| In Part I, my Article focused on Spirituality and | | | | Mindfulness meditation begins the "inner journey" by |
| touched briefly on Meditation. In this Article, we'll talk | | | | shifting our "attention" or "concentration" (which is |
| about the four levels of Meditation. Meditation is | | | | the outer expression of our soul) to going inside the |
| essential for anyone who wishes to grow Spiritual. | | | | body and takes us away from the "outer" |
| But, not all people want to grow Spiritual and | | | | stimulations of yogic postures that involve the |
| therefore, miss the connection between a lack of | | | | physical body. Mindfulness meditation shifts our |
| Spirituality and dis-ease. I hope that after these two | | | | attention or awareness inside the body to notice the |
| Articles, it will be easier to understand the intricate | | | | fleeting and passing nature of our thoughts. |
| relationship between dis-ease, illness, and happiness, | | | | The practitioner sits motionless and simply observes |
| which result from our spirit, mind, body, and emotions | | | | the endless stream of mind-chatter that passes by |
| being re-connected from their dis-connection with | | | | their awareness. In this state, the practitioner might |
| God. It's that process of re-connecting our soul with | | | | pose some questions to the mind and sit long enough |
| God that's called: "Spiritual Growth". | | | | to hear the answers. However, the nature of the |
| Part II - The Power of Meditation | | | | mind is to analyze, criticize, judge, measure, and jump |
| "Meditation" describes a technique that has many | | | | around back-and-forth from the past to the future. |
| benefits for our spirit, mind, body, and emotions. Our | | | | The mind pulls our attention away from getting |
| soul derives its' food, strength, and nourishment from | | | | "silent" and into an endless dialogue that distracts our |
| its' conscious contact with God. That conscious | | | | "attention" more and more away from being |
| contact happens while we're in deep meditation. Just | | | | absolutely motionless. Remember, the mind never sits |
| imagine being born into the physical body and then | | | | still! It's constantly restless. Therefore, those who |
| never having contact with food. We'd starve to | | | | believe the mind will lead them towards |
| death. Well, that's actually the condition of our soul | | | | self-knowledge and God-realization are deeply |
| and we wonder "Why" we're experiencing all kinds of | | | | mistaken. Since the mind's tendency is |
| dis-ease and illness as a human race. | | | | to-never-be-still or to be in constant motion (by |
| There are different kinds of meditation practices and | | | | avoiding the deeper silences and stillness within), one |
| different levels of meditation that reward the | | | | can never use the mind to realize God. God-realization |
| practitioner with certain benefits. The most important | | | | is another name for absolute stillness. "Silence is |
| message here is to know "why" are you choosing a | | | | Golden"! |
| particular form of meditation at that level of | | | | 3. Level three is called "Jyoti" meditation. Jyotimeans |
| meditation? This is extremely important because if | | | | Light and this level of meditation begins another |
| you're serious about growing Spirituality, you'll save | | | | dramatic shift in ones spiritual evolution. This level |
| yourself lots of time, effort, and frustration, if you | | | | involves having the practitioner's achieve "absolute |
| first choose the right level of meditation before you | | | | silence and stillness" by focusing their "attention" or |
| spend weeks, months, and years in the wrong | | | | "concentration" into the inner radiant Light that they |
| meditative practice. But, once you know "why" you | | | | see. The practitioner focuses their attention into the |
| want to perform a particular meditative practice, then | | | | center of the field of darkness they see in front of |
| eliminate all the rest so you don't waste any time. | | | | them when they close their eyes. This is our gazing |
| "Time is the only human "Capital" we all have! And, | | | | point for Jyoti meditation. The gazing point is located |
| once it's gone - we can't get it back! So, choose | | | | between and behind the two eyebrows. It's been |
| wisely! | | | | called the "Third-Eye" or "Single-Eye" in many of the |
| As an example, some people want to learn | | | | scriptures. |
| meditation to improve their concentration, while | | | | Jyoti meditation involves using a Mantra or a |
| others want to gain the ability to quiet their mind's | | | | "five-word-phrase" to control the chattering nature of |
| chatter, and others want to gain inner peace and | | | | the mind. The Mantra helps block the mind's chatter |
| reduce their daily stress. Still others want to obtain | | | | and narrowly focuses the "attention" or "awareness" |
| self-knowledge and God-realization - which involves | | | | into the center of the field of vision that we see in |
| having a conscious contact of our soul with God. | | | | front of us when our eyes are closed. The Mantra |
| That's the hidden "Power of Meditation! Meditation is | | | | holds our "attention" at the third-eye center and |
| that "connector" that will bring you enormous spiritual | | | | when the attention is steady, riveted, and fixed |
| benefits - if you choose the right level of meditation | | | | there, the inner doorway opens and we begin to see |
| to practice. That's really the bottom-line. | | | | glimpses of inner radiant Light. We also begin to hear |
