UNIVERSAL MORALITY (YAMA)

Yama is moral discipline. The Yamas are the moral virtues which, if attended to, purify human nature and contribute to health and happiness of society. The Yoga Sutra describes what happens when the five behaviours i.e. ahimsa (compassion for all living things), satya (commitment to truthfulness), asteya (non-stealing), brahmacharya (sense control) and aparigraha (neutralizing the desire to acquire and hoard wealth) become part of a person's daily life.

The word ahimsa plainly means not to hurt or show cruelty to any creature or any person in any way whatsoever. Ahimsa is, however, more than just lack of violence as custom-made in yoga. It means sympathy, sociability, and thoughtful consideration of other people and things. It also has to do with our duties and responsibilities. Ahimsa implies that in every state of affairs we should adopt a thoughtful attitude and do no harm.

Satya means "to speak the truth," yet it is not always desirable to speak the truth on all occasions, for it could hurt someone unreasonably. We have to think what we say, how we say it, and in what way it could affect others. If speaking the truth has negative consequences for another, then it is better to say nothing. Satya should never come into disagreement with our efforts to act with ahimsa. This guideline is based on the understanding that honest communication and action shape the bedrock of any healthy relationship, community, or government, and that purposeful trick, exaggerations, and mistruths may harm others. 

Asteya means "not to steal"; or to take nothing that does not belong to us. The practice of asteya implies not taking anything that has not been freely given. This includes fostering a consciousness of how we ask for others’ time for inconsiderate behaviour demanding another’s attention when not freely given is, in effect, stealing. This also means that if we are in a situation where someone entrusts something to us or confides in us, we do not take benefit of him or her. Stealing includes not only taking what belongs to another without consent, but also using something for a different purpose to that intended, or beyond the permitted time.

Brahmacharya is used mostly in the sense of abstinence, particularly in relationship to sexual activity. Brahmacharya suggests that we should form relationships that promote our understanding of the highest truths. Brahmacharya does not necessarily imply celibacy. Rather, it means responsible behaviour with respect to our purpose of moving toward the truth. Practicing brahmacharya means that we use our sexual energy to revive our link to our spiritual self. It also means that we don’t use this energy in any way that might harm others.

Aparigraha means to take only what is necessary, and not to take advantage of a situation or act greedy. We should only take what we have earned; if we take more, we are exploiting someone else. A yogi feels that the gathering or hoarding of things implies a lack of faith in God to provide for his future whereas we feel safe by trusting in God.

A MEDITATION CAMP IN NOVOKUIBYSHESK

 

A meditation camp was held last night at Novokuibyshevsk Town in Samara Region, Russia. I got an opportunity to meet many yoga practitioners. A light was shed on meditation techniques and stress control processes.  The practitioners were acquainted with the depths of true meditation comprehensively. Artificial means may be used for the time being but they do not serve the purpose for any length of time. Therefore I don’t use any such means in the training. I shared my knowledge on how to help bring a restless mind to a calm state and learn to relax. It's no secret that our life in modern conditions is a series of anxieties and tension that contribute to the appearance of clamps and blocks in the body, causing headaches, sleep disorders, memory impairment, decreased attention and even imbalance of the whole organism.  At this meeting, the practitioners learnt how to reassemble themselves to make sure that the body, mind and soul are on the same wavelength and live in balance. They all learnt the initial practice of meditation that will help Everyone and everyone:

1. relieve tension from the body;

2. how to bring your mind into a calm state to achieve balance and harmony;

3. how to be happy in this world.

More and more such meditation camps will be organized in future on invitation of yoga practitioners. I will be in high spirits if many people participate in the coming events progressively and avail benefits of events. Hope with the cooperation of practitioners I will be successful in spreading pure meditation techniques in the world.  I thank all those who participated in this meditation camp and availed the opportunity.

