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How Meditation Can Lead To Spiritual Awakening

By Karuna DiLibero

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Published: 29Dec2011
Word count: 766
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What is Spiritual Awakening and how is it acheived? Meditation trains one to focus the mind on a single point to gain a desired benefit. Many people have tried to meditate and felt that their mind cannot be quiet. There are many different forms of meditation. Which mediation style should we practice? Any meditation that transcends our mind, the path of least resistance, the one that fits our personality and feels right is the one we could practice with sincerity and regularity. To transcend something means to go deeper, to go beyond the boundaries or limits of something abstract, typically a conceptual field, or to surpass or an achievement. Meditation is not an austere, strict practice of demanding or expecting our mind to shut down and be quiet and empty. It is an effortless, natural process that we grow into, just as a child naturally grows to adulthood. It is the practice of allowing ourselves to simply be.

By sitting for with the eyes closed for even 5 minutes, 2 times daily, we allow the mind and body to settle. With steady practice we can meditate for longer periods of time as we will be able sit longer. I find that by repeating a word or mantra, the mind settles more easily as it gives our mind something to focus on. This repetition can have any rhythm our mind allows it to have. It could be slow, paused and methodical, or fast-paced and irregular or any combination thereof. Sometimes we lose the mantra altogether as the mind will naturally go of in its own direction. This could mean one of two things, either the mind has wandered it's way back into it's own thoughts or we have actually transcended our thoughts.

If the mind has found it's way back into a stream of thoughts, then we gently notice and begin silently repeating the mantra again. This is the body's way of naturally releasing stress and feelings of fatigue. My meditation teacher explains it like effervescent bubbles floating to the surface of awareness. These bubbles float to the surface so the mind and body can release it's tension. When we release tension, it's like we step out of our own way so the mind can quietly awaken elevated states of consciousness, which is known as Universal Consciousness. Latent brain functions begin to become alive which provides the meditator with a sense of much needed deep rest. However, this rest is not the kind of rest we get when we go to sleep. It is alert restfulness or active awareness. We are aware of what is happening within us. We develop a deeper sensitivity to the physiological effects the meditation has upon us.

When the repeated mantra or sound naturally fades and the mind is in a state of this alert awareness, we begin to "transcend" our previous anxious, tired, angry selves and become the people we are truly meant to be. We become more calm, rational, healthy, intelligent humans. Our interaction with ourselves and others naturally shifts. We aren't always even aware of these changes oftentimes because of our gradual evolution. As we release stress, anxiety and fatigue, more energy is created for us to live more engaged, vivacious lives. Joy is our essential nature and joy is what begins to exude from us. Meditation techniques are varied so any person, regardless of race or religion, can create a more profound sense of peace and creativity within themselves. Even children can practice sitting quietly while repeating a mantra or sound and experience amazing results. It is a gift we can give to ourselves and to each other to create "the change we wish to see in the world" (Mahatma Gandhi). When we ourselves become more peaceful creatures, the world will become a reflection of that. Just as we are able to see the reflections of the mountains, trees and clouds within the surface of a still lake with full clarity, when the mind becomes tranquil all will be revealed to us.

This can is considered an Awakened state by many. Awakening means to abide in a knowing of our true nature and to live in accordance with this true identity of Self. Meditation is just one of the many tools given to us by masters who have gone through the process themselves. It is a simple gift of being still with ourselves, to realize who we truly are.

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