inimitable qualities; on His divine forms; and contemplating on His infinite names. Hymns like the Vishnu Sahasranama are helpful in meditating on His benevolent traits while the lives of saints and scriptural texts like the epics and the Puranas are helpful to recall His sports, which are acts of His grace.

In his discourse, Swami Bodhamayananda said Lord Krishna had also outlined how a spiritual seeker should meditate and the result that would ensue. The Bhagavad Gita says, "He who with a mind steady and endowed with devotion and strength born of spiritual practice, fixes his entire life-force between the eyebrows at the time of death and contemplates on Him who is all-knowing, primeval, subtler than even an atom, one who sustains all, glorious like the sun and beyond all darkness of inertia and ignorance— he verily attains to that Supreme Being."

The Lord here stresses on the content of meditation. Anyone who has attempted to meditate will know how difficult it is to keep the mind steady without allowing it to wander. To attain one-pointed focus on the object of contemplation it will be helpful for the practitioner to read an inspiring book or a scriptural text so that the mind even if it strays from the objective will only think of spiritually related things.

Another point underscored here is the importance of remembering the Lord and focussing the mind on Him during the last moments of one's life. There are many interpretations to this but the significant point to be understood is that it is not possible for a person to contemplate on God while battling for life in a hospital or when the mind is disturbed by the afflictions of the body unless he has practised meditation throughout his life to the extent that it becomes a natural quality of his mind. Hence the emphasis here is starting this practice right from young age. Such a person will be able to withstand the pressures of life. While meditation will enable to restrain the sense organs and the mind, devotion that ensues will melt the ego and thereby prepare the seeker for realising God.

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