If you hate reading fat tomes, this is the book for you! It is slim, concise, clearly and simply written, with no pretentious philosophizing. It has actually got me started on meditation, when I was convinced that I was ‘no good’ at it. I was ‘accustomed to a negative state of mind’, as regards my ability to meditate, but as the book points out, anyone can do it- it just requires some persistence and intention.
The book has 15 short chapters, each one focusing on a point. At the end of each chapter is a two or three word injunction and one sentence summary of what it means. These injunctions are all listed at the end of the book. For example, chapter one is headed 'Pay Attention'; its injunction is ‘Decide!’ followed by the sentence ‘Meditation always proves to be restful and relaxing’. Here are the rest of the chapter headings and their injunctions, with a brief summary of each chapter.
|
Heading |
Injunction |
Summary |
Pay attention |
Decide!
Meditation always proves to be restful and relaxing’ |
The first step is to make the decision to meditate by paying attention to all that you do. |
Look within |
Sit still
Meditation gives you a positive outlook |
We need to learn to look within by: sitting still, focusing on a practice, witnessing |
Make an Investment |
Relax!
Meditation expels all tension from the body |
Seriously engage in the process by: dedicating the time, making it part of your life; persisting in your chosen technique |
Improve Your Health |
Be Strong
Meditation makes you Self Reliant and helps you attain inner strength |
How meditation benefits your health by e.g. reducing blood pressure, reducing mental tension, reversing ageing |
Correct Your Posture |
Be patient
Meditation is a simple technique that almost everyone can enjoy. |
Explains the correct way to sit giving different poses, e.g. the ‘auspicious pose’ |
Breathe Right |
Control your Breath
Meditation improves with conscious breathing |
Describes different ways of breathing and their benefits. |
Focus Your Mind |
Be focused
Meditation helps you to take charge of your life |
Explains the importance of mental focus & its benefits |
Discover Yourself |
Be Upbeat
Meditation makes you aware of who you are |
Gives advice on how to observe yourself and techniques for calming the mind |
See the Reality |
Open your Mind
Meditation allows you to evolve constantly |
Meditation leads to deeper self awareness. It is not incompatible with religious belief. |
Stop Worrying |
Let Go
Meditation helps you to face your worries and cope with them |
Meditation helps you to deal with worries by focusing the mind & regular practice. |
Turn Stress to Strength |
Do one thing at a time
Meditation helps you to simplify your life |
Describes many useful ways of reducing stress & how to use it |
Heal Yourself |
Surrender!
Meditation is the best way to overcome the ego |
Chanting mantras helps to purify & channel the emotions towards God, ‘transcend the opposites’ and overcome the lower self through the higher. |
Enjoy Life |
Be yourself
Meditation improves your relationships |
How meditation helps you to greater detachment, more enjoyment of the material without attachment, connect to the divine within you and others & therefore better relationships. |
Reach Out |
Think from the heart
Meditation makes you true to yourself |
Meditation is listening to God. It helps you to be more compassionate, more creative, and better able to pray |
Expand your Consciousness |
Believe in Yourself
Meditation is your path to who you really are |
Meditation helps you to use the power of your ‘subconscious’** mind to rid yourself of unwanted frustrations and fears & transcend inner conflicts. It will enable you to achieve your goals. Six steps in this process are outlined. |
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The advice given in this book is very much in tune with some of the teachings of ASK, for example, the emphasis on the will, the importance of self-awareness and focus, the idea of the lower and higher self, the interconnectedness of mind, body and soul (though he does not use the term ‘soul) and the presence of the Divine within us and the world. Also the chanting of mantras and use of breathing could be compared with dhikr practices.
**However, when discussing consciousness, the author uses both the terms ‘subconscious’ and ‘higher consciousness’ as if they had the same meaning. This might confuse the modern mind which has been conditioned to associate the ‘subconscious’ with the Freudian idea of the ‘id’, not at all the same as the ‘higher’ or ‘pure consciousness’ described in the ASK programme. As long as we realize that in this book ‘subconscious’ means ‘higher consciousness’, we will not get confused.
