Meditation is simple observation

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Meditation is a state of being actively calm and calmly active.

  • It’s simply doing nothing but only observation.
  • It’s  simply observing your breath as it comes in and goes out.
  • It’s simply  observing the sound that you hear around you.
  • It’s  simply observing your thoughts as they come in and go out without preventing and evaluating the natural flows of your thoughts.

Practice

Sole focus remains with the awareness to live in the present moment. 

Select a separate room for the meditation.  Enter the chamber without any preoccupation in mind. At the beginning, sit preferably in Padmasana for a few minutes before you begin the meditation. While sitting, keep your spine straight. Your sole focus remains with the awareness to live in the present moment. Keep your eyes somewhat open gazing at the center between your eyebrows. Let your thoughts floating around. 

Experience the moment-to-moment.

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Experience the moment-to-moment. If your attention wanders away, try bringing it back to the environment. It’s not a problem if your attention is  wandering away, it’s part of your meditation experience. Keep your focus  on breathing. Let the breath naturally flows and observe it as it goes out and comes in without any intervention. While you breath-in and breath-out, your focus also remains with the environment and  thoughts along with the breath.

Your focus also remains with the environment, thoughts and breath.

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Why do we need Yoga regularly?

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Like physical body, the mind needs regular exercise.

Like physical body, the mind needs regular exercise. Physical activities help in digestion, further supporting in repair and maintenance of our body as well as the mind. The physical workout is not enough to sustain a healthy mind. We fail to understand that our brain needs an individual effort.

Like physical body, the mind also has wear and tear. 

Like physical body, the mind also has wear and tear. Our daily work related stress does affect the actual nature of our mind needs maintenance.  We eat when we are hungry; our system signals for food to fill up our energy deficiency. Similarly, our mind also prompts us when we are in desirous need of power. We tend to ignore it, or it might be our ignorance to understanding the energy need of our mind.

 Yoga is an exclusive technology that supplies energy to  the mind.

 Yoga is an exclusive technology that supplies energy to the mind. Regular practice of yoga will not only help in checking the mental wear and tear, but also physical ailments.  As the saying goes, a sound mind needs a sound body, and also the vice versa.

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Some ideas about Yoga

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 Saidatt in YSS 2

Many misconceive Yoga with Yoga-asanas, although asana is one element of Yoga, it is not Yoga. Yoga-asana is one of the eightfold paths in Patanjali Yogasutras. You practice Asanas to make your body and mind ready for the advanced level in yoga. Yoga defines the union of body, mind, and soul. The highest goal in Yoga self realization of the nature of the spirit. The practice of Asanas, Mudras, and Pranayama brings calmness in your mind and also the body. The peace in the body is not a surprising element in yoga practice, and it is the real outcome. As you practice you will experience the stillness. You can not achieve yoga-the union of body, mind and soul- in one day. It  is not a one-day affair or some hours for that matter; its an ongoing process until you accomplish the desired end. As you proceed on your practice, you begin to realize the benefits–the calmness in your mind, as the sea deep inside is very calm and still.

A Yogi cultivates the stillness and quietness deep inside the mind. A Yogi is a devotee of the peace. There are many benefits of Yoga practice. Yoga practice brings clarity on your thoughts, perception, and engagement with the world around. In daily life, it improves the effectiveness of planning, organizing, decision-making, and communication. As you perfect the Yoga, so shall you benefit.

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Spiritual Awakening with Fasting

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Spiritual Awakening with Fasting

Indians, often, do fast to please the Almighty.

 

Fasting observed in almost all religion. In India, people do fast for both material and spiritual reason. Indians, often, do fast to please the Almighty. Some fasts are a day long affair while some others go for a week or a month. Interestingly, people celebrate the longer fast as a festival.  There is no single month passing by without a festival; sometimes, several festivals fall in a month, especially during rainy season. Medical science also finds the benefits of fasting beyond the spiritual and religious reasons.

Medical science also finds the benefits of fasting beyond the spiritual and religious reasons.

 

Devotees do fasting for both material and spiritual accomplishment. Material inclination finds value among the young mass, while the old do fasting for liberation (Moksha). Indians, often, observe fasting to please the Almighty. The fasting duration  varies  ranging from a full day to one month-long. Interestingly, people celebrate the longer fast as a festival.  There is no single month passing by without a festival; sometimes, several festivals fall in a month.

Fasting as a religious belief has both material and spiritual connotation.

