Notebooks of Paul Brunton > Category 4: Elementary Meditation > Chapter 4: Meditative Thinking

Meditative Thinking
The path of inspired intellect

The ne!t type of meditation is the analyti"# $t may deal %ith personal e!perien"e&
general events& universal la%s& the nature of man& and the reality of soul& but al%ays it
seeks by analysis and refle"tion to understand#
'
$n this type of refle"tive meditation& "riti"al thinking is not banished but is illuminated
by the (verself)s light# $t is the path of inspired intelle"t# $t is e!tremely valuable
be"ause it "an reveal the right path to take in pra"ti"al affairs and the right "ourse to
take in moral ones# $t is e*ually valuable for e!tra"ting the lessons out of past
e!perien"e#
+
The topi" sele"ted for pra"ti"e may be *uite personal to begin %ith& provided that it is
suitable to help bring about self,improvement of a positive kind su"h as removing faults
and "ultivating virtues# But this is only preparatory& sin"e it is still "on"erned %ith the
ego and designed to improve "on"entration# -hen e!perien"e and regular pra"ti"e have
rea"hed a suffi"ient development& then the topi" should be one %hi"h makes him feel
highly reverential and should be dire"ted to the (.E/0E12 not to the ego& not even for
the ego)s improvement spiritually#
4
3 "lear distin"tion has to be made bet%een thinking about 4od and the e!perien"e of
4od# Ea"h has its pla"e# Thinking and evaluating take pla"e on the intelle"tual level5
one should not limit oneself to that but should try to arrive at the inner stillness& the
e!perien"e of the (verself during meditation# There should be a "lear sense of the
differen"e bet%een these t%o# The piling up of thoughts& ho%ever reasonable they are&
a"ts only as a signal5 they point out %hi"h %ay to go& but at the end drop them#
6
$t is not merely an intelle"tual e!er"ise# 3ll the piety and reveren"e and %orship gained
from religion are needed here too# -e must pray "onstantly to the 0oul to reveal itself#
7
-hen thinking has done its best %ork& rea"hed its loftiest point& it should rela! and
"ease its a"tivity# $f all else has prepared the %ay& the mind %ill be ready to enter the
silen"e& to a""ept a take,over by the (verself#
8
$n this type of meditation& the intelle"t must think& first about itself and se"ond about
%hat is beyond itself# This "hange of thought be"omes a stepping,stone to a "hange of
"ons"iousness#
9
The old :uaker family morning "ustom of reading aloud a passage from the Bible& and
follo%ing it by a period of meditative silen"e& is a useful pointer# 3ny book that inspires
may be read vo"ally then shut and pondered *uietly5 any senten"e that holds and e!alts
attention may be made the sub;e"t of slo%& grave utteran"e follo%ed by silent
"on"entrated rumination# 3ny %ord& attribute& name& or phrase that enshrines spiritual
truth may be affirmed in spee"h and after%ard "ontemplated in hush#
<
Vichara means dis"ursive thinking& so atmavichara means thinking one)s %ay into the
real self#
=
To shorten the period of rein"arnations& thought is needed: first& analyti" refle"tion about
the past5 se"ond& imaginative refle"tion about the future#

3ll possess the po%er of refle"tion but fe% use it# -hen this po%er is turned out%ardly&
%e look upon the physi"al body& its organs and senses& as our self and so plunge into the
bustling a"tivity of this %orld %ithout hesitation# But if this same po%er of refle"tion be
turned in%ardly& %e begin to forget our a"tivities and to lose kno%ledge of the physi"al
body and its environment# 2or %e be"ome so deeply indra%n into the %orld of thought
that for the time being this inner %orld be"omes for us the real %orld# Thus %e are led
gradually by repeating this pra"ti"e to identify ourselves %ith the mind alone& to look
upon ourselves as thought,beings#
'
$n this type of meditation the a"tivity of thinking is not re;e"ted# (n the "ontrary& it is
deliberately a""epted& for its "hara"ter undergoes a marked "hange# 3t a "ertain stage&
%hen "on"entration thoroughly establishes itself& some for"e that is deeper than the
familiar personal self rises up from %ithin itself and imposes a "ontinuous stream of
se*uential& illumined thoughts upon the "ons"iousness#
+
-hat a relief for a man& harassed by an!ieties and frustrated by burdens& to turn to%ards
these great impersonal verities and "onsider them in the serene mood of the t%ilight
meditation or the sunrise %orship#
4
>eep refle"tive thinking is present behind deep impersonal thinking#
6
(ur ri"hest moments are those spent in deep reverie upon the diviner things#
7
3t different periods in his "areer there %ill be the need of,,and "onse*uently the
attra"tion to,,different sub;e"ts for meditation# Thus: the beauty of a flo%er& the ugliness
of a "orpse& the attributes of a sage& the infinitude of spa"e& the "hanges of adoles"en"e&
middle& and old age#
8
This habit of persistent daily refle"tion on the great verities& of thinking about the nature
or attributes of the (verself& is a very re%arding one# 2rom being mere intelle"tual
ideas& they begin to take on %armth& life& and po%er#?P@
9
The (verself takes his thoughts about it& limited and remote though they are& and guides
them "loser and "loser to its o%n high level# 0u"h illumined thinking is not the same as
ordinary thinking# $ts *ualitative height and mysti"al depth are immensely superior# But
%hen his thoughts "an go no farther& the (verself)s 4ra"e tou"hes and silen"es them# $n
that moment he knows#?P@
<
The books %hi"h live are those %ritten out of this deep union %ith the true self by men
%ho had over"ome the false self# (ne su"h book is %orth a thousand %ritten out of the
intelle"t alone or the false ego alone# $t %ill do more good to more people for more
years# The student may use su"h a %ork& therefore& as a basis for a meditation e!er"ise#
$ts statements& its ideas& should be taken one by one& put into fo"us for his mind to %ork
on#
'=
3n inspired %riting is more than something to be read for information or instru"tion5 it
gives a man faith& it be"omes a symbol to %hi"h he "an hold and from %hi"h he "an
dra% a rene%al of trust in the universe# $t is this trust %hi"h makes him deny himself
and inspires him to rea"h beyond himself# 2or his mind to fasten itself to su"h a %riting&
therefore& and to use it as a fo"us for meditation& is un"ons"iously to invoke and re"eive
the gra"e of the illumined man %ho brought the %riting to birth#
'
$n these inspired %ritings& %e may look for t%o distin"tive *ualities: the po%er to
stimulate thought and the po%er to uplift "hara"ter# $n the first "ase %e shall find them a
seed,bed of ideas %hi"h "an bear ample fruit in our minds5 in the se"ond "ase there is
imparted to reading some flavour of the unshakeable moral strength %hi"h the inspired
%riters themselves possess#
''
1et him d%ell upon some pie"e from an inspired %riting or think out the meaning of
some eternal verity# 1et him do this %ith the utmost attentiveness# 0u"h meditation %ill
not only enable him to advan"e in "on"entrativeness but %ill also profit him mentally
and morally#
'+
$f he "an respond to these great inspired utteran"es& if he "an let his thought %ork over
them in the right %ay and let his emotion be sus"eptible to their inner dynamism& his
intense "on"entration %ill enable him to share at least the refle"ted light behind their
"reator& the light itself#
'4
There is a sensitivity and a depth in su"h %orks %hi"h are truly remarkable& a po%er& a
light& and a heat to inspire their readers %hi"h is born from genius#
'6
-hen thought is thus trained to its uttermost point and %hen it is etherealiAed by
d%elling on the most abstra"t topi"& it leaps out of itself& as it %ere& trans"ends and
transforms itself and be"omes intuition#
'7
Paragraphs that are born and %ritten in this higher "ons"iousness are lasting ones& like
many of the vigorous s"riptural sayings#
'8
The meditations on the B$&B on transien"y& on good and evil& and on suffering are but for
beginners# They do not re*uire the subtlety needed for ultra,mysti" meditation#
'9
The thought of the (verself may easily open the gate %hi"h enters into its a%areness#
'<
The differen"e bet%een the first stage& "on"entration& and the se"ond stage& meditation&
is like the differen"e bet%een a still photograph and a "inema film# $n the first stage& you
"entre your attention upon an ob;e"t& ;ust to note %hat it is& in its details& parts& and
*ualities& %hereas in the se"ond stage& you go on to think all around and about the ob;e"t
in its fun"tional state# $n "on"entration& you merely observe the ob;e"t5 in meditation&
