Seven Ray Institute Volume 2, Number 1, Winter 2006 Editorial Articles
Poems Featured Artist
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Seeking the Way Meditation is the most powerful tool available to us for individual and planetary transformation. It aligns us with our group and provides the means by which we can work together in service to humanity and the planet as a whole. Through meditation we “become the path” as we seek the way from within the very fabric of consciousness itself. That path is the golden, gossamer thread that leads us irrevocably “from darkness to light, from the unreal to the real, from death to immortality” and eventually releases us from the endless round of birth and death and onto the path of the higher evolution, which is ever the way of fuller service. Over time, we come to realize that our “sitting for development” has a much larger, universal purpose and is, in fact, part of a vast planetary process. As we meditate, we increasingly find ourselves becoming aligned within the rhythm of the planetary heart beat. Sometimes people disparage spiritual seekers, viewing them as self-absorbed, impractical idealists, remote and distant from the concerns and cares of the world and its affairs. And while this attitude clearly does characterize some people, increasing numbers of seekers today recognize the need for an engaged spirituality. For them, there are no distinctions, or arbitrary barriers between the spiritual and the so-called material worlds. Their reality is centered in the firm recognition that the whole intent and purpose of a spiritual life is to use our thoughts and actions to align ourselves with the vast and ever present supply of spiritual energy that can then be turned towards the upliftment of all lives who suffer under the weight of present planetary conditions. It’s said that “one disciple thinking truth can revolutionize his [or her] environment” and a group so thinking, can change the world. And because of the power wielded by trained spiritual workers, the group does not need to be large in order to be effective in its work. The spiritual Hierarchy, within what is called the Trans-Himalayan school, advocates the meditative techniques as set down by the great Indian teacher Patanjali. His Yoga Sutras provide the most comprehensive and authoritative manual for meditation and the meditative life and stand as central doctrines in both the Hindu and Buddhist traditions. His work was a compilation of the oral teachings and practices that had been handed down by sages throughout the centuries in India. Its methods have stood the test of time and provide the means of advancement for students on all the many levels of development--from the aspirant first placing his or her feet upon the path, all the way up to and including the great initiates and the adepts. The Sutras teach what has come to be known as the raja-yoga system of meditation, the kingly science of the mind. The raja yoga technique is a more structured form of meditation than that to which many people are accustomed. It incorporates “meditation with seed”--the seed being an aphorism, a quality, or a symbol, which when pondered upon in the process of meditation, becomes a vehicle for the expansion of consciousness and a means whereby the qualities considered can be built into the fabric of consciousness and, thus, life. Meditation becomes the means whereby the soul can “communicate with its reflection” and bring through its knowledge and radiance into the mind and brain of the practitioner. This relationship or communication can take place during the actual period of meditation itself, or at any other time of the day as the consciousness becomes gradually attuned to the new rhythms. This works out, most practically, in the ability to radiate divine light and love, thereby helping to dispel the darkness and distortion (the veils) of the three lower worlds in which we naturally live and work. Meditation begins with the attainment of what is esoterically called a “point of tension” upon the mental plane. This is achieved through a concentrated effort within consciousness to bring the three-fold lower vehicles into a state of alignment with the energy of the over-shadowing soul so that the normal distractions within consciousness are arrested and one attains a quiescent point of focused awareness. Learning to work from within this focused point will affect all aspects of our lives. As we move away from personality ambitions and the myriad distractions that demand our attention, we begin to align with what we come to understand as ashramic force or those powerful subjective currents that emanate from a place or level of consciousness that underlies and substands all life as we know it. Gradually we come to take our place within the periphery of what is known as the spiritual Hierarchy of the planet—that great center of divine love where the Masters reside. To the extent that we hold to the inner point of tension, so will we find ourselves freed from the constraints and limitations of the personality, from the “extensions” that limit our effectiveness. As the Tibetan teacher wrote: The majority of disciples are not even 60 per
cent effective because their points of tension are scattered all over
the personality and are not focused where the point of individual tension
should be. Each
has to discover that point of spiritual tension for himself. The
reason that disciples are not sensitive to the Master, to the life
of the Ashram and to each other is that they are extended and not
tense; they are working and living on the periphery of consciousness
and not at the centre. Their service,
