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Understanding Meditation through Models - Part 1
Robert Elias Najemy
Models, examples and parables are often more effective than
word descriptions in enabling us to understand new concepts.
You have heard the saying that a picture is worth a 1000 words.
Well, the same holds true for a mental picture. It facilitates
our comprehension of a new subject by using a example with
which we are already familiar. It helps to understand mental
or spiritual concepts in terms of material examples.
We have already used a number of examples in the previous
chapters, such as the example of the river grasses, the boat
on the sea, the fire in the bedroom, the pressure cooker and
others. Here we will offer a few more examples, which we have
found useful in understanding the various aspects of meditation
and its benefits. Be aware, however, that no model or example
can ever be perfect. There will always be flaws or possible
contradictions. Their usefulness, however, is not diminished
by that fact.
The Magnet and the Iron
An interesting phenomenon has been discovered by scientists
studying magnets and pieces of iron. A magnet is simply a
piece of iron in which all of the molecules are oriented in
the same direction, which means that they all have their positive
pole in the same direction and their negative pole in the
opposite. The molecules are ordered. In the common piece of
iron this is not so. The molecules are randomly oriented and
not organized.
You will have noticed that when we put an ordinary piece of
iron in contact with a magnet, it temporarily obtains the
qualities of the magnet and can attract other pieces of iron.
While in contact it obtains magnetic powers. When it is removed
from the magnet, it looses those powers. But what scientists
discovered was that the ordinary iron was not exactly the
same after this contact. Some subtle changes had taken place.
Some molecules had, under the power of magnetic field, actually
changed position and more of them were oriented in the same
direction. This slight change after each contact between the
magnet and the iron is called "the hysteresis effect". If
this contact occurs for a long enough period of time, or for
sufficient number of repetitions, then the ordinary piece
of iron undergoes enough of a change in its molecular orientation,
so that it permanently becomes a magnet. After such a transformation,
it maintains its magnetic powers even when it is not in contact
with the magnet. This is because its molecules are now all
organized and oriented in one direction.
This is an excellent example of what happens to the mind after
years of meditation. The magnet is the inner self, soul, spirit,
higher self or higher intellect, or even God, depending on
the way in which you have learned to view the spiritual self.
The ordinary piece of iron is our mind. During meditation
we bring the mind into contact with this higher aspect of
our being. Temporarily, for the duration of this contact,
the mind obtains the qualities of peace, clarity, freedom,
bliss and wisdom. It is under the influence of the power of
the spirit. We come out of meditation, we return to our ordinary
way of thinking and reacting. But a small, imperceptible change
has taken place like the "hysteresis effect" in the piece
of iron. Our mind has been slightly altered by this contact.
Our mental energies are slightly more organized, more focused
in a spiritual direction, less scattered, more centered.
When this goes on for years, then we begin to experience those
spiritual qualities throughout the day more and more. These
feelings are no longer limited to the duration of the meditation.
Just as the piece of iron, through repeated contact with the
magnet, obtained magnetic powers, the mind, through regular
daily contact with the spirit, obtains spiritual qualities
and our energies are more spiritually oriented.
The Light Bulb and the Laser
The difference between an ordinary light bulb, say of 60 watts
of power, and a laser, is not in the power available. The
difference is that in the ordinary light bulb the rays of
light vibrate at various frequencies and go out in all directions,
whereas in the laser all the rays have the same frequency
of vibration and the same direction. Thus, while the light
from the light bulb can simply light up a room and cannot
penetrate through any surfaces, the laser, with the same available
power, can penetrate through surfaces as it burns through
them. It has penetrating power. This is because its energies
are organized, synchronized and unidirectional. There is no
loss of energy to other directions or other frequencies.
The same difference exists between the ordinary mind and the
mind intensified by meditation. After years of meditation,
our mental energies scatter less and become more focused.
We eventually see that many pursuits, which were previously
so important to us, are in reality superficial and not worthy
of spending energy on. We begin to have greater faith and
loose less energy in fear, anxiety and worry. We accept ourselves
and need to expend less energy on seeking self-affirmation.
Thus our mind, like the laser, begins to function on the basic
frequency of spiritual evolution and its energies flow all
the more comprehensively in this one basic direction. The
mind gradually becomes like a laser, which is able to penetrate
into problems and situations and see them as they really are,
and not as our programmings and mechanisms pretend that they
are. We are able to solve problems more effectively and create
and produce with greater freedom of thought. The mind is more
effective.
See related articles:
Understanding Meditation
Through Models - Part 2
Understanding Meditation
Through Models - Part 3
Robert E. Najemy, author of 25 books and life coach
with 30 years of experience, has trained over 300 life coaches
and now does so over the Internet. Become a life coach. Over
600 free article and lectures at www.HolisticHarmony.com
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