you refle"t upon it# The differen"e bet%een meditation and ordinary thinking is that
ordinary thinking does not go beyond its o%n level nor intend to stop itself& %hereas
meditation seeks to issue forth on an intuitional and e"stati" level %hereon the thinking
pro"ess %ill itself "ease to fun"tion#
+=
The better kind of thinking is that %hi"h is dire"ted to the idea of the (verself# $t
rea"hes a "ulmination %hen the thinker is absorbed so fully into the idea that he and the
thought slip a%ay into& and remain undistra"ted from& the a"tual "ons"iousness of the
(verself#
+
Thoughts may be a hindran"e to meditation merely by their presen"e or& if of the proper
kind& a help to it# 3nd the only proper kind is that %hi"h leads them to look to%ard the
"ons"iousness %hi"h trans"ends them#
+'
The sear"h for first "auses& %hen done only intelle"tually and metaphysi"ally& may
be"ome a shado%& or a looking,glass image of the real sear"h# 2or this must& and "an
only be done& on a deeper level,,the intuitive# The pro"ess to be used is meditation#
++
$n meditation one should follo% the path pointed out by his temperament# Ce should
strive to think his o%n thoughts and not al%ays e"ho those of others#
+4
$t is not enough to learn these tea"hings by study and analysis of them# They should also
be allo%ed to %ork unhindered upon passive& re"eptive& still moods of the silen"ed
intelle"t#
+6
Dpon those %ho are sensitive to truth at a high level& these statements have a strong and
pe"uliar effe"t# There is deep a%e& as if standing before a mysti" shrine& reverential ;oy&
as if beholding ne% mosai" tablets# There is& indeed& a feeling of being about to re"eive
staggering revelations#
+7
That a theme for meditation should be formulated in the interrogative is at on"e an
indi"ation that the kind of meditation involved is intelle"tual# What am IE is a simple
*uestion %ith a "omple! ans%er#
$n this e!er"ise you %ill repeatedly think of %hat you really are as distin"t from %hat
you seem to be# Fou %ill separate yourself intelle"tually& emotionally& and volitionally,,
so far as you "an,,from your flesh& your desires& and your thoughts as being ob;e"ts of
your "ons"iousness and not pure "ons"iousness itself# Fou %ill begin by asking yourself
B-ho am $EB and& %hen you "omprehend that the lo%er nature "annot be the real you&
go on to asking the further *uestion: B-hat am $EB By su"h fre*uent self,studies and
self,dis"riminations& you %ill "ome "loser and "loser to the truth#
+8
$s the e!periment too diffi"ultE Co% "an a man stop thinkingE $ remember no% that it is
not suggested that one should deliberately stop thinking# No& it is taught& Bpursue the
en*uiry& G-hat am $) relentlessly#B -ell& $ have pursued it up to this point# $ "annot
definitely pin do%n my ego either to the body or the intelle"t# Then %ho am $E Beyond
body and intelle"t there is left only,,nothingH The thought "ame to me& BNo% pay
attention to this nothingness#B
NothingE # # # NothingE # # # NothingE # # # $ gradually and insensibly slipped into a
passive attitude# 3fter that "ame a sense of deepening "alm# 0ubtly& intangibly& *uietness
of soul invaded me# $t %as pleasant& very pleasant& and soothed nerves& mind& and heart#
The sense of pea"e %hi"h enveloped me %hile $ sat so *uiet gently s%elled up into bliss
ineffable& into a marvellous serenity# The bliss be"ame so poignantly keen that I forgot
to continue thinking# $ simply surrendered myself to it as ardently as a %oman
surrenders herself to the man she loves# -hat blessedness %as not mineH -as it not
some "ondition like this to %hi"h 0aint Paul referred %hen he mentioned Bthe pea"e
%hi"h passeth understandingBE The minutes tri"kled by slo%ly# 3 half hour later found
my body still motionless& the fa"e still fi!ed& the eyes still indifferent to& or oblivious of
their surroundings# Cad $ fathomed the mysti" depths of my o%n mindE $mpatien"e
might have reared its restless head and "ompletely spoilt the result# $ sa% ho% futile it
%as to attempt al%ays to impose our habitual restlessness in su"h unfamiliar
"ir"umstan"es#?P@
+9
$n one sense all attempts to meditate on spiritual themes are attempts to a%aken
intuition# 2or they a"hieve su""ess only %hen the a"tivity of the thinking intelle"t is
stilled and the "ons"iousness enters into that deep silen"e %herefrom the voi"e of
intuition itself issues forth#
+<
To use these sublime ideas in and for our hours of "ontemplation& is to use definite
poten"ies#
4=
>uring these meditations& he is to d%ell aspiringly and lovingly upon the ideal at times
and to refle"t "almly and rationally about it at other times# Thus he %ill learn to a"hieve
imaginatively an effe"tive self,government#
4
My use of the term BreverieB may mislead some to think $ mean idle& drifting&
purposeless& languid thinking# $ mean nothing of the sort#
4'
(nly after a long& long sear"h "an he tra"e these thoughts to their final sour"e in the
pure stream of Mind#
4+
-ork on su"h themes inspires a %riter& a thinker& or a tea"her& as %ork on the higher
levels of art must inspire the "reative artist#
44
The pra"ti"e of self,in*uiry begins %ith the self)s environment and ends %ith its "entre#
$t asks& B-hat is the %orldEB Then& B-hat is the BodyEB Ne!t& B-hat is the MindEB
Then& B-hat is the sour"e of happinessEB 3nd finally& B-hat am $EB at the threshold of
its innermost being#
46
Ce should sit do%n by the seashore or on a hillside or on the roof of a tall building or in
any other pla"e %here he "an get a long& uninterrupted vie% of o"ean and sky or sky
alone# $f no other pla"e is available& let him lie on the ground and gaAe at the sky# Then
let him think of the 0pirit as being like this vast e!panse in its freedom and uni*ueness&
but infinite and boundless %here the other is not#
47
(rdinarily our minds have too limited and too ego,"entered a range# $t is needful to
broaden them by refle"tions and meditations %hi"h are highly abstra"t and totally
impersonal# BThe universe is infinite and unmeasurable# Co% tiny and insignifi"ant is
this planet Earth in relation to itH Co% trivial and unimportant are earthly things& if the
planet itself is su"hH Co% ridi"ulous to let oneself be "aptured and imprisoned by
momentary sensual pleasures %hi"h have not even the duration of most of these thingsHB
0u"h is one sample of ho% this e!er"ise "ould begin#
48
Those %ho have tried it kno% ho% mu"h harder real meditation is than mere thinking#
The t%o are not the same#
49
$f he finds only ignoran"e& be%ilderment& or ordinariness& then he needs to go farther
into himself# The revelation is there but at a deep level#
4<
$n these earlier stages& %hat matters is ho% deeply absorbed his attention be"omes in the
sub;e"t& ho% strongly held is his "ontrol over the thoughts %hi"h "ome into the area of
a%areness& ho% far a%ay he %ithdra%s from a"tivity of the body)s senses#
6=
Every time a thought rears its head& evaluate it for %hat it is and then push it aside#
Every time an emotion rushes up& re"ogniAe it& too& for %hat it is and deta"h yourself
from it# This is the path of 0elf,En*uiry& for as you do these things hold the %ill dire"ted
to%ards finding the "entre of your being# >o them %ith dogged persisten"e# >o them in
your "ons"iousness and in your feeling#
6
0ome imaginative minds "an make profitable use of the vastness of the o"ean or the
immensity of spa"e as topi"s on %hi"h to meditate in the advan"ed stages#
6'
$f the utmost benefit is to be e!tra"ted from this kind of e!er"ise& he should& at the end
and before he rises to resume the ordinary daily life& briefly repeat to himself its leading
points and then sum up in "on"entrated emphasis its final lesson#
6+
3lthough he may "olle"t together only those thoughts %hi"h refer to the "hosen sub;e"t&
he may take different sides of it by turns#
64
-hatever thinking is done during the e!er"ise& one ought to strive for the utmost
"learness and the fullest alertness in it#
66
Ce may deliberately "hoose a fresh sub;e"t ea"h day or let the spontaneous urge of the
moment "hoose it for him# (r he may take again one that has served him %ell before#
67
The kind of meditation in %hi"h the meditator ponders persistently %hat his sour"e is&
%hat the B$B really is& has the eventual effe"t of de,hypnotiAing him from these false and
limiting identifi"ations %ith the body& the desires& and the intelle"t#
68
$t must be a topi" very distant from& and *uite un"onne"ted %ith& his ordinary
o""upations of the day# Ce must release himself altogether from their problems and
pleasures#
69
The more he pra"tises at su"h times a thinking that is sense,free and beyond the
