Meditation exercise 2. - Candle Flame

Sri Chinmoy writes –

"Kindly imagine inside your heart is a small candle flame. Right now the flame is tiny and flickering, it is not a powerful flame. But one day it will definitely become most powerful and most illumining. So everyday before you meditate, try to imagine inside your heart a flame, a bright flame. And please try to imagine that the flame is illumining your mind. You cannot concentrate to your satisfaction because the mind is not focused. The mind is constantly thinking of many things. It has become the victim of uncomely thoughts. The mind does not have proper illumination, so imagine a beautiful flame inside your heart illumining you. Bring that illumining flame inside your mind. When your mind becomes illumined, it is very easy to concentrate for a long time and also to concentrate more deeply".

Candle flame exercise –

Looking at a burning candle flame with your mind's eye you may only identify with its outer physical characteristics. But now go deeper and look at the flame with your spiritual heart of love. With your full concentration feel that the only object in the universe is the candle flame. Develop a link with the flame's inspiring qualities – its perfection, stillness, purity, radiance, warmth and golden glow.

As you gently breathe in, imagine this small flame burning brightly within the centre of your spiritual heart. With each incoming breath, carry your awareness of the flame deeper and deeper into the inner silence. With each breath the flame grows larger, more and more radiant. Finally the flame floods your entire inner being with its pure radiance and warmth. The flame's source now becomes the effulgent light of your eternal soul.

The flame's brightness and luminosity is now so great that it can no longer be contained by the physical body. It continues to grow and expand beyond the body, radiating out and into the vastness of the universe. The physical body, the vessel for the soul's infinite and radiant consciousness, is flooded by the flame's transforming purity and silence. Unseen but felt, its purifying glow unites us with the Creator and all creation.

Gradually with continued meditation the physical mind's limitations of doubt, fear, jealousy, insecurity and ego are illumined by the radiant light of the soul. Free from the mind's limitations the awakened being ultimately becomes the embodiment of the soul's highest and deepest reality. This transformation, the full realisation and manifestation of our divine potential is the highest goal of meditation.

Next Exercise 3- The heart-flower

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