The Theory and Practice of Meditation

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"This book reflect the thought of some of the best-versed scholars and professional persons writing on yoga, Eastern thought, and meditation in the West today. The contributors to this volume are unique not only for their knowledge but also for their efforts to integrate the principle they have learned and taught into their own lives and work. Their writings have a freshness and simplicity that can come only from those who base their words on firsthand experience.

Together, the essays in this volume provide a well-rounded examination and explication of the nature and the process of meditation. This book is designed to provide the reader with a solid grounding in this vital art and science. This new edition of The Theory and Practice of Meditation has been extensively revised and expanded. We hope that it will be useful to both the beginning student and also those experienced students who want a deeper understanding of the practice of meditation."

About the Author

Born in 1925 in northern India, Swami Rama was raised from early childhood by a great yogi and saint of Bengal who lived in the Himalayas. In his youth he practiced the various disciplines of yoga science and philosophy in the traditional monasteries of the Himalayas and studied closely with many spiritual adepts, including Mahatma Gandhi, Sri Aurobindo, and Rabindranath Tagore. He also traveled to Tibet to study with his grandmaster.

He received his higher education at Bangalore, Prayaga, Varanasi, and Oxford University, England. At the age of twenty-four he became Shankaracharya of Karvirpitham in south India, the highest spiritual position in India. During this term he had a tremendous impact on the spiritual customs of that time: he dispensed with useless formalities and rituals, made it possible for all segments of society to worship in the temple, and encouraged the instruction of women in meditation. He renounced the dignity and prestige of his high office in 1952 to return to the Himalayas to intensify his meditation practices.

After completing an intense meditative practice in the cave monasteries, he emerged with the determination to serve humanity, particularly to bring the teachings of the East to West. With the encouragement of his master, Swami Rama began his task by studying Western philosophy and psychology, and teaching Eastern philosophy at Western universities. He worked as a medical consultant in London and assisted in Para psychological research in Moscow. He then returned to India, where he established an ashram in Rishikesh. He completed his degree in homeopathy at the medical collage in Darbhanga in 1960. He came to the United States in 1969, bringing his knowledge and wisdom to the West. His teachings combine Eastern spirituality with modern Western therapies.

Swami Rama was a freethinker, guided by his direct experience and inner wisdom, and he encouraged his student to be guided in the same way. He often told them, "I am a messenger, delivering the wisdom of the Himalayan sages of my tradition. My job is to introduce you to the teacher within."

Swami Rama came to America upon the invitation of Dr. Elmer Green of the Menninger Foundation of Topeka, Kansas, as a consultant in a research project investigating the voluntary control of involuntary sates. He participated in experiments that helped to revolutionize scientific thinking about the relationship between body and mind, amazing scientists by his demonstrating, under laboratory conditions, precise conscious control of autonomic physical responses and mental functioning, feats previously thought to be impossible.

Swami Rama founded the Himalayan International Institute of Yoga Science and Philosophy, the Himalayan Institute Hospital Trust in India, and many centers though out the world. He is the author of numerous books on health, meditation, and the yogic scriptures. Swami Rama left his body in November 1996.

Contents:

Introduction

What Is Meditation?
  Swami Rama

Obstacles in Meditation
  Rudolph M. Ballentine, M.D.

Meditation in Action
  Swami Ajaya, Ph.D.

Mind, Meditation and Emotion
  Phil Nuernberger, Ph.D.

Meditation and Meaning in Life
  Arpita, Ph.D.

Meditation and the Unconscious Mind
  Pandit Usharbudh Arya, D.Litt.

Appendix A: Breathing Exercises

Appendix B: Beginning the Practice of Meditation

About the Authors

Of Related Interest:

Complete Collection of Books on Meditation