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Paramhansa
Yogananda on Meditation
From
The
Essence of Self-Realization, Chapter Eighteen
By Paramhansa Yogananda
"The soul
loves to meditate, for in contact with the Spirit lies its greatest
joy. If, then, you experience mental resistance during meditation,
remember that reluctance to meditate comes from the ego; it doesn't
belong to the soul."
"The devotee
who makes the supreme effort is the one who finds God. Not the one
who keeps seeking excuses, saying, 'Let me find a quiet place; then
I'll meditate.' Procrastinators will never reach God. But if you
tell yourself, 'Right now I will go deep in meditation!' you can
be there in an instant.
"When a
person is really sleepy, can't he fall asleep anywhere? So is it
with the person who loves God. He can meditate even in a train station
or in the market place."
"One who
wants to be a concert pianist will practice at the piano twelve
hours a day. If, instead, his practice consists of pecking half-heartedly
at the keys for a few minutes every day, he'll never become any
good as a pianist.
"That's
how it is with the search for God. How can you expect to know Him
if you only half try?
"It is
very difficult to reach God. If even a concert pianist must work
hard to become successful in his profession, how much more earnestly
must the devotee 'work' at meditation in order to realize the Infinite!
"Here,
however, is an encouraging thought: Everyone who makes a sincere
effort on the spiritual path will surely reach his goal. You cannot
say that of worldly ambition. Not everyone can become a famous pianist,
no matter how hard he tries. For in every field there is room at
the top for very few. All men, however, can claim their sonship
equally with the Heavenly Father."
"To meditate
a short time with depth is better than to meditate for long hours
with the mind running wild.
"In the
beginning, therefore, don't force yourself to sit for a long time.
Strive for shorter, but deeper, meditations. Then gradually, as
you become accustomed to going deep, lengthen the time you sit in
meditation."
"Don't
feel badly if you find yourself too restless to meditate deeply.
Calmness will come in time, if you practice regularly. Just never
accept the thought that meditation is not for you. Remember, calmness
is your eternal, true nature."
"In meditation,
try to go beyond thinking. As long as thoughts enter the mind, you
are functioning on the conscious level.
"When dreaming,
you are in subconsciousness; then you are more aware in the astral
body.
"When your consciousness withdraws still more deeply, into
superconsciousness, then you are centered in bliss, in the spine.
In that bliss-state you are aware in the causal body, the soul."
A devotee was
having difficulty remaining awake during meditation. To him, Yogananda
made this suggestion: "Squeeze your eyes shut several times,
then open them wide and stare straight ahead. Repeat this practice
once or twice more. If you do this, sleepiness will cease to bother
you."
"While
meditating, don't concentrate on the results of meditation. Meditate,
rather, to please God. If you seek results, you will be disappointed
if they don't come.
"In the
Bhagavad Gita, Krishna counsels action without desire for the fruits
of action. Meditation, too, should be approached in this spirit.
"Meditate
without attachment to the fruits of meditation."
A disciple was
digging a cesspool at the Master's desert retreat. He kept on digging
all day long, without stopping to see how far he had come. That
evening, to his amazement, he found that he had dug a deep hole.
When Paramhansa
Yogananda saw what he had accomplished, he said approvingly, "That
is how the devotee must seek God-continually digging, digging, without
looking to see how far he has come. Then one day, suddenly, he will
find himself there!
"As Lahiri
Mahasaya used to tell his disciples, 'Banat, banat, ban jai!-doing,
doing, at last done!'"
"Where
motion ceases," the Master said, "God begins."
A disciple was
having difficulty with his meditations. He asked Sri Yogananda,
"Am I not trying hard enough?"
The Master answered,
"You are trying too hard. You are using too much will power.
It becomes nervous. Just be relaxed and natural.
"As long
as you try to meditate, you won't be able to, just as you can't
sleep so long as you will yourself to sleep. Will power should be
used gradually. Otherwise, it may become detrimental. That's why
it is better, in the beginning, to emphasize relaxation."
"Do not
get excited or impatient in your efforts to find God. Be wholehearted,
but not anxious about getting results. Be patient. Move toward your
divine goal ever calmly, with tranquillity."
