The first method of the mind is probably the most traditional. It is probably the best way to get started. It is to just sit and watch our mind and/or our body. A big part of the meditation is to realize we can become an observer of our mind and body.

In this process we just watch. No judgements, no biases. In this method we do not explore the “who” but rather we just watch. Whether we watch the thoughts that float through the mind as cloud float through the sky, or we watch the rise and fall of our breathing in and out, or other subtle body movements, the process is only to watch and observe. Observing the mind is about become becoming aware of what is, as it is. The realization that will eventually needs to occur here is why we are observing what we observe and not something else. There reason for what we observe as opposed to something else. The next step in observing our thoughts is to pull the string as to why we have the particular thoughts we do and not other.

In utilizing this technique, we can realizes that in the oneness of the universe, every step we take and every breath we breath is sacred. In this realization, we will become mindful of our thoughts. In becoming mindful of our thoughts our consciousness will shift from an every day perspective to another perspective characterized by being observant, detached, and free from judgment. In time we can begin to see through the event before us and to see what is giving rise to the event we experience. With practice, we can take this ability with us wherever we go and no longer have the need to sit and meditate.

Observing the Observer and the Detached Witness

 The second method of meditation of the mind and probably the second most traditional ways is to watch the mind as an observer [as opposed to the detached witness] and look at and explore the “who” is having the thoughts. To focus on the “who” is to look beyond the “I” of the statement “who am I?” In this observation the process is to learn to identify with the one who knows and is observing and not with the individual thoughts and disturbances of the mind characterized as the ego. It is to learn to see the “I” is malleable and changeable.

For example, it is learning to think “I am angry” but not to identify with the anger but rather the “I” who is experiencing a disturbance characterized by our mind as anger because of the experience we have had. It is to realize that if we had other experiences or different experiences in the past we maybe would characterize what we are calling anger maybe as frustration or pain. The realization that will need to occur in this technique to see our true nature is that the “I” who is observing is experiencing the state or thought they observe.

In understanding we are only experiencing a state or thought, we can being to see how we creates what we observe by how and what we choose. Here we can being to transition to becoming the detached witness as opposed to an observer. The realization that needs to occur here is that this “who” is observing is the creator that has become the detached witness of their own creation. An observer stands apart from what they observe and does not affect or impact what they observe. A detached witness realizes they are causing and/or creating what they experience but they are capable of standing back and observing what they themselves have created and are experiencing - they witness what they have created.

Prayer

The third method is the traditional way of prayer. In this method, we accepts ourselves as our mind and our body. Here we see ourselves to be who we think we are and have come to believe that we are because of the experiences we have had in this life. In this method, we pray to whomever we believe God to be and ask God to respond to our prayer. In utilizing this technique, we must believe wholeheartedly in tour prayer and we must pray to be the servant of our God and do His/Her/Its will and surrender to whatever is required.

The difficulty in using this method to explore our true natured is understanding how our God communicates directly to us. For us to understand our true nature we cannot rely on God speaking through any external source or vehicle. That is, we cannot not rely on any intermediary (physical or nonphysical) telling us what God wants for us. Rather we will have to come to understand our own unique way of communicating with God. Although God may use external messengers, we will first have to understand our unique nature to see how the external messengers are a part of our nature.

The realization that will need to be made here is how do we know God is communicating to us and not some lesser spirit or entity whether that lesser spirit or entity speaks internally or externally or is physical or nonphysical. The question here is how do we know God, not necessarily as a personal God and One Who cares about us as an individual. Rather, what is our personal experience of God such that we know it is God communicating when He/She/It chooses to communicate to us.

Our problem with prayer is that we ask and ask and ask again for messages, for signs, for communications. But we are too concerned with the mundane affairs of the world and/or listening to what others tells. Or, we are too afraid of what God may tell us to do if it is not what we want to do.

