Early man survived attacks from animals and life-threatening hazards because of his innate reaction to fear: flight or fight. Centuries later no wild animals prowl the high streets, but fear does. It makes monsters of man’s emotional instabilities and sabotages his relationships with himself and others. Poverty, hunger and violence destroy lives, but fear routinely, insidiously and unnecessarily destroys happiness. Fear is positive only when it helps to escape danger. Destructive emotions such as greed, jealousy, loneliness, and racism are rooted in fear. Meditating exposes and expels negative fear. In the broadest terms meditative skills can be evoked by a wide range of life-experiences. The victim of personal tragedy who learns to transcend cherished attachments, the minority job applicant who challenges discrimination, and the friend who risks an uncertain reaction by speaking the truth are to be applauded for their courage and honesty. Their actions are formed in a deeply meditative environment.
We meditate when we put aside needless distractions, when we let go of pointless striving, when we let go of illusory security maintained only by avoiding confrontation. When we risk action without certain reward or open our eyes to the unspoken mysteries and possibilities of life, we are meditating.
Meditation can be described as the ability to enter fully into an action with total attention and clarity and to prescribe action from a sense of curiosity, acceptance and interest rather than dread, boredom and fear. Coping skills increase when actions are conceived regularly in a meditative state. Being able to focus, having the patience and wisdom to ‘let be’, and being receptive to creative impulses are honed by meditation. These same traits develop emotional intelligence, a great help in making the most of life.
Therapists know that, in order for a patient to change, the patient must have the ability to become aware of and share his own feelings and that the therapist must have the ability to detect and reflect what the patient is feeling. Someone who meditates becomes both patient and therapist. Meditation is not meant to replace medical therapy. It is a useful way to understand yourself and your relationships. It encourages emotional flexibility so that you adapt readily as your environment changes throughout the day. One moment you may feel as if you’re putting on a bullet proof vest; another, dancing shoes. The increased appreciation of self and an increased appreciation of the connectedness of this self to everyone and everything are interrelated rewards that have inspired mankind through the centuries to use meditation as a path to spiritual growth.
Although meditation and prayer have been used throughout history, antiquity itself does not guarantee their usefulness. They work when they lead devotees to self-knowledge. If you know yourself, you know the world and are more likely to offer empathy and brotherhood. Most religions profess brotherhood, but only the religious who discover divinity within themselves and use it to behave magnanimously to others are living spiritually. A person’s actions, not his affiliations, establish his character.
We have modern proof that practicing the kindness of brotherhood is the key to successful relationships. The social evolutionist Robert Wright suggests that man is hotwired to self-sacrifice for his blood kin in order to pass on a shared genetic heritage. He also suggests that perhaps the most powerful tool for which we are hotwired and one that even transcends normal physical limitations is the desire to work anonymously for the benefit of non-kin others.
Phillippa Foot, an influential, 20th century philosopher, wrote that in order for “human beings to have a continued existence they must observe standards of justice, reciprocal trust and obligations”. She taught that “goodness of good action has a special relation to choice … (which) lies… in the fact that human beings are creatures with the power to recognize reasons for action and to act on them.” It is in man’s interest to choose good behaviour over bad.
Dr Julian Short in A Model for Living suggests that “every contact you have with another person is driven and shaped by your needs for love and individuality, and, if you manage this balancing act with kindness and dignity, you will do well.” He recommends self-knowledge and kindness. Meditating promotes both of these. Too often we miss the opportunity to love either ourselves or others. When meeting someone, we focus on ourselves, not them. How do my clothes look, am I sexy, do I sound intelligent? Many of us miss seeing others because we are too busy considering ourselves.
The modern psychologist John Gottman talks of taming the four horsemen of marital disaster: avoid being critical, contemptuous, defensive and stonewalling during a disagreement. In other words, be kind. The ancient Egyptian Book of the Dead depicts the gods weighing the heart of the deceased as the final test of his eligibility for a safe passage into the afterlife. Moderns and ancients agree that it is worthwhile to show kindness.
