This post was most recently updated on May 12th, 2020
We have heard about the benefit of practicing meditation, but very few believe that meditation can serve to bring the divinity within. Believing in God and praying to him comes naturally to us, but we don’t know the real attainment that is possible with it.
We have heard the story about God that, he has created the man in his own image, but in truth, God has placed the soul in each one of us, in his own image. The time we realize the soul, we understand God and understands the laws of nature and life in a human form.
From the time, we are born on this earth, the process of evolution starts for the humans. The souls who were wise enough to raise the query received the liberation from the self-effort like Gautama Buddha, Mahavira, Lao Tzu and many other sages. Krishna, Muhammad, Jesus has also had the same realization.
The one thing that was common in all the sages and the prophets or messenger of God was meditation. This small truth is enough to drive our attention to meditation. Liberation is not possible without meditation.
The process of meditation leads to enlightenment, and enlightenment leads to liberation. Life doesn’t end with enlightenment, and if it would have ended then Gautama Buddha had not served the world for another forty-six years after enlightenment.
The life after enlightenment gets change, and that change is for the better.
What is Meditation?
Meditation is to sit silently in a quiet place with a right intent. The intent could be to have a peace of mind, feel the love in the heart, slow down the thought process, get the solution for the problem or devotion towards God.
When we close our eyes, gather all the energy from outside and put all the attention on the breath, the process of meditation starts.
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People get confused with the inner and outside world. When the attention of the mind is focused outside, all the energy flows to manifest things in the outside world. All the energy, thoughts, emotions, and actions flow outward.
When the same attention moves inward, we explore the inner world. The inner world is the world of breath, sensation, feelings, emotions, thoughts, and images of the mind.
When the attention of the mind is outside, we get caught up into the complexities of the mind, but when the same attention of the mind is turned inward, we release ourselves, from the complex web of the mind. The truth of the mind is revealed to us. With the inner attention, we develop control over the mind and the self.
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When the attention is turned inward, we can observe the thoughts and emotions, which otherwise is not possible when we are engaged in the outside world.
The process of Meditation.
The process of meditation can be perfected out of practice. In meditation, you direct the attention of the mind on the breath. If you try for the first time, the thoughts and emotions and sensation will not allow you to sit for a long time, and you will feel like running around here and there. Whenever we practice meditation, our energy starts to gather at one place.
Usually, our mind travels into different direction’s and with it, our body too travels with it. This doesn’t allow our inner energy to get stable in one place. When we start practicing meditation, the energy starts to gather at one place, and as we are not familiar with the flow of energy, we feel restless into the body.
The process of awakening is possible with the practice of meditation, and unlocking the spiritual energy plays an important role in it.
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It’s best to practice meditation early in the morning or evening time when the flow of thoughts and emotions is lesser. When you take your attention inward to your breath, you notice the inflow and outflow of breath.
Initially, the mind take some time to connect with the breath, but as you gain practice with it, slowly you can observe the movement of breath. This is the first step of meditation. To get in tune with your breath.
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Once you get in tune with your breath, slowly your attention shifts to your feelings and emotions. You see the movement of your energy shifting to different centers. The flow of energy moves from downward to upward.
You see the energy moving from the sex center to the navel region, and from the navel to your heart center. You have to stay with the breath all the time, and you can see the movement of sensation moving upside down.
When your attention reaches to the heart center, you connect with your feelings and emotions. From the heart center, your attention shifts to the mental plane. Here you observe the flow of thoughts and the images of the past, present, and future. When you observe your mind, you notice all the activities that go into your mind. For the first time, you become amazed to know the true nature of your mind.
When you can consciously direct your attention to your mind, you develop the power to create and manifest anything in your life. When the attention reaches to the mental plane, you observe all the functions of the mind. Slowly as you remain attentive with your breath, your attention rises above the mental plane, to the point of attention itself.
When your attention shifts to the point of attention itself you experience the no-mind state.
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The astral body gets detached from the Physical body.
The process of meditation doesn’t get ends with the empty space of the mind, but the deeper experience lies in the same spot, and can be explored with the regular practice.
We all have the spiritual energy lying at the base of the spine, and this spiritual energy plays a vital role in taking care of the body and mind. Each day some part of life’s energy is released from the base of the spine so that everyday functions of the body, heart, and mind can take place.
When you consciously activate the spiritual energy, you can make use of it, at will.
In meditation, when the experience gets deeper, the force gets exerted on the life’s energy at the base of the spine, and the life energy rises higher opening all the chakras of the body. The life energy is locked at different parts of the body so that the life energy can be transformed to the necessary spot.
In out-of-body experience or near-death experience, the astral body doesn’t travel out of the body, but gets detached from the physical body and gets settled at the higher mental plane.
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Realization of the Soul.
When the astral body gets detached from the physical body, the person gets detached from all his earthly bondage to realize his soul. Its only with the realization of a soul, the true identity of the person is known to him.
When the astral body gets detached and experiences the out-of-body experience, all the query of the mind in relation to “I”, life, soul, spirit, God and the process of life cease to exist. All the mysteries of life gets resolved by realizing the soul in the body.
Life After Enlightenment.
Life after enlightenment is the experience of bliss and wisdom. A self-realized person is not known to a common man, and he leads his personal or professional life with effortless ease, mere by his intelligence.
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He can handle his personal relationship without any attachments, and professional life with his higher intelligence, considering all the material aspects of life.
All the actions of the self-realized being remain closer to the laws of existence, and thus it becomes easier for him to manifest anything in his life. The self-realized being holds the wisdom eye, that looks into the past, present, and future of the action, and thus before taking any action, the fruit of the result is derived. The self-realized being stays detached from all his actions and performs it for the benefit of all.
Every realized soul decides his own path, according to the need of his time and space. The soul-realized person has a path set for himself, aligned with the law of existence.