#30 World in Fire Meditation

Similarly, meditate with undivided attention, that the entire world is burnt by fire. That person then attains the highest state.

Verse 53

When you realize this, your mind becomes calm and you rest in awareness. That is why masters are calm even in the face of a calamity. They know that the entire world may pass away, but they will not. This verse has a great deal of practical wisdom that can be put to use in our everyday lives. Everyone faces problems in their lives. Most people do not enjoy dealing with them. Some get tense and upset in the face of a mounting problem. Now, if you came to understand that your survival is guaranteed, you would see your life in an entirely different light. Even if this world is destroyed, with everything on it, you will still survive. With this long term perspective, you will face problems with a different attitude. You will remain calm and peaceful in the face of any disturbance in your life. More importantly, one should be aware during all the events of one’s life. That is what this meditation is really teaching us. We are not the body or the “doer”. The body does things. The real “I” is not the body. The real “I” is the observer, the witness, who is aware of what the body is doing or not doing. Who is aware of what is happening or not happening. By continuously being aware, we reach our highest state. We reach full awareness.

• Verse 53 is a variation of the previous verse. It is a sitting meditation to be practiced with eyes closed.
• Instead of imagining one’s own body being burnt by fire, imagine the entire world being burnt by fire. You can start with one particular area, country, or continent.
• Now visualize that area being burnt, along with every form on it. Visualize this fire spreading everywhere, burning everything existing on this planet.
• Every form, inanimate or living, burning. Finally, visualize your own body and the place you reside on fire. Even though the entire world and your body is destroyed, you still survive. Your survival is guaranteed. It does not depend on this world or on your body.
• You are part of God, and you can never die. This is a practice that helps us detach from our body and this world. It helps us realize our true nature consciousness.
• We are the witness that watches the world or our body being destroyed. It is this state of awareness, of being a witness that we must carry forward from this meditation, to our everyday lives.
• Be an observer, a witness of all the events that unfold in your life, knowing that even the worst possible outcome -the destruction of the entire world (and your body), has no material effect on your existence.