Meditation or dhyan is a key part of Hindu life. Old sages and rishis used
to exercise meditation for years. Deep meditation enabled them to accomplish
the toughest task kin life. By dint rigorous meditation in adverse climate, the
sages often could satisfy the Gods and got boons from them.
It may not be possible for a layman to meditate for hours, not to speak of
years, but half an hour of meditation daily will do miracle for our body and
mind. Mediation makes our life more disciplined, and our mental or other
tensions will disappear once we start meditation on regular basis.
Indian Hindu Lord Buddha Meditation brings wisdom; lack of meditation
leaves ignorance. Know well what leads you forward and what hold you back, and
choose the path that leads to wisdom.” In fact meditation was considered an
essence of religion in Buddhism. Even today Buddhist monks practice meditation
on regular basis.
Buddha also said: The subject on which I meditate is truth. The practice to
which I devote myself is the truth. The topic of my conversation is truth. My
thoughts are always in truth. For lo! my self has become the truth.”
It is also said in Bhagavad Gita: “Better indeed is knowledge than
mechanical practice. Better than knowledge is meditation. But better still is
surrender of attachment to results, because there follows immediate peace.”
It is also said in our Vedas: There is one Supreme Ruler, the inmost Self of
all beings, who makes His one form manifold. Eternal happiness belongs to the
wise, who perceive Him within themselves - not to others.
Sikh Guru Nanak said: “As fragrance abides in the flower, As the reflection
is within the mirror, So doth thy Lord abide within thee, Why search Him
without?”
The sum and substance of these sayings is that our inner self is a potent
force for the realisation of God. When the inner self is awakened, we will
attain greater energy for us. And this inner self can be awakened by practising
deep and regular meditation.
Life style and meditation
In today’s mechanical life when our body is exerted too far due to all
mental pressure we are losing a fine
balance between physical and metal
exertion. Mentally we are going too far but at the same time we are losing
sight on our physical exercise. At this juncture it is important that we must
do meditation for a peaceful life.
At the end of the day when our body almost feel tired, a ten or 15 minutes
mediation will do wonder. We will feel not only refreshed and rejuvenated but
also all our tiredness will disappear and our mind will feel with new energy
and power.
My story: When I was in school and also in my early part of college
life, my father instructed me to do meditation for 45 minutes daily. I did it
usually in the evening time. My dad told me that the most ideal time for
meditation is after 2am in the night, when there is tranquility all around and
people around you are in deep slumber. Though it is not possible for a working
person like me or any other working person, but I still try and find some spare
time to go deep into meditation. While in meditation, you need to concentrate
your all energies into one focal point. The point is called the third eye
(between your eye brows). When all your focus is one point, gradually you tend
to forget about your surroundings and a process of gradual detachment comes
into play. You feel like moving into another world. Deep meditation energises
our brain and makes us more vigorous. The process of going deep into a stage of
trance is an electrifying one and throughout your body you will feel the impact
of it. However, for effective meditation concentration is very important.
Without concentration, meditation will not be as effective as it deems to
be.
Third Eye: The third eye is located around the middle of the
forehead, slightly above the junction of the eyebrows. Hindu tradition
associates the third eye with the chakra. Also, in the Tantra yoga system it is
associated with the sound Om, and is known as the Ajna chakra. In Tantra, the
crown is believed to be the Shivatic lotus of ten thousand petals. In Taoism
and many traditional Chinese religious sects third eye training involves
focusing attention on the point between the eyebrows with the eyes closed. The
goal of this training is to allow students to tune in to the correct
"vibration" of the universe and gain a solid foundation on which to
reach more advanced meditation levels.
Research: It's no secret that meditation can have powerful effects on
the mind and body. Recent research works have shown that even a short
meditation can help to energise the mind. In a study published recently in the
journal Psychological Science, it was shown that just five hours of meditation
instruction changed how the brain functions.
Researchers at the University of Wisconsin invited about 24 people to
participate in meditation training in exchange for free meditation instruction.
Both before and after the 5 week period, everyone took part in a brief 15
minutes of attempted focused attention meditation. They were told: "relax
with your eyes closed, and focus on the flow of your breath at the tip of your
nose; if a random thought arises, acknowledge the thought and then simply let
it go by gently bringing your attention back to the flow of your breath."
During meditation, people wore a cap full of electrodes, creating a picture of
their brain activity.
While they were in meditation billions of neurons in the brain communicate
by generating small electro-chemical signals. When probes from an instrument
that measures electrical energy are placed near a brain cell, a voltage change
can be registered whenever the neuron is active.
The researchers have found significant differences in brain functioning
during meditation.
So exercise regular meditation and make life live-worthy.
