My own Meditation Journey and Experiences - Pradeep Mahaur

The Advantages of Exploring Meditation Journeys

If you are interested in meditation, delving into the meditation journeys of others can be both enlightening and inspiring. Understanding these journeys provides a glimpse into the diverse experiences and outcomes that meditation can yield, revealing not only the personal transformations but also the universal aspects that many practitioners share.

Meditation is a practice with a rich history and a wide array of techniques, from mindfulness and focused attention to loving-kindness transcendental meditation any my own derived way which I call as Key to Meditation and I have written a detailed article on the same there is also a video that describes it up to some extent. Each person's path in meditation is unique, influenced by their personality, goals, and the methods they choose. This individuality makes every meditation journey fascinating to explore. When you hear about someone's experiences, it often highlights the personal challenges they faced, the milestones they achieved, and the profound changes that meditation brought into their lives.

One of the most compelling reasons to learn about others' meditation journeys is to understand the outcomes they have experienced. Meditation has been scientifically proven to offer numerous benefits, including reduced stress, improved concentration, enhanced emotional health, and increased self-awareness. By hearing about these benefits from real people, you can see how meditation translates into tangible improvements in daily life. For instance, someone might share how meditation helped them manage anxiety, leading to a more peaceful and centered state of mind. Another person might describe how mindfulness meditation improved their focus and productivity at work.

Common experiences in meditation can also provide a sense of community and shared understanding. While each journey is unique, many practitioners report similar milestones and challenges. For example, beginners often struggle with a restless mind, finding it difficult to sit still and focus. This is a universal experience, and knowing that others have faced and overcome this challenge can be incredibly reassuring. Over time, as practitioners continue their meditation practice, they often describe moments of profound clarity, inner peace, and a deep sense of connection to the present moment. These shared experiences can validate your own practice and encourage you to persevere through the difficulties.

Moreover, understanding the meditation journeys of others can offer practical insights and tips. Experienced meditators often share strategies that help them deepen their practice, such as establishing a regular routine, creating a dedicated meditation space, or integrating mindfulness into daily activities. Learning from their successes and mistakes can guide you on your own path, helping you to navigate the complexities of meditation with greater ease and confidence.

In addition to the personal benefits, exploring meditation journeys can also reveal broader themes about the nature of the mind and human experience. Meditation often leads to profound realizations about the nature of thoughts, emotions, and consciousness. By comparing experiences with other meditators, you can gain a richer understanding of these philosophical and spiritual insights. This can deepen your appreciation of meditation as not just a practice but as a transformative journey of self-discovery and personal growth.

Ultimately, learning about the meditation journeys of others enriches your own practice. It provides inspiration, practical guidance, and a sense of connection to a larger community of seekers. Whether you are a beginner or an experienced meditator, these stories can illuminate your path, helping you to understand that the challenges you face and the breakthroughs you achieve are part of a shared human experience. By exploring the diverse and rich tapestry of meditation journeys, you can find motivation and support to continue your own practice, discovering the profound benefits that meditation can bring to your life.

My Journey and Experiences with Meditation

I would like to share my own meditation journey, which has been truly wonderful and transformative. My journey began when I was just 12 years old. During this time, I not only practiced meditation but also delved into a branch of tantra. When I mention tantra, please do not conjure images of a young child surrounded by human skulls. Tantra encompasses a wide range of practices, including yoga, pranayama (breathing exercises), and mudras (hand gestures), all of which are integral parts of tantra. However, the focus here is not on my tantra practices—I'll elaborate on those experiences in another write-up.

The initial phase of my meditation journey felt akin to scaling a steep, rocky mountain. My thoughts were like mischievous birds, constantly flitting around and creating a cacophony of noise, making it seem nearly impossible to calm my mind. This stage was particularly challenging, as my mind was restless and unfocused. Despite these difficulties, I persevered, meditating consistently for around eighteen months.

Throughout this period, there were moments when I felt I was making progress, although the initial stages were slow. The first eighteen months were crucial for building a solid foundation for my meditation practice. During this time, I learned two essential skills that greatly aided my journey.

The first skill was the ability to sit in a meditative posture for prolonged periods. This was no small feat, as maintaining a steady and comfortable posture is vital for effective meditation. It required patience, discipline, and physical endurance, which gradually improved with practice.

