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How to Meditate

The purport of prescribing meditation on the Pranav  (OM) is this.  The Pranav is Omkaar… the A-Dwait-Mantra which is the essence of all Mantra…. In order to get at this true significance, one should meditate on the Pranav. …The fruition of this process is Samaadhi which yields release (Moksh), which is the state of unsurpassable bliss."
(Collected Works of Raman Maharshi, 6th edition, p. 25-26)

Our real self, the spirit, is ever perfect and free. But we have forgotten that. So we identify with our present experience of bondage and consequently suffer in countless ways. Our situation is like someone who is asleep and dreaming that he is being tortured and beaten. In reality he is not being touched at all; yet he is experiencing very real pain and fear. He need not placate, overpower, or escape his torturers. He needs only to wake up. Yoga is the procedure of self-awakening.

Meditation on the Pranav is a way to freedom from suffering and limitation. "What world does he who meditates on Om until the end of his life, win by That? If he meditates on the Supreme Being with the
Syllable Om, he becomes one with the Light, he is led to the world of Brahm Who is higher than the highest life, that which is tranquil, unaging, immortal, fearless, and supreme."
(Prashn Upanishad, 5:1,5,7)

Regarding Om, the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (1:28) simply says: "Its repetition and meditation is the way." The Upanishads and the Bhagavad Geetaa, as well as the Yog Sootra, advocate meditation on Om, the sacred syllable that both symbolizes and embodies Brahm, the Absolute Reality. Om is also called: Pranav, Omkaar, and Ekaakshar. Pranav means both life-giver (infuser of Praan) and controller of life force (Praan).

Teachings of Sri Raman Maharshi Regarding OM
The first recorded teaching of Sri Raman Maharshi, written down by him in response to the request of a seeker, was: "The Ekaakshar (Om) shines for ever in the heart as the Self." (The Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi, sixth edition, p. 145) "Pratyaahaar (interiorization of the mind) is regulating the mind by preventing it from flowing towards the external names and forms. The mind, which had been till then distracted, now becomes controlled. The aids in this respect are meditation on the Pranava and reflection on the Naad (the subtle sound of Om experienced in meditation)."
(The Collected Works of Raman Maharshi, sixth edition, p. 24)

"Maunam (silence) is the state of Shakti (power) that emerges from within as Ekaakshar (Om)."
(Sri Raman Reminiscences, G. V. Subbaramayya, p. 149).

"Yesterday a Hindu asked Bhagavan, "Is Omkaar a name of Eeshwar?"
Bhagavan said, "Omkaar is Eeshwar, Ishwara is Omkaar. That means Omkaar Itself is the Swaroopam (the real form of the Self)."
(Letters from Sri Ramanasramam, Suri Nagamma, p. 60).
(Day by Day with Bhagavan, Devaraja Mudaliar, p. 214).

"Earnest seekers who, incessantly and with a steady mind, repeat "Om" will attain success. By repetition of the pure "Om" the mind is withdrawn from sense objects and becomes one with the Self."
(Sri Raman Gita 3:10,11, Ganapati Muni)

"Jap reaching to the source of sound is the best course for those who are not firm in consciousness which is the source of the 'I'." (The Collected Works of Raman Maharshi, sixth edition, p. 145) And only Om leads us to the source of sound.

Sri Ramana recommended study of the Ribhu Geetaa, a traditional text of A-Dwait. It simply says: "The syllable "Om" is the self."
(Ribhu Gita 10:22)

Meditation is the process of centering our awareness in the principle of pure consciousness which is our essential being. We have lost awareness of our true self through awareness of external objects, and become habituated–even addicted–to objective consciousness. Rather than disperse our consciousness through objects that draw us outward away from the source of our being, we must take an object that will have the opposite effect, present it to the mind, and reverse our consciousness. That object is Om. By sitting with closed eyes and letting the mind become easefully absorbed in experiencing the inner repetitions of Om we thereby directly enter into the state of consciousness that is Om, the state of consciousness that is Brahm the Absolute.

