Meditation in Sikhism - Known as Simran
Meditation in Sikhism is called Simran. Simran simply means remembering, feeling the presence of someone all the times.
The main goal of being a Sikh is to meet “The Creator” in the life time. The way used is the way of Love. Love for “The Creator” and same Love for “The Creation”.
How to love The Creator?
Well! As we know if we love someone we use to remember him/her a lot, we bring his/her images in our thoughts, in our mind. We cut down to other thoughts and keep thinking about our loved one. We use his/her name a lot in our conversation. So if we love someone the result is a lot more thoughts and speaking about him/her.
Is the reverse true? I mean if we start to talk about someone a lot, start to think about him/her a lot, does the love follows?
According to Sikhism, Yes! In the process we have to start chanting the name, we have to work on slowing down our thoughts about everything else and we need to be able to in control of our thoughts. We should be thinking by our wish, how much, how fast, about whom and how long. This is only possible if we get closer to ourselves, getting closer to ourselves means, listening to your own voice.
Is it easy? Oh boy, not at all!
For me the hardest job is listening to myself. The way is, sit in a corner and chant a world and order your ears to listen to it. Hardest job ever.
In Sikhism the word used is “Wahe-Guru” (meaning of the word later). It is called "GurMantra", Gur- means process or way to do, Mantra- means "mind tool".
I have to say “Wahe” while inhale and confirm my ears listened to it, then “Guru” while exhale and confirm again my ears listened to it. Repeat it as long as I meet the condition of listening.
Very hard to do and could only do for a little while. But since I am trying it, I feel a lot more control over my thoughts and it did wonders in my life. Anger gone, Greed gone, Lust gone, attachment reduced and ego coming down.
There is a youtube video by Sikh Mysticism on the concept of techniques. Please Note: Gurbani means "Writings of Sikh Holy Book named Sri Guru Granth Sahib". Japna means to Chant.
As of my experience so far, I think it’s all vibrations and there is life energy knot tied just under the belly button and the flow of this energy is downward (due to lust, we lost most of energy through seeing, listening, thinking and performing to calm down the lust but it comes back with more power. In Sikhism the way to control the lust is through meditation). Once I start to chant “Wahe” and inhale and then “Guru” exhale, it goes deep and deep down towards the belly button and this energy stirs the energy gathered down there. The feeling can’t be explained but only be experienced.
Gurbani says that this energy is in the shape of Lotus and it is upside down in ordinary persons and so the energy flow towards lust. But the chanting of Gurmantra (Wahe-Guru) takes the practitioner to a stage where the inhaling and exhaling with the sound "Wahe" and "Guru" respectively, so deep that the lotus starts to twist up and in right position, from there the actual journey starts to meet The Creator. This video doing Simran by another Sikh named Mohinder Singh Detroit, stuns me!
