Meditation in the Heart
according to
Geoffrey Hodson
The practice of retiring into the heart is one of the most useful forms of meditation. Love is the foundation of all our work, and by retiring into the heart we may evoke all the love which is within us, and, in addition, draw down into our personal nature the powers and qualities of that supreme love which is the characteristic of the Christ consciousness.
The ability to retire into the heart—not the physical heart but that region of the aura which corresponds to it—depends much more upon method than upon strain and effort. We must acquire the faculty of letting the consciousness sink into the heart, of drawing all the forces of the aura inwards and centering them there. This gives the sensation of retirement from the external worlds into a place of perfect seclusion and peace, where we may pass into the presence of the Master and enter into union with Him.
If we practise regularly we shall acquire the faculty of passing easily into different levels or states of consciousness. This is part of the training of the occult life. We must educate our different bodies to serve as separate vehicles, independently of each other, so that we can, at all times, focus our consciousness and carry out our work in any one of them. Then we shall be able to meditate and work in the heart, in the head, in the emotional, mental, causal or buddhic vehicles at will.
The neophyte is less likely to injure himself when attempting to do this, if he is meditating in the heart rather than in the head. The heart immediately gives warning of strain or incomplete relaxation by palpitation. When this occurs it is wise to rest for a time, and to pay careful attention to relaxation before continuing to meditate. It is useful occasionally to interrupt the meditation and look at the body in order to see that it is perfectly relaxed. We should never attempt to fix our consciousness upon, or in, any physical organ, particularly the solar plexus. We are all very seriously warned against this dangerous proceeding.
When we retire into the heart, however, we really withdraw our consciousness and the forces of our aura into the etheric centre of the heart. The whole nature is then refreshed and illuminated, after which we may allow the aura to expand and its forces to flow forth freely once more, charged with the Buddhic life-force which we have received and for which we then become a channel. We may, if we wish, think of the Master's presence in the heart, of His love as filling us to overflowing and transfiguring us with its power. Or we may think of the heart as a wonderful rose which opens wide and stretches out towards the world in deep compassion. Through the heart, thus opened wide to the sufferings of the world, the Master's love will flow. His power and blessing will pour forth, through us, as a roseate and golden stream, to enfold all those whom we wish to serve. When once we have found the Master in the heart, we may draw our brethren into His holy presence, that they too may drink deeply at the fountain of His love.
Success in this endeavour demands unification of the forces of our nature. The normal human being is a very complex individual. His nature may be so changed by external circumstances, by moods of depression, fear, sadness, worry or anxiety as to make him temporarily almost unrecognisable. All these separate aspects of our nature divide the aura into many parts, and cause areas of it to take on a life separate from that of the aura as a whole. When we are physically tired, for example, our fatigue shows itself in the aura as clouds and floating patches of dull grey matter, which sometimes choke up the force centres and cause the outer edge of the aura to become dull and opaque. If we learn to control and unify the forces of our aura we can prevent these changes and avoid the temporary closing of the spiritual channels. Meditation in the heart floods the aura with vibrations of love, compassion and profound pity for the suffering of the world. As the wave of power sweeps through us, all the forces and aspects of our nature become unified, harmonised and far more capable of complete control.
When the body is at ease and we have withdrawn into the heart, we shall find it possible to unify our consciousness with that of the Master. Success in this endeavour demands self-forgetfulness, a quality very difficult for most of us to acquire. It necessitates our getting completely out of our shells, and few of us ever do that. If we examine ourselves we shall find that we live enclosed almost entirely in a shell of our own thoughts, ideas, ideals, personal peculiarities, petty self-indulgences and habits to which we have grown accustomed and to which we cling. Some people carry all this unnecessary impediment with them throughout the whole of their lives.
These little idiosyncrasies, personal tastes and peculiarities of manner, which we think make up our personality, in reality form a barrier around us which shuts us out from the world and from the Master's presence. The psycho-analyst calls them complexes. They must go, for we cannot take them into the presence of the Master. We must go to Him naked and as a little child, with nothing except the immortal spirit within us, a burning devotion and an inexhaustible love. When the shell of our personality has been broken and lies at His feet and we can stand upright upon it, thereby making the sign of the cross, then we can enter the Master's presence and bear His gaze; then we may see Him face to face.