We rarely take the time to listen. We take even less time to explore God. Many of us are too afraid to explore God for fear of making a mistake, doing it wrong or otherwise somehow annoying or making God angry. Exploring God and our relationship with God is sanctioned by very few traditions. The reason for this is quite simple. If you come to know and understand God, you don’t need a tradition. You may use a traditions to help create what you need to create but you will need no tradition to know God.

How can one hear if we are not listening and looking for how the communication is occurs? Listening can, and will, take time. We need to be patient. We need to be careful to listen to for both the inner messages and the outer messages of “coincidences.” It is natural and normal for a human to long and to want signs now without waiting. Live in a time where things occur quickly and we want our answers quickly. We want the answers to our messages right away. As was discussed in the topics “Why the Second Half of the Journey Took Nine Years” and “An Evolution in Understanding” understanding takes time. Similarly questions asked early in life that give rise to the subconscious journey into exploring creativity eventually did get answered. However, the answers took two to three decades to be fully answered.

Listening for communications from the Divine is a skill that can be developed. As with any skill it takes time to develop not because it is hard to listen but rather, our mind keeps getting in the way and distracting us with its thinking. To learn to listen, we need to practice being quiet by going within and ending the ceaseless chatter of our mind. We need to learn to live in the moment before mind can jump in and judge any thought or intuitive insight we have. Then we have to take the time to listen and create the space to listen. Then and only then will we hear. We will see the signs and receive the messages and at the same time, we will have developed the art of patients

Single point external focus

The fourth way to meditate is to hold a single focus on some internal or external object. In this method, the mind stays focused on this single point rather than moving from thought to thought or external distract to distraction. Most traditions offer some object of focus. Some use a sacred name, a mantra or sutra, a sacred sound or the image of some mystical individual such as a living physical entity like the guru or some non physical entity such a Buddha, Christ or Krishna. Other esoteric traditions utilize such things as candle flames, crystals, crystal balls, pendulums, cards, drumming, dance and other similar items.

In reality, it doesn’t matter what we use as a focus of our meditation. The power of meditation is based on developing a single point focus of the mind. What we use as a focus only adds emotional energy because of the beliefs the individual has about the object of focus. This is why a muse can be so powerful in a creative endeavor.

As we works to keep our mind on the object of our focus, we will encounter our mind wondering back and forth from thought to thought or distraction to distraction. When this occurs, we only need to bring our attention and awareness back to the object of our focus and continue the process. Eventually we will develop the ability to hold a undisturbed single point focus.

When we can hold a single point focus, one of two things will happen. Either we will 1) have a mystical experience somehow related to the object of our focus or, 2) we will come to see how we have created what we experience. Creating a mystical experience related to the object of our focus could be a visitation by the non physical entity we have used or we experience of some supernatural power such that we think we have found the key to the universe in the experience. Here we stay in the illusion created by mind. If we can see how we create what we experience, we can come to the realization that we create any and all our experiences such that you have found the key to creation. In this realization we do discover our own powers of creation.

When we have developed the ability to have that single point focus, the realization which needs to be made is what does the “I” want do with this focus. What does the “I” wish to create. We will be creating our experience by how and what on which we chose to focus our attention and awareness. We need to be willing to take full responsibility for what we create, its implications and how we choose to act based on what we create to become a conscious creator. Otherwise we will set ourselves up to be a victim.

The recommendation made here is this material is that if we are going to use any object or entity for meditation, we contemplate life itself and the creative life energy that flows within our own heart and sustains our being. That is, we contemplate our own heart and what it means and as the energy is unfolding. It is recommended we use the focus of the heart to contemplate life and how our inner state is reflective of the outer experience and how the outer experience affects the inner. For example, “How do I feel and what am I experiencing externally because of how I feel?” or “What am I experiencing externally and how do I feel internally about what I am experiencing?”

