Extremely Busy People Learn Meditation

by BK Sister Jayanti

More people are living, but fewer are choosing, life in the fast lane. The need to restore balance, find inner peace and replenish spiritual power can be satisfied by some form of daily meditation. Sister Jayanti, an extremely busy person in her own right, presents the how to of meditation and ways that meditation can help to take the stress out of busyness.

I wonder how well I know myself. Sometimes I really do wonder because I surprise myself at my own reactions and responses in certain situations. I wish I could have behaved a little bit differently. It’s one of the indications that tell me that I need to know myself a little better. In a materialistic world everything carries values in terms of matter. So often the value that I have placed in myself has also been associated with external factors, the possessions that I have, the property that I own, the position and profile that I occupy or the position that others give me. Very often I see myself in compartments, just simply in the way that others see me. What is it that you see when you look at me? Instantly the inner computer begins its calculations and we connect with each other in terms of our face, our colour, our skins, our features, our age, the profession we work with and yet, when I begin to think about it, I question this and wonder whether external factors tell me anything either about myself or about you. And I begin to be aware of things that are actually not material at all, nothing to do with my external form or external situations and these are the things that I actually value and appreciate about myself.

I look inside and I become aware of things like my feelings, my emotions, my thoughts and I begin to wonder which bit of me is really me. It’s important that I learn to separate two identities, the material identity, that is the physical form, and the inner reality of my thoughts and feelings. It’s important to know things in terms of the external, but much more important to know that which is under the surface, that which is below the skin, and when I focus my attention inside, on my inner being, that’s when our journey begins.

Coming into this inner space and finding what’s happening in my own inner world is actually an adventure as marvelous as the adventures of outer space. Where is it that my thoughts and feelings emanate from? As I begin to allow my mind to be quiet I discover that the source of life, the source of energy that I am, is actually just a spark, a being, a point. I am not 5 feet tall, but I am just a point of light. In our language we use sometimes this expression ‘my soul’, or ‘I have a soul’ and yet this is not true at all—the reality is that I am a soul, I am this point of light. And operating from this consciousness creates a total change in my awareness. In this awareness, knowing who I am, I am able to step beyond all those limits that the physical body has imposed on me. So often I have said “I can’t do this, that or the other”, and yet none of that is reality. I am this eternal being of light. I am being of light, I am actually a being of love; these are my natural qualities, and coming back to this awareness means that I’m able to go beyond all barriers, all boundaries. I am able to find that inner freedom of the self. In this awareness of knowing who I truly am, I’m able to manage myself.

Sometimes we question whether the original state of the self is that of goodness. And yet peace is that which is totally natural for me, and so I know that it is a state that belongs to me. I don’t need to attempt it. It is there within me. In a life in which one is very busy, if I know how to turn my attention just for a moment, to this point of light that I am peace is instantly accessible. When I find that inner peace, it’s like the recharging of the battery and then I am able to accomplish all that I need to accomplish on the external level. If I can even do this for one minute within every hour I would find that the other 59 minutes are able to flow very, very smoothly.

My own being of peace inside also means I have power inside. I am able to find my own inner strength. We use this word ‘empowerment’ a great deal and yet empowerment cannot come to me from anyone else outside, but empowerment which comes from within means that it’s a strength that stays with me forever and ever. Wherever I go, whatever else it is I do, this power is that which I carry within my own being.

Let’s experience a few minutes in which we use this concept so that you can actually see how it works for yourself.

Sit quietly just letting the body be relaxed, preferably both feet on the ground and your hands folded quietly. Let your breathing become natural and slow. You can keep your eyes open. (In fact it is preferably to do so, so that this awareness becomes a natural stage of awareness for you.)

I focus inside and I watch what’s happening inside my own inner world.

I see many thoughts flickering on the screen of my mind and I can consciously choose which thoughts to have.

I choose the thought of peace.

I visualise a point of light and in this awareness of peace I know that this is who I am.

I am a being of light.

I am a being of peace.

My thoughts slow down and I savour the beauty of peace within, as my inner world is filled with peace.

I am also filled with light.

I can feel the clouds of confusion receding and as this light becomes bright I can feel my own inner power growing within.

My own being is light, is might, is peace.

Having forgotten myself I had forgotten these original and natural qualities of mine, and now that I know who I am, all these qualities naturally belong to me again and in this awareness I radiate light, peace and might.

And now I let my thoughts come back to the awareness of the physical body that I occupy and the situations in life that I find myself in today, but now I come back with an outlook transformed with an attitude which is very different.

