Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:

DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

MEDITATIONS FOR

DECEMBER
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

BE OF STRONG NERVES – 1
An aspirant should be sensitive and yet have the body and nerves completely under control.
The greater the sensitiveness, tile more difficult is the task. There are many sounds that pass
unheeded by ail ordinary person but which are torture to one who is very sensitive.
Neophytes on the spiritual path often mistake their own impulses and imagination for the
inner voice or divine command or intuition. Only when the mind is Sattwic will you get flashes or
glimpses of intuition.

LIVE IN THE PRESENT – 2

Concern yourself with the present only. Do not look back upon the past or worry about the
future. Then alone will you be really happy. You will be free from cares and anxieties. You will
have long life.
Exercise discrimination in all that you do. Do not think of the past or the future. The past days of
boyhood, your days of studentship - all these are dreams when you are over forty. You have to
deal with the present only. The present is most important.

NECESSITY OF SECLUSI ON – 3
Eknath, Raja Janaka and others realized God by practicing spiritual Sadhana while remaining
in the world. The central teaching of the Bhagavad Gita is to realize in and through the world.
These great sages were really Yoga Brashtas (fallen in Yoga in their previous births). To follow
their example is impossible for the vast majority.
Lord Jesus was missing for eighteen years. Lord Buddha went into seclusion for eight years m
the Uruvala forest. You can make a beginning in the world but when you have made some
progress, you should go into solitude for advanced practices.

PRACTICE DETACHMENT – 4
A householder with Yogic tendency and spiritual inclination can practice meditation in a
solitary and quiet room in his own home, or in any solitary place on the banks of a holy river
during holidays. If he is a whole-time aspirant, or if he has retired from service, he can practice in
such places throughout the year.
If you are a householder with spiritual thirst and capacity for intense Sadhana, yon cannot all of a
sudden sever your connection with the family. Stay in seclusion for a week or a month to begin
with. Then gradually prolong the period. In this way you will not feel in the least the pangs of
separation.

BRAHMACHARYA IS I NDISPENSABLE – 5
The semen or Veerva tones the nerves and brain and gives energy to the system. He who
preserves this vital force through the vow of Brahmacharya and sublimates it into Ojas Shakti,
can practice deep and steady meditation for a long period. He can ascend the ladder of Yoga
without difficulty.
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DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

Without Brahmacharya no spiritual progress is possible, it is the very foundation on which the
superstructure of meditation and Samadhi are to be built up. Many people waste the vital energy.
This is indeed a great spiritual loss. They become blind and lose their power of reason under
sexual excitement. Pitiable indeed is their lot! They cannot make any substantial progress in
Yoga.

TRANSFORM THE SUBC ONS CIOUS MIND – 6

Meditation on the immortal Self will act like a dynamite and blow up all thoughts and
memories in the subconscious mind. If thoughts trouble you very much, do not suppress them by
force. Be a silent witness, as in a cinema show. They will gradually subside. Then root them out
through regular meditation.
The practice of meditation must be constant. Then only can one attain Self-realization surely
and quickly. He who practices meditation by fits and for a few minutes daily will not be able to
achieve any tangible results in Yoga.

ALL POTENTIALITIES ARE WITHIN – 7

In all man's struggles and attempts at achieving any desired object, there is in reality no
necessity at all for him to go in quest of external forces to aid him. Man has within himself vast
resources and inherent powers lying untapped or else only partially made use of.
It is because he has allowed his faculties to get scattered on a hundred different things that he
fails to achieve anything substantial, despite his inherent potentialities. If he regulates and applies
his potentialities intelligently, quick and concrete results will accrue.

C ONCENTRATION FOR P OWER – 8

To learn to rationally and effectively use existing forces, man need not wait for any kind of
striking new methods to be invented for his guidance.
Since early creation nature herself abounds in instructive examples and lessons to aid man in
every walk of his life. Observation tells us that every force in nature, when it is allowed to flow
freely over a wide area, moves slowly and with comparatively less power than it would do if
gathered together in one mass and directed through a single, restricted outlet. The concentrated
application of a force makes for maximum results with a minimum of effort and time.

HOW TO DEVELOP C ONCENTRATION – 9

The powers of the mind are always scattered and resist attempts at concentration. This
oscillatory tendency is an innate characteristic of the mind-stuff. Of the various methods
employed to curtail and arrest this tossing of the mind, those using the medium of sound and sight
stand prominent, since these two have a peculiar knack of catching the attention and stilling the
mind.
Therefore, in the course of spiritual discipline also, the methods of developing concentration
take the form of repeating a Mantra, or gazing steadily at a dot or a symbol of Om or the figure of
the chosen Deity.
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

SELF SURRENDER – 10
A little consideration of what takes place around us every day would show us that a law
higher than that at our will regulates events; that our painful labours are unnecessary and
altogether fruitless; that only in our easy, simple and spontaneous action are we strong; and by
being content we become pure and divine. Belief and love will relieve us of a vast load of cares. 0
my brothers, God truly exists and cares for you.
There is a Soul at the centre of nature and over the will of every man, so that none of us can
wrong the universe. The whole course of the universe and its events goes to teach us faith.
Remember the Lord constantly and attain eternal peace and immortality here and now.

