THE PRINCIPLES OF MEDITATION

 

A few rules of meditation that should be followed to make whole exercise a routine beneficial are attention, readiness, practice, satisfaction and maturation.

1. Attention increases the amount and rate of meditation. It also increases the efficiency of task. Meditation is possible only if a person focuses his attention on the point to be observed. Attention is motivated actions in which the person makes several efforts for achieving the goal.

2. Readiness is preparation to action. It is very essential for meditation. Without a will to meditate, there cannot be true meditation. The will to meditate is, in fact, the preparedness or readiness of mind. It is also termed as motivation. If a person is ready to learn meditation, he learns more quickly, effectively and with greater satisfaction than he is not ready to learn. You can take a horse to water but you cannot make him drink. Similarly, good results cannot be expected from a person who is forced to meditate when he is not ready to do it.

3. Practice makes a man perfect. In meditation, if a certain stage is reached, a regular practice is needed to maintain and stabilise it. The things learnt are repeated time and again to gain permanence. Practice always brings good results in the achievement of meditation. 

4. When a flexible connection between a situation and response is made and is accompanied or followed by a satisfying state of affairs, the strength of link with that situation is increased. If a person is made to learn meditation after putting a ceiling on his natural movements and interests, his learning is belated and held back. The satisfying situation provides pleasure and thus rewards. The greater the reward, the more it facilitates meditation. It indicates to the fact that the more the reward, the stronger is the motivation; the stronger the motivation, the faster and surer is the meditation.

5. Maturation brings reasonably everlasting changes in a person’s conduct, the outcome of which cannot be undone. Maturation is a usual process and its sequence is predestined in nature. No meditation can take place unless an individual is mature enough to meditate. A person, who wishes to undertake it, should have reached a certain level of maturity. He should not be fickle minded and lacking sense of devotion. The level of maturity cannot be ascertained ordinarily. Usually it can be assumed from the behaviour of the concerned person because it differs from person to person. Some person can meditate better at an earlier age while others take more time to do so.