Meditation
The word meditation comes from the latin root ‘meditatum’ = to ponder, and was used to describe the study, reflection or contemplation, the focus of attention and concentration, traditionally assisted via the repetition of a sound or rhyme. Meditation has been a fundamental part of all spiritual practices and religions across the globe and throughout time.
In greek, the word ‘Διαλογισμός’ (Dialogismos = meditation) comes etymologically from the preposition ‘dia’, which denotes movement and relationships between entities, situations etc, and the word ‘logos’, a concept that according to the ancient Greek philosophy expresses a) the causal order of cosmos b) man’s discriminating ability through the intellect (reason), which is the highest level of energy vibration. Logos also means ‘speech’, denoting the relationship between logic and its expression through language. Logos is innate in us just as in the entire universe. ‘Dialogismos’ therefore, (which in religious terms relates to honest, selfless prayer), means the mental process that unites the ‘I’ with the ‘whole’, that releases the mind from unworthy thoughts of a time and spatially restricted social experience and brings us closer to the real essence of things. The mind usually suffers by the low and constant vibrations of instincts and passions cultivated within problematic social environments; meditation calms the mind and leads it to the freedom and harmony of understanding and reason.
Meditation, thus, is the technique of cleansing the mind. It involves self-observation, which leads to self-awareness and results to peace of mind and serenity. It is an escape from the restrictive space of a socially bounded mind, it approaches ‘now’ and ‘the eternal’, the Self and nothing and all. Our minds are the core of our energy; therefore, a clean mind and thought mean clean energy in body and soul, a road for health and the transcendence of the Self.
In Raja yoga there are 4 stages in meditation:
- Pratyahara: the withdrawal from the dominating character of our sensory perceptions. We turn our focus of attention on the inside rather than the outside.
- Dharana: the concentration of the mind on one point (inside or outside of the body), one sound, one image. The mind and the focus of concentration become one.
- Dyana: deep meditation, when time ceases to have a meaning.
- Samanthi: the transcendence of the mind. The ego ceases to exist and the individual experiences wholeness; there is no separation from the object of concentration.
In short, the mind is like a stormy sea from endless thoughts that prohibit us from resting as much physically, as mentally and emotionally. Meditation trains us to concentrate on the Self. It is the art of calming the mind and transforming the storm into tranquil waters that through their clarity allow us to see the ocean floor, namely the truth of our existence. Focusing on the ‘inside’ rather than the ‘outside’ leads to uniting with the Self and Cosmos. It leads to certainty and the strength for self-redefinition, it leads to peace. This is yoga.