Question: How does the will operate during meditation?

Sri Chinmoy: You have to know what kind of will: the physical will, vital will, mental will or psychic will? If you mean the physical will, it enables you to keep your body firm, but not stiff. You will not move to and fro during your meditation. Your physical will will keep you properly stationed in one place during your meditation. Vital will controls the outgoing energy. When used in a negative way, it will make you want to dominate others. While you are meditating, you may also be thinking of your friends. You may have some desire to show them that you are far superior to them. This is what the vital will does. The mental will is operating when you think that you know much more than others.

These things are on the negative side. Although the physical will is positive when it keeps you sitting quietly, it is not enough. You can use your physical will to feel that you are receiving energy from above. When you are using the vital will, you will feel that you have spread your wings to cover each and every individual in the whole world. And when you use the mental will, you can keep thoughts from entering into your mind. Also with your mental will you will be able to project your intense life of aspiration into the entire world. If you use the psychic will, which is the heart's will, then you will feel that you have become inseparably one with the rest of the world.

Now, which will do you want to utilise during your meditation? During meditation, it is always safe to use your psychic will, heart's will or oneness. If you establish your oneness with God, with me and with the disciples, then you are safe. Psychic will is the will of freedom. If you want freedom from bondage or ignorance, or from anything else, then oneness is the thing that you need.

From:Sri Chinmoy,The quintessence of Knowledge-Sun, Agni Press, 1987
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