The Meditation " Muraqaba "

 

Meditation

As they settled in the state of Muraqaba, focusing their attention on their hearts, everything else faded away. The distance separating them shrunk even more, rendering the oceans and lands between them irrelevant.

There were a group of 30 women engaged in an online discussion on the subject of meditation. The participants were sitting in one country, while the host conducted the seminar from another. It was truly remarkable how technology had united them across oceans, facilitating a conversation on a topic that was of utmost significance to humanity.

She knew that breaking free from the conventional nations surrounding meditation world present a challenge. Moreover, there was a vast amount of literature already available on the subject, which meant, one had to be more diligent and put in additional efforts to gather information that was new and unheard of. However, she was happy because she had access to information that the participants would find valuable.

Her spiritual mentor, an authority on the subject, had penned hundreds of pages on the topic. He had made Muraqaba ( meditation) the most important pathway to self awareness, soul cognition, and ultimately, God consciousness.

As she compiled information for the seminar, she found herself attuned to his voice resounding in her heart. A memory of his instructions replayed vividly on the screen of her mind. " Muraqaba," he had said, " is not practiced only with closed eyes. You can practice it anywhere, even with your eyes open. The key is unwavering focus. If there is no focus, nothing will change."

She couldn't help but smile at the realisation that each time she heard his voice inside her, she was fully present in that moment of the past, so much so that she would not realise the difference between past and present moments. The two moments seamlessly merged to become one.

As the discussion ensued, both the participants and she respectfully held space for each other, engaging in relevant questions and answers. One of the participants raised a query, " what if through a busy day, I do not find time to meditate?"

She was gathering her thoughts to respond when her mentor's voice resurfaced, and the screen of her mind replayed another memory of him offering guidance to a woman facing challenges in managing time for meditation alongside her family duties. The woman expressed her struggles with her husband's disapproval whenever she chose to meditate instead of being around their children when they slipped into sleep. For the woman's husband, her presence in the room with his children as they slept was important.

The wise sufi, mindful of delicate balance required in life, had offered his guidance, " Put your children to sleep while remaining immersed in the thoughts of God. Let your body fulfill its duties, while your heart remains in the presence of God. This is" Muraqaba."

The memory unfolded with such speed that she was back to her present state of consciousness whitin a few seconds. She promptly addressed the participant's question, saying, " Rather than sitting aside specific moments through your day for meditation, strive to meditate all through the day by being mindful full and focused in everything you do."

The crowd listened to her wit rapt attention as she provided practical examples of being mindful. " Take, for instance, the simple act of drinking a glass of water. Pick a glass of water, feel the rim of the glass touching you, savor each sip, and observe how it flows down your throat. Being observant of every detail is practicing mindfulness. With time, your mind will automatically slip into focused attention, even during the most mundane tasks. Now through mindfulness, dedicate everything to God and be grateful for all His Mercies."

The questions kept pouring in. " What is the internal eye and why is it important when was already have two physical eyes?" Asked one of the ladies. She remembered a verse from the Holy Quran,

" The heart lied not ( in seeing) what it saw." ( Quran, 53:11 )

She smiled, " Allow me to respond to his questions through a practical demonstration. All of you kindly close your eyes and observe the person you love most in your life."

She saw faces illuminated by a radiant glow, indicating their deep engagement in visualising and feeling their beloveds. After a few seconds, she instructed, " Now quickly open your eyes and observe the person next to you."

Just a few seconds had elapsed, before the interrupted, and said, " okey, please stop observing. Now could you share with me the difference between the two observations?"

The participants eagerly effored various analogies and perspectives. The exercise created quite a stir in the audience. " Let me try to share what I know, " she interjected with humility. " Allow me to share what I learned from my mentor." Pausing for a moment, she continued, " when you observed the person next to you using your physical eye, you were able to see and perceive them in fragments. You had to observe individual aspects such as their face, clothing, shows, or hair, to create a complete mental image of them. In addition to his , you need sufficient time to complete this observation. However, in contrast, when we observe something with our inner vision, or the vision of the heart, no matter what we focus on, we perceive and observe it in its entirely in a matter of a moment. What does this signify?" She waited, encouraging them to contemplate.

" When we see through our physical eyes, we do not see anything in its entirely, Rather, we only witness the fragments, " one participants answered.

" Precisely, " she affirmed. " You have grasped the essence. What we see and infer from our physical observations is limited and never efforts us the whole truth. The dimension you see is different from the dimension I see. We are both limited to the angels from where we observe the world around us."

This realisation brought a profound silence between them. " Are there any further questions?" She inquired. " No! Let's meditate on the heart! " They all said in unison.

As the settled in the state of Muraqaba, focusing their attention on their hearts, everything else faded away. The distance separating them shrunk even more, rendering the oceans and lands between them irrelevant. The grievance they once held vanished. The differences in nationality, colour, and race, became inconsequential. They each reverently set aside their physical bodies whitin the confines of their respective rooms and entered the realm of meditation, transcending as particles of light in the world of light. They had dropped their individual consciousness and were interacting with the universe through their collective consciousness. Their egos lay vanquished; the practice of Muraqaba negated their individuality and pushed them to embrace oneness.

The physical body put to rest with care,

The mind focused on a single point,

The soul takes flight,

Into streams of light,

Aware of the woes of being trapped,

Behind the eyes that perceive illusion,

Its sole purpose now is to unveil,

The visions of the heart that sees nothing but the truth.

Who created though?

" Be empty of worrying. Think of who created thought! Why do you stay in prison, when the door is so wide open?"

( Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi RA)

The above whole topic  from the book is namely Monthly Karachi Qalandar Shaoor ( Neutral Thinking)

( Urdu ____ English )

The meditation is written by Bibi Anuradha (UAE).