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Meditation |
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The Physical WorldWhen we are born we don't have the ability to operate in this world. We can't use our body, we can't communicate, we don't know how to do math and we certainly don't understand advanced topics like relationships or quantum mechanics. All of these things have to be learned. As we learn, we pick up ideas about who we are and about our role in society. We learn to like some things and dislike others. In short, we become an aggregate of ideas. Those ideas are useful to us because they allow us to operate in the world. But those ideas also separate us from what we really are. The world is largely physical. It is perceived through the senses, analyzed through thought and felt through emotion. We remember our experiences through memory and anticipate what will happen in the future through projection. All of this is experienced as now. Unfortunately, the ideas that we pick up in this world bind us to the things of this world. Some of these things we may be attached to, we want to have them. Other things we are repulsed by, we want to avoid these things. When we don't get the things that we want, and do get the things that we don't want, we find great unhappiness and suffering. Meditation is a useful tool for ending this unhappiness because in meditation we learn to control our mind. We learn that our suffering is coming from our attachment to the things of the physical world. And we learn to touch dimensions of perception beyond the physical world that contain great happiness and stillness.
The Astral and The Planes of LightThere are modes of perception beyond the physical senses. Each human being has an energy body. The outer surface of this energy body is called the aura. The energy body doesn't exist in the physical universe; it exists in the astral universe. We feel the thoughts and feelings of others through our aura. We are particularly receptive to those whom we are in close contact with either physically or emotionally. 90% of what we think and feel comes from those around us. So when we start to meditate and still our own thoughts we will become more sensitive to the impressions that we get from others. We need to learn to block out the thoughts of others so that we can feel who we are. Learning to build our psychic defenses will be the subject of another document. Beyond the physical and the astral universes are the planes of light. These are dimensions where thought doesn't exist. We can only perceive them when we stop our thoughts. Rama felt that there are 3 different categories of energy that come from the planes of light; power, heart and wisdom. Power, Spiritual Balance and WisdomRama believed that there are 3 primary categories of energy that can be accessed in the planes of light: power, spiritual balance and wisdom. Power is associated with our ability to live, our ability to create life and our ability to accomplish tasks and overcome obstacles. Wisdom is our ability to see the correct thing to do in a given instance. Spiritual balance is associated with heart, love, compassion, happiness and beauty. We need all 3 types of energy to be happy and successful in life. Power without wisdom causes a person to dominate and crush others with their desires. Wisdom without power cannot accomplish its goals. Spiritual balance is the ability to maitain an equilibrium between power and wisdom. While there are many ways to gain these types of energy, meditation is the most direct because it allows us to access the energy at its source, the planes of light. The problem is that it is difficult for us as individuals to find the planes of light. Words can be used to describe them, but the words are a pointer. When we meditated with Rama he could access them directly and we could then focus on his aura and feel them. You may have a similar experience today by meditating on a picture of Rama. Within our energy body there are doorways that can be used for touching the planes of light. These doorways are called chakras. The Chakras and The Energy BodyInside the energy body is a network of fibers. Where those fibers join is called a chakra. There are many chakras in the energy body but there are 7 primary ones located along our central axis that Rama recommended for meditation. Each of the chakras is associated with a particular type of energy. The first 3 chakras are located along the spine; the first is at the base, the second at the level of the sex organs and the third is a little below the navel. These three chakras are associated with personal power. Rama recommended meditating on the navel center as a means of building our personal power. The next two chakras are located along the spine at the heart and throat. These two chakras are associated with balance, love, compassion and beauty. Rama recommended meditating on the heart center which is in the center of the chest at the level of the heart. A good way to find it is to say "Me" and point to yourself. The last two chakras are the third eye which is between the eyebrows and a little above and the crown chakra which is slightly above the top of the head. These are associated with wisdom. Rama recommended meditating on the third eye. Meditating on chakras allows you to access energy from the planes of light. However, in the beginning the chakras are closed. They may not open and allow you to access this energy for some time. So we need a boost during the beginning stages of meditation and to help us in this very crowded age. Rama felt that music could provide that boost. Meditation MusicRama utilized music extensively for meditation. He felt that it served the dual purpose of blocking out noises from the outside world and providing an object to meditate upon. In general Rama had very eclectic music tastes; however, for meditation he preferred instrumental and electronic music that didn't have words because words tend to promote thinking. Rama also produced his own group, Zazen Music. Zazen produced over 17 albums, however, the Enlightenment and Canyons of Light album's were created especially for beginners. The energy of the music on these album's is very pure. Rama has associated the music directly with the planes of light and the chakras. So when we sit and listen to this music, applying our full concentration, it is like we are sitting with an enlightened teacher. The Enlightenment and Canyons of Light album's each contain 15 songs about 4 minutes long so the complete album can be used for a 1 hour meditation. If we're meditating for less time we can use an appropriate number of songs. The Enlightenment album is intended for morning meditations and the Canyons of Light album is intended for evening meditations. The first 5 songs on each album are associated with the naval chakra, the next 5 are associated with the heart chakra and the last 5 are associated with the third eye. So the music and the chakras are two components of meditation. Let's explore how to put this together. How to MeditateBefore we meditate it's a good idea to take a shower, or at least wash our face and hands. The water neutralizes any energy that we picked up. When we meditate we don't want to be hungry, but don't eat too much either. And maybe a little coffee if it helps you to be alert. It's a good idea to turn off you phone because people always seem to call when you're having a good meditation. When you meditate it's good to sit in a cross legged position. If not, sit in a chair. But sit up upright, don't lay down because it's too easy to relax when we lay down. In meditation we want to be very alert so that we can focus on the object of concentration. Your back should be straight but relaxed. We want to focus on the music. If thoughts come into the mind, don't fight them. Just redirect the focus back to the music. Enjoy the process. Zazen means to sit in silence and be aware. Experiences should be ignored. The music may be a distraction in the beginning. But listening to it is like sitting with enlightenment. As we become comfortable with this then focus a part of our mind on the chakra. Just feel the area lightly. In the beginning hold two fingers in the area of the chakra to help you hold your attention there. In the beginning, it's good to start with 20 minutes of meditation in the evening. Over time you want to work your way up to an hour in the morning and an hour in the evening. It's not necessary to meditate for longer than that. It's better to improve the quality of concentration then the length of time. When you're done meditating we always bow and dedicate the meditation to enlightenment. And never judge or analyze a meditation. By meditating in the morning we set up a better day. This recharges our energy and clears our mind of any negative thoughts that we picked up when we were sleeping. During the day, it's important to be mindful of our thoughts. Realize that most thoughts aren't our own and bounce them out. Then in the evening when we get home we meditate again. This will blow out the energy that we picked up during the day. Meditation is about stilling and eventually stopping this chain of thoughts that is continuously reinforcing the self-limiting and self-destructive tendencies that we have been taught by the world. It's about overcoming the ideas that we have formed and becoming conscious of who we really are. When we meditate we get in touch with the deeper parts of ourselves. When we silence our thoughts we move our awareness from the ideas of this physical world to other perceptions. It's easy sometimes to get frustrated with the thoughts that come into our minds. Always remember that the key to success in meditation is to enjoy it. So it's important to let go for any frustration that you feel. Ideally we want to meditate with an enlightened teacher as often as we can. The music was designed to represent the planes that an enlightened teacher would normally open for us. When we meditate with the enlightened teacher we would normally be able to feel these planes of light during meditation. The music allows us to touch those planes at home. Nirvana and enlightenment exist. The things of this world come and go. Always be positive and ignore those who aren't.
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