Seeking the Soul

One of the great gifts Hindu spirituality has to offer to the world is the art of meditation, which is a primary way to seek and experience the Soul. In this passage from the sixth chapter of the Bhagavad Gita, there are simple, clear instructions for how to meditate. Certainly, this is not the only way, but it has stood the test of many centuries and thousands if not millions of people, and is, I think, worthy of our consideration.

If you do not yet have a meditation practice, or are having trouble with whatever one you may be using, the method described in this ancient Hindu Scripture may be worth a try. (That would mean at least a month of daily effort! Less than that isn't giving it your best shot.)

Day by day, seek the Soul through meditation.

Learn to master your mind and body.

Teach yourself to stop craving and clinging.

Cultivate true contentment.

For your daily meditation, find a place where you can be alone,

undisturbed and uninterrupted.

Assume a comfortable position and calm your thoughts by focusing on just one point or thing.

Let go of any impure or disturbing thoughts that come to mind.

let all your fears dissolve into the Divine Presence.

Dedicate all your desires to God.

Fix your mind on God alone.

Think of God as your sole goal.

Find joy and peace in an image or name of God.

Thus you will unify yourself with the Soul, the divine Presence that dwells within you.

Those who eat or sleep too much or too little will find it hard to succeed in meditation.

The same is true for those who work too hard, or are laxadaisical.

Be temperate in eating and sleeping, work and recreation.

Through meditation, sorrows diminish, and selfish desires fade away.

When you have calmed your mind through meditation,

the Soul will reveal itself.

You will behold the soul by means of the Soul.

It will appear as bright and steady as a lamp shining deep within a cave.

As the Soul reveals itself, you will experience the joy and peace of complete fulfillment.

These can never be taken away, for they transcend the senses and the outer world.

You will never be frustrated, for you will crave nothing.

You will not be shaken, even by great difficulties, because you abide in Eternal Truth.

This way of union with God should be followed with enthusiasm and determination.

Little by little, with patience and effort, you will succeed.

From time to time your mind will wander, restlessly seeking satisfaction in the external world.

When this happens, grasp your mind firmly, and turn it inwards towards the Soul.

Train the mind to relax and to enjoy the peace which come from resting in God alone.

As you come to know the Soul within yourself, you will perceive that the Soul pervades the whole world.

Through meditation, your consciousness will become unified with the consciousness of every living being.

You will become aware of God's Presence in every human being, in every animal and bird,

for all that live abides in God.

This is my prayer of response:

Divine Presence, Soul of my soul,

too often I get so caught up in all the externals of my life,

that I neglect meditation, time to focus on You alone.

I pay the price: restlessness, inner conflict, confusion, dissatisfaction, frustration, weariness, unhappiness.

When will I learn that only by putting You first in the way I use my time, whatever effort it takes,

will I truly enjoy that joy and peace which is the reward of singleness of heart?

With Your help and grace, O God, I will fix my mind on You ever day, in time alone with You.

I know this is how I can be free of being scattered and troubled by the countless distractions

that keep me from communion with You and make my soul a stranger to me.

By turning my mind and heart to You in meditation, I will once again live in union with my soul.

Amen.