The second skill was the practice of ‘Nadi Shodhan Pranayama’also known as alternate nostril breathing. This breathing technique was instrumental in balancing my Ida (Left) and Pingala (Right) Nadis, which are the two main energy channels in the body according to yogic tradition. Practicing pranayama for about ninety minutes daily helped to regulate my breath and calm my nervous system, creating a more conducive state for meditation.

As my practice progressed, the benefits of these foundational skills became evident. The ability to sit still for extended periods allowed me to delve deeper into my meditative states, while the pranayama practice helped to stabilize my mind and energy levels. These early experiences were crucial in overcoming the initial turbulence of meditation.

Over time, the once-chaotic thoughts began to settle, and moments of clarity and peace started to emerge. The mischievous birds in my mind gradually quieted down, replaced by a sense of calm and focus. This transformation was not immediate, but it was steady and rewarding.

Reflecting on my journey, I realize that the initial struggles were an essential part of the process. They taught me resilience, patience, and the importance of disciplined practice. These early lessons have had a lasting impact on my meditation practice, shaping it into a powerful tool for personal growth and self-discovery.

If you are beginning your meditation journey or have already started and are seeking guidance on how to progress, this article can serve as a powerful source of motivation. Meditation requires a different kind of dedication compared to other activities. While it's relatively easy to encourage someone to engage in a new hobby or task, it is quite challenging to inspire someone to sit still and do nothing for extended periods. Therefore, I want to share my genuine emotions and experiences to motivate others on this path.

The motivation for meditation primarily comes from within. It is essential to prepare yourself mentally and emotionally for this long journey, which can be quite tough in the beginning but immensely rewarding in the long run. Many people spend significant portions of their lives playing video games or engaging in idle gossip. Meditation, however, is a different kind of "game"—one that helps you understand your true identity and the deeper workings of your mind. The nature of our modern, fast-paced world often pulls us away from this practice, making it even more challenging to maintain consistency.

Initially, the practice of meditation can feel counterintuitive. You might find it incredibly difficult to sit quietly for even a short period, with each minute stretching out endlessly. This is a common experience for beginners, and it underscores the importance of perseverance and patience. When you sit down to meditate for just fifteen minutes, those minutes can feel like hours, as your mind resists the stillness and quiet.

If you are starting or continuing your meditation practice, remember that the early struggles are part of the process. Embrace the journey with patience and dedication, knowing that the challenges you face will ultimately lead to a more profound understanding of yourself and the world around you. Let my experiences inspire you to stay committed to your practice, as the fruits of meditation are well worth the effort.

After nearly eighteen months, I felt a bit confused. Even though I wasn't discouraged, this time had made me eager to move forward. I kept questioning my meditation teacher, but he always told me to sit and meditate. One day, he said I was now ready to go further in my meditation journey. I was a bit surprised because I had been working hard for eighteen months, and now I had to start something new. Out of curiosity, I asked him why I had to start when I had already begun eighteen months ago and should be progressing. My teacher smiled and told me that the time I spent was not for meditating but for preparing myself for meditation

Then he told me about a technique. I have already explained this technique in a write-up on this blog, and I call it the Key to Meditation. I can guarantee that if you practice it with dedication, you will succeed in meditation. No one can hold your hand and take you on the meditation journey; you have to do the work yourself. Even your meditation teacher can only guide you from time to time. Developing patience is something you must do on your own.

Due to my consistent practice, I began applying the technique he taught me. Within just 30 days, I achieved a profound state of meditation. This initial phase of meditation begins when your thoughts start to calm down, allowing you to feel completely disconnected from the external world. This stage persisted for quite some time, and soon, I began visualizing a mesmerizing display of lights. The journey starts with a deep blue light, which acts as a gateway. Entering this gateway reveals another light, brighter and less blue, and passing through each subsequent light brings you closer to a pure white light. These lights function as sequential gateways, with each one opening to the next, although sometimes you are sent back to the first gate. Undeterred, I continued my practice diligently, and eventually, I reached a state of bliss. This state of bliss was a profound and transformative experience, bringing a sense of peace and fulfillment that I had never known before.

In this profound state, I realized that I am more than just my body. There are two aspects to my being: the observer, which is my true essence, and the external body, which is merely a temporary form. This understanding brought me a sense of peace and fulfillment.

Realizing our immortal nature, where only our outward appearance changes over time, is truly uplifting. I continued to bask in this newfound understanding, feeling joyful and serene. Interestingly, the long meditation sessions felt shorter this time. What used to feel like hours now seemed to pass in the blink of an eye. It was as if time flowed differently during meditation, leaving me feeling both puzzled and exhilarated by the experience.

