Dhyana Vahini - Post 29

 

Chapter XI

 

Liberation: the Goal of Meditation

 

The beneficent and maleficent impulses

The fulfilment of life consists in the realisation of the Atma (Atma-sakshatkara). To get this realisation, one should be entirely free from impulses (vasanas). 

Liberation (moksha) is, in the true sense of the term, liberation from the bondage of these impulses. These tendencies are of two types: beneficent and maleficent. 

The beneficent tendencies are saturated with holiness; the maleficent ones feed the mind and make it more and more uncontrollable and unsteady; they spread and strengthen the desire for objective pleasure. 

If the beneficent impulses (subha vasanas) are encouraged and cultivated, they will not go on multiplying and binding the mind indefinitely; they become fried seeds, which will not sprout. 

If you stick to the beneficent impulses, you can easily acquire knowledge of Brahman (Brahma-jnana). These impulses are characterised by such activities as association with great souls (mahatmas), reverence for the great, conversation with them, following their advice, charity, fortitude, love, patience, truth, courage, continence, etc. These are the pure impulses. 

The impure tendencies lead one to such vices as craving to see things that cater to the lower desires (like cinema pictures); eating dishes that are full of passion (rajas), like fish and flesh; drinking intoxicants that ruin one’s personality by developing anger, delusion, greed, conceit, deceit, hatred, envy, etc. 

Such impure tendencies are of three types: Worldly impulses, scholarly or intellectual impulses, and physical or bodily impulses. 

The physical impulses make men desire a beautiful physique, a strong sturdy build, a glossy skin that will never be disfigured by wrinkles, and round hard muscles. 

The scholarly impulses prompt one to crave being known as an unrivalled expert and to crave the defeat of every competitor in the field. 

And lastly, the worldly impulses make one crave glory, power, personal authority, and pomp. All such desires can be grouped under this head. They are all impulses. They bind you to the wheel of birth and death (samsara) and tie you down to this Earth. 

Introspection 

The three types of vasanas are as under:-

Swami continues, 

Destroy ignorance 

The giant tree called mind has two seeds, impulse (vasana) and breath (prana). The seed becomes the tree, the tree yields the seed. The breath moves because of the impulses; the impulses operate because of the breath. If one of these is destroyed, so is the other. So, if the mind has to be free from their influence, ignorance (ajnana) has to be transformed first. 

Ignorance does not exist alone; it has an offspring: selfishness (ahamkara). That demon (asura) has two children, attachment or attraction (raga) and impulse (vasana); that is to say passion and craving. Passion and craving are closely interrelated. As the passion, so the desire. They are sisters. 

Through attachment, one gets the feelings of my and mine, the feelings provoke desire, and desires breed worry. Therefore, to remove ego (ahamkara), attachment and impulse have to be annihilated. That means ignorance has to go, for by that means alone can ego be killed. 

How to destroy ignorance and develop wisdom (sujnana)? That is the question! The answer is through meditation. The conquest of ignorance, ego, attachment, and impulse brings about liberation (moksha) for the individual (jivi). 

Introspection 

The means to attain Jivanmukti, are, Jnana, Vasana Kshaya & Mano Nasha (knowledge, obliteration of latent tendencies & the dissolution of the mind.) The second chapter deals exhaustively with the methods to obliterate latent impressions and desires. The third chapter deals with the the dissolution of the mind. The last two chapters, four & five, deal with the purpose of attaining Jivanmukti and vidwat samnyasa or the renunciation of the Knower.

 

The great Sage, Vasishta, in Yoga Vasishta says, ‘Jnana, obliteration of latent tendencies and the dissolution of the mind, if practiced simultaneously for a sufficient length of time, bestows the desired fruit.’ He goes on to state that if these three are not well attempted repeatedly, the status of Jivanmukti cannot be attained even after the lapse of hundreds of years.

 

Love.

 

 

 

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 28

Chapter X

 

Swami writes,

Have contentment and desire only the Lord

“You must have contentment, whatever the gain or loss or state. This is essential. Contentment grants and increases happiness. For the contented mind, life is an endless festival, but the mind worried by desire will have no rest. With desire troubling you, concentration is impossible. 