Coming home in this awareness of I the soul, the master of this physical instrument, this precious body of mine, I know now what it is I have to convey through my eyes, through my lips, through my actions, I know the direction that I have to move in. My vision of others has also been transformed. I don’t put them into boxes anymore. I am able to see them as external beings, as souls. I still carry on with those things I need to do, but now having created that original eternal world also, there is clarity in the way which I think; there is understanding and empathy in the way I behave with others; there is power in my actions so that my actions lead to the right conclusions; and positive results emerge in my life and also the lives of others around me.

I compare this to the state I was in before, a state of chaos and confusion inside, and so little wonder that there was chaos and confusion in the world around me. Managing myself means to know that I am the creator of my own inner world. I’m able to be the creator of the world around me. Managing myself means finding my own dignity, finding my own state of self-respect so that I’m able to stand independently on my own feet. We surround ourselves with so many different supports and are unable to manage without those supports. But now that I know who I am, I carry my own stage of self esteem and of course when I value my self, I value others around me. In a state of self-respect that respect extends out to others. Managing myself means I’m able to move with stability in which I bring calmness to the world of chaos around me. The peace that I have means that I can begin to create a little oasis of peace around me. The light that I have means that illusion and darkness no longer touch me. The power that I have means that I can truly be free.

Om shanti. Om means I am, shanti means peace. I can turn back to this awareness at any moment and again be a master of myself.

Sister Jayanti is the Director of the Brahma Kumaris in London. This article, originally published by BK Publications (www.bkpublications.com) in Retreat Magazine #10, is an extract from her opening presentation in a series of audio presentations entitled Meditation for Extremely Busy People.

Instruments of Peace

By Dadi Janki

The call of this time is a call for peace. In my early morning meditations, I can hear the call of the peaceless world for peace – not just for an end to conflict, but for a deep inner stillness and calm, which all souls remember as our original state.

If we are to find peace, first we must teach ourselves to become quiet and then we can become peaceful. Becoming peaceful means seizing the reins of the out-of-control mind and bringing the runaway thoughts to a halt. Once we have the mind’s attention, we can begin to coax it to take us into silence, a true silence; not the place without sound, but the place in which we experience a deep sense of peace and a pervasive awareness of our well-being.

It is not an empty mind that elicits this state of peace. To move into this state of profound silence, we must train the intellect to create pure, good thoughts. We must train it to concentrate. Our wasteful thoughts burden us. Our habits of creating too many thoughts and too many words exhaust the intellect. We must ask, “How can I cultivate the habit of pure thought?”

Who is it that yearns to go into silence? It is I, the inner being, the soul. As I detach from my body and from bodily things, and turn away from the distractions of the world, I can face inwards to the inner being. Like a perfectly calm lake when all whispers of wind have stopped, the inner being shimmers, quietly reflecting the intrinsic qualities of the soul. Feelings of peace and well-being steal across my mind and, with them, thoughts of benevolence.

I let go of all thoughts of discontentment and am reminded of my oldest, most intrinsic state of being. I remember this inner calm. Though I have not been here recently, I remember it as my most fundamental awareness, and a feeling of happiness and contentment wells up inside of me. In this state I know every soul to be my friend. I am my own friend. I am deeply quiet. I am silent and utterly at peace.

This deep well of peace is the original state of the soul. When I am in this state, I feel the flow of love for humanity and I feel a state more elevated than what I would normally call happiness, a state of bliss. It is when I attain this state that something truly miraculous can happen. When I am in this state of complete soul-conscious rest, I become aware that another energy is beginning to flow into me. I feel strength and a power so expansive, that in this moment I know there is nothing I cannot do, nowhere I cannot reach.

When this happens, I am experiencing the connection with the divine energy and the flow of God’s power into my inner being. If I stay focused inwards, connected with this stream of divine power, even the way I use the physical senses will be different. When I look at the world, I will see through my original nature of benevolence and experience compassion for the world.

It is in this experience that I know what silence power is. It is this power that transforms me inside, making me pure and powerful. When the soul and God are linked together, there is a power that reaches me and then reaches invisibly across to others, bringing about transformation in them, in nature, and in the world.

The secret of this power of silence is that I don’t have to do the work of transformation. Divine power automatically transforms. Let me do the inner work. Let me go deeply into that experience of the original state of the self, and let there be silence so that God is able to do His work through me, His instrument.

