By J.I. Wedgwood
Booklet Revised
and Enlarged in
1918.
Reprinted in 1919, 1926 and 1951 by the Theosophical Publishing House, London,England
MEDITATION
FOR BEGINNERS
-What
Meditation Is
-First
Steps
-Meditation
on the Bodies
-A
More Elaborate Form of the Above
CONCENTRATION
MEDITATION
-Meditation
on Sympathy
-Meditation
To Expand the Consciousness
CONTEMPLATION
THE SEARCH FOR THE MASTER
THE
BUILDING OF CHARACTER
PHYSICAL
AIDS TO MEDITATION
- Posture
-Breathing
and Other Matters
-Times
-Positivity and Psychic
Development
-Relaxation
-The Way of Service
It is significant of
the spiritual tendency of the Theosophical Society that there is a steady interest
in meditation, and many now desire help and guidance as to its practice. Within
the Inner Section of the Theosophical Society (called the Esoteric School) very
definite and helpful instruction is available for earnest and approved students;
but there are many who, perhaps for domestic or other reasons, do not feel free
to undertake the heavy responsibility implied in joining this – for to enter the
Esoteric School implies that Theosophy is thenceforward to become a dominant factor
in the life. Such members often wish to learn how to meditate, and it is with
the hope of aiding this large class of earnest and spiritually-minded people that
these present suggestions are put forward. Also, it may be pointed out, it is
only possible to gain admission to the Esoteric School after three years’ membership
in the outer Society, and during this preliminary period much of the necessary
spadework may be accomplished, with the result that the aspirant will be better
fitted for the training of the Inner Section and of greater service to its corporate
life. The present
hints are written more especially for Theosophists, although they may be found
helpful by others who have not yet embraced the philosophy of life summed up under
the name of Theosophy. This course has been followed quite advisedly, for the
author believes that it is of little use to set to work upon the serious practice
of meditation until the teachings regarding the control and use of thought and
emotion set forth in Theosophical books have been mastered, and until the aspirant
has emerged from the dilettante stage of occultism. Until then he will derive
more benefit from quiet reflection upon devotional books or from the practice
of the earlier methods laid down in the various exoteric religions. For more advanced
students, following other methods of study, the author does not profess to write.
What
Meditation Is
Meditation
consists in the endeavour to bring into the waking consciousness, that is, into
the mind in its normal state of activity, some realization of the super-consciousness,
to create by the power of aspiration a channel through which the influence of
the divine or spiritual principle – the real man – may irradiate the lower personality.
It is the reaching out of the mind and feelings towards an ideal, and the opening
of the doors of the imprisoned lower consciousness to the influence of that idea.
‘Meditation,’ says H.P.Blavatsky, ‘is the inexpressible longing of the inner man
for the Infinite.’ The
ideal chosen may be abstract – it may be a virtue, such as sympathy or justice;
it may be the thought of the Inner Light, of that Divine Essence which is the
innermost reality of man’s nature: it may even be recognized only as a vague and
dim sensing of the highest that is in us. Or the ideal may be personified as a
Master, a Divine Teacher – indeed it may be seen as embodied in anyone whom we
feel in any way to be worthy of our respect and admiration. Consequently the subject
and type of meditation will vary widely according to the temperament and ‘ray’
of the individual. But in all cases it is essentially the uplifting of the soul
towards its divine source, the desire of the particularized self to become one
with the Universal Self.
First
Steps
The
first step in meditation consists in cultivating the thought, until it becomes
habitual, that the physical body is an instrument of the spirit. Those
who have only just made the acquaintance of Theosophical thought find it difficult
at first to reverse their point of view; to them the soul and spirit are unreal.
The planes and bodies, of which Theosophical writers speak in their endeavour
to convey clearly and with scientific precision some little glimpse of the mysteries
of man’s being, are memorized in terms of some textbook diagram, each name being
conjured up with an effort of memory. The physical body is the one tangible reality
and the superphysical the shadowy and vague, a mere intellectual conception. But
gradually and almost imperceptibly this feeling is lost; a feeling of realisation
of the superphysical begins to work down into the physical brain and to enliven
what was previously merely an intellectual theory. The reason for this is not
far to seek. To read Theosophical books is to place oneself in touch with powerfully
stimulating forces in the world of mental archetypes; to read of higher bodies
tends by directing the attention to those bodies to awaken self-consciousness
in them. Interest in and study of the astral plane and the astral body gradually
waken the student on that plane during physical sleep. The stimulation of the
higher bodies into greater activity is also assisted by being within the aura
of superphysically developed people. As a natural result this expansion of the
inner nature begins to modify the waking consciousness, the knowledge of the Higher
Man slowly filters down into the physical brain, and the student will find his
outlook on life undergoing great change. An extension of consciousness becomes
noticeable, new vistas of thought and feeling open up before him, his surroundings
in life assume a fresh significance as he awakens to them, and the truths of Theosophy
begin to change from intellectual theory into spiritual experience. Such,
briefly stated, is the rationale of the gradual expansion of consciousness, which
comes within the early experience of most Theosophists who are really in earnest;
and we may, in passing, hazard the idea that the three years that must elapse
before a student is eligible for the Esoteric School are prescribed not only that
his steadfastness in Theosophy may be tested but also that time may be allowed
for this change in the superphysical bodies, through which he may come intuitively
to feel himself as the Higher Man using a physical instrument. Now
this process and awakening may be materially quickened. ‘Help Nature,’ says The
Voice of the Silence, ‘and work on with her; and Nature will regard Thee as one
of her creators and make obeisance.’ A modern scientific writer has echoed the
same truth in the words ‘Nature is conquered by obedience’; we have but to understand
the laws of nature, and then, rightly selected and applied, they become our obedient
servants. That which takes place slowly and gradually in the ordinary course of
time may be deliberately hastened by intelligent and well-directed effort. Hence
the student’s first exercise in meditation may fittingly have in view this aim
of consciously realizing the Higher Man. The
following practice is one which the present writer employed with good results,
until it became unnecessary to continue with it.
