Why is meditation called the highest form of activity and also list its benefits?
An individual Yogi perceives self (total personality with which we identify ourselves) in the self (soul) with the help of meditation. This also goes to show that through meditation, self can attain a sort of power through which he/she can perceive ‘higher Self’ of not only individual self but also others too. Meaning knowing self means knowing everything that is knowable – self realization is of paramount. Knowing self means no false ego can delude us in any way. Maya of the world cannot touch us when we become friend with our own ‘self’. Diving deeper into the superconsciousness, we would be able to attain self realization.
Meditation is focusing/reflection on a thought at hand. It is based on twofold philosophy: Firstly, we focus on an activity for ensuring better result from that activity by switching off our mind totally. Here the mind and its senses have no role. The second is total mindfulness; with singing of hymens from religious scriptures and praying or chanting of some mantras or listening to some discourses or participating in religious satsang (religious congregation). Meditation /prayer/contemplation may be for ensuring reduced stress level or to induce relaxation or with higher aims and objectives of connecting with Transdental Brahman. With how much devotion we meditate brings us dividends.
Meditation is the self regulating practices which are religiously and consciously undertaken to ensure overall growth besides keeping our mind under tight sheath. Our mind wanders from one thought to another – being restive in nature. Its five senses: sense of vision, hearing, smell, taste, and touch allure us and we are unable to concentrate on a single entity. For example, while observing the beauty of serene flow of river water, our mind is allured by other event or thought. We always run after mirages. This way, we neither enjoy and appreciate serenity of water flow nor the other object of attraction. This incessant yearning or lust for some ‘other object of attraction’ continues. This way, we are neither here nor there. Meditation is the path by which we practice to train our senses to be in our control and not let these off the hook.
Dhyanenatmani pasyanti kecidatmanamaatmana. BG
Some comprehend the God within themselves through meditation, some through Yoga of naturalism and others through sincere Karmic actions. Those who devote their time and energy for meeting others’ needs without accrual of any personal gains to them too serve God and also gain connectivity with Him.
In my opinion, service to humanity is more than what we can accomplish through meditation or prayers. To serve humanity is next to serving God. For example, if a doctor cures his patients without any pecuniary benefits or expectation of any reward, he/she earns goodwill not only from the person concerned but also graces of our CREATOR and that is accomplishment of highest order. Service to humanity is one of the best form of activities which is loved by our God.
TWO PATHS ACTIVITIES CONTACTING WITH HIM.
There are the people who do not have much knowledge about methodology of meditation but start knowing about Supreme Being from different sources – listening others, observing others in different ways and imbibing all those good ideas/ideals in their own lives for spiritual upliftment. These people too gain connectivity with Him – provided they make sincere efforts. These venerable ones help spread fragrance of positivity whereinsoever they move about.
We are constrained to work for our living. Working for a living is a natural phenomenon but working all the time, we will become mechanical and may lose touch with the main purpose of our being on this planet. Reasoning about ‘duty first’ for our wellbeing is a good thought but besides our duties for our own self, we’ve the special duty towards others including our Creator!
The atheists may put forth their viewpoints based on their own thoughts and reason out why they do not meditative activities. It is not that when we meditate sincerely, we lose touch with other things in our lives. When we meditate, our concentration increases, work stamina increases, our focus increases and then there is positive change in our outlook. In other words, when we focus on our Creator, whatever we do, we do everything for Him. We work, eat, walk talk etc for Him only. While we do everything for our Lord then we shall be sincere in our work, happy in our disposition, we shall be in total control of our mind and five senses. Thus by doing so, we shall have total control over our thoughts and actions. This way, we shall be KARMA YOGI in true sense of terms.
Yogi gets rid of all unreasonable desires by a total focus. The Yogi (a person who is totally immersed in religious activities) should lose his thoughts about unreasonable attachments for possessions during meditation. One who has total control over his mind and for whom worldly possessions has lost much of relevance and is hugely satisfied by what he/she is earning is a self realized person.
The process of meditation is described in the Bhagwad Gita as follows:
- Seating at a clean with pure surrounds.
- Purity in thoughts and actions thus ensuring purification of self.
- The body posture should be comfortable which helps in total concentration/focus.
- Gazing at the tip of nose without closing the eyes.
- Then focus attention between the eyebrows. No distraction should disturb his/her attention.
- Control the mind slowly but surely but striving hard to attain this activity and after sometimes, it becomes an automatic activity.
- In all the above, total FAITH in what we do is important for meditation to be purposeful.
Some may reason out that the time devoted in meditative activity is a waste of precious time but in atual practice, it is not! The sincere meditation /prolonged meditation is so empowering, so intoxicating that we can do it hours together without an iota of tiredness or boredom felt and after our persistence in meditation delivers rich dividends, we attain what for we are born – for liberation (moksh) and merging with our God.
When we are engaged in meditative activities, our other jobs are done in mysterious ways even surprising us in the bargain. All the doubts shrouding us just evaporate in the thin air. As our senses and habits are in our total control, we tend to have enduring happiness, delusion does not touch us. Sense temptations do not affect us at all.
Following are the benefits which we find:-
Benefits of meditation:-
- Inculcates peace with which we can develop reservoir of compassion leading to forgiveness and all the positive traits which are required for our day to day activities. We can ensure contemplative zeal for ensure better job performance.
- Continuous focus increases the working of our memory leading to all round development of personality.
- Buddhist philosophy opines that meditation is a step forward in our eternal salvation.
- Meditation and breathing control ensure cohesion between body, mind and soul.
- Ensures stress control, relaxation besides bringing about all round improvement in our actions.
- Meditation leads to removal of darkness of ignorance and takes us to enlightenment through knowledge base (gyan).
- When self is our friend, it will save us from any misfortune. Knowing self means no false ego can delude us in any task we undertake. Maya of the world cannot touch us when we become friend with our own ‘self’. Diving deeper into the superconsciousness we would be able to attain self realization.
- Sense temptations cannot enthrall us always when we are intoxicated by His happiness.
- Negativity such as anger, greed, jealousy, rancor, ill-will etc can hardly touch us when we are engrossed in meditative activities.
10.Our mind is not mislead by anything – material possessions or any other attractions because we’re pre- occupied with positive activities with focused attention.
- I have myself observed how much endurance / patience and tolerance one can gain while pursuing meditative activities.
- When we are in communication with Him, every other thing does not matter to us.
- The barrier of any kind imposed by our relationships with others is not a limiting factor while we are in commune with Him.
- More the communication with Him, more the compassion we gain for others, more wisdom in our mind, with active mind and we shall be more successful in any endeavour we make.
- The gift of reason gives us the power to explore deeper in our own self and finding in the process God within and free us off the delusive urges that we nurture. If we let reason being won by our false habits or issues based on ego then again happiness will elude us. So, how and what could be directed towards His connectivity and not towards powers that material possessions may bestows us because that power will be a transitory one.
Viewing the above, we can deduce that meditative activity is one of the pioneers for our life and total focus leads to positive passive activism which is beneficial for our onward march.
INNER THOUGHTS 