Learn to Meditate - Sound and Silence

Part 3 – Sound and Silence.

The mind has a flood of questions There is but one teacher Who can answer them. Who is that teacher? Your silence-loving heart.

Sometimes I must be silent, For that is the only way To know a little better, To think a little wiser, To become a little more perfect, To claim God a little sooner.

Poems from: The Wings of Joy by Sri Chinmoy

CONCENTRATION EXERCISE

“The Inner Flower. For this exercise you will need a flower. With your eyes half closed and half open, look at the centre of the flower for a few seconds. While you are concentrating, try to feel that you yourself are this flower. At the same time, try to feel that this flower is growing in the inmost recesses of your heart. Feel that you are the flower and you are growing inside your heart.

Then, gradually try to concentrate on one particular petal of the flower. Feel that this petal which you have selected is the seed-form of your reality-existence. After a few minutes, concentrate on the entire flower again, and feel that it is the Universal Reality. In this way go back and forth, concentrating first on the petal – the seed-form of your reality – and then on the entire flower – the Universal Reality. While you are doing this, please try not to allow any thought to enter into your mind. Try to make your mind absolutely calm, quiet and tranquil.

After some time, please close your eyes and try to see the flower that you have been concentrating on inside your heart. Then, in the same way that you concentrated on the physical flower, kindly concentrate on the flower inside your heart, with your eyes closed.”

“Each time an undivine thought enters into your mind, throw it out of your mind. It is like a foreign element, a thief, that has entered your room.”

“In the beginning you may not be able to concentrate according to your satisfaction because the mind is not focused. The mind is constantly thinking of many things. It has become a victim of many uncomely thoughts...  When your mind starts getting illumined, it will be very, very easy to concentrate for a long time, and also to concentrate more deeply.”

Extracts from Meditation by Sri Chinmoy

Key points of exercise

• Keep all thoughts at bay, stay focused on the flower.
• Bring the flower into your Heart Centre (in the middle of the chest).

Purpose of this exercise

• Develop concentration – an essential step before meditation.
• Calm and quieten the mind so that you can glimpse the tranquillity within yourself.

Part 4 - Mantra and Meditation

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