Course in Meditation: Part 1

Swami Kriyananda
Video Transcript

I'd like to read a sentence from a book called Autobiography of a Yogi by Paramhansa
Yogananda.

“The trivial preoccupations of daily life do not satisfy our deepest needs. For
wisdom, too, man has a native hunger.” —Paramhansa Yogananda

I read this book in 1948, and I took the next bus from New York where I found it to Los Angeles
where I met Paramhansa Yogananda. I lived with him as a close disciple for the rest of his life.
I've been following his teachings all these 41 years. I learned from him an art that is little known
in the West, the art of meditation. I want to share what he taught me and what I've learned
from years of practice. I want to talk about meditation from a practical point of view and also
from a theoretical point of view. I want to mention, too, that meditation is, as the song that
began this series of classes implied.

Meditation is primarily a means of helping us know our higher or spiritual nature.

But people can use meditations in more abstract ways. They can think of it without devotion
and just practicing going into deeper inner silence if they wish. It helps to practice devotion. It
helps to feel that we're getting out of his little self and concentrating on our greater self, the
infinite self which is God. It helps to do that because if we have devotion then our minds can
automatically soar.

However, with or without devotion, wisdom is what we're seeking, awareness, a greater
consciousness that includes the broader realities of life and of that true life which is behind the
appearances that we see when we look around us with open eyes, an inner world, a world that
is your reality even if it isn't your present awareness of reality.

Common questions asked by individuals about meditation

What is meditation?

Meditation is a calm mind focused on the higher aspects of your own inner reality.
Concentration is being able to remove the mind from all objects of distraction and focus it one
pointedly on any particular object of attention. Meditation is focusing the concentrated mind
on God or one of his attributes or to put it more abstractly as I said on your own higher nature.

Is meditation mental blankness?

No, many people associate meditation with blankness. In fact, meditation is a very intense state
of awareness. You know that there have been times in your life almost certainly where you
have been so uplifted, so exalted perhaps, so completely aware that you didn't have to stop
and analyze. Perhaps you were looking at something simple like a beautiful sunset but you were
so absorbed in that sunset that you weren't thinking. Meditation is that kind of absorption
mentally with your feelings also, that level of absorption where your mind isn't busy thinking
about it but it's a very intense state of awareness and the very opposite of blankness. I'll take it
a step further and say blankness is actually a great obstruction to meditation. Passivity,
dullness, mental blankness, all of these things are going to take you in the opposite direction
from superconscious toward subconsciousness.

Is meditation an escape from reality?

Many people think of it as an escape from reality. In fact, meditation is an escape to reality you
might say because what our senses show us is not reality. Our senses show us a world that is
essentially very different. Matter is only energy. If you could see your body as a scientist would
look at it under an electron microscope, you would find vast reaches of space with little
electrons here and there. The distance between the atoms in your body relatively speaking
relative their size is as great as the distance between heavenly bodies in outer space. This we
call reality just because we're familiar with that but it certainly isn't the reality that underlies all
of creation.

There is another aspect of that, too, and that is that meditation also helps you to come to grips
with reality on all levels. By meditation you'll find that you can work better, get along better
with other people, that you can do all things better because you will have your mind under
control. You'll have your consciousness no longer centered in the ego and, therefore, able to
focus on other realities and attune yourself to them so you can know where other people are
coming from, so that you can know what the real problem in your work might be and so on all
across the board of so-called human reality.

Is it un-Christian to meditate?

Not at all. Great saints in Christianity, the great prophets of old all found the need to go off and
pray deeply and what is prayer if you only do the talking? If I were only to converse with
somebody and not listen for his answer wouldn't the conversation fall a bit flat? Meditation is,
after prayer, listening for an answer, listening for God's answer, listening for the inspiration that
you feel from above and how can that be un-Christian, how can that be un-Jewish, how can it
be un-anything spiritual. The purpose of spiritual living is to put us in tune with higher realities
and meditation is that stillness of mind beyond any rites and beliefs. Stilling the mind as the
Bible says, "Be still and know that I am God." In that mental stillness then you can know.

Who needs to meditate?

Everybody needs meditation really because everybody needs calmness, everybody needs peace
of mind, everybody needs a focus to his life, his awareness, his spiritual growth, his aspirations.
Meditation helps to bring everything into focus. It's like having a camera. I remember when I
was a boy, my parents gave me a telescope and I was so excited because I looked at the moon
and I could see trees growing on it. I didn't realize that I had merely got the lens unfocused and
I was looking at bits of dirt on the lens. Meditation is that which brings us, bring things into
focus, focus is our minds so that we can see clearly what the realities around us are whether
they be spiritual or mundane. There's nothing possibly antireligious of any kind in such a
practice.

