How Can I Make Meditation Fun?

[Beginner]

WJK WJF

Anyway I can make meditation more enjoyable? Sitting down to recite Waheguru, my mind wanders and it seems difficult to stay interested. Any tips to keep me going so to speak? Also, how can I recite Waheguru all day long? Thanks

[Amarjodh Singh]

The mind is like a piece of gold, it has impurities in it. But when you burn it, slowly the impurities filter out and are removed.

Waheguru Jaap is just like the burning process, you are slowly getting rid of the dirt from your mind, hence why it wonders. As these thoughts are rising to the surface, you just got to let them pass and you will be left with gold.

Keep at it and slowly you will find that you will be able to concentrate for longer before your mind wonders. hope this helps.

[11Gurus1Jot]

It's more about finding the medidation 'type or method' that suits you. Try a few different Gurdwara to see if they meditate in different ways (although it will all be Gurmantar or Mool Mantar everyone does it slightly differently

[Jonny101]

Nothing fun about it. Doing simran or meditation on Naam is something you have to do by defeating your mann. Your mann will try all sorts of tricks to make you not meditate like thinking about worldly matters, distracting your attention, making you feel bored. But you need to "convince" your mind that it's not going to work on you anymore and you will meditate on Naam no matter what. If you do simran daily, your mind will itself get used to it. Don't try to make it fun, just do it.

[S1ngh]

Just stick with your schedule or stay strong to sit for whole time. Thoughts will come and go but i notice that it is very important that we need to stick and stand firm on ground. At first you feel uncomfortable and have the gut feeling of not geting spiritually blessed while you sat to meditate on naam simran, just don't get discouraged.. continue with you plan to sit daily and evenutally with guru jees blessing time will come where one will start enjoying naam simran.

Just like dog will never leave his/her master even after getting bad treatment and that dog will continue to live, protect and love his master. We human should learn that habit of loving our waheguru regardless of dukh, sukh we face in our lifetime. I consider jumping mind while doing nitnem, simran as dukh..

[osingh]

To increase concentration and anand from Gurbani paath we should learn to recite Gurbani properly (shudh). There are different schools in regards to ucharan but you should learn to recite nitnem banis with correct pronounciation and then move on to other other baanis.

We should learn arths (meanings) of baanis. Understanding the baani we are reading will increase concentration.

If we try to remember God all day, to good actions, keep rehit, read Gurmat literature and abstain from activities that take us away from God then our concentration amritvela, will increase.

I do not think it is right to say we are 'not interested' in baani. Baani is the from the the highest adobe, Sachkhand, which was then uttered by our Guru Sahiban and various Bhagats. This baaniis full of Anand (happiness) and Shaant (peace). As per sri Anand sahib ji, Gurbani is the highest of all baanis.

Doing paath, kirtan and arths of Gurbani is always a spiritual experience that is not available anywhere else. We do not have to pay for it or be born into a high cast to read this baani. This great baani was gifted from Akal Purakh to Guru Nanak Dev ji who in turn gave it to the world.

Please read this great article from gurmatbibek.com:

When juice for sugarcane is extracted, it is placed between two rollers. If there is space between the rollers, then maximum juice is not extracted. Closer the rollers are to each other, more the juice that comes out. Same way, when we don't keep our mind under control and allow space in the mind for alien thoughts to come, we can't derive full Rass and Laaha from Gurbani Paath.

When we do many Paaths of Siri Jap jee Sahib or Siri Sukhmani Sahib, we must ensure that maximum Laaha or Rass is extracted from each Paath. If we let our mind wander around, then surely we do extract Laaha but the Laaha is much less than Paath done in concentration. There is no limit as to how much Laaha we can extract from just one Paath of Siri Jap jee Sahib. So how can we derive maximum Laaha from each of the Paaths we do? We require, at least the following ingredients or factors to derive maximum Laaha:

1. Dhyaan (concentration): Dhyaan means to not let the mind wander anywhere but within the Baani we are reciting. When non-Gurbani alien thoughts enter our mind, they prevent us from extracting maximum Laaha from it. Dhyaan is kept in Dhuni (sound) of Gurbani and simultaneously in Arths (meanings) in order to bring Vismaad and Anand.

