Meditation

Hittites, Perizzites, Rephaites,

Only be on your guard and diligently watch yourselves, so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen, and so that they do not slip from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and grandchildren.

For the entire period of his vow of separation, no razor shall pass over his head. He must be holy until the time of his separation to the LORD is complete; he must let the hair of his head grow long.

From where then does wisdom come, and where does understanding dwell?

This Book of the Law must not depart from your mouth; meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do everything written in it. For then you will prosper and succeed in all you do.

When I applied my mind to know wisdom and to observe the task that one performs on the earth—though his eyes do not see sleep in the day or even in the night—

The mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace,

Therefore we do not lose heart. Though our outer self is wasting away, yet our inner self is being renewed day by day. For our light and momentary affliction is producing for us an eternal weight of glory that is far beyond comparison. So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen. For what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus:

Rabbi Zeira strongly objects to this further: If it is on account of settling one’s mind, the following question can be raised: If one ate fatty meat, his mind would be settled with the volume of a large date, but if he ate edible grapevine shoots, would his mind similarly be settled with the volume of a large date? Abaye said to him: The Sages have an accepted tradition that with this measure one’s mind is settled, but with less than this measure his mind is not settled. However, with fatty meat, his mind is greatly settled; if one ate the same measure of grapevine shoots, his mind is only a little settled.

Lest a person say: Since I did not go to theaters and circuses, and did not stand in bestial contests, I will go and indulge in sleep, the verse states: “And he meditates in His law day and night” (Psalms 1:2). This demonstrates that it is not sufficient simply to avoid transgressions; rather, it is necessary to engage actively in Torah study.

The Gemara relates that Rabbi Yehoshua ben Levi said: What is the essence of those who immerse themselves in the morning? The Gemara retorts: How can one ask what is their essence? Isn’t he the one who said that one who experiences a seminal emission is prohibited from engaging in matters of Torah and is required to immerse himself in the morning? Rather, this is what he meant to say: What is the essence of immersion in a ritual bath of forty se’a of water when it is possible to purify oneself with nine kav? Furthermore, what is the essence of immersion when it is also possible to purify oneself by pouring water?

On the day when hidden thoughts shall be searched out

From him thou art distracted

If ye punish, then punish with the like of that wherewith ye were afflicted. But if ye endure patiently, verily it is better for the patient

Narrated Abu Hazim: Sahl said, "We used to feel happy on Fridays." I asked Sahl, "Why?" He said, "There was an old woman of our acquaintance who used to send somebody to Buda'a (Ibn Maslama said, "Buda'a was a garden of date-palms at Medina). She used to pull out the silq (a kind of vegetable) from its roots and put it in a cooking pot, adding some powdered barley over it (and cook it). After finishing the Jumua (Friday) prayer we used to (pass by her and) greet her, whereupon she would present us with that meal, so we used to feel happy because of that. We used to have neither a midday nap, nor meals, except after the Friday prayer." (See Hadith No. 60, Vol)

Narrated Aisha: That Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) used to offer the ʿAsr prayer while the sun was still shining in her Hujra (i.e. her dwelling place)

Narrated Jabir: We used to practice coitus interruptus while the Qur'an was being revealed. Jabir added: We used to practice coitus interruptus during the lifetime of Allah's Messenger (ﷺ) while the Qur'an was being Revealed

Right discrimination is not for him who cannot concentrate. Without concentration, there cannot be meditation; he who cannot meditate must not expect peace; and without peace, how can one expect happiness?

Knowledge is superior to blind action, meditation is superior to knowledge, renunciation of the fruit of action is superior to meditation, and peace follows from renunciation.

Closing the gates of the body, drawing the forces of his mind into the heart, and, by the power of meditation, concentrating his vital energy in the brain;

Next (the teaching) is regarding Adhyatman (the embodied Soul). The mind seems to approach Him (Brahman). By this mind (the seeker) again and again remembers and thinks about Brahman.

The Self is subtler than the subtle, greater than the great; It dwells in the heart of each living being. He who is free from desire and free from grief, with mind and senses tranquil, beholds the glory of the Atman.

When the five organs of perception become still, together with the mind, and the intellect ceases to be active: that is called the highest state. This firm holding back of the senses is what is known as Yoga. Then one should become watchful, for Yoga comes and goes.

From meditation springs wisdom, without meditation, wisdom ends. Knowing these two paths— of progress and decline— you should conduct yourself so that wisdom grows.

Those that have properly undertaken constant mindfulness of the body, don’t cultivate what should not be done, but always do what should be done. Mindful and aware, their defilements come to an end.