If we can attain to complete self-forgetfulness, we may gain a very great realisation of His presence by meditation in the heart. True union with Him always implies that the personal self is dead; that we have learned to live for Him and for the world ; that we desire to be more and more like Him and less and less like our old selves. Very few people are prepared to make this renunciation of self; they cling to all that they have built around themselves in the preceding years of their lives. Perhaps this is the reason that, in our time, so few people find and tread the Path to perfection.
There are many ways by which the ideal of self-forgetfulness may be reached. Music may be used to unify and harmonise the forces of our nature and to lift us out of ourselves. At a con¬cert or an opera, or when listening to music at home, we may enjoy it with one part of our consciousness, while with another we strive to-reach a deeper realisation of union with the Master.
A beautiful landscape, pictures, a photograph of one of the elders amongst us, the portraits of the Masters and of the Lord may be a very great help in lifting us out of ourselves into the larger consciousness of the Master.
There is one simple initial step which is sometimes overlooked. This is the attainment of a cheerful attitude of mind. If the Master's consciousness is touched, however slightly, one of the first impressions one receives is that He is in a state of bliss, of unshakable joy, of divine gladness. One would not wish to take moods of depression, sadness and anxiety into that glorious consciousness. We must first lift ourselves into an elevated mood and a cheerful frame of mind. Having unified the aura and mustered all our forces, we may then focus them in the heart and sink into the Master's presence. We shall unfailingly find Him there if we will but forget ourselves.
If we practise these things regularly we shall gradually acquire the habit of retiring into the higher consciousness. We may even begin to experience a continual craving to do so if only for a brief time, and to pass into that state of consciousness where there is peace and joy, where the breakers, beating on the shore of the outer world, and the turmoil and the maelstrom of the sea of earthly life cannot be heard or felt. Wonderful refreshment and a sense of newness of life will be gained each time we do this. It is good, therefore, whenever there is an opportunity, to make a habit of retiring into the quiet places of the soul, using such aids as music, pictures, landscapes and the beauties of a sunset sky as a means whereby to rise from the lesser to the greater self.
Meditation is not something which we do; it is a state which we enter, a condition of consciousness which we induce in ourselves. One part of our higher consciousness is always in a state of meditation and contemplation. The God which we are is for ever beholding the face of our Father which is in heaven. We must enter into that higher consciousness and share its meditations; use the eye of the God within to see God, for with the eye of God alone may God be seen.
The poems of Mr. Krishnamurti are redolent of the atmosphere of the spiritual worlds. Whilst reading them, or meditating on and into them, one is lifted almost unconsciously into those lofty realms' where he has learned to dwell. All his writings have this special quality of spiritual realisation, and the aspirant to the higher life is advised to read and study them. . . .
Gradually, as we persevere in these practices, the whole of the consciousness is transferred from the personal to the higher self. We begin to "live" there, and, reversing the present situation, come down here for purposes of work. The Masters dwell eternally in that land of unbroken bliss and bound¬less power. We must strive continually to cross the bridge of the mind into Their world so that eventually we may learn to pass freely backwards and forwards—inwards for strength and light and outwards for service to the world.
In the old days of our long past lives, we were hermits, members of the mystery schools and servers in the temples. We enjoyed physical retirement and seclusion which made the spiritual life relatively easy. We still have to be hermits, neophytes of the mysteries and servants of the temple, but the cave in the heart is our resting place and the temple in which we serve is not built with hands. We now retire into the inner consciousness, which is our holy of holies, while the body remains in the outer world. We must achieve all that the hermits and monks of old achieved of spiritual realisation, without either the necessity or the opportunity of retiring to the jungle or the cell.
Nature has placed many of us in incarnation in the West. We are being borne upon the crest of a wave of materialism and of intense physical activity. We must learn to achieve and to maintain that spiritual poise and inner realisation which was ours in olden days. We no longer enjoy the close physical companionships of long ago, when we prayed and worked together in the temples, monasteries and mystery schools, for we are now spread all over the world. The old association remains but it is now mental. We are united by our common acceptance of the teachings of the Ancient Wisdom. No matter in what part of the world we may be, we are in reality one body corporate. Our ancient friendships and relationships show themselves to-day as we draw together in the same great cause, and follow the same glorious Leaders, who are the Masters of the Wisdom, and Their exalted representatives in the outer world.
There are signs, however, that we shall once more be drawn together physically in spiritual centres and communities, and that the happy companionship in service may be renewed in modern times. In the meantime we must work hard to achieve the perfect purity, selflessness and inner realisation, which was ours when our lives were lived in the shelter of the ancient temples and in the inspiring presence of the Masters, who were their hierophants and priests. We may not see Them physically to-day, but we may find Them in our hearts and see Them through the eyes of our fellowmen.
