The True Objectives of Meditation and Its Ancient Origins

"Infinite Light" lit a match and set himself on fire, burning and immolating himself without even making a tremor or movement but remaining calm in the lotus position until the fire consumed him.

5 TRUE OBJECTIVES OF MEDITATION

So science studies the beneficial effects of meditation on the body and mind, but the purpose of meditation is much deeper and all physical effects are secondary compared to other effects that are primary:

• To be better in HEALTH and obtain physical benefits. Neurophysiological studies illustrate how a constant practice of meditation increases the level of serotonin and regulates the secretion of endocrine glands by rebalancing some biological rhythms.

• To improve one's MENTAL FACULTIES and obtain intellectual benefits.

• The second reason of INNER CHARACTER to know ourselves, to find a center within us that is something truer and deeper than what we see of ourselves, of the emotions we feel, of our thoughts. The first purpose of meditation is to find a center in one's interiority that corresponds to a first knowing oneself, that is, knowing oneself for something that is not one's thoughts or emotions, one's preconceptions or something somehow linked more or less indirectly to the physical body.

• The third reason, associated in some way also with the second, is to experience new states of consciousness superior to the ordinary state such as MYSTICAL STATES in which one immerses in what mystics call Inner Light and thus experience those states that mystics call ecstasy.

• Finally, those states called INITIATORY or TRANSCENDENT of which these mystics speak in the Perennial Vigil in which the union with the inner Light becomes transforming.

• But then going more to the practical, there is also the fact that these exercises when done awaken the Self, that is, they form a subject who is the subject who lives his own life. We live life in proportion to how much the Self is present; if it dozes, we don't live. It's a question of intensity of consciousness; if there is no intensity of consciousness beyond a certain limit, one lives nothing but the usual, if it exceeds this threshold then anything acquires meaning for him.

• For example, he can see a tree and understand its meaning, see the sky, the sun, etc... in the silence of consciousness these symbols can be peeled like an orange and reveal a deep meaning.

6 HISTORY OF MEDITATION (EAST)

Bhagavad Gita

Although the greatest mystics in history have been Christian mystics, to trace back to the origins of meditative practices, the first testimonies we must refer to very ancient times; there are even Indian REPRESENTATIONS dating 2000-3000 YEARS BEFORE CHRIST depicting individuals in the act of meditating, testimonies that these practices are ancient and are lost in the mists of time.

The Mahabharata (introduction)

The beginning of these practices, according to Indian tradition, is very ancient and dates back to a previous era that texts date 10,000 years before Christ to the time of a Great War between peoples told in an Indian poem of more than 100,000 verses and titled "Maha-Bharata" or the "Great War". In these cases, when going so far back in history, it is difficult to understand what really happened or not, also because we are talking about other eras too distant from ours of which we have no testimonies except a very distant oral and finally written tradition.

As causes of the war, tradition holds that from a solar hero named Kuru descended after various generations two brothers. The first, the elder, was blind and therefore could not inherit the throne while the second, being seer, was designated for succession, however a relative of the first brother manages by deceit to make the legitimate heir to the throne lose at dice, enslave his family and drive them into exile.

The Panduids thus live in the forest in exile until a particular character arrives, heir to a very ancient tradition probably of another race since he is represented in black and who is even identified as an Avatar, that is, as an incarnation of the Word. This character decides to help the legitimate heirs reconquer the throne and therefore helps them in the final battle.

In particular, Krishna (depicted in black) helps Arjuna (which means white like Silver) to undertake the battle because Arjuna is tormented because he must fight and defeat all those who in battle are his enemies but who then being his relatives are familiar with whom he has spent much of his life, so Arjuna would prefer to renounce the throne rather than harm them.

Moral Meaning

Now, in the past there was no idea of making a historical chronicle as now like journalistic, there was the idea of taking inspiration from real historical facts but describing them in a way that could be useful to also learn inner concepts. So this battle is not only a battle probably that took place in a very distant historical era, but from a moral point of view it is also the symbol of the battle that takes place in the soul of man who seeks liberation.

From a moral point of view the meaning is evident:
• Arjuna is the spirit: the spirit has been driven out and dethroned by another King who is spiritually blind and therefore enslaved only to craving, hatred and ignorance. The spirit must reconquer its dominion
• The battlefield with the two camps is the Soul
• The enemies (who are relatives) also represent all the values and concepts with which the individual has grown but which hinder him in liberation

In this context, Krishna reveals to Arjuna on the battlefield the doctrine for liberation which is very broad but which has a part - which is the one that interests us about meditation, the discipline of the mind and which is the foundation of all the doctrine exposed.