Meditation is key to Personal relationships.
Everyone has them. Everyone needs them. But they can be a source of pain as well as pleasure. So how can meditation in general and Transcendental Meditation in particular help?
Last night Vicki gave a great little talk on how to improve your personal relationships. Listen to this summary HERE. 12 minutes
The main point is to take care of the higher self – the Self. How to do that? … read on or listen to the podcast.
She points out you can only be to others what you are to yourself. You cannot love another if you do not love yourself.
If you are in a relationship it should be based on fulness, not on need.
When we start to meditate its like we start to move out of the little hut we are living in, and if we meditate long enough we eventually move into a palace. This is the process of remembering who we really are. Its called “smiriti” in sanskrit, literally “that which is remembered.”
The more this happens, the more successful will our personal relationships be.
She read a number of quotes from Maharishi including:
“The ego searches for short-comings and weaknesses. Love watches for any signs of strength. Love opens all doors no matter how closed they may be, how rusty from lack of use.
What role do personal relationships play in our path of personal development? As a starting point, if we wish to improve a relationship it makes sense to start with ourselves. Vicki pointed out the most important relationship we can have is with ourself. No one can offer sustenance from an empty cup. So nurture yourself with good diet, enough rest and regular exercise. And meditation of course.
Maharishi points out in his Science of Being and Art of Living that when we are faced with negativity our best response is indifference – regard the bearer of bad tidings as our cosmic postmaster. And we never criticise – why make him weaker?
Then a member of the audience asked but how do we actualise all this in practice? Vicki’s response was – “meditate regularly, and if necessary use the other techniques you learned from Maharishi.
Maharishi often pointed out that in a relationship if both are in it for gain – then no-one gets. “Maximum expansion is only possible when both meet on the platform of giving.”
“This is called ‘selflessness’ … it would be better to call it ‘Self-ness.’
“If one is not open to infinity, then one only has finite to give. So to have maximum to give one should live infinity.”
By this he of course means to contact the transcendent regularly using the simple practice of Transcendental Meditation.
“Without meditation, friendship is hanging on selfishness.
“The key to all successful relationships is to have heart and mind fully developed.
So the key to relationships is to take care of your Self – to meditate regularly.
The basis of successful relationships is our level of pure consciousness – which is so easy to develop with Transcendental Meditation.
So here are Six Ways to improve your Relationships:
- Surround yourself with roses – choose your friends carefully.
- When you are upset, use the technique of putting awareness on your body and feelings rather than acting it out. Self disclosure helps a lot here. Say “I feel so … when you … so please …”
- Negative emotions hurt your health and health heals the emotions – so look after yourself.
- If you want help have an attitude of giving. If you want to be loved, be loveable. If you want to heal yourself, help heal others. Your happiness is in direct proportion to your ability to forgive.
- Practice regular Transcendental Meditation.
- Understand your emotional makeup by getting to know something about ayurvedic body types: Vata needs warmth. Pitta needs suggestions rather than being told what to do. Kapha needs loving and affection.