2. Prem (love) and Shardha (devotion): Paath done with Prem and Shardha brings immense Laaha and Rass and Paath that is devoid of Prem and Shardha is dry, and does not give Rass. Prem and Shardha is kept in Guru Sahib who is the Author of Gurbani. More we love our Guru Sahib, more lovingly we will do Paath of Gurbani.

3. Vishvaas (faith): We must have Vishvaas in Guru Sahib's Baani and believe that this Baani alone is the truth. For Gursikhs, Gurbani is Brahma's Ved and Gurbani alone is all the required Gyaan. Faith should be such that we must actually believe that Gurbani alone is the light of this world and nothing is more powerful than Gurbani. No problem, disease, accident, person is greater than Gurbani. When a Gursikh who has faith in Gurbani, utters Shabads like "ਤਾਤੀ ਵਾਉ ਨ ਲਗਈ ਪਾਰਬ੍ਰਹਮ ਸਰਣਾਈ ॥ ਚਉਗਿਰਦ ਹਮਾਰੈ ਰਾਮ ਕਾਰ ਦੁਖੁ ਲਗੈ ਨ ਭਾਈ ॥੧॥ ", then indeed a Kaar or protection wall gets erected around that Gursikh. It's all about Vishvaas. A faithless person can't derive much Laaha from Gurbani.

4. Arth-bodh (understanding of Gurbani): Arth-Bodh of Gurbani is required to understand and fulfill the Hukams of Gurbani and also aid in getting Dhyaan. After many Paaths of Siri Jap jee Sahib or Siri Sukhmani Sahib, when one's mind stands still, then the Dhuni (sound) of Paath alone gives Rass but if a Gursikh also concentrates on the Arths of Gurbani, then one's mind goes into Vismaad. Vismaad augments Anand and gives more and different Anand. Another reason why Arth-bodh is important is that without Arth-bodh, Shudh Uchaaran that includes pronunciation and proper Bishraams (pause), is not possible. In short, Arth-bodh aids greatly in getting Dhyaan in Gurbani, doing Shudh Uchaaran and understanding and obeying Hukams of Gurbani.

Since we do Gurbani Paath, then why not give it our full effort because we are spending the time to do Paath anyways; so we might as well derive maximum Laaha from it. It is very tragic to see us spending time on Gurbani devoid of the four ingredients mentioned above.

Another thing is that Dhyaan, Prem, Shardh and Vishvaas etc. are not attained by doing just regular Nitnemi Paaths. Nitnem is the bare minimum. A Gursikh should spend all his day and night in Gurbani and Naam. Dhyaan, Vishvaas etc. come after Ghor-Ghaal-Kamaaee (massive) of Gurbani Paaths. Gursikhs who are serious about getting somewhere spiritually, spend maximum time in doing Paath and Naam Simran.

May Guru Sahib enable us to do Paath in such way that we may derive maximum Laaha and Rass from it.

Bhul chuk dee Muafi jee.

Daas,

Kulbir Singh

Link: http://gurmatbibek.com/forum/read.php?3,16986,17013#msg-17013

[DalbirSingh]

You can meditate sitting, lying down or standing or any other yogi posture. Do simran while jogging or helping people out, do it when showering, if you struggle sitting down use a mala to help concentration divert from everything keep your attention away and dedicate that time. You can try be creative, go gym and meditate.

[1kAuR1]

Gurfateh!

I prefer the self mind trick method- recommended by Giani Thakur Singh Ji DDT. If doing mool mantar (out loud) then recite wahgeuru after each aakhar e.g. Ek Ounkaar Waheguru Satnaam Waheguru Karta Purakh Waheguru. etc. This keeps you focusing as you are trying to concentrate and get it right. After 40-50 recitations you might find you have the hang of it, then stop saying Waheguru out loud (here say it in the mind) and continue it mool mantar out loud. It should start jaap of Waheguru inside you.

Also when trying to concentrate on Bani use the same method at the end of each bhangti say waheguru and do the same for the rest of the Bani. This should help with concentration and is a beautiful way to recite Bani.

This information was taken from Gianijis katha on Sukhmani Sahib paath.

Best of Luck

Gurfateh!