therefore, is partial; their consecration is weak and they are overwhelmed
by inertia, by lack of interest in others and by many preoccupations
with the form side of life. Meditation follows the rhythm of the breath. After the period of alignment, which corresponds to the period of inbreathing, we attain what is called an interlude within consciousness—a “pause between two activities”—a time when the mind is rendered quiescent and attentive to the higher impressions. Sometimes at this stage there is confusion and the person finds him or herself working more often from a condition that could best be characterized as a type of lassitude and reverie when the mind becomes numb and blank, which has no relationship to spiritual quiescence. This negative condition should be guarded against. It can prove dangerous, rendering people open to astral forces that can wreck havoc in their lives. We’re told that the interludes provide the “seed of samadhi.” In the spiritual teachings of the East, samahdi is defined as a “state of being completely focused or concentrated, being totally aware of the present moment” 1 The Tibetan teacher described samadhi as “those interludes in the initiate’s life of service where he withdraws all his forces into a ‘well of silence’—a well, full of the water of life.” 2 And while we cannot be expected to attain and hold the state of samadhi of the adept, during the interlude periods in our meditation work its “seed” can be planted within our consciousness as we catch a glimpse of a future eventuality. And as this inner attainment becomes relatively widespread through the shared experience of a significant number of practitioners throughout the world, it provides the seed for the profound changes that are upon the verge of precipitation at this time.The lower interlude follows upon the period of outbreathing resulting in illumination of mind and brain and the consequent clarification of the astral plane that becomes possible through the bringing down of light and spiritual stimulation into the lower vehicles. At this stage of the process, the real work of the white magician becomes possible as inspiration is attained and the forms that can bring to life our service work are created. The realization of the potent power of thought becomes a reality in the meditator’s experience. Meditation is essentially a means of contacting, holding, and distributing spiritual energy. Each one of us can learn to do this by adapting the raja yoga techniques in accordance with our particular ray type and personality conditioning. Of course this will not always be possible and that is why the more “generic” forms of meditation, those that are standardized for large groups of students, are adequately meeting the need at this time. But we are rapidly moving into that time when teachers will come forward, most assuredly within the new schools of initiation, who will be capable of working effectively with their individual students to provide a type of “customized” meditation format that will meet the different needs of the students in their charge. These teachers will possess the means to see more fully into their students’ consciousness and, through this sensitivity, be able to develop those forms and spiritual techniques that will accelerate their students’ progress on the path. These teachers will, in effect, assume a role similar to that which the Tibetan undertook with the students in his charge as outlined in the Discipleship in the New Age books. Until that time, however, we can work with the existing forms available and adapt them according to our need. Collectively we are building a vast bridge within consciousness that possesses all the many colors of the rainbow, as reflective of the different colored rays of the individuals involved. Even though our meditation is generally undertaken alone, it helps to always hold in mind the essential group nature of all that we do and are. Towards that end, we can begin each meditation period by linking up in consciousness with our group brothers. Humanity is beginning to understand and accept its responsibility and destiny within the divine Plan as mediators between the three lower kingdoms and the spiritual realm. Our goal, as a group, is to “let in the light.” In the past select individuals developed this capability of aligning with their souls but there was little or no group effort. Today we are asked to demonstrate a group alignment and to consecrate ourselves as channels for service in pure self-forgetfulness. The consequent group stimulation and united effort will enable the entire group to reach successive points of spiritual realization that would never be possible alone. As this group work is successfully carried forward, we’re told that its growing momentum will create such a potent magnetic impulse that it will be able to reach out and touch those great Lives Who brood over humanity. Working silently, in unison and behind the scenes, we can work to release this floodtide of light and inspiration upon the worlds that will result in vast changes in consciousness and the amelioration of conditions in our needy world. This is beginning to happen now. The following thoughts from the Tibetan may bring a measure of understanding of the objective that stands before us at this time: "Radiance we are and power. We stand forever with our hands stretched out, linking the heavens and the earth, the inner world of meaning and the subtle world of glamour. We reach into the Light and bring it down to meet the need. We reach into the silent Place and bring from thence the gift of understanding. Thus with the light we work and turn the darkness into day." 3 Footnotes: |
