GUIDED MEDITATION:

 1. MEDITATION WITH FORM     

 2. SOME GUIDANCES FOR MEDITATION (SEE BELOW)
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GUIDED MEDITATION:

SIMPLE AND EASY STEPS FOR REGULAR PRACTICE OF MEDITATION:

Meditation is the key to Peace, Knowledge and Eternal Joy. In this world of stress and turmoil we need to find a remedy to over come them. The actual remedy is to sit quietly in a quite place and do meditation with japa for at least 10 minutes twice a day.

1. MEDITATION WITH FORM:

STEP-1: FIXING A PLACE:
An ideal place for mediation is shrine room. If it is not there find a place in our house suitable for meditation. It should be kept neat and clean with an atmosphere for meditation.

STEP-2: ARRANGEMENT FOR MEDITATION:

a) An Asana [sitting Carpet] has to be kept for sitting in Mediation. Even a thick towel two folded will serve the purpose. If it is a cold place you have to use asana made of wool over cotton seat. Your sitting should be comfortable.

b) You need a good photo of your Chosen Deity [ Ishta Devata] to be kept in front of you before you sit for meditation.

c) You may keep a packet of incense sticks or camphor to burn before you start your meditation.

STEP-3: PRACTICE OF MEDITATION:
a) Before you sit for meditation in the early morning you finish your ablution etc.and take some water.

b) Facing East or North sit erect at ease keeping the back bone, neck and head in a straight line on the asana in half Padmasana [That is placing the right foot on the left thigh]. It is an ideal and natural position for meditation]. There is no harm the other way when you feel the need of a change].

c) Burn camphor or incense stick(s) to the Deity if you prefer to do.

d) Take a few deep breaths without holding the breath within or without. Do not strain yourself. Imagine that you are inhaling all the blessed divine qualities like devotion, virtue, strength etc. while you breathe in and exhaling all bad qualities like passions, anger, jealousy, enmity etc. while you breathe out.

e) Then steadily look at the form of the Deity from feet to head for a few minutes. Pray to him to bestow on you faith, devotion, knowledge etc.

f) Now close your eyes and try to visualize the form of the Chosen Deity. Think that He/She is sitting on a lotus facing [Please see below different Chosen Deities with respective mantras] the same direction as you are. While the lotus represents individual soul [Jivatma] the Chosen Deity represents Paramatma, the Supreme or Universal Soul. Also think that the Deity is looking at you with smile and full of grace to bestow you prayers. Pray to the Deity for faith, devotion, knowledge etc.

g) Then do meditation with japa [repeating the mantra of the Deity] in the centre of your consciousness as it is the point of contact between the Deity and your soul. While you are deeply concentrating on the form of the Deity from feet to head, you also mentally repeat the ‘Mantra of the Deity’. It is necessary to keep count 108 of the japa that you do either by using your fingers or a rosary consisting of 54 or 108 beads. It is natural that other thoughts may arise and drive your mind away from the object of your Meditation. Every time you have to draw back your mind to the Deity. At the end you can also do pure meditation without japa.

IMPORTANT POINTS:

1) REGARDING MANTRA:
Mantra of any God/Goddess received from a competent Guru [Spiritual Teacher] is more effective. It is said that "a Mantra is a divine force in sound-form only when transmitted by an Authentic Teacher[Guru] representing a spiritual tradition. Learning it from books, pamphlets etc is meaningless."

2) ATTITUDE TOWARDS GOD:
God is our own.Our relationship with God is eternal. One has to love God with an attitude[Bhava]. "In order to realise God one must assume one of these attitudes".

a) Santa - The serene attitude

b) Dasya - The attitude of a servant towards his Master.

c) Sakhya - The attitude of a friendship.

d) Vatsalya- The attitude of a mother towards her child

e) Madhur - The attitude of a women towards her paramour.

So one can have one or more of the attitudes to make quick spiritual progress.

3)* In Buddhist Meditation one has to think oneselt as Buddha, the enlightened.

4) If you do not feel inclined to think of the form concentrate on the Mantra. The Mantra is  the Deity in sound form. Think of God as a presence pervaded every thing and think of yourself as a part that  pervading presence.

h) In the beginning you should not strain yourself. Do your spiritual practice for 10 to 15 minutes. Gradually you can increase the duration of your meditation. If you do meditation for long time then lie down on the bed and relax for a while.

STEP-4: OFFERING THE FRUITS OF MEDITATION:
Finally when your Japa and meditation are over you offer your Japa, body, mind and soul to the Deity, praying: “O Lord! Be gracious to accept my Japa, body,mind and soul and forgive all my short comings and give me devotion at your feet. May I always remember you, especially at the time of leaving my mortal body and the world; Kindly you come and lead me to your Abode of Bliss.”

STEP-5: AFTER THE MEDITATION:
If time is available, after the meditation you can read religious books like the Bhagavat Gita, the Bible etc., and recite devotional songs hymn etc., of your choice. Try to keep your spiritual mood without diverting it to worldly matters.                 

2. GUIDANCES FOR MEDITATION:

i) NEED AND IMPORTANCE OF MEDITATION:     

     Meditation is the soul of spiritual life. It is a direct means and method by which one discovers the essential divinity of one’s own being. Meditation helps to bring about integration of Personality. It gives a higher orientation to our three faculties- thinking, willing and feeling. It calms the mind, brings self–composure.

    Further it enables one to concentrate one’s mental powers on a chosen ideal or object of meditation. Ultimately by regular practice of meditation one attains spiritual Beatitude and eternal Peace.

   Thus Swami Vivekananda says:“The greatest help to spiritual life is meditation. In meditation we divest ourselves of all material conditions and feel our divine nature. We do not depend upon any external help in meditation”.

                                  

 SWAMI VIVEKANANDA 

Swami Vivekananda's Suggestion for Meditation: 

ii) A Separate Room for Meditation:

   ‘Those of you who can afford it will do better to have a room for this practice alone. Do not sleep in that room; it must be kept holy. You must not enter that room until you have bathed, and are perfectly clean in body and mind. Place flowers in that room always; they are the best surrounding for a yogi; also pictures that are pleasing. Burn incense morning and evening. Have no quarreling, nor anger, nor unholy thought in that room. Only allow those persons to enter it who are of the same thought as you.Then gradually there will be an atmosphere of holiness in the room, so that when you are miserable, sorrowful, doubtful, or your mind is disturbed, the very fact of entering that room will make you calm…… The idea is that by keeping holy vibrations there the place becomes and remains illumined. Those who cannot afford to have a room set can practise any where they like’.

iii) SRI KRISHNA'S PRESCRIBTION IN BHAGAVAT GITA:

    "Having set in a clean place his firm seat, neither too high nor too low, covered with sacred grass, a deerskin, and a cloth, one over the other; there taking his place on the seat, making his mind one-pointed and controlling his thought and sense, let him practise yoga for the purification of the soul. Holding the body, head, and the neck erect and still, looking fixedly at the tip of his nose, without looking around, serene and fearless, firm in the vow of celibacy, subdued in mind, let him sit, harmonized, his mind turned to Me and intent on Me alone". [ VI.11-14]