In today's world, meditation is becoming the new "in" thing. Like yoga, it's becoming part of mainstream life. But is the meditation being peddled into the masses via self help, style and fitness magazines and instructors actually the kind of meditation that enlightened teachers, including the Buddha and many others, have taught throughout time? Hardly. It's diluted - watered-down. It's a tool being sold as a way to deal with the stress of everyday living. And that's great. It's like going to the beach or the park, like taking a vacation or having a glass of wine at the end of the day. Nothing at all wrong with any of that. But, is it what the enlightened teachers of the planet have taught throughout time? Is it what they experienced in their meditations? No. If you're practicing meditation to relieve stress, that's valid, but that's not why the Buddha, why enlightened teachers mastered and then taught meditation. They taught it for a reason that is not at all popular with mainstream culture - in any time, any country, any peoples, except for maybe pockets in India and Tibet that have slowly fizzled out. Enlightened masters practiced and taught meditation because they wanted to break the barriers of the Human Condition. They wanted to experience Awareness. Truth. Self Mastery. Fearlessness. Freedom. Overcoming illusion. Going beyond desire. Merging with the infinite expanse of existence.
Is there a way to experience this in today's world? Of course. Though, it may seem daunting given the crowded, psychically jammed up airwaves that have created an ozone of static on the planet. But, that static is created by something that has always been here on the planet - something that all enlightened teachers, including the Buddha, had to learn to go beyond: Illusion. Yes - it may be a little tougher now to cut through such a thick layer of psychic pollution because there are so many humans crowding the planet, but they say that in times of greatest darkness the light shines the brightest. So, you can still find the light of truth - in yourself, in life, in meditation.
How can you do that? First, find some inspiring books of others who have gone beyond illusion. The point of reading these wonderful books isn't just to hear about other people's stories. That's great, but there's another reason that will give you a huge boost if you find the right books. These books, written by or about enlightened teachers who have gone beyond illusion, can actually infuse you with the highest, purest most perfect awareness of existence. And this essence, this sublime consciousness, can be absorbed by you - by your consciousness, and it will lift you up. It's a way to get a sneak peak at the most brilliant consciousness experienced by other humans who have mastered the self. The list of these powerful books can be found at the bottom of this blog page.
Second, start learning to meditate. There's no better way of learning in our day and age than to be guided through the process by a modern day yogi who worked incredibly hard to go beyond illusion - Rama. He learned to master the self through meditation and mindfulness, and eventually went on to teach others how to meditate and live in enlightened states. If you listen to Rama's talks on how to meditate, the consciousness of profound and perfect meditation comes through his talks and it makes it very easy to learn. "When we meditate, we quiet the mind and open ourselves to our limitless possibilities. As a human being, you are capable of a higher level of perception than you may now be cognizant of." Click on the following link (colored text) to hear an Introductory and Intermediate Meditation talk by Rama.
Once you've listened, try meditating on your own. Eventually, you'll continue progressing by reading more of the books on the book list below, and eventually, you can try listening to Advanced Meditation. It's a great talk that will help you further your progression on your path of self discovery.
What are you after with meditation? What are you aiming for? To start with, your efforts will be focused on going beyond thought. As you sit down quietly, in a comfortable position with your back straight, quiet your mind by ignoring thoughts. You can focus on an object, like a rock or a yantra, to help you stop thinking. Move your mind beyond the constant inner chatter, and allow it to expand beyond the boundaries of your personal dramas, which is essentially what the chatter is all about. There's something bigger than the illusory visions we have of how life ought to be, thoughts around fixing things, thoughts around getting what we want, etc. There's a big, bright infinite universe of wisdom and love to experience, to merge with. So the first thing is to learn how to go beyond your small mind - the result of being conditioned into the Human Condition, and moving it into what in Zen we call Big Mind - that is, the oneness of existence.
Another way to find a huge boost in your ability to meditate, to silence your mind and go beyond thought, is to listen to meditation music. Rama worked with some top musicians of the world to create music for students to meditate to, that would help them get through not only their own mind's raging thoughts, but also the psychic pollution of this world. To hear Rama's talk on using meditation music to help stop thought, listen to his talk from The Enlightenment Cycle Series called Meditation. Here, he talks about why he created the music, how it works, and how to use it to achieve amazing, clear, brilliant states of higher perception and awareness.
Finally, when you're ready to meditate with the music, follow this link to the Zazen website to download one of 2 albums that are great to meditate to. The first is Zazen's Enlightenment CD, and it's great to meditate to in the morning. The second is Zazen's Canyons of Light CD, and it's great to meditate to in the evening.
After reading some recommended spiritual books, you'll begin to learn about Dharma, or Truth. The Dharmic teachings are the essence of truth that the enlightened teachers have come upon in their discoveries. The essence of all the Dharmic teachings of enlightened masters are the same, though the outer form varies. The Dharmic teachings as conveyed by Rama are a powerful and insightful way to start learning about the Dharma in this day and age. There are numerous talks which will guide you on the path of your own self discovery, so you can start to uncover your own inner truth. Follow this link to encounter all talks by Rama: Dharma Talks by Rama.
If you're interested in finding a sangha - a group of like-minded seekers that is interested in enlightenment, leave a comment and I'll be happy to offer some customized suggestions. You'll learn many great things by listening to Rama's Dharma talks, like visiting places of power, figuring out how to set your life up for greater, more profound adventures into light and truth, learning how to overcome illusion, fear and limiting, out-of-control emotions that hold you back. You'll learn to become an empowered seeker of truth who can bust through the limitations that have been formatted into you by the Human Condition. You'll learn to find your highest self, and live in that extreme, brilliant, profound silence and joy beyond words. Good luck on your journey into Big Mind! May the Force Be With You!