Meditation
on the Bodies
Let
the student begin by thinking of the physical body; then consider how it is possible
to control and direct it, and thus separate himself in thought from it – regarding
it as a vehicle, and picture himself for a few moments as living in the astral
body. Let him reflect, in turn, that he can control his emotions and desires;
and, with a strong effort, repudiate the astral body and realise that he is not
this body of surging and struggling passions, desires and emotions. Then let him
picture himself as living in the mental body; and reflect again that he can control
his thoughts, that he as the power of setting his mind to think on any subject
he pleases, and again with an effort repudiate the mental body. The student should
now let himself soar into the free atmosphere of the spirit where is eternal peace,
and, resting there for a period, strive with great intensity to realize That is
the real Self. Let
him now descend again, carrying with him the peace of the spirit through the different
bodies. Let him picture the aura of the mental body raying out around him, and
let the influence of peace suffuse it, as he affirms that he is the Self which
used the mental body as an instrument in his service. Then descending into the
astral body, again let the peace ray out through the aura, as he affirms that
he is that which uses the emotions as his servants; and lastly, let him return
to the physical body, recognizing it as an instrument, and as a centre of the
divine peace, wherever it may pass in the world. The
exercise may at first seem strange and fruitless, for the physical body is still
the great reality, and thought and feeling are still the great reality, and thought
and feeling are still apt to be regarded as products of the physical brain. The
beginner must remember that he is seeking to undo the thought-habit of years,
and therefore must not be impatient for immediate results. Possibly much time
may elapse before his intuition assures him with unerring certainty that there
is a higher power within him, guiding his actions and shaping his course through
life. Quite naturally, he may dread the possibility of self-hypnosis, the thought
that he may by slow degrees be deluding himself into beliefs which are fanciful
and have no foundation of reality. To the well-balanced mind the earlier stages
are by far the most difficult, for there is a natural caution about venturing
into the unknown, and a tendency to beat a mental retreat at each suspicion of
danger. None the less, it is only reasonable to give due trial to a system expounded
by the greatest minds of antiquity, prescribed in all the great religions and
witnessed to by eminently sane and sincere people of the present day. And a little
steady and persistent practice is bound to lead to certain results. How definite
those results will be and with what degree of rapidity they will be apparent will
naturally depend upon the temperament, the industry and the possibilities of the
individual.
A
More Elaborate Form of the Above
As
the beginner grows more familiar with the meditation outlined above, he may begin
to elaborate it, according to the bent of his temperament. He may find it helpful,
for instance, to consider the simile pianoforte and a pianist. As the pianoforte
produces sound and ordered music, so the brain and physical body give expression
to thought, feeling and ordered activity. But it is the pianist who expresses
himself through the medium of the instrument. In the same way the physical body
(in its voluntary activities) does but vibrate in response to the Higher Man.
Detaching himself in
thought from the physical body and examining it in the cool discrimination of
the mind, he should endeavour to realise that it is only a vehicle, an instrument,
a vesture of flesh. In order that the consciousness, which is the manifestation
of the spirit, can contact the physical world it must inhabit a tabernacle of
physical matter, kith and kin with that physical world, for only a physical vehicle
of consciousness can make vibratory relationship with physical matter. By the
multiplicity of experiences to be gained from the physical world and the gradual
shaping of the physical instrument to respond to them, the spirit unfolds its
innate powers from latency into potency. He
may then consider how it is possible to control and direct it, how it responds
to the behests of the governing intelligence – the I. Thus separating himself
in thought from it, he should next picture himself for a few moments as living
in the astral body. Let
him reflect, in turn, that the astral body is not his real self. He can control
his emotions and desires, he can regulate the play of feeling. His emotions are
but one aspect of his consciousness working in and limited by the astral body,
which, in its turn, is a tenement built up from the material of the astral plane,
that the indwelling consciousness may cone into relation with it. He himself is
not this body of struggling surging emotions, passions and desires. In his calmer
moments he knows that he is above the surge of emotions. His fits of passion,
of jealousy, of fear, of selfishness and hatred – all these are not himself but
the play of emotions which have slipped beyond control, as a greyhound may slip
his leash. In his heart of hearts he knows that as much of this is already under
his control, so by dint of patient perseverance and earnest endeavour all may
in course of time be brought within due bounds, and mastery of the emotions be
gained. Thus
standing as it were outside of his emotions, looking down upon the whole sphere
of their activity, let him next picture himself as living in the mental body.
It is not difficult
for the beginner to separate himself from his physical and emotional bodies –
he has been taught in the practice of ordinary morality to check and control action
and violent emotion; but he has probably never been taught much of the power of
thought, and accordingly he finds it difficult to realise at first the possibility
of controlling his thought. Yet
he has the power to set his mind upon any subject he pleases, and by dint of perseverance
he may learn to keep it fixed thereupon. And eventually he may gain such control
of the mind as to be able to dismiss from it at will any unwelcome thought.
