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Meditation
is a state of consciousness which is just as natural
to us as the waking, dream and deep sleep states
with which we are all familiar. Just as
there is no Buddhist dream state or Hindu deep
sleep state or Christian waking state, there is
no religion or tradition that can claim the state
of meditation as their own. Thus everyone,
regardless of religious affiliations, can practice
and benefit from meditation and view the spiritual
dimensions of this state from their own preferred
tradition. Like many other meditation teachers,
Dr. Edwards has personally taught meditation to
lay people of every faith, as well as priests,
nuns and ministers from Christian faiths, rabbis
from Jewish traditions, practicing Muslims, Native
American elders, Buddhists, Hindus, agnostics
and atheists. Everyone can benefit from
meditation and view it from their own perspective.
No
single tradition or path can claim to be the sole
effective means for entering the state of meditation.
Dr. Edwards, the founder and director of
The Anam Cara Foundation,
has taught meditation to thousands of individuals
using practices from diverse traditions and disciplines
including yogic, Buddhist, Hindu, Christian, Sufi,
shamanic, hypnotic, scientific/clinical, biofeedback,
neurofeedback, qigong, pranayama, mindfulness,
stress management, visualization, etc. When
taught skillfully many techniques can work to
guide a person into accessing states of deep relaxation
and meditation. People are drawn to different
traditions and practices and it is best to find
a school of thought or type of technique that
you will really want to pursue through years of
practice. This isn’t to say that all
practices lead to the same level or depth of meditative
awareness or can take one equally far along the
meditative journey, but many techniques will do
for the initial stages of learning to ease the
mind, deeply relax the body, and begin dissolving
the bondage we suffer from conditioned patterns
of thinking/feeling/acting and identification
with all of them.
People
meditate for a variety of reasons, for improving
health, enhancing performance, increasing creativity,
reducing stress, for religious or spiritual pursuits
and the quest for wisdom and freedom from suffering.
All of these can be accomplished if you meditate
daily. The basic practice of meditation
is deceptively simple: you sit, focus your attention
and watch what happens. Of course we need
to know what’s the best way to sit, what
do we focus on and what is there to watch? (Below
you'll find detailed written meditation instructions
that answer these questions, as well as free downloadable
audio recordings of guided meditations to go along
with the written instructions.)
Meditation
traditions vary in their answers to these questions.
Some traditions focus on devotion, some on knowledge,
others on mantra and yet others on mindfulness
or watchfulness. It’s fine to explore
different techniques and philosophies to begin
with. Eventually choose one that suits you
best and practice it regularly. There’s
an old saying, “it’s better to dig
one well a hundred feet deep than 10 wells 10
feet deep.” Choose a meditation method
and stay with it until you’ve tapped into
the source of what you’re seeking deep within.
Lawrence said, “I practiced meditation for
many, many years simply using the mantra and instructions
that one of my meditation masters, Swami Muktananda,
gave me. That mantra is Om Namah Shivaya,
an ancient, extraordinarily powerful Sanskrit
mantra that means, ‘I honor the Divine Within,’
within everything and everyone, including yourself.
The power of mantra goes far beyond the meaning
of the words, as you will discover through your
regular practice of it. The mantra is a
throb, a pulse of the Infinite - become absorbed
in it and it will take you to the very Source
of mind and mantra.”
Click
HERE for written meditation instructions by Lawrence
Edwards, Ph.D..
Click HERE for free mp3 guided deep relaxation by Lawrence Edwards, Ph.D.
(for
mp3 downloads: right click on the link, save target
as..)
Click HERE for free mp3 guided mantra meditation using Om Namah Shivaya by Lawrence Edwards, Ph.D.
For
additional information on the practice of meditation
visit www.thesoulsjourney.com/meditation.html.
As
your meditation practice develops you will learn
more and more about yourself and about this highest
of human endeavors. If you want to read
about the practice of meditation, the inner realms
you can explore, the psychology of meditation
and yoga, and the transformative process that
unfolds through the practice of meditation you
might want to read The
Soul’s Journey: Guidance From The Divine
Within,
available from Barnes&Noble.com, Amazon.com,
or a local bookseller. You can read reviews
and learn more about it at: The
Soul's Journey.
Two other books I highly recommend are by John
Kabat-Zinn, Full Catastrophe Living and
Wherever You Go There You Are.
Also Lama Surya Das’ Awakening the Buddha
Within and other works are excellent.
For
information on programs, courses and retreats
please check
our Events page.
Meditation
Group (open to every one)
Tuesday
nights 7:30-8:45pm, 501 Guard Hill Rd, Bedford,
NY. Suggested donation: $20
May every meditation be a revelation
and every moment a meditation!
Lawrence
Edwards, Ph.D., LMHC, BCIAC EEG www.thesoulsjourney.com
At
the Anam Cara Foundation Tuesday night satsangs
we've been chanting a beautiful prayer from the
Vedic tradition that my teacher, Swami Muktananda,
had chanted every day in his ashrams and center
around the world. This Universal Prayer invokes
the highest and most selfless wish for the relief
of suffering, the showering of blessings and freedom
for everyone. The transliterated text from Sanskrit
and the translation are as follows: (click here
for an MP3
of the Universal Prayer to hear how it is
sung by Kalidas. It is a free download). This
version is adapted from the SYDA Foundation book,
The Nectar of Chanting, p. 63.
Universal
Prayer
Durjanah
sajjanobhuyaat
sajjanah shaantim aapnuyaat,
Shanto muchyeta bandhebhyo
muktas chaanyaan vimochayet.
May
the wicked become good. May the good obtain peace.
May the peaceful be freed from bonds. May the
freed set others free.
Svasti
prajabhyah paripalayantaam
nyaayena maargena mahim mahishaah,
Gobraahmanebhyah shubham astu nityam
lokaah samastaah sukino bhavantu.
Blessings on the subjects of those who are
ruling, and may these great lords rule the earth
in a just manner. May good always be the lot of
cows and religious leaders, Brahmins. May all
people be happy.
Kaale
varshatu parjanyah
prithivii shasya-shaalinii,
Deshoyam kshobha rahito
braahmanaah shantu nirbhayaah.
May
it rain at the right time. May the earth have
storehouses full of grain. May this country be
free of disturbances. May the religious (Brahmins
and all others) be free of persecution.
Sarve
bhavantu sukhinah
sarve santu niraamayaah,
Sarve bhadraani pashyantu
maa kashchid duhkha bhaag bhavet.
May
all be happy. May all be wealthy. May all see
only auspicious sights. May no one have a share
in sorrow.
Sarvas
taratu durgaani
sarvo bhadraani pashyatu,
Sarvah kaamaan avaapnotu
sarvah sarvatra nandatu.
May
everyone surmount their difficulties. May everyone
see only auspicious sights. May everyone have
their desires fulfilled. May everyone everywhere
be glad.
Svasti
maatra uta pitre no astu
svasti gobhyo jagate purushebhyaah,
Vishvam subhuutam suvidatram no astu
jyogeva drishyema suuryam.
Om shantih shantih shantih
May
blessings fall on our mother and father; blessings
on the cows, the fields and the workers. May everything
of ours flourish and be an aid to knowledge. And
long may we see the sun.
Om Peace Peace Peace
May
all our practices truly benefit everyone,
And may all beings, everywhere, become completely
free of suffering now.
With love to all,
Kalidas
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