In many ways a variation of this fourth way is the traditional way of the classroom education. In the classroom, we sit and focus our attention and awareness onto, or into, the subject we are tying to learn. In this classroom process we exclude all distraction and external input other than the topic at hand. The teacher becomes the single point object of focus for the topic. This method of teaching is in many ways opposed to the alternative. The alternative is almost an opposite way of learning. The alternative way is where we learn by doing and experiencing and what is learned is a byproduct of the experience. The alternative to the classroom is discovery and exploration. It is experimentation. So too with exploring the truth of our own nature. We can sit and focus our attention and awareness to create the understanding about how we think things should be. Or, we can learn by doing and being true to our nature in every way discovering and exploring who and what we are.

When we are taught the methods of the way of the mind, we are normally instructed to sit such that we keep the body steady. Sometimes we sit even to the point of denying all body sensations so as not to be distracted. However we can just as effectively meditate by laying down, sitting in a chair or even walking or doing anything. It needs to be understood when we are told to sit and keep the body steady the goal here is to stop thinking and to observe and detach to become mindful and aware.

Each body sensation we have ultimately gets translated into a perception of the mind. Since we are trying to keep the mind steady, it would seem it only makes sense to keep the body steady. It makes sense to turn off the body as a source of distractions and the thoughts that arise from the body sensations. Some meditations even get to the point of forgetting the body and/or literally denying the body.

However, from the view point of meditation held in this book, the purpose of meditation is to use meditation as a tool in the application of understanding of one’s true nature. To deny the body or forget the body, we will be denying our own true nature and its creator/Creator for it is our own nature is what created the need for the body we have. We can deny the body temporarily but we will need to fully integrate it in all that we do.

What we will find if we explore our own true nature in the spontaneous and innocent childlike play of discovery and exploration is that our body is a part of our nature. Although we will discover we are not our body. We will discover we are an infinite consciousness with unlimited creativity. We will discover our particular body is a reflection of the best vehicle available to us to have an experience of our true nature and what that nature desires to experience.

Our body, is more than a vehicle and/or a suit for our consciousness to use for a physical experience. Rather it is our consciousness and what it thinks and believes manifested in physical form as a human. If you wish, take a piece of paper and place it over the imprinted numbers of a plastic credit card. Take a pencil and rub the lead sideways across the paper over the number of the credit card. The piece of paper now contains the credit card numbers in pencil. The credit card numbers are perfectly functional on the piece of paper, except for the magnetic strip. For all practical purposes, the piece of paper can function as a credit card. The numbers are what is important, not what they are imprinted on nor what used to make the imprint. Neither the plastic credit card or the paper are what is important.

So too that essence that is us. Our body is much like the credit card or the piece of paper. It is imprinted with all that is us. The numbers survive and exist and are perfectly functional even if the form - the plastic card or piece of paper is destroyed. But as with the plastic credit card, the magnetic strip allows the numbers to be used in a way that the paper cannot.

So too the body you have. The body allows the essence that is us to be used and to have experiences that cannot have in any other way. It needs the physical body for the experience. So the body is simultaneously not us for we are fully functional without a body . But is also us for our essence is imprinted on the body so our essence can be used in particular way - that is for a particular type and kind of physical experience.

What you will find is that in exploring our true nature that if we wish to truly understand our true nature, it is more important to intimately explore our body and use it rather than denying the body or the body’s needs in any way. If we keep the body detached as we continue to meditate we will most probably fall into another habit as deep as any other.

There are a variety of other ways and techniques to meditate and some additional ones discussed on this web site. Some are relatively common like visualization and guided meditations, and others like omphaloskepsis [staring fixed at one’s navel] are rarely heard about let alone practiced. But the use of any of these techniques can get us started exploring our true nature. Unless we learn to become aware and awake to (1) our thoughts and what we believe, (2) what you think and why you think the way we do, (3) what we intend, and (4) what we are longing for deep within our being, we will not reveal to ourselves the true nature of our being. Each of these have a way of masking an extremely important aspect of the true nature of our being. That is, they mask exactly how we have created and are creating the experiences we have for our true being is ultimately that of on unlimited creator.

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