trate. During the concentration phase of meditation, one gains control over the mindÆs thoughts and thereby oneÆs life. By focusing on an object and then focusing exclusively on it and no other thought, one learns to concentrate.
While the initial step in meditation seems simple, our normal habit of veering off on to other thoughts tries to keep us from concentrating. During this process, one is ôsupposed to witness your being distracted and return to concentrating on the object of your meditationö (What p. 2). The object of focus can be anything from the concept of ôloveö to the image of ôpeace.ö Once one can focus only on the object of meditation in an uninterrupted and continuous manner, one has arrived at the second step of meditation, the actual meditation. During meditation the ôobject becomes deeper, effortless, and spontaneousö to the point where ôtrue knowledge about the object presents itselfö (What p. 2). As your mind becomes filled only with the concept of ôlove,ö in an objective manner, the practitioner will begin to see the universal connection of all things to the object of meditation. At this point, every thought, every feeling, and every sensation becomes connected to everything else in the universe. This is the third step of the meditation process, contemplation. According to the Meditation Society of America, ôAt this point, the unity of the object in your meditation and your mind occurs. This is the state of contemplation and is the penultimate state of consciousnessàWe become conscious of the cosmos and know ourselves to be a part of it and realize our unity with all of itö (What p. 2).
The goal of meditation is not to achieve some nirvana or complete detachment from reality. The goal is to enable us to calm the chaos of our minds in a manner that reinforces our peace and serenity as part of all else in the universe. In this manner, the goal of meditation is to help us ôobserve...