Hari
OM
Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation.
Meditation & Life, with Sw. Chinmayananda
(Gurudev).
We are now exploring the writings of Gurudev on our focus subject of
Meditation. The book is a thorough treatment of the subject and extends to over
170 pages of closely printed text. No attempt is intended, here, to present the
text in its entirety. However, important paragraphs and quotes will
be given, within a summary of each section. You
are encouraged to use the links on sidebar to obtain a copy for yourselves from
CM publications. Please remember that each of the posts under this title is part of a
thought flow and it is important to go back and read the previous post in order
to refresh and review the context.
Inquire, Then Contemplate.
Those who have entered prayer or meditation before encountering the
methods prescribed here may be inclined to wonder at what looks like elaborate
detailing. A little too precise. It is fair enough. Prayer ought to be easy and
natural. Neither can there be mechanical means for meditation. There are
reasons for the apparent contradiction, which will become clear.
In the evolution of man, various levels of subtle growth were
experienced. First, the human was in a state of mere perception; pure instinct,
the intellect not at all evolved. The man of those times worked on a survival
level, being frightened by the roar of lions and feeling threat of the lighting
storm.
As intellectual capacities developed, the perceptions were
supported. Intelligent perception is called observation. In the age of
observation, the human creature began to as questions; why, how, when, where?
The intellect being yet young in the species, the resultant analysis was crude
and based still much on the instinct, resulting in superstition, rather than
proper knowledge.
"As the intellect became more
assertive and sharp, superstitions were thrown over as man sauntered in the age
of inquiry and investigation, wherein his unfolded intellect logically came to
apprehend the laws of nature. He initiated the Era of Science. Man's vision of
the world changed as he moved from the age of perception through the age of
observation and into the age of inquiry. From the life of perception, he
marched into caves of superstition and, finally, into the fields of daring
science. At each stage he never failed to laugh at his forefathers' stupidity."
At this time we might say that we stand at the very pinnacle of
science and we laugh at the crude searchings of the past. We can see the
evolution and wonder at how the man of perception or observation would now
think; could he have ever imagined such as we have now? It is more likely that
he would throw stones and accuse us of heretical magicks. For history
demonstrates many cases, at all ages, of those who are grounded in the
prevailing order of thinking condemning those who bring forth a fresh and new
way of thinking. The evolved one was generally condemned and laughed at. Today,
in the scientific age, the prophetic seers and philosophers, the evolved men of
a future age, stand condemned by the men of inquiry and investigation. They
would claim ultimate rationalism and brook not consideration of a different
approach to thinking. History repeats itself, ever and ever.
"Thus, if the great scientists of today fail to realise the
glory of true spiritual pursuit, it is not altogether inexplicable. They
conquer outer space, but will not understand the vision of religious Masters
and philosophers because these men of inner Knowledge and spirituality have a
more evolved intellect than the scientists. For, you see, the fourth stage of
evolution for the human intellect is contemplation. The power of contemplation
is already inherent within us, but is as yet unmanifest. All scriptures are
words of wisdom given by people of contemplation to students who have
cultivated in themselves this subtle evolutionary perfection."
Gurudev did not mince his words in such matters! However, once you
come to the seat of meditation and begin the work which is asked of you here,
you will realise the truth of his statements. The Self-evolvement an be
astonishing. You start out as a person of inquiry, befitting the age, but, in
fullness of time, you evolve into the higher stage of human development and
enter your age of contemplation and meditation.
