Aloha,
I'm Reverend Cindy Palos and today I want to talk about something that I think is one of the most important things that you can learn to do.
It's meditation.
I was introduced to meditation when I was 13 years old and I have to say that it totally changed my life.
I've been meditating every day of my life since that time.
Now there's been meditations and things I've learned that have changed.
There's been expectations I've had that I've changed over time.
And over time I've learned that this is that sacred space for me when I can put aside things and go inside and make a deep inner connection to my soul.
And from my soul even further on the mystical path to that soul connection of all resources,
That light within,
The light of the one light.
Meditation is different for many people.
You may just want to do breathing exercises.
You may want to do relaxation.
You may want to do guided meditations.
But meditation,
Whatever form,
Is always helpful.
And it's really important for you to find the one that works for you,
The one that you say yes to,
The one that you get excited to sit down and do every morning and every night.
No one else can really tell you what's right for you,
But you will know when you find a meditation that resonates with you.
I love the mystical path and so I go within,
As it's said in the Bible to do.
In Matthew 6,
6 it says,
When thou prayest,
Enter into thy closet.
In the closet within is the sacred space to spend time with God in silence and meditate.
It's by being in this peace,
This sacred space and quiet within that we can get that guidance and the answers we need.
His Holiness the Dalai Lama said,
As human beings we all want to be happy,
To avoid suffering.
In my limited experience,
If we are able to achieve this,
It is immensely valuable to be able to cultivate and maintain a positive state of mind.
In the Buddhist tradition to which I belong,
One of the most effective means of doing so is to engage in meditation.
Meditation can sometimes mean sitting in a formal posture and stilling the mind,
But primarily in continuously familiarizing ourselves with positive thoughts.
These positive thoughts are a key to living a good life and a happy life.
Our prayers and affirmations are the foundation we use to have that connection.
When we sit quietly in a safe space within,
We learn to stop thinking,
We meditate and we find that place where we are full of positive energy,
Where we do no harm and just let ourselves be in our true nature.
We can just be with God.
By being,
Just being in meditation,
We become more aware of our true self,
Our true essence and the inner presence of our soul.
Prayers are invocative and meditation is more contemplative,
Which creates a quiet mind.
In our very busy society,
We can easily have our minds overwhelmed with input and distractions.
When we meditate,
We reduce the stress and let go of those distractions.
With more and more busyness created by our lifestyles,
Our smartphones,
Our instant input,
We are almost trained to respond to bings and calls and texts and messages immediately.
And when we meditate,
We put that all aside.
There are so many different forms of meditations.
Guided meditations have become popular because they give us a way to just let go and listen to the directions spoken and it can be very soothing and relaxing.
And there are many who practice with a mantra.
This is a way to focus our very busy minds on one phrase or word.
It's very different than just going into the silence,
However,
And just meditating in silence.
When you go into the silence,
Many things will arise from your subconscious mind and you may feel a little uncomfortable seeing what arises.
However,
By being aware of what it is that's being brought to your attention,
You can experience and release any issues that have been buried within you.
In Zen sittings,
You are face to face with all of those aspects of yourself and with nothing and nothingness.
It's a way to experience a short circuiting of the mind into enlightenment.
There are many forms of Buddhist meditation that are based on insight,
Awareness,
Mindfulness.
Meditation does not require that you use just one way of meditating.
I'm a teacher and use the app called Insight Timer.
There are hundreds and hundreds of guided meditations being used by people all around the world at any given moment.
What is important is that you feel comfortable and committed to meditation on a daily and regular basis.
Here's a secret key.
We can amplify God by being with God.
Jesus said,
The Father and I are one.
How do we experience this oneness,
This union with God?
For we are this oneness and in truth,
We always are aware in some part of our consciousness of that spirit there within our soul.
We are each unique expressions of God in human form.
By combining the gifts of affirmations,
Prayers and meditation,
We can connect with God,
Build our relationship with God and amplify our own presence in union with God.
This is where the power of meditation comes in,
With meditation we can just be with God,
Just be.
We can become aware of that living energy of creation that is God.
We can leave an opening for the light,
That infinite light and love of God to come in.
God directs energy and energy holds light.
To be able to plant a fertile seed to manifest,
You can use the sacred tools of right intent of your affirmations,
Prayer and meditation.
You need to know how to concentrate so you can control your thoughts.
When you learn to control your thoughts in a concentrated focused manner with intent,
You can open up new ways to travel through your various levels of consciousness.
You can direct yourself to that light of God.
In meditation you need to hold a single focus on a point of light.
If you have an intention to go to the soul level,
You can give your mind direction to go to the soul,
Then connect and concentrate on that intent and believe.
You can go there.
Once at the soul level,
You can direct the mind to practice the exercises outlined in this book.
