The Greatest Secret Of The Universe
Author: Dada Vedaprajinananda

The goal of human life, according to yogis and sages, is to
unite one's individual consciousness with the Supreme
Consciousness. This union of one's small "I" with the Cosmic
"I" is also known as yoga. Anyone who has ever tried to
meditate knows that achieving the final goal of yoga is not as
easy as it sounds. Many people, in fact, give up the pursuit
before they reach the goal. Despite this seeming difficulty
there is a simple technique that can put the achievement of
ultimate bliss within the reach of everyone.

Before I reveal the "greatest secret of the universe" it is
useful to understand how the process of meditation actually
works. "As you think, so you become" is the principle upon
which meditation is based. If you think about something that is
limited or small, then your mind becomes small.

On the other hand, if you forget about the physical world
around you, turn your attention within and begin concentrated
thinking on an infinite object your mind begins to expand. If
you continue the process in a systematic way, regularly every
day, then your individual consciousness will one day merge with
the Supreme Consciousness.

The greatest obstacle on this path is your own ego. Of course
you need an ego to even begin meditation. After all it only
when you say "I will practice meditation today" that you can
get started. However, during the process of meditation it
becomes bothersome if instead of thinking about the Supreme
Consciousness you begin to think about "my job", "my house, "my
car" and other things connected with your everyday life.

With constant practice you can overcome your attachment to
mundane objects and one day arrive at a state when there will
only be one thought in your mind, "I am the Supreme
Consciousness." This is a great achievement (known in yoga as
Savikalpa Samadhi) but even in this state your "I" feeling
still exists. As long as your feeling of individual
consciousness exists, you will remain separate from ultimate
union with the Supreme Consciousness.

Here is where the "greatest secret of the universe" can help
you out. Normally when you meditate, you are the subject and
the Supreme Consciousness is the object of your thoughts. If
you turn it all around and think that the Supreme Consciousness
is the subject and you are his object then your meditation will
change dramatically.

It will become much easier to remain in a meditative state when
you think that the Supreme Consciousness is all around you,
witnessing you, meditating on you. Instead of trying to
meditate on the Supreme Consciousness, let him meditate on you!
What could be simpler?

As simple as this technique is, it is the key to reaching a
state where there is no feeling of your individual "I" and only
the oneness of blissful union with the infinite.

There is an old story that illustrates this process. A seeker
came to a door and knocked. A voice asked, "Who's there?" The
seeker responded, "I am here." The door remained locked and
there was no reply from within. The seeker returned another day
and tried once more. Again when asked "Who's there?" he replied
"I am here." And again he failed to enter.

Finally one day he knocked at the door and when the voice
asked, "Who's there?" he replied, "Thou" and the door opened
for him.


About The Author: Dada Vedaprajinananda has been practicing and
teaching yoga and meditation for the past 35 years. He is the
webmaster of the Ananda Marga meditation
http://www.anandamarga.org society's website, and is the author
of Start Meditation, Stop Smoking
http://www.start-meditation-stop-smoking.com and Yoga Weight
Loss Secrets http://www.yogaweightlosssecrets.com