AN ABBREVIATED VERSION OF MEDITATION
For the: Beginner, Restless, Reluctant, or Skeptical

A beneficial and proficient system of meditation must be accompanied by a supporting philosophy which is sound and reasonable, even though such a philosophy is likely to be deep and comprehensive. For the short attention span of the high-tech generation who is new to meditation, it is daunting to read this much material.

 

The SC meditation system is the culmination of over 50 years of research and personal trail-blazing through trial and error meditation to find the Way of Life within. This has been my calling in life, but most people have no desire to meditate as they are enthralled and attached to the pleasures of the material world.

 

Although people don’t want to meditate, everyone wants to feel better about themselves. They want emotional stability, peace of mind and they want to feel comfortable, secure and acceptable to people in their lives. This is why there is a need for an abbreviated version of meditation which will provide the reader with the bare minimum of what is needed to achieve these and other desired states; this is based on a 5-minute daily meditation. This is for those people who have trouble sitting still and being at peace with themselves while doing nothing.

 

The diagram below is a simple breakdown of the seen and unseen components of the human being. The degree of awareness in regard to our total beingness varies widely from person to person.

 

The content in the 4 stages of meditation is mostly knowledge about what takes place in the 3 areas of consciousness in our body: the physical, the psycho-cognitive, and the spiritual or noetic (the circles in diagram above). The physical is the most active because of the instinctual, auto-erotic drives in the nature-body (the 3 centers below the diaphragm in diagram below) and the senses which provide us with sensual information about the outside world. The psycho-cognitive nature (ego and body-mind) forms perceptions and opinions about our worldly activities which determine our attraction or aversion to those things in our life.

 

And the spiritual resides passively in the background as a subtle reminder that we are not of this world, but we are eternal, divine souls who come from the world of Light. In a nutshell, meditation is about getting our worldly self to be quiet for a moment or two so we can experience the presence of the spiritual or divine self within our hearts. Connecting to and remembering the divine self once a day will forever change your life for the better.

 

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In this abbreviated version (AV), it is not necessary to understand all the “what and why” knowledge of meditation; although such knowledge is always available within to answer any questions when the chattering-mind is quiet. The AV focuses on the “how to” with a minimum amount of knowledge regarding the 3 minds of the body: the body-mind, the psycho-cognitive mind, and the spiritual or knowing mind. The diagrams above, pretty much cover the makeup of our internal states. The link to the body-mind paper explains how it is primarily through this bodily consciousness that we experience the world.

 

Consequently, in the 5-minute meditation, one has to first learn how to breathe in order to calm the restlessness, boredom and/or anxiety of the body. This is the first step in AV meditation; calm and smooth the breathing to stop the “chattering-mind” for a few minutes. Meditation is a “bottom up” process meaning that it is necessary to first manage the impulses and urges of the physical body to minimize the distractions it causes, especially regarding the chattering-mind of the ego. This beginning point starts to calm the body, mind and emotions which will eventually open the door to feeling consistently good and peaceful within.

 

Those who think they don’t like to meditate, must have the desire to improve their lives in some way, it can be: to be peaceful and secure within; to be more self-aware; to have higher self-esteem; to feel more confident; to learn about God and Christ; to know what is truth and what is deception; to know yourself so well, you understand others; to know how to be attuned to conscience and intuition; understand how to ground yourself in positive morals and build spiritual virtue, integrity and impeccability; and/or to know who you are, where you are going and where you are on this journey through life.

 

If possible, another quality to aspire to is awe. Awe for this amazing natural world in which we live, awe for the Creator who imagined and manifested this universe, awe for this life-experience and the incredible opportunities for soul growth; and awe for love and light. Desire for self-improvement and awe for the sacred reveal the spiritual potential and higher qualities in a person’s heart. If these things are in one’s heart, then there is truly something worth fighting for because 5-minutes of meditation a day will inspire you to actualize these beautiful qualities in your life.