Preparing for Silence


By BK Mohini Panjabi

(Sister Mohini Panjabi shared these ideas at a Call-of-the-Time Dialogue in Uruguay in 2001 as dialogue participants prepared for a day of silence).

One of the true gifts in a busy life is an extended period of silence, a time when we intentionally turn our attention away from the rush of conversations and commitments, images and messages, and lists and obligations, and quietly attune ourselves to an inner space.

  • For some of us, imposed silence has been a punishment in our past; for example, a parent may have admonished, “Close your mouth and go to your room.” The silence we are entering here is a choice. This silence is a chance for discovery, to find out new and different things. The absence of talk is quite different when we are choosing not to speak.
  • Silence is not a lack of communication. There is a subtle language that connects us to one another through the eyes, with a smile, or a gesture. Fluency in this subtle language calls for our ability to observe the small details of life. As we develop our facility with this subtle language, we find that we are less dependent on the mechanical devices that can connect us but that can also make us feel more separate.
  • In moving into an inner space of silence, we are attuning ourselves to the spirit of nature and letting go of the tendency to be critical.
  • Silence provides the opportunity for me to identify the qualities in myself that have the capacity to transform me. In silence I can connect to the highest quality of my lightest, clearest thinking.
  • Action emerges from the seeds of thought. Actions are the fruits of these seeds. What is the soil in which I choose to plant the seeds of my thoughts? Violence or peace? Anger or love? These choices are transformative.
  • The state of awareness I attain in silence connects directly to the quality of my understanding. Understanding “in sound” is a cognitive process, while understanding “in silence” is more subtle, resulting in realizations that emerge from within. These are very different experiences.
  • In silence I discover my innate qualities, the qualities that are intrinsic to who I am. Here in silence I touch my eternal self, and I come to trust this deepest essence.
  • The experience of recognizing my intrinsic and unique qualities increases my own power to receive. In silence I touch my inner strength and experience trust, faith, safety, beauty, worthiness. It is from this base of inner strength that my actions evolve.
  • In silence I can listen to the call of God, the call of nature, the call of others in need.
  • Silence is an inner space of learning. When I do not understand something, I continue to hold on to it. When learning has occurred, I can release it and move on.
  • In silence I discover truth by getting in touch with the true self. Silence increases my capacity to hold the truth within.
  • Silence is an opportunity to rest in the lap of my own greatness. Remember to care for yourself with the special attention you would accord any great soul.
  • Silence is a discipline, not of doing, but of being.


Use these thoughts about silence as a tray of hors d’oeuvres, picking what you want to support you as you transition into a silent inner space.

Silence


By Anthony Strano

Anthony Strano is Director of the Brahma Kumaris Centres in Greece, Hungary and Turkey. This article is extracted from his booklet The Alpha Point, published by Brahma Kumaris Information Services Ltd, London 1998.

Anthony Strano points the way to a conversation with God.

When silence is deep, brimming with fullness, when there is no more yearning for sound, when there is complete concentration on One, then thought, like an arrow, finds and melts into its target; there the human soul not only glimpses God, but is absorbed in the purity of that Being; absorbed totally, wholly, absolutely. Filled with the pure light that has now become its being, the soul radiates this energy as peace and love to others; a living lighthouse.

Silence is the bridge of communication between the Divine and the divine in the human. Silence is where I find what is most precious.

Spiritual silence is the positioning of the heart and mind in readiness for communication with the One. Neither is it communication based on repetitive words, nor on intellectual theories nor on asking for the fulfillment of limited desires. Sacred communication is the harmonizing of the original self with the Eternal One.

Spiritual silence gives me energy, pure and selfless, from the Creative Source, to burst out of the cocoon of dust and routine, opening up unlimited horizons of new vision. To release the self from negativity, I require silence. Absorbed in its depths, I am renewed. In this renewal the mind clears itself, facilitating a different perception of reality. The deepest perception of all is my own eternity.

The act of silence is as necessary for living as breathing is for physical life. Strength for living necessitates finding a point of stillness from which I begin and to which I return every day: an oasis of inner peace. Silence brings my mental and emotional energy to a point of concentration, where I can be still. Without this inner stillness, I become like a puppet pulled here and there by the many different strings of external influences. This inner point of stillness is the seed of autonomy, which cuts the strings, and then the loss of energy ceases.

Silence heals. Silence is like a mirror. Everything is clear. The mirror does not blame or criticize but helps me to see things as they are, providing a diagnosis to release me from all types of wrong thinking. How does silence do this? Silence revives the original peace of the self; a peace that is innate, divine and, when invoked, flows through one’s being, harmonizing and healing every imbalance. Silence is full and it fills; gently, powerfully, consistently active.