Is it possible to meditate and still live a practical life?

Well, first of all I would say that meditation and faith are really the most practical things of all.
Jesus said, "Seek the kingdom of God first and all these things shall be added unto you." So it's
most practical thing in the world but let's put it on a practical level then, let's put it on a
mundane level since we're pleased to call this world real and so anything that relates to this
world, practical. I would say that which is most practical is that which helps you to grow in the
thing that you will take with you when you leave this world but in this world, okay, let's call this
practical.

Yes, meditation is practical in that way, too. It can be combined with practicality; it is practical
because the clearer your mind is, the more quickly you can find solutions to your problems.
The clearer your mind is, the more directly you can channel your energy. The clearer your mind
is the more you can do anything well and in fact this is an experience I've observed in myself,
and others who meditate, that when people don't have their minds under control then they
may take hours, days, weeks, they may never even find solutions to some simple problems. A
person who meditates calms his mind, meditates on the solution to the problem and in one
second he can get the answer, in one minute he can get the answer, it can take no time at all if
you put the energy right, if you direct the mind calmly and concentratedly and ask your higher
self for guidance instead of this conscious mind that tends to go just in circles.

The conscious mind is problem oriented. The superconscious mind, the soul's aspect of our
being, is solution oriented and the more you can bring that kind of consciousness down, the
more you will find that solutions come to you without any trouble at all. They are just there.
Meditation is absolutely the most practical thing I know. I found that people can do in a day
what it takes other people maybe many months to accomplish.

Is meditation something anyone can do?

Meditation is, yes, theoretically, it's something anyone can do. In a more practical way, maybe
not because some people are so restless they simply can't sit still or because they simply don't
want to find peace. You find so many people in this world that when they're left alone for five
minutes they've got to read a magazine, they've got to chew gum, they've got to rush to the
door and say, "Hey, who's out there" and start talking to themselves if there's nobody else to
talk with. They aren't capable psychologically of calming themselves. If, however, they really
try, even the most restless person can bring himself to that point where he finds as it says in the
Indian Scripture, the Bhagavad-Gita, "To the person without peace, how is happiness possible?"
It isn't.

Is it something some people should not do?

I think probably that's true. For example, people whose natural tendency is to withdraw from
reality, people who don't want to face reality, people who are schizophrenics, people who are
unbalanced, they shouldn't meditate. They should rather serve. They should be active with
their bodies. They should bring their bodies down to a level where they learn to relate to
objective reality. I would say to people who are very hallucinatory, people who like to create
their own inner world, then they aren't meditating. It's not that meditations is bad for them, it's
that they aren't in a state yet where they can meditate at all and they use a word meditation as
an excuse to escape from reality. Now I'm talking about going to a higher reality, I've also said
that that higher reality may enable you to relate more to this level of reality. If, on the other
hand, you can't even relate to this level, how can you expect to relate to a higher? You've got to
be able to be practical. You've got to, you've got to have common sense. If you're a balanced
person, if you're a person of common sense, if you're a person who is not trying to run away
from reality to escape things, then I think you're in a safer position to take up meditation.
Others maybe what they should think of doing is serving God through others more.

How often should one meditate?

That depends upon the individual but I would say first of all, every day. You wash your teeth
every day, you take a bath every day, you dress every day, you do so many things every day to
just keep your body in good shape, why not also take care of your mind and your soul? Why not
think of it as mental and spiritual hygienist if you like. But the important thing is that you
recognize that you aren't just a body. You're a body, mind, and soul and all of these things need
to be taken care of. The best thing would be if you can meditate a little bit every morning and
every evening.

For how long should one meditate?

Well, meditation should be practiced for, well, I almost hesitate to say this because what I'd like
to say is meditate as long as you enjoy it but let's face it, the beginner may not enjoy it.
Therefore, that should not be his excuse not to meditate, obviously not. But the I would say
meditate as long as you can do so without feeling sort of an explosion coming inside but yet
don't meditate so long that you go to sleep because if you sit too long you begin to sought of
nod like this.

Perhaps in the beginning 15 minutes is good: 15 minutes in the morning, 15 minutes in the
evening. If you're very restless, five minutes. I'll bargain with you, five minutes morning and
evening. If you like you can make it, if you can keep, leaving joy aside for a moment, as long as
your mind can be positive, as long as you're positive, your concentration can be positive, as
long as you can be positively aware rather than passively aware because meditation requires a
positive awareness, then meditate half an hour if you like morning and evening. If you can
make an hour, all the better but in the beginning I would say start with a little bit and meditate
as long as you can do so with clarity of attention and then make a little bit longer, little bit
longer. You'll come to feel a great joy and that at that point I would say meditate until that joy
diminishes a little bit then get up so that every time you come back to meditation, there is a
sense of anticipation whereas if you meditate beyond that point, you may develop in your mind
a certain resistance to it so you go, "Oh dear it's time to meditate again." There should be and
will be naturally if you do this right a sense of keen looking forward to your time for meditation,
your time with God.

