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The basic purpose of meditation in Sophian Christian Kabbalah
The most basic purpose of meditation in our Christian Kabbalah is going within and living within so that we might be guided from within – living within, rather than on the surface, and being empowered to consciously respond to what is transpiring, rather than living in reaction; the surface consciousness, name and form and personal history, is the primary manifestation of egoistic self in our experience – thus, in meditation we seek to go into the depth of being, and deeper still, into the depth where God and Godhead indwells. It is all about recognizing and realizing the Light-presence (Messiah) and Light-power (Holy Spirit) in us, and drawing forth that Divine Light from within us.
Such is the basic intention of meditation – communion in the Divine Presence and Power; but also empowerment to live according to the Divine Presence and Power, to walk with the Divine Presence and Power in our daily living. Yet, there are many different forms of meditation, and through the different forms various aims may be accomplished, from self-purification and illumination to healing and extending spiritual assistance to others, so the purpose of meditation can be diverse in terms of spiritual work that may be accomplished.
The Sophian method is a path of *integral self-realization*, however, thus meditation does not stand alone in our spiritual life and practice – it is coupled with the active reception of teachings and fellowship, sacred discourse, study and contemplation, prayer and sacred ceremony, as well as acts of loving-kindness or active compassion, and seeking to live according to the essence of the Gospel, the Spirit of Truth. In other words, meditation is only a part of the spiritual life and practice among Christian Mekubalim, though indeed, in our view, an essential part – the foundation or cornerstone.
In much the same way that a person can learn to pray without ceasing, the same is true of meditation – we can learn to abide in meditation at rest or in motion, and this is the aim in the Sophian method.
The Gnostic experience is threefold: It is the development of higher states of consciousness; the opening of consciousness to new dimensions, inner or metaphysical dimensions; and it is direct knowledge of the Divine and conscious union with the Divine – God and Godhead. Various forms of meditation are essential to this process of conscious evolution or self-realization; then, what is recognized in meditation must be actualized and realized in our daily living, *embodied*.
There is something more to be said of the purpose of meditation in our Christian Kabbalah, however, for we seek to actualize the truth of the resurrection and ascension, the enlightenment and liberation of the mind or soul-stream; hence we labor for the development of consciousness beyond the body, and the development of the continuity of awareness throughout all states of consciousness, whether waking consciousness, sleep and dream, or death and the afterlife – interestingly enough, in our experience, this development of consciousness beyond the body is at one and the same time the infusion of consciousness into the body. While this development and evolution of consciousness does not come to its fruition by meditation alone, in my experience I do not see how it would come to pass apart from it.
Thus, through meditation, coupled with other aspects of the spiritual life and practice, we seek direct experience of the resurrection and ascension in this very life, while in these bodies; hence, Gnosis of Hayyah Yeshua, the Risen Messiah.
The noble ideal of meditation, as with all spiritual practices among Christian Mekubalim, is actualization and realization of the Indwelling Christ, this Light-presence and Light-power in us; hence being and becoming a *true human being*, the dwelling place of the Divine Presence and Power.
The very nature of all authentic spirituality is moving beyond the klippah (husk) of the egoistic self, a movement towards self-transcendence; the cause of our bondage, all sorrow and suffering, all evil, is self-cherishing, desire and fear – by one means or another we must grow out of this or bring this to cessation. We find meditation an integral part of this process as much today as at any time in the past – if egotism is stronger today, then in our view the need for meditation is even greater.
That said, what comes in meditation means precious little if it does not serve to transform and empower us in the spiritual life, or if the Truth and Light revealed in our experience is not actualized and realized in our daily living; believing in the Messiah, or even experiencing the Risen Messiah, means little or nothing if the essential of the Gospel, the Spirit of Truth, is not lived and embodied. The difficulty with focusing on meditation alone is that all too often “spirituality” becomes isolate to individual’s sessions of spiritual practice, compartmentalized, as it were, and quite separate from the actual person and daily living – this is of little value in terms of an integral self-realization, or the actual enlightenment and liberation of the soul.
It is, indeed, fair to say that these are extremely dark and perverse times, and that radical egotism – the desire to receive for self alone, is like a wildfire in them, consuming many souls in its path; in Gnostic Christian terms, the dominion of the demiurge and shadow of the demiurge has grown stronger and more intoxicating, even dominating much of modern spirituality – spiritual materialism is rampant, and so also egoistic clinging to expectations of personal enlightenment, the desire to receive enlightenment and liberation for self alone. This, however, is strongly addressed by the Sophian Gnostic view, for our aim is not personal salvation, or personal enlightenment and liberation, but rather our aim is a *universal salvation*, the enlightenment and liberation of all sentient beings – active love and compassion. Our meditation is, in truth, for the sake of others and for its own sake – empowerment to be of the greatest possible benefit in service to others and to the Divine; this is the Path and there is really no other goal but the Path – in Christian terms, “the love of Christ.”
You might say it is all a question of what empowers us in the activity of loving-kindness; in this we find meditation to be one of the essential keys.
Advice for the Novice
If you are just beginning meditation practice it is best to begin with shorter sessions of practice and, then, as you gain skill and confidence, allow your practice to grow into longer session. For example, if you are completely new to meditation, then five to ten minutes of primordial mediation is ideal, whether following breath, resting the mind on an object or merging the mind with a chant. As you get used to sitting daily you can extend the practice to fifteen minutes, then twenty minutes, thirty minutes and so on. Eventually it is quite nice if we can sit for an hour, if not daily, then periodically when time allows; but that is something we are wise to grow into over time.
If we just launch into longer sessions at the beginning, getting carried away with our initial zeal, it can become a self-setup for failure – going too long and having a negative experience is not going to help us build up our continuum of spiritual practice. In fact, it will likely create an aversion to meditation and eventually we are likely to stop daily practice. Quality is always better than quantity – one minute of genuine meditation is far better than an hour of internal struggle. This is not to say that there is not a time to push our limits or to seek to generate a greater capacity, but at the outset is not the time for it.
When you practice, even at the beginning when it is only for five or ten minutes, it is good to take little breaks from the method – for every two of three minutes, perhaps take a minute break. During the break, let go of the method and relax a moment, though maintain the state of mindfulness and alertness. Quite often we find that during such “breaks” is when meditation actually happens spontaneously. Thus, taking breaks is advisable for intermediate and advanced meditation practitioners, as well as for beginners – it is skillful means, for in the midst of our “trying” meditation does not happen, but relaxing while remaining awake, the state of meditation naturally arises.
The basic aim of primordial mediation is to relax, yet remain awake and alert, aware of what’s happening within and around oneself, without attachment or aversion; it is a state of being – abiding in the presence of awareness. The method is just a way we shift out of the state of the ordinary mind into the presence of awareness – a way we bring our mind to rest in its own nature. The difficulty is that it is so very simple at the outset we tend to complicate it, and our habitual psychic tensions can prove difficult to relax – but it is simple, and with time it becomes easy.
It is true, actual realization or enlightenment requires significant development of the spiritual life and practice, and deep meditation, so that if our aim is actual realization we will have to develop our capacity in spiritual practice. However, a gradual development will prove far more stable than fitful and radical leaps, generally speaking; a development that is clear and consciousness, and inspired from within oneself by one’s own desire for higher consciousness, is best. The extent to which we take up the spiritual life and practice depends entirely upon our aim – our call in the Spirit and what we seek from our spirituality. Some practitioners are seeking a Spirit-connectedness and a general spirituality in their lives, while others are seeking to unfold actual Self-realization; the spiritual life and practice of an individual will reflect this. You must simply be clear about what you are seeking and your path