New Year’s Message 2019

Perfecting meditation takes practice. Spiritual experiences can illuminate us in a twinkling of an eye, but we need to create the right conditions for those moments to crystalize. What preparations can we make for those moments to brighten our lives?

Consider a scientist who performs a chemistry experiment. For the right reaction to take place, we need the proper ingredients, steps, and time. Meditation requires the right combination of steps to be fruitful.

While meditation can bring relaxation and peace to the body and mind, a higher benefit of meditation is illumining our soul with the wonders within. Meditation on the inner Light and Sound provides us an experience of the inner vistas and celestial Music. Just as the holiday season is celebrated with festive lights and seasonal music, we have within us a continual symphony of inner Music and radiant Lights within. If we practice meditation we can enjoy those not only at the holiday but all year round, anytime we want. To gain access to these, we can perform the preparatory steps to be ready to experience them.

Meditation is not difficult. We sit still, close our eyes, still our mind from thoughts and gaze within. Practice makes perfect. For 2019, we can remember these simple words to remind us to practice:

Be a meditation machine
In 2019.

The term “machine” is often used for one who works hard with passion and zeal at a hobby or task. Machines are an analogy for diligent work, efficiency, and persistence. Once turned on, they run continually without a break. This is a good reminder for our meditation. Once we sit for meditation, we can be diligent, efficient, and persistent. This means staying focused without distraction until we receive results.

The difference, though, is we are not only mechanical in our practice like a machine, but we do our work with heart and soul. The electricity that runs our machine is the passion and zeal which fuels us to keep going. We meditate with consistency and right effort, but we also add the love and joy for achieving the ultimate goal, experiencing the inner Light and Sound that will lead us to oneness with God.

As a reminder for the new Year, let us be a meditation machine in 2019 and let our persistence, accuracy, and diligent efforts in meditation be rewarded with the grace to experience the inner Light and Music that lead us to the bliss, peace, and joy of union with God.

Yours affectionately,

(RAJINDER SINGH)