TOTAL HEALTH BY MEDITATION 1 CONTENTS CHAPTER - 1 INTRODUCTION 1.1 Meditation in Modern Relevance 1.2 Research Methodology 1.3 Hypothesis 1.4 Limits 1.5 About the thesis CHAPTER - 2 SCHOOLS OF MEDITATION & THEIR PHILOSOPHIES 2.1 Yoga 2.2 Tantra 2.3 Vedanta 2.4 Jainism 2.5 Buddhism 2.6 Zen 2.7 Taoism 2.8 Judaism 2.9 Christianity 2.10 Islam 2.11 Sufism 2.12 Sikhism CHAPTER - 3 III. MEDITATION AND TOTAL HEALTH 3.1 Anxiety 3.2 Cancer 3.3 Cardiovascular disease 3.4 Chronic fatigue syndrome 3.5 Depression 3.6 Hiv/Aids 2 3.7 Infertility 3.8 Insomnia 3.9 Irritable bowel syndrome and alcers 3.10 Pain management 3.11 Psoriasis 3.12 Stress 3.3 Conclusion CHAPTER - 4 MEDITATION TECHNIQUES 4.1 Yogic meditations 4.2 Meditations from Tantras 4.3 Budhist meditation 4.4 Taoist meditation 4.5 Zen meditation Techniques 4.6 Meditation techniques from various schools 4.7 Pragyan dhyan kriya 4.8 Effects of meditation 4.9 Case studies BIBLIOGRAPHY . ] 3 Chapter-1 INTRODUCTION Meditation is a state of absolute peace and bliss. It is a state of being in the pure, divine existence of ultimate reality (cosmic consciousness / God / truth). To attain this state various techniques are developed which are also termed as meditation. The word meditation comes from the Latin word ‘meditatio’, which originally indicated every type of physical or intellectual exercise, then later evolved into the more specific meaning ‘contemplation’. The word meditation has two meanings. The first is continued, intent, focused thought. The second is a state of calm, unconditional countless awareness. According to the Eastern spiritual traditions like Yoga, Tantra, Zen, etc. the second meaning is equivalent to meditation. Meditation is a way which gives the practitioner a real experience and taste of full being which is beyond all habitual patterns. In the stillness and silence of meditation, the practitioner gets the glimpse of his deep inner nature which was lost due to mental distractions. The concise Oxford English dictionary defines the word meditation as “1 the action or practice of meditating. 2 a discourse expressing considered thoughts on a subject.” Meditation is to live here and now. Meditation is a state which goes beyond the thoughts of past and imaginations of future. Meditation is beyond time, space and matter. It is the connectivity with the eternal source of every existence. Meditation is the highest state of human consciousness. According to Swami Vivekananda, “The greatest thing is meditation. It is the nearest approach to spiritual life – the mind meditating. It is the one moment in our daily life that we are not material – the soul thinking of itself, free from all matter – this marvellous touch of the soul.” Soul is the existence of divine consciousness. It is eternal. To be in this eternal, infinite truth is meditation. Meditation is a method to focus and ultimately quiet the mind. The practice is said to produce a higher state of consciousness. Meditation is recognized as a component of almost all religions, and has been practiced for over 5,000 years. Meditative disciplines cover a wide range of spiritual 4 and/or psychophysical practices which can emphasize development of either a high degree of mental concentration and stillness. Meditation is self regulation of attention, in the service of self-inquiry. This leads to self-realization. Evidence of the origins of meditation extends back to a time before recorded history. According to archaeological excavation meditation practices may have existed among the first Indian civilizations. “5,000 year old carvings from the Indus valley civilization depict a figure that some archeologists believe represents a yogi sitting in meditation posture.” Following is the photograph of this carving. The origin of meditative practices is very obscure. But it can be stated that the meditative practices will be still ancient than this carving. This is the historical reference of meditative practice. However the exact history of meditation cannot be dated on these sources. Meditation is the state to realize the ultimate nature of life and living. Its history will “Shiva-Pashupati” depend on the ancient evolution of human beings. It will depend on the evolution of human consciousness. Since immemorial time the human beings would had been practicing the techniques to realize the state of meditation. From ancient times till date, meditation in some or the other form is being practiced around the world. There are several other sculptures which gives light on the practice of meditation in that era. The following sculpture of Lord Buddha is Buddha Ajanta from Ajanta caves. The work on the Caves Ajanta caves was started during the 4th century AD. There are many techniques of meditation which can be classified 5 according to their focus. Some focus on the field or background perception and experience, also called ‘mindfulness’ whereas others focus on a