* REMEMBER *

Meditation is the worship of God. Any one can worship God. It is free of cost. Meditation is my passion not profession. I don’t charge any fees to attend an event.  However, I accept a donation if you wish to pay anything. 

You can fix an appointment through this blog. You may meet me direct whenever you like without any help of a middleman and save your money in this way. 

Come and attend my meditation camps without any hesitation! 

Moreover you can ask any question free of cost any time even when you are at home. Translate your question into English with the help of 'Google Translate' and post it in 'Contact Form' given in this blog. Your message reaches my email inbox in this way. I will answer all your legitimate questions immediately. Your satisfaction is my duty. Always stay blessed and happy...!

CONSTRUCTIVE FORCE OF FAITH

 

Faith is a constructive force in our life. It is the central urge which sustains life. The pure reasoning leads us to knowledge, which, in turn, gives us faith. Faith is based on our way of thinking. We get the complete view of mental phenomena by putting belief, reason, knowledge and faith together. In this way, rational thinking breeds faith. Belief being easily shaken is superficial whereas faith makes us strong and steadfast. We may believe at first glance but we have faith after we go through the subject matter comprehensively. A doubting mind is a diseased mind.  A thinner ray of doubt harms mental-health. We can neither receive a blessing nor retain it so long as our mind suffers from doubt. Doubt finally leads a person to despair.

A person having doubting mind always destroys whatever has been created for his happiness while a man of faith builds something beautiful in spite of troubles. The former is always pessimist whereas the later has a trust in optimism. A man of faith is never faint-hearted. He is always high-spirited. In case of difficulty, he does not sink heart because he has trust in the infinite and inexhaustible reservoir of life. He has plenty of self-confidence in his infinite strength. Doubt destroys not only the moral fibre of humanity but also the entire social fabric as it throws the whole world into a state of turmoil. Doubt has a tendency to destroy and it always brings a tight spot into being. A man of doubt misses the goal of existence since he misses the opportunities, which come to him. In this way, he has to face hardships. We should welcome hardships so that we may prove our faith.

Our connection with the great whole should always be the starting point for our thought and action. All our thought and action ought to emerge out of the purity of heart. The man of doubting mind is neither happy in this world nor in the next, because only the things we have set our heart on here are carried to the next world. A doubting mind breeds unending gloominess which makes the environment negative.

We can trust in that which is invisible and changeable instead of becoming proud or self-satisfied when we are able to realize our identity with that through discrimination. That is why we should trust in our mental faculty for having a true faith. All true faith is based on realization. For having a true faith, we should depend on our understanding. Before having faith, each person must prove everything for himself. He should make use of logics. We are helpless to face the difficulties until we have put theoretical ideas into practice and proved them by experience. This experience provides us with knowledge. We are not able to fathom many things, which will remain obscure to us until we have perceived our own possibilities and penetrated to the depth of our being. In this way, we live under the shadow of doubt of self. The Doubt of self rises because we are unaware of what we are. We are ignorant of our own strength. Whenever we meet difficulties, which are sure to rise, we must keep in mind that they are bound to disappear as they are born of finite conditions. However we should not become passive under such a situation, we should struggle to defeat those difficulties. Therefore, we must keep our faith unwavering and we should make persistent efforts to be triumphant.

Belief results from reasoning and argument. It comes into force when something convinces us. We analyse, reflect on and at last decide to believe what we hear as it being appealing to us. However, the belief rests on the surface and a thin ray of doubt in our mind may shift this belief. Consequently, doubt is more powerful than belief. On the other hand, a real faith is based on actual experience and nothing can shake us when we possess that. Doubt can never shatter the real faith. A great storm rages inside mind when a little doubt enters which leaves us exhausted. This agitation makes our mind weaker than before. Doubt is always wasteful and destructive. Doubt, having negative trends, ruins the neurons of mind. We are able to accomplish little without faith. Faith provides us with astonishing strength. In this way, to have faith is always more beneficial than having a doubting mind. A doubting mind always shows signs of a critical attitude. A critic does a great harm by dropping just one doubting thought into a mind and that grows until the mind is ruined. We feel exhausted when all this happens.