"Meditate
more and more deeply, until calmness and joy become second nature
to you.
"To be ecstatic is not difficult. It is thinking that it is
difficult that holds you apart from it. Never think of divine joy
as distant from you, and it will be with you always."
Paramhansa Yogananda
told the monks, "Memorize my poem, Samadhi, and repeat it daily.
It will help to awaken within you that lost memory of what you are
in reality: sons of Infinity."
"Try to
feel, when walking out of doors, that everything around you is part
of your own expanded awareness.
"Behold
the leaves trembling on the trees, and try to feel their movement.
Imagine in that movement that God is expressing His thoughts and
inspirations.
"Watch
the meadow grasses as they wave in the wind. Imagine the breeze
as God's breath blowing over the world, inspiring all beings and
giving them life.
"Listen
to the birds singing. Feel that God, through their songs, is trying
to reach you with feelings of divine gladness.
"Be aware
of the sun's rays on your skin. Think of the heat you feel from
the sun as God's energy. Let it fill your body with vitality and
power. Imagine divine energy, through the sunlight, strengthening
creatures everywhere on earth."
"Master,"
said a disciple, "I am afraid to go breathless in meditation.
What can I do to overcome this limitation?"
"What you
are facing is a normal obstacle on the path," replied Yogananda.
"'False notion,' it is called. You are fearing something that,
to the soul, is perfectly natural: deep stillness within.
"Your mind
is like a bird that has been locked in a cage for many years. It
fears liberty. Yet, freedom is its birthright.
"Someone
opens the door to let the bird out. It may hop outside a short distance,
but then suddenly it thinks, 'Oh, this vast world!' Terrified, it
hops hurriedly back into its cage again.
"Gradually,
then, by repeated sorties, the bird becomes accustomed to being
outside its cage. Then at last, one day, it spreads its wings and
soars up into the sky, free at last! And why is it free? Quite simply,
because it has finally accepted freedom as its natural state.
"So it
is with the devotee when he first experiences soul-freedom. But
remember, as it is natural for the bird to fly up into the sky,
so is it natural for the soul to soar in omnipresence."
"Just behind
the darkness of closed eyes shines the light of God. When you behold
that light in meditation, hold onto it with devotional zeal. Feel
yourself inside it: That is where God dwells.
"If, on
the other hand, you behold no light in meditation, then concentrate
at the point between the eyebrows, and gaze deeply into the darkness
that you see with closed eyes. Try, by your devotion, to penetrate
that thick veil.
"In time
you will surely behold the inner light, for it is ever there, shining
in your forehead. Just as all human beings have eyes, so does everyone
have this spiritual eye within his forehead. It awaits only his
discovery in deep concentration within."
"A bent
spine is the enemy of realization. In meditation, always hold your
spine straight, that the life force may flow through it unobstructed.
"Next,
hold your attention fixed at the Christ center between the eyebrows.
The more deeply you concentrate at that point, the more you will
find your ego dissolving in superconsciousness."
"If you
want to be a Master in this lifetime," Yogananda told a disciple,
"then, along with your other meditation practices, practice
Hong-Sau* at least two hours a day.
"As a boy,
I used to practice Hong-Sau sometimes for seven hours at a time,
until I entered the breathless state of ecstasy."
"If you
eat your dinner and then run, you won't be able to enjoy what you've
eaten; you may only get indigestion. But if you rest afterwards,
you will find that this is the best time to enjoy the effects of
your meal.
"Follow
the same practice after finishing Kriya Yoga. Don't jump up immediately,
but sit still for a long time-as long as you can do so comfortably.
Pray to God deeply. Practice Bhakti Yoga, or devotion. Or watch
the flow of breath in the spine while practicing Hong-Sau. Or listen
to the inner sounds with open ears."
A disciple asked,
"How can intuition be developed?"
Yogananda: "The
best way is, every time you meditate, to sit calmly for a long time
after doing the techniques. It is during this period that you will
be able to deepen your awareness of God's presence within you. Go
ever deeper in your enjoyment of that presence.
"The longer
and more deeply you enjoy the peace within, the more quickly will
your intuition develop."
From The
Essence of Self-Realization, Chapter Eighteen
By Paramhansa Yogananda
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