How Passage Meditation is Helping my Personal Relationships

Meet Arti, a YA living in Foster City, California. This week Arti shares how Easwaran's eight point program of passage meditation is improving her personal relationships

Anytime I asked my Mom about my baby years, she had only one story to tell me: that if someone came to visit us, I used to cry my heart out until he left! Imagine how embarrassing that would be for my parents! But has the situation improved? A bit I suppose… I don’t cry anymore!

I must have heard this story many, many times but it is only lately that it struck me that this could be an indication of a samskara (Sanskrit word meaning rigid habit) that still needs to be addressed. I still find myself uncomfortable around people. I can be a good host but most of the time the magic wears off after a few days.

When I started this practice, I noticed that I could understand the underlying samskara in other people’s behavior. But only after 9 years of practice can I now see the underlying samskara behind MY behavior. It is not a great feeling but it is a relief to be out of the blind area of Johari’s window at last!

Till a few months back I would have said, “People test my patience”. But now I can see that I have been dancing to the tunes of my self-will… somewhere that baby was still crying!

Easwaran’s wisdom in his words is boundless.  His words are pragmatic and burst with meaning with experiential knowledge. I must have read these words many times, "The egocentric person is not only cut off from the mystical experience; he is also unable to enjoy the world." These words wouldn’t have made much sense to me had I not witnessed the play of my ego puppeteering my senses! I still don’t know how I understood it, but I know that it couldn’t be possible without practicing the eight points.

“If you want to go fast, go alone. If you want to go far, go together.” - African proverb

The greatest benefit of this practice is not to be able to understand others, but to understand myself. It helped me relate to people’s behavior but I could really value its worth when I could see the reasons/ samskaras behind my own behavior.  Slowly but steadily I could see myself following Easwaran’s words, "But from now onwards, by building our lives on meditation, we can learn to stand firm in situations where we used to crumble, stand loving and respectful when we used to get resentful, hostile, or vindictive."

A Passage for July

Sometimes, in this fast-paced world that we live in, it can be good to take the time to slow down, to quiet ourselves, to withdraw our attention from the myriad external stimuli of modern life so that we can deepen our meditation and extend the peace we gain during those thirty minutes each morning to the rest of our day. No wonder Easwaran made slowing down one of his eight points!

We on the YA Blog Team live in big cities, full of sights, sounds (and smells) and people rushing about. No matter where we live, we can often feel the hurry and distraction of modern society, from smart phones and the internet to work deadlines and traffic. This month we chose a passage that reminds us that seeking the peaceful silence within can be a great source of calm and strength.

This passage’s source, The Ortha Nan Gaidheal, is a collection of prayers from the Celtic Christian tradition, a tradition that sought to sanctify all aspects of daily life, however mundane. Whether the act be waking up, going to bed, lighting a fire or walking into a room, this tradition had a blessing to go with it, reminding us that divinity is all around us and within us.

So, we invite you this month to join us in memorizing and/or putting into your passage rotation “Silence,” from The Ortha Nan Gaidheal.

We would love to hear from you in the comments! What benefits do you feel you would gain by meditating on this passage?

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Silence – The Ortha Nan Gaidheal

I weave a silence onto my lips.
I weave a silence into my mind.
I weave a silence within my heart.
I close my ears to distractions.
I close my eyes to attractions.
I close my heart to temptations.

Calm me, O Lord, as you stilled the storm.
Still me, O Lord, keep me from harm.
Let all tumult within me cease.
Enfold me, Lord, within your peace.

Choosing Passages for All Eight Points

Here at the YA Blog Headquarters, we were recently discussing ways to strengthen specific points in our individual practice of Easwaran’s eight-point program. One way that we were reminded of is to choose passages from God Makes the Rivers to Flow that speak to the qualities that we wish to strengthen.

Towards the end of God Makes the Rivers to Flow, after all the passages, there is a section titled “Recommended Passages for Specific Uses.” In the newest edition of the book, this section begins on page 279 and includes passages recommended for various issues, qualities, or phases of life.

The basic idea behind passage meditation is that we become what we meditate on. So, if we wish to strengthen our application of the sixth point, putting others first, we could turn to the back of God Makes the Rivers to Flow to page 282, and under the sub-category “Putting Others First” find a recommended passage that will inspire us to put others first.

These lists at the back of the book are a great place to start, but are by no means exhaustive! And passages inspire different people in different ways. To help us get started in finding a passage to reinvigorate each of the eight points, we chose one passage for each point.

1. Meditation on a Passage: "You Must Forget Yourself in Prayer" by Dov Baer of Mezhirech, p. 61
2. Repetition of a Mantram: "Singing Your Name" by Meera, p. 217
3. Slowing Down: "Silence" from The Ortha Nan Gaidheal, p. 150
4. One-Pointed Attention: "The Fruit of the Tree" by Kabir, p. 234
5. Training the Senses: "The Nectar of Immortality" from The Amritabindu Upanishad, p. 84
6. Putting Others First: "Discourse on Good Will" from The Sutta Nipata, p. 104
7. Spiritual Fellowship: "United in Heart" from The Rig Veda, p. 102
8. Spiritual Reading: "Be Aware of Me Always" from The Bhagavad Gita, p. 241

Each of us came up with a different plan on how we’re going to use them. For example, one team member wanted to focus on Putting Others First for the next week and so is adding "Discourse on Good Will" into the rotation.  Another team member is going to systematically cycle through the points. There are so many options!

As always, we’d love to hear from you! Share in the comments some of your favorite passages for strengthening one (or more!) of the eight points.