Fasting in Sanskrit called Upavasa, derived from two syllables ‘Upa’ means near and ‘Vaasa’ means to stay. So, fasting implies staying close to the divine. The fasting as a religious belief has both material and spiritual connotation. A special day marked for a God either as a birthday or an auspicious day symbolizing the victory of good over the evil. On the special day, people do fasting and Puja to the Lord; on some occasion, the devotees invoke divine chants performing Yagnya and Naama Sankirtana. Effectively, it has now become the practice dedicating a special day with fasting to please a deity of choice and belief, for fulfilling a wish.

People undergo the pains of fasting only to find the wishes fulfilled by the God.

Fasting has several classification ranging from a full day fast (24-hours) without any Ahara (food) to a 12-hours fast followed by breaking the fast with Prasad (the fruits offered to the Deity). People undergo the pains of fasting only to find the wishes fulfilled by the God. The sole purpose of fasting remains the fasting to please the Almighty and hence attached to the material want, mostly found among the younger breeds.

Fasting helps in releasing the toxins from the body.

Fasting as a religious belief also has a spiritual connotation. Medical science also finds the benefits of fasting beyond the spiritual and religious reasons. Certain medical intervention presupposes the patient to stay in fasting. The theory that supports linking spirituality to science is physical and mental well-being. Fasting helps in releasing the toxins from the body, and it becomes very active if the person survives with water alone for the entire duration.  In the process, the body and mind get energized, as a healthy mind presupposes a healthy body. The spiritual practice in ancient India believes in the theory that our mental makeup is partly dependent on the kind of food we usually take.

Our mental makeup is partly dependent on the kind of food we usually take.

We can classify food as Sattvic, Rajasic, and Tamasic corresponding to a similar mental state. Sattvic foods are fruits, vegetables, and nuts. Rajasic foods are hot and Spicy. Tamasic foods are animal foods which cause intoxication. In ancient India, people engage in fasting and selectively choose intake for controlling the desire over the senses. Monks lived through several centuries entirely depending on fruits and meditation.

Am I Mindful of the Mindlessness?

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The Pretext

You have everything you could aspire in life.

Is not the life difficult for everyone? I am not saying it! A very well known author in mindfulness, Ronald D. Siegel begins a chapter with the title “life is difficult, for everyone.” You have everything you could aspire in life. You have divine-gifted parents, lovely friends, caring and supportive spouse, beautiful children, and a meaningful job and a career. Trust me; you find the life is not so easy. Your mind wanders and restless. Sometimes you find nothing in everything. You feel life in a vacuum. It is no more fun. You get angry for no reason. You get non-stop worry over nothing. The world falls apart with the slightest provocation. Some way or the other you find fault with your employer, feeling jealous of your neighbours and friends, not so happy with your spouse, worried over your next promotion, and concerned about your children’s future, etc.

 Your mind wanders and restless.

Despite all material luxury and comfort in life, why am I not happy? Why my mind does wanders around with worry? Why my mind goes restless? What’s the fuss? It’s not a bad idea to find the culprit in genes! It might be the case that man is not evolving to be happy. Probably, it’s because of the process of natural selection .  

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Mindfulness might alleviate our sufferings by providing us the moment-to-moment experience.

You might hover around a chain of endless reason. It’s not a bad idea to find the answer in you (4). Yes, not overheard. It is the way you conditioned to life. The way you related to life (3). Are you mindful of the mindlessness? Mindfulness might alleviate our sufferings by providing us the moment-to-moment experience and insights about our unnecessary thoughts that created pains, worry, and anxiety, etc. (3). The mindfulness process helps us directly experiencing the thoughts as they arise and then recollecting them in experience. The recollection of our moment-to-moment experience distinguishes from the experience itself, and it helps us dissolving the stimulus to resurface.

Mindfulness as a Concept

 

 

The hallmark of mindfulness is deep awareness of the present moment.

 Traces of mindfulness found in Buddhism, an ancient Indian spiritual tradition. The term originates from the Buddhist concept ‘Sati’ or ‘Sattipathana’ or ‘Smriti,’ meaning thereby, recollection or remembering. Ronald D. Siegel notes that the reference to Sati or mindfulness finds in the religious tradition of Vedic scriptures on “setting to memory” (pp. 942). The medical scientist, Kabat-Zinn popularized the concept and practice in Western countries. In India, it is much popular as ‘Vipassana’ (insight) meditation in modern day Buddhism. Unlike other forms of meditation, the hallmark of mindfulness is deep awareness of the present moment.

Mindfulness is intense awareness of the present states of consciousness by being alive to the immediate experience through the thoughts. It is a practice of cultivating the habits of staying lively to the presence of thoughts that come to the mind without any manipulation. The scope of the awareness is just the present states of consciousness. It does not permit the past events and the future outcomes to dwell on the present experience. The experience is non-judgemental and non-reactive [(1), (2), (3)]. It means the practitioner needs to experience the present thoughts as they occur by being a neutral observer.