To create silence, I step within. I connect with my eternal self; the soul. In that place of unblemished tranquility, as if in a timeless womb, the process of renewal and restructuring begins. There, a new pattern of pure energy is woven.

In this introspective space I reflect. I recollect what has been forgotten for a long time. I concentrate slowly and gently and as I do so, those original spiritual blueprints of love, truth and peace emerge and are experienced as personal and eternal realities. Through these, quality begins to enter life. Quality is closeness to something purer and truer in ourselves. Quality is the principle for more enlightened thought and for integrity of action. In that space, Silence teaches me how to listen, how to develop an openness to God.

Listening guides me into the right position, opening the channel of receptivity. Receptivity aligns me to the reality of God; a very necessary alignment, if I am to truly know and be at one with Him. For receptivity I must clear myself of myself. I must stand clean, bare, simple, stripped of artificiality, then genuine communication begins.

As I listen, I receive. As I receive, I feel and reflect, and gradually move into concentration. Concentration is when I am completely absorbed in one thought. Where there is love, concentration is natural and steady, like the still candle flame radiating its aura of light. The thought in which one is absorbed becomes one’s world. When the human mind is absorbed in the thought of God, the person feels resurrected; the harmony of reconciliation is deeply felt. In this silent link of love, one becomes fully reconciled, not as an intellectual process but as a state of being. I awaken. This wakefulness is where I am fully conscious of Truth. Simultaneously I become conscious of the illusions in me and around me and of the effort needed to remove them.

This wakefulness enables me to respond and receive what I would not normally notice, either on natural or supernatural levels. In wakefulness, in this heightened state of knowing, a person spiritualises the self; he or she becomes a truer being. Within silence the subtle invisible rays of concentrated thought meet God—this is the power of silence; this is often called ’meditation’. Sound cannot achieve this meeting with God. Sound can only praise and glorify, through song or chant, the closeness of union with the Divine; but it cannot create it. Only silence creates the practical experience of union.

Concentrated silence is the wordless focus of pure attention on One. Love for that One makes the focus easy and steady, fulfilling. This closeness of the self with the Supreme inevitably inspires the desire for change in the self; inspiration to better the self, to make the self worthy by fulfilling the original potential and, where one can, sharing the fruits of that realized potential with others. This sharing is not achieved through saying a lot, but rather through the integrity of personal example.

In silence, the deepest orientation of consciousness is the desire to achieve personal perfection. This desire is a result of the divine flow of energy entering the human consciousness and inspiring belief in one’s own worth. Personal perfection is accepted as being possible. It’s the faith given by God as a gift to the soul. The possibility of perfection is accepted because the soul knows it is not alone in its effort, it constantly has the support of Divine Love to achieve its goal.

In its connection with God, the soul is filled and feels itself complete; it has found what it was looking for. Divine Love works especially through silence; the soul is awakened from its sleep of ignorance and given new life, as in the story of Sleeping Beauty. The soul is the Sleeping Beauty, God is the prince and ignorance is the witch who casts her magic spell of slumber upon the princess. God’s love for the soul is such that it is not stopped by any darkness or barrier but reaches the soul to awaken it, bringing it back to life, back to reality. Love breaks the iron spell.

It is through Love that I, as a soul, am awakened and acknowledge my eternity. My reality is far more than my material appearance. My eternity is my reality. This is the truth of my existence. In Greek the word for truth is alithea, which means ‘not to forget’. The human being is under a very deep forgetfulness; an amnesia of spirit. I cannot achieve the awakened state, the true state of myself with my own skills of intellect. Attainment of Truth is not a matter of cleverness. I can only awaken when God helps me to remember. To remember is real knowing; it is Truth.

To achieve inner change, silence has to be love-filled, not only peace-filled. Many think that it is enough just to experience peace in the silence of meditation in order to achieve transformation of consciousness. Peace stabilizes; peace harmonises and gently quiets. Peace lays the foundation. However, Love actively inspires; Love moves the universe. Love moves all things towards their original freedom and happiness.

Both Peace and Love are needed, and in their archetypal form, come from God, the Universal and immutable Source. It is this God-filled silence that restores a human being and the earth to their original state.

In silence, we realize that it is not only a return to the roots; but, even more, it is a return to the Seed, to the Beginning; it is a return to God, a return to myself, a return to right relationship.