More followers for meditation. Their motivation are mostly to avoid problems.
(Taken from Gatra Magazine No : 38/V, August 07 1999)

There are many ways to meditation. Most of them are initiated by the desire to extricate themselves from their problems. Then eventually it obtained wider acceptance. After passing several stages of "testing". Luh Ketut Suryani, for instance. The Balinese lady once lost her voice. And she was forced to adhere to a dietary life for many years, including dating.

Or Anand Krishna. He is well-known as a very productive writer about meditation, and in search for the meaning of life. The man of Sindh descent engaged himself in meditation when he suffered from leukemia.

Beside these two persons, there is also Pannya Segara Merta Ada, the founder and Chairman of Bali Usada Meditasi. The followings are stories of their "voyages" into the world of meditation.

PROF. DR. LUH KETUT SURYANI, SPJ, 55 YEARS

Started learning meditation at 14, when she was at Second Grade of Junior High School. Her parents were surprised. That was at the time when in Bali it was only adult people who practice meditation or especially those who have the call. "I learned meditation in order to heal my mother," said Luh Suryani.

That was the time when her mother was suffering from a "strange" ailment. Several doctors had already resigned. The desire to heal her other prompted Suryani to learn meditation. After a year, she thought she had a vision: that she will become a teacher of meditation. Her first requirement was that she will experience some personal changes.

Suryani who was initially a shy and taciturn girl, suddenly became an opened person. "It was really irrational, but that was what happened," she said. Afterwards she was confronted with many trials. The most difficult was when she lost her ability to talk the Indonesian language. "No one seems to understand what I am saying," she reminisced.

From her mouth came a combination of various languages: Indonesian, English, Sanskrit, and Balinese. The same with writing. "Fortunately, my father understands that I am under a test of life," said Suryani. However, among her relatives she was regarded to have been suffering from a mental disorder. She skipped school for three months in order to participate in a meditating group.

That was in 1993 where Suryani was still at the third grade of the Junior High School. Approaching the school examination, she met the school principal and requested that she¡¯d be allowed to participate in the final examination. Her request was granted and she passed the test with good scores. Then she proceeded to High School I Denpasar. Graduating there, she registered at the Medical School of Udayana University, Denpasar, and graduated in 1972. She received her PhD. in 1988 at Airlangga University, Surabaya.

Suryani then opened up two clinics. One where she practiced as a physician and the other for spiritual healing. Then she combined the two "disciplines". This is what she called a bio-psycho-sociocultural-spiritual approach. In her effort to heal a patient, it is not only the mind and the body that required for healing, but also the spirit or the atma.

This approach was protested by her colleagues. She was regarded as not being scientific and deviating from the medical science. On the contrary, she was being frequently invited to give seminar in international forum. Her approaches was regarded as something new. "Meditation is a bridge connecting the spiritual ability with the medical science," Suryani told Ketut Parwata of GATRA.

Born in Singaraja on August 22, 1944, Suryani married Dr. Tjokorda Alit Kamar Adnyana, her classmate. They have six children. She is still teaching and as Head of Psychiatric Laboratory of the Medical School of Udayana University. She also attended the management of old people through Wreda Sejahtera Foundation, Bali, and the youth activities through Putera Sesana Foundation.

PANNA SEGARA MERTA ADA, 42 YEARS

Merta Ada started to get interested in studying meditation at the age of eight. He was born in Baturiti, Tabanan, Bali, inMay 17, 1957. He nurtured his ambition to become a healer, or balian usada. "That was the time I haven't met the right guru," he said. In 1970, Merta Ada studied at Cetiya Budha in Lombok, West Nusa Tenggara. But after attending for several months he changed his mind.

Merta no longer desired to study meditation solely for the purpose of healing. He wanted to achieve more: to attain enlightenment. In 1992, however, Merta Ada returned to apply meditation as a medium for healing. "At the time during meditation, I can detect body vibration," he told GATRA.

