The Technique Of Meditation

As Geraldine Coster says in Yoga and Western Psychology, "Modern religion does not stress the search for self-awareness sufficiently to appeal to the scientific or even to the critically intelligent mind." Coster feels that meditation does appeal to this type of person, because meditation is a practical technique whose beneficial results the meditator experiences for himself.

To achieve the beneficial effects of meditation doesn't require any mental or intellectual adjustments, as, for instance, the prior acceptance of a set of beliefs. The very practice of meditation enlightens consciousness to the point where the individual experiences truth, experiences reality, by direct perception. In other words, meditation embodies the scientific and nonsectarian spirit that so attracts modern people.

The question now arises, What meditational technique is best suited for our times? The amazing proliferation of "consciousness-raising" techniques has confused many people; but if we again consult classical authorities on the subject, we find reassuring unanimity: both respected teachers and books strongly recommend oral mantra meditation as the best means of experiencing self-realization and higher pleasure in this day and age. And modern psychologists like Dr. John Heider (in the Journal of Humanistic Psychology) are quick to agree. Meditation and mantras are, in Heider's words, "as necessary to a life of growth as regular brushing is to dental hygiene."

Dr. Abraham Maslow explains that a person can know whether or not a process is working for him if "…it feels better subjectively than any other alternative. The new experience validates itself… It is self-justifying, self-validating." The practice of mantra meditation quickly proves itself to be the kind of self-justifying, self-validating experience that Maslow is talking about here.

Oral mantra meditation is easy to learn and pleasant to practice. After you read the following instructions, you can immediately start to practice meditation in your own home, without incurring costly initiation fees.