The ultimate aim of meditation, or of yoga, is to enable the personal self to experience its unity with the greater self, that is, with the whole, which we may think of as universal divine consciousness, nature, or "God."
The Center of Inner Peace
As the pressures of the world increase, many people see meditation as a step toward a calmer life and toward a direct recognition of the source of strength and peace within themselves.
We must not lose sight of the fact that this is an inner journey. Just as the ocean has silent depths unaffected by the waves on its surface, so every human being has such depths. In these depths, which are the true center and source of all that we are, there is stillness, peace and beauty. And we can reach this inner center.
Through meditation we can remove the obstacles and open the door to these spiritual levels of consciousness. Then creativity and inspiration flow into our lives; our problems lose their former weight, and we can express love and peace in everything we do.
Meditation is perfect stillness: the silence of body, speech and mind.
To find stillness of mind, we must learn the subtle art of allowing our actions, thoughts and feelings to be as they are, without letting them rule us.
An Age-Old Science
Meditation has held a central place in most spiritual traditions, and today there are many methods: walking meditation, the making of sand mandalas, and many more. Some use a mantra, some do not. All are ways of calming and harmonizing the physical and emotional nature and thereby stilling the mind. Stillness of mind is the final stage reached in the famous Yoga Sutras of Patanjali (the Indian sage, whose dates are not known with certainty, who systematized the philosophy of yoga), in which he describes eight stages leading to the goal.
After stating the need for an ethical way of life and for stilling the physical and astral bodies, Patanjali advises the meditator to stop or slow down the "fluctuations" of the mind (Sanskrit chitta vritti), that is, to cease identifying with and reacting to stimuli. He then lists the following four steps needed to master the art of meditation:
Observation (Awareness)
Deep observation with undivided attention develops awareness, or "mindfulness," which is the essence of meditation. We must be constantly aware of the conditioning behind our thoughts and feelings, and try to act more and more from the center of stillness that is our true self.
Concentration
Concentration (dharana) is needed to discipline the "monkey mind," the restless mind that leaps from branch to branch. We must learn to hold the mind steady on a physical object, an idea or a revered figure, and to bring it back when it wanders. The mind tries to take control; but by carefully watching the thinking process we can learn to ensure that it is we, and not the mind, who determine the content and activity of our consciousness.
Meditation
True meditation (dhyana) begins where active thought ends and the meditator grasps the inner meaning of the object of meditation. It is like passing from a single point to no point at all, and so experiencing wholeness.
Contemplation
In this final stage (samadhi) the meditator becomes wholly one with the object of meditation. It is an expansion of consciousness that raises one from the lesser self to the greater self. There is no longer an "I" who meditates and an "it" that is meditated upon. There is only one reality.
Reaching the Goal
To experience unity with universal consciousness is the greatest spiritual achievement a human being can attain.
