Meditation is like a seed. The better a seed is cultivated, the more it flourishes. Similarly, the more we practice meditation, the better it cultures the entire nervous system and the body. Our physiology undergoes a change and every cell in the body is filled with prana(life-force). As the level of pranain the body rises, we are filled with joy.
The culturing of the system by meditation is normal. Some people call it the higher state of consciousness as we are endowed with the ability to live in that state.
Meditation helps in two ways. It prevents stress from entering the system and simultaneously releases the already accumulated stress. Regular meditation also leads to happiness and fulfilment; to sensitization of the sensory organs thereby intensifying the experiences of seeing, tasting, feeling, etc; and to greater intuitiveness.
With the assimilation of meditation into daily life, the fifth state of consciousness, called cosmic consciousness, dawns. Cosmic consciousness perceives the whole cosmos as a part of oneself. When we perceive the world as a part of us, love flows strongly between the world and us.This love empowers us to bear with the opposing forces and the disturbances in life. Anger and disappointments become fleeting emotions that occur momentarily and then vanish.
Usually, we tend to let go of pleasant emotions and cling to the unpleasant ones. 99 per cent of the world population is prone to doing this. But when the consciousness becomes free and cultured with meditation, this tendency of holding onto negative emotions is the first thing to disappear. We start living in the moment and let go of the past. This is important because no matter how good the people we interact with, there are bound to be misunderstandings in any relationship. Once a little misunderstanding crops up, our emotions get distorted and a host of negativities follow. But if we are able to let go and focus on the ability of consciousness to revel in the glory of every moment, we are shielded from all the above. The truth that every moment is supportive and complimentary to our growth dawns on us.
A person in a higher state of consciousness is expected to know everything. ‘‘All knowing’’ simply means being conscious of the essence of all you know. In this state, knowledge and ignorance co-exist and complement each other. The confluence of knowledge, understanding and practice makes life complete. When you grow into higher states of consciousness, you find that you are no longer thrown off balance by different situations and disturbances. You become beautiful yet strong, a soft, delicate being capable of accommodating different values in life.
Gurudev Sri Sri Ravi Shankarji,
