Meditation
Everyone is now familiar with the stereotypical image of a yogi sitting cross-legged chanting the sound, “OM”. But what is the real significance of “OM”?
OM is the primordial sound of the universe, the first sound, the sound that was made at the Big Bang, the beginning of our universe, and it resonates within our being. OM has the power to take us into meditation, to make us one with the universe, to take us into the the silence and the peace that is the vastness and the power of the universe, like the stillness of a bottomless lake that has no ripples.
The sound, OM, was made when matter first started to divide and differentiate and to recombine. OM is actually made up of three separate sounds, A-U-M, that together make the sound, OM. The first is “A” which sounds like “ar” as in “car”. The second is “U” which sounds like “oo” as in “book”. The third is “M” which sounds like “m” as in “man”. These sounds can help to keep us in balance. How?
Human beings have within them a subtle body which consists of three channels and seven chakras. The three channels are connected to our emotions on the left, our physical and mental activity on the right and our integration and balance in the centre. If we are over-emotional we are operating too much on the left side, and if we are thinking and planning too much or are over-active physically then we are using our right side too much. These situations cause the imbalances which lead to physical and mental health problems.
The central channel is generally activated only when we achieve our Self-realisation. This happens when the residual life force (called the Kundalini) which resides in the sacrum bone in every human being rises up through the spine, through the limbic area in the brain and out the top of the head at the fontanelle bone area. It then connects us with the All-pervading Power of the universe, the force that created us, the force that keeps the planets in their orbits and makes the seeds sprout in the Mother Earth.
Once we have our Self-realisation we can go into “thoughtless awareness”, the state of true meditation in which we are awake and alert but we are not thinking. In thoughtless awareness the Kundalini flows through us, balancing our subtle systems and clearing our chakras, giving us good health and feelings of well-being. As we continue to meditate and to strengthen this connection, the Kundalini flows more strongly and we are able to enjoy the silence, the space between the thoughts, to be the pure consciousness, to feel one with the whole of creation.
After our Self-realisation, when we have that connection to the force that created us, the sounds of the OM (AUM) can help to clear and balance our channels. If we use as a mantra the sound, A (“ar” as in “car”), it will help to clear the left channel, the sound, U (“oo” as in “book”), will help to clear the right channel and the sound, M (“m” as in “man”) ,will work on the central channel. As a result, the whole system will come into balance.
The sound, OM, also has the power to clear each of the chakras when sung at the pitch which resonates with the particular chakra, and it can raise the Kundalini when sung up the musical scale.
So, sit comfortably, on the floor or on a chair, hands palm upwards on your lap. Take a few deep breaths, and relax. Now sing, “Aaaaoooommm,” and let the sound take you into meditation, into the stillness and the silence and the peace that is the vastness of the universe where you are at one with the whole of creation and are nothing but pure consciousness. Enjoy!
Kay Alford
(Illustration: affirmations.goingon.com)
Shri Mataji Nirmala Devi founded Sahaja Yoga in 1970. Since that time She has given hundreds, maybe thousands, of public lectures all over the world during which she has spoken about the evolution of human beings into what she calls “super-human beings”.
Shri Mataji describes the last breakthrough of evolution as the attainment of Self-realisation. Self-realisation is the process by which the residual life-force in every human being (called the Kundalini) which resides in the sacrum bone, the triangular bone at the base of the spine, rises up the spinal column and up through the limbic area (the “old” brain) and out of the fontanelle bone area to unite with the All-pervading Power of the universe.
When this happens, we become connected to the power that created us. We become more knowledgeable about ourselves. We become collectively conscious, as Carl Jung has described. We are more connected to, more knowledgeable about and more compassionate towards others. We feel peaceful and joyful, and we feel loved and more loving towards others.
As we begin to meditate and to strengthen this connection after attaining our Self-realisation we become “thoughtlessly aware”, we become better people, we automatically act in more selfless and constructive ways and all our bad habits drop out. We gain the benefits of better health, good self-esteem and improved relationships with others. We receive inspiration to help us in our endeavours and experience being “in the flow”, where everything happens effortlessly and spontaneously, more often. In this way we become, as Shri Mataji says, “super-human beings”.
Shri Mataji describes this new state as the last step in our evolution and says that it is our birthright as human beings to receive it. It is very helpful on the microcosmic level, the personal level, to achieve this new state of being, through our Self-realisation, but even greater benefits accrue when this breakthrough is achieved on the macrocosmic level, the collective level.