| The Four Levels of Meditation | | | | Sound. |
| By practicing higher and higher levels of meditation, | | | | The practitioner sees many colored Lights (Jyoti) - |
| the practitioner will accelerate their spiritual progress | | | | white light, yellow, red, orange, green, blue, indigo, |
| and consciousness. Another important point to make | | | | purple, and golden Light. This Light emanates from |
| is that the higher the level of meditation - the | | | | those non-physical spiritual regions far beyond the |
| greater the necessity of having a truly competent | | | | physical body. This is the threshold of where the soul |
| spiritual teacher to guide you to achieving your goal. | | | | travels to after the death of the physical body. In |
| Having a competent spiritual teacher means getting | | | | addition, one may hear Celestial Sounds or Music. This |
| clear on what you want to achieve with meditation. | | | | Music is referred to by different names and is called |
| The higher the level of meditation, the more spiritually | | | | the "Shabd" "Naam" or "Word" "Logos" or "Tae" in |
| conscious your teacher needs to be. That's to | | | | different scriptures. These celestial melodies are |
| bottom-line. The inner spiritual regions are extremely | | | | ceaselessly playing and sustain everything in creation. |
| vast and illusive. | | | | All of this remains hidden from us without knowing |
| By following a less qualified spiritual teacher means | | | | how to meditate and leave the physical body. |
| you will not make it to your goal. | | | | 4. The fourth level of meditation is called "Dhyan" or |
| For example, if you spend hundreds of hours | | | | "Samati" (which means: In Deep Contemplation). |
| studying for what you believe is a Masters degree in | | | | Dhyan and Jyoti meditation complement each other |
| Business Administration (MBA) and you thought your | | | | by helping the practitioner enter a state of absolute |
| MBA teacher is truly qualified and competent enough | | | | silence and stillness. During that state, the practitioner |
| to teach you at that level, but in reality, was only | | | | enters the radiant inner Light and hears Sounds or |
| qualified to lead you to a High School Diploma, then | | | | melodies. The practitioner is so fully absorbed into |
| think of the amount of time and energy that was | | | | their inner spiritual experience that we say they have |
| wasted on you getting to your goal. Therefore, it's | | | | entered "Samati". While in Samati, the practitioner |
| critical to spend some time investigating the | | | | enters more and more subtle spiritual regions of |
| competency of your spiritual teacher. Please | | | | consciousness. This is also called having an |
| remember, that "NO" Spiritual Teacher can take you | | | | "Outer-Body-Experience" or OBE. This experience is |
| higher then themselves. In other words, if your goal | | | | referred to as: "Rising above Body Consciousness" or |
| is the fourth spiritual region and you teacher is only | | | | "Dying While Living". In this super-conscious state, the |
| competent to the third spiritual region, then you're | | | | practitioner experiences their own soul and begins to |
| not going to obtain your goal. | | | | travel on the radiant inner Light through the higher |
| Here's a brief breakdown of the four levels of | | | | spiritual regions until they reach God true essence. |
| meditation: | | | | Since the radiant Light and Sound originally emanated |
| 1. Level one is called "Walking" meditation. Walking | | | | from God, the practitioner simply rides upon the Light |
| meditation involves the physical body and some | | | | and Sound until they reach God's true abode. These |
| aspects of the five physical senses are always being | | | | lofty spiritual regions are locations in consciousness |
| stimulated and animated by this practice. Since the | | | | and having a living spiritual teacher who can guide us |
| five physical senses are being stimulated, this level of | | | | there is essential. These inner spiritual regions are |
| meditation is void of "stillness" and will not lead you | | | | incomprehensibly vast and only a competent spiritual |
| to self-knowledge and God-realization. This level is | | | | teacher who traverses these regions thousands of |
| strictly an "outer" physical practice that involves the | | | | times a day is competent enough to guide us there. |
| physical body, whereas to achieve self-knowledge | | | | This level of Spiritual teach is called a "Sant" and we'll |
| and God-realization, the body needs to be left behind | | | | discuss them in our next Article. |
| in a state of absolutely stillness and silence. Walking | | | | In conclusion, I've tried to convey how essential |
| meditation is "physical activity". It includes breathing | | | | meditation is to ones spiritual progress and |
| exercises and various kinds of yoga postures, | | | | development. Spirituality is the foundation upon which |
| chanting of hems, singing of praises, performing | | | | our mind, body, and emotions derive their power and |
| devotional rites and rituals, for example, Sufi whirling | | | | help us become dis-ease and illness free. When |
| and spinning or the spinning of prayer wheels, etc. | | | | Spirituality and Meditation play an essential role in our |
| These are all animated practices or physical activities | | | | daily lives both form a powerful correlation between |
| and really have nothing to do with "absolute stillness". | | | | health, happiness, and the prevention of dis-ease and |
| 2. Level two is called "Mindfulness" meditation. | | | | illness. |