Guided Meditation: The Bearded Mystic Meditation (Version 1)

It's important that when we are talking about non-duality or we are meditating upon non-duality upon this Brahman, this Formless Awareness, sometimes it can seem rather dry we can sometimes feel that we can't relate to this Brahman, this Nirguna, because it's attribute-less and therefore it can be quite difficult to create a relationship with this. And that's why it's very important if you're on the spiritual journey that you have an ishta-devta, someone that you look up to, someone that can guide you a Guru that can help you, not only build your own boat, but give you the training to sail the ocean of samsara, this world, this universe, and this ishta-devta that can ground you as well. Sometimes, if you just keep thinking of Nirguna Brahman you can fall under the delusion that I'm over the ego. There is no ego, therefore, I'm over it now. But what we find is the ego then subtly grows and becomes more intense. So in today's meditation session that I would like to do, is to create that relationship, create that unifying oneness and establish ourselves in It, as It. If we can first begin with just simple breathing, as you have been doing inhale and exhale. Now, when you inhale, instead of just thinking of inhaling the breath, inhale Brahman, the attributes of Brahman. So think of the, all pervading, Sat Chit Ananda. Sat is the whole of existence, this Being of existence, Chit, this Consciousness, Your awareness, and Ananda bliss. If bliss is hard to understand right now, think of happiness. Breathe in Sat Chit Ananda. Breathe in Existence, Consciousness, Bliss or happiness. Then exhale any pain, suffering, conflict, exhale that out. Then again, breathe in Sat Chit Ananda. Existence, Consciousness, Bliss, happiness, compassion, kindness, peace. And then exhale, the conflict, the suffering, the challenges, the separation, the negative emotions, breathe that all out. And then again, inhale that peace, joy. Sat Chit Ananda. Existence, the whole being, the whole universe, this oneness breathe it in. And then exhale. Let's do this for a couple of minutes. As you're breathing in, you may find that your center, your heart is expanding. Let it expand. Let it grow. As you're breathing in, if you have an ishta-devta, so that can be your Guru. It can be Shiva Ji Krishna, Guru Nanak Dev Ji, Lao Tzu, Buddha any deity, whoever is your Ishta-Devta, when you're breathing in absorb their presence. There may come a point when you're exhaling, you've let go of all the conflict, separation, negative emotions, pain, suffering. You may have let go of all of that. Then just keep breathing in and breathing out the same way. Just remember there is a unity in your breathing in and breathing out now, if you get to that Oneness. Breathe in and remind yourself that your Ishta-Devta is Sat Chit Ananda. Existence Consciousness Bliss. Let your Ishta-Devta expand and let it keep expanding. Let it keep growing, getting larger and larger so that it covers the whole of existence. Allow that love to flow from your heart, from the center of your Being. Feel the divinity of the Ishta-Devta, of Saguna Brahman, of Ishwara in each and every particle of existence. It is the Ground of Existence. The Ground of Being. As you feel that oneness with the whole of existence, the ground of being, you will start seeing that you are aware of this Ground of Being. You are aware of the love that is present. You are aware of the all pervading aspect of the Ishta-Devta, Saguna Brahman. Like the blank screen Nirguna Brahman and its reflection is this Existence. No matter what is projected as Existence, Awareness remains Pure as it is. Formless as it is. Shapeless, as it is. No matter what happens in this Ground of Being, this Shared Being, this existence. Awareness remains unblemished. Consciousness remains unblemished, unperturbed, unmoved. Absolutely Still. Centered. And you see this as One Unifying Wholeness. Complete in Itself. You do not see duality in Existence and Consciousness. You see it as all One. And naturally when we are united and understand that we are this oneness, this Nirguna Brahman, this Pure Awareness, this Formless Awareness. Then we automatically feel bliss. We feel Anand, we feel joy without any end. As this Nirguna Brahman, this Awareness remains As It Is. Likewise Bliss Ananda is side by side. You cannot have one without the other. As I said it's complete. So soak in that Ananda-Avastha, the blissful state. And that is what happens as a natural response, a natural consequence of Being in Oneness. Being one with your Ishta-Devta. Being one with Nirguna Brahman, it naturally brings in joy, brings in ecstasy, brings in bliss. For a few moments, let's allow that bliss to emerge and rest in our Being. Bliss or Ananda may arrive in waves and you may observe them as waves in the beginning, but remember the waves have an origin, which is the ocean. So allow the waves to become the ocean and feel the oceanic expanse, the spaciousness of Bliss, ever-expanding, Infinite and Eternal. Allow this love to capture you into this Oneness. This is extremely powerful, if you can within your heart, allow the sound of Aum to reverberate, to vibrate in this ocean of Bliss. So allow this ocean of Ananda, of Bliss, of Aum, allow it to rest in your Heart. So that when you leave today's meditation session, whatever you see, perceive, hear, touch, you should see all that as the Ground of Being, as Sat as Existence. This Existence that is One with You. And that also is the vibration or the reverberation of Aum or Brahman of this Formless Awareness. And the more we do this as a self remembrance, the more deeper our meditation can go. So when you're ready, open your eyes.