physi"al,,that is& metaphysi"al in the truest sense,,the better %ill he be prepared to
re"eive the intuitive influ! from the (verself#
6<
The pursuit of the self "omes at last to an irredu"ible element# The analyser "uts his %ay
through all intermediate regions of the mind#
7=
-hen intelle"t lies e!hausted and prostrated& at the end of its self,dire"ted efforts& and
gives up& it may then be ready to receive %hat& earlier& it "ould not#
7
Con"entration keeps the mind implanted on a parti"ular thought& or line of thought& by
keeping off the other ones# Meditation removes the single thought and keeps the mind
*uiet# This is an e!"ellent state& but not enough for those %ho seek the /eal# $t must be
"omplemented by kno%ledge of %hat is and is not the /eal#
7'
The ordinary kind of meditation seeks to es"ape from intelle"tualism at the very
beginning& %hereas the metaphysi"al kind uses it from the beginning# Even though it is
analyti"& it does not limit itself to "erebral a"tivity5 it "on;oins feeling also& sin"e it seeks
an e!perien"e as %ell as understanding# Therefore& in the B-ho 3m $EB %ork it moves
%ith the %hole being and %ith all its intensity#
7+
The %hole "olle"ted for"e of his being is brought to this idea#
74
$n these e!er"ises he thinks of 4od)s nature& *ualities& and attributes5 he meditates on
4od)s infinity& eternity& and unity#
76
3fter he has entered on the 0hort Path& fit themes for his meditation %ill be those %hi"h
turn him a%ay from the personal ego# Ce "an meditate on the glorious attributes of 4od&
or on the essential perfe"tion of the "osmos& or on the utter serenity of his (verself& for
instan"e#
77
Most students "an profitably meditate on su"h fragments of the -orld,$dea as they "an
glean from different and varied sour"es: from the te!ts of mysti"al seers& philosophi"
sages& religious prophets& and even their o%n personal intuitions#
78
The more %e use our thoughts to get the deep understanding of ourselves& of 4od& and
the %orld& and the more %e still the thoughts to get them out of the %ay %hen the divine
is ready to speak to us& the more su""essful %ill our sear"h be"ome& and the more %ill
%e a%aken from the dream of an unreal materiality#
79
But unless the point is surrendered and silen"ed& it %ill not be possible to go beyond the
intelle"tual stage of understanding# 3nd it is only a minority %ho "an a"hieve this
silen"e and yield "apa"ity for deepening their e!perien"e to %hat amounts to a
realiAation of the truth# The silen"e has another name: either meditation or
"ontemplation#
7<
$f he has had a spiritual e!perien"e in %hi"h first,hand dire"t kno%ledge of his o%n
spiritual nature and its non,materiality and immortality be"ame evident to him& let him
take that memory and "herish it as a basis for his present meditations#
8=
The names of 4od traditionally used in the (rient& su"h as the Compassionate& the
4uide& the 3ns%erer of Prayer& the Pardoner& the Patient& are helpful as ob;e"ts of prayer
or sub;e"ts of meditation#
8
-hen one "arries intelle"t to its highest e!er"ise& %hi"h is right reasoning& he "omes
near to the finest fun"tion of nature,,intuition# Fet the gulf bet%een them remains
impassable unless he is %illing to perform the vital and supreme a"t of stilling it
altogether# $n the intelle"t)s "omplete silen"e the voi"e of divine intuition may be heard#
8'
The goal of enlightenment "an be rea"hed by thought alone,,despite the "ontrary
assertion of the English medieval hermit %ho %rote The Cloud of Unknowing,,but only
%hen thought is so finely sharpened that& seeing pre"isely %here its limits lie& it is
%illing to "ease its o%n a"tivity and surrender to the higher po%er# But it must be %ise
enough to believe in the e!isten"e of su"h a po%er& to kno% that $t is unthinkable and
unsear"hable and therefore must be allo%ed to take over %here thinking stops# Fet the
medieval author is *uite right to this e!tent,,that %here thought is %rapped in love and
%armed by it& the enlightenment is that mu"h more attainable#
8+
Pythagoras had seen that the universe %as built on number& 0pinoAa that the number of
possibilities %as infinite: both men %orked %ith a mathemati"ally trained mind %hose
borderland merged into intuition& in the same %ay as it does %ith a metaphysi"ally
trained mind5 but it must be purified and strengthened& too& if the re*uired "on"entration
is to be sustained and if its "ourse is to be straightened and not distorted# Then the
intuitive experience of infinity "omes %ith the intuitive notion of it# This must be so
be"ause the Mind %hi"h "on"eived the universe is itself infinite#
84
0ele"t a senten"e from psalm& prayer& gospel& or book %hi"h epitomiAes for you the
entire *uest& or uplifts you nearer to the goal of the *uest# Murmur it to yourself slo%ly
and repeatedly# Ponder over its meaning#
86
-hen %e take up a book that thro%s light before our feet& that day be"omes a starred
event in the "alendar of our life# $t is not to be easily forgotten& be"ause the planets of
Truth and Beauty are hard to find amid the panoply of rival lights in the sky#
87
$t is only %hen the ideas of a book live in your memory and thinking long after you
have put a%ay the book itself that the author)s purpose has really been a"hieved#
88
3nother e!"ellent and al%ays useful theme for meditation is to read a fe% senten"es
from an inspired book and then let your thought d%ell upon %hat you have read#
89
0u"h books set the mind groping for the mysterious sour"e %hen"e it has arisen#
8<
The theme may be one of those great truths of philosophy %hi"h lift the mind to an
impersonal and eternal region& or it may be one of those apt senten"es from an inspired
book or bible %hi"h lift the feelings to adoration of the (verself#
9=
Take any of these great ideas by turns& or as they suit you at different periods& and
sub;e"t them to intensive meditation#
9
3t ea"h of these daily sessions& he %ill be ever %at"hful for any inner leading to%ard a
spe"ial topi" to engage his musing#
9'
-hen you get a great thought,,"hain it# Cold it#
9+
The more he "an lose himself in the abstra"t thought& the mental image& the "hosen
ideal& the *ui"ker he %ill find himself in the 0oul)s presen"e#
94
The pra"ti"e of self,*uest eliminates the opposition of the intelle"t in a marvellous
manner and brings the mind up to the very borders of the trans"endental& %here it is
taken up and put to the servi"e of the >ivine#
96
-hen he is so sunk in abstra"tion that he does not noti"e even the presen"e of another
person& his meditation has gone as deep as it ought to#
97
3s he meditates on these sa"red senten"es& every %ord %ill be"ome more alive and
more signifi"ant#
98
-hen "on"entration "omes %ithout diffi"ulty and "an be pra"tised %ith ease& he should
go on to meditation#
99
Bringing the same line of thought into the fo"us of attention again and again& holding it
there sustainedly& is a path to realiAing it#
9<
Ce must study these inspired sayings as a lapidary might study a gem,,%ith loving "are
and ;oyous feeling#
<=
-hatever topi" %ill interest him soonest& engage his attention more firmly& and absorb it
more fully is the best topi" to meditate upon#
<
3 useful e!er"ise is to meditate on the %isdom %ritten in the book of the universe#
<'
The kind of meditation "alled dis"ursive tries to think a"tively about an idea or a truth
until it is fully penetrated#
<+
The end of all this thinking is to be not,thinking& mental *uiet# This state "omes hard to
everyone5 it leads many to utter boredom& but a fe% to utter pea"e#
<4
The materials for these analyti" meditations %ill "ome dire"tly out of his present
"ir"umstan"es and past e!perien"es& out of the lives of other people he has kno%n& out
of the pages of books he has read#
<6
Ce is to take su"h a mighty spiritual truth or philosophi" ma!im into deepest
"onsideration and deepest feeling#
<7
$f the meditation attempts prove "ompletely arid& they may be prefa"ed by slo%&
thought,out reading pun"tuated by refle"tive pauses %hen the book is to be put aside# $t
is during su"h pauses that the impetus to the inner movement may be felt# The book)s
%ork is then done#
<8
BMeditate on the mind as BrahmanB ?the 0upreme Being@& "ounsels an an"ient $ndian
te!t#
<9
Too often does he lose his %ay and leave the high sub;e"t of his meditation for thoughts
about personal affairs and %orldly topi"s#
<<
-e need to meditate more often on these reminding statements of the sages& to be"ome
more "on"erned %ith our higher interests#
==
Take a "on"ept of 4od into your meditation and try to stay %ith it as long as you "an#
This itself is a form of %orship& as true a form as any that you %ill find in a "hur"h#
