Six Steps to Meditation

8/3/2019 Six Steps to Meditation

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Six Steps to Meditation

BY DADAJI J. P. VASWANI

This meditation lasts 15 to 20 minutes. It is a meditation of SIX steps. Eachstep will take roughly two and half to about three minutes. I will first explainto you all the steps and then you can start.

The FIRST is the step of rhythmic breathing. Breathe in slowly, easily, evenly,and deeply and then breathe out slowly, easily, evenly, and deeply. Withinthree minutes you should be able to breathe in and out about ten times. Butyou need not count. I will do the counting for you. And when the threeminutes are over, shall ask you to move on to the second step. As yourbreathing becomes rhythmic, your tensions will relax. It may be better if youblend the repetition of ÓMµ with your breathing. As you inhale, take in thebreath, utter the sacred syllable ÓMµ silently. Then exhale, take out thebreath and as you do so, utter the sacred syllable ÓMµ orally i.e. with sound.

The SECOND is the step of detached observation. In this step, as an observeryou have to watch the movements of the mind. Detach yourself from themind. This is very, very important. You are not the mind. You are onlywatching the mind. What is the mind doing? What thoughts is it entertaining?

You are not the mind. You are not thinking those thoughts. Just watch themind. Observe the mind without any judgment, without any criticism. Youare but a silent observer; observe without judgment, without criticism. Youwill find that as you detach yourself from the mind and just keep on watchingit, its movements, gradually the mind will cease its activities.

Then we come to the THIRD step. The third step is the step of serenity, thestep of peace. In this third step, you may imagine yourself as a rock in themidst of an ocean. Waves arise. They dash against the rock. The rock is

unaffected, is calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene. Waves arise. Waves are thedistracting thoughts. They dash against the rock. The rock is unaffected, calm,tranquil, peaceful, serene.

Then we come to the FOURTH step. It is the step where you realize youroneness with all that is, all men, all creatures, all things, all conditions. Youare not apart from others. The others & you are parts of the one great whole.



You are in every man, in every woman, in every child. You are in every unitof life, in every bird and animal, in every foul & fish, in every insect, in everyshrub, in every plant. You belong to all countries and communities, all racesand religions. You are at one with the universe. This type of meditation will

fill your heart with loving kindness & a spirit of compassion so that a stagemay come when you will not wish to snuff out the life even of the smallestinsect.

The FIFTH is meditation on your immortality. In the fourth step you haverealized that you are not merely in your physical body. You are in all that is,in the experience that we call death. It is the body that drops down, thephysical body. But you will continue to be, even when the body has droppeddown, you will continue to be in every grain of sand, in every drop of water,in every ray of sunshine. Death cannot touch you. You are immortal. If youare at one with all humanity, then even if there is one human being alive, youare alive. If you are at one with all living creatures, then even if there is butone creature breathing the breath of life, you are alive. Yes, you are immortal,immutable, eternal, deathless!

And now we come to the FINAL, the last, the SIXTH step. In this step youbreathe out peace and happiness, goodwill and bliss to all. May all be happyand full of peace and bliss. Think of all who dwell in the Northern lands andpray in the heart within: ´may all who dwell in the Northern lands be happy

and full of peace and bliss.µ Then think of all who dwell in the Southern landsand offer the prayer ´may all who dwell in the Southern lands be happy andfull of peace and bliss.µ Likewise, ´may all who dwell in Eastern lands and allwho dwell in Western lands, may they all be happy and full of peace andbliss.µ Breathe out peace and goodwill to all. May all be happy and full ofpeace and bliss. All living things whether they be near or far, tall or tiny, richor poor, educated or illiterate, whether they be born or are still in the wombunborn, may all, all, all be happy and full of peace and bliss. May those thatlove and those that for some reason or the other are unable to love you, may

those that speak well of you, and those that for some reason or the other areunable to speak well of you, may all, all, all, without exception, be happy andfull of peace and bliss. You are in them all. It is only when they become happythat you are happy. May all be free from disease, ignorance, sorrow. As youget up from this meditation, you will find that you yourself are happy and fullof peace and bliss.



And now if you are ready, we shall begin with the meditation. Sit in a relaxedposture; as far as possible, the back, the neck and the head should be in astraight line. In the beginning you may find it difficult to bring them all in astraight line but do it as far as possible. Above all, be relaxed. Relax your

body. Relax your muscles. Relax your limbs and now let us embark on thisinterior journey, a journey that takes us within, a journey that in due coursemay change our lives and fill us with tranquillity, with peace and bliss andmake us instruments of GOD·S help and healing in this world of sufferingand pain.

The FIRST step, the step of rhythmic breathing. Therefore, breathe in slowly,easily, evenly, deeply, as deeply as possible and to make your breathing deep,one thing that will help you is, when you exhale, try to breathe out as much aspossible. Now take the first step: Empty the lungs as far as possible. Nowinhale. Take in the breath and utter the sacred syllable ÓMµ silently. Thenexhale, take out the breath and as you do so, utter the sacred syllable ÓMµorally, with sound. Begin: Inhale............(PAUSE)..............Exhale,ÓMµ............................(PAUSE)ÓMµ.......................................................................... ..........................(PAUSE)ÓMµ.......................................................................... ..........................(PAUSE)ÓMµ.......................................................................... ..........................(PAUSE)ÓMµ.......................................................................... ..........................(PAUSE)ÓMµ.......................................................................... ..........................(PAUSE)

ÓMµ.......................................................................... ..........................(PAUSE)ÓMµ.......................................................................... ..........................(PAUSE) Someof you feel so relaxed and at peace that you would love to be in this state for alonger period. When you do your individual meditation, you can increase thisperiod.