The mind likes to follow directions,
But the more challenging part comes when you ask the mind to be still and do nothing.
Concentration can hold the mind steady in the light and allow the soul to be present in your awareness.
It is necessary to be aware that thoughts will come and go.
No matter how long you meditate,
Those thoughts will always drift by.
But with a concentrated focus,
You can bring the mind back to your point of focus and intention.
The more you make friends with your internal dialogue,
The easier it is to direct it.
There are as many kinds of meditation today as there are kinds of yoga.
It's really important that you find the right kind of meditation,
The one that fits for you.
Meditation is a very personal,
Intimate thing.
It's an experience that you should really look forward to.
In the Western culture,
Many people think of meditation just as transcendental meditation.
But Zen meditation has been practiced in China and Japan for so long,
Centuries and centuries.
But it did start to gain some more awareness in the West when Suzuki Roshi and some other teachers started to come to America in the 1960s.
Lately mindfulness meditation has become extremely popular.
It was started around 1979 and it uses body scans and breath awareness to help you relax and help you to reduce your stress and to help you be more aware.
It's very easy to do and helps you to bring awareness to your inner workings while learning more about how you can put that to work in your life.
In Buddhism,
There are at least a dozen kinds of meditation.
Then there's sound meditation.
Many sound meditation practices use a mantra to concentrate on.
For those with a more metaphysical approach,
Mystical meditation is provided a way to make direct contact with God.
I practice mystical meditation and I love being able to go within and have that connection,
Get recharged with that connection.
The best time to meditate is early in the morning when there are fewer distractions.
It's far easier to concentrate when you don't have outside interruptions.
It also helps to give your mind not only a point to focus on but perhaps a sound or a word or a subject matter.
It could be God or love or light.
If you participate in a meditation retreat,
You'll find it's a good way to practice concentrating on that one force within and the light within because in a group setting,
You can make a more conducive atmosphere for contemplation and discipline and inner growth.
It's also really helpful to do a nighttime review.
Give thanks for your day and reflect on any lessons that you've learned.
If there's anything you need to release,
Release them.
If there's anything you need to forgive,
Forgive them.
And then give thanks for all the great things that happened.
And give thanks for even the not so great things that happened during the day.
Meditation is one of the most valuable tools you can ever use.
It offers huge benefits and insight that can truly change your life.
Meditation helps with relaxation and will bring you inspiration.
It brings clarity,
Peace,
And focus and meaning into your life.
Once you start making time to meditate,
You'll find it is one of the most valuable and important times of your day.
While sitting in meditation,
Do not try too hard to concentrate.
A light touch and a clear focus can get you where you want better than creating a battle zone.
And once you've reached a quiet state,
Allow yourself to just be there in that space and dwell in the peace within.
You can be with your soul and merge with that inner light once you've established that place.
Let's do a practice of meditation and concentration and go within.
Take a few deep breaths.
Breathe in deeply and hold your breath for a second.
Breathe out.
Take another deep breath in.
Your upper breath sweeps mind so clear of the mind of any of those thoughts that might be present.
Breathing in slowly,
Relaxing and exhaling and letting yourself just be.
Let the outer world go.
Close your eyes and go into a state of meditation.
Concentrate lightly on the third eye above the center of your eyebrows and notice if there are any changes.
From that point now,
Allow your mind to focus on your soul.
Be still.
Go to the silence and that inner spirit that is there alive in your soul.
Feel the presence of spirit.
Let that presence be in your awareness.
And now just be still in your very presence of being.
Follow your breath as you go in and out with your breath.
Go deeper and deeper into this presence of just being.
Let go now and just experience being with no thought,
With no thing,
With nothing but you right here,
Right now,
Just being.
Breathe in that wonderful feeling of just being with nothing to do,
Just yourself.
Don't worry if the mind drifts,
Just bring it back and return to that inner connection of your soul's light.
And now allow that beingness to go into your heart area.
Allow yourself to be present in your heart.
Feel the love in your heart.
What does it feel like to just be love?
Just be aware of that love right now and go deeper and deeper into the embrace of love,
Into the heart of hearts,
Being with your own true self with unconditional love for who you are.
Breathe this in,
Feel the peace,
Feel the love.
Absorb that love and that peace.
Allow your spirit to just be with you merged as one.
And now slowly come out of the meditation,
Breathing in and out and know that you are a human being,
Not a human doing,
A human being.
And know that allowing yourself to be who you are is one of the greatest gifts.
Know that you can achieve this inner connection to spirit.
The more you meditate,
The more you practice,
The better you become at navigating the inner realms.
Meditation is the key to achieving the kingdom of heaven within.
It will give you an all-access pass to the light and love of God.
Embrace and welcome meditation into your life every day and discover how it changes your life.