Desire is the fire in your frame; it reduces you to ashes. Contentment is the effective drug to destroy it. Just as a bath in the cool waters of a stream refreshes a traveller who is exhausted and perspiring in the burning heat of day, the one suffering from the scorching fire of greed will be refreshed by the pellucid waters of contentment.

One should have desire only for the path of realization. One should not dedicate one’s life for the mean desires of the world. Dedicate all to the Lord; that is genuine contentment. That is the result of the acquisition of peace of mind (santhi), joy (santhosha), and discrimination (vicharana). Direct visualization of the Lord (sakshatkara) is also possible then.

To acquire these, remembrance of the Lord’s name (smarana) and meditation (dhyana) are the only means. Only they can give you that power. Nowhere else can you get them; nowhere else will you get them.

More than all, if you possess contentment (santhosha), the other two will be added to you. Nothing is more profitable than contentment. It is a treasure richer than the three worlds. The contented person can experience indescribable divine glory. 

Such a person is more joyful than the owner of the wish-bestowing cow, Kamadhenu, and the wish-bestowing tree, Kalpataru. Such a person can immerse themself within themself and discover bliss therein. Do not strive for physical joy, discarding the more permanent joy of inner calm and contentment.

Do not get attached to this evanescent body; instead, utilize it as an implement. Consider yourself as separate from this destructible body, which was created out of the conjunction of the five elements. Know yourself as the indestructible Atma. Just as the house in which you dwell is separate from you, so the body, which surrounds you for a little time, is separate. The body is the root cause of all this grief, all this calamity, and all this slavery. 

Understand this well: make the body obey your will, and never bow down to it and follow its whims. Be prepared to cast it away; resolve to control it and keep it under strict control. You have to deal carefully with the body; you have to train it with great attention.

Though all that was said above related to the Atma, some activities have to be undertaken by everyone. How should the body be used as an implement, as a boat for example, to cross the stream of life? 

Until the other bank is reached, or in other words, until the ultimate truth is attained, you must take care to see that it is not damaged or broken or leaky. Do not let the boat fall to pieces; be on the lookout for signs of this. That is to say: take moderate food of pure (sathwic) quality at the correct time, and continue disciplined physical activities for the body.

Such activity directed to the spiritual becomes the discipline needed for real spiritual practice. This is what is referred to as meditation, remembrance of the name, ritual worship (puja), and devotional singing. When the discipline is practised, as well as later, you must be joyful and not gloomy. This should not be forgotten; never get tired or timid. However, if you get tired, then you can eat a few ground nut kernels or almond seeds soaked well in water at the end of the day’s meditation. These will cool the body and endow it with strength.

In summary, everyone must develop the virtue of contentment through the practice of meditation (dhyana sadhana). Contentment is a pure (sathwic) quality; it will not transform you into an idler — no, not at all. Instead, it will permit the mind to travel toward the Lord, and it will grant peace. It will also hinder unessential activities that have profit for oneself as the aim. 

The contented person will be fully pure (sathwic) and will lead an inner life, in communion with the Atma. That person can do any work without rest and without complaint. The waves of the mind, which sway in many directions, get a single aim.

The sages (rishis), religious mendicants (bikshus), and yogis of the past realized the goal of life by means of the peace that came to them through contentment. Contentment gives all spiritual aspirants the enthusiasm and vigour necessary for treading the path that leads to realization of God (sakshatkara). Contented, the aspirant can ignore the dangers and difficulties of the path. The aspirant treats all the impermanent things of this life as poison and discards them as trash. Discrimination, renunciation, and the spirit of inquiry develop through contentment. The story of Meera is an example of this. Understand well the stories of Radha, Jayadeva, and Gauranga, for they will teach you the truth.”

We will try to go further deep into this "Inner peace / contentment," which is the key subject of today's post from Dhyana Vahini, in the next post.

Love.

 

 

 

Dhyana Vahini - Post 27

Chapter X

Be ever joyful and sweet

“For this spiritual discipline, you must cultivate the quality of always being joyful, with a smile on your face; this will give you good distinction. People will also like you more. So, the Lord will also have joy upon seeing you. Therefore, observe meditation with innocence, purity, and humility.

Then, without fail, you can attain whatever you strive for. Do not lose your temper in any situation; do not lose courage in any contingency. Respect everyone, whatever their status. Then the quality of universal love (prema) will develop in you. As a result, meditation will progress without disturbance.