W ORSHIP – THE HUMAN PREROGATIVE – 11

Eating, drinking, sleeping, fear and copulation are common to both animals and human beings.
But that which makes a person a real man or a God-man is worship. Worship or spiritual practice
transmutes a man into a blessed Divinity.
Lord Krishna says in the Gita: "But by devotion to Me alone I may thus be perceived, Arjuna,
and seen and known in essence, and also entered into, O Paranthapa."
He who leads a mere outward sensual life without doing any worship is an animal only
though he wears outwardly the form of a human being.

GLORY OF SELF-SURRENDER – 12
Self-surrender is one of the nine modes of Bhakti. The will of the devotee becomes one with
the Lord's Will, and he enjoys all the divine splendours of the Lord.
The obstacles in the way of self-surrender are desire and egoism. The self-surrender must be
pure, total, unreserved and unconditional. Sometimes the devotee keeps certain desires for his
own secret gratification. The ego is very still and obstinate. It is as hard as granite. It has to be
split through constant hammering with the chisel of Bhakti or devotion.

THIS IS BEAUTY – 13
Minus the skin, dress and ornaments the human body is nothing. Just imagine for a moment
that the skin has been removed. You will have to stand by with a long stick to drive away crows
and vultures. Physical beauty is superficial, illusory and liable to fade. It is skin deep only. Do not
be deluded by appearances. They are the jugglery of Maya. Go to the source - to the pure, eternal
Atman - the beauty of beauties, the everlasting beauty.
If your hair becomes grey, that is the first warrant from the Lord of Death. You must get
ready to meet him. The wrinkles on the face and the bending of the body will also remind you of
the warrant.

THE INDEX OF C HARACTER – 14

Sri Krishna says in the Bhagavad Gita: "Threefold is by nature the inborn faith of the
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

embodied-pure, passionate and dark. The faith of each is shaped according to his own nature, O
Bharata. The man consists of his faith; that which his faith is, he is even that."
Faith indicates what man's character is. Have true, perfect, living and unswerving faith in
God, in His Grace, and in the power of His Name. Meditate and open yourself to the Divine
Light. Faith can move mountains and give you peace, spiritual strength, joy, freedom, immortality
and bliss.

HAIL, O L ORD OF L ORDS! – 15

O hidden Love that pervades all objects, O Power that sustains this vast universe, O self-
luminous Light that gives light to the sun, moon, stars and the intellect, O adorable Lord of this
universe, O God of gods, O Lord of lords, Thou art the womb of the Vedas. Thou art the director
or governor of this universe. Thou art the life of my life, Soul of my soul, Prana of my Pranas,
mind of my mind, eye of my eye, ear of my ear. Thou art the beauty of flowers and landscapes.
Thou art the charm in the face and skin. Thou art the Pranava of the Vedas. Thou art the sweet
silence. Thou art the peace that dwells in the heart. Thou art eternal bliss. Thou art the destroyer
of ignorance. Thou art the bestower of immortality.

PRAYER TO THE SUPREME BEING – 16

O Beauty, O spiritual, imperishable, inexhaustible wealth, O sweet honey, O light of the
heavens, O Light of the gods and celestial beings, O my dear relative, Thou art my body. Thou art
the ovum. Thou art the germinal cell. Thou art the very life-element.
Thou art my eye. Thou art the black portion of my eye. Thou art the inner pupil that moves
within the eve. Protect me. Let no evil touch me. Let me forget if this world. Let me remember
Thee always. Take me to Thy sweet bosom. Make me dwell in Thee forever.

CRAVING IS Y OUR ENEMY – 17

Love of sensual objects is bondage; distaste for the objects of the senses is release. Destroy
craving and attain the non-dual Brahnic seat.
Know that craving is man's foe here in this world. An ignorant, passionate man regards
craving as a friend when he thirsts for objects. He welcomes all sorts of cravings; he thinks
constantly of sensual objects. In the end he does not get any real and lasting satisfaction.

DESIRE CANNOT BE SATISFIED – 18

This worldly existence is dreadful. There is no limit to the consuming power of man's desires
and cravings. They are never satisfied. They grow day by day, just as a flame increases by
pouring oil onto it.
Discrimination and dispassion are the two master weapons to kill this dire enemy of peace.
Cravings take to their heels whenever they hear of dispassion and discrimination, lust as darkness
cannot exist in the presence of light, so also desires cannot exist in the presence of discrimination
and dispassion. Without these two qualities one cannot make substantial spiritual progress.

