Simran

[Guest guest01]

When doing simran, is it okay to focus on an image in your mind (e.g. Sri Guru Grath Sahib Jee)? I have been trying to do simran without focusing on an image. Someone suggested to me that I try to keep my focus by repeating Vaheguru out loud and listening to what I am saying instead of focusing on an image. I have tried this but I am still having a hard time concentrating. I feel that I need an image in my head in order to focus on God. I just wanted to know what the sangats views are and if they have any suggestions that would be great. THank you!

Vaheguruuuuuuu...

[Khalsa_Girl_1]

When doing simran, is it okay to focus on an image in your mind (e.g. Sri Guru Grath Sahib Jee)? I have been trying to do simran without focusing on an image. Someone suggested to me that I try to keep my focus by repeating Vaheguru out loud and listening to what I am saying instead of focusing on an image. I have tried this but I am still having a hard time concentrating. I feel that I need an image in my head in order to focus on God. I just wanted to know what the sangats views are and if they have any suggestions that would be great. THank you!

Vaheguruuuuuuu...

GurFateh jio

when you say "Vahiguru"...what exactly is on your mind?

i mean....the way i do it...is like

i say Vahiguru..

BUT..like

i dont just say it...ya know what i mean?

like

you have to actually know what youre saying

Vahiguru= God is Great.

so i dont just ya know..sit there and say "Vahiguru"

i know before...that like...i knew that Vahiguru was a holly word ya know..

but like after i found out what it meant..i actually say it in my mind

like...

thats how i concentrate.

in my mind, im actually saying "God is Great."

which is what Vahiguru means init....

but yeah...its ok if you picture something.... i guess

as long as you know that youre somehow "achieving bliss" i guess..

sorry if that didnt help jio..

and yes..

lol

everyones different :TH:

peace...

GurFateh.

Rab rakha.

[Guest Guest]

Eeryone is going to have a different approach to meditation. How you develop your conncetion with the Almighty has no bearing on how I connect with the Almighty or how Khalsa Girl connects with the Almighty.

Our paths are our own. We make our own decisions in life, hopefully not based on other people's decisions. Similarly, we find what works best for our brains, minds, and souls. We develop connections with Vaheguru through various methods. Some use deep breathing exercises, some use vivid imagery, others find solace in absolute nothingness.

How you connect with God is entirely up to you. I have heard, read, and been told that training your mind to react in a standard way everytime you do simran calms your mind down. For example, if you, for watever reason, trained your mind to think about a juicy Burger King Veggie Burger everytime you said Vaheguru, you would probably still make some sort of spiritual progres, simply based on the fact that your mind is concentrating on one particular thoguht.... if your mind starts thinking about the pickles, or about a side order of Mozzarella Sticks, then you may not make much progress....

achieving oneness of your mind is probably the most important aspect of meditation. Other aspects like maintaining a positive posture and stuff is good too, but ultimately whatever you can do to achieve singularity in your mind is what'll help you progress.

Therefore, if that means a "picture" of Sri Guru Granth Sahib Ji helps you concentrate on "Vaheguru", then by all means, do your tang.

[Pheena]

When doing simran, is it okay to focus on an image in your mind (e.g. Sri Guru Grath Sahib Jee)? I have been trying to do simran without focusing on an image. Someone suggested to me that I try to keep my focus by repeating Vaheguru out loud and listening to what I am saying instead of focusing on an image. I have tried this but I am still having a hard time concentrating. I feel that I need an image in my head in order to focus on God. I just wanted to know what the sangats views are and if they have any suggestions that would be great. THank you!

Vaheguruuuuuuu...

That too is fine, as long as you keep in mind that this image that you are holding on to is just a tool for your mind to hold on to when it tries to run in thousand different directions. Images can provoke deep devotional responses which can aid the meditator. I say go with the flow of things, if it works for you so that your mind becomes silent, then i don't see any reason to not do this. But keep in mind that what you are using is just a leash for the mind, so that it can become more silent. Pray for guidence before you begin your meditation.

[Guest Guest]

I think it is okay to think of the Guru Sahibs and other things that *remind* you of God / *reflect* God in your mind. For example, if you're doing simran and sometimes slowly imagining the Guru Sahibs or even having a vision of great Gursikhs like Sant Jarnail Singh ji and the Singh Fauj walking through Harmandar Sahib, you are feeling the power of Simran in your body because you realize, feel, and experience the *VAHEGURU* INSIDE of those singhs, that was driving them, feeding them, surrounding them, penetrating their souls, minds bodies lives, etc...

So I feel that it is ok to think of that stuff when you are doing simran as you can connect the entire world through Vaheguru and simran. Sometimes while doing simran I envision trees and nature and beauty and water and Gursikhs and Sach Khand and Guru ji and the Panj Pyare and that whole power and energy that radiates all of us and radiates this world, uniting every single BEING and LIGHT on this earth with that drop of Amrit, that Vaaheguru, that resides in all of us, all beings, human or not.....

Therefore, I think it's fine to do what you're describing, as long as it is not distracting you from Simran and making you 'feel' the simran even more

[saihaj]

say from mouth, listen from ear and judge(understand, think) from mind. if these three are working , you can concentrate. if you say'WAHEGURU', think that it means god is great.

concentration comes with practice. continue with your habit of doing meditation while sitting, standing and working too, it will help you to concentrate too.

i'm also trying my best , but it is very diffficult.

[Guest Guest]

WAHEGURU JI KA KHALSA, WAHEGURU JI KI FATEH

Bandaginama book discusses this point. Bhai Sahib states that he started out meditating with an image in mind. Though it helped facilitate concentration at an earlier stage, he noted that when he tried to go above a certain level of meditation, it became the roadblock that was very difficult to get over and contemplate the Almighty outside the confines of a physical image.

You can read about that and other topics of spirituality here:

http://www.westernssa.com/resources/docs/B...2bandaginama%22

(Relevant page is page 71).