Medical journalists regularly report on ‘healthy’ genes and lifestyles. Less is known about the Blue Zones, the locations of the healthiest and longest-living peoples: Costa Rica, Japan, Okinawa, Sardinia, Loma Linda (California). Research shows that these peoples of the Blue Zones commonly: 1) stop eating when 80% full, 2) eat more vegetables, less protein and processed foods, 3) consistently and moderately consume red wine, 4) know their purpose in life, 5) participate in spiritual or religious pursuits 6) work less, slow down, rest and take vacations, 7) are routinely, physically active, 8) create healthy social networks, 9) make family a priority.
Linda Chard’s meditations encourage many pursuits of the Blue Zoners. Nutritionists stress the importance of what goes into the mouth. Vicars are likely to suggest that what comes out of the mouth is more important than what goes in. Meditating inspires the student to adopt the Hindu teaching that the biological body is the chariot of his divinity. Students simultaneously strengthen their spiritual bodies and develop a healthy relationship with food and exercise.
Linda bases her meditations on the spiritual teachings of Rev William Daut whose wisdom, extraordinary psychic abilities and warm personality drew not only gifted people, such as Albert Einstein and Mae West, to him but also many from his local community. Completion of the course takes two and one half years with class attendance once a month. Attendance for non-locals can be by telephone. There is a month’s break at the end of the first year for the student to decide whether or not to commit to another. Students are asked to meditate once a day, every day, always using the meditations in sequence.
Once the course has been completed, the student can revisit the meditations as sequenced in the course, or he can choose his daily meditation through inspiration. Physical muscles are built by regular exercise and repetitive movements. Spiritual muscles are built by living spiritual principles. Meditating daily on phrases that exemplify these principles lifts your spirits, thereby attracting positive experiences, and builds a reserve for times when life is difficult in much the same way that a healthy body fights infection better than an unhealthy one. Discipline brings results.How to begin: sit upright with feet flat on the floor. Imagine a string attached to the crown of your head and to the sun. The string shortens and the back of your head lifts skyward. Drop your shoulders as your head lifts. The spine is now upright and relaxed. Close your eyes and mouth. Inhale slowly through your nose. Exhale gently through an open mouth. Repeat. Linger on your breath. Fill your chest and abdomen with your breath as you inhale. Release tension as you exhale. Imagine a blackboard before you. Dip an artist’s brush into a pot of liquid gold. Paint the meditation on the blackboard or use an imaginary clear, blue sky as your canvas.
Follow the brush as it goes through each letter, feeling the swoops and curves of each. Appreciate each word, and the sentence itself. Write the sentence again, and again, at least three times. Focus on each letter, each word, and each sentence. Devote no attention to other thoughts if they intrude, only refocus on the sentence. Later in the day refresh your meditation by reading a minimum of two paragraphs from your lesson. At first, you may feel as if you are meditating only for the sake of discipline, but soon you will notice a subtle difference in the way you look at things.
The new student of meditation needs to be open to the idea that there could be a unifying, cosmic force that might be called God. Rev Daut followed Buddhism and Spiritualism in addition to Christianity. His lessons include principles of reincarnation, spirit beings, and divine cosmic intelligence. Even if one does not want to adopt all of these as personal beliefs, it is important to recognize that the basic teaching of brotherhood within these lessons is seen by many philosophers, psychologists and medical scientists as the cornerstone of humanity.
Our first meditation defines the most important and powerful principle of life: God is love. It is understood as a tautology, love is God. For those nervous of things associated with religion, the use of the word ‘God’ here is not connected to any one religion. The meditations are intended to develop spirituality, not adherence to religion. God is a principle that highlights man’s need to think and act with love.
The meditations for the first year are:
God is love.
You are your brother’s keeper.
The fullness of life is unlimited.
Do it now.
Divine love is irresistible and unconquerable.
Reality is the sanctuary of my soul.
Man is made in God’s own image
Truth never changes.
Forward to achievement and wisdom.
Speak only with wisdom and love.
Realize the oneness of all.
To experience is to know.