In mindfulness experience, the person becomes the participant observer.

In mindfulness experience, the person becomes the participant observer. The person remains the participant while ‘thinking’ and simultaneously recollecting the experience of the act of being an observer. The experience is present-to-present, and the recollection of the experience is moment-to-moment. Engaging one in thoughts as they begin and experiencing them through the recollection of experience without making any judgment and reaction. Thus, the mindfulness is a moment-to-moment experience of the present. The reference to the events in the past and the future and the reaction to the current event either in speech or action violate the basic tenets of mindfulness (2).

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Practicing Mindfulness

You might wander around the question as to the content, focus, and the method involving the mindfulness. The trademark of mindfulness is bare awareness or attention of your present states of consciousness [(2), (3)]. Bare awareness is not awareness of nothing; it is awareness of something (the current situation) without any preoccupation in the mind of the past and the future. According to Dr. Anthony Komaroff from Harvard Medical School, you can start with focusing on your breathing, while you inhale and exhale your belly expands and contract. Then, widen your attention to, for example, hearing the sound or any other sensation.

In case, your mind start racing, come back to your original focus on breathing. Further, expand your attention.

 Mindful awareness has three features:

  • The environment, the breathing, and the thoughts. The environment is about the place of meditation—the physical surrounding, the sitting posture and the mental makeup.
  • Select a separate room for the meditation. Enter the chamber without any preoccupation in mind.
  • Try sitting for a few minutes before you begin the meditation. Wile sitting, keep your spine straight. Your sole focus should be the awareness to live in the present moment.
  • Keep your eyes somewhat open gazing at the object of meditation, between the two eyebrows. Let your thoughts floating around. Experience the moment-to-moment. If your attention wanders away, try bringing it back to the environment. If your mind is wandering away, it’s not a problem it’s is just a part of your experience of mindfulness (5).
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  • Your  focus should remain on breathing. Let the breath naturally flows and observe as it goes out and comes in without any intervention. While breathing-in and breathing-out, your focus also remains with the environment and your thoughts along with the breath.
  • Allow your mind to come in and unfold fully. You try observing and experiencing the moments as they are living on. That’s your moment of truth—your experience of what your present moments is.
  • While living in your thoughts you may miss your experience of breathing. As you notice it, so bring your attention back to breathing. If you notice, it’s just like playing the hide-and-seek game with your attention to thoughts and breathing like the appearance and disappearance of the sun in between rains.

 Practice Time

15 to 20 minutes.

Just live with your present and you will notice that all your worries cease to exist.

Mindfulness is about practicing being mindful of whatever happens to you as your own experience without being judgmental and reactive. It is not about finding yourself stop thinking (5). Just live with your present and you will notice that all your worries cease to exist. That’s the beauty of practicing mindfulness.

 

 

 

References

  1. Komaroff, A. “Does mindfulness meditation really help relieve stress and anxiety?” Retrieved on 22/03/2016 from http://www.askdoctork.com/mindfulness-meditation-really-help-relieve-anxiety-201403316226
  1. Sharaf, R. (2014). Mindfulness and Mindlessness in early Chan. Philosophy East & West, 64(4), 933-964
  2. Siegel, R.D. (2010). Life is Difficult, for everyone. Excerpt from “The mindfulness solution: Everyday practices for everyday problems.” Guilford Publications.
  3. Yogananda, P. (1946). The Autobiography of a Yogi, Chapter 26, The Science of Kriya Yoga, Self-Realization Philosophy, ISBN 0876120869.
  1. Wagela, K.K. (January 9, 2010). “How to practice mindfulness meditation,” Retrieved on 23/3/2016 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-courage-be-present/201001/how-practice-mindfulness-meditation

 

 

 

 

 

 

Knowing the Negative Emotions

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Anxiety, depression, and stress causes many deadly diseases.

Medical science and clinical psychology strongly confirm that anxiety, depression, and stress causes many deadly diseases, and spirituality is an antidote boosting happiness, mental peace, and inner harmony.

 

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Knowing the Negative Emotions

The Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2, Verse 63 clearly describes the source of negative emotion. As the verse read:

Krodhad bhavati sammohah sammohat smriti-vibhramah|

smriti bhramasad budhi-naso budhi-nasat pranasyati||

  Negative emotion takes the toll on you when it is intense.

