“What do you suggest for Meditation?”

Lady, September 21, 1973, Bombay: What do you suggest for meditation?
Prabhupada: We don’t find anything in the Bhagavad-gita that “You should concentrate, meditate in darkness.” We take it as bogus. No religious system, even in Christianity, there is no such thing as darkness. Christian churches are very much illuminated. They pray. Prayer is there. The necessity. Why in darkness? That is his invention. Neither in Hinduism, neither in Buddhism, there is such recommendation that “You pray in the darkness.” Therefore it is bogus. Not standard. Why darkness? Naturally, if you make this room dark, you will feel sleepy. That is natural tendency.

Lady: How to practice meditation?

Prabhupada: The meditation you can do, just like we are also doing meditation, chanting Hare Krishna maha-mantra. But meditation as it is, to absorb the mind fully in God’s vision, that is very difficult nowadays, at the present moment. People’s mind is very disturbed. They cannot actually meditate. Therefore in this age, meditation, chanting the holy name of the Lord, that is recommended, congregationally. Just like we do, Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare, Hare Rama Hare Rama Rama Rama… So there is no need of dark room. Just like this boy. He is also a responsible officer in New York. He is also chanting. All these sannyasis. And we have got all these beads. So there is no need of meditating in darkness. We are going on the open street. We are chanting Hare Krishna Hare Krishna Krishna Krishna Hare Hare Hare Rama… There is no difficulty. Neither we have to select a dark place. Anywhere. Just like I am talking with you, they are chanting. Their chanting is not stopped. So why should you go to a dark room? It is open thing. And it is open for everyone, in any moment. There is no hard and fast rule, that “You have to do like that, do like that.” Simply you have to chant, anywhere possible. Suppose if you leave this room, you go on the street, you can chant, Hare Krishna, Hare… Nobody… There is no taxation. There is no loss. But the gain is very great by chanting. And this is recommended in this age, not sophistically to find out a dark room. No. It may be suitable for a particular person. But for mass of people, where is the facility of getting a dark room while going on the street? Suppose you are going on the street or in a car to your office, can you arrange for the dark room? But you can chant Hare Krishna without any dark room. So which is better? For concentrating your mind, for meditating, if you have to make so many facilities arrangement, and without any arrangement, if you can do, which one is better? Without any arrangement. That is Hare Krishna mantra. Without any arrangement, immediately you can chant Hare Krishna. Without any consideration of your age, of your religion, of your country, of your nationality, of your color, caste, anything. Chant Hare Krishna. And that is being done, and the whole world is accepting. We are not recommending that “Go to a dark room.” Neither it is required. Everything must be for mass benefit. That is only this Hare Krishna movement. […]

full conversation: http://prabhupadabooks.com/conversations/1973/sep/with_banker/bombay/september/21/1973