We become whatever we think. We lead ourselves to the direction of our thoughts. If we constantly think ourselves to be significant and worthy, we shall become that. We do not undermine our strength in such a case. We are on familiar terms with the common sense. Only a few people can differentiate real from unreal and fewer still that have the courage to follow the real. When faith is not fully established in our life, we get a glimpse of truth many times but we fail to retain it having overpowered by prejudices or past habits. It follows that we need to depend on the constructive force of faith.

According to the book ‘100% Mind-Power’, “There actually is intelligence within every cell and atom of the body and this intelligence is tied to the subconscious mind……There is an intelligence that is Universal, an intelligence that exists within the atom and is reproduced in and through every part of life extending into the infinite Universe. There is no place, where this intelligence does not exist. All is mind and the creation of mind.

THE CONTROL OF THOUGHT

In the initial stage, the control of thought means development of the capacity both to think good thoughts deliberately and to refrain from thinking bad ones. At this stage, the practice of the control of thought is forced on the mind. The mind has to work under pressure and tension. On the other hand, in its highest stage, it means a complete cessation of thought. At this stage, the control of thought is a self-perpetuating process. The mind works without any restraint. This stage can be attained when we cease to identify ourselves with the ego. The one-pointed state of mind paves the way for this stage. In other words, when purity of mind is attained, this stage comes of itself. Strangely enough, the purity of mind is secured only when the struggle to control the thought is made unceasingly.

We need to calm down the powerful inimical waves which have arisen in the mind. For this purpose, we have to make a struggle to control ‘darkened’ and ‘scattered state’ of mind. In order to counteract it, the more powerful explosion of helpful thoughts is affected. These thoughts boost up the influence of mind in the most positive way.  We should not be over-zealous to attain cessation of thought rather we have better to keep the mind filled with holy thoughts as much as possible because it will purify the mind which, in turn, breeds cessation of thoughts without much struggle. The holy thoughts remove conflicts and establish peace. As such, the mind becomes pure in the absence of any agitation. As a result, the control of thought takes place simultaneously exclusive of any great effort. Though this explanation appears easier in theory yet it is difficult in real practice.

We have to face inner difficulties when we try to control our mind seriously. Our own mind creates the unpredicted difficulties in course of our struggle. The more is the persistence, the greater may become our difficulties. It works on the Newton’s third law of gravity “To every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction”. We confront the opposing forces of our subconscious mind in the event of trying to control our thoughts deliberately. These forces raise the most inimical wave which frustrates us every now and then and we may be forced to give up in the way. These opposing forces are our past impression and tendencies. Usually, these forces remain dormant. They suddenly erupt in protest when we try to purify the mind. Their inconsistency with the thoughts of the conscious mind causes conflict. This conflict, in turn, causes an unmanageable confusion as the mind becomes progressively disturbed. One of the ways of clearing it is to pour holy thoughts into our mind and allow them to settle within ourselves. It is easier to say than done because already established inimical opposing thoughts do not let the holy thoughts settle in the mind. However, the success is possible, if we make efforts endlessly. At last, we can replace the opposing thoughts with the most favourable holy thoughts. Consequently, there will be a time when holy thoughts start coming out of mind, if we persist in pouring them initially. The subconscious mind can be presumed to be clear and the control of our conscious mind will be easier then. The subconscious mind is more powerful on account of the absence of egoism.

The conscious mind, being plagued with egoism, is comparatively less powerful and it becomes easier to be controlled with the force of sub-conscious mind. The important work needs to be done in the subconscious mind during this process. Actually, Sub-conscious mind awakes at the advanced stage of concentrated state of mind. Therefore, the control of conscious mind becomes a self-perpetuating process. We have not to do anything deliberately or make use of any force. Everything goes on unceasingly at this stage. We just watch and do not interfere. We can really control our mind i.e. conscious and subconscious if we aim at the attainment of life’s goal, which is the experience of the super-conscious state.