I always recommend everyone to at least reach this level because if you haven’t achieved this stage in your life, you have essentially wasted it. No matter how powerful you are, you must understand that you will ultimately leave this life as a beggar, possessing nothing—not even the body made of the five elements. This departure will lead to a state of complete darkness, one that is unending and suffocating, leaving you without direction or help. Right now, you have the opportunity of a lifetime with a wonderful, healthy body.

You have invested in this body, but it is crucial to remember that it is a temporary gift from Mother Earth, and you will eventually have to return it. Mother Earth is incredibly generous; she will take back exactly what you borrowed from her, without any interest. Despite her generosity and her desire for you to progress, you may spend your entire life merely enjoying the body you borrowed, only to leave it empty-handed in the end.

This perspective serves as a reminder to use our physical existence wisely, striving for spiritual growth and deeper understanding, rather than merely indulging in temporary pleasures. By doing so, we can avoid the ultimate emptiness and instead, find fulfillment and purpose.

After almost a year of enjoying meditation, I started experiencing a strange sensation—I felt like I was leaving my body and floating around. Concerned, I shared this with my meditation teacher. He advised me not to intentionally leave my body and instructed me to return to my body whenever this sensation arose. He suggested taking a break from meditation for a day or two before resuming practice.

Having an out-of-body experience was not something I could control. When it happened, it was tempting to indulge in the sensation, and my logical thinking seemed to fade away. During these experiences, there were no thoughts, only instincts guiding me. It was important to remember not to wander but to return to my body as soon as possible. These experiences occur at any time sometimes during sleep, because your subtle body gained strength and instead of only one element Aether it is now capable of accumulating fire elements with it and can sustain without this body. This is the reason your subtle body starts enjoying this journey without your physical body, but need to understand that there are many such beings like you and few are negative beings so it's better not to take a risk of coming out of your body at this time. Once you become experienced and can handle any situation then you can try this new perspective of meditation journey.  

After continuous practice, I experienced something unusual, not during meditation, but while I was watching the trees from my house one morning. I saw entities moving in the air and on the ground. They resembled humans but were different. Some of them noticed me observing them, yet they didn't react. They emitted a unique aura and seemed ethereal. When I shared this experience with my meditation teacher, he was pleased. He advised me to continue observing but not to try to interact with them. He explained that they were benevolent souls who had left their bodies and reassured me that they couldn't harm me. Meditation, he said, strengthens the soul, making such entities and even negative ones harmless. However, he cautioned me to move forward and gain more experience before delving deeper into these encounters, to avoid potential trouble at this early stage.

The real world has so much more to offer than what meets the eye, and a person leading a superficial life will never understand its depth. Many believe that life is about indulging in the biggest and tastiest cakes it has to offer, but they are mistaken. Life is much more than just acquiring wealth and seeking artificial pleasures. It encompasses profound experiences, spiritual growth, and a deeper understanding of existence that transcends materialistic pursuits. By embracing this broader perspective, we can uncover the true essence of life and find lasting fulfillment beyond temporary indulgences.

Beyond all experiences 

I continued meditating, and after these experiences, I encountered something beyond all previous experiences, something that defies explanation within the confines of human language. It felt like a world beyond all worldly understanding, a realm where all dimensions converge and simultaneously cease to exist. Even calling it an experience is a misnomer, constrained by the limitations of human linguistics. These encounters are also products of illusion, yet this is not merely an illusion but something that transcends Maya (the illusion of the physical world). This state can be realized, but it cannot be adequately described.

It is a profound realization that lies beyond the scope of ordinary perception and understanding. This realm exists beyond the tangible and the intangible, a place where the boundaries of existence blur and dissolve. It is a state of pure awareness, where the limitations of the physical and the metaphysical merge into a singularity of being. In this state, the dualities of existence—light and dark, pleasure and pain, self and other—fade away, leaving a pure, unadulterated consciousness that simply is.

This realization brings a deep sense of peace and understanding that transcends all worldly experiences and knowledge. It is an ultimate truth that can be known but not explained, felt but not described, a journey to the core of existence itself.

By Pradeep Mahaur – Pradeep Mahaur Magazine

Insights on Hindu Wisdom and Global Affairs from an Indic perspective.

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