Meditation is that part of our human action that puts us in tune with higher realities. So we, at the Los Angeles Sri Chinmoy Centre, believe that meditation is something perfectly natural and worthy of sharing with anyone who sincerely seeks to go beyond the present achievement and fulfillment in life. Meditation can and does inspire, energize, encourage, and widen ones vision; it simplifies what needs to be simplified, lightens what needs to be lightened, and, given a due time of dedicated practice, harmonizes what needs to be harmonized in ones existence.
We, usually, enter the world of meditation as we sense a lack of some basic joy or fulfilment that we feel should be present in our lives as granted. As Sri Chinmoy says:
“We meditate because this world of ours has not been able to fulfil us. The so-called peace that we feel in our day-to-day life is five minues of peace after ten hours of anxiety, worry and frustration… It is only through meditation that we can get lasting peace, divine peace… We need meditation because we want to grow in light and fulfil ourselves in light. If this is our aspiration, if this is our thirst, then meditation is the only way.”
Although various traditions have developed different outer ways of practicing or entering into meditation, there still is a single, unifying theme: a peaceful and quiet mind. It seems that without quieting down the buzz of our trivial, daily thoughts, nothing inner can be achieved. So meditation often starts, for both beginners and experienced seekers, with a set of breathing and concentration exercises that will help calm the mind.
However, this same quiet mind may not necessarily have a central place in meditation at all. We also have the heart, the very special part of us that feels loving oneness with the rest of the world. In meditation, the heart gets all importance as a secure place to concentrate, expand and connect our outer selves with our own higher and deeper inner realities.
Meditation can be tried out for just a short while. It can be taken as a sweet hobby. It may become an important and constant presence in our life. It can become our life’s supreme choice. As our inner hunger increases, we may discover that meditation can respond to any new challenge that we might face, help us climb over cherished heights of our past and present, and carry us into what lies beyond.
For further reading we refer you to Sri Chinmoy’s own words on the vast subject on meditation.
Sri Chinmoy’s writings on meditation.
© Sri Chinmoy Centre 2012
