MEDITATION CHAMBER 5

PART ONE

The Importance of an Ethical Foundation

Purify the mind first through the practice of right conduct and then take to the practice of concentration. Concentration without purity of mind is of no avail.

Some foolish, impatient students take to concentration at once without in any manner undergoing any preliminary training in ethics. This is a serious blunder.

There are some occultists who have concentration. But, they have no good character. That is the reason why they do not make any progress in the spiritual line.

(Swami Sivananda, Bliss Divine)

PRACTICE

The Seven Bodies

Master Samael outlines this practice in several books.  Here is an excerpt from Igneous Rose, chapter 17.

Meditation is the esoteric discipline of the Gnostics.

Meditation has three phases: concentration, meditation and samadhi.

Concentration means to fix the mind on one single thing.  Meditation means to reflect on the essential contents of that thing itself.  Samadhi is ecstasy or rapture.

A master of samadhi enters all planes of consciousness, with the Dangma eye he examines all the secrets of the wisdom of the Fire...

The disciple, lying on his bed with his hands crossed over his chest, will meditate deeply on the physical body, saying to himself, “I am not this physical body.”

Then the disciple will meditate deeply on his etheric body, saying to himself, “I am not this etheric body.”

Then, immersed in profound internal meditation, the disciple will reflect on his astral body and will say, “I am not this astral body.”

Now the disciple will meditate on his mental body, and will say to himself, “Neither am I this mind with which I’m thinking.

Then the disciple will reflect on his Will Power, and he will say to himself, “Neither am I this body of the will.”  

Now the disciple will meditate on his Consciousness and will say to himself, “I am not this Consciousness, either.”

Now, finally, immersed in deep meditation, the disciple will exclaim with his heart, "I am the Innermost!  I am the Innermost!  I am the Innermost!"...

Concentration, meditation and Samadhi are the three obligatory paths for the Initiation.

Attention is first of all fixed on the body with which we want to practice. Then, we meditate on its internal constitution, and filled with mystical joy we say: “I am not this body.”

Concentration, meditation and Samadhi must be practiced on each body...