Meditation

Children, you can find the secret of bliss when you think of the nature of the Self. The waves of the mind will subside. Everything is there in you already.

Amma says true meditation is a state of the mind, an experience. Those who pray to God and meditate on Him sincerely will not feel a shortage of anything that is essential. That is God's resolve. It is Amma's own experience. Constant thought directed to God is meditation, like the flow of a river. Meditation is good even for small children. Their intelligence will become clear, memory will increase and they will learn well.

Dear children, when you sit for meditation, do not think that you can still your mind immediately. At first, you should relax all parts of your body. Loosen your clothes if they are too tight. Make sure that the spine is erect. Then close your eyes and concentrate your mind on your breath. You should be aware of your inhalation and exhalation. We should become aware of the process. Then the mind will be wakeful. As you sit like that for a while, your mind will become calm. You can continue the meditation by focusing attention on your breath. Or you can start meditation on the form of your beloved deity. Worship becomes easy when we assign a specific form to Brahman (Absolute Reality), Manasa Puja (mental worship).

Children, you should do mental worship, crying out, 'Mother, 'Mother!' with love, devotion and intense yearning. Imagine holding the Divine Mother's hand and bathing her by pouring water over her. Picture the water falling on all parts of her body and running down. All the while, call out to her, 'Mother, Mother!' and visualize her form. Imagine doing abhisheka (ceremonial bath), with milk, honey ghee, sandal paste and rose water, one after the other. When these substances flow down her body, visualize each part of her form, from head to foot. Talk to her and pray to her. After bathing her thus, dry her body with a cloth. Drape a sari around her. Adorn her with ornaments. Put a vermilion mark on her forehead. Once you clearly see the form of your Beloved Deity, just concentrate on it. Without concentration, there is not benefit.

Amma stresses that you need to have the conviction that there is nothing greater than remembering God. Then you will find the time even in the midst of all your work to do meditation. As soon as you get up, meditate for ten minutes. After your bath, meditate again for half an hour. In the beginning, it is enough to meditate for a short time. After that, you can do your chores. Any work you do with japa and constant remembrance of God is also meditation.