Purpose of Meditation

Can meditation be used to overcome fear?

Yes. Meditation means intense, concentrated thinking. One becomes what one thinks in due course. If one thinks about a fearless personality like Swami Vivekananda, or Buddha, one is sure to become fearless. Swami Vivekananda has advocated meditation on the heart of a lion. A lion is never afraid. Nothing can scare him. Think of the heart of such a lion. Patanjali, in his Yoga Sutras, recommends meditation on the heart of a holy person who is free from attachments, aversion, fear and anger: vitaragavishayam va chittam.

What is the aim of meditation?

Aims of meditation could be many. It can be used for increasing one’s concentration. Students would definitely be benefited by meditation and if they meditate regularly, their power of concentration, memory, receptivity, etc. would increase.

Others use meditation for imbibing values. We have just now seen that meditation can give us fearlessness. Similarly other values can be cultivated, depending upon the object of meditation. Meditation is a powerful means of character building.

Yogis practise meditation to attain samadhi and total emancipation, by perfect control of all modifications of mind (chitta vrittis).

Certain steps in meditation can also prove helpful in mental relaxation and overcoming tension. However, concentrative meditation may prove stressful for those who are not used to it. Instead, a practice of awareness can be followed.

Can one get rid of negative thoughts by meditation?

What do we mean by ‘negative thoughts’? ‘I am helpless’, ‘I am weak’, ‘I can’t do anything’, ‘the world around me is terrible’—such thoughts are generally considered negative thoughts. Arjuna was overcome by such negative thoughts on the battlefield. To overcome such thoughts, a counter current

of positive thoughts must be raised in the mind. This cannot be called meditation in the strict sense of the term.

You said that meditation alone can make us powerful but evil. How?

Meditation means intense concentrated thinking. By this our mental power increases. Such power can be used for good or for evil.
If we have evil propensities like lust, greed, anger, etc. these will also increase. Demons like Ravana, Banasura, and others were great yogis and used to meditate regularly. They used the power obtained by meditation and concentration of mind for selfish ends and for harming others. It is therefore expressly advised that while practising meditation, one must also practise values like truthfulness, non-violence, continence, non-possessiveness and non-stealing.

Can meditation reduce rajoguna and tamoguna and increase sattva-guna?

A truly sattvaguni mind alone can do real meditation. If a tamoguni, dull person, tries to meditate, he or she will fall asleep. A restless, rajoguni person will not be able to sit quietly for a long time. To overcome tamoguna, a person must become physically and mentally active. A rajoguni person must gradually try to reduce his physical and mental activity. It is here that meditation, with other means, can help in controlling rajoguna.

Will you be teaching the second exercise of pranayama? Swami Vivekananda says that it requires the guidance of a trained teacher.

What you have been taught is nadi shuddhi, i.e., rhythmically breathing in and out without stopping the breath. Go on doing this regularly for at least six months. You can slowly increase the counts of inhalation and exhalation, i.e., make them as slow as possible without stopping the breath. This itself will greatly benefit you. Also go on giving strong suggestions: breath in purity, strength, love and peace. Breath out purity, strength, love and peace.

Unfortunately not even one percent of the people taught continue with even this simple but very useful rhythmic breathing exercise and go on asking, ‘Will you teach the second exercise?’ The test of the pudding is in the eating.

I have got into the habit of listening to music while I sit to study. Can we listen to music while meditating?

Good devotional or instrumental music can greatly help in calming and concentrating the mind. Sri Ramakrishna used to get merged into deep meditation on listening to devotional songs. In our ashramas also there is a custom of rhythmic chanting of Vedic mantras or singing of stotras followed by meditation. One may even meditate upon the meaning of the song being sung. This is also a type of meditation. Even short of this, one can listen to some devotional music for a few minutes before meditation.