True Sadhana

There are three stages of Sadhana (spiritual practice). They are concentration, contemplation and meditation. When you fix your gaze on one form, it is concentration. When this form physically moves away after sometime, you still look at this form with your mental eye. That is contemplation. As a result of this exercise, this form gets imprinted in your heart permanently. That is meditation. If you go on meditating thus, the form remains in your heart permanently. You should not confine your spiritual practices to concentration and contemplation only.

While it is true that these are the first steps in your spiritual practices, you must progress further. You must transform concentration to contemplation and later into meditation. When you transform thus, you will continue to visualize the form of God at all times. The ancient Rishis (seers) adopted this form of meditation. That is why God manifested before them whenever they wished, talked to them and fulfilled their desires.

Sri Sathya Sai Baba