=
$t is a valuable& important& and fruitful topi" of meditation to think of the >ivine
Prin"iple as it is in its real nature and essential being& not as theologians have thought it
to be or visionaries have imagined it to be#
='
Meditation is not a"hieved if the "on"entrated mind is dire"ted to%ard a sub;e"t of
personal and %orldly nature# /efle"ting on the sub;e"t %ill give a deeper kno%ledge of
it and a fuller per"eption of its meaning& but it %ill not give anything more# Co%ever
"on"entrated the mind may be"ome& it %ill not es"ape from the ego& nor does it seek to
do so# Meditation is a"hieved if the "on"entrated mind is used to refle"t on the (verself
or the %ay to it#
=+
1et thinking e!amine itself& al%ays %ith a vie% to penetration of its hinterland#
Self-examination exercises
=4
Meditation must be a""ompanied by "onstant effort in the dire"tion of honest self,
e!amination# 3ll thoughts and feelings %hi"h a"t as a barrier bet%een the individual and
his Dltimate 4oal must be over"ome# This re*uires a"ute self,observation and inner
purifi"ation# Cate& ;ealousy& anger& greed& spite& and so on& form many an inner Mount
Everest %hi"h ea"h seeker must s"ale and "on*uer for himself before he "an hope to see
-hat $s Beyond#
=6
The student must avoid falling into the snares of self,flattery# 3n e!"ellent means of
doing this is to revie% the fa"ts of his past life to pi"k out his sins and blunders& his slips
and falls#
=7
The form into %hi"h his life,theory is molded is itself a produ"t& or rather a pro;e"tion&
of the un"ons"ious side of his mind& %here a host of "omple!es maintain their e!isten"e
remote from his "riti"ism& e!amination& or even dis"ussion#
=8
$t is important for him to kno% "orre"tly %hen"e his leading ideas& impulses& intuitions&
and even dreams "ome from# Ce must a""urately measure the heights and depths of the
various levels from %hi"h they des"end or as"end to his ordinary "ons"iousness#
=9
$t is not easy for the student to assess "orre"tly the motives %hi"h a"tuate his inner and
outer life& for an important group of them does not ordinarily reveal itself to his
"ons"ious mentality#
=<
Ce should from time to time pass in analyti" revie% the important events& the
e!perien"es& and the attitudes of his past# $t is not the good but the evil emotions and
deeds& their origins and "onse*uen"es& that he should parti"ularly attend to& mentally
pi"ture& and e!amine from the perspe"tive of his higher self# But unless this is done %ith
perfe"t honesty in an impersonal un"on"erned deta"hed and self,"riti"al spirit& unless it
is approa"hed %ith a self,imposed austerity of emotion& it %ill not yield the desired
results# $t is not enough to mourn over his errors# Ce should "arefully learn %hatever
lessons they tea"h#
=
$n revie%ing his past& he may dis"over ho% the ego has "unningly sought to preserve
itself& ho% it has led him into logi"al de"eits and made him believe it %as absent %hen
in reality it %as very mu"h present& ho% it has played subtle tri"ks of every kind upon
him#

Ce ought to study his past errors intently& not to reproa"h himself emotionally but to
reform himself "onstru"tively#
'
Ce must %at"h his thoughts daily and e!amine his a"tions nightly# Ce must apply the
lan"et to his motives periodi"ally# Ce must analyse and re,analyse himself impersonally#
+
This does not mean that he should be forever solemnly e!amining his moods& analysing
his feelings& and making himself the ob;e"t of his o%n attention# $t means that he should
do this only for a %hile& at "ertain times& or on regular o""asions#
4
0elf,e!amination re*uires him to find out and identify the positive *ualities as %ell as
the negative ones& if he is to give himself a fair pi"ture#
6
3 deli"ate balan"e is needed here# $f he be"omes overly "riti"al of his o%n self& of his
"hara"ter& de"isions& "hoi"es& and attitudes& he may find himself be"oming morbid and
his %ill to a"tion paralysed#
7
Cis past is a matter for analyti" "onsideration& not for melan"holy brooding# Ce must
gather its fruit in the lessons it yields& "onvert its sufferings into virtue and %isdom#
8
Ce must be on his guard against the falsifi"ations& the rationaliAations& and the
de"eptions un"ons"iously pra"tised by his ego %hen the self,analysis e!er"ises be"ome
un"omfortable& humiliating& or painful# Nor should he allo% himself to fall into the pit
of self,pity#
9
>uring this half hour he must suspend the personal %ay of looking at life# Ce must
stand aside from the ego for the time being and regard impersonally and impartially its
a"ts and emotions as %ell as the events and fortunes %ith %hi"h it meets# Ce must
e!amine all these e!perien"es as if they had happened to somebody else# Ce "olle"ts the
materials for his meditation from all the "hief in"idents and episodes& doings and
feelings of the %hole day# Cis refle"tion upon them must take a t%ofold "ourse: in the
first& he simply gives up errors& illusions& and "omple!es5 in the se"ond& he learns truths&
prin"iples& and virtues#
<
$n looking ba"k over the past& he humbly per"eives his mistakes and sadly apportions
the blame for his failure to himself# Ce no longer %astes his time in hunting alibis or in
"riti"iAing other people for his troubles# Nor does he "omplain of fate# Ce no% sees that
in aspiring for spiritual gro%th and praying for spiritual help& those very e!perien"es
%hi"h e!posed his %eaknesses and brought out his faults %ere the ans%ers to his prayer&
the gra"e shed upon his aspirations#
'=
Cis memories of the unhappy past or the mistaken present must be "onverted into
lessons in %isdom# (ther%ise his meditations over them %ill only turn them into
breeding,grounds of resentment and other negative thoughts#
'
Ce should develop the sense of self,"riti"ism to a high and even painful degree# Ce
"annot any longer afford to prote"t his ego& as he did in the past& or to seek e!"uses for
its sorry frailties and foolishnesses#
''
-hat he %ill think feel or do in any given "ir"umstan"es %ill be most largely
determined by these past tenden"ies# Co% important then the need of su"h "riti"al self,
e!amination e!er"ises#
'+
Ce %ill need to develop the ability to stand ba"k periodi"ally from the personal self and
survey its life& fortunes& "hara"ter& and doings *uite impartially# >uring this e!er"ise& he
should adopt the attitude of a disinterested spe"tator seeking to kno% the truth about it#
Cen"e& he should study it "almly and not take sides %ith it emotionally#
'4
This is to say& nearly the %hole of your life "an be steered managed and "ontrolled by
the simple pro"ess of taking sto"k on"e a day#
'6
-e must not seek to es"ape the "onse*uen"es of our deeds merely by handing them over
to the (verself# -e must not hand them over before %e have tried earnestly to master
their lessons# $f %e hand them over prematurely& be assured they %ill never rea"h the
(verself at all#
'7
3nother purpose %hi"h he must keep in vie% %hen re"alling the past and seeking the
lessons %hi"h stand out from it& is the dis"ernment of karma)s %orking in some of these
e!perien"es#
'8
-here passions& appetites& and desires of an un%orthy kind are the repeated themes of
these "riti"al analyses& they tend to be"ome %eaker and %eaker as the pro"ess& %ith its
"orrosive effe"t& e!tends into a long time#
'9
-hat is to be sought for during this short period and in this e!er"ise is deta"hment from
his o%n e!perien"es and separation from his o%n habitual egoism#
'<
Cis meditations on this sub;e"t of self,improvement must be "onstantly repeated and
unremittingly pursued# Ce must look relentlessly at the ugly truth about himself fa"e to
fa"e and then Aealously foster thoughts that "ountera"t it until they be"ome habitual#
+=
-hen %e develop the habit of "riti"ally refle"ting upon our e!perien"es& %e find it
needful to revise our ideas and alter our outlook from time to time#
+
$t may be easy to get the %orldly& the pra"ti"al message of parti"ular e!perien"es& but it
is not so easy to get the higher& the spiritual message they "ontain# This is be"ause %e
habitually look at them from the ego)s standpoint& espe"ially %hen personal feelings are
strongly involved# Truth "alls for a transfer of the inner "entre of gravity#?P@
+'
$f& ho%ever& an effort is not made to purify themselves by undergoing the philosophi"
dis"ipline& then even this analysis of the past %ill yield little or no value to them#
E!perien"es %ill be vie%ed not as they really are but as the vie%er %ishes to see them#
The troublesome or painful "onse*uen"es of their o%n blunders& %eaknesses& or sins
%ill not be interpreted as eviden"e of su"h& but as eviden"es of other people)s faults#