And so, passing through
the various stages, he may raise himself into the contemplation of That which
is beyond words, ineffably real and sacred, reaching the very shrine of his own
being, the altar upon which the Divine Shekinah itself is made manifest, and bearing
with him that radiance into the outer world of sense. When
the student by his meditation and by his oft-repeated thought during the day has
grown to regard himself as the Inner Man, working outwards into the world through
the instrumentality of a physical body, he may then pass on to more elaborate
and scientific forms of meditation. He should begin to work with fuller understanding
of its various details and stages, regarding it as at once a means of spiritual
refreshment and growth and a science of wrestling with the wayward mind and feelings.
CONCENTRATION
Meditation is often
divided into three stages: Concentration, Meditation, Contemplation. It may be
still further subdivided, but it is unnecessary to do so here; on the other hand
the beginner should bear in mind that meditation is a science of a life-time,
so that he must not expect to attain to the stage of pure contemplation in his
earlier efforts. Concentration
consists of focussing the mind on one idea and holding it there. Patanjali, the
author of the classic Hindu Yoga Aphorisms, defines Yoga as ‘the hindering of
the modifications of the thinking principle.’ This definition is applicable to
concentration, though Patanjali probably goes further in his thought and includes
the cessation of the image-making faculty of the mind and of all concrete expressions
of thought, thus virtually passing beyond the stage of mere concentration into
that of contemplation. To
be able to concentrate, then, it is necessary to gain control of the mind and
learn by gradual practice to narrow down the range of its activity, until it
becomes one-pointed. Some idea or object is selected upon which to concentrate,
and the initial step is to shut out all else from the mind, to exclude therefrom
the stream of thoughts alien to the subject, as they dance before the mind like
the flickering pictures of the cinematograph. It is true that much of the student’s
practice must be in the initial stages take this form of repeated exclusion of
thought; and to set oneself to do this is excellent training. But there is another
and far sounder way of attaining concentration; it consists in becoming so interested
and absorbed in the ( subject selected that all other thoughts are ipso facto
excluded from the mind. We are constantly doing this in our daily lives, unconsciously
and by force of habit. The writing of a letter, the adding of accounts, the taking
of weighty decisions, the thinking out of difficult problems – all these things
so engross the mind as to induce a state of more or less wrapt concentration.
The student must learn to accomplish this at will, and will best succeed by cultivating
the power and habit of observing and paying attention to outer objects.
Let him take any object
– a penholder, a piece of blotting paper, a leaf, a flower – and note the details
of its appearance and structure which usually pass by unnoticed ; let him catalogue
one by one its properties, and presently he will find the exercise of absorbing
interest. If he is able to study the process of its manufacture or growth, the
interest will again be heightened. No object in nature is in reality entirely
dull and uninteresting; and when anything seems so to us, the failure to appreciate
the wonder and beauty of its manifestation lies in our own inattentiveness.
As an aid to concentration,
it is well to repeat aloud the ideas that pass through the mind. So; this penholder
is black; it reflects the light from the window from some portions of its surface;
it is about seven inches in length, cylindrical; its surface is engraved with
a pattern; the pattern is branch-shaped and is formed of a series of closely-marked
lines – and so forth ad libitum. In
this way the student learns to shut out the larger world and to enclose himself
in the smaller world of his choice. When this has been done successfully he has
achieved a certain degree of concentration – for it is evident that there are
still many and various thoughts running through the mind, though all on the subject
of the penholder. The speaking aloud helps to slow down this stream of thought
and to hinder the mind from wandering. Gradually by practice he learns to narrow
down still further the circle of thought until literally he can reach one-pointedness
of mind. The
above practice is somewhat in the nature of drill instruction; it requires a degree
of strenuous application, and, moreover, may appear somewhat cold to the student,
since it arouses little emotion. Another exercise in concentration may therefore
be taken concurrently, but before describing this we may say that the former exercise
must needs be mastered at some stage of the student’s career. Some degree of mastery
therein is a preliminary to successful visualisation – that is, the power of mentally
reproducing an object in accurate detail without it being visible to the eyes
– and accurate visualisation is a necessary feature of much of the work which
is done by students trained in occult methods such as the deliberate construction
of thought-forms and the creation of symbols by the mind in ceremonial. Accordingly
the student who is really in earnest will not neglect this branch of work on account
of it being difficult and requiring application. He will also set to work at visualisation,
observing and carefully scrutinizing an object, and then with the eyes closed
endeavouring to build up a mental picture of it. The
second method, above referred to, is that of concentrating not upon a physical
object but upon an idea. If some virtue be taken it has the advantage of arousing
the enthusiasm and devotion of the student, and this is a very important consideration
in the initial stages of his practice, when perseverance and steadfastness are
often sorely tried. Moreover, the effort builds that virtue into the character.
In this case the concentration is chiefly that of the feelings and less conspicuously
a mental process. The student strives to reproduce in himself the virtue, let
us say sympathy, at which he is aiming, and by dint of holding himself to a single
emotion, by the power of the will eventually succeeds in feeling sympathy. It
is easier to be one-pointed in feeling than in thought, for the latter is more
subtle and active; but if intense concentration of feeling can be induced, the
mind will to a certain extent follow suit.
MEDITATION
Having thus
considered concentration we can now pass on to the second main division of our
subject – namely, meditation. Meditation is the art of considering a subject or
turning it over in the mind in its various bearings and relationships. Properly
speaking, the stage of meditation does not follow directly upon the complete one-pointedness
of mind which we have discussed above, it rather succeeds that stage of comparative
concentration which has banished from the mind all ideas alien to the one subject
under consideration; but efficiency in concentration will be required as each
branch of the meditation is taken up. We need not occupy space with further definitions
of meditation, but may at once pass on to certain schemes of practice which will
illustrate its nature and method more clearly than theoretical dissertation. We
have touched above on the thought of sympathy and may well use it as a subject
of meditation.
