The goal of human life, according to yogis and sages, is to unite one’s individual consciousness with the Supreme Consciousness. This union of one’s small “I” with the Cosmic “I” is also known as yoga. Anyone who has ever tried to meditate knows that achieving the final goal of yoga is not as easy as it sounds. Many people, in fact, give up the pursuit before they reach the goal. Despite this seeming difficulty there is a simple technique that can put the achievement of ultimate bliss within the reach of everyone.
Before I reveal the “greatest secret of the universe” it is useful to understand how the process of meditation actually works. “As you think, so you become” is the principle upon which meditation is based. If you think about something that is limited or small, then your mind becomes small.
On the other hand, if you forget about the physical world around you, turn your attention within and begin concentrated thinking on an infinite object your mind begins to expand. If you continue the process in a systematic way, regularly every day, then your individual consciousness will one day merge with the Supreme Consciousness.
The greatest obstacle on this path is your own ego. Of course you need an ego to even begin meditation. After all it only when you say “I will practice meditation today” that you can get started. However, during the process of meditation it becomes bothersome if instead of thinking about the Supreme Consciousness you begin to think about “my job”, “my house, “my car” and other things connected with your everyday life.
With constant practice you can overcome your attachment to mundane objects and one day arrive at a state when there will only be one thought in your mind, “I am the Supreme Consciousness.” This is a great achievement (known in yoga as Savikalpa Samadhi) but even in this state your “I” feeling still exists. As long as your feeling of individual consciousness exists, you will remain separate from ultimate union with the Supreme Consciousness.
Here is where the “greatest secret of the universe” can help you out. Normally when you meditate, you are the subject and the Supreme Consciousness is the object of your thoughts. If you turn it all around and think that the Supreme Consciousness is the subject and you are his object then your meditation will change dramatically.
It will become much easier to remain in a meditative state when you think that the Supreme Consciousness is all around you, witnessing you, meditating on you. Instead of trying to meditate on the Supreme Consciousness, let him meditate on you! What could be simpler?
As simple as this technique is, it is the key to reaching a state where there is no feeling of your individual “I” and only the oneness of blissful union with the infinite.
There is an old story that illustrates this process. A seeker came to a door and knocked. A voice asked, “Who’s there?” The seeker responded, “I am here.” The door remained locked and there was no reply from within. The seeker returned another day and tried once more. Again when asked “Who’s there?” he replied “I am here.” And again he failed to enter.
Finally one day he knocked at the door and when the voice asked, “Who’s there?” he replied, “Thou” and the door opened for him.
Dada Vedaprajinananda has been practicing and teaching yoga and meditation for the past 35 years. He is the webmaster of the Ananda Marga meditation society’s website, and is the author of Start Meditation, Stop Smoking and Yoga Weight Loss Secrets |
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