Their personal emotions %ill dominate and hen"e misread every situation# The sour"es
of their o%n diffi"ulties not being seen& the ne"essary "hanges in thought and behaviour
%ill not be made#
++
$t is the business of the dis"iple %ho is in earnest to pry beneath the surfa"e of his
a"tions and dis"over their real motivating for"es& to e!amine his feelings and impulses
and as"ertain their hidden "hara"ter& and not to interpret them falsely at his ego)s
bidding# Ce has to probe into his attitudes and dis"over %hat they spring from5 he has to
learn to analyse his feelings impartially and "oolly,,a task %hi"h fe% men like to do or
"an do5 he has to a"hieve a "lear understanding of the "ause of his failures and errors#
+4
2or some it is a useful pra"ti"e to %rite out a self,arraignment& listing the most glaring
faults first and the most hidden ones later# This helps them to keep "onstantly a%are of
%hat they have to avoid# $t "alls to them *uietly but insistently#
+6
To observe himself "orre"tly& a man must do so impartially& "oolly& dispassionately& and
not leniently& "on"eitedly& e!"itedly# Ce must also do it ;ustly& %ith the %hole of his
being and not psy"hopathi"ally& %ith only a single part of it#
+7
$t is easy for troubled persons to fall into a neuroti" self,pity& to brood tensely over the
pi"ture of their personal miseries# They are doing %hat is right in a %ay %hi"h is %rong#
$t is right to analyse troubles so as to understand ho% and %hy they have arisen# But this
should be done "asually& impersonally& and %ith spe"ial referen"e to the faults or
%eaknesses %hi"h have "aused or "ontributed to the arising# The lesson should be
learnt& the resolve to do better in future taken# Then the absorption in su"h a gloomy
topi" should be brought to an end# The light of hope and faith and surrender should be
let in#
+8
3 %arning is needed: -hen it la"ks humility& moral self,e!amination often goes astray
and yields a misleading result#
+9
Those %ho are not "ompletely honest %ith themselves& %ho prefer attra"tive delusion to
repulsive truth& merely defer the moment of humiliating "onfession#
+<
Ce has to sear"h out and rid himself of phobias and pre;udi"es& inhibitions and neuroses&
obsessions and other mental ills# Ce has to see himself not as his admirers do& but as his
enemies see him#
4=
Ce must "onstantly e!amine his a"tions and observe his feelings# But he is to do so
impartially& "riti"ally& and by the standards of the ideal for %hi"h he is striving#
4
Ce %ho has not the "ourage to fa"e himself as he is& to look at his %eak points along
%ith his better ones& is not fit for philosophy#
4'
Ce should keep on probing into his %eaknesses and thinking about them "onstru"tively&
their "auses and "onse*uen"es# The improvement of "hara"ter and the elevation of
moral "ondition are the foundation of all spiritual %ork#
4+
To un%rap his inner self of thoughts& emotions& desires& motives& and passions5 to de"ide
%hat is %orth keeping and %hat needs "utting out in it& this is his first task#
44
This unending probe into the meaning of his o%n life and humanity)s life& this "onstant
self,e!amination of "hara"ter and motive& leads to a s%ifter development of his mind
and gro%th of his ego& a faster realiAation of himself and unfolding of his inner
potentialities#
46
There must arise an a%areness of his hidden defe"ts& of those distorted emotional and
intelle"tual fa"tors& those subtly %arped purposes& %hi"h have gro%n up %ith his past
and no% dominate his sub"ons"ious being# Ce must open up the "overed pla"es of his
heart and he must do it ruthlessly and fearlessly#
47
Ce notes his "hara"teristi"s as if they %ere outside him& belonging to another man and
not inside him# Ce studies his %eaknesses to understand them thoroughly# They do not
dismay him for he also re"ogniAes his strengths#
48
$f the results of su"h an e!amination disturb his self,"onfiden"e and shake his vanity& so
mu"h the better for his *uest#
49
Ce is to try to be a%are,,first at spe"ified times and later at all times,,of his inner state&
of his thoughts and feelings& his motives and desires# That is& he is to %at"h himself#
There are t%o forms of this e!er"ise# $n the passive one he %at"hes %ithout passing
;udgement or making "omment# $n the other and a"tive one& he measures his state
against the ideal state,,not& ho%ever& by intelle"tually formed standards but by a mind,
*uietening %aiting for intuitive feeling#
4<
3t this stage of his inner life& the dis"iple %ill find himself being led more and more in
the dire"tion of his o%n past# Ce %ill find himself "onsidering its various phases but
espe"ially those %hi"h %ere marred by ignoran"e& error and sin& %rong de"isions& and
foolish a"tions# These broodings %ill inevitably take on a melan"holy saddening
"hara"ter# That& ho%ever& is no reason for avoiding them# Those super,optimists %ho
%ould have men gaAe only at the present and future& %ho depre"ate all remembran"e of
the blundering past& seek a transient pseudo,happiness rather than a truly durable one#
2or& in the dis"iple)s "ase "ertainly and in other men)s "ases perhaps& it is by frank
"onfession of these mistakes and misdeeds and by gloomy re"ognition of their
"hastening "onse*uen"es that their valuable lessons are distilled and their useless
re"urren"e avoided# The dis"iple should sear"h thoroughly for his %eaknesses of
"hara"ter and faults of intelle"t& and having thus dete"ted them as %ell as humbled
himself& be "onstantly on his guard against them until he has su""eeded in eliminating
them altogether#
6=
The hour for retirement at night should also be the hour for re"alling the day)s
happenings& deeds& and talks in memory& at the same time making an appraisal of their
"hara"ter from the higher point of vie%# But %hen the e!er"ise has "ome to an end& the
aspirant should deliberately turn his mind utterly a%ay from all %orldly e!perien"e& all
personal matters& and let the hushed silen"e of pure devotional %orship fall upon him#
6
This e!er"ise is parti"ularly suited to those periods %hen he is able to retire from so"ial
life and %orldly business& %hen he "an go into retreat for a %hile# There he "an refle"t
%ith profit upon the faults on his past "ondu"t#
6'
Ce must begin to pra"tise introspe"tion# This may be given a morbid turn& as is so often
done by those not engaged %ith the *uest& or it may be given a healthy one# $f he uses
the pra"ti"e to e!amine the "auses of his mistakes and to dis"over the %eaknesses in his
"hara"ter& and then takes the needful steps to eliminate the one and over"ome the other&
it "an only benefit and elevate him#
6+
0u"h retrospe"tive analyses& "riti"al evaluations& and impersonal interpretations of his
past must be attempted only in "alm periods if the results are not to be emotionally
distorted# 3gainst this rule there is nevertheless an e!"eption# -hen he feels bitter self,
reproa"h about his bygone mistakes or misdeeds& it is %ell to take advantage of su"h an
anti,ego attitude %hile it lasts#
64
>uring this passive and re"eptive phase of meditation& various events& happenings& and
ob;e"ts return to "ons"iousness again and in this %ay the meditator has an opportunity
to deal %ith them from a higher standpoint or from a fresh and different one# Ce may
also re"eive information or kno%ledge in this %ay about the thing psy"hi"ally or
intuitively %hi"h he did not have before#
66
The tough& harsh analysis of one)s o%n errors should not end there& should not terminate
in agoniAed self,torment# $t must be "ounter,balan"ed by positive attitudes#
67
$t is possible to %at"h& by introspe"tion& the happenings in the mind# But to do this
a""urately and ade*uately& the deta"hment fostered by the %itness,attitude must be
present# Part of his "ons"iousness must stand aside& "ool& untou"hed by emotions& and
independent of ego#
68
To sear"h around inside oneself may be a morbid or a dangerous affair& if it has no high
ob;e"tive#
69
Ce should try to put himself into the future and look ba"k on this present period#
6<
The un"ons"ious motives may be only half,hidden from the "ons"ious mind and
deliberately ignored or may be "ompletely sunk#
7=
$n order to unmask his sensitivities and re"ogniAe them for the hidden motives that they
usually are& the seeker must deliberately sub;e"t himself to the most intensive and
gruelling self,analysis# Every disguise must be stripped bare# Every stumbling blo"k
must be penetrated# Every form of self,de"eption must be uprooted# Cis highest
aspirations must undergo the same e!amination and treatment as his lo%er
"hara"teristi"s# The results,,if he perseveres and is stri"tly honest,,are more than likely
