Living Cosmos

Excerpted from Satchat Oct 1, 2000

Question: What are the signs that one's meditation is going
well?

Michael Turner: I would say it's a personal thing - do you
experience light and sound - do you feel upliftment and
expansion?

Question: Does it get easier after initiation?

Michael Turner: Yes, it does get easier after initiation-but
you still have to practice meditations regularly, and get
very close to the five holy Names - make them your best
friends, your source of comfort and solace and solidity
Remember, use your simran like the leash on a dog - bring it
to sit still, then gently let go and back away to allow mind
to sit still on it's own....The Names are intended as a
focussing technique - they tend to generate the light and
focus it,and then we can ride them into the Light and be
enveloped by the sound.

Question: The Names generate the light?

Michael Turner: They tend to open the portholes to it...
The Names are keys that open the doors to each of the five
primary inner regions ...as you become more comfortable and
solid with them, then take on tangible substance and become
living breathing entities in their own right, for they are
the names of the regents of five inner regions. The Names
become a sort of magic carpet that transports you into the
spiritual worlds.

Comment (on time involved in meditation): So far I have just
been doing 1/2 hour but find it takes much of that to get
focused.

Michael Turner: This is true - it's actually kind of a trick
in the west - we say try a half-hour because most people
can't even keep still 10 minutes - but once you get into it,
you find 30 minutes is barely scratching the surface I've
always liked what Babaji told Sawan Singh - he said that
if you can spend even 5,10 or 15 minutes wholly and solely
communing with the Word, you are doing great. And Kirpal
once asked his students how long they were meditating, and
one said 2 hours - and Kirpal asked and how much of that
time was spent on Bhajan? and the student said 45
minutes, and Kirpal asked And out of the 45 minutes, how
much time was spent being wholly and solely absorbed in the
Word -and the fellow replied 15 minutes. - and Kirpal said
That is good. One key to facilitating this is taking time
throughout your day to do waking meditations - little on the
spot realignments of your attention, using simran to focus
on Naam It's like Rebazar told Paulji, do everything in the
Name of the Lord - which means, have yourself immersed in
Naam at all times. Rebazar also said to chant the names of
God upon thy lips at all times -which means doing simran
whenever you can remember to do so - this maintains
immersion in Naam throughout your day, which keeps you in
karmaless consciousness much more- it washes off the daily,
hour-by-hour karma, and also keeps you aligned with the
word, which improves your general state of consciousness.

Question: Michael, could you tell us the meditation process
again? I mean, I know it already, but our attention is here
and what not...

Michael Turner:
1 sit
2 close your eyes
3 breath slowly and deeply a few times to relax the body
4 chant HU out loud 3- 6 times to harmonize the body
and
attention with Naam
5 continue to chant HU or your initiation mantra
silently with the
tongue of thought
6 focus on the area directly in front of you, with
relaxed, loving
attention
7 keep chanting the names silently and gradually allow
them to
drop away, gently paying attention to any inner light
sound or
expansion you perceive within
8 if the mind gets active, return to chanting the Names
9 Keep doing this as long as you can - gradually you
will be more and more in tune with Naam
And that's the key. Just like with any instrument your
physical, astral, causal, mental, etheric and soul bodies
comprise an instrument for the expression of Naam