Practical
Hints on Sadhana
1.
First of all, there should be a clear conception
of the Aim of one’s life.
2.
The Aim should be such that it should not be
subject to subsequent change of opinion or transcendence by some other thought,
feeling or experience. It means, the Aim should be ultimate, and there should
be nothing beyond that.
3.
It will be clear that, since the ultimate Aim is
single, and set clearly before one’s mind, everything else in the world becomes
an instrument, an auxiliary or an accessory to the fulfilment of this Aim.
4.
It is possible to make the mistake that only
certain things in the world are aids in the realization of one’s Aim of life,
and that others are obstacles. But this is not true, because everything in the
world is interconnected and it is not possible to divide the necessary from the
unnecessary, the good from the bad, etc., except in a purely relative sense.
The so-called unnecessary items or the useless ones are those whose subtle
connection with our central purpose in life is not clear to our minds. This
happens when our minds are carried away by sudden emotions or spurts of enthusiasm.
5.
All this would mean that it is not advisable or
practicable to ignore any aspect of life totally, as if it is completely
irrelevant to the purpose of one’s life. But here begins the difficulty in the
practice of sadhana, because it is not humanly possible to consider
every aspect of a situation when one tries to understand it.
6.
The solution is the training which one has to
receive under a competent Teacher, who alone can suggest methods of
entertaining such a comprehensive vision of things, which is the precondition
of a true spiritual life, or a life of higher meditation.
7.
There are economic and material needs as well as
vital longings of the human nature which have to be paid their due, at the
proper time and in the proper proportions, not with the intention of acquiring
comfort and satisfaction to one’s self, but with a view to the sublimation of
all personal desires or urges, whether physical, vital or psychological. An
utter ignorance of this fact may prove to be a sort of hindrance to one’s
further practice on the path of sadhana.
8.
It is, of course, necessary that one should live
a life of reasonable seclusion under the guidance of a master until such time
when one can stand on one’s own legs and think independently, without help from
anyone.
9.
But, one should, now and then, test one’s
ability to counteract one’s reactions to the atmosphere even when one is in the
midst of intractable and irreconcilable surroundings. Seclusion should not mean
a kind of self-hypnotism or hibernation and an incapacity to face the
atmosphere around.
10.
It should also not mean that one should be
incapable of living in seclusion alone to oneself, when the occasion for it
comes. In short, the ideal should be achievement of an equanimous attitude to
circumstances, whether one is alone to oneself or one is in the midst of an
irreconcilable social atmosphere.
11.
While in seclusion, the mind should not be
allowed to go back to the circumstances of one’s family life, official career
or to problems which are likely to disturb the concentration of the mind on
God, because the pressure of these earlier experiences may sometimes prove
itself to be greater in intensity than one’s love of God.
12.
It is impossible to concentrate on God unless
one has a firm conviction and faith that whatever one expects in this world can
also be had from God; nay, much more than all these things which the world has
as its treasures and values.
13.
It is difficult to have the vision of one’s Aim
of Life when the mind goes out of meditation to whatever it longs for in the
world. Hence, a deep study of the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita, the
Srimad-Bhagavata and such other scriptures is necessary to drive into the mind
the conviction about the Supremacy of God.
14.
Study or svadhyaya, japa of mantras
and meditation are the three main aspects of spiritual practice.
15.
Svadhyaya does not mean study of any book
that one may find anywhere at any time. It means a continued and regular study,
daily, of selected holy texts, or even a single text, from among those that
have been suggested above. A study in this manner, done at a fixed time, every
day, for a fixed duration, will bring the expected result.
16.
The japa of the mantra should, in
the beginning, be done with a little sound in the mouth so that the mind may
not go here and there towards different things. The loud chant of the mantra
will bring the mind back to the point of concentration. Later on, the japa
can be only with movement of lips, but without making any sound. In the end,
the japa can be only mental, provided that the mind does not wander
during the mental japa.
17.
A convenient duration, say, half an hour or one
hour, should be set up at different times, so that the daily sadhana
should be at least for three hours a day. It can be increased according to
one’s capacity, as days pass.
18.
During japa, the mind should think of the
meaning of the mantra, the surrender of oneself to the Deity of the mantra,
and finally, the communion of oneself with that Great Deity. Effort should be
put forth to entertain this deep feeling during japa, every day.
19.
Meditation can be either combined with japa,
or it can be independent of japa. Meditation with japa means the
mental repetition of the mantra and, also, at the same time, meditating
deeply on the meaning of the mantra, as mentioned above.
20.
Meditation without japa is a higher stage
where the mind gets so much absorbed in the thought of God, surrender to God
and union with God, that in this meditation japa automatically stops.
This is the highest state of meditation.
21.
Throughout one’s sadhana, it is necessary
to feel the oneness of oneself and the universe with God.
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