THROUGH the history of mankind…

…manifesting in every age, golden or dark

                  is man’s quest to know his INNER SELF…

                 …to discover everlasting happiness.

Not finding answers in objects of the WORLD…

           …he has time and again turned inward…

           …to seek this elusive PEACE and HAPPINESS.

This turning within

….in search for the TRUTH of one’s being…is

               the PRACTICE of MEDITATION.

The FIRM…unshakeable abidance in that Reality

                the STATE of MEDITATION.

Today the word ‘meditation’ is very popular.

      But alas! Not understood in its correct perspective!!!

Meditation is the effortless abidance

                in the awareness of one’s TRUE nature.

        MEDITATION is a PROCESS.

              Through a study of the Scriptures…

                     …one understands that the…

                    …Self is Pure Consciousness.

Despite this intellectual appreciation…

the mind revels in the world of sense objects.

           To turn the wandering mind…

           …to the Self is a slow, slow process.

Freed from impressions of likes and dislikes…

…PURITY becomes the predominant quality

of the quietened mind, which is…

THEN available for contemplation or meditation.

Man wants peace and HAPPINESS.

His every act is directed to:

                  gaining peace…avoiding sorrow.

Ignorant of his own true BLISSFUL nature

he seeks this elusive happiness outside himself.

This ignorance of the SELF is characterised

                           …by identification with the body

…accompanied by the sense of doership and enjoyership.

It manifests as confusion about:

• duties
• the goal of life
• the means to achieve the goal.

This SELF KNOWLEDGE can be gained by following

               …the path of selfless action (karma yoga)…

…which purifies the mind and makes it single pointed.

The mind thus quietened is NOW…

            …equipped to take the second step.

Imbued with humility, faith and surrender…

…the seeker studies at the feet of the TEACHER.

Listening to the scriptures (shravanam),

             studying and pondering over them (mananam),

this knowledge, to end all delusion is gained.

To merely have this knowledge is not enough.

One must be firmly established in it.

The means of becoming STEADFAST in this

or the experience of the Self is meditation (nididhyasanam).

Established in this state, the Gita assures us that

even mountain-like sorrows cause no disturbance.

                                             — Swami Tejomayananda