In the process of practicing earlier lessons of this course, I have dedicated myself to opening spiritually as never before. With this course I've been given a few assignments involving rudimentary meditation exercises, but none have yet been the most powerfully opening meditation. Now it's time to devote myself to a deeper meditation practice than ever, since meditation is one of the most valuable tools in existence for opening spiritually and maintaining spiritual opening.
As I've learned, meditation is not the only device for opening spiritually. Joining with a heart and soul opening partner opens me considerably. More drastically, as shown in the marvelous film "Powder," being struck by lightening could open me. More fantastically, being abducted by "visitors from outer space" would open me. But the time-honored method advised by enlightened spiritual teachers is meditation.
Some say that after a lifetime of meditation the enlightened one comes to the happy realization, "I need do nothing!" This is true, but this is precisely what meditation is ... doing nothing.
The purpose of meditation is to focus my mind intensely on doing nothing. Meditation is very literally an "unbelievable" relaxation of the mind because meditation takes the mind to a place beyond where beliefs are formed.
When the mind relaxes so much that it no longer forms thoughts or pictures, an enormous expansion into spirit takes place. When this expansion occurs I experience "out of this world" joy and love and peace and certainty which uplifts my life and the lives of everyone around me. This week I dedicate myself to experiencing at least two 20 minute meditation periods daily, one at the beginning of my day to start off the day in the right spiritual space, the second to clean out my energy and bring me back to the best spiritual space after things have settled down following the busiest part of my day.
At the beginning of each meditation period I simply ask my mind to show me what it feels like to have no thoughts or mental pictures. Once I feel the feeling, I focus on holding onto the experience of thought-free, picture-free being as long as possible.
If my focus slips and I find myself with thoughts or pictures in my mind, I simply ask again to be shown what my mind feels like before I ever form thoughts or pictures, and once again I focus intensely on the meditative experience.
If it helps, I can pretend I'm a sheriff hiding with my motorcycle behind a billboard watching for thoughts or pictures to speed by so I can catch them. Not wanting to be caught, they will not come and I will have achieved my goal of a still, quiet mind.
My ego hates meditation and will distract me with a passion. My ego will do everything it can to insert thoughts, pictures, feelings of boredom or curiosity ... whatever it can insert ... to pull me out of the experience of true meditation. I must be vigilant against the ego's insertions. I am determined to not break focus during meditation.
These are my objectives this week: to meditate twice each day and to be utterly determined to keep my focus in the thought-free, picture-free realm as much as possible during meditation.
I gladly pursue these goals because meditation greatly enhances my ability to radiate undreamed of love and joy into relationships.
At the end of each day, before falling asleep, I give attention to how glad my spirit is that I'm devoting myself to meditation. I might say something like:
"Unbelievable! Being in heaven is the easiest thing on earth!"
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