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1. The brain is a very subtle and sensitive instrument, furnished with many fine senses which, in meditation, receive messages from the unseen world and stimulate ideas far above normal human thought. The brain does not produce these ideas, but receives them from the spiritual, invisible world above and interprets them in terms of the conditions and circumstances familiar to men. Some people receive such messages in dreams; others in visions; and yet others during waking hours in meditation. Prayer enables us to distinguish between the useful and the useless among messages thus received, because in real prayer, light streams out from God and illumines the innermost, sensitive part of the soul, which is the conscience or the moral sense. Rich colours, fine music, and other wonderful sights and sounds from the invisible world are reflected in the inner part of the brain. Poets and painters, often without understanding their real source, try to interpret in their poems and paintings these invisible realities impinging upon them. But the man of meditation touches the heart, as it were, of such realities and enjoys their bliss, as his soul and the spiritual world, from which they come, are closely akin.
2. Sometimes when visiting new places we feel as if we have been already there or as if we have some unknown connection with them. For this, three explanations may be offered. First, some one else who had visited the places may have thought about them and, without our knowledge, communicated his ideas to us in a mysterious way. Secondly, we may have seen other places like them, and the memory of the similarity may have appeared to our minds in a new form. Or thirdly, a reflection of the unseen world may have fallen on our minds, because our souls are connected with that world, and often, without our knowledge, we are being influenced by impressions from that world. This world is a copy of the invisible world—in other words, the manifestation of the spiritual world in a material form. Our thoughts are being constantly affected by the resemblance between the two worlds. When we spend enough time in meditation, this connection between the two worlds becomes more and more distinct and clear.
3. In meditation the real condition of the soul is revealed. While engaged thus, we are, in a sense, giving an opportunity to God to speak to us and to bless us with His richest blessings.
Whatever we suppose, no thought, word, or deed is ever wiped out. But it is imprinted on our soul—in other words, recorded in “the book of Life.” Meditation enables us to do everything in the fear and love of God and to keep clean the entries in the book of Life upon which our future bliss or pain depends.
4. God is infinite and we are finite. We cannot indeed fully understand the infinite God, but He has created in us a sense which enables us to enjoy Him. The ocean is vast and we cannot see all its immense expanse and know all about its great treasures. But with the mere tip of our tongue, we can feel at once that the ocean is salt. We have not come to know all that there is to know about the ocean, but we have found out, by our sense of taste, a most important fact about the nature of its water.
5. In fear, anger or madness, men do extraordinary things, breaking even iron chains. This strength is apparently inherent in man but finds expression only when the whole of his energy is directed towards one end. Likewise in meditation man’s strength, reinforced by divine power, can break the bondage of sin and do great and useful work. At the same time, this God-given power, if used in wrong ways, may prove dangerous. Bombs, machine-guns, cannon—how mighty they are, and yet how destructive and dangerous!
6. When absorbed in thought we do not, even though we are fully conscious, notice the fragrance of flowers, the charm of music or the beauty of nature. They seem to have no existence for us. Just so, to people absorbed in worldly things, spiritual realities do not seem to exist. Seeing they see not, hearing they hear not (Matt. xi. 13).
7. One day I saw a flower and began to think about its fragrance and its beauty. As I thought more deeply, I saw the Creator behind His creation, though hidden from my gaze. This filled me with joy. But my joy was greater still when I found Him working in my own soul. I was led to exclaim: “Oh! How wonderful Thou art! Separate from Thy creation and yet ever filling it with Thy glorious Presence.”
8. Christ did not write anything. Nor did He ask His apostles to write down His teaching. This is because, in the first place, His words are spirit and life. He knows that life can be infused only into life, not into the pages of a book. In the second place, other Teachers left behind books, because they were going away from their disciples and they wanted to help them in times of need through their books, which took the place of their living voice. Our Lord, on the other hand, has never left His followers. He is with us always and His living Voice and Presence ever give us counsel. After His Ascension, the same indwelling Spirit inspired the disciples to write the Gospels.
9. If we repeat over and over again the same thought, word or deed, that becomes habit and habit makes character. Therefore, whatever we think or say or do, we must consider carefully what their consequences, good or bad, will be. We must not be indifferent about doing good, otherwise we shall be in danger of losing the capacity to do good. To do a thing well is difficult; to undo a wrong thing and to put it right is still more difficult; but to spoil a thing is altogether easy. It takes much time and trouble to grow a tree, but it is so easy to cut it down. When it is dry and dead, it is impossible to bring it to life again.