preselected specific object, and are called ‘concentrative’ meditation. There are also techniques that shift between the field and the object. In mindfulness meditation, the meditator sits comfortably and silently, centering attention by focusing awareness on an object or process (a breath, or a sound, or a mantra, or koan or riddle evoking questions, or visualization, or an exercise). Concentration meditation is used in most religions and spiritual practices. Whereas in mindfulness meditation there is an open focus, in concentration meditation the meditator holds attention on a particular object (e.g., a repetitive prayer) while minimizing distractions; bringing the mind back to concentrate on the chosen object. In some traditions, such as Vipassana, mindfulness and concentration are combined. Meditation may be objective, or on qualities or purely subjective. In objective meditation the Sadhaka meditates upon an idol or picture of his deity (may be Lord Shiva, Rama, Krishna, Christ, Buddha, Mahavira or any other god or goddess). For him, the idol is something alive, vibrating with supreme energy. He may meditate upon the beautitude, the qualities, and the activities of his deity. In subjective meditation, he may meditate upon the all-pervading pulsating supreme energy which is within him and without, permeating everywhere. He may also meditate on his breath while inhaling and exhaling. All these techniques lead to the state of meditation. But to attain this state continuous focus is essential. To attain the flow of continuous focus, concentration is required. Fixing the mind on an external object or an internal point continuously without interruption for twelve seconds is concentration. Concentration transforms into meditation. When the mind is fixed on any object or subject for 144 seconds continuously without break is meditation. Meditation can be practiced while walking, talking, singing, dancing or doing simple repetitive tasks. Walking meditation helps to break down habitual automatic mental categories and regain the primary nature of perceptions and events, focusing attention on the process while disregarding its purpose or final outcome. In a form of meditation using 6 visualization, such as Chinese Qi Gong, the practitioner concentrates on flows of energy (Qi) in the body, starting in the abdomen and then circulating through the body, until dispersed. In Tantra there are various dancing mediations which purify all the meridians of the body, bring robust health and leads to samadhi. Meditation is a state of absolute peacefulness and blissfulness. It brings divine felicity. “Meditation is the gate that opens that infinite joy to us. Prayers, ceremonials and all the other forms of worship are simply kindergartens of meditation. You pray, you offer something. A certain theory existed that everything raised one’s spiritual power. The use of certain words, flowers, images, temples, ceremonials like the waving of lights brings the mind to that attitude, but that attitude is always in the human soul, nowhere else. People are all doing it, but what they do without knowing it, do knowingly. That is the power of meditation.” Meditation is not for some ascetics but is essential for all human beings. The individual self of a person unites with the higher self (source of existence) during deep sleep daily. This unknown union recharges the cells of a human being. Hence, when he gets up from his sleep in the morning there is a feeling of freshness, relaxation and full strength. This is a natural process for every human being. But if an individual could not sleep properly, he feels uneasy and is in a kind of fatigue. It is the experience of every human being despite of his race, religion, sex, caste, country, profession, etc. Every human being needs relaxation, strength, ability to accomplish his duties and for peace of mind. Meditation is a great invention of a human being to keep his inner self in union with the higher self in a wakeful state for longer periods continuously. In the schools of human insights like Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Taoism, etc. the spiritual purpose and meaning is to merge the individual consciousness with the universal consciousness / ultimate reality / Source / truth. Meditation is the flow of continuous focus on one object (external or internal) / god /atman / supreme spirit / infinity. A sincere spiritual seeker meditates to realize the ultimate reality to understand the mystery of life and 7 death, to what is truth. Once he knows truth, he knows the ultimate reality, he becomes that, and there is nothing more to know. A person who has realized the truth, becomes truth, and lives in truth. Knowing is being. That is the highest state. Therefore meditation is not meant just for the ascetic. It is the highest state of a human being and it is extremely important in the day-to-day life of every human being.