Chidakasha Dharana (Meditation on the Inner Space)

• Sit in Padmasana. During meditation remain in the same position if possible.

• The hands rest in Chin Mudra on the knees or thighs.

• Chant OM three times.

• The sound of OM purifies your surroundings. It protects you on all levels and into each region that your consciousness expands. It forms a protective shield for your existence. OM guides and accompanies you everywhere. Visualise this as you chant OM.

• Feel how the sound of OM rises from the Manipura to the Sahasrara Chakra, then flows as a stream of light throughout the body, finally spreading throughout the whole room, filling it.

• After chanting OM concentrate for a few minutes on your body and be conscious of your existence in its entirety - physically, mentally and spiritually. In the process your body is motionless, like a statue. But the difference between you and a statue is that you live and breathe.

• Be conscious of your Mantra. A meditation without Mantra is like a body without a soul. With Mantra the meditation is creative and living. (If you do not have a personal Mantra from a spiritual Master use a general Mantra such as OM or SO HAM). The Mantra purifies and calms all thoughts, emotions and feelings. It protects you on your path. It removes all obstacles, giving your inner Self the power to evaluate itself in the dimension of the Divine.

• Feel how the breath flows throughout your body. It flows completely normally and naturally. Each breath is a connection between the Cosmos and your body, between consciousness and the material. Feel the expansion and contraction of your body in harmony with the breath.

• Your Atma is Prana, Divine energy. Be conscious of the presence of the Divine Self within the room, in the form of Prana. Prana flows throughout your whole body - feel this as a fine vibration on your skin.

• Now dive deeply into your inner space. Feel your inner Self. Concentrate on the Chakra that you can feel most clearly - Agya Chakra, Vishuddhi, Anahata or Manipura Chakra. Silence the intellect and mind for a while and allow your inner Self to lead you. Entrust yourself to it completely.

• Remain with each of the following images, thoughts or feelings for 3-4 minutes.

  • Your inner space continues to expand. It is infinite, limitless and timeless. Allow everything to flow freely and do not cling to particular thoughts or feelings.

  • Elevate your consciousness to another level and continue to allow yourself to be guided by your inner Self.

  • You are now in the surroundings that you see in front of you.

  • You stand on the shore of a lake, which lies nestled like a deep blue jewel in a wonderful, untouched landscape. On the lake white Lotus blossoms with large, green leaves are floating. On a small island in the middle of the lake, stands a white marble temple. Its dome looks like a large Lotus bud floating above the water.

  • A narrow, almost translucent white marble bridge crosses from the shore to the temple. Slowly, and with a joyfully beating heart, you step onto the bridge walking towards the temple. Your step is soft and light - now and then you float over the water or glide from one Lotus leaf to another, then again you feel the smooth alabaster of the bridge beneath your feet.

  • Your clothing is as white and pure as the Lotus, and in your hands you carry a beautiful flower as a gift for the altar. You have now reached the steps of the temple. Around you everything is blue and white - sky and lake radiate in deep blue. The Lotus blossoms, the temple and you are pure white.

  • You enter the temple. It is your inner temple - the temple of your spiritual form. A beautiful and delicate sound fills the room, the atmosphere is full of music and vibration.

  • Radiant light surrounds you in the temple; in this you recognise a radiant form - your Atma. With your inner eye you see the radiant form of your Divine Self, and you offer it the flower.

  • The whole temple is filled with light, power and peace. You sit down in front of the altar to meditate. Your heart is full of gratitude, love and devotion, and you pray for God's blessing and grace.

  • You see yourself sitting in meditation, surrounded by radiant, white light. You are light and beautiful like a Lotus bud. Immerse yourself in this form, dive into the innermost part of the Lotus. Before you the space of your heart opens in its infinitude and depth - you dissolve into your inner Self.

  • Your hear the voice of your Self, which announces to you your task in this world. You now realise who you are and what the goal of your life is. Take this experience and this knowledge very deeply within you. Let your whole being be absorbed by it. Bow in reverence, gratitude and love before your Divine Self.

  • Now slowly detach yourself from your inner space. You are aware again of the temple around you. You bow before the altar, stand up and leave the temple just as you came, quietly and with light steps. You come out of the temple, go down the steps and glide or float back over the bridge to the shore of the lake.

  • The memory remains vividly within you. Deep within, you carry the picture of the marble temple, the altar and the radiant form that you were allowed to behold. In you flowers the pure white Lotus blossom of the Self. Wherever you go you carry the knowledge of your task within you. Your existence, your thoughts, words and deeds unfold like the petals of your inner Lotus blossom.