Those who trust in God are benefited concerning the control of mind. The trust in God multiplies the positive outcomes of our efforts. We pace one step ahead voluntarily and find ourselves advanced by many steps with the grace of God. Sincere faith in God is a potent help as a zeal for God is developed through a persistent practice of devotion, which, in turn, can work wonders by removing obstructions in the way. The control of thought is an important step in order to experience the super-conscious state of mind and it paves the way for a complete control of mind. The practice of the control of thought is one of the initial steps of the spiritual journey which should be carried out very carefully. As a matter of fact, any negligence in this practice may make the entire struggle unproductive.

 

PRACTICE OF SELF-REALIZATION

 

The first step in self-realization is to change the orientation from outwards to inwards and change the values and priorities. The practitioner enlarges the horizon of his mind and breaks through the narrowing wall of his self-centred existence. The intensity of his aspiration is increased by a ceaseless rejection of what is contrary to his seeking to go beyond the reign of ignorance; individual and cosmic. The surrender, being the next step, marks the beginning of the path, but it becomes the path itself as it progresses. Thus there are three processes in the practice of self-realization which are undertaken simultaneously i.e.         1. Process of aspiration; 2. Process of rejection and 3. Process of surrender.

As far as Process of aspiration is concerned, the aspiration is the inner-call, which is real while the outer circumstances are merely an occasion for the turn of life. A person who has the true call feels like a fish out of water. The aspiration originates from the soul as an inner drive towards truth and reality, liberating from limitations. It may formulate itself as an urge for knowledge, as a seeking for devotion and as a push for dedication in the mind as well as a movement for healthy growth. The aspiration is a constant seeking for a change of consciousness in the being from the ordinary into the higher dimension of the Divine consciousness. It may be active in the awakened mind as a flame that is lit because of the pressure of the soul. Let this flame be fed with proper fuel and all the movements be offered in the purifying flame of the aspiration. In this way, the tiny flame can grow into consuming-fire. In the beginning, the aspiration is confined to the limited region, which also throws their shadow. These parts of being may pose resistance and non-cooperation. Therefore, the effort needs to be renewed repeatedly with patience and sincerity at this stage. In fact, the danger is both from within oneself and from outside. Doubt, which is the enemy of aspiration, has to be rejected at its first appearance. All that may weaken the aspiration must be avoided and something, which helps and strengthens the seeking, gives a direction to it and supports the effort in all way, should be chosen.

Process of rejection makes it clear that all obstacles in the way of the fulfilment of aspiration have to be relentlessly rejected. Rejection is separation of the unwanted from oneself by dissociation of a rejected thing. It is different from suppression by which the offending elements are pushed down by force, moving back them into the subconscious or the unconscious parts where they lie waiting for a suitable opportunity to rise up and build a tension which is felt whenever exciting cause appears. The element must be pulled by its roots from one’s being after things are refused indulgence. These elements try to occur again whenever they regain the slightest possibility of entry. The rejection proceeds by a steady elimination of ideas, thoughts and beliefs that interfere with the free flight of aspiration. The mind has to give up the tendency of referring every movement to its ego. Mental disposition to depression must be done away with. A depressed mind keeps away from all happiness and light by building a wall of negative thoughts around itself. Let the mind be opened more and more to the reception and formulation of truth. Therefore, everything, which interferes with the activities of mind, must be examined and set aside. Negative tendencies like suspicious and criticism should be discouraged and replaced with positive qualities like understanding and goodwill.

