meditation of silence

Meditation of Silence


A simple method of deep relaxationnot confined or bound to any specific

philosphy or religion

Jürgen Waltersson

copyright: Jürgen Waltersson

2



Content

1. Physiology and Meditation 3

2. Meditation of Silence 5

3. Thoughts don't disturb Meditation 6

4. The Focus of Meditation: Mantras 9

5. Side effects of Meditation 12

6. Levels of thought – levels of the universe 13

7. Literature 22

3


1. Physiology and Meditation

Many of the positive results of meditation are due to general accepted physiological and psychological laws of nature. The cardiologist Herbert Benson from the "New England Deaconess Hospital" in Boston made research about traditional meditative techniques and modern methods of relaxation in the seventies. After the application of different phonetic combinations, words, prayers and syllables he every times observed what he called the "relaxation response":

- decreased metabolic rate,- decreased heartbeat and breathing,- decrease of the known stress symptoms.

There was no physiological and psychological difference between modern techniques and traditional forms of meditation (1).

The "relaxation response" observed by Dr. Benson is one of the two poles our physiological and psychological life is swinging in between. Physiologists call these two poles the stress response and the relaxation response.

A) The stress response is the inevitable result of every stress situation - physical or psychological, pleasant or unpleasant. In a stress situation, hormones are poured out by the hypophysis, stimulated by the hypothalamus (a centre in the brain responsible for emotions and fundamental impetus). This leads to secretion of adrenaline by the suprarenal cortex. The complete body-

4


mind system is mobilized. According to the intensity of the stress response we experience an increased heart beat and breath activity, we feel excitement, lust, fear, dread or anger. If the stress diminishes, relaxation does not follow automatically, especially if stress is experienced very frequently. In this case a prolonged but superficial relaxation is not enough to release the permanently tense muscle tone, the nervousness and the many attendant symptoms of frequently experienced stress.

B) The antipode of the stress response is the relaxation response. For this also exist certain areas in the brain, stimulated by the parasympathetic nervous system under specific circumstances. Dr. Benson discovered four prerequisites as being very conducive for the release of the relaxation response:

1. A mental discipline. There should be a permanently repeated stimulation, a sound, word or sentence, which is repeated loud or silently in the mind. Another possibility is to fix the sight to an object. By this the mind detaches from the logical outward orientated thinking.

2. A passive attitude. If there are subtracting thoughts during the permanently repeated stimulus or the fixation of the sight, it is recommended not to pay attention to them and to return to the stimulus of the technique. There should be no analysis about how perfect one practices the technique.

5


3. Diminishing the muscle tone. It is important to have a pleasant posture requiring only minimal muscle activity .

4. A calm environment. It is recommended to choose a calm environment without too many distracting stimuli.

These clear and simple guiding rules are common for most modern and traditional meditation techniques.

Literature:

(1) Herbert Benson, "The Relaxation Response", William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York.

(2) Herbert Benson, "Beyond the Relaxation Response"

(3) Carrington, P. The Book of Meditation: The Complete Guide to Modern Meditation, Element Books Ltd.; Revised edition (May 7, 1998)

(4) Gopi Krishna, The Biological Basis of Religion and Genius, Harpercollins Publisher; 1st edition (January 1, 1972) (5) Stephen Levine, A Gradual Awakening, Anchor (January 16, 1989)

6


(6) Science of Being and Art of Living: Transcendental Meditation, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, Plume (October 30, 2001)

(7) Deeksha - The Fire from Heavenby Kiara Windrider with Grace Sears, New World Library (August 15, 2006)

7


2. Meditation of Silence

„Meditation of Silence“ has it's focus on the silence between thoughts and the Higher Self becoming more and more evident in this centre of inner silence. It is a synthesis of the most effective and scientific proven methods of meditation like Vipassana of Buddhism and various deep relaxation meditations like CSM (Clinical Standardized Meditation) and TM (Transcendental Meditation). It was developed and trained in the course of the last 20 Years by the “Deeksha Garden”, the former „Verein der ganzheitlichen Naturheilkunde e.V.“ (Association of Natural Healing).

- In „Meditation of Silence“ no concentration, contemplation or visualization is needed. Even in times of great stress and strain it is possible to meditate effectively.

- The participant chooses a sound or sound combination as vehicle for his meditation. He knows best which one feels soothing and pleasant for him. Some possible sounds are:

-“One“ or „Nine“ (syllables without meaning in English pronunciation, Benson technique)

- OM (the most known Mantra of the Yoga tradition, often used in combination with other Mantras or Holy Names)

8


- Amen or Jeshua (Christian tradition)

-Tao (Chinese tradition)

- Shirim (singing, Hebrew tradition)

Such a silently repeated syllable is a focus for the attention which is constantly distracted by thoughts. It is not supposed to fill the mind with words and symbols. Meditation in itself is a condition in which the mind is only permeated by the wordless Reality of his own Self. A Reality experienced as Love, creative power and total relaxation.