From anger comes delusion; from the delusion comes the confusion of memory, which, in turn, leads to loss of memory and spiritual intelligence; finally, the man perishes. Stress is the outcome of negative emotions. Anger, fear, anxiety, sadness, depression, aggressiveness, Jealousy, Worry, and all forms emotional outburst have the same route. The culprit is the thinking pattern. How do you overcome it? These are all negative emotions created by you, and you are the right one to change the course of your thinking pattern. They are as natural as you are like the gift of God. You will not find a person without anger, fear, worry, and so on. Negative emotion takes the toll on you when it is intense. The good news is that they are a manifestation of your energy but in a negative form. The intense and profound they are, a more energetic as a person you are.  Your task at hand is channelizing the negative energy into a positive force.

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Negative emotions are manifestation of your energy but in a negative form.

 

It starts with, all of a sudden, knocking your door and entered without your notice. Soon it becomes your surprise guest. Eventually, it became your regular guest and a permanent member of your thinking pattern. By the time you see it occupied a large portion of your thinking space. As it took the time to enter, so it would take the time to leave. If you are aware now the presence of your guest and it deserves proper treatment; half of your homework complete in allowing it to leave. The next fifty percent of your effort would be to kick it out from your memory space.

As a software, it saved in your memory.

As a software, it saved in your memory. You need to erase it gradually from the memory area. To delete it, you need to press the Ctrl-Alt-Delete button. You need to watch it carefully and let it surfaces in your memory space entirely, then follow a step-by-step procedure to erase it. Simultaneously, you should develop a positive pattern of thinking. You should press the Ctrl-Alt-Delete button with and through the meditation.

 

 

 

Reference

The Bhagavad Gita, chapter 2, Verse 3

Continuing the Tradition of Guru-Disciple Relationship

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Guru-Shishya relationship is  eternal and believed to exist not only in this world but also extend to heavenly life.

Guru-Shishya relationship is  eternal and believed to exist not only in this world but also extend to heavenly life. The role of the Guru held high as the instrument of learning and guidance, especially in the spiritual journey. Although, the student can receive theoretical knowledge from various sources, including the text; the applied knowledge and vocational training come from the Master. As the seeker progress in the spiritual journey, each succeeding steps filled with throne which the disciple has to overcome. The Guru acts as the protector and remains the source of the divine blessings. Discussing and sharing the experience, the Master makes the life of the student comfortable.

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Not everyone is fortunate enough to receive the benefits.

The role of the Guru becomes more prominent than it was when the student sought the nuances in learning meditation. The Master remains the only source of esoteric knowledge and experience. Above all, the blessings of the Guru stay at the focus; and not everyone is fortunate enough to receive the benefits. The strength of the bond in the relationship is the determinant of the success achieved by the student in the spiritual journey of self-realization. The onus in setting the stage for learning and growing relationship lies with the student; definitely, the love and devotion of the disciple to the Master remains at the center stage.

The Guru assures the rest.

 

Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss

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Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss

The ancient India is the birth place of Sanatana Dharma, which is now popular as Hinduism. Unlike other major religions in the world, Hinduism believes in pluralism as a way of practice. As Veda describes “Ekam Sat Vipra Vahuda Vadanti,” the meaning, truth is one but it manifests as many. God is one but it reveals in many different ways, as many as diverse believes, faith, religion, ethos, values, rituals, practices, and so on. In Hinduism God is identified as Truth. You can understand this way—another name of God is Truth. Philosopher Rabindra Nath Tagore described God as Sat-Chit-Ananda (Truth-Consciousness-Bliss). Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss, all three are different forms of God. They are not distinct phenomena; they are separate forms of the same phenomenon. If truth stands for the God, the opposite of God is illusion (Maya), meaning the reality is God (truth) and the unreality is Maya. The ‘truth’ is one and the real, the opposites of truth are many and illusion. How does illusion appear as truth?

God created the world through Lila. 

Sometimes, the illusion manifest as truth. It is not the truth, but manifestation of the truth. It appears to us as truth, because we see the truth through the mirror of illusion. Like, the letters and words appear to us as bigger when we see them through power glass. Similarly the ‘truth’ appears as many when we see it under the illusion. Then, what is illusion? The world is illusion. The world is creation of Maya. The Veda describes in Sanskrit “Jagat Mithya, Brahman Satya.” The world (Jagat) is illusion (Mithya), the Brahman is truth (Satya). “Jiva Brahmaiva Napara,” There is no difference between Jiva (Soul) and Brahman (God). The several millions of people we see in the world, they are creation of Maya (illusion). They are mirror images of God. The truth is God and it is one. Any religion you follow, the concept of God cannot change. You may call Him as Lord Krishna or Jesus. God is same and only one. It is our illusion to see them as different. God created the world through Lila (creative force). Like, we create many things through our imagination.

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The nature of Atman is same as Brahman.

