To know meditation, we must first understand the mind. What is mind?

It can only be revealed to you by someone who has fully realised it.

Life and death are in the mind and nowhere else. Mind is the basis of all experiences - the creator of happiness and the creator of suffering, the creator of life and death.

There is first the mind that is dualistic and functions in relation to an external condition. This mind is full of mental modifications it thinks, manipulates, likes, dislikes, it is the result of influences and conditioning.

Then there is the innermost essence of the mind, which is the same as the innermost essence of yourself. This is untouched and unchangeable. To realise this nature of the mind is also to realise the nature of all things.

Christians and Jesus call it 'God', Hindus call it the Self, Shiva, Brahman, the Sufi mystics name it the Hidden essence, and the Buddhist, call it Buddha nature.

At the centre of all religions is the certainty that there is this fundamental truth and this life given to us is a sacred opportunity to realise it.

Our enlightened mind is enclosed within the walls of our ordinary mind. And when we are able reach that mind, it is as if the vase shatters, the space 'inside' merges instantly into the space 'outside'.

They become one. Our true nature is like the sky, and the confused mind the clouds. Remember the clouds are not the sky and do not "belong" to it.

Why is it that people are unable to fathom the true nature of the mind? Because of the following reasons - inability to understand or a reluctance to understand why the mind says what it says, pure laziness to go beyond the superficial nature of the mind, cynicism believing it is impossible for any of us to get enlightened. The same narrow surface mind telling us not to believe. Despite this we do sometimes glimpse the true nature of the mind. And this could happen in the seeing, the beauty of nature, a blue sky, the smile of a small baby. Such moments can be blissful.

And during these moments the mind is tied completely to the vision and forgets all else. Lets look into the mind and reach that level, which give us these moments of pure bliss. Why cannot we extend these moments, and make our nature blissful? Because we have always looked at our minds as on the surface, not deep within. Understanding our own mind is the key. The real God wants an innocent mind, a complete human being who is capable of feeling intense feeling, capable of seeing and feeling the beauty of a flower, the smile of a child and also the agony of the sick. A sensitivity which is not a flitting emotion that comes and goes, but a complete certainty, a complete feeling of love that is not the outcome of pleasure or desire, of a "must" and a "must not".

To find out what this feeling of Love is, die to your past, to all emotions, the good and bad. And live each moment anew. Just observe without thought. Without giving names to your feelings, then you will find that you are one with what you see. There is then no observer, no thinker, and no centre from which you are looking out.

The mind is actually eternally pure and true. All the mystical tradition of the world have promised you this and it has been fulfilled and is being fulfilled in thousands of human lives.

And this truth is not something terribly complicated, it is in fact only common sense and When you realise the actual nature of the mind, you stop being deluded. And there is no drama in being introduced to the nature of your mind, in the end to delusions there are no extraordinary visions that you see. It simply happens. Do not get obsessed with theories and logic and extraordinary experiences. Simply look in.


How do we do this? What is the quickest and best way to reach there? The first step is meditation. It is meditation that purifies the mind, removes its layers of illusions and delusions so that we may ultimately recognize who we really are. You may be able to glimpse this briefly on a true masters touch(shaktipat)but this is only temporary, it is only through meditation, and its practice that you can undertake the journey to discover your real nature. And make that brief experience - a life time one-a master can only guide you, show you the path but you must travel on it yourself not on his/her shoulders. Meditation is the road to enlightenment -is the road to Dhyana - a state of constant awareness

Meditation is the greatest gift you can give yourself.

Our lives are lived in a swirl of activity, very often, we are anxious, insecure, obsessed with achievement and almost always preoccupied. Meditation is the opposite of this. To be in a meditative state is to be in a state which is free from all his, it contains neither fear nor hope, neither a feeling of security nor that of insecurity. It is a state of total equanimity. Would it not have been wonderful if we were trained in meditation too, from childhood as we were trained into feeling and reacting in certain ways or we train ourselves to achieve. How much easier it would have been to deal with life if meditation were an intrinsic part of it. Approach meditation with a dedication just as a dancer learns to dance, a musician to play an instrument, a businessman learns to do business.

Meditation can be a way of bringing temporary relief, or becoming a way of life where the meditative mind is with you through out the day. Motivation and dedication are the keys that shall make your meditation truly powerful.

All of meditation practice consists of three major principles-

1. To turn your mind inwards-not focussed on external objects or emotions-when the mind turns inwards it looks on to nothing.

2. To achieve the first you must release your mind from thought and emotions. Let the thoughts run through do not ponder over them, just watch your thoughts as the flitting clouds across the sky.

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