Many systems of meditation emphasize a more or less mechanical repetition of the chosen thought-focus. Although this leads to an increasing experience of deep rest, the attention is focused mainly on a concrete thought level. In the „Meditation of Silence“ the focus is more on the silence between thoughts.

In the beginning of meditation sit comfortably, close your eyes and take a few deep breaths. Feel into every part of your body and relax every part.Then be aware of the body. And be aware that there is some relaxation, some silence. Out of this silence look if you can perceive your mantra. Take it up very softly out of the silence, out of the relaxed feeling of existence of your body. It is not so much an explicit mental thinking of the mantra, it is more a recognizing, an experiencing of

9


the subtle sound before it develops into a clear and sharp thought. The mind thinks, but the heart feels. Feel the mantra. Experience its sound emerging out of the silence of your existence. And then after e few seconds look again, if you perceive it again out of the silence, perhaps a little bit subtler, softer than before.If a deep tiredness comes up, lay down for a few minutes. The rest and sleep after meditation is very refreshing.If there emerge many thoughts due to the relaxation, take again a few breaths and have the attention on the breath. Then again, out of the silence of your existence look at your mantra and perceive it out of the silence. Do this for 20 minutes, for 2 to 3 minutes sit with eyes closed, shifting the awareness slowly from inside to outside, to the surroundings again. Then slowly open your eyes, stretch your body and apply the energy you got by the meditation.

10


3. Thoughts don't disturb Meditation

Emerging thoughts need not be suppressed. With increasing relaxation, physical and psychological tensions which are very deep rooted in the body mind system are released. This release is observed as a corresponding thought. If there is a lot of stress release, there can be many thoughts, or a feeling of boredom. This is a good sign that the meditation works. In this case one usually does not feel the profound relaxation, but it is there. A device measuring the skin resistance would show a rest much deeper then the rest during sleep.

If you become conscious that you are not thinking the mantra, but any other thoughts, you can focus again on the silence between two thoughts and try to "perceive" your mantra or object of meditation. Take it up or perceive it very tender.

In his book "Sri Aurobindo ou l'Aventure de la Conscience" (Editions Buchet / Chastal, Paris) Satprem mentions the importance of "never to make the mistake of struggling with thoughts mentally - it is the attention that has to be shifted or displaced." (1) A very useful advice which is given in every modern and ancient "permissive" method of meditation.

11


Mother Meera, an Avatar from India that lives in Germany since many years, explaines:

"If you try to meditate for the first time, thoughts appear. Then they calm down. Then you see visions. Finally the mind becomes empty. Some people think that there is nothing else and stop meditating. But when you continue you will finally get Realization." (2)

Experiences are very different and even after years of meditation it is possible that, especially in times of stress and strain, there are lots of thoughts during meditation. But this is due to the release of deep rooted stress and should be evaluated as positive and necessary. It is even possible to fall asleep during meditation and this will be a very deep and regenerating sleep. It is much more important how you feel after meditation than during meditation. Is there a relaxed, wakeful feeling, better

12


concentration, more sympathy for everything, an increased ability to give and to love?

The duration of the meditation should be judged by these criteria. 20 minutes in the morning and evening is a optimum for most people in the beginning.

Literature:

(1) Satprem, "Shri Aurobindo oder das Abenteuer des Bewußtseins", page 39

(2) Mother Meera, from "Answers", page 63,64

13


4. The Focus of Meditation: Mantras

All mantras help to experience the silence of the Higher Self and have a positive influence on health. Some are supposed to lead to God, especially the Names of the Divine in every tradition of the world: Christ, Krishna, Mother Maria, Lord, Paramatma etc. We ourself should choose the object of our meditation. The "Mother" of Auroville and companion of Shri Aurobindos, Mirra Alfassa, gives some hints:

„The true mantra can't be given from a teacher. It is „no thing“ which can be given, but something streaming forth of our inner Self. It must come from within, suddenly, of one's own accord, like a deep urge, intensive in its being – in this case it contains the power. Because it is „no thing“ from outside it is the inner voice to yourself.“

(L`Agenda de Mère, 1963, Volume IV, Page 135,136 or Claude Gérard Sarrazin, "Mère Meera", Éditions de Mortagne, Page 246)

Mother Meera (in India and by many devotees in the whole world looked as an Incarnation of the Divine Mother) also gives the advice to be lead by something meaningful:

"In Japa (Meditation) we repeat the name of something we believe in. ... The Mantra which comes easy and spontaneous to you should be used. It should

14


give a strong feeling and be like music flowing from the heart.."

