Meditation & Its Practices

Swami Adiswarananda (1925–2007), former senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India, was Minister and Spiritual Leader of the Ramakrishna-Vivekananda Center of New York.

• PrefaceIntroductionPart One The Process of Meditation1. The Meaning of Meditation2. The Meditative State3. The Goal of Meditation4. The Benefits of Meditation5. Meditation in the System of Yoga6. Meditation in Vedanta7. The Sacred Texts on Meditation8. The Three Key Factors in All MeditationPart Two Objects of Meditation9. Objects of Meditation in Yoga and Vedanta10. Meditation on a Divine Form11. Meditation on a Divine Incarnation12. Meditation on the Lord as Inmost Self and Supreme Teacher13. Meditation on Virata Purusha, the Cosmic Person14. Meditation on the Sacred Word Om15. Meditation on the Gayatri Mantra16. Meditation on the Great Vedic Sayings17. Meditation on a Sacred Text, Word, or Mystic SyllablePart Three Centers of Consciousness18. The Centers for Meditation19. Dualism, Nondualism, and the CentersPart Four Methods of Concentration20. Withdrawal and Concentration of Mind21. Posture22. Time and Place, Spiritual Vibrations, and Geographical Directions23. Physical Condition, Eating Habits, and Exercise24. Self-Analysis25. Mystic Worship26. Japa, or Repetition of a Sacred Word27. Pranayama, or Control of BreathPart Five Progress in Meditation28. Milestones of Progress29. Mystical Experiences and Realizations30. The Transformation of Character31. The Sacred Texts on Progress in MeditationPart Six Obstacles in Meditation32. Obstacles in Meditation and Ways of Overcoming ThemNotesGlossaryBibliographyIndex

"Fills a long-standing gap in the contemporary literature on meditation. It is a most helpful exposition of the Vedantic perspective on the inward-turning consciousness, which covers all the important and theoretical aspects of the meditative path."—Georg Feuerstein, PhD, president, Yoga Research and Education Center"This book is one of the finest works on meditation I've ever encountered. Deeply embedded in the Hindu tradition, it is thorough, eminently practical, inspiring and effective. I highly recommend it."—Brother Wayne Teasdale, author, Bede Griffiths: An Introduction to His Interspiritual Thought and A Monk in the World“Presents meditation as a universal form of worship—the key to our true well-being and our highest fulfillment. Swami Adiswarananda's personal qualities of vigor, authority and conviction will inspire readers to pursue the spiritual adventure of meditation with determination and joy.”—Kendra Crossen Burroughs, annotator, Bhagavad Gita: Annotated & Explained and Selections from the Gospel of Sri Ramakrishna: Annotated & Explained