" When you meditate
Think of a morning flower
Smiling and smiling,
Radiating its beauty and
Offering its fragrance.
This is how you can make friends
With your soul
And fly with it infinitely higher
Than the confines of the mind. "
Sri Chinmoy began meditating at the age of 12 when he entered the Sri Aurobindo ashram. His early attempts at meditation awoke his deepest yearnings for the highest realisations. Energised by the sublime experiences that arose from his meditations, the young Chinmoy was soon meditating for up to 12-13 hours a day. This short account gives a fascinating glimpse into the inner life of the young Chinmoy. "Experience of the author aged 14"
To make time he would awake at 2.07am, it was at 2.07am that he felt an inner prompting to get up and meditate. This early start enabled Chinmoy to meditate as well as take part in the daily ashram activities such as selfless service and athletics. Immersed in the spiritual vibrations of the ashram the young Chinmoy attained a rare state of Samadhi and for 20 years was able to deepen his inner experiences. He would have been content to spend his time in meditation and but he increasingly felt a call to go to the West to spread the ancient art of yoga and meditation in the West.
In the West Sri Chinmoy has lectured and written extensively on the subject of meditation. Sri Chinmoy has sought to present meditation in uncomplicated terms, explaining the essential message of meditation. Sri Chinmoy advocates meditation on the spiritual heart as the simplest and most effective method of meditation. It is in the heart that the seeker can most easily identify with the expansive, divine qualities of the soul. The nature of the mind is separation, division and making judgement. The heart by contrast seeks oneness and identification, this makes the heart the best place to meditate. As Sri Chinmoy says:
“If you meditate in the heart, you are meditating where the soul is. True, the light and consciousness of the soul permeate the whole body, but there is a specific place where the soul resides most of the time, and that is in the heart. If you want illumination, you have to get it from the soul, which is inside the heart.”
- Sri Chinmoy
From: Meditation
Further Resources on Meditation
Excerpt from Mind-Confusion And Heart-Illumination Part 2 by Sri Chinmoy. Page 16
Basic Steps to Learning Meditation
Practical tips to Improving Concentration
How To gain Control of Your Thoughts