Practical Aspect of Meditation
This world is full of miseries
and sufferings. If you want to get rid of the pains and afflictions of this
Samsara, you must practice meditation. Meditation leads to the knowledge of the
Self, which brings about Eternal Peace and Supreme Bliss. Meditation prepares
you for the integral experience or direct intuitive knowledge. Meditation is
the flow of continuous thought of one thing or God or Atman. Meditation is the
pathway to divinity. It is the royal road to the kingdom of Brahman. It is a
mysterious ladder which reaches from earth to Heaven (Vaikuntha-Kailasa-Brahman),
from error to Truth, from darkness to Light, from pain to Bliss, from
restlessness to abiding Peace, from ignorance to Knowledge, from mortality to
Immortality.
Truth is Brahman. Truth is
Atman. You cannot realize the Truth without reflection and meditation. The mode
of meditation differs according to the path adopted by the aspirant. A Bhakta
practices Saguna Dhyana on the form of his Ishta Devata. A Hatha Yogi meditates
on the Chakras and the presiding deities. A Jnana Yogi meditates on his own
Self. He practices Ahamgraha Upasana. A Raja Yogi meditates on the special
Purusha who is not affected by afflictions and desires.
The mind assumes the form of
the object it cognizes. Then only perception is possible. A Bhakta constantly
meditates on the form of his tutelary deity or Ishta Devata. The mind always
takes the form of the deity. When he is established in his meditation, when he
attains the stage of Para Bhakti or supreme devotion, he sees his Ishta Devata
only everywhere. The names and forms vanish. A devotee of Lord Krishna sees
Lord Krishna only everywhere and experiences the state described in the Gita
"Vaasudevah Sarvam iti-Everything is Vaasudeva only." A Jnani or a
Vedanti sees his own Self or Atman everywhere. The world of names and forms
vanishes from his view. He experiences the utterances of the seers of the
Upanishads: "Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma-All indeed is Brahman."
You must have a pure mind if
you want to realize the Self. Unless the mind is set free and casts away all desires,
cravings, worries, delusion, pride, lust, attachment, likes and dislikes, it
cannot enter into the domain of Supreme Peace and unalloyed felicity-the
Immortal Abode. A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man, cannot
practice meditation. He who has controlled the tongue and other organs, who has
an acute acumen, who eats, drinks and sleeps in moderation, who has destroyed
selfishness, lust, greed and anger, can practice meditation and attain success
in Samadhi.
You cannot enjoy peace of mind
and cannot practice meditation if there is Vikshepa in your mind. Vikshepa is
tossing of mind. Vikshepa is Rajas. Vikshepa and desires co-exist in the mind.
If you really want to destroy Vikshepa, you must destroy all mundane desires
and cravings through dispassion and self-surrender to the Lord.
If you apply fire to a green
wood, it will not burn; if you apply fire to a piece of dried wood, it will at
once catch fire and burn. Even so, those who have not purified their minds,
will not be able to start the fire of meditation. They will be sleeping or
dreaming-building castles in the air-when they sit for meditation. But those
who have removed the impurities in their minds by Japa, service, charity,
Pranayama, etc., will enter into deep meditation as soon as they sit for
meditation. The pure, ripe mind will at once burn with the fire of meditation.
Mind is compared to a garden.
Just as you can cultivate good flowers and fruits in a garden by ploughing and
manuring the land, by removing the weeds and thorns and by watering the plants
and trees, so also you can cultivate the flower of devotion in the garden of
your mind by removing the impurities of the mind, such as lust, anger, greed,
delusion, pride, etc., and watering it with divine thoughts. Weeds and thorns
grow in the rainy season, disappear in summer, but their seeds remain
underneath the ground. As soon as there is a shower, the seeds again germinate
and sprout out. Even so, the Vrittis (modifications of the mind) manifest on
the surface of the conscious mind, then disappear and assume a subtle
seed-state, the form of Samskaras or impressions. The Samskaras again become
Vrittis either through internal or external stimulus. When the garden is clean,
when there are no weeds and thorns you can get good fruits. So also, when the
mind is pure, when the mind is free from lust, anger, etc., you can have the
fruit of good, deep meditation. Therefore cleanse the mind of its impurities
first. Then the current of meditation will flow by itself.
If you want to keep a garden
always clean, you will have to remove not only the weeds and thorns and other
small plants but also the seeds that lie underneath the ground which again
germinate during rainy season. Even so, you will have to destroy not only the
big waves or Vrittis of the mind but also the Samskaras which are the seeds for
births and deaths, which generate Vrittis again and again, if you want to enter
into Samadhi and attain liberation or perfect freedom.
Without the help of
meditation, you cannot attain knowledge of the Self. Without its aid, you
cannot grow into the divine state. Without it, you cannot liberate yourself
from the trammels of the mind and attain Immortality. If you do not practice
meditation, the supreme splendor and fadeless glories of Atman will remain
hidden from you. Tear the veils that cover the soul by practicing regular
meditation. Rend asunder the five sheaths that screen the Atman by constant
meditation and then attain the final beatitude of life.
Excerpts from:
Practical
Aspect of Meditation by Swami Sivananda
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