NJ Bridgewater
26 July 2018
What is meditation? How can we meditate? What are some of
the best methods of meditation? And what is its origin, history and purpose?
All of these questions—and more—are answered in this latest volume of the Five
Ways to Be series. I have studied these questions in great depth and the result is my latest book: Meditation: Five Ways to Master your Mind, Body and Spirit, which is now available in Kindle format and in paperback. For USA-based reader, click here for the Kindle version and here for the paperback (UK readers click here for the Kindle version and here for the paperback). For those who want to know more about the 'Five Ways to Be', I would suggest that you also check out my previous book: Mindfulness: Five Ways to Achieve Real Happiness, True Knowledge and Inner Peace.
Meditation is, at its core, about finding one’s self and
achieving a sense of true inner peace and balance. We live in a world of chaos
and confusion, materialism and noise. Meditation is about cutting out that
noise, eliminating distractions, looking within oneself, and discovering the
power and potential that lies within. The fundamental premise of the Five Ways to Be is the innate nobility of human beings and the need to unleash that inner
strength through cultivation of spiritual practices and discipline.
In the first book in the Five Ways to Be series, I described five steps to achieving inner balance and peace,
including detachment and virtue, radiant acquiescence, magnanimity,
contemplation and enkindlement. I also described a practical method of
achieving each one of these states. The method for achieving a state of
contemplation is meditation. While some methods of meditation were described in
the first book, the topic was only covered in a cursory manner. In this second
volume of the series, meditation is described in much greater detail, including
five main methods of meditation, along with five additional methods which are
described in Chapter VIII.
The main meditation methods described in the book include
mindfulness meditation, loving-kindness meditation, mantra meditation,
meditation on the Divine Word, and meditation on the Divine Being. Additional
meditation methods include Vipassanā (Insight) meditation, Zazen, Qigong
meditation and Kundalini (Shakti) meditation. In addition, the book describes
the history and origins of meditation, ten of the main benefits of meditation,
five steps for further improvement, and a large collection of quotations on
meditation for further inspiration.
What’s more, I go into the background and
origins of meditation, which he traces back to the Indus Valley Civilization,
which flourished from 3300 – 1300 BCE in South Asia. I also trace its
development within the Hindu scriptures, such as the Upanishads, and its
connections with yoga and the development of Buddhism. Furthermore, I examine meditation within the context of Ancient Greece, the philosophy of Pythagoras
of Samos (c. 570 – 495 BCE), as well as in Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
Sufi meditation methods are also explored, including the practices of dhikr (recitation),
fikr (thought), muraqabah (meditation), and muhāsabah
(self-examination), along with the concept of fanā’, which means annihilation
of the lower self. These are all discussed and compared to other meditation
traditions.
If you are interested in meditation and want to explore its
depths, this book can help you to achieve your goal. As in my first book on mindfulness, I weaves together a number of divergent
traditions, scriptures, practices and methods into one consistent narrative of
spiritual development and enlightenment. I finds common themes, teachings and
practices across a number of ancient belief-systems, tracing their historical
development and current practice. In short, if you want to learn how to
meditate and understand the theory and practice behind meditation, then you
need to add this book to your collection. Meditation: Five Ways to Master yourMind, Body and Spirit is a guidebook and worthy companion on the path to inner
peace, balance and tranquillity.
LINKS FOR MORE INFORMATION:
NJ Bridgewater (2017) Mindfulness: Five Ways to Achieve Real Happiness, True Knowledge and Inner Peace (Five Ways to Be, Book 1) (Abergavenny, UK: Jaha Publishing), 280 pages, published: February 23, 2017. Paperback. URL: https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Achieve-Happiness-Knowledge-Inner/dp/099573691X/ ; Kindle version: https://www.amazon.com/Mindfulness-Achieve-Happiness-Knowledge-Inner-ebook/dp/B06WWQ3P4M/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8 (accessed 26/07/2018)
NJ Bridgewater (2018) Meditation: Five Ways to Master your Mind, Body and Spirit (Five Ways to Be, Book 2) (Abergavenny, UK: Jaha Publishing), 458 pages, published: July 20, 2018. Paperback. URL: https://www.amazon.com/dp/0995736928/ ; Kindle version: https://www.amazon.com/Meditation-Five-Ways-Master-Spirit-ebook/dp/B07FTPJNN8/ (accessed 26/07/2018)
NJ Bridgewater (2017) How can we achieve true happiness and inner peace? (article) Equanimity Blog, 8 February 2017. URL: https://fivewaystobe.wordpress.com/2017/02/08/how-can-we-achieve-true-happiness-and-inner-peace/ (accessed 26/07/2018)