It is not necessary to always meditate with the same word. We should take that, for which we are open right now: "Whatever attracts the attention is OK." (Mother Meera, "Answers", Page 63,64)

Some examples:

Meditaters of the Benson technique use words without meaning:

ONE or NINE (English pronunciation)

Many mantras of the Yoga science are given without their meaning. This leaves the meditater free of limiting conceptions and thoughts. Only the vibration is important. Mantras with one syllable begin with a vowel and end with a consonant. They are called root mantras

OM (a mantra similar to "Amen" with the meaning of the whole universe)

ING or IM

AING or AIM (spelled with a long „a“ as in „large“)

15


Combinations with a known meaning in Sanskrit:

OM (universal consciousness)

OM Namo Bhagavate Paramatmane (the Self of the universe)

OM Namo Bhagavate Vasudevaya (Krishna)

OM KRISCHNA

RAMAH (an Avatar, that means an incarnation of

universal consciousness)

OM MEERA ( an incarnation of the Divine Mother)

Christian tradition:

AMEN

Jeshua or JESUS or CHRIST

JESUS CHRIST

MY LORD. THY WILL BE DONE.

HALLELUJA

16


Hebrew:

SCHIRIM (Singing)

Taoistic:

TAO (spoken DAO)

17


5. Side effects of Meditation

Deep relaxation releases deep rooted tensions. Therefore intermediate side effects or uncomfortable feelings are sometimes connected to deep meditations. This can be a jerking of muscles, an itching of the skin, irritation, nervousness, headache, tiredness, different kinds of pain, anxiety, sadness, loneliness, anger, depression, need of swallowing, dullness or intense uncomfortable thoughts.

Most people experience these side effects only seldom and only to a less degree. At the end of meditation they are usually dissolved. All these experiences are positive because that which was subdued and disturbed chronically is now resolved and released from the body mind system.

Nevertheless there exist a lot of possibilities to handle these side effects if they are very disturbing or continue throughout the day. Remedies are for example reducing the time of meditation, resolving the discomfort by feeling it consciously without judging and simple breathing- and physical exercises.

18


6. Levels of thought – levels of the universe

The following holistic outline of the human body-mind system is inspired by Shankara, a Master of the age old Indian vedic tradition, theosophic literature, Deepak Chopra, modern science and direct experiences of people like Robert A. Monroe, Dora van Gelder-Kunz and C.W.Leadbeater. It shows that meditation has an important influence on all levels of the body-mind-system. Shankara subdivides the body into several different fields:

1. The physical body, called sthula sharira, which has a material aspect "annamaya kosha" and an energetic aspect "pranamaya kosha" (kosha is the Sanskrit word for cover, coat, veil. Sanskrit is the age old Indian language);

2. the underlying subtle body, "sukhshma sharira", has also 2 aspects: the mind "manomaya kosha" and the intellect and ego "gyanomaya kosha";

3. the causal body beyond the subtle body: "karana sharira" he is connected to the impressions of past experiences and the body of bliss "anandamaya kosha";

4. beyond the causal body is the individual unbounded field of consciousness called "Atma" or "Purusha" and beyond this the universal unbounded field of consciousness called "Paramatma" (atma is the Sanskrit word for soul, param is the word for beyond).

The words of the Indian language are used, because the equivalent in our language is sometimes a little bit vague. Despite this, every aspect of our Self is more or less familiar to us and open for experiences. This becomes clearer if it is explained in common words:

19


The physical body, “annamaya kosha”

The most obvious fact about our body is that he is physical. We can touch it, smell it, taste it etc. Anna in Sanskrit means nourishment.

Annamaya kosha is the body created out of food, which permanently changes, although from moment to moment he gives us the illusion of being unchangeable. In Ayurveda, the ancient Indian health system, the physical body is treated by sound food, simple exercises, the so called yoga asanas, breathing exercises, intense purification therapies like Pancha Karma and several very pleasant massage techniques. Hundreds of studies show that meditation has a very healthy influence on the circulatory-, endocrine-, immune-system and the whole metabolism

20


The energetic body, “pranamaya kosha”

What lies beyond the permanent change of the body? Energy. In the yoga language this fundamental life-energy is called "prana". The word prana means Energy - biological energy which causes transformations in matter. The physical body is like a garment which is permanently renewed by matter fields and energy fields of the pranamaya kosha. In the body of energy our five senses and organs of action are structured. Prana or life energy can be experienced by any of the five senses and the mind. That´s why we feel enlivened and energetic in natural surroundings, at the beach and in the mountains. Here, the prana energies are much more concentrated than in the cities or in air conditioned bureaus. In ayurveda, this is utilised by facilitating all the five senses with pleasant experiences:

- healing music for the hearing;

- massage for the feeling;

- rooms with pleasant colours, flowers and a natural surrounding with trees, lakes or gardens for the sense of sight;

- many spices and tasty prepared foods for the taste;

- aroma therapy and harmonizing oils for the smell;deep relaxation or meditation to reconnect the mind to its well of unbounded energy which then permeates all levels inclusive the pranamaya kosha.

