How to Meditate as taken from the AA book "12 steps and 12 Traditions" chapter Step Eleven
Twelve and Twelve Page 99:
The actual experience of meditation and prayer across the centuries is, of course, immense. The world’s libraries and places of worship are a treasure trove for all seekers. It is to be hoped that every A.A. who has a religious connection which emphasizes meditation will return to the practice of that devotion as never before.
But what about the rest of us who, less fortunate, don’t even know how to begin? (this was me)
Well, we might start like this. First let’s look at a really good prayer. We won’t have far to seek; the great men and women of all religions have left us a wonderful supply. Here let us consider one that is a classic. Its author was a man who for several hundred years now has been rated as a saint. We won’t be biased or scared off by that fact, because although he was not an alcoholic he did, like us, go through the emotional wringer. And as he came out the other side of that painful experience, this prayer was his expression of what he could then see, feel, and wish to become:
Eleventh Step Prayer:
“Lord, make me a channel of thy peace—that where there is hatred, I may bring love—that where there is wrong, I may bring the spirit of forgiveness—that where there is discord, I may bring harmony—that where there is error, I may bring truth—that where there is doubt, I may bring faith—that where there is despair, I may bring hope—that where there are shadows, I may bring light—that where there is sadness, I may bring joy. Lord, grant that I may seek rather to comfort than to be comforted—to understand, than to be understood—to love, than to be loved. For it is by self-forgetting that one finds. It is by for-giving that one is forgiven. It is by dying that one awakens to Eternal Life. Amen.”
As beginners in meditation, we might now re-read this prayer several times very slowly, savoring every word and trying to take in the deep meaning of each phrase and idea.
Here we see how AA suggests to mediate and what their way of mediation is. AA mediation techniques were not taken from the Eastern/Buddhist styles of mediation that became popular in the 1970's. They used biblical mediation practices (refer to the AA mediation history document) The 12 and 12 book was written and published in 1952. So AA's way of meditation is what is known as CONTEMPLATIVE or CONCENTRATIVE * meditation. This is where one concentrates thoughts on a particular idea or concept. Here we see AA suggesting the same in the 12 and 12. They say they concentrate and deeply "take in" the meaning of the prayer and what it says. They use constructive imagination to apply the ideas of the prayer to their daily lives.
(please see the essay at http://silkworth.net/dickb/meditation.html for excellent information on early AA's meditation techniques)
A great example of this is from the Book "Dr. Bob and the Good Old Timers." It explains Dr. Bobs meditation practice.
Dr. Bob’s morning devotion consisted of a short prayer, a 20-minute study of a familiar verse from the Bible, and a quiet period of waiting for directions as to where he, that day, should find use for his talent (Dr. Bob and the Good Old timers, p. 314)
Twelve and Twelve:
It will help if we can drop all resistance to what our friend says. For in meditation, debate has no place. We rest quietly with the thoughts of someone who knows, so that we may experience and learn. As though lying upon a sunlit beach, let us relax and breathe deeply of the spiritual atmosphere with which the grace of this prayer surrounds us. Let us become willing to partake and be strengthened and lifted up by the sheer spiritual power, beauty, and love of which these magnificent words are the carriers. Let us look now upon the sea and ponder what its mystery is; and let us lift our eyes to the far horizon, beyond which we shall seek all those wonders still unseen.
“Shucks!” says somebody. “This is nonsense. It isn’t practical. ”When such thoughts break in, we might recall, a little ruefully, how much store we used to set by imagination as it tried to create reality out of bottles. Yes, we reveled in that sort of thinking, didn’t we? And though sober nowadays, don’t we often try to do much the same thing? Perhaps our trouble was not that we used our imagination. Perhaps the real trouble was our almost total inability to point imagination toward the right objectives.
So again, here we see AA suggesting using our imagination inspired by the 11th step prayer to think about how we ought to conduct ourselves throughout the day. We think about how we should be in our relationships at home, at work and in our dealings with others. All inspired by the 11th step prayer or other spiritual readings.
Twelve and Twelve:
There’s nothing the matter with constructive imagination; all sound achievement rests upon it. After all, no man can build a house until he first envisions a plan for it. Well, meditation is like that, too; it helps to envision our spiritual objective before we try to move toward it. So let’s get back to that sunlit beach—or to the plains or to the mountains, if you prefer.
When, by such simple devices, we have placed ourselves in a mood in which we can focus undisturbed on constructive imagination, we might proceed like this: Once more we read our prayer, and again try to see what its inner essence is. We’ll think now about the man who first uttered the prayer. First of all, he wanted to become a “channel.” Then he asked for the grace to bring love, forgiveness, harmony, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy to every human being he could.
This idea of bringing love, forgiveness, harmony, truth, faith, hope, light, and joy to every human being he could is at the core of of AA spirituality. It is in how we behave and how we are with others that our spirituality and doing a Higher Power's will is demonstrated. AA spirituality is very much about Faith without works is dead.
From page 99 of the Big Book:
Now we need more action, without which we find that “Faith without works is dead.” Let’s look at Steps Eight and Nine.
Twelve and Twelve:
Next came the expression of an aspiration and a hope for himself. He hoped, God willing, that he might be able to find some of these treasures, too. This he would try to do by what he called self-forgetting. What did he mean by “self-forgetting,” and how did he propose to accomplish that? He thought it better to give comfort than to receive it; better to understand than to be understood; better to for-give than to be forgiven.
Here we see another example of what AA spirituality is all about. It's again about our behavior with others. How exactly can I attempt to understand than to be understood? Well, personally I find I used to like to talk a lot. I always wanted everyone to listen to ME! But now, as an AA trying to stay recovered the AA way I try to listen more. I make en effort to listen and understand especially if someone is in distress or upset. I'll listen, then perhaps ask questions. A demonstration of selflessness. This is often very useful in working with sponsees which, of course, another important part of the AA program. The 12th step.
Twelve and Twelve
This much could be a fragment of what is called meditation, perhaps our very first attempt at a mood, a flier into the realm of spirit, if you like. It ought to be followed by a good look at where we stand now, and a further look at what might happen in our lives were we able to move closer to the ideal we have been trying to glimpse. Meditation is something which can always be further developed. It has no boundaries, either of width or height. Aided by such instruction and example as we can find, it is essentially an individual adventure, something which each one of us works out in his own way. But its object is always the same: to improve our conscious contact with God, with His grace, wisdom, and love. And let’s always remember that meditation is in reality intensely practical. One of its first fruits is emotional balance. With it we can broaden and deepen the channel between ourselves and God as we understand Him.
* Reference Wikipedia:
In the West, meditation techniques have sometimes been thought of in two broad categories: focused (or concentrative) meditation and open monitoring (or mindfulness) meditation.
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