Meditation

“Stop!!!” don’t we just scream【vi.
尖叫；呼啸；发出尖锐刺耳的声音；令人触目惊心

】 this in
our minds when the day has been very bad and all we think about is “work,
problem, work, problem” over and over again? Sometimes
we wish our minds would just shut up and let us have peace, just simple,
unending【不断的，无止境的；经常被重复的】
peace. This
peace most of us won’t find just around the corner. We need to set aside a
period of time every day to quiet the mind. This
is called meditation.

If you think about meditation, what comes into your mind? Do you imagine
sitting down cross legged on the floor, palms up, and eyes closed? Add some
lighted candles in the scene【情景】 and it would look like a voodoo thing to
me.

That scene is not entirely【完全的】 untrue of meditation, but it is not necessary
either. Before we conjure up images of ourselves meditating, we have to
understand first what it really is and what its benefits are.

What is Meditation?

What is meditation? There are different ways to describe meditation.
Meditation for some is a way to slow down, chill out【冷静】 and get in touch with
the inner self.

An ordinary person may consider meditation as a worship【礼拜】 or prayer, but it
is not so. Meditation means “awareness【意识】”. Whatever you do with awareness is
meditation.

Watching the sunset peacefully is meditation, sitting by the ocean and just
listening to the waves is meditation, as long as these activities are free from
any other distraction【 注意力分散；消遣；心烦意乱】 to the mind is effective
meditation.

Meditation means “to join together or to
yoke【结合】”. It is a state of consciousness【意识】 when the mind is
free from scattered【分散的】 thoughts and various patterns.

It is not a technique but a
way of life, the height of meditation which is called Samadhi【n.
定；三昧（在印度教和佛教哲学用语）；等持】 is where the mind is completely merged with worlds of
perfect light.

The observer, one who is doing the meditation, realizes that all activity of
the mind is reduced to one.

Meditation is derived from two Latin words; meditari which
means to think, to dwell【细想某事】 upon, and to exercise the mind;
and mederi which means to heal. Its Sanskrit
derivation medha means wisdom. Many years ago, meditation was
not considered something for modern people, but now meditation has become very
popular with all types of people. Although medical evidence has proved its
benefits, it still needs to be better understood.

Classic yoga texts would traditionally describe attaining true states of
meditation by one going through several stages. The more advanced stages of
concentration【专心】, contemplation【沉思】, and then ultimately【根本】 absorption【全神关注】,
come after the first stages of necessary preparation of one’s personal and
social code, physical position, breath control and relaxation.

It does not mean however that one must perfect any one stage before moving on
to the next. The integral yoga uses the approach of simultaneous【同时的】
application of little of all the stages together.

Today, when people refer to meditation, it can mean any one of these stages.
Some of the yoga teaching schools would only teach concentration techniques,
some relaxation, and others teach free form contemplative activities like just
sitting and awaiting absorption. With regular practice of a balance series of
yoga techniques, the quality of consciousness can be expanded, where the energy
of the body and the mind can be liberated【解放的】.

How Meditation Helps?

Meditation helps you get in touch with your inner self and recharges【再充电】
you. It makes you happy and also empowers you to accomplish things in the daily
world. Meditation practice leads to enlightenment【启迪】, and the beauty about it
is you experience its benefits right away, beginning with your first meditation
session.

Meditation is merely conscious relaxation. It is a process which involves the
mind to achieve a state of serenity【平静】 or bliss【极乐】. This may sound like
someone being sedated【沉着的】. Actually it does. Meditation is a deeper form of
concentration. If we are to give a concrete way to illustrate【说明】 it, let’s use
water as the example.

If you start pouring water from the pitcher【大水缸】 to a glass, the first few
drops would be considered “concentration”, however a steady flow is obtained
after that which is likened to “meditation”. The unsteady first drops and the
small splash【飞溅的水】 they make are considered the distractions in concentration. A
deeper state, which is the steady flow in the example, characterizes meditation.
Thus, it clearly frees the
mind from any “clutter” and distractions.

The Role of Stress in Meditation

Stress has always been one of the reasons that people are resorting【求助】 to
meditation. A lot of unpleasant consequences have resulted in one’s inability to
cope up with stress. Some have found solace【慰藉】 in taking “calming” medications
or pills to temporarily get rid of these thought s and feelings. But
unfortunately, these only provide fleeting relief. After the medicines wear off,
it is back to the pit again. Unless you try to overcome these negative thoughts
and feelings with your mind, it will always succeed in getting the better of
you.

So how do you go about meditation? It is simpler than people thought it to
be. You only find a quiet spot, sit comfortably, relax your emotions and
concentrate on an object to meditate on. It is important to just think of a
single object and concentrate on it. Some distractions like other objects will
come into focus. Drive your mind away from those.

They will only break your concentration. You can still hear the sound around
you, but when you’re deep in
thought about your object of meditation, even those will not disturb
you.

Daily meditation is advisable. If you have a strong commitment【承诺】 and
conviction【确信】 for it, you will achieve a very unique feeling of being able to
“leave the moment”.
People who have been through this will tell you that it is a feeling of utter
bliss where the mind is clear and clean.