21


Literature

(1) Patricia Carrington, "Das große Buch der Meditation", Scherz Verlag

(2) Herbert Benson, "The Relaxation Response", William Morrow and Company, Inc., New York.

(3) Abraham H. Maslow, Psychologie des Seins, Kindler Verlag

(4) Hal und Sidra Stone, Du bist viele, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, und Wenn zwei sich zu sehr trennen, Simon und Leutner, Berlin

(5) Shri Chinmoy, Samadhi und Siddhi, Shri Chinmoy Verlag, Zürich, 1982, Seite 54

(6) A course in miracles, Penguin Books, Greuthof Verlag, Gutach, deutsche Ausgabe Ein Kurs in Wundern, ab Herbst 94 im Greuthof Verlag, Gutach.

C) Meditation und Bewußtseinsforschung

Patricia Carrington, Das große Buch der Meditation, Scherz Verlag

Joseph Goldstein, Jack Kornfield Einsicht durch Meditation, Scherz Verlag.

22


Shri Chinmoy, Samadhi und Siddhi, Shri Chinmoy Verlag, Zürich, 1982, Seite 54

Ken Wilber Das Spektrum des Bewußtseins, Scherz Verlag.

Ken Wilber, Jack Engler, Daniel P. Brown Psychologie der Befreiung, Scherz Verlag.

Transformation

Ariel Tomioka, Vom Atem der Liebe getragen, Ansata Verlag.

Shakti Gawain, Wege der Wandlung, Heyne Verlag.

Dr. Deepak Chopra Die unendliche Kraft in uns, BLV-Verlag, München.

D) Spiritual crisisD) Spiritual crisis

Christina Grof, Stanislav Grof: "Die stürmische Suche nachChristina Grof, Stanislav Grof: "Die stürmische Suche nach dem Selbst. Praktische Hilfe für spirituelle Krisen"dem Selbst. Praktische Hilfe für spirituelle Krisen"

Christina Grof, Stanislav Grof: "Spirituelle Krisen. Chancen der Selbstfindung"

Emma Bragdon: "Spirituelle Krisen. Wendepunkte im Leben"

Ken Wilber, Jack Engler, Daniel P. Brown: Psychologie

23


der Befreiung. Perspektiven einer neuen Entwicklungspsychologie - die östliche und die westliche Sicht des menschlichen Reifungsprozesses"

D) Voice Dialog

Hal und Sidra Stone, Du bist viele, Wilhelm Heyne Verlag, München, und Wenn zwei sich zu sehr trennen, Simon und Leutner, Berlin

Robert Stamboliev Den Energien eine Stimme geben, Synthesis Verlag.

Erika J. Chopich, Margaret Paul Aussöhnung mit dem inneren Kind, BauerVerlag, Freiburg im Breisgau.

E) World Wide Development of consciousness

Arjuna Ardagh: "The Translucent Revolution. How People Just Like You Are Waking Up and Changing the World" --- Deutsch: Arjuna Ardagh: "Die lautlose Revolution. Wie eine im Alltag gelebte Spiritualität uns und die Welt verändert"

24


F) Transformation of consciousness

Arjuna Ardagh: "Oneness. Erwachen zur Einheit. Deeksha als Weg zur persönlichen und globalen Transformation."

Kiara Windrider: "Deeksha. Energie des Erwachens"

Eckhart Tolle: "Eine neue Erde. Bewusstseinssprung anstelle von Selbstzerstörung"

G) Energy, Body and consciousness

Paramhans Swami Maheswarananda: "Die verborgenen Kräfte im Menschen. Chakras und Kundalini"

Drunvalo Melchizedek: "Die Blume des Lebens. Bd. 1"

Drunvalo Melchizedek: "Die Blume des Lebens. Bd. 2"

Osho: Body Mind Balancing. Using Your Mind to Heal Your Body"

25

meditation of silence

Documents

stress response

relaxation response

meditation of silence3

focus of meditation

meditation of silence1

experienced stress

effects of meditation

superficial relaxation