The art of meditation is best learned from a Master—someone who has used this sacred science to attain the highest goal possible for a human being: the realization of God or the Self. Such a Master understands the various difficulties and obstacles an aspirant is likely to encounter and can offer guidance accordingly, helping to smooth the path toward the ultimate goal.
I write this note as a student on the path, intending only to touch upon some basic aspects and share a few random points that I found helpful during my own journey. May each reader connect the dots and arrive at a broader understanding in their own way.
I also strongly recommend that those who are interested read certain books by great Masters who have shared valuable insights about this sacred science. Autobiography of a Yogi is an excellent read, as it discusses this science from a practical perspective and describes the various states and stages experienced by many great yogis.
Only through dedicated practice can one reap the full benefits of this art. Intellectual understanding may help to overcome obstacles presented by the mind, but it alone is not enough.
WHY
MEDITATION?
“Out of a thousand, one seeks Me, out of a thousand that
seek Me, one finds Me!” : Bhagawad Gita.
The first
question people interested in meditation must ask themselves sincerely is Why
do they want to meditate?
In my understanding aspirants belong to 3 categories –
In my understanding aspirants belong to 3 categories –
1. Social reason –
2. Peace seekers –
3. Self seekers – These are people, ever small in number, who
pursue meditation for the reason of self realization; the ultimate goal of
life.
So why should we meditate?
Every single human being from a sinner to a saint, has 2 goals in life -
1. Attaining Happiness
2. Avoiding sorrow.
Most human beings think happiness lies in pursuing some sense pleasure outside of them, in pursuing worldly goals and objects. Example - there are many who find joy in drinking beer. But many find beer distasteful. So if beer has joy within it, shouldn't it be able to give the same joy to everyone who tastes it?
The truth is, worldly objects contain no inherent joy. All joy resides within us. Individuals have conditioned their minds, over several lifetimes, to associate ceratin external objects with pleasure—these objects merely trigger the joy that is already latent within.
1. Attaining Happiness
2. Avoiding sorrow.
Most human beings think happiness lies in pursuing some sense pleasure outside of them, in pursuing worldly goals and objects. Example - there are many who find joy in drinking beer. But many find beer distasteful. So if beer has joy within it, shouldn't it be able to give the same joy to everyone who tastes it?
The truth is, worldly objects contain no inherent joy. All joy resides within us. Individuals have conditioned their minds, over several lifetimes, to associate ceratin external objects with pleasure—these objects merely trigger the joy that is already latent within.
Yogis and Rishis who meditate in seclusion have realized this truth. They use meditation as a powerful tool to uncover the inner reservoir of bliss. Thus, saints have proclaimed that finding God is the funeral of all sorrows. Anyone who has used meditation to realize the Self discovers such vast inner treasures that all the riches of the world seem utterly insignificant in comparison. This is why saints and sages show complete indifference to worldly glitz and glamour—they know it to be fleeting and illusory.
WHAT IS MEDITATION?
The following experiment can help understand the
process of meditation-
Take a transparent bottle, some pure water, some sand,
some mud and a small diamond. Put them all in the bottle. This bottle
represents the body. The water represents the mind. The sand represents various
desires and vasanas. The mud represents thoughts, habits, emotions and feelings
that color our mind; and the diamond represents the true you – the Atma.
Now every time the body, mind, desires or thoughts
are in action, it is akin to shaking the bottle vigorously. Think of the chaos it creates, a chaos which
covers and camouflages the diamond self.
Almost every human in this world is in this state of being. The more we
exercise our emotions, feelings, thoughts and desires under the whims of the
ego/mind, the more the chaos increases.
Meditation then, is keeping the bottle (body) still, making
the water (mind) still, thereby helping to still the thoughts, desires, emotions etc.
What happens when you keep this bottle still? Eventually the water will stop
revolving and the sand and mud, over a period of time, will begin to settle
revealing clean and pure water through which you can then glimpse the diamond.
This act of stilling is Meditation.
“When motion ceases, Spirit begins to manifest.”: Sri
Paramahansa Yogananda
“Yoga results when movements and changes in awareness
cease”: Patanjali, Yoga sutras.
“Be still and know that I am God”: Jesus Christ
Every single word in this sentence is meaningful.
BE: Meditation in its pure form is a state of Being,
not a state of doing. Meditation is effortless effort. Those who ‘try’ to meditate
are not meditating by their very effort of trying. During meditation one must
not even have the feeling that ‘I am meditating.’ Pure self awareness is
meditation. It is true that to achieve this state of self awareness one may
have to go through different techniques wherein they are required to ‘do’ something
in order to then attain this state of Pure self awareness. (We will talk about
this later.)
STILL: Many think meditation to be sitting in
stillness with their bodies locked in an asana. Stillness has to go beyond the
body to the mind, the thoughts, the emotions, the feelings and the awareness.
“When movements of awareness are transcended during
meditation practice, consciousness is purified and oneness with the Supreme
Self is realized.” Sri Sri Lahiri Mahasaya.
When such complete stillness is achieved by an
advanced Yogi, even the workings of the body are temporarily suspended
including the heartbeat. The state of the Yogi may look death-like. Sri
Paramahansa Yoganandaji states that this is what Saint Paul referred to when He
stated, “ I protest by the rejoicing that I have in Christ, I die daily.”
KNOW: Christ does not say: Be still and understand
that I am God, simply because understanding refers to a process. Intuitive
Knowing on the other hand is direct awareness. For example – I, as an ego-personality, am Naresh. I don’t need to understand I am Naresh. I know it and am fully aware of it. Similarly by being still, one Knows from direct perceptions one’s
reality without taking reference from any third party.