According to Process of surrender, the surrender is to submit one’s will to the Divine-will on each level of one’s being, always tuning in consciousness to the higher consciousness. It is done as a need in being but not as an imposed disciplined. The surrender becomes possible only if there is an inward orientation of the life in thoughts, activities and feelings as a necessary discipline. Let the mind cease to play its own tune and forsake its habitual thinking. It must build a silent base in itself for the higher truth. A peaceful mind alone knows how to surrender itself to a higher intelligence when it is at liberty from its impatient and restless movements and habitual reaction.

A person must be beware of not only that type of surrender which is born of helplessness because of inadequate resources and he turns to the Divine for help by surrendering himself to the Divine-will at such a moment of crisis but also that surrender which is out of devotion and an inner-compulsion of love, abandoning all initiative and clearly making it a self deceptive cover for inertia and laziness as time passes.

 

SELF-REALIZATION

 

Our mind responds and reacts on the immediate awareness and discipline. Our mind reproduces whenever we put a demand. It is the greatest source of power i.e. the power of God in the form of energy of whole universe. We should keep on recharging the battery of life with that when we come into touch with the Divine through the actions of our thoughts and ideas; we feel the flow of God’s life energy. Consequently, our personality, soul, mind and body become stronger gradually. The self-realization follows certain rules, implementation of which works miracles, and it is more complex than any other field of activity. The control over mind is unlike command over a machine, it needs more skills but it is still possible.

The self-realization is the way of going and looking into one’s inner self. It is the process of self-identification and tracing out the negative and positive forces working inside the mind. It is looking for the mind’s tendency and potential to overcome and encourage those forces. It is the technique of becoming aware of the condition of mind in terms of being either balanced or disturbed; whether it is in the state of inferiority or superiority complex; high or low-spirited; in negative or positive direction; indifferent or interested; living or dull and so on. It is finding out how these forces of mind can be diverted from one course to another so that one could make most out of one’s life. In short, we can say that self-realization is the way and the process of tracing out the forces of mind acting and working into different directions and coordinating them to acquire a gaining position leading towards achievement of goal of life.

One cannot be successful if one is in the scattered state of mind. A disturbed or imbalanced mind cannot work to its maximum potential as ordinarily expected. One cannot make most out of one’s life under such a condition. One may miss many precious opportunities, rapture some important social relation, divert the course of life towards unwanted direction and lose the interest in one’s own life. Either he may keep himself in such a state of affairs or he might have lived in a position not otherwise he would have if he had been aware of his potential and abilities in time. He might pass his life as if he had never lived. In the absence of self-realization, he cannot prove himself an asset to the humanity.

By self-realization, a person can make and maintain a full control over his mind and he can overcome negative forces and encourage positive forces. He can divert them into a favourable direction in spite of odd conditions. He can make his life zestful, worthy and successful at any stage of his life. He may not only control the forces working inside the mind but also face the external forces, which are otherwise uncontrollable and always exert pressure. It is the mind around which whole universe revolves. Once it is won, you may win the whole universe. That is why self-realization is needed for an overall change and a revaluation inside and outside of mind.

 

THE NATURE OF MIND

 

The association between the sense-organs and sense-objects is mind. It is a finer body within the gross body. The physical body is only the outer-crust of the mind whereas the mind is the finer part of it. Both affect each other. That is why physical illness often affects the mind while the mental tension affects the body in the same way. In fact, mind is all in all. Mind is the central organ and all the other parts of the body are just its serving branches. Mind rules whole body. Without mind, the body is just like non-living objects. Paradoxically, the mind can do nothing without a healthy body.

Matter and mind are differentiated on the basis of the rate of vibration. Mind is called matter at a low rate of vibration. On the other hand, matter is known as mind at a high rate of vibration. The vibration of mind can be experienced by practising Meditation. The same law of time and space governs both of mind and matter. Time and space pose no barrier in case of both mind and matter.

The mind is Omni-present. The mind influences everything in the universe. Each mind is connected with every other mind. The mind interacts with all other minds directly or indirectly. In this way, it is a part of universal mind and each mind can be in communication with whole world. In fact, nothing is out of reach of mind.