Meditation
on Sympathy
Reflect
that like all other virtues this is an attribute of the Divine Consciousness;
try to understand its nature and function in the world; consider it as a binding
power uniting one particularized self to another. Compare it with love: sympathy
implies understanding of another and the power to place oneself in his position;
love need not imply this understanding; on the other hand for its complete expression
sympathy requires the strong inner motive power which love alone can supply. Picture
the divine sympathy as poured forth into the world through the ideal man – the
Christ or the Master – and then as directed towards one’s self individually.
The student should then
with a strong active aspiration merge himself into the stream of this ineffable
influence radiating from the Master, and to seek to reach the object of his devotion.
Here the stage of contemplation may be attained). He should then think of this
virtue as applied in his daily life, to his friends and loved ones – even to those
with whom there is need for better understanding; let him picture them one by
one before him and wrap them round with the influence which is pouring through
him. Another
and more elaborate meditation may be given for the benefit of those who are unable
to dwell for any length of time on a single thought.
Meditation
To Expand the Consciousness
The
student should raise his consciousness and contemplate the immensities of the
universe; the picture of the starlit heavens, the soft radiance of the sunset,
or the thought of the cosmos enshrined within the infinitesimally minute atom,
will aid him in this, and he may, if he so desire, use the method of rising through
the bodies described earlier in this book. Let him then direct his thoughts in
loftiest aspiration to the Logos of our system and picture the whole system as
contained within the bounds of His consciousness: ‘In Him we live and move and
have our being’. He may then follow out the line of thought developed in the pamphlet
by Mrs.Besant entitled On Moods – namely, that though we might naturally think
of the loftier members of the Hierarchy as being most distant from us and almost
beyond the reach of our halting aspiration owing to their remoteness from petty
human interests, the reverse is actually true, and we are literally in closest
touch with the all-embracing consciousness of the Logos. The student may find
it helpful to think of the increasing size of the aura as spiritual development
is achieved; of that of the ordinary man, of that of pupils and initiates, of
the aura of the Master and the close relation of consciousness between the Master
and the close relation of consciousness between the Master and his pupils and
others whom he is helping, of the aura of the Lord Buddha which according to tradition
extended three miles about His person, and so rising in thought he may conceive
of a being whose aura of field of consciousness encompasses the whole of our planet
and of One who thus embraces the whole of our planet and of One who thus embraces
the whole of the system to which we belong. Literally is it true that every action,
every feeling and every thought to which we give expression are part of Him; nay,
our very memory is part of His memory, for is not all remembrance but the power
to touch the akashic records of nature, which is but the expression of Himself?
The student may then
pass on to think of some of those qualities which we may associate with the manifestation
of God in His world – let us take justice and beauty and love; that the justice
of the Supreme is shown forth in the invariable laws of nature, the law of the
conservation of energy, the dictum of Newton that action and re-action are equal
and opposite, the law of karmic retribution which gives unto each man the just
reward of his deeds. Let him think of what belief in karma really implies – the
hand that strikes a grievous blow is one’s own dead past come back to life again;
and from such reflections let him win content with that which is or which may
befall him. Let him think also of the innumerable relations under this law made
between man and man, the weaving of God’s plan in the universe, and see in those
complex relationships the immutable law of perfect justice. Passing
next to the aspect of beauty he may study the exquisite plan of the Great Architect
and Grand Geometrician of the Universe, and looking with closer attention at all
created nature may perceive the universality of that aspect of the Supreme which
expresses itself in beauty or harmony. Turning from beauty of nature to that created
by man he may soar aloft on the wings of the imagination and contemplate the masterpieces
of that human art which borders on the realm of divinity, because in very truth
the materials in the hand of the artist are the divine powers of nature. Thus,
in music, the mighty structures of sound reflect in many hues those archetypal
forces of nature which stream forth through the blazing hosts of the Gandharvas,
revealing to man the power of the hidden Word and raising him aloft once more
to the kingdom of his divine heritage. And
in the compassionate love of the Supreme all human relationships of tenderness
and love have their source. To the eye of the spirit the beauty of woman gives
no cause for carnal desire, but is rather a reason that she should be respected
as a child of God and a manifestation of His supreme beauty. There is but one
love throughout the universe, given by the Divine Father into the custody of His
creatures; it is the one primal force which in its elementary creative aspect
produces multiplicity of form and in its higher aspect draws souls together towards
unity in the One Life.
CONTEMPLATION
To the beginner attempting
the foregoing meditations they will at first probably appear little more than
intellectual exercises, more or less interesting according to the bent of his
temperament and capable of arousing a certain degree of feeling. But as he perseveres
in his efforts and enters more into the wonder and beauty of the great concepts
he is considering, he will gradually acquire something of that personal spiritual
experience which spans the gulf between the man of knowledge and the man of wisdom,
and he will attain to some realisation of that inner peace and exaltation of the
soul, of which St. Alphonsus de’Liguori speaks when he describes meditation as
‘the blessed furnace in which souls are inflamed with Divine love’. For meditation
harmonises the bodies in which we work, enabling the light of the spirit to shine
down and illumine the dark recesses of our waking consciousness. It stills the
turmoil of our personalities – the mind, the emotions, the restless activity of
the brain – and by reasons of the synchronous vibration of the lower bodies enables
the ego to influence the personality. And as the student thus grows richer in
spiritual experience, he will find new phases of consciousness gradually opening
up within him. Fixed in aspiration upon his ideal, he will presently become aware
of the influence of that ideal raying down upon him, and as he makes one desperate
effort to reach the object of his devotion, for one brief moment the floodgates
of heaven itself will be opened and he will find himself made one with his idea
and suffused with the glory of its realisation. These are the stages of contemplation
and union. The former is the reaching upwards, when the more formal figures of
the mind have been transcended, the latter is the attainment of that state of
ecstasy of spirit, when the limbs of the personality have fallen away and all
shadow of separateness has vanished in the perfect union of object and seeker.
