The Silenced Mind

Whether the meditator's needs are worldly or spiritual, this book on Yoga meditation supports both the beginner and those practicing at higher levels. In aiming to help people truly understand meditation, it begins with establishing universal basics. First, the ability to meditate is a natural trait of our species. Second, all meditation is about stilling mind activity. Third, a stilled mind brings the meditator to experience consciousness beyond everyday experience. The author reassures the meditator that there is no "right way." It is important to match chosen practices to the personal life experience. The book's discussion of the historical roots focuses on the ancient Samkhya philosophy, first composed more than 4000 years ago, which is the source of the meditation in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras from 2000 years ago. Since the highest three of the Yoga Sutras eight limbs are at the heart of practices described here, their discussion leads to important understanding leading to good practice. In preparation for presenting meditative practices, the book introduces the nature of alternate consciousness experiences. It discusses the relationships to prayer, mantras, chants, and other religious or quasi-religious practices. It follows that with the needed guidance for meditative sessions, discussing issues of attitude, time, place, props, and body. The chapter presenting methods of practice assigns each practice to one of the three meditative Yoga Sutras limbs. 'Concentration' (Limb 6) practices are perfect for the beginner and developing meditators. 'Meditation' (Limb 7) practices bring the experienced meditator to new levels of consciousness experience. 'Absorption' (Limb 8) practices yield increasingly strong spiritual experiences.

The spirituality upsurge of the 1970s generated a huge interest in meditation. Books began to appear and teachers everywhere felt free to invent their own methods. Doing research to look for an underlying foundation for meditation practice, the author documented 400 practices from 40 books. Few of the books provided an understanding of what meditation is or guidance on how to have a meditation session. He recognized the need for a book with a broad view, providing that understanding and guidance. Since good understanding of meditation greatly enhances its practice, this book provides a broad organized view covering the missing elements of other books. Whether the meditator has needs that are worldly or spiritual, this book supports both beginners and those practicing at higher levels. It starts by stating universal characteristics of all meditation. First, the ability to meditate is a natural trait of our species, and only ours. Second, all meditation is about stilling mind activity. Third, a stilled mind brings the meditator to experience consciousness beyond everyday experience. That stillness of mind comes not just from suppression of thoughts; focused attention, freedom from sensory stimulation, and life style choices all contribute. In recognition that many books portray their preferred practices as the 'right' or 'only' approach, or just fail to provide a wider view, the author assures the meditator that there is no single 'right way,' and that it is important to chose practices symbiotic with the personal life experience. Whether from karma, psychological situation, training, experience, or influence from environment, all meditators have different personalities, needs, and starting points. In the broad view of history, by establishing contact with the consciousness beyond material senses and the mind, mystics and shamans practiced meditation long before 5000 years ago. However, the book's discussion of the historical roots focuses on the ancient Samkhya philosophy, existing at least as early as 4000 years ago, as the prime organized source-underlying all meditation. Although it is not religious in its own right, its meditation has a long interrelationship with Eastern religions and movements, such as Vedism, Vedanta, Hinduism, Taoism, and Buddhism. It is also the source of the non-religious Yoga meditation as described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras about 2000 years ago. Since the highest three of the eight Yoga Sutras limbs are at the heart of Yoga meditation, understanding those limbs is important to good practice. The book provides an uncomplicated perspective leading to that understanding. Preparation for presenting meditative practices describes the existence of everyday material/sensory consciousness, mind consciousness, and several levels of higher consciousness. Further, it discusses the relationships to prayer, mantras, chants, and other religious or quasi-religious practices. Following that, it provides guidance for meditative sessions by discussing attitude, time, place, props, and body. The chapter presenting methods of practice assigns each to one of the three meditative Yoga Sutras limbs. 'Concentration' (Limb 6) practices include such practices as internal body focus, walking meditation, and sensory fixation on objects: they are perfect for the beginner and developing meditators. 'Meditation' (Limb 7) practices include such mental practices as emptiness, linked associations, and focus on prayer or quotations. They bring the experienced meditator to new levels of consciousness experience. 'Absorption' (Limb 8) practices include such cosmic or beyond cosmic experiencing of the Void, outward expansion of consciousness, oneness, and the Presence, yielding increasingly strong spirituality involvement.

In 1936 Beck Anamin's upstate New York life began in a small town. After the eighteen years of family life and education, he earned a bachelor's degree in Geology and a master's degree in Management. Fortunate to be offered a job programming for first generation computers, he began supporting his family with income from the burgeoning field of information technology. His working career in that technology and its management spanned 38 years. In 1970 a huge change came about in his personal life after experiencing several spontaneous spiritual events. Already yearning for that spirituality, he now knew it was possible, and began study and practice of Integral Yoga at Swami Satchidananda's nearby ashram. Two years later, he began what would become 45 years of yoga teaching. Over time he earned additional accreditation and obtained advanced training in pranayama and meditation. His teaching programs expanded from the core Integral Yoga program, to include meditation, pranayama, and the Yoga Sutras. After retiring in 1998 from his twenty-year job as manager of a large Information Technology Center, he bought a house on a pond in New Hampshire. By then alone, the setting enabled further settling into what he calls "No One's Land," a personal mind space free of outside influences, where no one owns people, viewpoints, or the truth. He became further absorbed in his passion for research and writing of his three "Truth" books. Final editing of each took place in 2017.