to sho"k him& or& at least& to lead to some startling dis"overies# 0u"h self,analysis %ill
naturally lead to the seeking of a humbler& more selfless& and more %orth%hile %ay of
life#
7
/e"ognition of mistakes is essential but should not be d%elt on in a purely negative
fashion# The Tea"her may indi"ate that re"ognition alone is not enough5 more effort
should be put forth to over"ome them# But if he %ere to set do%n all the faults and
defe"ts still observable& his student might be"ome so de;e"ted that he %ould thro% a%ay
his opportunities# (n the other hand& if the student is earnest& "ertain virtues and
favourable tenden"ies %ould also be evident& and these& set do%n fully& might "ause him
to be"ome so elated that he %ould overestimate his possibilities#
7'
Fou %ill fa"e a moment in your mental self,analysis %hen fear %ill des"end upon you&
%hen the dread of disintegration %ill shado% you,,for you %ill rea"h for the bottom#
7+
The habit of dissolving his "ustomary egoisti" regard for himself is %ell %orth
"ultivating repeatedly for a period# 2or several reasons it is good to learn this art of
deta"hment& to pra"tise be"oming a se"ond and separate person& to %at"h himself and
note the different rea"tions to the day)s events# >uring this e!er"ise& he should pla"e his
attention upon some de"isive event from his past %hi"h meant mu"h to him at the time#
Ce is to "onsider it as impartially and "oolly as if it had happened to another man# Ce
must keep out personal emotion from this spe"ial survey as he analyses the %hole
happening from beginning to end& from "auses to results# Ce is to ;udge it "riti"ally and
%here he finds his former attitude or a"ts faulty& reshape it or them mentally to the
"orre"t form#
74
3n analyti"al remorse may be helpful in un"overing faults or defi"ien"ies& but a morbid
remorse %ill hinder betterment and paralyse aspiration#
76
$f his past mistakes %ere made out of ignoran"e but in utter sin"erity& he need not spend
the rest of his life tormenting himself %ith vain reproa"hes#
77
Ce must sear"h himself for the real motives behind his "ondu"t& %hi"h are not al%ays
the same as those he announ"es to other persons or even to himself#
78
Ce alone kno%s %hat the real man is like behind the image %hi"h others have of him#
But he kno%s it only under the "olouring of e!tenuations& ;ustifi"ations& and repressions&
%ith %hi"h he tints it#
79
$t %ould be easy for him to "omb through the surfa"e of his "hara"ter during this self,
e!amination and yet miss the real motivations lying beneath it#
7<
3 true appraisal should list both the good and bad *ualities of a seeker# $t should invent
nothing& hide nothing#
8=
This s"rutiny must penetrate his "hara"ter deeply# $t must look first for the psy"hologi"al
"auses of his dismal failures,,the faults& the indis"iplines& and the inade*ua"ies#
8
To re"ogniAe our guilt in tra"ing the sour"e of "ertain troubles is al%ays hard,,so
blinded by egoism are %e# The philosophi" dis"ipline aims at "reating the re*uisite
personal disinterestedness in us#
8'
/emember that in e!amining yourself it is unlikely that you %ill be impartial#
8+
$ntrospe"tive self,e!amination of this kind& done in this %ay& is not morbid and
unhealthy# (n the "ontrary& it is helpful and healthy#
84
$f he studies past e!perien"e in this impersonal and analyti" %ay& %hat he learns %ill
help him begin a self,training of "hara"ter and intelle"t that %ill stop the "ommission of
further mistakes or sins and eliminate the falla"ies of belief or habit#
86
0u"h self,e!amination %ill be fruitful if it suppresses nothing and reveals everything&
more espe"ially if it seeks out failings rather than virtues#
87
Philosophy does not en"ourage a morbid d%elling over past sins& lost opportunities& or
errors "ommitted# That merely %astes time and saps po%er# The analysis finished& the
lesson learned& the amendment made& %hat is left over must be left behind# -hy burden
memory and darken "ons"ien"e %ith the irreparable if no good "an be done by itE
88
The result of this unflattering e!amination %ill be that he %ill pass for a %hile from
self,love to self,despising#
89
Ce must s"rutiniAe motives and find out to %hat e!tent they are pure or impure& sin"ere
or hypo"riti"al& fa"tual or de"eptive#
8<
Ce must regard his faults %ith sin"erity and %ithout flin"hing# Ce should be too mu"h
in earnest to hide them from himself or to seek plausible e!"uses for them#
9=
Ce must pra"tise severe self,;udgement and ruthless self,"riti"ism by looking at his
imperfe"tions %ith "ourage and honesty& subordinating smug vanity until the revelation
of himself to himself "omes out "learly and truthfully in the end#
9
Ce %ill find that undoing his past mistakes %ill be hampered or helped by his "apa"ity
to re"ogniAe them for %hat they really are#
9'
By sear"hing himself and studying his past& he may be able to determine at %hat point
he deviated from the "orre"t path of living or right thinking#
9+
-hen the impa"t of the truth about his o%n underlying motives is first felt& he is likely
to sink into grave dis"ouragement#
94
$t may be disheartening to revie% from time to time the present state of his o%n failings
but it is better than pretending they are not there and getting tripped by them in
"onse*uen"e#
96
Ce should not refuse to re"ogniAe his o%n defi"ien"ies& but he need not either
e!aggerate or minimiAe them %hile doing so#
97
Ce must e!plore his o%n past and glean the lessons from it# Ce must analyse the
personal and environmental fa"tors %hi"h "omposed ea"h situation or influen"ed them&
and he must do all this as ade*uately and thoroughly as possible#
98
Ce should study his brilliant su""esses and sorry failures for the different lessons %hi"h
both "an tea"h him#
99
-hen& at long last& he is able to burro% beneath the very foundation of his ego& the
meditation approa"hes its best value#
9<
Ce has to stand aside from himself and observe the "hief events of his life %ith
philosophi" deta"hment# 0ome of them may fill him %ith emotions of regret or shame&
others %ith pride and satisfa"tion& but all should be "onsidered %ith the least possible
egoism and the greatest possible impartiality# $n this %ay e!perien"e is "onverted into
%isdom and faults are e!tra"ted from "hara"ter#
<=
$t is out of su"h refle"tions that %e no% learn %hat fools %e made of ourselves ;ust
%hen %e believed %e %ere doing something "lever& %hat falla"ious ideas %e held ;ust
%hen %e believed the truth %ithin our grasp#
<
Ea"h separate re"olle"tion of these past errors is in itself a repeated punishment#
<'
1et him thro% all his e!perien"es into this s"rupulous analysis# $t does not matter
%hether& on the surfa"e& they are important or not# 0o long as there is some instru"tive
signifi"an"e to be distilled from them& some moral lesson& philosophi" prin"iple&
pra"ti"al guidan"e& or metaphysi"al truth& they are grist for his mill# Most events and
episodes that he "an remember& the trivial as %ell as the tragi"& are to be re"onsidered
from this stri"tly impersonal point of vie% and made to serve his spiritual development#
<+
To make the mind a"*uainted %ith itself by %at"hing its thought %hile in a state of
deta"hment& is a main purpose of su"h spiritual e!er"ises#
<4
$t is in su"h rela!ed periods& %hen the panorama of his o%n personal history filters
through his mind& letting the events pass but keeping ba"k their lessons& that he "an
pra"tise an impersonality %hi"h profits his future lives#
<6
3 te"hni*ue of remembran"e is ne"essary to dis"over %hat lessons are still needed by
"onstantly analysing one)s %hole past life& ;udging all ma;or de"isions and a"tions in the
light of the results to %hi"h they led& and of the effe"ts %hi"h they had both upon
himself and upon others# 0u"h refle"tion should be done not only in the form of
meditation& but also at odd times %hen the mood "omes upon him& no matter %hat he is
doing#
<7
$t is an e!perien"e %hen not only kno%n mistakes& moral or %orldly& stand out sharply
before his mind)s eye but others& hitherto unre"ogniAed as su"h& are seen for the first
time#
<8
Every aspirant kno%s that %hen this self,e!amination reveals the presen"e of %rong
attitudes he must fight them#
Moral self-etterment exercises
<9
$n early periods of development& it is ne"essary to in"lude in the meditation period
e!er"ises for the "onstru"tive building of "hara"ter# They %ill then be preparatory to the
e!er"ises for mind,stilling#
<<
The imagination %hi"h sports %ith personal fan"ies and plays %ith egotisti" fi"tions
may be harmful to philosophi" pursuit of truth& but the imagination %hi"h "reatively