It were idle to attempt further description of such experiences, for are they
not beyond the reach of formulated utterance? Words can but serve as signposts
pointing out the way to that which is ineffably glorious, so that the pilgrim
may know whither to direct his steps.
THE
SEARCH FOR THE MASTER
The
meditations outlined above will serve as a good groundwork for the beginner, and,
if conscientiously followed, are bound to lead to good results. What precisely
will be the value of those results will depend, of course, on the individual.
But the growth into the inner life of spiritual experience may be hastened by
taking advantage of certain opportunities which are the privilege of the Theosophist.
No earnest student can be long a Fellow of the Theosophical Society without realising
that the keystone of our whole spiritual edifice is the conception of the Masters,
and that their power is the very life-blood of the Society. We are told that the
Society was founded by the Brothers of the Great White Lodge, to be in a special
sense their instrument in the world; if this be true, the opportunities of the
Theosophist must be transcendently wonderful. It rests with the beginner to prove
this great fact for himself, as others have proved it before him. It
was stated once by Mrs. Besant that a Master said that when a person joins the
Theosophical Society he is connected with the Elder Brothers who direct its work
by a tiny thread of life. This thread is the line of magnetic rapport with the
Master, and the student may by arduous effort, by devotion and unselfish service,
strengthen and enlarge the thread until it becomes a line of living light. The
Masters take as pupils those who offer the necessary special qualifications. The
fact that there are few who attain this exceptional privilege need in no way deter
the earnest student, for there are many below the stage of pupil in whom the Master
takes an interest and whom he will aid from time to time either in a general way
or with special attention. Indeed, it may be said that there is a constant pressure
of the Masters’ force behind the Society, so that members who will open themselves
to it may become channels through which it will flow, enabling them to do in the
Master’s name works greater than their own. Realising
all this, the earnest Theosophist in shaping his spiritual endeavour will in all
probability desire to reach the Master, as the loftiest ideal within the range
of his spiritual aspiration. How may he address himself to this task? First, by
faithful service – both to his daily life and to the Society which is the physical
instrument of the Masters. Taking that for granted – and more will be said about
this anon – how shall he proceed? The next step will depend on his temperament.
He may picture to himself an Ideal Man, synthesising in him the qualities and
endowments of character which most strongly attract him, and endeavouring to perform
all actions in his name and to reach him in his meditation. Others choose also
a more concrete method and strive to reach the Great Ones through those who are
their pupils and disciples in the outer world. Take those, for instance, who stand
before us as the widely acknowledged leaders of the Theosophical movement. Those
leaders represent to many of us the Masters who stand behind the Society, and
are the channels to the Society of their mighty influence. It is true that some
people dislike intensely the attitude of hero-worship and devotion to persons;
such dislike springs too often, alas! from hopes in the past, disappointment and
blasted, while in other cases it is undoubtedly more fundamental and a matter
of temperament. The human instrument may, and generally does, show many imperfections;
the seeker certainly should not emulate these, but neither need he be troubled
about them, for it is not that which he reverences the idea within the actual?
‘What, know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost, which is in
you, which ye have of God…’ I Corinthians VI, 19) The characteristics that we
admire in a man are the manifestations of the Divine Light shining through him,
and that feeling of admiration is the response within ourselves to the ideal we
see expressed in the other. Consequently, we can well afford to ignore what we
consider the faults in others, and, whilst avoiding the foolish exaggeration of
placing them on a pedestal be grateful for the glimpses of the divine light they
reveal to us. The advantage of this method of reaching the Master is that it gives
to the student some ideal constantly within reach, definite and tangible to him.