Their mind is peaceful, peaceful are their speech and deeds. Such a one is at peace, rightly freed through enlightenment.

“Good, good! But have you achieved any other superhuman distinction for going beyond and stilling that meditation?” “How could we not, sir? Whenever we want, with the fading away of rapture, we enter and remain in the third absorption, where we meditate with equanimity, mindful and aware, experiencing for themselves the bliss of which the noble ones declare, ‘Equanimous and mindful, one meditates in bliss.’ This is another superhuman distinction that we have achieved for going beyond and stilling that meditation.” “Good, good! But have you achieved any other superhuman distinction for going beyond and stilling that meditation?” “How could we not, sir? Whenever we want, with the giving up of pleasure and pain, and the disappearance of former happiness and sadness, we enter and remain in the fourth absorption, without pleasure or pain, with pure equanimity and mindfulness. This is another superhuman distinction that we have achieved for going beyond and stilling that meditation.”

While meditating … ‘Longing arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor elation nor discomfort nor excessive energy nor overly lax energy nor longing will arise in me again.’ While meditating … ‘Perceptions of diversity arose in me … I’ll make sure that neither doubt nor loss of focus nor dullness and drowsiness nor terror nor elation nor discomfort nor excessive energy nor overly lax energy nor longing nor perception of diversity will arise in me again.’

The Realized One guides them further: ‘Come, mendicant, meditate observing an aspect of the body, but don’t think thoughts connected with sensual pleasures. Meditate observing an aspect of feelings … mind … principles, but don’t think thoughts connected with sensual pleasures.’ As the placing of the mind and keeping it connected are stilled, they enter and remain in the second absorption … third absorption … fourth absorption.

O my mind, sing such Praises of the Lord, which shall be of use to you here and hereafter. ||1||Pause|| Meditating on Him, fear and misfortune depart, and the wandering mind is held steady. Meditating on Him, suffering shall never again overtake you. Meditating on Him, this ego runs away. ||2||

Salok, Third Mehl: O mind, meditate on the Dear Lord, with single-minded conscious concentration. The glorious greatness of the Lord shall last forever and ever; He never regrets what He gives. I am forever a sacrifice to the Lord; serving Him, peace is obtained. O Nanak, the Gurmukh remains merged with the Lord; he burns away his ego through the Word of the Shabad. ||1||

Gond, Fourth Mehl: Remembering the Lord in meditation, you shall find bliss and peace forever deep within, and your mind will become tranquil and cool. It is like the harsh sun of Maya, with its burning heat; seeing the moon, the Guru, its heat totally vanishes. ||1||

The (state of) vacancy should be brought to the utmost degree, and that of stillness guarded with unwearying vigour. All things alike go through their processes of activity, and (then) we see them return (to their original state). When things (in the vegetable world) have displayed their luxuriant growth, we see each of them return to its root. This returning to their root is what we call the state of stillness; and that stillness may be called a reporting that they have fulfilled their appointed end. The report of that fulfilment is the regular, unchanging rule. To know that unchanging rule is to be intelligent; not to know it leads to wild movements and evil issues. The knowledge of that unchanging rule produces a (grand) capacity and forbearance, and that capacity and forbearance lead to a community (of feeling with all things). From this community of feeling comes a kingliness of character; and he who is king-like goes on to be heaven-like. In that likeness to heaven he possesses the Tao. Possessed of the Tao, he endures long; and to the end of his bodily life, is exempt from all danger of decay.

For regulating the human (in our constitution) and rendering the (proper) service to the heavenly, there is nothing like moderation. It is only by this moderation that there is effected an early return (to man’s normal state). That early return is what I call the repeated accumulation of the attributes (of the Tao). With that repeated accumulation of those attributes, there comes the subjugation (of every obstacle to such return). Of this subjugation we know not what shall be the limit; and when one knows not what the limit shall be, he may be the ruler of a state. He who possesses the mother of the state may continue long. His case is like that (of the plant) of which we say that its roots are deep and its flower stalks firm:—this is the way to secure that its enduring life shall long be seen.

He who devotes himself to learning (seeks) from day to day to increase (his knowledge); he who devotes himself to the Tao (seeks) from day to day to diminish (his doing). He diminishes it and again diminishes it, till he arrives at doing nothing (on purpose). Having arrived at this point of non-action, there is nothing which he does not do. He who gets as his own all under heaven does so by giving himself no trouble (with that end). If one take trouble (with that end), he is not equal to getting as his own all under heaven.