DISCOURSES Volume II - Avatar Meher Baba Trust

114 DISCOURSESor a pithy and terse formula, without amplifying it through asuccession of ideas. In meditation the mind tries to understand andassimilate the object by dwelling upon diverse attributes of theform or various implications of the formula. In concentration aswell as in meditation, there is a peaceful intermingling of love andlonging for the divine object or principle on which the minddwells, and both these psychic activities are very different from themerely mechanical processes which have rigid regularity andunrelieved monotony.Persons with no capacity for intense concentration have tobegin with meditation, whereas for those who have the capacity forconcentration, meditation is unnecessary. It is sufficient if theyconcentrate on the mere form of a God-man or Man-God or onsome simple formula like, "I am neither the gross body nor thesubtle body 1 nor the mental body 2 ; I am Atman (Soul)."Meditation is essentially an individual matter in thesense that it is not for self-display in society, but for one'sown spiritual advancement. Utter isolation of the individualSilence and seclusionhelpful for meditationfrom social surroundings is almost alwaysconducive to unhampered prosecution ofmeditation. The ancient yogis took tomountains and caves in search of completeseclusion. Great quiet and undisturbed silence are essential forattaining success. However, it is not necessary for persons to go tomountains and caves in search of these conditions. Even in townsa little care and trouble can secure for the aspirant the quiet, silenceand seclusion necessary to facilitate and promote progress in thedifferent forms of meditation.Darkness or closing one’s eyes is not absolutely12The subtle body is the seat of desires and vital forces.The mental body is the seat of the mind.