The following prayer—quoted from The Aquarian Age, May-June, 1924—is given here as an unfailing means of finding the Master in the heart. It should be meditated upon phrase by phrase with deepening realisation, until the full beauty and truth of the final words become matters of experience.
"O Gracious Lord, I enter Thy radiance, and approach Thy presence, bearing with me the service done in Thy name, and for Thee. I seek to become a more efficient server, and I open my heart and mind to the power of Thy Love, and Thy Joy, and Thy Peace.
"In Thy presence, Thy Love floods my being, Love which is gentleness, kindness, helpfulness. I must therefore be loving, gentle, kind and helpful to all men.
"In Thy presence, Thy Joy pervades me, Joy which is light, radiance and eternal youth. I must therefore bear Thy Joy to those who are sad and depressed.
"In Thy presence, Thy Peace enfolds me, and fills me with contentment, certainty, rest, stillness, Thy Peace which passeth understanding. I must there¬fore be a centre of love, joy and peace in the world.
"I place my hand in Thine with all love and trust and confidence, for Thou art indeed my Lord. From the unreal lead me to the Real, from darkness to Light, from death to Life Eternal. At Thy feet, and in the Light of Thy Holy Presence, I strive to realise what I am. I am not this body which belongs to the world of shadows; I am not the desires which affect it; I am not the thoughts which fill my mind; I am not the mind itself. I am the Divine Flame within my heart, eternal, immortal, ancient, without beginning, without end. More radiant than the sun in all his noonday glory, purer than the snow, untouched, unsullied by the hand of matter; more subtle than the ether is the Spirit within my heart. I and my Father are One.
"I worship Thee. I adore Thee; Thou my Life, my Breath, my Being, my all. I am in Thee and Thou art in me. Lead me, 0 Gracious Lord, through Thy illimitable Love to union with Thee, and the Heart of Eternal Love.
"In Thy Love I rest for evermore."
Amen
Note.—Bishop Leadbeater gave this prayer to his class in Melbourne, Australia, for a daily meditation. Every word was thought over for many months; then thought out as to its connection with every other word. There is a deep occult significance in the combination of words, sentences-and ideas. There should be a pause after each phrase with deep meditation.
Thus I Have Heard, Chapter VII, “Meditation in the Heart”.
Previous Article
The ability to retire into the heart—not the physical heart but that region of the aura which corresponds to it—depends much more upon method than upon strain and effort. We must acquire the faculty of letting the consciousness sink into the heart, of drawing all the forces of the aura inwards and centering them there. This gives the sensation of retirement from the external worlds into a place of perfect seclusion and peace, where we may pass into the presence of the Master and enter into union with Him.
If we practise regularly we shall acquire the faculty of passing easily into different levels or states of consciousness. This is part of the training of the occult life. We must educate our different bodies to serve as separate vehicles, independently of each other, so that we can, at all times, focus our consciousness and carry out our work in any one of them. Then we shall be able to meditate and work in the heart, in the head, in the emotional, mental, causal or buddhic vehicles at will.
The neophyte is less likely to injure himself when attempting to do this, if he is meditating in the heart rather than in the head. The heart immediately gives warning of strain or incomplete relaxation by palpitation. When this occurs it is wise to rest for a time, and to pay careful attention to relaxation before continuing to meditate. It is useful occasionally to interrupt the meditation and look at the body in order to see that it is perfectly relaxed. We should never attempt to fix our consciousness upon, or in, any physical organ, particularly the solar plexus. We are all very seriously warned against this dangerous proceeding.
When we retire into the heart, however, we really withdraw our consciousness and the forces of our aura into the etheric centre of the heart. The whole nature is then refreshed and illuminated, after which we may allow the aura to expand and its forces to flow forth freely once more, charged with the Buddhic life-force which we have received and for which we then become a channel. We may, if we wish, think of the Master's presence in the heart, of His love as filling us to overflowing and transfiguring us with its power. Or we may think of the heart as a wonderful rose which opens wide and stretches out towards the world in deep compassion. Through the heart, thus opened wide to the sufferings of the world, the Master's love will flow. His power and blessing will pour forth, through us, as a roseate and golden stream, to enfold all those whom we wish to serve. When once we have found the Master in the heart, we may draw our brethren into His holy presence, that they too may drink deeply at the fountain of His love.