For the cure of illness without resort to drugs, meditation is the only remedy. Even the capacity to discriminate and analyse will increase, and by means of that, illness, however serious, can be overcome.”

Introspection

Bro Sanjay Mahalingam’s sharing in one of the sessions is worth a recap here, in the context of what Swami has written above.

Sanjay recalls atleast few occasions when he as well as other few students have asked, “ Swami, tell us, please, what do you want from us, in what way we can be a worthy instrument in your mission, How you want us to be”

In all such situations, Swami’s one answer was, “BE HAPPY”.

That is what our dear lord wants from us and that is the purpose, that is the search of every human being, from his birth till the moment he realizes SELF, in one, few, many, numerous births, and it is “Search for happiness”

And, when you are able to be joyful all the times, Swami gives a huge assurance when he says “So, the Lord will also have joy upon seeing you”!!

Swami writes, 

“In every word uttered, there are two kinds of senses: the obvious and the innate, the native and the qualitative. The Upanishads take up the second kind and elaborate, clarify, and make the Brahman known. One important thing to be remembered is that it is possible and desirable to utilize the full power of words through softness and sweetness. 

If one is anxious to see God in every object, the sweetness of the word will be of immense help. Sir, Master, Lord: in these words, lie the secret of much affection and regard. Through these and such words, how happy you can make others, and how light your minds will become by the practice of softness of expression! When meditation is carried on in that happy atmosphere, how quickly concentration can be attained!

Instead, if in conversation you use words that blame others and despise them, in turn you become the target of blame, and your mind gets agitated by the effect of both; then the object of meditation is not realized because the atmosphere turns impure. Therefore, if you really wish to be happy through meditation, as a preliminary to the process, you must be engaged either in joyful conversation or in happy thoughts or memories. Sweet and soft conversation helps meditation a great deal.

You must cultivate such a character, for character outlasts the body. Virtues are your strength and glory. Character is power. So train the mind and use it to attain the visualization of the Lord (sakshatkara); hold fast to that goal.

Introspection

Swami Krishnananda writes,

“You require nothing in order to bring you peace of mind. You require only yourself. You are the master of yourself, and you have to know how to tune yourself to the requirement of existence as a whole. The tuning of your personality, your existence, to the existence that is total is peace of mind; that is peace of consciousness; that is harmony of existence; that is blessedness; that is happiness; that is bliss, you may say.

Here is the characteristic of a saint or a sage. Nothing is outside the saint and, therefore, he needs nothing from outside. One should not want anything from outside, because the outside thing does not exist apart from you and you do not exist outside that thing which you consider as outside. 

The saints and the sages ask not anything. They do not require anything because they have got everything by being united with that which you regard as outside you. The thing which you want is inside you in the sense that it is connected with your body, your personality, your consciousness. The moment you think, the universe acts, provided that your mind is united with the cosmic mind. 

Satisfaction is not in you or in somebody else. It is in consciousness itself. Satisfaction is uninterrupted performance of consciousness. A larger satisfaction flashes forth when the unit of consciousness that you are operates as a set adjustment with the consciousness of other such units or centers. Who feels happiness? Who feels peace? Consciousness feels peace. It gets disturbed when there is no peace. Who disturbs it? It is disturbed by the wrong notion that it is outside the thing to which it really belongs.

This little 'me' is organically related to the cosmic being – which means to say, I am a cosmic being. And the others I seem to see outside are not outside me, just as I am not outside the cosmic being." Go on asserting this with faith, with the power of will. "If I cannot stand outside the universe, I am the universe itself." Who will disturb your mind, then? Tell me frankly: who is there to disturb your mind? Nobody can disturb your mind. There is no such thing as 'your' mind. 

This is meditation. If anybody asks you what meditation is, tell them this is meditation. You are the maker of yourself. Your peace of mind is within you only. You are the culprit – if at all there is one – and, therefore, complain not. Complain against your inadequacies, your imperfections and the lack of power of will that you are sunk in, by which you are unable to understand how you are connected to the world, to people, to the atmosphere, to ecological conditions, to the world as a whole. 

Find fault with yourself only. Do not find fault with anybody else, because the world is a whole, and wholeness cannot have imperfections.

 

Love.