How Beginners May Participate

Those who have not learned to meditate, but would like to join in meditation on the Full Moon Days may follow this simple procedure:

(1) Sit as straight as you can on an even, firm but cushioned surface

(2) Relax your forehead

(3) Relax your facial and physical musculature

(4) Bring your awareness to your breathing.

(5) Breathe slowly, gently, smoothly, evenly; without jerk or sound in the breathing

(6) Now feel the touch and flow of the breath in the nostrils

(7) Let there be no pause between the breaths; as one breath is completed, begin to feel the next breath flowing and touching in the nostrils

(8) After a few breaths, choose

• (a) whichever name of God is your favourite according to your tradition or religion,
• (b) or a sacred but short phrase or prayer word from your scripture or tradition
• Some suggestions are as follows :
• (a) Those who wish to follow the Himalayan tradition may use the sound so in the in-breath and ham in the outbreath, without a break in the cycles of ham-so with the breath
• (b) The Sikhs may use : Vaah-e-guru
• (c) Muslims may use the word Allah
• (d) Christians may use one of these :
• Jesus,
• Ave Maria,
• Hail Mary,
• Maranatha (Aramaic)
• Kyrie eleison (or Greek)
• (e) Mazdayasnians (Zoroastrians, Parsees) may use any of these :
• ahura mazda
• ahuu va-iryo
• esham vohu
• but for total beginners of the Mazdayasnian tradition the best recommendation is to use the phrase
• vohu-mano
• (f) The Jainas may use
• Om,
• Om hreem, or
• Hreem arham
• (g) Those who prefer total nirguna, transcendental, trans-qualitative divinity may use only Om
• (h) The Buddhists may use the word Buddho to start with
• (i) If you do not believe in a form of divinity or spiritual incarnation and so forth,
• exhaling, think Ooooonnnne (One)
• inhaling, think twwwooooo (Two) –
• without a break in this count with the breath

• (9) Exhaling, think that phrase; inhaling think that phrase.

The phrase is not to come in the mouth nor on the tongue;

it must me only a mentation.

(10) Let there be no break between the breaths,

nor between the incessant flow of the thoughts of the same phrase

(11) As soon as you become aware that you have lost the flow and other thoughts have begun to arise, re-start the same procedure

(12) Sit for as long as you wish.

(14) Let the quietness of the mind continue even after you rise

(13) If you practice this even for 2-3 minutes at a time many times in the day, you will notice subtle changes in yourself for the better

(14) Whatever you will do repeatedly with the mind, that will become the mind’s habit; calming the mind repeatedly will return your mind to its calm nature.