We live in an age in which we have made tremendous progress in the areas of science and technology. We have sent spacecraft to the moon and the planets in our solar system, and have investigated the particles of the sub-atomic world. Great strides have been made in the medical arena. Scientists and doctors have found cures for many illnesses and can even replace vital bodily organs to keep a patient alive. The vast array of inventions and gadgets should have provided humanity with happiness and peace.
Yet with all the advanced technology, we are not at peace. There is something missing in our lives. We find people in our times plagued by continual stress and tension. Stress-related illnesses have been on the rise. Many people have interpersonal problems and are unhappy in their relationships. We find conflict at the level of the family, the community, the nation, and the world.
People try a variety of means to escape the pains and disappointments of life. Some try to find happiness by visiting places of entertainment or through engaging in sensual pleasures. Many turn to drugs or alcohol. All these means of escape may provide some momentary or temporary happiness, but they are not cures. We still must return to face the problems of life. Some of these means of escape are even addictive or harmful. In this age of scientific advances, we begin to wonder if there is a way to find lasting happiness in this world. Is fulfilment possible, or is it only a dream?
Many of the greatest thinkers, philosophers, saints, mystics, and religious founders have spent their lives in pursuit of permanent and lasting peace and happiness. If we read the writings of saints and mystics through the ages, we find that they discovered that true happiness and peace lies within ourselves.
In the past few decades we find more and more people coming to the same conclusion as did the saints and mystics of the past. People are exploring meditation as a means to find peace and happiness within themselves.
Studies in the field of science are confirming that meditation can improve our physical and mental well-being. Besides having a positive effect on our body and mind, it also helps us develop spiritually. Thus, meditation can help us in the physical, mental, and spiritual spheres of our lives.
Doctors and specialists are prescribing meditation as a treatment for a number of stress- related ailments, such as heart disease, breathing difficulties, and stomach problems. Many hospitals and medical centers have begun to offer courses in meditation to help their patients improve their health. Meditation helps the body in several ways. First, it puts us into a relaxed state. While in meditation we forget the body. Our limbs and body become totally relaxed. While fully concentrated in meditation, we even lose awareness of any pain or discomfort in our body. The more time we spend in meditation, the more time our body remains relaxed. It is said that one hour of complete concentration in meditation is equal to four hours of sleep. Thus in our busy life, putting in time for meditation has the effect of several hours rest. We come out of the meditation with renewed strength and vitality.
Meditation is also being used to reduce a variety of problems that affect people mentally and emotionally. Though science has helped us to master our physical environment, many people find themselves without any control over situations that arise around them. We find that people have a host of problems dealing with their interpersonal relationships. They are troubled by anxiety, depression, anger, fear, lack of self-esteem, and a variety of emotional conditions. A large segment of the population takes alcohol and a variety of drugs to alleviate their mental and emotional pain. Meditation provides a solution that is safe, effective, and lasting.
In meditation, we come in contact with a divine power. This power manifests itself as a loving Light. When we contact this light within ourselves, we experience a profound peace, bliss, and happiness unlike any we can find in this world. We are permeated with a divine love that’ engulfs and fulfils us. There is so much joy within us that we do not want to leave that state. The beauty of meditation is that intoxication remains with us even after we resume our daily activities.
Meditation does not eliminate the problems of life, but we look at them from a new angle of vision, a new perspective. It takes us above the sphere of the physical world so we can enter regions of peace and bliss. Contact with this inner intoxication is so fulfilling that we no longer look at problems or this world in the same light. They begin to dissipate as vaporous bubbles. We carry this inner ecstasy with us and can tap into it anytime we wish. This inner bliss helps us to become oblivious to our pains and sorrows. We realize there is more to life than this physical world. When we realize that our life in this world is but a temporary stay of fifty, sixty, or a hundred years, and that there is a life beyond, a higher reality, the problems of life do not seem to affect as much. We recognize that the little idiosyncrasies of other people, the difficulties that bother us in our jobs, homes, or neighbourhoods, are as passing storms, and we know that there is a realm of blue, clear skies filled with radiant Light shining above the clouds.
Traditionally, meditation has been the means by which people developed themselves spiritually. Whether it is called concentration, inversion, prayer, or meditation, each religion and philosophy speaks of it as a way to gain knowledge of our soul and of the divine Power within us.
For ages, humanity has wondered about questions such as who we are, from where did we come, to where do we go when we die, and is there God. Both science and religion has sought to answer these questions. The process of meditation is one that gives us an experiential knowledge of the Beyond and answers to these questions. Meditation helps us attain inner peace. When our soul contacts the Light beyond, we are filled with a total tranquillity and fulfilment. We become at peace with ourselves and are not bothered by problems around us. This peace radiates to all who come in contact with us. Thus, we become a source of joy and inspiration for others, whether it is our family members, our friends and relations, our co-workers, our society, or the world.
One of the benefits of achieving inner peace is that it contributes to outer peace in the world. When we rise above our physical body and experience ourselves as soul, we also see that all other beings are also souls. We see that the same Light that is within us is within everyone else. We start to realize that we are all souls, all part of God. We are all members of one family. When we see our essential unity, we begin to develop love for all. When we love others as if they were members of our own family, we feel a desire to help them. We do not want to see anyone in pain. Thus, we become nonviolent and peaceful. We care about all living things and our environment. We begin to have a positive influence on others in our environment.
If each person attained inner peace through meditation and developed love for all, it would not be long before peace prevailed on our planet. We would live in unity and harmony with each other. In this way, our personal attainment of peace and happiness would contribute to a golden age of peace and happiness on earth.
The author is the head of the international non-profit organisation Science of Spirituality.