Just as Self-realisation integrates all the best qualities of the human being in each individual, when many human beings have their Self-realisation then integration can take place on a global level. People of all cultures and backgrounds can then transcend their differences, live in peace and work co-operatively towards a new era of harmony and prosperity in a truly multi-cultural world.
Kay Alford
Forgiving others, while often difficult, is one of the most important things we need to do for our spiritual growth. Shri Mataji, the founder of Sahaja Yoga, has said that if Jesus Christ had not come on the earth, we would not have been able to have the spontaneous attainment of Self-realisation which has been made possible through the methods of Sahaja Yoga. The reason is that the quality of the Agnya Chakra is forgiveness. By forgiving those who crucified Him, Jesus opened the Agnya Chakra. If the Agnya Chakra had not been opened, it would not have been possible for Shri Mataji to open the Sahasrara, the last Chakra in the human evolutionary process.
If we do not forgive, the Agnya Chakra remains closed, and we cannot experience the full blessings of Self-realisation. If the Agnya is not fully clear, we are dominated by our thoughts which come either from the past or the future. If the thoughts are coming from the past, we are governed by the Superego or conditionings. If our thoughts are of the future, we are governed by the Ego, the notion that we are responsible for creating what is going to happen in our lives. It is only when we are released from both the Ego and the Superego that we are able to be in the present. In the present, there are no thoughts, and we can then enter into a state of thoughtless awareness or true meditation.
One way of opening the Agnya Chakra is to recite the Lord’s Prayer which was given to us by Jesus Christ. The key phrases are:
“Forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us”.
Thus, the Lord’s Prayer is actually a mantra specially designed to open the Agnya Chakra.
Jesus also said, “I am the Way, the Truth and the Light.” Another way of opening the Agnya Chakra is to use light. Thus, looking at a candle flame or a fire is an effective way of clearing the mind of thoughts and opening this chakra.
This, then, is the true meaning of forgiveness: letting go of thoughts of the past or of the future, in order to prepare the Agnya Chakra for the last great breakthough in our evolution. When we do this, we are no longer burdened by guilt, regret or anger, but attain a peaceful state of mind where we can experience the joy of being in the present. Of great significance, however, is that this state also paves the way for the attainment of Self-realisation.
(Photograph courtesy of commons.wikimedia.org)
A person with a healthy Nabhi is relaxed, peaceful and generous, and is a satisfied person. The Nabhi Chakra relates closely to the home and well-being of the family. If our welfare seems threatened, if we do not feel at ease, or if we have trouble fulfilling our basic needs, then the Nabhi chakra can feel pressured. The problem seems to be that, in the West, we are often caught up in endless desires for security, sensation, power and control, including the desire for material wealth. To maintain our satisfaction within, we must also be able to exist in a balanced state of satisfaction without things beyond the basic needs.
Since this Earthly realm is full of so many attractions and choices it is easy to become dissatisfied. The way through these choices has been charted in all sustainable societies and true religions as a principled code or Way of life called Dharma. The more one enjoys becoming the Spirit, the less time one has for
wrongful things, outside of Dharma. The seeker of truth surrenders desires and agendas so they feel satisfied within, whatever they have, and so they focus their desire power on their Spiritual unfoldment.
The presiding Deity, or personification, of the Nabhi principle is Shri Vishnu and his consort, Shri Laxmi. Many powers are invested in these two. He is responsible for sustaining Dharma and leading the human evolution. She grants physical and material well-being. On the left, she is Shri Gruhalaxmi, the wife or Goddess of the household. The wife must be respected and also be respectable. So many of our societies’ problems stem from poor quality of homelife in the West with the resulting sense of dissatisfaction.
Food is also closely involved with satisfaction and the Nabhi. Too much attention on food, or fasting, or the wrong type of foods can cause the Nabhi chakra to “catch”. We eat to live, not live to eat. Our food and well-being are prerequisites for our functioning both within and without. Because the quality of our attention is closely involved with the liver, which means we can get caught up with thinking and worrying, we should avoid fatty foods that are testing for the liver. Food that soothes the Nabhi and cools the liver helps the attention attain thoughtless meditation. True satisfaction can only be sustained when our Spirit comes into our attention. It is the Spirit’s power, the Kundalini, which has created, evolved and sustained us, and it is the Kundalini that connects us to that Source of satisfaction.
Through the practice of simple Sahaja Yoga techniques, it is posssible to clear the Nabki Chakra and experience deep satisfaction and contentment, improved attention and deeper meditations.
(Photograph: dharma.indviews.com)