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<span
style='mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;'><font size="4">Meditation</font><o:p></o:p></span></b></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'><b><i><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></i></b></p>

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mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'><span
class=GramE>COLLECTIVE meditation, of which the most external form is
collective prayer, has been practised since ancient times for different
reasons, in different ways, and with different purposes.</span> Groups of persons,
whether belonging to the same Church or not, come together to express a common
feeling; in certain cases, it is to sing together in praise of God, to chant a
hymn of gratitude, expressing love, adoration, thankfulness. <span
style='mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>In<b> </b></span>other cases, there are many
historical examples of this – people gather together for a common invocation,
to ask something from the Divine in the hope that a prayer done collectively
will have more effect than an individual prayer. Thus, in <st1:place>Europe</st1:place>
prophets announced that in the year one thousand of grace there would be the
end of the world; everywhere crowds assembled to implore the divine protection
and to pray that the catastrophe might be averted. More recently in modern
times, when the king of England, George <span style='mso-bidi-font-weight:bold'>VI,<b>
</b></span>had an attack of pneumonia and was almost on the point of death,
the British people gathered not only in churches but even in the streets in
front of the royal palace, to pray in common and to ask God to save their king.
This is of course a most external form, I could say, a most worldly meditation
in community. Besides, in all groups of Initiation, in all spiritual schools of
ancient times and naturally in modern times also, meditation in community has
always been practised; here the purpose is evidently very different. People
gather together to make a collective progress, to open themselves to a force, a
light and an influence; it is somewhat like that which we all try to do here.
There are two ways to proceed, and both are excellent. For individual
meditation, first of all, one must prepare to meditate, that is to say, after
sitting down in a posture, at the same time comfortable enough not to be too<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<span
style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;'>Page – 117<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;mso-line-height-alt:11.75pt;
mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>cramped, – and
not too comfortable either lest you should fall asleep, one establishes the
calm and the silence, not only externally but internally and then one gathers
as far as possible one's consciousness which is generally dispersed in all
kinds of thoughts and preoccupations. One brings back the consciousness as completely
as one can, and concentrates it in the region of the heart, towards the solar
plexus, so that all the active energies which are in the head, all which make
the brain active are turned and concentrated on this point. This may be done
in a few seconds, or in a few minutes. It depends upon each one; when you have
prepared yourself in this way, you have the choice between two attitudes:
active and passive.</p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:12.45pt;mso-line-height-alt:
11.75pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>What
I call an active attitude is to concentrate on the person who guides the
meditation with the will to open yourself to receive what is being given to you
or to the force with which you are put in contact. It is active, because here
there is a will which acts and an active concentration to open yourself to
someone or something.</p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:11.0pt;mso-line-height-alt:
11.75pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>The
passive attitude is simply this: after having concentrated in the way I told
you, to open yourself as one opens the door: imagine that in the centre of the
heart there is a door, then you open the door and remain still and silent in
expectation, Naturally, you may use any other similar image; for example, the
image of a book that you open completely, a book with all the pages white, that
is to say, very peaceful and then wait for what happens.</p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:11.5pt;mso-line-height-alt:
11.75pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>These
two attitudes are equally effective; you may adopt one or the other, according
to the day, according to the occasion, according to the mood you feel disposed
to. Or you may adopt one and hold to it if it is easier for you and if it is
more advantageous.</p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:.15in;mso-line-height-alt:
11.75pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>Now,
in our special case, I will tell you what I am trying to do.</p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:12.0pt;mso-line-height-alt:
11.75pt;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; line-height:150%; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>It
is now nearly one year that we had one Wednesday the Manifestation of the
Supramental Force. Since that moment the Power is working very actively, even
if very few people are able to perceive it; and I think that the time has come
now to help it as much as we can by making an effort towards collective
receptivity. Of course, the Force is not only acting in the Ashram, it is
acting in the whole world and everywhere;
<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<span
style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;'>Page – 118<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;line-height:150%;mso-pagination:
none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'><span class=GramE>wherever</span>
there is receptivity it is working; the Ashram does not have exclusive monopoly
or receptivity in the world. But as we are all here, knowing more or less what
has happened, we can collectively, – individually I hope everyone is doing his
best to profit by the circumstances – facilitate its action by trying to unify
the ground, produce a particularly fertile soil, so that the maximum of
collective receptivity may be obtained and that there be the least possible
wastage of time and energy.</p>

<p class=MsoNormal style='text-align:justify;text-indent:10.05pt;line-height:
150%;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none; margin-top:0; margin-bottom:0'>Now
that you have been warned, it is for you to make an effort in this direction.<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p></p>

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<span
style='font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:12.0pt;'>Page – 119<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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