davidji - Secrets of Meditation: A Practical Guide to Inner Peace and Personal Transformation

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Copyright 2012 and 2017 by davidji sweetspot productions

Published and distributed in the United States by: Hay House, Inc.: www.hayhouse.com Published and distributed in Australia by: Hay House Australia Pty. Ltd.: www.hayhouse.com.au Published and distributed in the United Kingdom by: Hay House UK, Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.uk Published and distributed in the Republic of South Africa by: Hay House SA (Pty), Ltd.: www.hayhouse.co.za Distributed in Canada by: Raincoast: www.raincoast.com Published in India by: Hay House Publishers India: www.hayhouse.co.in

Cover design: Charles McStravick Interior design: Riann Bender

Interior illustrations: Courtesy of the author

The author gratefully acknowledges and credits the following for the right to reprint material in this book:

Sandayu the Separate, by Patti Smith, from Babel; used in gratitude with permission from Patti Smith.

There Is a Wonderful Game, from I Heard God Laughing: Renderings of Hafiz; used with sweet permission from Daniel Ladinsky. Thank you for being so gracious about my interpretation of your interpretation of Hafizs interpretation of God.

Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh on the Fool, written by Osho Dang Dang Doko Dang; used in gratitude with permission from the Osho International Foundation.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced by any mechanical, photographic, or electronic process, or in the form of a phonographic recording; nor may it be stored in a retrieval system, transmitted, or otherwise be copied for public or private useother than for fair use as brief quotations embodied in articles and reviewswithout prior written permission of the publisher.

The author of this book does not dispense medical advice or prescribe the use of any technique as a form of treatment for physical, emotional, or medical problems without the advice of a physician, either directly or indirectly. The intent of the author is only to offer information of a general nature to help you in your quest for emotional and spiritual well-being. In the event you use any of the information in this book for yourself, which is your constitutional right, the author and the publisher assume no responsibility for your actions.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data for the original edition

davidji.

Secrets of meditation : a practical guide to inner peace and personal transformation / davidji. -- 1st ed.

p. cm.

ISBN 978-1-4019-4030-0 (tradepaper : alk. paper) 1. Meditation. I. Title.

BL627.D385 2012

158.12--dc23

2012011857

Tradepaper ISBN: 978-1-4019-5308-9

Digital ISBN: 978-1-4019-5411-6

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

1st edition, September 2012

1st revised edition, March 2017

Printed in the United States of America

It all has to come from inside, though, I guess.

JIMI HENDRIX

DEDICATION

This book is dedicated to my dear friend, loving brother, and relentless teacher, David Simon, an amazing being who has touched my life and my heart in more ways than one could ever imagine. He flows through me in each breath I take. He is in my heart with each days meditation, each sunset I drink in, each herb I pick, and each tender moment I witness. Among the countless number of lifelong lessons he has shared with me, he taught me that in each moment and in each interaction we have with people, animals, and our beloved Mother Earth, we have a choice to leave behind either toxic residue (known in Sanskrit as ama) or nourishing vital nectar (known as ojas). This is a lesson I am still learning each day, and it has helped me evolve my emotional intelligence and awaken my emotional digestive fire so that I could move beyond much of my constricted conditioning, make more nourishing choices, and share more selflessly with the world.

I have always trusted his heart, and that has taught me to trust mine.

When the sky is dark and the stars are out, it brings me back to the innocence and sweet atmospheric vibration of our morning hikes and late-night strolls. I think about how deeply we shared in hundreds of quiet conversations as we toured the world from Dublin to Vancouver, Miami to Alaska, London to Whistler, Oxford to Los Angeles, and everywhere in betweenwith the universe as our witness, we shared our hearts, our dreams, our truest essence. The stars tell the whole story every night and they will forever.

David introduced me to Daniel Ladinskys interpretations of the great Sufi poet Hafiz. The poem There Is a Wonderful Game speaks so sweetly of our undying connection. Please accept it in deepest reverence.

There is a game we should play,

And it goes like this:

We hold hands and look into each others eyes

And scan each others face.

Then I say,

Now tell me the difference you see between us.

And you might respond,

Hafiz, your nose is ten times bigger than mine!

Then I would say,

Yes, my dear, almost ten times!

But lets keep playing.

Lets go deeper,

Go deeper.

For if we do,

Our spirits will embrace

And interweave.

Our union will be so glorious

That even God

Will not be able to tell us apart.

There is a wonderful game

We should play with everyone

And it goes like this

To you, my timeless Sufi master, may you laugh and love with Hafiz every day.

CONTENTS

No doubt youve heard the expression Silence is golden. Yet in this modern era, treasuring the experience of a quiet mind has not been that resonant in our world consciousness. As a practitioner of meditation for many decades and as a physician dedicated to healing and transformation, Ive learned the value of meditation as a tool for quieting the mind is inestimable.

The message that most of us received from an early age is that an active mind is a valuable mind. We clearly need the skills of an awake and creative mind to function, create, achieve, accomplish, and enjoy life. At the same time, the value of a quiet mind is tremendous, though less commonly recognized or appreciated. When the thoughts and noisy chatter of the mind settle, we have access to deeper levels of awareness. And when we can combine these two skill setsthe active mind that allows us to explore the world of form and phenomena and the quiet mind that brings clarity and balance into our awarenesswe are in the best position to determine how to direct our energies and make the most evolutionary choices that will serve us, humanity, and the planet.