Write Spirit

Ancient wisdom and modern inspiration

Archive for October, 2006

Silence of Meditation

Modern life with all its distractions and features seems particularly unsuited to silence. Even if we have actual outer silence our mind is rarely silent. If we analyse our thoughts there seem to be a never ending stream of worries, anxieties, and regrets.

In meditation we try to do a very difficult thing – silence our thoughts completely. It is difficult only because we are so unused to this idea. The mind is so used to thinking that it is easy to think our existence is defined by our thoughts and this must be our only existence. To quote the famous saying of Descartes “I think therefore I am”
However meditation teaches that what we are is unencumbered by thoughts. The real “I” is our self which is beyond thought.

There is an interesting exercise to prove this. Whenever a thought arises in the mind, ask yourself where is the origination of this thought? This leads you to part of yourself which is beyond thought. Also be aware of the fact that you can choose which thought to accept and which to reject. This again shows us that what we are, is not our thoughts. There is some inner self which can decide whether to pursue thoughts or not. It is when we are able to stop thoughts entering our mind that we will start to experience real silence. This technique of meditation on the question “Who am I?” was particularly recommended by Spiritual Master Ramana Maharshi.

 

Silence of Meditation

The silence of meditation is not just quietness. It embodies a dynamic and vast consciousness far beyond our usual experience of everyday life. It is in this mental silence that we can access our own hidden consciousness. By silence we really mean the silence of the mind.

“Silence is not silent. Silence speaks. It speaks most eloquently.
Silence is not still. Silence leads. It leads most perfectly.”

– Sri Chinmoy

 

Difficulties in achieving Silence

A difficulty we face in experiencing silence in the mind is that part of us is uncertain what will happen. It is like stepping into the unknown, this fear of the unknown keeps us from diving deep into our meditation. To experience the silence of meditation it is necessary to give up worries about the future, regrets about the past. It is also necessary to give up our own notions of what we are. We have to feel the need for giving up these negative qualities and suspending the judgement of the mind. If we can experience the silence of meditation it is liberating because unencumbered by our own thoughts we can make ourselves receptive to the inner peace of our own soul.

“Silence tells the seeker in us to love, to love himself. It tells us it is wrong to hate ourselves because of our imperfections.”

– Sri Chinmoy

 

Silence is experienced in the Heart.

When we meditate we can try focus our sense of awareness in the heart. When we talk about the heart in meditation we are actually referring to the spiritual heart. This is a Chakra or energy centre. We have seven of these charkas and they are explained in Hindu, Buddhist and other scriptures. If we concentrate on the spiritual heart, which is located in the centre of the chest near the physical heart, then over time we will feel a physical sensation like a rotating disc. This is a good sign. It is in the heart that it is easiest to silence the mind. The heart has a power of its own. The nature of the heart is not to judge, think or criticise. The qualities of the heart embody vastness, oneness and love. It is here that we can experience silence most effectively.

Article by Richard Pettinger

Sources:Silence at Sri Chinmoy Library

Poems Time

 

Time
Is everywhere
Precious.

 

Do not waste time
Thinking of a better future

 

The futures is here –
In the heart of
Here and Now.

 

Poems By: Sri Chinmoy

Photo by Kamalika Sri Chinmoy Centre Galleries

 

Poems about Time at Poetseers

"Unaspiring human beings do not enlist the help of time. They do not know the value of time They think that achievement is of paramount importance, and not the time required for the achievement. So they do not care for time; they neglect time. They do not realise that time is the bridge that will carry them to the other shore. If they do not use the bridge, they cannot go on to the other shore where there is Light, Peace and Bliss in boundless measure. But the aspiring person, the seeker, appreciates time and utilises it. When it is time to eat, he will eat; when it is time to think, he will think; when it is time to study spiritual books, he will study; and when it is time to rest, he will rest. For him, each day is a new challenge, a new opportunity. He enters into the battlefield of life to conquer darkness, limitation, bondage and death. He has to fight and rest at the appropriate times. He has to do all the things that are necessary to invoke Peace, Light and Bliss from above in infinite measure so that he can bring to the fore his inner divinity and offer it to the world at large."

From: Talk on Time by Sri Chinmoy

Video NY City Children

 

Danny Goldfield has set out to photograph a child from every country in the world (194 countries) However they must all live in New York city. Danny Goldfield says the project seeks to celebrate the universality of people from different countries.

Directed by Bristol Baughan, Reason Pictures. Editing by Lindsay Utz, Public Media Works. Director of Photography, Evan Savit…

See also NY Children The project is currently about 70% complete. See some of the pictures on this site.

I frequently travel to New York to visit friends and my meditation teacher Sri Chinmoy I have often thought how multi cultural New York is,it seems to be a microcosm of the world, with all religions and nations represented. It seems quite apt that the United Nations is in New York.