  • You again find yourself in the room in which you perform your meditation. You feel happy and pure, filled with deep peace and spiritual power.

  • Feel God's blessing and be thankful for the short while you were able to be in the presence of God.

  • After the meditation chant OM three times and then the Mantra:

    NĀHAM KARTĀ

    PRABHU DĪP KARTĀ

    MAHĀ PRABHU DĪP KARTĀ HĪ KEVALAM

    OM ŚĀNTIḤ ŚĀNTIḤ ŚĀNTIḤ

    I am not the doer

    Prabhu Deep is the doer

    Only Mahaprabhu Deep is the doer

    Om, Peace Peace Peace

• Rub the palms of your hands together, place them over your face and warm your eyes, eyelids and face muscles. Bring the palms together and bow down in love and gratitude before the Divine Self. Open your eyes.

Nirguna Dhyana (Meditation on the Formless)

• Chant OM three times.

• During the chanting of OM, concentrate on the sound of OM. Feel the vibration of OM rising from the navel to the throat. From the head, the vibration flows throughout your whole body. It forms a protective shield around you. Feel this protective shield.

• Remain with each of the following images, thoughts or feelings for 3-4 minutes.

  • Make yourself conscious that the Divine Self lives within you. Your Atma is a spark of the Divine light which exists in all living things. Just as the seed carries within it all qualities of the tree, so the Atma also carries all qualities of the Supreme Self. The nature of the Supreme Self is SAT CHIT ANANDA: Truth, Consciousness and Bliss. These are qualities that exist deep within your heart.

  • Now say to yourself: “Let me be one with my inner Self ”.

  • No concentration, no imagination and no visions. Detach yourself from intellectual thoughts and ideas. All day you have been occupied and concentrated, now make yourself inwardly free and quiet in the Supreme Self.

  • Feel your presence in the infinite space of your consciousness.

  • Remain just as an observer, even when emotions, thoughts or pictures surface. Accept it as something completely natural. Do not allow yourself to be distracted or disturbed. Simply shed them in the way you shed your clothing when you arrive home at night. Firstly you take your coat off, then the scarf, the pullover, etc. In the same way free yourself from imaginations, judgements and inner arguments.

  • Relax and feel bliss. No imagination, feel only deep relaxation. Feel yourself completely free - free of all tasks, all responsibilities, from your little ego and all its qualities and desires, its thoughts and feelings.

  • Give yourself into God's hands. God's will is your will. God's grace is your grace. You are in God and God is in you.

  • Dive deeply into the infinite and feel freedom and peace. Feel that you are not alone. The Divine Self accompanies you on all levels. Feel yourself completely happy and free.

  • Imagine a dove, imprisoned in a cage. Full of love you open the door of its cage and give it freedom. See how happily it flies in the expanse of the sky.

  • Now, in exactly the same way, free your inner Self. Allow it to fly, climbing high into the light and uniting with it. Infinite and Supreme Truth - that is true freedom.

  • You are aware of rays of energy and light, which come from the depths of your inner space and radiate outwards. In your heart exists a feeling of bliss. You realise God is Love and Love is God.

  • Feel bliss in your heart. Feel yourself totally free, pure and clear. You are conscious of your Self and at the same time connected with everything. Simply immerse yourself. Immerse yourself in the vibration and light of the Atma, the Divine Self that lives within and radiates from you.

  • Feel the connection with your own Self and continue to immerse yourself deeper in your inner space. Your consciousness stretches out into infinity. Feel God, and the omnipresent and immense grace and power of God.

  • Now return again to your body and feel gratitude that you were allowed to experience this. In gratitude be conscious that your Atma is part of the Divine Self. Recognise bliss as the essence of true love and unity.

  • Ask God to grant you the grace that this bliss will grow in you from day to day. That God may help all beings to realise and transmit peace and happiness through you.

  • Feel your presence in this room, your existence - physically, mentally and spiritually. The room is filled with a wonderful vibration and luminous power, which emanates from your inner Self.

  • At the end chant OM three times and the Mantra:

    NĀHAM KARTĀ

    PRABHU DĪP KARTĀ

    MAHĀ PRABHU DĪP KARTĀ HĪ KEVALAM

    OM ŚĀNTIḤ ŚĀNTIḤ ŚĀNTIḤ

    I am not the doer

    Prabhu Deep is the doer

    Only Mahaprabhu Deep is the doer

    Om, Peace Peace Peace

• Rub the palms of your hands together, place them over your eyes, warming the eyes and face muscles. Bow down in gratitude and reverence before the Divine Self and open your eyes.