By Victor M Fontane
The Vedanta method of meditation.
Krishna told Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita: “Yes, the mind is difficult to control, specially when it comes to meditation”, so Ashoka gives us ten points.
1. Regularity. Meditation is not something to do once in a while but a regular daily practice if you want to train the mind to achieve transcendental experiences. Meditation can be and should be done all the time and everywhere.
2. Time. Meditation should be done always at the same time of the day. Best is at sunrise or sunset and also midnight. This way the mind create a habit to do it every day at the same time, like spiritual food for the mind.
3. Place. Have a special place or corner in the house for meditation or Poojah where you are isolated, having a mat to sit, only you use it so the mind can be concentrated.
4. Thoughts. Don’t struggle with the negative or positive thoughts arises in the mind, don’t feed the thoughts or get disturbed by them, let them go. Rather concentrate on the object of meditation like breathing, a candle, Krisna, Buddha, Jesus, God, etc. Concentrate on that and let the thoughts pass by as the mind is only able the focus on one thought at a time.
5. Associations. Avoid associations of people, places, things which disturb your mind. Even others commentaries that praises or criticize us, don’t pay attention what others says about us. Be careful of the persons you are mingle with.
6. Asceticism. Asha Ranji says that practice of asceticism simplify your life. Meditation is help by simplicity. The less you posses the less distractions you have. A part or the mind is always in the possession like the cellphone. Turn it off when meditating,
7. Attitude. Go into meditation with complete detachment from the world. Everything else than you disappear, go to meditation with the feeling of eternity that there is not past, present or future. There is no birth, no death, just you and the object of meditation.
8. Yearning for God. The heart must cry for God. The purpose of meditation or is meant for self-knowledge or for God realization, enlightenment, great yearning for truth, central aim of meditation in all religions, not for all kind of new inventions like stress management, peace of mind, prosperity, boost immune system, etc. Although it helps is not the real purpose.
9. Connection to God. Other than and after meditation, all we do on our regular and ordinary life we should try to connect it to God. Doing things for the sake of God and mentally offering it to God, except wrong doing. Doing this makes meditation very powerful.
10. Meeting people spiritually advance. Is very powerful and a blessing meeting very spiritually advance people. They can transmit the teachings and practices better as they live God all the time.
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