 Further, the Vedanta says, first, you remove your screens of illusion. What is it? You are not a material body, you are a spiritual soul. You are part of the same divine force called God. The soul you have is nothing else, but Brahman. The Atman (soul), a Sanskrit word, is Brahman. The nature of Atman is same as Brahman. What is it? Further Rabindra Nath Tagore describes the nature of Atman; it is Sat-Chit-Ananda (the Truth, Consciousness, and Bliss). The Truth is not ordinary, it is Brahman. Similarly, the Consciousness is not ordinary, it is Supreme Consciousness. Likewise, Bliss is not common, it is supreme Bliss.

Veda is called Sruti. 

Adi Sankaracharya founded the doctrine called non-dualism or monism (One God). The sect is called Advaita Vedanta. Advaita means ‘one’ and Vedanta means ‘end of Veda.’ Veda is the religious scripture in Hinduism. Veda is also called ‘Sruti,’ why Veda is called Sruti? In ancient India, the religious and spiritual knowledge transformed through Guru (teacher) to the disciple (student) in form of Sruti. ‘Sruti’ means listening and memorising. Sruti is three stage processes: Sravana (listening), Manana (understanding), and Nidhidhyasana (memorising). The student sits before the Guru, listen what the Guru says, reflect it, and restore the knowledge in memory. In the primitive age, the written form of knowledge storage was not available. So sruti was the only mode of knowledge transformation from one generation to another. The time when people learned to restore the knowledge in writing in Palm leaves, the Vedic era ended (Vedanta). Subsequently, Sruti literature restored in writing in Palm leaves. The period is called Vedanta. Adi Sankaracharya belongs to the period. Therefore, his teachings called Advaita Vedanta (non-dualism).

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I am a possibility of Brahman.

 

  Philosophy of Advaita Vedanta describes the  soul as infinite. ‘Aham Brahamsmi’– The meaning is ‘I am Brahman,’ I am infinite. I am eternal soul spirit. I am part of the same infinite Brahman. Under the false notion of ‘ego’, the individual identifies with the material body. So, I am not a Brahmin, nor a Dalit, nor PMI Mr. Narendra Modi and so on; I am infinite.  The Vedic word ‘so ham,’ the meaning is ‘I am that Brahman.’ So, it also suggests that ‘I am not God/Brahman.’ But I am part of the God. I am the finite and yet the part of an Infinite.  ‘I am not the finite alone.’ I am possibility of the Infinite. For example, I am not a teacher, I am possibilities of many. I can be a Gardner, Tablist, writer, Doctor, Engineer, Politician, Philosopher, and Blogger. So I have infinite possibilities. What does it mean? I am Godly; I am not God. I am a possibility of Brahman. In other words, I am a potential Brahman. What is my reality? It is Brahman! I am not yet Brahman, nor am I yet the consciousness of the Brahman. The Vedic word, in Mundaka Upanishad, describes “Brahmavid Brahmaiva Bhavati.” It means “those who know the Brahman can become Brahman.”

How does one reach the stage of Brahman Chetana?

Certainly, your knowledge of the Brahman can help you develop the consciousness Brahman. As long as you are under the spell of ignorance, you will consider the material pleasure, the human body, and the earthly existence as the reality. Therefore, you will recognize the distinction between ‘mine’ and ‘yours,’ ‘rich’ and ‘poor,’ and ‘happiness’ and ‘sorrow,’ etc. are a reality. Once you move out of that stage through the knowledge of Brahman (Brahma Gyana), you reach the stage described as Brahman Chetana (Consciousness of Brahman). Brahman Chetana is otherwise called Cosmic Consciousness. How does one reach the stage of Brahman Chetana? It is possible through Tapa (Meditation), Japa (Chanting Hari Nama; Maha-mantra), and Brahma Gyana (Divine Knowledge).

Gyana includes knowledge of both finite (Para-vidya) and infinite (Apara-vidya). It is not knowledge of infinite alone. Because you are ‘a poor’ soul, so you are under the spell of illusion. Gyana, in a mundane life, is cultivating all positive virtues; by then you come to know the limitation of the human; so you stand for truth, righteousness, love, courage, patience, kindness, humility, and so on. Gyana, in an absolute term, is knowledge of the Supreme Reality (Apara-vidya). The seeker advised to cultivate all  Tapa, Japa, and Gyana, simultaneously.

 

 

 

 

Reference

Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia, “Bhagavad Gita.” Retrieved on 28/02/2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bhagavad_Gita

Wikipedia, the free Encyclopaedia, “Advaita Vedanta.” Retrieved on 28/02/2016 from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Advaita_Vedanta