Success in this endeavour demands unification of the forces of our nature. The normal human being is a very complex individual. His nature may be so changed by external circumstances, by moods of depression, fear, sadness, worry or anxiety as to make him temporarily almost unrecognisable. All these separate aspects of our nature divide the aura into many parts, and cause areas of it to take on a life separate from that of the aura as a whole. When we are physically tired, for example, our fatigue shows itself in the aura as clouds and floating patches of dull grey matter, which sometimes choke up the force centres and cause the outer edge of the aura to become dull and opaque. If we learn to control and unify the forces of our aura we can prevent these changes and avoid the temporary closing of the spiritual channels. Meditation in the heart floods the aura with vibrations of love, compassion and profound pity for the suffering of the world. As the wave of power sweeps through us, all the forces and aspects of our nature become unified, harmonised and far more capable of complete control.
When the body is at ease and we have withdrawn into the heart, we shall find it possible to unify our consciousness with that of the Master. Success in this endeavour demands self-forgetfulness, a quality very difficult for most of us to acquire. It necessitates our getting completely out of our shells, and few of us ever do that. If we examine ourselves we shall find that we live enclosed almost entirely in a shell of our own thoughts, ideas, ideals, personal peculiarities, petty self-indulgences and habits to which we have grown accustomed and to which we cling. Some people carry all this unnecessary impediment with them throughout the whole of their lives.
These little idiosyncrasies, personal tastes and peculiarities of manner, which we think make up our personality, in reality form a barrier around us which shuts us out from the world and from the Master's presence. The psycho-analyst calls them complexes. They must go, for we cannot take them into the presence of the Master. We must go to Him naked and as a little child, with nothing except the immortal spirit within us, a burning devotion and an inexhaustible love. When the shell of our personality has been broken and lies at His feet and we can stand upright upon it, thereby making the sign of the cross, then we can enter the Master's presence and bear His gaze; then we may see Him face to face.
If we can attain to complete self-forgetfulness, we may gain a very great realisation of His presence by meditation in the heart. True union with Him always implies that the personal self is dead; that we have learned to live for Him and for the world ; that we desire to be more and more like Him and less and less like our old selves. Very few people are prepared to make this renunciation of self; they cling to all that they have built around themselves in the preceding years of their lives. Perhaps this is the reason that, in our time, so few people find and tread the Path to perfection.
There are many ways by which the ideal of self-forgetfulness may be reached. Music may be used to unify and harmonise the forces of our nature and to lift us out of ourselves. At a con¬cert or an opera, or when listening to music at home, we may enjoy it with one part of our consciousness, while with another we strive to-reach a deeper realisation of union with the Master.
A beautiful landscape, pictures, a photograph of one of the elders amongst us, the portraits of the Masters and of the Lord may be a very great help in lifting us out of ourselves into the larger consciousness of the Master.
There is one simple initial step which is sometimes overlooked. This is the attainment of a cheerful attitude of mind. If the Master's consciousness is touched, however slightly, one of the first impressions one receives is that He is in a state of bliss, of unshakable joy, of divine gladness. One would not wish to take moods of depression, sadness and anxiety into that glorious consciousness. We must first lift ourselves into an elevated mood and a cheerful frame of mind. Having unified the aura and mustered all our forces, we may then focus them in the heart and sink into the Master's presence. We shall unfailingly find Him there if we will but forget ourselves.
If we practise these things regularly we shall gradually acquire the habit of retiring into the higher consciousness. We may even begin to experience a continual craving to do so if only for a brief time, and to pass into that state of consciousness where there is peace and joy, where the breakers, beating on the shore of the outer world, and the turmoil and the maelstrom of the sea of earthly life cannot be heard or felt. Wonderful refreshment and a sense of newness of life will be gained each time we do this. It is good, therefore, whenever there is an opportunity, to make a habit of retiring into the quiet places of the soul, using such aids as music, pictures, landscapes and the beauties of a sunset sky as a means whereby to rise from the lesser to the greater self.
Meditation is not something which we do; it is a state which we enter, a condition of consciousness which we induce in ourselves. One part of our higher consciousness is always in a state of meditation and contemplation. The God which we are is for ever beholding the face of our Father which is in heaven. We must enter into that higher consciousness and share its meditations; use the eye of the God within to see God, for with the eye of God alone may God be seen.
The poems of Mr. Krishnamurti are redolent of the atmosphere of the spiritual worlds. Whilst reading them, or meditating on and into them, one is lifted almost unconsciously into those lofty realms' where he has learned to dwell. All his writings have this special quality of spiritual realisation, and the aspirant to the higher life is advised to read and study them. . . .
