Meditation may be described as a path that the individual cuts for himself while trying to get beyond the limitations of the mind. . .. The individual is not following

a ready-made path; the path becomes imprinted after he has traversed it. In the same way the person who finds himself drawn into deep meditation is really grappling with the spiritual problems he faces and not merely trying to follow a rigid course that already exists in his mental makeup.

The development of meditation can nevertheless be anticipated in outline by those who have direct insight into

the particular contours of the mind of an individual. . . . Intelligence plays an important part in the course of meditation; and it is this intelligence that is kindled by a Perfect Master, who gives the aspirant. a few simple suggestions about what kinds of things he has to do or expect in his meditations.

Meditation has often been misunderstood as a mechanical process of forcing the mind upon some idea or object. Most people naturally have an aversion to meditation because they experience great difficulty in attempting to coerce the mind in a particular direction or to pin it down to one particular thing. Any purely mechanical handling of the mind is not only irksome but is bound ultimately to be unsuccessful. The first principle aspirants have to remember is that the mind can be controlled and directed in meditation only according to laws inherent in the make up of the mind itself, and not be means of the application of any mechanical or semimechanical force.

Many persons who do not technically meditate are oftentimes found to be deeply and intensely engrossed in systematic and clear thinking about some practical problem or theoretical subject. Their mental process is, in a sense, very much like meditation, inasmuch as the mind is

engrossed in intense thinking about a particular subject to the exclusion of all other irrelevant things. Meditation is often easy and spontaneous in such mental processes because the mind is dwelling upon an object th_t it is interested in and that it increasingly understands.

The spiritual tragedy about ordinary trains of thoughts is that they are not directed toward things that really matter. On the other hand, the object of real meditation always has to be carefully selected and must be spiritually important; it has to be some divine form or object, or some spiritually significant theme or truth. In order to attflin success in meditation, the mind must no_ only get interested in divine subjects or truths but must also begin trying to understand and appreciate them. Such intelligent meditation is a natural process of the mind; and since it avoids the monotonous rigidity and regularity 9f mechanical meditation, it becomes not only spontaneous and inspiring but easy and successful.

Meditation should be distinguished from concentration. Meditation is the first stage of a process that gradually develops into concentration. In concentration the mind seeks to unite with its object by the process of fixing itself upon that object; whereas meditation consists in thorough thinking about a particular object to the exclusion of every other thing. . . . In meditation the mind tries to understand and assimilate the object by dwelling upon diverse attributes of the form or various implications of the formula. In con<?entration as well as in meditation, there is a peaceful intermingling of love and longing for the divine object or principle on which the mind dwells; and both these activities are very different from the merely mechanical processes that have rigid regularity and

unrelieved monotony. . . .

Meditation is essentially an individual matter in the sense that it is not for self-display in society but for one's own spiritual advancement. Utter isolation of the individual from social surroundings is almost always conducive to the unhampered practice of meditation. ... Great quiet and undisturbed silence are essential for attaining success. However, it is not necessary for a person to go to the mountains or caves in search of these conditions. Even in cities a little care and trouble can secure for the aspirant the quiet, silence, and seclusion necessary to facilitate and promote progress in the different forms of meditation.

. . . It is desirable that the aspirant should maintain the same posture for each meditation. . . . Choosing the same spot and ._ fixed hour also has a salutary effect. Hence the aspirant must be serious about resorting to an identical place, posture, and hour. The choice of the spot also involves consideration of the spiritual associations and possibilitie_ of the spot. Special importance is attached to meditating in holy places where the Masters themselves have lived or meditated.

. . . However, when meditation has become habitual through constant practice, adherence to a fixed place, posture, or time can be dispensed with; .and the aspirant can carry on his meditation at any time under any conditions. Even when he is walking, he may be inwardly absorbed in meditation.

Meditation should not be approached with a heavy heart, as if one were taking castor oil. One has to be serious about meditation but not grave or melancholy. Humour and

cheerfulness not only do not interfere with the progress of meditation but actually contribute to it. Meditation should not be turned into a distasteful and tiresome thing. The aspirant should freely allow himself the natural joy that is attendant upon successful meditation, without getting addicted to it. . . . All thoughts of depression, fear, or worry have to be cut out completely if there is to be really successful meditation. . . .

In ordinary thinking, the uninterrupted flow of relevant trains of ideas is common; but when the mind sets itself to systematic meditation, there is inevitably a reactio_ary tendency for irrelevant and contrary thoughts to emerge and create disturbances. This is the law of the mind, and the aspirant should not be upset by the appeararice in the consciousness of many contrary and unwholesome thoughts that had hitherto never made their appearance. Meditation involves bringing the subconscious contents of the mind to the forefront of consciousness. . . .

The last but not least important condition for attaining success in meditation is adoption of the right technique for handling disturbing thoughts and mental influences. It is useless to waste energy by trying to combat and repress disturbing thoughts directly. . . . It is best to ignore them and turn to the object of meditation as early as possible without attaching any undue importance to the disturbing factors. By recognizing the irrelevance and worthlessness of disturbing thoughts and the relative value and importance of the object of meditation, it becomes possible to let the disturbing thoughts die through sheer neglect -- thus making the mind permanently steady in the object of

meditation.                                       [