There are many who echo the cry of Lamartine that he had need of a God near and
personal to him, a God Whose arms could encompass suffering humanity and Whose
feet could be kissed by repentant sinners. The same thought, though with a different
application, is expressed in the well-known text’…for he that loveth not his brother
whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?’ (I John IV, 20)
Every regularly accepted chela of a Master, and still more every victor who has
passed through the portals of initiations, is a channel of the Master’s influence;
through him the Master can be reached. The Master has taken certain definite responsibility
for him, and he is an outpost of the Master’s work in the world. Consequently
any service done for him, is done also, in a sense, for the Master, even though
it be merely in such small ways as in easing his labour or caring for his physical
comfort, to say nothing of larger ways. The
bearing of all this will be perfectly plain to the student who has set his face
seriously towards the goal with determination in his heart. In many ways he can
place himself in close touch with, say, one of the great leaders of the Theosophical
Movement. He can bring his mind into tune with that leader through the latter’s
lectures and writings. A photograph may help him in his meditation; and at regular
intervals throughout the day he can fix the image in his mind and send thoughts
of love, devotion, gratitude and strength. On two points he should exercise scrupulous
caution – namely, that his mind is pure and lofty and not filled with worldly
thoughts as he directs it towards his ideal – to this end a few moments may be
given to a preliminary tuning-up or cleansing process; and secondly, that there
should be no selfish expectation of help, of benefits or favours to be received
in return. It is a point worth remembering in meditation, that if one seeks to
draw down the ideal to oneself in personal possession, or is semi-consciously
looking for personal gratification or the sense of power of other selfish results,
the effort will not be crowned with due success: what is needed is an act of pure
unselfish aspiration, the soaring upward, with no thought save that of giving,
to the object of one’s adoration. Only when free from the taint of personal selfishness
does the student’s thought play at a sufficiently high level to open him to the
inflow of higher influence. Much
success may ensue along these lines of effort; for the law is sure, and since
the nearness of the ideal renders intensity of enthusiasm more likely, proportionately
great will be the result. If the motive be kept utterly pure, and the thought
of the Master constantly in the mind, the student may one day perceive that the
influence he contacts issues through, rather than from, the person who embodies
his ideal, and so he may gradually raise himself into direct consciousness of
the Master’s presence. It may be that at a lecture or a ceremonial or devotional
gathering, he will become conscious of a Presence greater than that of the physical
instrument, for the Masters frequently are pleased to bestow in person their benediction
upon such meetings of earnest members. In
such ways the student will find that whereas at first the Masters were to him
merely an intellectual conception – a logical necessity in his scheme of philosophy
– gradually, as his bodies grow more responsive to higher influences, they will
become a living reality in his life, recognised and perceived by the heart as
well as by the head.
THE
BUILDING OF CHARACTER
Few
words need be said upon this aspect of meditation, for it is comprised within
what has already been stated. Meditation upon a virtue causes a man to grow gradually
into the possession of that virtue; it is the deliberate setting of the bodies
to vibrate in response to the thought of that virtue, and the establishing of
a habit of response thereto, for with every repetition of the thought its recurrence
is made easier. It is finely said in a Hindu Scripture” ‘What a man thinks on
that he becomes; therefore think on the Eternal’. Especially should the image-building
faculty of the mind be utilised, side by side with strenuous efforts at the practice
of the virtue desired. If a student lack courage, he should picture himself in
circumstances requiring its display, and carry on a scene to a gallant conclusion.
As in actual life occasions offer themselves for courageous conduct, the thought
of courage will more and more readily fly to the mind, and effort at practice
will remedy the original defect. It
is well to take the various virtues as subjects of meditation, and by the exercise
of the mind and power of the imagination train oneself to be able to feel them
at will. In the
struggle to eradicate his faults one suggestion may prove useful to the student.
The habit of brooding over faults does not lead to healthiness of mind, but is
apt, rather, to encourage morbidness and depression, which act as a wall, shutting
out spiritual influences. As a practical expedient, it is better to ignore faults
of disposition so far as may be done, and to concentrate one’s whole aspiration
and endeavour towards building the opposite virtues into the character.
A well-known writer
and preacher has forcefully expressed this truth. ‘Remember you cannot see both
sides of the coin at once. When you are discouraged by the striving of the animal
nature, and utterly disgusted with yourself, and hating yourself as wholly unregenerate,
the noblest exercise for your mental faculty is to force yourself to turn over
the coin of yourself, and think intensely into the other side. Say, “I am The
Lord’s…my true ego is his Divine Spirit”…’(Light on the Problems of Life ,by Archdeacon
Wilberforce) Success
in the spiritual life is gained less by fierce wrestling with the lower nature
than by growing into the knowledge and appreciation of higher things. For once
we have sufficiently experienced the bliss and joyousness of the higher life,
by contrast the lower desires pale and lose their attractiveness. It was said
once by a great Teacher that the best form of repentance for a transgression was
to look ahead with hopeful courage, coupled with a firm resolve not to commit
the transgression again.
PHYSICAL
AIDS TO MEDITATION
Although
the more important part of meditation has to do with the direction of the will,
thought and feeling, it is obvious that we cannot dispense with the physical body,
so that some hints as to physical plane procedure will not be out of place; indeed
this must necessarily be among the things that will engage the mind of the student
who is entering upon the practice, as distinct from the theory, of meditation.
Posture
Just as certain thoughts
and emotions will express themselves in characteristic movements and gestures
of the body, so, by a reversal of the process, positions of the body may tend
to induce states of mind and feeling, and to assist the student in dwelling on
them. It is a matter of harmonizing the physical with the higher bodies and with
the play on it of the external forces of Nature.
In beginning meditation the student may adopt either of two postures recommended
by experts in these matters; he may sit upright in a comfortable armchair, the
back of which does not slope unduly; the hands may be clasped and rest on the
legs or be laid lightly on the knees; and the feet be placed together or crossed
with the right over the left. The
position should be easy and relaxed, the head not sunk upon the chest but lightly
balanced, the eyes and mouth closed, and – as suggested by a well-known Indian
writer on yoga – the spinal column, along which there is much magnetic flow, erect.
Or else he may sit in a similar position on a couch, stool on floor, cross-legged,
in eastern fashion. The locking of the extremities of the body is also recommended
by authorities as preventing the outflow of magnetism, which is a natural phenomenon,
from the fingertips, feet, et cetera. The cross-legged position is in some slight
ways the more effectual, since magnetism thereby liberated is said to rise around
the body in a protective shell. But it is an exceedingly inconvenient posture
for most western people, though in the East – whence most of our modern yoga teaching
originates – it is the natural manner of being seated, and it has been wittily
remarked by one writer that ‘ the initial difficulties are many, but they are
considerably enhanced by those who think it necessary to assume fantastic eastern
postures to annoy the body, which should be quiescent, if it is to be successfully
ignored’. (Meditations,by Alice.C. Ames) One
position which should not be adopted, except in very rare cases, is that of lying
down, for its natural tendency is towards sleep. Further, the brain cannot respond
sympathetically to the higher vibrations of the superphysical bodies if the circulation
of the blood be sluggish, hence the value of a cold tub or brisk walk before the
morning practice.