sets out to pi"ture the further steps in development is helpful to it#
'==
The philosophi"al use of meditation not only differs from its mysti"al use in some %ays
but also e!tends beyond it# 3 most important part of the student)s meditations must be
devoted to moral self,improvement# -hen he has made some progress in the art of
meditation& he has a"*uired a po%erful %eapon to use in the %ar against his o%n baser
attributes and personal %eaknesses# Ce must refle"t upon his o%n mistaken "ondu"t of
the past and the present& repent its o""urren"e& and resolve to rid himself of the
%eaknesses %hi"h led him into it# Ce must "ontemplate the possibility of similar
situations developing in the future and pi"ture himself a"ting in them as his better self
%ould have him a"t# $f& instead of using meditation periods only for lolling negatively in
the emotional pea"e %hi"h they yield& he %ill reserve a part of those periods for positive
endeavour to %ield dominion over those attributes and %eaknesses& he %ill find that the
fortified %ill and intensified imagination of su"h moments be"ome truly "reative# 2or
they %ill tend to reprodu"e themselves su""essfully in his subse*uent e!ternal "ondu"t#
That %hi"h he has pi"tured to himself and about himself during meditation %ill
suddenly "ome ba"k to his "ons"iousness during the post,meditative periods& or it %ill
even e!press itself dire"tly in e!ternal deeds %hen their meditative stimuli have been
*uite forgotten#
'=
Creative Thought: This e!er"ise makes use of one of man)s most valuable po%ers,,
spiritualiAed imagination# Everyone possesses the image,making fa"ulty to some degree
and artists to an e!traordinary degree# The student must strive to get something of the
artist)s imaginative "apa"ity and then ally it %ith the illuminating and dynamiAing po%er
of his higher self# But this "an only be su""essfully and perfe"tly a"hieved if& first& the
images are harmonious %ith the divine %ill for him and if& se"ond& he has developed to
the se"ond degree of meditation# But not many "an fulfil these "onditions# Nevertheless&
all may attempt and benefit by the e!er"ise& even though their attempt %ill be halting&
their benefit partial& and the results imperfe"t# 2or even then it %ill be greatly
%orth%hile# This is the right %ay to make imagination serve him& instead of letting it
evaporate in useless fantasies or harmful daydreams#
'='
This e!er"ise a""epts and utiliAes the po%er of imagery& the fa"ulty of visualiAation&
%hi"h is one of the features distinguishing the man from the animal# $t pla"es desirable
patterns in the mind and pla"es them there regularly and persistently& until they begin to
influen"e both the %ay %e approa"h fortune and the fortune %hi"h approa"hes us# These
patterns "on"ern the self)s "hara"ter and the self)s future& portray the ideal and predi"t
the morro%#
'=+
Meditation dire"ted to%ards the reform and improvement of "hara"ter should have a
t%ofold approa"h# (n the one hand& it should be analyti" and logi"al self,"riti"ism&
e!posing the faults and %eaknesses& the unpleasant results to %hi"h they lead both for
oneself and for others# (n the other hand& it should be "reative and imaginative
pi"turing of the virtues and *ualities %hi"h are the "ontrary opposites of the faults and
short"omings e!posed by the other approa"h# The meditator should pi"ture himself
e!pressing these traits in a"tion#
'=4
$n the meditational %ork upon eradi"ating the fault& he may begin by trying to
remember as many o""asions as he "an %here he sho%ed it& and e!press repentan"e for
them#
'=6
The a"t reprodu"es the pi"ture he had painted of it in his imagination# Cis ideal
"hara"ter& his perfe"t pattern of "ondu"t need no longer remain unrealiAable or
frustrating#
'=7
The labour on himself does not mean a moral labour only: although that %ill be
in"luded& it is only preparatory# $t means also& and mu"h more& giving attention to his
attention& noting %here his thoughts are going& training them to "ome ba"k into himself
and thus& at the end& to "ome to rest at their sour"e,,undisturbed Cons"iousness#
'=8
Ce is able to rise above his o%n limited e!perien"e by imaginatively absorbing other
people)s e!perien"e#
'=9
The evil "onse*uen"es of yielding to "ertain desires forms a fit theme for this kind of
meditation e!er"ise#
'=<
-e must bring our *uestions and problems to the silent hour %ith the desire to kno%
%hat is really for our o%n good& rather than for our personal gratifi"ation#
'=
Ce %ho develops along these lines through the "reative po%er of meditation& %ill
eventually find that his instin"t %ill spontaneously re;e"t the promptings of his lo%er
self and immediately a""ept the intuitions of his higher self#
'
There are t%o fa"tors %hi"h retard or a""elerate& prevent or "onsummate the result he
seeks to a"hieve by the "reative use of thought# The first is his individual destiny&
preordained from birth# The se"ond is the harmony or disharmony bet%een his personal
%ish and the (verself)s impersonal %ill for his o%n evolution# The more he "an take a
deta"hed vie% of his life& separating his needs from his desires& the more is his %ish
likely to be fulfilled by the use of this method#
''
2rom these sessions he "an dra% attra"tive *ualities,,strong in %illpo%er& rela!ed in
nerves& and ever,smiling in fa"e# 2rom them& too& he is likely to rene% more
"ourageously than before his personal "ommitment to the :uest#
'+
Ce should analyti"ally study& %armly admire& and imaginatively possess the
"hara"teristi" *ualities of 0agehood# They form an e!"ellent topi" for d%elling on
during the meditation period#
'4
These rare natures %ho dispense good%ill and radiate toleran"e& %ho rise "almly and
%ithout apparent effort above anger,provoking situations and highly irritating persons&
represent an ideal# $t is not an impossible one and may be realiAed little by little if he
faithfully pra"tises "onstru"tive meditation upon the benefits of "almness as %ell as
upon the disadvantages of anger#
'6
The e!er"ise deals %ith persons& things& situations& and problems %hi"h e!ist only in
imaginary "ir"umstan"es inside his o%n mind# But other%ise he is to give it all the
reality he "an& to see& hear& tou"h& and smell internally as vividly as if he %ere using
these same senses e!ternally# E!"ept for any spe"ial modifi"ation %hi"h the philosophi"
dis"ipline may "all for& every a"t is to be done mentally ;ust as he %ould do it in real
life#
'7
Ce is to pi"ture to himself the e!a"t *uality he seeks to gain& ;ust as it feels %ithin
himself and e!presses through his a"tions#
'8
3 useful meditation e!er"ise is to "reate in advan"e through imagination& any meeting
%ith others likely to happen in the near future or %ith those he lives %ith& %orks %ith& or
is asso"iated %ith& %hi"h may result in provo"ation& irritability& or anger# The student
should see the in"ident in his mind)s eye before it a"tually happens on the physi"al
plane& and "onstru"tively pi"ture himself going through it "almly& serenely& and self,
"ontrolled,,;ust as he %ould like himself to be& or ought to be& at the time#
'9
Meditation is more fruitful if part of it is devoted to refle"tion on ideals& *ualities& and
truths needed by the student at the time#
'<
Meditation should be begun %ith a short& silent prayer to the (verself& humbly
besee"hing guidan"e and 4ra"e# This may be done either by kneeling in the -estern
fashion or by sitting in the (riental fashion# 3fter offering his prayer& the aspirant
should sit do%n in the position he "ustomarily uses in meditation& "lose his eyes& and try
to forget everything else# Ce may then form a mental pi"ture of his o%n fa"e and
shoulders& as though he %ere looking at himself from an impersonal point of vie%# Ce
should think of the person in the pi"ture as a stranger# 1et him first "onsider the other)s
faults and %eaknesses& but& later& as a "hanged person& endo%ed %ith ideal *ualities&
su"h as "almness& aspiration& self,mastery& spirituality& and %isdom# $n this %ay& he %ill
open a door for the Cigher 0elf to make its messages kno%n to him in the form of
intuitions# Ce should be prepared to devote years to intense efforts in self,e!amination
and self,improvement# This is the foundation for the later %ork# (n"e the "hara"ter has
been ennobled& the %ay to re"eiving guidan"e and 4ra"e %ill be unobstru"ted#
''=
The student must earnestly try to learn the lessons of his o%n e!perien"e by "onsidering
situations as impersonally and unemotionally as he "an# By meditating on them in a
"ool& analyti"al %ay,,ferreting out past blunders and not sparing himself,,he may