The Practice of OM Meditation
(1) Sit upright, comfortable and relaxed, with your hands on your knees or thighs or resting, one on the other, in your lap.

(2) Breathe naturally. Your mouth should be closed so that all breathing is done through the nose. This aids in quieting the mind. Though your mouth is closed, the jaw muscles should be relaxed so the upper and lower teeth are not clenched or touching one another, but parted.

(3) Gently turn your eyes upward as though looking at a point far distant. But do not strain or try to force your eyes to turn up to a degree that is uncomfortable. Then gently close them–do not squeeze them tight..

(4) Be aware of your breath naturally (automatically) flowing in and out as you breathe through your nose. Your breathing should always be easeful and natural, not deliberate or artificial.

(5) Now begin mentally intoning ("singing" on a single note) Om once throughout each inhalation and once throughout each exhalation. Fit the intonations to the breath–not the breath to the intonations. If the breath is short, then the intonation should be short. If the breath is long, then the intonation should be long.
Make sure the O and the M get approximately "equal time"–Oooommmm, not Oommmmmm or Oooooomm. Don't torture yourself about this – approximately equal is good enough, and in time your intonations will automatically occur in this right manner. Also, your intonation of Om should begin when your inhalation and exhalation begins and end when it ends. In this way your intonations should be virtually continuous, not with long breaks between them. That is: OommOommOommOomm, or Oomm-Oomm-Oomm-Oomm, rather than Oomm…Oomm…Oomm… Oomm. Here, too, approximately continuous is sufficient.

(6) For the rest of your meditation time keep on intoning Om in this manner–in time with the breath–listening to your inner intonations of Om. This enables you to enter effortlessly into the Witness Consciousness that is your finite spirit within the Infinite Spirit that is God.

(7) In Om Meditation we do not deliberately concentrate on any particular point of the body such as the "third eye," as we want the subtle energies of Om to be free to manifest themselves as is best at the moment. However, as you meditate, you may become aware of one or more areas of your brain or body at different times. This is all right when they come and go spontaneously, but keep centered on your intonations of Om.

(8) Thoughts, impressions, memories, inner sensations, and suchlike may also arise during meditation. Be calmly aware of all these things in a detached and objective manner, but keep your attention centered in your intonations of Om in time with your breath. The sum and substance of it all is this: It is not the experience we are after, but the effect.

(9) If you find yourself getting restless, distracted, "fuzzy," anxious or tense in any degree, just take a deep breath and let it out fully, feeling that you are releasing and breathing out all tensions, and continue as before.

(10) Remember: Om Meditation basically consists of three things: (1) sitting with the eyes turned up and then closed; (2) being aware of our breath as it moves in and out, and (3) mentally intoning Om in time with the breathing and listening to those mental intonations–all in a relaxed and easeful manner, without strain.

It is All up to You
Yog, the spiritual state, is produced by Yog the practice. Those who persevere in their Yog practice find unfailing and abundant happiness, peace, and fulfillment. Certainly the goal is not reached without much practice through the years, but every step of the way is blessed and brings rejoicing to the Yogee's heart. Then at last no more steps are needed, and he enters the ocean of Satchidaanand.

So it really is all up to you. The sane and sober voice of the Upanishadik Rishi assures us that through the simple Jaap and meditation of Om all possible spiritual attainments will be realized. "He who knows Om need know nothing further," declares the Mandookya Upanishad.

All the theory and eulogy in the world regarding a meditation practice mean virtually nothing. But practice is everything. In meditation more than anything else, practice certainly does make perfect. And the practice is so marvelously simple. Bhagavaan Sri Ramana Maharshi echoed the same Truth when answering a devotee's comment that: "Bhagavaan's Grace is needed in order that meditation (and thus remembrance) should become effortless." Bhagavan replied: "Practice is necessary, there is Grace."
(Guru Raman, S.S. Cohen, Sri Raman Aashramam 2006, p. 76.)

 

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Created by Sushma Gupta on 3/15/06
Contact:  sushmajee@yahoo.com
Updated on 06/09/11