Gradually, as we persevere in these practices, the whole of the consciousness is transferred from the personal to the higher self. We begin to "live" there, and, reversing the present situation, come down here for purposes of work. The Masters dwell eternally in that land of unbroken bliss and bound¬less power. We must strive continually to cross the bridge of the mind into Their world so that eventually we may learn to pass freely backwards and forwards—inwards for strength and light and outwards for service to the world.
In the old days of our long past lives, we were hermits, members of the mystery schools and servers in the temples. We enjoyed physical retirement and seclusion which made the spiritual life relatively easy. We still have to be hermits, neophytes of the mysteries and servants of the temple, but the cave in the heart is our resting place and the temple in which we serve is not built with hands. We now retire into the inner consciousness, which is our holy of holies, while the body remains in the outer world. We must achieve all that the hermits and monks of old achieved of spiritual realisation, without either the necessity or the opportunity of retiring to the jungle or the cell.
Nature has placed many of us in incarnation in the West. We are being borne upon the crest of a wave of materialism and of intense physical activity. We must learn to achieve and to maintain that spiritual poise and inner realisation which was ours in olden days. We no longer enjoy the close physical companionships of long ago, when we prayed and worked together in the temples, monasteries and mystery schools, for we are now spread all over the world. The old association remains but it is now mental. We are united by our common acceptance of the teachings of the Ancient Wisdom. No matter in what part of the world we may be, we are in reality one body corporate. Our ancient friendships and relationships show themselves to-day as we draw together in the same great cause, and follow the same glorious Leaders, who are the Masters of the Wisdom, and Their exalted representatives in the outer world.
There are signs, however, that we shall once more be drawn together physically in spiritual centres and communities, and that the happy companionship in service may be renewed in modern times. In the meantime we must work hard to achieve the perfect purity, selflessness and inner realisation, which was ours when our lives were lived in the shelter of the ancient temples and in the inspiring presence of the Masters, who were their hierophants and priests. We may not see Them physically to-day, but we may find Them in our hearts and see Them through the eyes of our fellowmen.
The following prayer—quoted from The Aquarian Age, May-June, 1924—is given here as an unfailing means of finding the Master in the heart. It should be meditated upon phrase by phrase with deepening realisation, until the full beauty and truth of the final words become matters of experience.
"O Gracious Lord, I enter Thy radiance, and approach Thy presence, bearing with me the service done in Thy name, and for Thee. I seek to become a more efficient server, and I open my heart and mind to the power of Thy Love, and Thy Joy, and Thy Peace.
"In Thy presence, Thy Love floods my being, Love which is gentleness, kindness, helpfulness. I must therefore be loving, gentle, kind and helpful to all men.
"In Thy presence, Thy Joy pervades me, Joy which is light, radiance and eternal youth. I must therefore bear Thy Joy to those who are sad and depressed.
"In Thy presence, Thy Peace enfolds me, and fills me with contentment, certainty, rest, stillness, Thy Peace which passeth understanding. I must there¬fore be a centre of love, joy and peace in the world.
"I place my hand in Thine with all love and trust and confidence, for Thou art indeed my Lord. From the unreal lead me to the Real, from darkness to Light, from death to Life Eternal. At Thy feet, and in the Light of Thy Holy Presence, I strive to realise what I am. I am not this body which belongs to the world of shadows; I am not the desires which affect it; I am not the thoughts which fill my mind; I am not the mind itself. I am the Divine Flame within my heart, eternal, immortal, ancient, without beginning, without end. More radiant than the sun in all his noonday glory, purer than the snow, untouched, unsullied by the hand of matter; more subtle than the ether is the Spirit within my heart. I and my Father are One.
"I worship Thee. I adore Thee; Thou my Life, my Breath, my Being, my all. I am in Thee and Thou art in me. Lead me, 0 Gracious Lord, through Thy illimitable Love to union with Thee, and the Heart of Eternal Love.
"In Thy Love I rest for evermore."
Amen
Note.—Bishop Leadbeater gave this prayer to his class in Melbourne, Australia, for a daily meditation. Every word was thought over for many months; then thought out as to its connection with every other word. There is a deep occult significance in the combination of words, sentences-and ideas. There should be a pause after each phrase with deep meditation.
Thus I Have Heard, Chapter VII, “Meditation in the Heart”.
Previous Article