Now we come to the SECOND step; it is the step of detached observation.Detach yourself from the mind, watch the movements of the mind. Don·t getinvolved with the mind. You are not the mind. You are only a silent observer.

Watch the mind without any judgment. No judgment. This is very, veryimportant. Only observe the mind. Watch the movements of the mind. Watchthem. Don·t get involved with the mind. You are not the mind. You are only asilent observer. Watch the movements of the mind even as you would watchthe movements of a little child who is trying to be naughty. Don·t payattention to your breathing. Only watch the movements of the mind, sitting



easily in a relaxed posture. Watch what the mind isdoing...................................................................( __mins of silence). Don·t payattention to the breathing. Only watch the movements of the mind. Watch as asilent observer. Watch without judgment................(__mins of silence). Be

relaxed. See that the muscles around the eyes and those around the mouth arerelaxed. Relax, relax, relax, relax...........................................(___mins of silence).The next three mins are over. We have had in all a little over six minutes ofmeditation.

We move to the THIRD step. It is the step of serenity and peace. I imaginethat I am like a rock in the midst of an ocean. Waves arise; distractingthoughts come to me. They dash against the rock; but the rock is unaffected,unmoved, calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene. So many waves come. Perhaps Ihave done something during the day which I should not have done. Let thatnot disturb me. I am a rock in the midst of the ocean, unaffected, unmoved.Perhaps I have not done something which I should have done somethingwhich I should have done. Let that not disturb me either. I am a rock in themidst of an ocean, unaffected, calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene: calm, tranquil,peaceful,..............................................( mins. of silence). Some past memorycomes to me. Let that not affect me. I am a rock in the midst of the ocean:calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene: calm, tranquil, peaceful,serene........................................................................ ............ ( mins of silence.)Don·t pay attention to your breathing. Don·t watch the movements of the

mind. You have only to imagine that you are a rock in the midst of the ocean,unaffected by anything that may have happened, unaffected by anything thatmay happen. You are like a rock in the midst of an ocean - calm, tranquil,peaceful, serene; calm, tranquil, peaceful, serene..................................................(mins. of silence).

We now come to the FOURTH step: It is the step of realizing the oneness withall that is; all human beings, all creatures, all birds, all animals, fish and foul,insects, even mosquitoes, all trees and shrubs and plants. I am one with them

all. I am in the lowliest of the low, in the poorest of the poor. I am in themeanest of the mean, in the most wretched, the most miserable. I am in him.He is not apart from me. Oneness, oneness with all. Out of this cometh truelove. If I am one with all, I am in the lizard of which I am afraid. I am in thecockroach which I want to kill. I am in all; I am in all; I am in all. How can Ikill anyone? How can I criticize anyone? How can I judge anyone? How can I



think ill of anyone?....................................................................... .......( mins ofsilence). I am in all that is. What a wonderful feeling this is. No-one is apartfrom me. Everyone, everything is a part of me. For I am the universal self:´TAT VAM ASEE.µ That art thou. Thou are not the physical body that thou

has worn during this period of earth incarnation. Thou art that, Thou art that;Thou art that, the universal self. Relax, relax, relax. Let your backbone bestraight.( mins of silence)

And now we come to the FIFTH step. If I am in all, if I have realized myoneness with all, I can never, never die. It is only when I feel I am this physicalbody that I live in fear of death. Now I can challenge death. Death, you cannottouch me! You can only take away the physical body. But I am in all. So longas there is one human being alive on earth, I am alive. So long as there is onecreature that breathes the breath of life, I am alive. So long as there is a leaffluttering in the wind, I am alive. I can never die. I have never died. I ameternal. I am immortal. I am immutable. I am deathless. I am in every ray ofsunshine, in every drop of rain, in every grain of sand. I am one with all thatis...............................( mins of silence) By now your breathing has become deep.Be relaxed; see that your spine is straight. See that there is no tension in themuscles around your eyes and around your mouth. See that there is notension in the muscles of your legs. Relax, relax, relax.............................................................................. ........( mins of silence). You arenot the physical body. You are not the body-mind complex. You are the

universal self, the oneself that is in all. In all that is ..................( mins of silence)

And now we come to the FINAL step, the SIXTH step: the step in which webreathe out love and goodwill and peace to all: Í love you all, I love you allµ.Let that aspiration come out of the very depths of my heart. In the measure inwhich I give love to others, love will flow back to me and I will always haveplenty of love to give to everyone who meets me. Love all in the Northerncountries, in the Southern countries, in the Western countries and in theEastern countries: Í love everyone, I love you, I love you and I pray that you

all may be happy, full of peace andblissµ........................................................................ ..........( mins of silence) Í lovethose that love me and also those who for some reason or the other are unableto love me. I love those that speak well of me and also those who for somereason or the other are unable to speak well of me.µ Actually call out someoneby name - someone who you think does not love you, does not speak well of



you and say ´Mr. X, Y, Z, Mrs. X, Y, Z, Miss X, Y, Z, I love you, I love you, Ilove you all. May you all be happy and full of peace and bliss. ....................(mins of silence)

By GOD·S grace, our period of silence is over. And now let us rub the palmsof our hands together and gently, very gently, softly, very softly, touch themon the eyes and open them.

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Six Steps to Meditation