Symbols for Meditation and their Meanings

Meditation Spiritual and Occult Symbols

During the spiritual training a meditator can use visual images, mantras or words, or feelings and sensations (such as compassion, love, peace) as a focus of a meditation.

Thousands of years of spiritual practice short-listed a number of sacred occult symbols of meditation that affect the soul in a special way when it withdraws all attention from the outer world, and focusses on an image, mantra or a feeling.

How to Meditate on Symbols

During the Meditation on Symbols, one focus on a symbol allowing different ideas and impressions into the mind. This is the way to contemplate the symbol.

During the meditation, helped by Rythmical Breathing, we silence the mind and allow our soul to become one with the symbol within the silence. The symbol will inspire our soul to enter deeper meditations.

Meditation Symbols in Buddhism

Buddha Eyes or Wisdom Eyes

Buddha Eyes look at us from all the Tibetan Stupas in Nepal gazing in the four directions to symbolize the all-knowing Buddha.

Between the Buddha's eyes there is the Nepali character for the number 1, symbolizing unity of all things and the Buddha’s all-seeing third eye.

According to Buddhism all beings have the Buddha nature. We all have within us the seed of purity that is to be transformed and developed into Buddhahood.

Dharma Wheel

The Eight Spoked Dharma Wheel in Sanskrit called: 'Dharmachakra' symbolises the Buddha's Wheel of Karma. Eight spokes symbolise the Eight-fold-Noble-Path that is given by Buddha as an instruction towards enlightenment. The 3 symbols in the centre represent 3 jewels or the pillars: the Buddha, the Dharma: his teachings and the Sangha: spiritual community

The Buddha is known as the Wheel-Turner: the One who sets a new cycle of life in motion and changes the destiny.

Meditation on Buddha

Meditating on the image of Buddha or repeating mantras, the ordinary body, speech and mind are purified and transformed into Buddha's holy body, holy speech and holy mind.

Hindu Meditations and Yantras

Sri Yantra

Shree Yantra is considered to be the Queen of all Yantras. Its shape is composed of 9 triangles mystically drawn one within the other on the inside of the mandala. It shows how this basic mathematical pattern governs the evolution of life. The Sri Yantra is believed to be the image of the OM mantra, according to Hindus: the primordial sound of creation.

Yantras are used for inner healing, and meditation. Coming from India and Tibet, since 3000 B.C. yantras have powerful symbolic messages for our subconscious worlds. Every shape emits a very specific energy pattern and a person who meditates on a yantra tunes into this specific frequency.

The Sri Yantra in the 3 dimensional shape (Meru in Sanskrit) is a Pyramid grid signifying unlimited Universe and its abundance. Meaning of Shree is 'Wealth’.

'Meditation means properly the concentration of the mind on a single train of ideas which work out a single subject. Contemplation means regarding mentally a single object, image, idea so that the knowledge about the object, image or idea may arise naturally in the mind by force of the concentration.'

'This form leads to another, the emptying of all thought out of the mind so as to leave it a sort of pure vigilant blank on which the divine knowledge may come and imprint itself, undisturbed by the inferior thoughts of the ordinary human mind and with the clearness of a writing in white chalk on a blackboard... This may be called the dhyana of liberation, as it frees the mind from slavery to the mechanical process of thinking and allows it to think or not to think, as it pleases and when it pleases, or to choose its own thoughts or else to go beyond thought to the pure perception of Truth called in our philosophy Vijnana.'

Sri Aurobindo Meditation Quotes

Sri Aurobindo Spiritual Quotes

Meditation and Images of Gods

Meditation on Shiva

Lord Śiva (Shiva), the Destroyer or the Transformer is one of the three major Gods in Hinduism; he is part of the Trimurti (three forms) that is the Hindu Trinity, that explains that the cosmic energies manifest in three forms: creation, maintenance, and destruction, and they are personified as Bramha, Vishnu and Shiva.

It is Siva who causes bondage and who made Maya (Illusion). It is Siva who makes you realise your essential Divine Nature. Siva created the idea of egoism, Karma, pleasure and pain. It is Siva who offers Moksha or freedom. Om and Siva are one. Siva manifests in the Gayatri Mantra, Agni and in the Sun.

