At least once a month, I attend a meditation group, called Satsang, at a local church. We meet to discuss the teachings of Eknath Easwaran, watch videos of his talks, read selections from his books, and meditate.
Eknath Easwaran
Eknath Easwaran came to the states from India to teach his eight point program. He was originally a Fulbright fellow, but he eventually devoted his life to teaching meditation and the allied disciplines. He wrote many books, including Passage Meditation in which he outlines the program.
The Eight Points
The eight points are as follows:
- Passage Meditation—slowly and silently repeating a passage taken from a spiritual text
- Mantram—using every spare moment to repeat a time-honored spiritual word or phrase
- Slowing Down—avoiding hurry and living at a relaxed, meditative pace
- One-pointed Attention—focusing on one thing at a time
- Training the Senses—disciplining the mind and body to transcend likes and dislikes
- Putting Others First—being attentive to the needs of others and putting them before our own needs and wants
- Spiritual Reading—spending time daily reading from the mystics
- Spiritual Community—meeting with like-minded people for fellowship and meditation
Sri Easwaran teaches that these eight points work together. The last seven points help us to deepen our meditation and lead us to experience more peace and joy in our lives.
Satsang
At Satsang this past Tuesday, we had a potluck. As we ate we discussed how difficult it is to train the senses. Case in point—I ate too much. And I wasn’t the only one.
After we ate, we discussed training the senses some more. The introduction to the discussion questions made a valuable point. When we discipline ourselves to forego a small sense pleasure, we build a foundation for a lasting joy.
That really struck me. I suspect that the reason I have reached a plateau in my meditation and feel out of control in my life is because I sleep too much and eat too much. I am sacrificing joy for the sake of transitory pleasures. If I really want to experience the joy that does not depend on circumstances, I need to give up self-indulgence.
New Resolve
I left meditation with the resolve to regularly remind myself of the cost of self-indulgence. So far, it’s made it a little easier to get out of bed in the morning, even though I still hit snooze. I’m getting up a little earlier than I was, and every small victory is worth celebrating.
How About You?
How do you indulge yourself? Have you ever experienced deeper joy when you’ve refrained from sense-indulgence? Share in the comments.