Why should one meditate?

One should meditate if one wants to be a complete human being. Very few people are
complete human beings. We say that I'm only human. My answer to that is, "No, we are not yet
human because as human beings, we have a potential to explore and most people are content
to explore that potential to the maximum to achieve a certain amount of success in business
and maybe get a wife or a husband and find some way of paying for the children's educations.
People need to realize that they have a very great potential for happiness, joy, understanding,
love. We need to explore that potential and anybody who doesn't try to is what Jesus meant
and was referring to when he said, "Let the dead bury their dead." People can exist but are they
living? Meditation can help you to live, to come alive on every level of your being.

Is it better to meditate alone or in a group?

Well, it's good to meditate alone but it's good to balance private meditation with group
meditation. The power of other people meditating together, thoughts are things and working
together you become influenced by their devotion and you become uplifted. That's why in
church services people often feel more inspired than they do, say, just walking out in the
countryside even though the country may be in some ways more visually inspiring and this may
not be true for everybody. Some people really do feel more awe and inspiration in the country
but basically for meditation where you're not looking around anyway, the influence of people's
thoughts can be helpful. I would say balance the two but have more time for your own
meditation because that's something you can control whereas a group meditation is something
you have to get a sense of unanimity with others before you can actually get sit down together.

How does one meditate?

Well, I tell you what. We'll go into that in the next class but first of all let's just have a little
practice we can do. I would like with this series of classes to have you think about and practice
what I have given you for a week. If you can do it this way and aren't too impatient--meditation
will make you more patient--but if you can do it, if you take each class for a week, you can go
more deeply into it and practice it every day and then be more ready for the next step. So now
for the next week if you agree to follow my schedule and, of course, you've got the video
cassette, I don't and so you're going to be able to control your own timing on this but whatever
time it takes before the next class let me suggest now that you simply sit upright in your chair,
sit away from the back of your chair, place your hands on your thighs at the juncture of the
abdomen to support your body. Close your eyes and visualize a light as if it were burning coolly
present in your heart a calm white light. Fill that light now with happiness, with joy and expand
that light from your heart out to your chest, your shoulders, up into your brain, your forehead,
downwards into your legs, your feet, your hands, arms. Now feel as though you are sitting
surrounded by that light but that light isn't just yours. You are part of a larger reality which is
that light and joy. Now mentally expand that light until it fills the room you're sitting in. Feel the
whole room vibrating with that light and if there are people in it, feel them blessed by your joy.
Now expand that light and joy beyond the room into the building you're in, into the
neighborhood. Feel it touching and blessing with light and joy all the people around you even if
your eyes can't see them. Feel it blessing all creatures, animals, insects and all things, rocks,
earth, trees. Feel all things shimmering in that light. Expand that light outward gradually
outwards until it fills the neighborhood, the town or the city in which you are living, the
countryside, gradually expanding outward to fill the whole country. Feel all the people in your
country blessed, healed by your light and joy. That greater light and joy of which your little body
and ego are a part but you are not that body and ego. You are that light, that joy. Now in that
joy bless them with your love. Now go on beyond the boundaries of your little nation, filling the
continent on which you live and going beyond that continent to embrace all continents, all
oceans, all the people in the world, seeing them as your brothers and sisters. Expand that light
and joy and love beyond the boundaries of the earth. See this poor, embattled planet so full of
hatred and anger and warfare and disease and suffering, see it reaching out sort of psychically
all the creatures in it with that light that is you, that love and joy. How deeply God would love
to touch all mankind and does touch them but they close their hearts. Try to be a channel also
for that light to open the hearts of all that they may appreciate and be absorbed in that higher
reality which they would see if they would only open their spiritual eyes. Expand that light
outward until it embraces the moon, Venus, Mars, Mercury, Jupiter, the sun, Saturn, all the
planets in our solar system, see them moving within your great light and love and joy. See that
love as holding the planets in orbit, keeping them from flying out into space. The sun's love
for them holds them close. Then expand outward beyond the solar system, gradually filling the
galaxy, going beyond the galaxy to embrace all galaxies, the entire universe so you see all the
stars in the universe like the little lights of the city seen from afar and all of these are shining
within the infinitude of your own being. Meditate on that infinite light and love and joy which is
God and mentally say, "I and thy light are one. I and thy love are one. I and thy joy are one."