THE SHIELD OF AN A SPIRANT – 19

 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

You must develop discrimination and dispassion to the maximum degree. If you are
established in discrimination then dispassion will come by itself.
Discrimination is your true and intimate friend. Whenever cravings hiss, hammer them with
the rod of discrimination. You will be quite safe then. The blissful, non-dual Para Brahman will
be quite close to you then. Enter into It silently.

HOW TO BANISH DESIRES – 20

With the growth of desires, this world also arises. If desire is destroyed, this universe
disappears. The extinction of desires a]one is emancipation or real freedom.
The central basis of ail desires is this false illusory "I.” With the contemplation of the infinite
Self, the train of ideas of the universe disappears as darkness disappears before the suit.
If desires increase, thoughts of this universe also increase, if the fuel of desire is withdrawn,
the fire of worldly thoughts is also extinguished.

CULTIVATE G OOD MANNERS – 21

Good manners are minor morals. They are the shadows of virtue. They are the blossoms of
good sense and good feelings.
Pride, ill-nature, want of good sense, arrogance and impatience are the sources of ill-manners.
Good manners are a part of good morals. They are rare gifts. They easily and rapidly ripen into
morals.
Be simple, humble and unostentatious. Say little or nothing about yourself.

BE CHEERFUL ALWAYS – 22
The mind can cure all the physical diseases of the body through its harmonious and healthy
thoughts. This is because all physical diseases take their origin in mental ill-health.
Lack of cheerfulness contributes to ill-health, if one is ever cheerful and entertains divine
thoughts, one will have perfect health at all times. It is in your power to enjoy good health as long
as you like.

NO PLEASURE IN O BJECTS – 23
When there is a desire the mind is filled with Rajas. It is in an agitated condition It is restless
and unpeaceful.
The mind remains in this restless condition till the desired object is attained. After the object
has been attained and enjoyed, it becomes thought-free. Its functions cease for some time, it is
filled with Sattwa. It becomes introvert. The bliss of the Atman is reflected in the mind. There is
no real pleasure in objects; it is only the bliss of the Atman that one experiences in them. Ignorant
people attribute the pleasure to the objects. This is a serious mistake.

THE PATH TO DIVINITY – 24

Action is the source of all virtue, wealth and desire. He who has no activity, has no energy or
valour. The end of virtue and wealth is the attainment of salvation. He who does not practice
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

virtue commits sin. The fruit of righteous actions and of wealth accrue to one either in this birth
or the next.
Overcome anger by love, lust by purity, greed by liberality, pride by humility, egoism by
surrender to God. You will become divine and enjoy eternal bliss.

D O N OT DISPAIR – 25
If you fail to keep your resolves, then make fresh resolves. Just as a child falls many times
when it tries to walk without the help of a wall, just as a new cyclist falls from the cycle a number
of times before he learns to sit steadily on the seat, so also a new aspirant will fail a number of
times in his resolves. He has to make repeated attempts before eventually coming out successful.

THE INCOMPARABLE A CHIEVEMENT – 26

Neither charity, nor sacrifice, nor fame, nor even possession of great powers can stand in
comparison to realization of the Self.
You might have crossed the ocean. You might have conquered your pride, delusion and envy.
You might have even dwelt among the gods in heaven. Yet, these attainments are nothing when
compared to the bliss of God-realization and liberation.

KILL THE INNER DEVIL – 27

Can you acquire eternal bliss and supreme peace through the attainment of vast erudition,
through possession of immense wealth, through enjoyment of beautiful young women? No.
Supreme, undying bliss can only be attained by realizing the Self. Cross the ocean of delusion by
killing lust and anger. Then you can laud on the other shore of immortality.

TRUE FREEDOM – 28
Physical freedom is no freedom at all. If you are easily carried away by surging emotions, if
you are under the grip of moods and passions, how can you be really happy and peaceful?
Rigorous discipline and self-imposed restrictions will eventually get rid of all riotous thoughts,
impulses, moods, cravings and passions and grant you the freedom of the Self.

IMAGINARY FEARS – 29
The mind creates havoc through its power of imagination, imaginary fears, mental
dramatization, building castles in the air - all these are due to this power of imagination. Even a
perfectly healthy man has some imaginary disease or other created by the power of the mind.
Imaginary fears involve a great loss of energy. Give up such forms of fear.

ARCH ENEMIES – 30
Lust, anger and pride are the root causes of all human misery. They are the enemies of peace.
Think of the havoc that they bring in one's life. If you can convince yourself that they drain your
vitality, and that you should eradicate them for your own well-being, then their conquest becomes
easy. Victory over these three arch-enemies is the greatest of all conquests. It makes one a real
 Gregg Hill's Reflexology and Japanese Massage Institute presents:
DAILY MEDITATIONS
BY SWAMI SIVANANDA

hero.

MORE THAN MARTYRDOM – 31

Victory over the mind is certainly victory over death. The inner war with the mind is more
terrible and formidable than the outer war with weapons. The conquest of the mind is more
difficult than conquest of the world through force of arms. Achieve this conquest and enjoy
eternal bliss, everlasting peace and unalloyed felicity.