Passage Meditation… A Complete Spiritual Practice, written by Eknath Easwaran
“Time had been suspended, and the burden of sorrow was gone. I felt as if I had returned from another world—an inner realm beyond time and space where somehow, I was at home. The passages were lifelines, guiding me to the source of wisdom deep within and then guiding me back into daily life.”
This short blog is a review of one of the best books ( I have ever come across) written on meditation. Passage Meditation is for the spiritual elder in all of us who is ready for next level consciousness. Eknath Easwaran (1910-1999) was chairman of the English department at a major Indian university when he transfered to the United States on a Fulbright fellowship. He taught meditation for over forty years and his class at UC Berkley was the first accredited course on meditation at any Western university. He writes, “In India, meditation is called the end of sorrow and mastery of the art of living. In his life, Easwaran made immense literary contributions. If you are on an inward spiritual path, I highly recommend his books.
Over the years, I have found that many students struggled with disciplining their minds. Even though meditation should be easy— emptying the mind of endless, scary thoughts and dropping into deeper states of consciousness have only been mastered by the worthy. When I ask my clients if they meditate, many say their lives are too busy. Others (including fellow teachers) tell me they walk their dogs as a form of meditation, use yoga, or listen to the Internet's high frequency apps: chanting, spiritual music, and even Abraham Hicks recordings. Meditation is not a form of self-hypnosis, physical exercise, or counting pray beads. Meditation is a disciple that demands that the body remains perfectly still, comfortably seated with a straight spine, eyes closed, and no noise or movement of any kind should be used to distract the process.
So why does Passage Meditation stand out to be such a great resource? What is the secret to a deeper meditation and a sound spiritual practice?
According to Easwaran, the secret includes eight points:
· Meditation on a Passage
· Repetition of a Mantra
· Slow Down
· One-Pointed Attention
· Training the Senses
· Putting Others First
· Spiritual Fellowship
· Spiritual Reading
I want to emphasize the use of a mantra. Most individuals don’t have a trusted mantra. The mantra is to be silently repeated and aligned with one’s belief system. Think of a mantra as a lifeline in case you wonder off the cosmic highway and need to find your way back to reality. In Christianity, the mantra is often called the holy name. Many repeat, Jesus, Jesus, Jesus. The Catholics who have been saying Hail Mary’s already have a mantra. Many Jews use the ancient Barukh attah Adonai. In Islam, Allahu akbar—God is great is the mantra and the Buddhists are known to use, Om Mani Padme Hum. Mahatma Gandhi’s mantra was Rama or the Sanskrit word meaning rejoice. This mantra summons great joy when repeated. Easwaran warns that meditation without a mantra can be dangerous. So, as we travel deeper within ourselves, make sure to have a mantra ready.
By discipling the mind, life's circumstances will shift, and you will greatly contribute to making the world a better place. Good luck on your spiritual journey and with your meditation quests.
Blessings,
Jyl Auxter-Kern, PhD
Author of Upside Down…The Rise of an Evolution
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