Some Basics

Active Meditation is based on the fact that in reality there is no way to truly remain actionless and still exist in one form or another in the universe. It is indeed necessary to learn how to quite the body but in a greater sense you will be shifting the action from the body to an awareness of the activities of your inner being. Einstein’s Theory of Relativity aptly applies to the nature of all forms of existence. Time, mass, and motion (velocity) are the qualities required on every plane to facilitate a presence.

In eastern philosophy these principles are expressed in the form of a wheel. According to this tradition, the universe is rotation, as if it was on a potter’s wheel. This would be impossible to determine scientifically, as we do not as yet have the capacity to see the edges of the universe. Nor would there be any references out side of it to measure the amount of the rotational movement. Whether this condition is actual or provable in the physical sense is not really important. However, as you seek to be aware of the universe within yourself, you will become aware of this motion.

The majority of people are caught up in the inertia of the wheel at a point some distance away from its center. Every action we take on all planes of existence is perpetrated by the inescapable momentum of the wheel. Some people are very far out on the edge of the wheel. These people cannot sit still for a moment. They are what some people call the “nervous type.” For those who are making their first attempts at sitting quietly for a sustained period of time, it is the inertial forces in their life which makes it difficult to do this task. So in the beginning it is a process of putting on the breaks and then starting to shift our awareness inwards towards the center of the wheel.

It is a good idea to make this shift gradually. Forcing things too fast would be the equivalent of pushing the brake peddle to the floor in a car going 200 miles per hour. In this situation you are in danger of having the car begin to spin wildly out of control. There are four main attributes of the individual in the body. The physical body itself, the mind, the soul, and the attention. The body is like the car. The soul is supposed to be the driver; the mind is supposed to be the interpreter between the body and the soul. The attention is simply that part of you which is aware. The attention can be focused on specific places at the whims of either the body, the soul or the mind.

The ego is often talked about as the great adversary of the soul, and spiritual awareness. However, it is not really a thing to be dealt with or cured or changed in and of itself. The ego is a function of the motion discussed earlier. It is a result of habits, and conditioning, It is the part of you that generally takes over when you are not thinking about what you are doing. Breathing, sleeping, eating, fear, anger, sex, competition, how you interact with others, most functions of average daily living are normally governed by what has come to be called the ego.

One fallacy sometimes presented in the quest for spiritual realization is the need to become egoless. In lieu of focusing on this very difficult if not impossible task it is best to simply learn to place your attention on the aspects of the soul. In the process of doing this the faults of the ego or ego domination can be corrected. As long as you occupy a body, the ego can never really be eliminated; it only becomes recognized by the mind and the soul. Meditation can be a good tool to bring the body, ego, soul, and spirit into “Harmony.” In Harmony, we can come to recognize our various aspects and the purpose of each as they assist us to function in this universe.

At first this can be a great struggle as that form of the original ego and the mind do not want to easily give into the higher purpose of the soul. The conflicts between each of these parts can often times reflect themselves in the condition of the body. Most illnesses and mental disorders are caused by the misalignment of energy fields in the body which are the result of the improper arrangement of the priorities of the body, soul, and ego.

There is one more important aspect of our being which is on of the keys to making the changes and maintaining a higher state of mind - the Will. It is Will Power which is the primary means that you will need to use when you begin to practice sitting in a posture for a sustained period of time. It is the Will which is then the primary mover of the body the soul and the mind.