un"over some of the %eaknesses impeding his progress# Ce should then make every
effort to "orre"t them#
''
The problem of trying to "ontrol temper is one that is fre*uently presented# $t "an only
be solved slo%ly under ordinary "ir"umstan"es# >uring meditation& he should pi"ture
himself in a temper and then deliberately "onstru"t an imaginative s"ene %herein he
e!er"ises more and more dis"ipline over himself# These mental pi"tures %hen
suffi"iently repeated and %ith suffi"ient intensity %ill tend to reappear before his mind)s
eye at the moment %hen he does a"tually fall into a temper#
'''
The method of visualiAing %hat you %ish to materialiAe may only serve to fatten the ego
and blo"k spiritual advan"ement& %hi"h is %hat happens %ith most of its pra"tisers# But
if it is resorted to only %hen the mind has been harmoniAed& even for a fe% moments&
%ith the (verself& it %ill not only be harmless but also su""essful# 2or at su"h a time
and in su"h a "ondition& nothing %ill be %ished for that %ill not be "onformable to the
higher %elfare of the individual#
''+
3lthough an uninformed& un"he"ked& and unguided imagination "an "arry him into
dangerous pla"es or on useless ;ourneys& "an bog him do%n in utter self,de"eption or
influen"e him to delude others& nevertheless %hen it has the right *ualities the
imaginative fa"ulty "an "arry him far along the spiritual path# $t "an help him to "reate
from %ithin himself good *ualities and bettered attitudes %hi"h& ordinarily& the
dis"ipline of painful events %ould have "reated from %ithout# $t is needed for
visualiAing the $deal& for a"*uiring virtues& and for holding the 0ymbol in meditation#
Cen"e the old /osi"ru"ian adept& Me;nour& %ho is one of the leading "hara"ters in that
interesting o""ult novel& !anoni& says: BFoung man& if thy imagination is vivid # # # $ %ill
a""ept thee as my pupil#B 3nd Bul%er 1ytton& the author& himself an e!perien"ed
o""ultist& remarks: B$t %as to this state that Me;nour evidently sought to bring the
Neophyte# # # # 2or he %ho seeks to dis"over& must first redu"e himself into a kind of
abstra"t idealism& and be rendered up& in solemn and s%eet bondage& to the fa"ulties
%hi"h "ontemplate and imagine#B
''4
3nalyse& understand& and "onfess the sin5 e!press remorse& resolve to a"t rightly in the
future and finally throw "ourself on #od$s merc"#
''6
There is no psy"hi" danger for the %orthy in the pre,visioning e!er"ises& but there
%ould be for people dominated by lo% motives and e!pressing unpurified emotions#
''7
$t is possible by the po%er of su"h meditations& "reatively to shape the "hara"ter and
deepen the "ons"iousness of oneself#
''8
$t is not enough to visualiAe oneself living the ideal5 one must also learn to retain the
pi"ture#
''9
Creative Thought E!er"ise: Ce visualiAes possible events& pre,e!amines his behavior on
meeting them& and re,shapes these anti"ipated thoughts and deeds on higher prin"iples#
''<
Creative Meditation E!er"ise: Ce may think of probable meetings during the ne!t day& if
he is pra"tising at night& or of the "oming day if at morn& of events that are likely to
happen then& and of pla"es %here he may have to go# 3longside of that he may imagine
ho% he ought to "ondu"t himself& ho% to think and talk under those "ir"umstan"es# 3nd
al%ays& if the e!er"ise is to prove its %orth& he should take the standpoint of his better&
nobler& %iser self& of the (verself#
'+=
Ce must train himself during solitary hours in the *ualities he seeks to e!press during
a"tive ones# Creative imagination and "on"entrated thinking are the means for this self,
training#
'+
3ll dominant tenden"ies and ruling ideas %hi"h are of an undesirable "hara"ter
"onstitute fruitful sour"es of future a"tion# $f& by su"h "reative meditation& %e eradi"ate
them %e also eradi"ate the possibility of undesirable a"tion in the future#
'+'
(ut of these *uiet moments there %ill emerge into a"tive day,to,day life those "ontrols
of "hara"ter& those dis"iplines of emotion& %hi"h elevate the human entity#
'++
-hen you have "limbed the peak of this meditation& you have entered into your most
po%erful "reative moments# $t is %ell therefore at su"h a time to make your first step in
des"ent to ordinary "ons"iousness a step in self,improvement# Take some defe"t in
"hara"ter that needs to be over"ome and imaginatively treat yourself for it like a do"tor
treating a patient#
'+4
Every helpful self,suggestion given at this point of "ontemplation %ill germinate like a
seed and produ"e its visible fruit in due time#
'+6
The meditation pra"ti"es of the Iesuits %ere based on the same prin"iple# Their
e!er"ises transformed men)s "hara"ter# The student had to e!perien"e imaginatively
%hat he hoped to realiAe one day physi"ally# The duality %hi"h is affirmed and pi"tured
intensely in meditation be"omes materialiAed in time#
'+7
0u"h "onstru"tive meditation on positive *ualities %ill help to eliminate %rong fears
from a man)s life and in"rease his strength to endure the vi"issitudes of modern
e!isten"e#
'+8
By "onstantly meditating upon the $deal& the "reative po%er of imagination gradually
implants the likeness of its *ualities& attributes& and virtues in him# $t be"omes& indeed& a
se"ond self %ith %hi"h he in"reasingly identifies himself#
'+9
The %ork of meditation may eventually be"ome a transforming one# $f the meditator&
%hile resting in this "reative *uietude& earnestly strives to re,edu"ate his "hara"ter&
impersonaliAe his attitude& and strengthen his spirituality& he "an develop an inner life
that must inevitably bring marked and deep "hanges in his outer life#
'+<
3nd it is through su"h persistent refle"tions upon e!perien"e that his "hara"ter slo%ly
alters& thus "onfirming 0o"rates) saying: B.irtue "an be learned#B The ideal pi"tures for
him the sort of man he %ants to be#
'4=
/ight refle"tion about past e!perien"es& together %ith determination to take himself in
hand& %ill lead the student to a more %orth%hile future and smooth the path ahead#
'4
$t is a useful e!er"ise to spend time re"olle"ting the previous day)s a"tions& situations&
and happenings in the same order in %hi"h they manifested# Those persons %ho appear
in them should be re"alled as vividly as they %ere then seen& and their voi"es heard as
"learly#
'4'
This e!er"ise re*uires him to revie% the day ;ust past from the hour of %aking out of
sleep to the hour of going ba"k to bed at night#
'4+
The value of taking this kind of a ba"k%ard look at the day ;ust finished is far more than
it seems# 2or everything in him %ill benefit,,his "hara"ter& his destiny& and even his
after,death e!perien"e#
'44
The e!er"ise is pra"tised %hen he retires for the night and is lying in the dark# Ce goes
ba"k%ard in time and re"alls all that has happened during the day,,the persons he has
met& the pla"es he has visited& and %hat he has done# The pi"ture should be made as
fully detailed as possible and "over the entire field from the moment he a%oke in the
morning until the moment he lay do%n to begin the e!er"ise# $f he has talked %ith
others& he notes the parti"ular tone and a""ent of their voi"es& as %ell as hearing the
senten"es themselves# Ce tries to insert as many little items into his visualiAation as %ill
render it sharp& realisti"& and "onvin"ing# (ut of this ba"kground he sele"ts those of his
a"tions and %ords& as %ell as those of his feelings and thoughts& %hi"h "all for
amendment or "orre"tion or dis"ipline# Ce is to "ull out of the day)s episodes and
happenings not only %hat his "ons"ien"e or ;udgement tell him "all for "orre"tive %ork
in meditation but also %hat is most signifi"ant for his spiritual purpose and %hat is
likely to prove most fruitful for his "reative %ork in meditation#
'46
3ll %ill "ome under revie% periodi"ally,,the management of his relationships %ith
others& his personal& so"ial& and professional a"tivities& the management of his life# But
all this s"rutiny is to be done from a standpoint higher than the ordinary one& less ego,
governed and more impersonal# Therefore it should be done only and preferably at su"h
times as this mood is upon him& if it is to be effe"tively done#
'47
Ce should& for the purposes of this e!er"ise look ba"k a number of years to the points in
his personal history %here opportunity %as missed or de"ision %as %rong or a"tion
"ould have been better# Then& using his imaginative fa"ulty& he should re"onstru"t the
situations and mentally& "orre"ting his past errors& do %hat he ought then to have done#
2rom there& he should pro"eed to tra"e the probable "onse*uen"es do%n through the
years#
The %oteooks are "opyright J <94,<9<& The Paul Brunton Philosophi" 2oundation#