There is a Way to Freedom

The supreme benefit of regular and progressive meditation is that it brings to light an element of perfect freedom in our own being. This has been compared to the forming of an opening in our mind, through which the light and peace which are normally hidden in the depths of our being, may pass into our conscious life and inspire it.

This wisdom is a conscious power that is more inward than thought, and before which thoughts come and go like traffic. It never changes, yet its quality and proximity make possible an inner transformation that transcends limitations and is irreversible. Its nature is not so much conscious as consciousness itself, the original and eternal light that is the source of all sentiency. When realised, it is recognised as the true nature of the Self, the ‘I’.

We may ask how this principle of unsurpassed grandeur can relate to the local and limited forms of practice carried out by individuals? It is true that the Reality itself is transcendent and beyond all relativity. But for purposes of inner progress, there is a kind of interplay between our finite nature and the infinitude which is its ultimate being. Thus we can become aware of a twofold effect based on our efforts to harmonise with the highest values.

Firstly, traditional meditation includes the persistent endeavour to lead the mind from its restlessness to a state of peace. Each practice we do equips our will with techniques to reduce the mental activity. It is when our attention is no longer claimed by the passing thoughts and feelings, that something deeper than thought will begin to disclose itself as the background to all thought.

Secondly, each meditation practice we do that is based on the non-dual philosophy, refers to our true nature in its unlimited form and connects our finite mind to the infinite reality that underlies it as Self.

In these two ways—mind-pacification and true identification —we connect, so to say, with the highest. Our inner life takes on a new and definite aim, leading to our realisation of a deeper understanding of what we really are.