Concentration and meditation are the royal roads to perfection. Concentration leads to meditation. Fix the mind on one object either within the body or without. Keep it there steadily for some time. This is concentration. You will have to practise this daily.
Purify the mind first through the practice of right conduct and then take to the practice of concentration. Concentration without purity of mind is of no avail.
Those who have a steady posture and has purified his nerves and the vital sheath by constant practice of control of breath will be able to concentrate easily. Concentration will be intense if you remove all distractions. Ethical perfection is a matter of paramount importance.
You can concentrate internally on any of the seven chakras of spiritual energy. Attention plays a very prominent part in concentration. Anyone who has developed their power of attention will have good concentration.
Those who have withdrawn from the senses and from objects will have good concentration.
Continue on the spiritual path step by step, stage by stage. To start with, lay the foundation of right conduct, postures, regulation of breath and abstraction. Then the superstructure of concentration and meditation will be successful.
You should be able to visualize the object of concentration very clearly even in its absence. You will have to call up the mental picture at a moment’s notice. If you have good concentration you can do this without much difficulty.
In the beginning stage of Concentration and meditation practice, you can concentrate on the ‘tik-tik’ sound of a watch or on the flame of a candle or any other object that is pleasing to the mind. This is concrete concentration. There is no concentration without something to rest the mind upon. The mind can be fixed on any object in the beginning which is pleasant. It is very difficult to fix the mind in the beginning on an object which the mind dislikes.
Those who practice concentration evolve quickly. They can do any work with scientific accuracy and great efficiency. What others do in six hours can be done by one who has concentration within half an hour. What others can read in six hours, can be read by one who does concentration within half an hour.
You can achieve anything through concentration. Those who practice concentration will possess very clear mental vision. Concentration purifies and calms the surging emotions, strengthens the current of thought and clarifies the ideas. What was cloudy and hazy before becomes clear and definite. What was difficult before becomes easy now. What was complex, bewildering and confusing before becomes easy within the mental grasp. Nothing is impossible to a person who practices regular concentration.
Meditation follows concentration.
Meditation is a royal road to the attainment of salvation or Moksha. Meditation kills all pains, sufferings and three kinds of Taapas (fevers) and five Kleshas (sorrows). Meditation gives the vision of unity. Meditation produces sense of oneness. Meditation is a jet that helps the aspirant soar high in the realms of eternal bliss and everlasting peace. It is a mysterious ladder that connects earth and heaven and takes the aspirant to the immortal abode of Brahman.
Meditation is the continuous flow of one thought of God or Atman, like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another (Tailadharavat). Meditation follows concentration.
Practice meditation in the early morning from 4 to 6 (Brahma-Muhurta). This is the best time for the practice of meditation.
Sit in Padma or Siddha or Sukha Asana. Keep the head, neck and the trunk in a straight line, and concentrate either on the Trikuti, the space between the two eyebrows, or on the heart with closed eyes.
Meditation is of two kinds viz., Saguna Dhyana (concrete meditation) and Nirguna Dhyana (abstract meditation). In concrete meditation the Yogic student meditates on the form of Lord Krishna, Rama, Sita, Vishnu, Siva, Gayatri or Devi. In abstract meditation the Yogic student meditates on their own higher Self or Atman.
An Exercise: Place the picture of Lord Hari with four hands in front of you. Gaze at this picture steadily for five minutes and then close the eyes and visualize the picture. During visualization move the mind on the various parts of Vishnu. See with the mind, His feet first, then in the following order, legs, His yellow silk cloth, His golden necklace set with Kaustubha gem on the breast, the earring, Makarakundala, then the face, then the crown on the head, then the discus in the right upper hand, then the conch in the upper left hand, then the mace in the lower right hand, then the lotus in the left lower hand. Then come down to the feet and repeat the process again and again. Finally fix the mind either on the feet or on the face. Repeat the Mantra, Hari Om or Om Namo Narayanaya, mentally. Think of the attributes of the Lord such as Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Purity, etc.
Another Exercise: Meditate on Om and its meaning with feeling. This is Nirguna Dhyana. Repeat Om mentally. Identify yourself with Atman. Feel “I am the all pervading immortal Self or Atman. I am Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. I am Sakshi or silent witness of three states and all modifications of the mind. I am pure consciousness, I am distinct from the body, mind and Prana and senses. I am the self luminous Light of lights. I am the eternal supreme Soul.”
If you have contentment, cheerfulness, patience, unruffled state of mind, sweet voice, one-pointedness of mind, light body, fearlessness, desirelessness, disgust for worldly things, think that you are advancing in the spiritual path and that you are nearing God.
At one point there is a place where you will neither hear any sound nor see any colour. That place is Param Dham or Padam Anamayam (painless seat). This is the realm of peace and bliss. There is no body consciousness here. Here mind finds rest. All desires and cravings melt away. The Indriyas remain quiet here. The intellect ceases functioning. There is neither fight nor quarrel here.
Will you seek this silent abode through silent meditation? Solemn stillness reigns supreme here. Rishis of yore attained this place only by melting the mind in the silence. Brahman shines in native effulgence.
The more you meditate, the more you will have inner spiritual life, wherein mind and Indriyas do not play. You will soon be very close to the source. You will enjoy the waves of bliss and peace.