 

One has to be consistent in maintaining this transformative path and honoring the commitment one makes in order to begin this peaceful journey. For those who have these higher qualities described above, welcome to the solitary journey, as I call it. To begin this quest for higher awareness and peace within, one has to be confident enough to be okay with being in the solitude of self-contemplation. This is the beginning for everyone who commits to this path. In a brief period of time you will long for these daily moments of peace and solitude.

 

Try this meditation for a week and before making the decision to commit, pause for a moment and decide whether or not you have the necessary will and determination to commit to meditating for 5-minutes each and every day. Be honest with yourself because it would be so much better for your life to make the correct decision even if it is to decline. In the interest of keeping this abbreviated here are the initial steps.

 

Instructions:

 

OPTION 1: ~ First, find a comfortable and quiet place to sit – on a chair or cross legged; it is too easy to fall asleep lying down. (For more info see: Stage 1 Med – sub-heading Exercise Instructions) Begin by practicing focused-connected breathing. It is as simple as eliminating the pause between breaths by merging the in-breath with the out-breath and the out-breath with the in-breath; make the inhale/exhale flow smoothly into each other without the pause. This helps prevent mind-chatter. (For more info see: Instructions in Just Breathe) Breathe deeply into the abdomen, but focus on the heart; let the heart and breath become one.

 

This breathing exercise is a sufficient and beneficial meditation in itself. This is the very abbreviated version, that is, if you can do it without the “chattering-mind” interrupting. If the mind and emotions make it difficult to focus, continue to option 2 below.

OPTION 2: ~ Pick a time or leave it flexible, but commit to doing it! And don’t tell anybody about what you are doing to begin with; wait until you are firmly established. Consider this beginning as being like a small sprout trying to get its roots established; a discouraging comment from someone is enough to end the new life before it even begins. The one exception is telling your husband or wife; tell them only if you have to. Meditation is really a private moment between you and God.

 

~ It is always difficult to get the body and mind to be still and quiet. Do this meditation until the restlessness, impatience, and/or apathy in the “body-mind” begins to subside. Persistent and focused breathing in the quiet of meditation will dissolve the illusion of anxiousness. When you get to the point of enjoying these few quiet, peaceful minutes alone within yourself, this is a point one can chose to: continue what you are doing; meditate a little longer; move forward on the journey; or pick another goal to achieve in self-development.

 

In this “micro universe” within ourselves, we are learning to be the “creator of our life experience” who determines what our state of mind will be and what inner goals will be pursued and then achieved. This is really our inner communion with God learning how to be a co-creator with the Creator as we draw divine consciousness into our meditation experience. This is the first step in a person taking responsibility for his or her life.

 

~ Put into your mind the goal or goals which motivate you the most – choose from the list above or create your own. Now feel what it will feel like when you achieve this state of consciousness. Hold this feeling in your mind as you enter into the 5-minute meditation. Or one can simply feel gratitude in the heart during the meditation; or feel the Christ Spirit; or love and light, or simply breathe – anything that inspires and elevates your consciousness.

 

~ Make incremental improvements. Some of those improvements may seem troubling at times, but it is only because you are flushing out negativity or misperceptions. This is the so-called “darkness before the dawn” experience. You will be amazed at how much lighter you feel when you weather through these moments. Stick with it – 5 minutes a day.

 

This is really all that is required in the 5-minute meditation. Keep it simple. This meditation can transform one’s life for the better, and it can be used for the rest of your life to make incremental improvements, or it can be there when you need some quiet, solitude and peace within. God is always there with you, closer than your breath.

 

If at some point, you want to go deeper into the meditation experience, begin by reading An Overview. Scroll through the 4 stages of meditation and get an idea of how it progresses and what the goals are on each level. This meditation system follows the Way of Life as taught by Jesus Christ meaning that those who follow this path must gradually (through transformation) “die to who they think they are” so they can become who they truly are (See: Initiations).

 

Next: Stage 1 Meditation

 

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