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Spend the first two or three days observing these bodily needs and tendencies. Take your time with yourself. This is not a race or contest. After this period you will be ready for the second phase of this practice - bringing the mind to one-pointedness.
Developing One-Pointedness
Sit and watch inside until you feel comfortable, quiet and calm. With your eyes still closed, imagine a beautiful flame in the centre of your brow. It is a clear yellow-white flame sprouting upwards. It is exactly at the centre of your brow. See it there.
If this is easy for you to see, make this practice part of your meditation and continue to do it every day. Some people find this visual imagery very difficult. If you do not see the flame, or if it will not come easily into your imagination, then light a real candle and set it at eye level in front of you. This is best to do in a darkened room. The background behind the candle should be very plain. Sit and watch the candle for two minutes. Now close your eyes and visualise the beautiful flame coming in the centre of your brow. Relax and bring it inside you. If you have difficulty, open your eyes and look at the candle for a short while again. Do this two or three times for a few moments each time, but no more than that. Be very careful not to strain or overexert your eyes.
For the first week, relaxation and concentration are your lessons. Relax your body, watching its needs. Observe your mind's vagaries and fancies. Then concentrate on this flame, remembering its deep meaning. This meditation will give you an understanding of your centre. With an understanding of your centre, you will then learn how to command the circumference.
Extracted from: Realise What You Are: The Dynamics of Jain Meditation, by Chitrabhanu, Jain Publishing Company, 1978, Freemont, California. Pujya Chitrabhanu is a writer and speaker of Jainism and has lectured all over the world. He is founder of the Jain Meditation in New York.
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Jain Spirit
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A altarpiece with multiple Jinas - Jain Art from India Exhibition, V&A Museum, London
July-September 1999
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