Note: In the AYP Book, additional information to this lesson is provided covering clarifications on mantra, language and meaning.

Lesson 13 - Meditation -- Awakening the Silent Seed

From: Yogani
Date: Sun Nov 16, 2003 0:08pm

Your mind has a natural ability to be quiet. When it becomes quiet,
you are in touch with your genius. Albert Einstein said the ideas
that led him to the theory of relativity came during moments of quiet
reflection. Mozart heard sonatas and symphonies resonating through
the silent reaches of his mind. All he had to do was write them down.
We know that Isaac Newton came up with laws of motion and gravity
while relaxing under an apple tree. Whether he actually got hit in
the head by that apple or not, no one knows, but there is no doubt
that his quiet mind yielded a treasure of knowledge. We could cite
more examples, but you get the point. Silent mind has great
creativity. But this is not all. Silent mind is peaceful, blissful
and healthy, and radiates these qualities out through the person to
the surroundings. People who know how to cultivate quiet mind not
only are in touch with their inner creativity, they also radiate a
youthfulness and optimism that effects everyone nearby. They
have "good vibrations."

Earlier we spoke of consciousness (awareness -- the observer), and
the objective world (the observed). The essential nature of our
consciousness is blissful silence. It is what is behind the mind,
what is experienced when the mind becomes still. It is an infinite
storehouse of the qualities just mentioned, the realm of what we know
as God, always right here within ourselves. This is why it is
proclaimed in the Psalms, "Be still and know I am God." To access the
divine all we have to do is know how to be still.

Meditation is the process of systematically allowing the mind to
become still for specific periods of time each day. In doing this
daily over weeks, months and years, quietness, consciousness,
gradually becomes more evident when the mind is active while we are
not meditating, and worldly life is enriched. Through meditation, the
relationship between consciousness and the world gradually changes.
This is a process of yoga, the joining. It is the first step. Once
blissful silence is coming on in daily experience, many other things
can be done to enhance and expand it. But first we have to establish
a base in consciousness, awaken the silent inner seed of who we are,
so to speak.

It was mentioned that your mind has a natural ability to become
quiet. In the deep meditation method we will practice here, we will
harness that natural ability. In fact, all of the practices which
will be taught here (and there are quite a few), we will be
harnessing your natural abilities. The idea is to show you how to
utilize the gifts you have already. We will just be adding special
levers here and there to activate your natural abilities. The rest
will be up to you. If you apply what you learn, and keep at it, one
day you will know that you are a perpetual bliss machine, capable of
experience far beyond the imaginings of the mind. Oh yes, you really
are. Meditation is the first step.

Thoughts are coming up in the mind from the minute we wake up in the
morning until the minute we fall asleep at night, and then more are
coming during dreaming. Yet we say the mind has a natural ability to
be quiet. How?

We will use a thought to do it. Not just any thought. A special
thought called a "mantra." We will use a particular method of
thinking this mantra that allows the mind to do what it can easily do
if given the opportunity, settle down.

Actually, any thought can be used to meditate, as been amply
demonstrated by researchers over the past thirty years. But we'd like
to use a particular thought, one that has certain vibratory
qualities, one that produces a certain effect in the nervous system.
It is also one we can enhance as our practice advances, but more
about that later. The mantra we will begin with here is:

…I AM…

We will not be focusing on the meaning of I AM during meditation. No
doubt it has sacred meaning in the Judeo/Christian tradition in
particular, and also bears similarity to the sacred sounds of other
traditions. It is the sound we are interested in, not the meaning. It
is the sound we will be using, within. We are after the profound
vibratory quality of the sound when it is used effectively deep
inside the mind and nervous system. Perhaps these profound effects
inside the human being are the reason why I AM has been revered for
centuries. What we will be doing is focusing on the correct
utilization of the mantra in the practice of meditation. Then we will
have the best results.

Here is how we will use it:

Find a quiet, comfortable place where you can sit, preferably with
back support. We want to remove unnecessary distractions. Just sit
and relax somewhere where you can close your eyes for twenty minutes
without interruptions.

Once you have gotten comfortable, slowly close your eyes. You will
notice thoughts, streams of thoughts. That is fine. Just observe them
without minding them. After about a minute, gently introduce the
thought …I AM… and begin to repeat it easily and effortlessly in your
mind. If your mind wanders off into other thoughts, you will
eventually realize this has happened. Don't be concerned about it. It
is natural. When you realize you are not repeating the mantra, gently
go back to it. This is all you have to do. Easily repeat the mantra
silently inside. When you realize you are not thinking it, then
easily come back to it. The goal is not to stay on it. The goal is to
follow the simple procedure of thinking the mantra, losing it, and
coming back to it when you find you have lost it. Do not resist if
the mantra tends to become less distinct. Thinking the mantra does
not have to be with clear pronunciation. I AM can be experienced at
many levels in your mind and nervous system. When you come back to
it, come back to a level that is comfortable, not straining for
either a clear or fuzzy pronunciation.

Do this procedure for twenty minutes, and, then, with your eyes
closed, take a few minutes to rest before you get up.

This practice is to be done twice each day, before you start your day
and before you begin your evening activities. It is best done before
meals, as digestion can interfere with the process of meditation.
Make a commitment to yourself to do it for a few months. Give it some
time to work. You will be amazed at the results, and then you will
want to keep going forward to more and more.

That's enough for now.

In the following lessons, we will go into more detail about the
process and consequences of meditation. After that we will begin to
work with another natural ability we each have, our ability to use
the breath to move silence in us with endless ecstasy.

The guru is in you.

Note: See lesson 106 for a Q&A on mantra and breathing in meditation.

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