This is a very inspiring project; giving a visual documentation to the multi cultural nature of New York. By photographing children, the project also seems to embody hope for the future.

The International Year of Rumi – 2007

Oh God
Let all lovers be content
Give them happy endings
Let their lives be celebrations
Let their hearts dance in the fire of your love.

From: Love poems of Rumi – Deepak Chopra

To celebrate the 800th birth anniversary of mystic poet Jelalludin Rumi UNESCO has announced that the year  2007 will be the International  Year of Rumi Year. During the next year there will be special ceremonies and programs held all over the world to commemorate this great Persian poet. In particular celebrations will focus on Rumi’s place of birth and Turkey where he lived for many years.

 

Rumi was born in Balkh in what is now Afganisthan. Balkh was then part of the Persian Empire the precursor of modern day Iran. Rumi spent most of his life living in Turkey and was buried in Konya, Turkey

Rumi’s Poetry

Rumi’s poetry and philosophy is based on tolerance, openness, and the overwhelming power of universal love.

“When in Love,
body, mind, heart and soul don’t even exist.
Become this,
fall in Love, and you will not be separated again.”

– Rumi
Trans. by: Sharam Shiva.

 

"The fault is in the blamer
Spirit sees nothing to criticize"

– Rumi
From: Wisdom of Rumi by: Timothy Freke

 

Rumi had the capacity to appear beyond cultural and national boundaries. This helps to explain his universal appeal, both during his life and in the modern world, 800 years after his birth. Many of the western translations have downplayed the importance of Rumi’s Islamic studies, however Rumi was well known as being one of the foremost scholars of the time. The Qu’ran provides significant inspiration for his poetry and writings. However although brought up in the tradition of Islam Rumi is at heart a Sufi mystic who goes beyond the domain of religion and intellectual study. He also weaved everyday occurrences and fables into his poetry, whilst giving a glimpse of a divine life far transcending the ordinary world. In particular Rumi was a great believer in the spiritual power of music. Through absorption in spiritual music an aspirant was able to go beyond his ego and experience the bliss of divine communion.

For Rumi spirituality involved a profound change of consciousness, a transformation so marked it was like the proverbial rebirth of a seeker.

“I was dead, then alive.
Weeping, then laughing.

The power of love came into me,
and I became fierce like a lion,
then tender like the evening star."

From: Odes of Rumi
By: Coleman Barks

The key moment in Rumi’s life came when he met his master and wandering dervish called Shams. It was the dishevelled Shams who awoke in Rumi a passionate longing for union with the Divine. On discovering the inner path of love Rumi lost interest in scholarly debate and devoted his life to spiritual practises and the writing of poetry. Rumi’s major work is the Masnawi. The Masnawi is often called the "Qur’an-e Parsi" (The Persian Qur’an). It is considered by many to be one of the greatest works of mystical poetry. Rumi’s other major work is the Divan of Shams

It is perhaps ironic that a muslim mystic from Persia has become America’s best selling poet in the past years. The Essential Rumi translated by Coleman Barks has sold 250,000 copies. “The Soul of Rumi” was published in September 2001 and has gone on to be a very popular seller.

By: Richard Pettinger

Writespirit.net 28/10/06

Picture of Rumi’s tomb, Konya Turkey

Meditation better than an afternoon nap

Researchers led by Prashant Kaul of the University of Kentucky, investigated whether meditation could help people become less tired in the afternoon.

The students were asked to undergo a series of tests and then have their responses measured. The study found that alertness was the highest after meditation, followed by caffeine and then exercise. Napping had the worst results.

The findings of Prashant Kaul were recently submitted to a conference for the Society for Neuroscience.

Previous studies have shown that when meditating although people are awake their are similar brain patterns to sleeping.

Some adepts in meditation are known to need very little sleep having become able to draw in cosmic energy.

See: NY Times for more information

Quote Immortality

"He who does not aspire thinks that Immortality is an impossibility. He who aspires feels that immortality is a sure possibility. He who has realised God knows that immortality is an absolute reality."

  • Sri Chinmoy

From: Talk on Immortality 1970

Excerpt from Eastern Light For The Western Mind by Sri Chinmoy.

Quote on criticism

" If I were to try to read, much less answer, all the attacks made on me, this shop might as well be closed for any other business. I do the very best I know how – the very best I can; and I mean to keep doing so until the end. If the end brings me out all right, what’s said against me won’t amount to anything. If the end brings me out wrong, ten angels swearing I was right would make no difference."

  • Abraham Lincoln

Source: The Inner Life of Abraham Lincoln: Six Months at the White House by Francis B. Carpenter