'Concentration and meditation are the royal roads to perfection. Concentration leads to meditation. Fix the mind on one object either within the body or without. Keep it there steadily for some time. This is concentration. You will have to practise this daily. Purify the mind first through the practice of right conduct and then take to the practice of concentration.'

'Concentration purifies and calms the surging emotions, strengthens the current of thought and clarifies the ideas. Concentration helps a man in his material progress also. He will have a very good outturn of work in his office or business house. What was cloudy and hazy before becomes clear and definite.'

'Meditation is of two kinds viz., Saguna Dhyana (concrete meditation) and Nirguna Dhyana (abstract meditation). In concrete meditation the Yogic student meditates on the form of Lord Krishna, Rama, Sita, Vishnu, Siva, Gayatri or Devi. In abstract meditation he meditates on his own Self or Atman.'

Swami Sivananda: Meditation and Concentration with Symbols

Meditation on Symbolism of Venus

Venus is the Goddess of Love. Living love, we start listening to our inner-most being. Touched by the Love Magic we open, and dissolve our boundaries. To choose Happiness as the way of Life, one can train Love. To inspire your meditation you could use for example: Botticelli Venus.

Steiner’s Meditation upon Rose and Cross

‘In my thoughts I look now, for example, upon the rose and say, In the red rose petal I see the color of the green plant sap transformed into red, and the red rose, like the green leaf, follows the pure, passionless laws of growth. The red of the rose may now become the symbol of a blood that is the expression of purified instincts and passions that have stripped off all that is base, and in their purity resemble the forces active in the red rose. I now seek not merely to imbue my intellect with such thoughts but to bring them to life in my feelings. I may have a feeling of bliss when I think of the purity and passionlessness of the growing plant; I can produce within myself the feeling of how certain higher perfections must be purchased through the acquirement of instincts and desires. This can then transform the feeling of bliss, which I have felt previously, into a grave feeling; and then a feeling of liberating joy may stir in me when I surrender myself to the thought of the red blood which, like the red sap of the rose, may become the bearer of inwardly pure experiences.

It is of importance that we do not without feeling confront the thoughts that serve to construct such a symbolic visualization. After we have pondered on such thoughts and feelings for a time, we are to transform them into the following symbolic visualization. We visualize a black cross. Let this be the symbol of the destroyed base elements of instincts and passions, and at the center, where the arms of the cross intersect, let us visualize seven red, radiant roses arranged in a circle. Let these roses be the symbol of a blood that is the expression of purified, cleansed passions and instincts.’

Rudolf Steiner Meditation: Symbol of Cross and Rose, Occult Science

Steiner Quotes on Education

Meditation Symbolism Further Readings

Symbols Example Mantras for Meditation or chanting sacred songs AUM, Aum Mani Padme Hum Yantras or Mandalas. Symbolism of Mandala Yantras are used in the invocation of gods and goddesses in Hinduism Mandalas are used in Buddhism as a tool for meditation Sacred Symbols. Light as Divine Symbol A cross or a rose within Christianity An image of Light An image of Buddha within a Lotus Flower Images of Mystics Saints and Gurus People could have powerful meditation experiences while looking at the face of a saint or a guru A symbolic representation like: Tree of Life Tarot Cards or an Astrological Chart, where the symbols interact one with the other Kabbalah's Tree of Life Meditation on Symbols within the Tree Chakras Kundalini or the Energy Flow (Taoist Meditation) Secret of the Golden Flower Meditation on various chakra, symbols that represent the quality of chakras, colours, or representing mantra sounds. Feelings. Compassion Love Meditation Meditation on the feeling of compassion Meditation on the feeling of peace, etc. Meditation on Numbers Symbolism of Numbers Pythagoras believed that reality is essentially mathematical in nature. Numbers are divine and each has its divine quality.

Alchemy of Love Mindfulness Training and Symbols

The Alchemy of Love Mindfulness Training Courses: Mindful Being and Conscious Parenting are 12 modules courses designed to take the explorer on a very inspiring self-development journey. Exploring the conscious and sub-conscious mind, relationships, true goals and dreams, the courses work with the symbols as the language of the soul, with four elements and their manifestation within our lives, with personal mandalas and dreams.

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