Pondering over oneself or the pursuit of finding out the truth about one’s ‘real’ self,
is the basic step in meditation, as it is the preliminary stage in the process of purification, says VILOO H. ADAJANIA.
The world today is pursuing to find happiness in life. We are groping in darkness searching for Light. We have no clue as to which way to turn, what course to adopt, and how to move towards a better state of life. Meditation comes to us as a practical guide on how well we can reorganise, refine and shape our inner ways of thinking, feeling and acting in our everyday life so that we go nearer to a state of peace and contentment.
Meditation is, in fact, the main step on the Path of Evolution. It helps us to develop an evolved state of consciousness which transforms our inner-selves. Let us first try to understand what meditation is and how it helps development of the mental and spiritual faculties of the meditator.
Meditation is, to put it simply, shifting the attention to the inner-self that is, fathoming the neglected, suppressed and unexplored realms of the inner world of our consciousness. Until you can see into your own heart, you cannot expect to see into the heart of Reality in meditation at its higher stages. If one has to understand and solve one’s problems of human relationships (which culminate into social issues), each one has to first attempt to understand himself. Understanding oneself is the important step up the ladder of meditation. Let us see how we do it.
You will begin to meditate or ponder over yourself only if you have the keen desire to understand the truth about yourself. Nothing about your emotions and thoughts must be suppressed or hidden. Self-awareness is necessary. The sub-conscious content must be as clear as the conscious content.
Then we must go further than self-awareness. We should investigate and ask why are we feeling these emotions and thinking these thoughts.
This entails proper understanding of the self by inquiring if the movement of such thoughts can come to an end. Only then can there be virtue and only then can there be healthy human relationships. So, the whole self-centred structure of the ‘self’ which creates so much mischief in the world, which makes a mess of life and which divides people, needs to be carefully observed.
First and foremost, one has to observe his own thoughts objectively if he is confronted with a relationship problem, for there is tremendous disorder in our world of thought. At this stage, as he watches his own thoughts, he will want to correct himself and say, “This is good, that is bad, I must do this and not that.” When he sees himself thus, his approach is one of condemnation or justification. But this approach is only going to distort what he sees.
Whereas, if he watches his thoughts purely, impersonally, like a neutral spectator as if an unconnected third person is watching it unbiasedly, not looking for an answer to solve it, but passively watching it, listening to it without judgement, without condemnation or acceptance, with absolute freedom (that is, when the mind or the consciousness is not controlled by either authority, traditions, dogmas, opinions, or a sense of dependency), then what does he perceive?
He finds that there is a radical change taking place in him. In his keen silent observation, there is discovery. His approach dictates the resolution of his problems. In his very approach is the beginning of intelligence which is the quality of the mind that sees instantly the truth of phenomena (“what actually is”). Intelligence here does not mean cleverness (“chalaki” of the mind) or reasoning or book knowledge or experience. Intelligence in this context means “an awakening of understanding of what is”, the happening of which is beyond the realm of thought.
That is, the meditator immediately gets full ‘insight’ into his wrong pattern of thoughts which is causing his problems. Then confusion and conflict in his mind untangle. As harmony is restored in the meditator, right action follows at once.
Meditation makes you aware that you are bound by your conditioning – wrong ways of thinking and believing – which has been going on for generations and which you yourself have to modify, refine and polish.
The soul-wisdom unfolded through meditation is like a gentle breeze that brushes away the dust of illusions gathered on the mirror of the mind and makes it free to receive spiritual insights. Krishnamurti says, “Meditation is something not separate from daily life.”
Its regular practice helps develop ‘meditative quality of the mind’ which steadily dissolves the self-centred and divisive structure of the self. He starts living life with a heightened sense of perception Then order comes; the noise and chaos which are the background of his consciousness die out and his mind becomes generally silent. He gets focussed on the present moment which has the power to liberate him from the shackles of his past failures and undue anxiety about the future. Thought then arises for some genuinely valid purpose and then stops until needed again.
A man who lives with the mind which is ‘empty’ (free of rubbish heap) and ‘still’ (that is, it has become still naturally and not through compulsion), is also creative. It can create something new – new insight, new solutions. Such a creative mind is a truly religious mind as Krishnamurti says, which can solve the problems of the world. But do we have the will to make conscious effort to live a better nobler life? This is a question that merits soul-searching.
In sum, this pursuit of meditation or this pursuit of finding out the truth of one’s ‘real’ self, is the second birth of oneself. It is the basic step helpful in the long pilgrimage of evolution of a human being. And yet, this state need not be considered very high above the reach of a human being and unachievable.
Though it is the preliminary stage in the process of purification, it can ultimately lead to illumination after long advanced meditative exercises, when the meditator discovers and realises the Supreme Self within.
Having advanced a few steps on the Path of Evolution, you are obliged to uplift the weaker and help increase their potentialities. When you choose to work selflessly in carrying out God’s Design for Evolution of mankind (the Divine Plan), you become co-workers in this cosmic task. Helpfulness in whatever way, has to become a constant attitude in yourself. Feeding a soul with the bread of Divine
Knowledge is something that relatively few can do in today’s world. One must help others to make them better understand life’s challenges and purpose. In other words, we aim at transformation through meditation, in order to be of help to humanity and not just to personally enjoy its results.
As Prof. Rege had said during the International Theosophical Convention in 1990, “You cannot pursue spiritual liberation in isolation from social ethics and social responsibilities. Each is a necessary support to the other because when life is attuned to a sense of moral obligation, then transformation of the individual and change in the social set-up can be there simultaneously.”
But this requires tremendous self-sacrifice and social service, personal integrity and a strong conscience. Nevertheless, it is worth the effort you take, for you are preparing yourself for a divine cause.