Breathing
and Other Matters
The
postures of the body above recommended not only admit of, but may even be said
to induce, full abdominal breathing, such as is practised by well-trained singers.
There is an intimate connection between profound meditation and breathing. George
Fox, the Quaker, and some other Quietists claim to have received the gift of ‘internal
respiration’. It is found in actual practice, that as the body becomes harmonized
in meditation the breathing grows deeper, regular and rhythmic, until by degrees
it becomes so slow and quiet as to be almost imperceptible. This effect having
been noticed, the process was reversed in hatha yoga, and by deliberate regulation
of the breathing it was sought to harmonize the functions of the body, and finally
the workings of the mind. But the student should be warned against indiscriminate
practice of breathing exercises spread broadcast in westernized yoga literature.
To begin with, it is always more dangerous in psychic culture to work ‘from below
up’; to play pranks with the physical body instead of taking to heart the profound
teaching of The Voice of the Silence: ‘The Mind is the great Slayer of the Real.
Let the Disciple slay the Slayer’. The student will be better advised to learn
control of thought along the lines of raja yoga, leaving his efforts at meditation
to work their natural effect on the development of his physical body and the shaping
of the psychic organs. Furthermore, that which can be practised with impunity
in an eastern body cannot always with equal suitability be tried on a western
body; and some of these breathing exercises are exceedingly dangerous and fraught
with disastrous consequences. It may be said in passing that there is no objection
to simple deep breathing, provided undue strain is not placed upon the heart and
lungs and no attempt is made to concentrate the thought on the various centres
of the body. The
student may find it helpful to burn a little good incense, for this purifies the
atmosphere from the occult standpoint: he may also gain assistance from beautiful
colours and pictures in his surroundings, flowers and other means of uplifting
the mind and feelings. He
will also find it useful to observe certain dietetic restrictions, even going
to the length of complete abstinence from alcohol and flesh-food. The taking of
alcohol pari passu with the practice of strenuous meditation is apt to set up
inflammatory symptoms in the brain – but the whole question is fully dealt with
in Theosophical literature. (See Annie Besant’s Man and His Bodies, C.W. Leadbeater’s
Some Glimpses of Occultism, Chap.X.)
Times
Another point not to
be neglected is the question of hour. It is well – though not a sine qua non –
that the times selected should be regularly adhered to. Much of the initial difficulty
of meditation springs from the automatic consciousness of the various bodies –
called sometimes the elementals of the bodies – resisting with a sort of instinct,
which if blind is nevertheless often extremely forceful, the attempt to impose
upon them new habits. Three periods of the day are stated to be most suitable
magnetically – namely, when the sun is rising, at its meridian and when setting.
These were the times selected by ancient devotees, though naturally they must
be modified to suit the conditions of modern life. In addition to these times,
it is well if the habit can be cultivated of turning the mind for the moment at
the stroke of every hour during waking life to the realization of oneself as the
Spiritual Man. This practice leads to what in Christian mystical theology is called
self-recollectedness. It is the object of the student to train the mind to revert
automatically to spiritual thoughts. It
is not well to meditate immediately after a meal or late at night; in the one
case the process of thought withdraws the blood from aiding the digestive functions,
in the other the bodies are tired and the etheric double more readily displaceable,
and , moreover, the negative influence of the moon is operative, so that undesirable
results are more liable to occur.
Positivity
and Psychic Development
The
system of meditation here laid before the student has as its object spiritual,
mental and ethical development, and the control of the mind and feelings. It does
not aim at developing psychic faculties ‘from below upwards’. But its natural
result may be to open up a form of intuitive psychism in persons of sufficiently
sensitive organisation, which will show itself in increasing sensitiveness to
the influence of people and places, in the recalling of fragmentary memories of
astral plane experiences from sleep, in greater susceptibility to direct guidance
from the ego, in the power to recognize the influence of the Masters and spiritually
developed people, and so forth. There
is one special contingency which the student following the methods of positive
self-development here outlined should carefully avoid, and that is the development
of passive mediumship and spirit control through negative methods of meditation
– for, whatever may be the merits of spiritualism, the two systems are quite incompatible.
For instance, in some books of westernized yoga the student is instructed to begin
meditation by rolling his eyes upwards and keeping them so fixed. The effect of
this is to impose a strain on the visual mechanism and so to deaden the brain
somewhat, with the result that a negative state of auto-hypnosis is induced, and
semi-trance may supervene, accompanied by certain psychic manifestations. A similar
result is obtained by the use of a crystal. It
is also apt to puzzle the student when writers tell him to open himself to spiritual
influences and at the same time be positive. The difficulty arises through a confusion
of stages. Positive effort is needed as a preliminary, and the passive condition
follows later. The positive intensity of effort uplifts the consciousness to play
through the higher levels of its different vehicles, or – to look at the matter
differently – harmonises the vehicles, bringing them into synchronous relation
with each other, so that the higher influence can play down; and only then is
it safe to relax the upward straining in the realization of the peace thus attained.