The mind can look back into itself. The mind can read itself. It can be analysed with its own help. It can conduct experiment with itself. We can observe what is going on in it. It can modify the course of its actions.

Usually, mind is marked into conscious and subconscious planes. Conscious and subconscious indicate different planes on which the mind works. All the work is normally accompanied by the feeling of egoism on the conscious plane whereas the feeling of egoism does not exist on the subconscious plane. The mind, in consciousness, exhibits lack of consideration for others in comparison to subconsciousness. The mind can still operate on a higher plane beyond relative consciousness. That plane may be identified as supreme of all. The consciousness is superior to sub-consciousness but it is subordinate to another plane, which is relatively above it. This plane is called the super-consciousness. The feeling of egoism is absent here also but it is different from that which exists at sub-conscious plane. Mind enters into super-consciousness when it passes beyond the plane of relative-consciousness. This progression is involuntary and no one can sense it when it happens. Mind discards lack of consideration for others in super-consciousness. It acquires its pure state and in a sense it is then identical with the soul. Mind and soul are alike in that state.

There are five common conditions of mind i.e. scattered, darkened, gathered, one-pointed and concentrated. Ordinarily mind manifests itself in darkened and scattered conditions. A person feels dull and passive in the darkened state while he feels restless in scattered state. Both darkened and scattered are negative conditions of mind. The mental health is at stake in these conditions. The mind can be said a diseased mind in these conditions. The person struggles to centre it in the gathered state. It can be called a healing condition. In the one-pointed state, he tries to concentrate it when it is applied to any sphere of activity, it shines in that. This is more difficult and struggling condition. The whole purpose of mind-control is to reach the one-pointed state. However, the one-pointed condition is not the ultimate target. The one-pointed condition paves the way for concentrated state of mind. Through the regular practice and development of it, the mind reaches the concentrated state paving the way for the attainment of super-consciousness. The concentrated state is not only difficult to reach but also difficult to sustain. The difficulties are created by our own mind, which we experience in controlling the mind.

The mind, being fickle, becomes out of control again and again and thus makes backward and forward movements. The mind can overcome this tendency when serious efforts are made. Therefore, the mind has to be controlled by the mind itself. The mind being a delicate thing should be handled carefully. Any negligence may cause turmoil rather than a cure. We have to depend on our own serious efforts for accomplishing the entire work of controlling the mind. Artificial means may be used for the time being but they do not serve the purpose for any length of time.

No short-cut and clever device may work in controlling the mind. Haste makes waste. A great patience is needed to accomplish it. The struggle should be carried out tolerantly without caring for the outcomes. The perfection of technique and practice always comes to the expectations.

THE CONTROL OF MIND

The control of mind is very interesting game. It is full of thrill and ecstasy. A person having a sportsman’s attitude will really and thoroughly enjoy it even while tough struggle and reverse conditions. A person should be self-motivated and be ready to struggle and face hardships. It needs a great deal of skill, patience, alertness, sense of strategy and humour in addition to goodness of heart and heroic flair, which makes it impossible to sink heart even in the face of many failures. The person should cultivate the habit of boosting his self-confidence up and be prepared to try again and again in order to secure success. The mind-control has always been an extremely difficult task yet it is possible to do so since there are some well-defined methods for controlling the mind. The practitioner must follow a specific code of conduct and a systematic technique of mind-control. The entire secret of controlling the mind lies in practice and indifference. A regular practice makes it possible to control the mind. Development of a strong-will is must to control the mind in addition to understanding the nature of mind. The strong-will power and the understanding of the nature of mind make the progress of the control of mind smooth. Apart from it, certain techniques will have to be learnt and practised earnestly and intelligently. The faultless practice of techniques leads to the attainment of purpose efficiently.

