The Easiest Way to Meditate
Meditation is not exactly easy! It can seem as if every thing and everyone (especially your own mind) is conspiring to keep you from finding the stillness you seek.
I read a great article once in Spirituality and Health Magazine about a woman who went all the way to Tibet and hiked up a mountain in order to find the ultimate meditation place. She believed her life at home was too hectic for her to have a great meditation experience. In Tibet, she knew, she would find peace of mind. And yet, when she reached her destination, someone else was on the mountain making unbelievable amounts of noise. It was so irritating! Here she had spent all of this time and money and energy to find the perfect place that would allow the silence within her to emerge, only to be foiled by someone else. And yet, in the midst of her outrage, she finally got it:
Meditation wasn't about pushing the world away to find the perfect peaceful place. Meditation was about learning to create peace in her own mind regardless of what the world was doing.
I have to tell you, this was a relief for me to read, and also a wakeup call. As a busy mother of two young children, it was easy for me to make excuses not to meditate. There wasn't time, and there certainly wasn't a plethora of peace in my home. After reading the aforementioned article, however, I had no more excuses. But I still wasn't sure how to accomplish a daily disciplined practice of meditation.
I tried movement as meditation: tai chi, yoga as meditation, walking meditation, mudras. Since I have a hard time sitting still, these methods were easier for me than a traditional practice of sitting and emptying my mind; however, I still didn't make the time on a regular basis.
The real breakthrough in my personal meditation practice came when my mother, spiritual director Mary Lou Schneider, introduced me to the writings of Eknath Easwaran (thanks Mom!)
Eknath Easwaran was born in India and raised in the Hindu tradition, yet he was also educated in western religions and had a deep respect for Christian mysticism, Buddhism, and all of the great spiritual paths. He came to the U.S. in the 1960s and established the first accredited course in America on meditation (at Berkley University). Sri Easwaran created a non-denominational, non-sectarian, Eight Point Program for actualizing human potential. The first two points of his Eight Point Program are silent repitition of the Holy Name, or mantram, throughout the day (addressed in previous articles) and meditation by silent repititon of memorized inspirational passages from the world's great religions.
The first week I tried meditating on a sacred text I'd memorized, I was amazed at the almost miraculous power it had to still both my mind and my body. I have continued with this practice ever since, and it is now my primary form of meditation, supplemented with use of the mantram throughout the day as recommended by Sri Easwaran.
The beauty of memorizing and slowly, silently repeating the words of a sacred text is that it gives the mind something to do. It's too busy to worry about what to make for dinner or who you forgot to call or whether your friend is mad at you or where you might have left that library book. And it's busy with something wholesome and nourishing--real soul food!
Over time, as you repeat the same prayers or poems in your mind every day for weeks and weeks during your meditation time, it begins to alter you at a subconscious level. Without having to think so much about how to be peaceful or happy, you become more peaceful and happy. It is a natural result of marinating your mind in the sweet juices of the sacred.
I began this practice with a Rumi poem and then I added the prayer of St. Francis of Asissi, which Sri Easwaran recommends as a great starter for anyone. For your convenience, I'm re-printing both of these selections below in case they appeal to you.
The first few times you meditate with whatever inspirational passage you choose, you will mostly be working on memorizing--reading the words and then closing your eyes to silently repeat a few lines at a time. That's ok. Eventually the words will seep into your mind and they will come to you naturally, not just when you are meditating but at odd times. Often now when I wake up in the middle of the night or first thing in the morning, the first line of one of these sacred texts will pop into my head. I like to think that the healing words have been cradling me in my sleep.
Eknath Easwaran wrote numerous books that are helpful for meditators including: Meditation, Mantram Handbook and God Makes the Rivers to Flow, a book of sacred texts from many religions. Although Sri Easwaran is dead now, his work continues through The Blue Mountain Center of Meditation in California. The Center offers retreats and also produces a wonderful newsletter containing selections from Sri Easwaran's works and stories written by people whose lives have improved from integrating the Eight Point Program into their daily lives. For more information on the books click on their titles above; for information about the Blue Mountain Center go to www.easwaran.org.
So now you know the meditation practices that are easiest for me. They may not be the best ones for you, but I'd encourage you to give them a try. If they aren't a good fit, try some other techniques. Keep at it. It's worth the effort. The bottom line is, the easiest way to meditate is the way that works for you.
I'll print two of my favorite meditation texts below. I hope you've enjoyed our articles on meditation.
Blessings, Kim Schneider
Everything you see
has its roots in the unseen world.
The forms may change but the essence
remains the same.
Every wondrous site will vanish
every sweet word shall fade.
But do not be disheartened.
The Source they come from
is eternal, growing, branching out
bringing new life
and new joy.
Why do you weep?
That Source is within you
and this whole world
is springing up from it.
The Source is full
its waters are ever flowing.
Do not grieve; drink your fill.
Don't think it will ever run out.
This is the endless ocean
---Rumi, Sufi Poet and Mystic
Lord, make me an instrument of thy peace.
Where there is hatred,
let me sow love.
Where there is injury, pardon.
Where there is doubt, faith.
Where there is despair, hope.
Where there is darkness, light.
Where there is sadness, joy.
O Divine Master,
Grant that I might seek
not so much to be consoled
as to console
to be understood
as to understand
to be loved
as to love.
For it is in giving
that we receive
it is in pardoning
that we are pardoned
and it is in dying [to Self]
that we are born to eternal life.
--Francis of Assissi, Christian Saint
www.findsforseekers.com
About the Author: Kimberly Schneider’s private counseling, consulting and energy work practice offers a unique opportunity for people who want to consciously create fulfilling, abundant lives. Kimberly has an M.Ed. in Counseling with an emphasis in Women’s Spirituality, as well as a degree in law. The majority of her clients are helping professionals who want to cultivate mindfulness, deepen intuition and manage their energetic boundaries. To sign up for her free monthly e-newsletter, go to www.findsforseekers.com%3c/a>.
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