Perhaps, after all, the phrase ‘opening oneself to spiritual influences’ in such
a condition means nothing more than maintaining an attitude of intense stillness
at a high spiritual level. The present writer once heard a similar point well
illustrated by Monsignor Robert Hugh Benson. He instanced the picture of a seagull
poised against the gale; truly to the onlooker the bird seemed passive and immobile,
nevertheless one knew there was a powerful effort continuously maintained in wing
and pinion. Now
it is obvious that this intense stillness marks a stage separated by years of
persistent effort from the attitude of people who assume they can reach great
spiritual heights while flat on their backs in a warm and comfortable bed or even
in a piping hot bath! Such persons mistake for meditation what is merely bodily
enfeeblement and an idle drifting of thought upon some soothing and agreeable
topic. Not thus is the kingdom of heaven taken by storm! Real
mediation means strenuous effort, not the sensation of happiness which arises
from a state of semi-somnolence and bodily luxury. The man who is beginning real
concentration of thought should not at first exceed five or ten minutes at a stretch,
otherwise he is apt to overtax the brain. Very gradually the interval may be lengthened
to fifteen, twenty and thirty minutes.
Relaxation
Since meditation involves
effort the student will do well to remember that the natural effect of concentrating
the mind is to produce tension of the muscles in the body. The familiar habit
of knitting of brows is evidence of this bodily automatism. This tension of the
muscles not only induces great bodily fatigue, but acts as an obstacle to the
inflow of spiritual forces. Therefore the student should periodically in his meditation,
and repeatedly during his daily life, turn his attention on the body and deliberately
‘let go’ in relaxation. People of strong and intense natures often find difficulty
in expressing themselves either in speech or letter owing to a habit of imposing
too great and sudden a pressure on the brain. They should learn to let the brain
take the load gradually, as an electrician would say. A moment of complete relaxation
would rid them of the difficulty. In much the same way if a lecturer suffers from
brain-fag and sudden forgetfulness of his sequence of ideas or inability to get
a word, by far the wiser course is the bold one of letting go absolutely in momentary
relaxation, rather than straining to remember, for the latter effort merely increases
the tension round the brain. The
student should also remember that concentration is not a matter of physical effort.
The moment the mind turns to a thought it is concentrated upon it. It is difficult
to express in words what, after all, must be experienced to be understood; but
concentration is less a matter of forcibly holding the mind on a certain thought
than of letting the mind continue to rest on that thought in perfect stillness
and quietude. Further the student may realise, and apply for what it is worth
in his own inner experience, the idea that the mental body and not the brain is
the seat of thought, and that though in the initial stages effort must seem to
centre on the task of quietening the brain, nevertheless concentration really
concerns the mental body more than the physical brain.
The
Way of Service
The
Theosophical student should always remember that right motive is of primary importance
in all work that he undertakes, and that only by dint of unselfish motive and
the sincere desire to benefit humanity can the Masters be reached. It need not
be that any intense love for humanity in the mass possess the aspirant in the
earlier stages; we may safely assume it is sufficient if he seek to act unselfishly
towards those in his immediate environment, for as he perseveres he must inevitably
become increasingly sensitive to the cry of suffering humanity in its collective
aspect. Yet it
is well that the Theosophist who is awakening to some realization of the spiritual
life should understand that meditation and service are complementary to each other
and that the best results will accrue when they are combined. We are not in the
Theosophical Society just for what we can get out of it; we are members because
the teachings of the Eternal Wisdom have sunk deep into our hearts and are moulding
our lives anew. It is the mark of the spiritual man to give freely to others rather
than to demand for himself; therein only is true happiness to be found. Hence
our attitude towards the Society should be in the nature of a continual interrogation:
What can I do to help? The
newcomer into the Society is given his opportunities and according to his capacity
is judged by the use he makes of them. Small services well rendered often bulk
larger than ambitious undertakings fitfully carried out. The student who is likely
to progress is the one who is found faithful in small things, who is willing to
clean windows and light fires in the Lodge room, to undertake various small duties
at meetings, to be unfailingly regular in attendance at Lodge, or other meetings
in which he has promised to take part, to train himself to lecture and write.
No more need be said about this; a hint to the earnest student is sufficient,
and the parable of the talents is extremely applicable to Theosophical work.
Along such paths of
service will the way to the Masters be disclosed; for service willingly given
must be the watchword of the aspirant and he will learn to forget himself and
his own progress in the joy of ministering to the needs of others. Let him seek
to perform every act of service in the Name of the Master; and so let him work
onward in perseverance and steadfastness to the day when he shall know the Master
face to face, and from the depths of his being offer himself in glad surrender
to his Lord. But
let him not think that the relation between Master and pupil is in any way one
of coercion or one in which the pupil’s individuality is submerged in the flood
of power from the Master. On the contrary, the Master’s influence is not a hypnotic
force from without but an inexpressibly wonderful illumination from within, irresistible
because so deeply felt as in perfect accord with the pupil’s highest aspiration
and as the self-revelation of his own spiritual nature. The Master is himself
in fullest measure a channel of the Divine Life and that which flows from him
awakens into activity the seed of divinity within the pupil. Indeed the student
who finds inspiration in scientific study may discover a suggestive analogy in
the electric phenomenon of induction. It is because of the identity of nature
in the two that the influence of the Master stimulates in the highest degree all
the noblest and finest qualities in the pupil. The love of the Master for a disciple
may be likened to the sunshine which opens the lotus bud to the fresh morning
air, and very truly may it be said that one smile from the Master will call forth
such an outburst of affection from the pupil as would only be gained by months
of scholastic meditation on the virtue of love. May
these few hints on meditation win some to the knowledge of the Great Teachers
and to the service of humanity in their name.
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