Our inner struggle indicates that we have a will to control the mind. In fact, the will to control the mind is deep rooted in our mind itself. When we use the mind for seeking pleasure and enjoying it, it becomes impossible to control and have the strong-will unless and until we renounce seeking pleasure. The practice of seeking pleasure diverts our attention from the main motive. Even after giving it up as the main pursuit of our life, it will be difficult to control it because the mind will always have past incidents to exert influence. The past incidents dominate the faculty of mind. The struggle of our will to control our mind may be equal to the intensity of our rejection of the pursuit of pleasure. Both of these processes may be somehow correlated. Those who hesitate to give up the pleasure-motive lack sincerity in wanting to control their mind. The sacrifice of pleasure-motive is precondition for the control of mind. The persons who have become slaves of their lower nature do not have inner struggle, similarly those who have mastered their lower nature completely, also lack inner struggle whereas inadequate and unsuccessful attempts at controlling the mind results into inner struggle in all others. No positive result is possible when the inner struggle is not input but output of practice. It indicates a weak will and the lack of knowledge as to how to control the mind. The absence of strong-will and ignorance hinder the process of the control of mind. The will should be strengthened to such a degree that we are not disheartened even in the face of repeated failure. Let the practitioner be self-motivated in order to strengthen the will power. We should be roused to fresh endeavours enthusiastically with every new failure to control the mind. The efforts should be devoted and determined without any doubt and hesitation.

Integration of personality is effectively obstructed with no-control of mind. Personality becomes unimpressive in the absence of the control of mind. There will always be a tendency to abnormal developments or to mental disintegration through internal conflict. Internal conflict also mars the impression and integration of personality. A person of uncontrolled mind will not realize his potential of fulfil expectations even under the most favourable circumstances. The absence of the control of mind does not let a person explore the deep of his mind to unearth his potential. In order to develop strong-will, our own mind must be taught that we are directionless without it and the character of entire future depend on the fact that whether control over mind exists or not. It must be convinced that its control directs the entire course of our future. We may not get rid of the pleasure-urge as it being elemental and deep rooted in us even if it be possible, only with the greatest difficulty. The practice of seeking pleasure, being a natural phenomenon, is difficult to control. Let the physical pleasure be sought in such a way that the powers may be preserved for the joys of the mind and for attaining the bliss of the spirit. Let our efforts be directed towards replacing the physical pleasure with the pleasure of mind.

The seeker’s desire for pleasure will be sublimated and will be conducive to perfect control of mind when he has grown inwardly to the extent of seeking the supreme-spirit. If our passions are directed to lower things, we remain on a lower level; we rise higher by linking them to higher objectives. We rise to the supreme spirit by their driving force if we link them to him. Passions being wrongly oriented-desires cease after it is known experimentally that we are soul and not a body-mind complex. The desire becomes the instrument of liberation and joy when it is directed towards reality. On the other hand, its direction towards unreality makes it the instrument of bondage and misery.

 

MIND IS THE MASTER OF LIFE

 

Meditation is the exercise of mind. First of all, we should, therefore, study the mind deeply in order to make Meditation a wholesome and convenient exercise.

There are three humours in the body of man i.e. Vatt (Air), Kaph (Phlegm) and Pitta (Bile) which are said to determine a person’s mental and physical qualities. Desire for gratification, Avarice and Anger are the manifestation of Vatt, Kaph and Pitta respectively. The vitiation of these humours causes a disease known as Delirium. There are mainly four instincts i.e. anger, pride, deceitfulness and avarice. Each of them determines a person’s mental qualities to the extent of its presence in him. They also affect his inborn qualities such as right way of thinking and self-control. The effect left on man’s intrinsic qualities is so minute that it cannot be discerned easily. Fear, affliction, hatred, envy and desire for the gratification of sensual pleasures are subordinate instincts. Subordinate instincts are comparatively less powerful and they do not affect man’s intrinsic qualities directly so much as they affect his physical and mental conditions. Our life is based on multifarious activities. Where there is an activity, there is excitement or stimulation which can be divided into two categories — mental and physical. The suppression of physical outbursts as well as the non-suppression of mental actions leads to diseases; hence we should exercise restraint on mental activities. Once mind is controlled, the possibility of the excessive derangement of the three humours in the body is ruled out. If mind is pure, no diseases like anger can crop up.