This also reveals another aspect. Divinity is not
something that we need to attain. We are already divine. If a white
handkerchief turns black due to being rubbed in soil, then in order to make it
white again we need not paint it with white color. Simply washing away the dark
patches of soil will reveal its inherent whiteness. So also meditation helps us
become aware or know through direct intuitive perceptions that we are, always
were and always will be divine simply by purifying and stilling the workings of
the mind, thoughts and awareness.
I AM: The ‘I AM’ consciousness is who we truly are. We
are not the body or mind or its thoughts and emotions. We are the underlying consciousness,
which is witnessing all these changes within our selves, temporarily
identifying itself with the body as the ego through the influence of Maya.
GOD: Even if the word God had been excluded from the
sentence it would still be complete. “Be still and know that I AM.” That I AM
is the little consciousness called the Atma, which is a part of the ParamAtma –
God.
~ Basics of Sadhana:
Specify a place:
Those who sincerely wish to pursue meditation should identify a certain section of their house where they can daily sit in seclusion to practice their sadhana. The place must be simple, clean and well ventilated. You must be mindful that your place does not obstruct others. Avoid meditating at places which are marked for other worldly activities. Meditating at the same spot helps generate a lot of positive and peaceful vibrations which keep growing with every meditation, thereby making that place your own temple or haven of peace. Sometimes when you come to meditate with a restless mind, these vibrations help in becoming calm and peaceful.
Asana:
During sadhana a lot of pranic energies are channeled in our
body. If we sit on the floor in direct contact with earth, our energies mingle
with the earthly energy, or what is known as earthing. This is not desirable.
Hence it is suggested that we sit on an asana to insulate us from the
earth. In olden days sadhaks used the skin of a tiger or deer (only
animals that had died naturally), but since that is not possible today the best
option is to use a pure woolen blanket, or a pure silk cloth or a Kusa grass
asana.The asana should be thick enough to keep us atleast half inch
above the ground.
Sitting Straight:
Every sadhak should keep his/her spine straight, ideally the
head, neck and spine should be in alignment. Just as when the garden hose pipe
is bent, the flow of water will stop or drastically reduce; similarly if we sit
with a bent spine the flow of pranic energy within our spine is affected,
thereby preventing deep meditation.
Sitting Relaxed:
Many people in following the above point of keeping the spine
straight tend to tense their bodies. It is vitally important that you keep the
body relaxed. Meditation is a process wherein the sadhak is trying to go beyond
bodily awareness. If the body is not relaxed, this will not be possible. If any
part of the body is tense that means there is extra energy there. Unless we
withdraw energy from all body parts by relaxing it, we will not be able to use
this energy to take us to higher consciousness. Ideally five minutes
before meditation take time to relax every single muscle of your body
consciously. With practice this will come naturally.
Be Aware:
In sadhana it is vitally important to keep the mind from roaming
aimlessly while the body sits in a posture. The mind should be very active in
the sadhana it is engaged in.
Practice Devotion and Stillness:
Even when we are doing breathing or visualizing techniques while
meditating (more about techniques in later notes), it is good to keep a sense of devotion within us.
At the end of each meditation it is very important to stay in
inner stillness for sometime. This does not include praying or visualize anything. Just rest in
that Stillness of the Self.
"When a person is really sleepy, can’t he fall asleep anywhere? So is it with the person who loves God. He can meditate even in a train station or in the market place.
The devotee who makes the supreme effort is the one who finds God. Not the one who keeps seeking excuses, saying, “Let me find a quiet place; then I’ll meditate.” Procrastinators will never reach God. But if you tell yourself, “Right now I will go deep in meditation!” you can be there in an instant."
"As long as you try to meditate, you won’t be able to, just as you can’t sleep so long as you will yourself to sleep. Will power should be used gradually. Otherwise, it may become detrimental. That’s why it is better, in the beginning, to emphasize relaxation."
"A bent spine is the enemy of realization. In meditation, always hold your spine straight, that the life force may flow through it unobstructed.
Next, hold your attention fixed at the point between the eyebrows. The more deeply you concentrate at that point, the more you will find your ego dissolving in superconsciousness."
A disciple was having difficulty with his meditations. He asked Sri Yogananda, “Am I not trying hard enough?”
The Master answered, “You are trying too hard. You are using too much will power. It becomes nervous. Just be relaxed and natural.
"Meditate without attachment to the fruits of meditation."
: Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
"When a person is really sleepy, can’t he fall asleep anywhere? So is it with the person who loves God. He can meditate even in a train station or in the market place.
The devotee who makes the supreme effort is the one who finds God. Not the one who keeps seeking excuses, saying, “Let me find a quiet place; then I’ll meditate.” Procrastinators will never reach God. But if you tell yourself, “Right now I will go deep in meditation!” you can be there in an instant."
"As long as you try to meditate, you won’t be able to, just as you can’t sleep so long as you will yourself to sleep. Will power should be used gradually. Otherwise, it may become detrimental. That’s why it is better, in the beginning, to emphasize relaxation."
"A bent spine is the enemy of realization. In meditation, always hold your spine straight, that the life force may flow through it unobstructed.
Next, hold your attention fixed at the point between the eyebrows. The more deeply you concentrate at that point, the more you will find your ego dissolving in superconsciousness."
A disciple was having difficulty with his meditations. He asked Sri Yogananda, “Am I not trying hard enough?”
The Master answered, “You are trying too hard. You are using too much will power. It becomes nervous. Just be relaxed and natural.
"Meditate without attachment to the fruits of meditation."
: Sri Paramahansa Yogananda
Other Blog Links ~
Understanding Meditation - 2