His ability was further developed to detect the plants¡¯ vibrations which could also be applied as medicine. He spent eight months training himself, while reading books regarding healing. "Compared to only drinking medicine, meditation can help healed illness better," said Merta Ada. And he proved this by himself.

He recovered from pleurisy and weak heart ailment. It was this capability which later on he passed on to the public. Accompanied by several of his friends, Merta Ada established the Bali Usada Meditasi, with its headquarters located on Jalan (bypass) Ngurah Rai, Sanur, Bali, and branches in Jakarta and Lombok.

For the last four years, Merta Ada lectured the principle and technique for health meditation. He has thousands of students from all over the world. He also used medicinal herbs. "Meditation urged sick people to be active in the healing process, not being passive," said Merta Ada. "Everyone has the power of self-healing," he added.

Merta Ada married Damamadina in 1992. Of the marriage they have two children, a boy and a girl. Nago Tajena is now second grade of elementary school, his kid sister Natasha Tejana, still in kindergarten.

ANAND KRISHNA, 43 YEARS

He always looks fresh. He talks sincerely, warm and have pleasing attitude. But he always tried to avoid discussion that might leads to polemic. Either relating to faith or politics. For him, all religions are the same, seen from each tarekat (paths for mystics to follow). He is Anand Krishna, the meditation leader of Padepokan (Camp) Anand Ashram, Sunter, North Jakarta.

The man, a descendant of Sindh tribe, Pakistan, was born in Solo, Central Java, on September 1, 1956. At the age of 9, Anand¡¯s parents took him to Lucknow, a city located on North of India. This is the Islamic Cultural Center in India. Anand¡¯s father, Tolaram, a trader was also a Sufi adherent.

At the age of eleven, in Lucknow City, for three years Anand became the disciple of Syekh Baba. He was a Muslim Sufi whose daily occupation was selling ice blocks. It was through Syekh Baba, that Anand came to know with the Jalaluddin Rumi teachings - who was born in 604 Hijriah (Islamic calender) in Balka, Afghanistan. Rumi was known as the creator of the mystic dances still frequently practiced by the Sufis until now.

After five years in Lucknow, in 1971, Anand and his family returned to Jakarta. For only about six years in Indonesia, he left for the United States to study. In 1979, Anand obtained his master of business administration (MBA) from Pacific Southern University, USA. Several more years he spent studying and working in Japan.

Returning to Indonesia, Anand was employed as Marketing Director of Sainath Group of Companies Indonesia, 1979-1986. In 1986-1989, he returned to the United States and employed as chief executive of D¡¯Jar Inc., USA. Returning to Indonesia three years later, Anand established Svarna Artha Buana, in Jakarta.

The garment company rapidly developed. But in October 1990, Anand began to get sick. One morning in March 1991, while brushing his teeth, suddenly he blacked out. He fell, and can¡¯t see for a while. He was admitted to a hospital for intensive treatment. A pile of vitamins and medication was his daily menu.

It was found out that the medication were not effective to cure him. The result from laboratory confirmed that Anand was suffering from leukemia. Doctors suggested for him to have marrow transplantation. The donor could be his father or his son of the same blood type. Anand couldn¡¯t stand to have his beloved family to suffer for him.

At the time, his father was in the 70¡¯s and his son, Prashant, 10 years old. Anand eventually tried to find alternative healing. He contacted overseas physicians. And he also visited shamans and paranormal. All failed. In November 1991, in death¡¯s throes, he met a Buddhist monk called Lama, from the Himalaya Mountain in Leh, Laddakh, India.

"Look at the Sindhu River flowing in front of you," said the monk, as told by Anand. "And there stands tall the Himalayan Mountain with its eternal snow, the most beautiful place. You just couldn¡¯t find a more beautiful place," convinced his guru. "And yet, it is so far away," Anand said. "Faced anything while smiling," said the Lama monk.

Equipped with this resignation, Anand returned to Indonesia. He prepared himself to die. He sold his company. The mortgaged house was handed over to the bank. He paid all of his debts. He left the remaining to his wife and children. Then, for one week, Anand intensively meditated. "Well, I recovered," he said.

IMS and HM.