Dhyana Vahini - Post 3

 

Chapter I

 

The Power of Meditation

 

Taming the mind and the intelligence

  

Swami writes,

 

“See! Everyone in the world has the nature of behaving and acting in two different ways: one outside and another inside. This is known to all, though generally people do not show this publicly. Just as people lose even the little joy that they have worrying over the factions they may have in their family, so they lose their internal peace when faced with physical obstacles and troubles.

 

For example, consider a cart. It cannot move by itself, can it? It can move only when two bullocks are yoked to it. And the cart can move safely only when the bullocks are trained to pull carts and when they are used to the road on which they have to walk. Instead, if they are ignorant of the process of pulling carts, if they have not walked on the road, if they have never stepped out of their shed, or if they have always moved only round and round the post to which they have been tied, in their own mire, the journey cannot proceed! And the cart will itself face danger!

 

So also, the inner consciousness (anthah-karana) cannot move of itself; it must be attached to the externally related bullocks, the intelligence (buddhi) and mind (manas). Then only can it move forward, following the bullocks’ tracks.

 

So, before the journey, the bullocks — intelligence and mind — should be conversant with the road to the village that the inner senses are eager to reach. They must be trained to proceed in that direction. If this is done, the journey will be easy and safe.

 

Instead, if the draught animals have no knowledge of the pathways of truth, righteousness, peace, and love (sathya, dharma, santhi, and prema), and if they have never once trodden that path, the cart, the inner senses themselves, might come to grief! Even if they are prodded to proceed, they will only drag the cart to the familiar post and the accustomed mire of confusion, injustice, cruelty, indiscipline, and falsehood! What then of the journey? When is the arrival to be?

 

Therefore, intelligence and mind have to be taught the art of pulling the cart and moving steadily along the road. This has to be done by repetition of the Lord’s name (japa) and meditation (dhyana)."

How beautifully Swami teaches us the following

 

Cart / Antahkarana	Compared to consciousness for driving home a lesson
Required to drive the cart / Antahkarana	2 bullocks/ Mind and intellect
Destination	Village (for human beings, SELF realization at ultimate level and Dharmic life at human level)
Pre-requisite for journey	1)                       Destination must be clear 2)                      Journey must be undertaken with Sathya, Dharma, Shanti, Prema
If pre-requisite is not fulfilled	Journey of human life would be an aimless journey and full of confusion, injustice, Cruelty, Indiscipline, falsehood
Means for fulfilling the pre- requisite and for a safe journey in Spiritual path	Japa (Repetition of Lord’s name) and Dhyana (Meditation)

 

 

Did our Lord not sing- “Japa Dhyan bina Samyog Nahin”?!

 

Swami has spoken about Japa and Dhyana as early as in 1958.

 

“The secret is: you should “be”, but not be as in sleep, when you are aware deep down within you, that you are.

 

Sleep is enveloped in delusion (maya). Awake from that delusion, but immerse yourself in this sleep that is the real super-conscious state of bliss (samadhi).

 

Repetition of the Name and meditation are means by which you can compel even the concretization of the divine Grace, in the Form and with the Name you yearn for. The Lord has to assume the Form you choose, the Name you fancy; in fact, you shape Him so. Therefore, do not change these two, but stick to the ones that please you most, whatever the delay or the difficulty.

 

Flying hither and thither, higher and higher, the bird has at last to perch on a tree for rest. So too, even the richest and the most powerful man seeks rest, peace (santhi).

 

Peace can be got only in one shop, in inner reality. The senses will drag you along into a mire, which submerges you deeper and deeper in alternate joy and grief, that is to say, prolonged discontent. Only contemplation of unity can remove fear, rivalry, envy, greed, desire — all feelings that prompt discontent. Every other avenue can give only pseudo-contentment, and a day will come when you will throw away all these playthings and toys and cry, “Lord! Grant Me unruffled peace.”

 

(Chithravathi River Bed, Puttaparthi, 1958-02-23)

 

Love.