A mind is the complex of cognitive faculties that enables realization, thinking, reasoning, insight, and opinion, it is a feature of human beings, but it may also apply to other life forms. The main question regarding the nature of mind is its relation to the physical brain and nervous system — a question which is often framed as the Mind-body problem, another question concerns which types of creatures are capable of having minds.

Whatever its relation to the physical body, it is generally settled that mind is that which enables a creature to have subjective knowledge and intentionality towards the environment, to perceive and respond to stimuli with some kind of activity, and to have a consciousness, including thinking and feeling.

Which attributes form the mind is much debated. Some people argue that only the "higher" intellectual functions form mind, mainly reason and memory. In this view the emotions — love, hate, fear, joy — are more primitive or subjective in nature and should be seen as different from the mind as such. Others argue that various rational and emotional states cannot be so separated, that they are of the same nature and origin, and should therefore be considered all part of the mind. In practice, mind is frequently synonymous with thought: the private conversation with ourselves that we carry on inside our heads. One of the key attributes of the mind in this sense is that it is a confidential sphere to which no one but the owner has access. No one else can know our mind. They can only understand what we consciously or unconsciously communicate.

Broadly speaking, mental faculties are the various functions of the mind, or things the mind can "carry out". Thought is a mental effort that allows human beings to make common sense of things in the world, and to stand for and understand them in ways that are important, or which agree with their needs, attachments, goals, commitments, plans, ends, desires, etc. Thinking involves the symbolic or semiotic mediation of ideas or data, as when we form concepts, engage in problem solving, reasoning and making decisions. Words that refer to similar concepts and processes include consideration, discussion and imagination.

Memory is the aptitude to preserve, retain, and subsequently recall, knowledge, information or experience. Imagination is the goings-on of generating or evoking novel situations, images, ideas etc. in the mind. It is a characteristically subjective activity, rather than a through or submissive experience. The term is theoretically used in psychology for the process of reviving in the mind percept of objects formerly given in sense perception. Things that are imagined are said to be seen in the "mind's eye". Among the many realistic functions of imagination are the ability to plan possible futures (or histories), to "see" things from another's perspective, and to modify the manner something is perceived, including to make decisions to respond to what is imagined.

Mental contents are those items that are thought of as being "in" the mind, and capable of being formed and manipulated by mental practices and faculties. Examples include thoughts, concepts, memories, emotions, percept and intentions etc.

Understanding the relationship between the brain and the mind — Dualism holds that the mind exists independently of the brain,  materialism holds that mental phenomena are identical to neuronal phenomena, idealism holds that only mental phenomena exist.

The timeline of human evolution spans some 7 million years, from the separation of the Pan genus until the emergence of behavioural modernity by 50,000 years ago. Of this timeline, the first 3 million years concern Sahelanthropus, the following 2 million concern Australopithecus, while the final 2 million span the history of actual human species (the Palaeolithic). Many traits of human intelligence, such as empathy, theory of mind, mourning, ritual, and the use of symbols and tools, are already apparent in great apes although in lesser sophistication than in humans.

 

AN INTRODUCTION OF THE WORLD OF SPIRITUALISM

 

The history of meditation is as old as the history of man and civilisation. It has been practised since times immemorial. Perhaps, the massage of spirituality was given to the world by Aryan for the first time. Aryan was not only great war-warrior but also highly learned race who migrated to different parts of the world from central Asia and finally settled in India 3500 to 5000 years ago. They acquired vast knowledge into different fields of learning and secured a high degree of spiritual attainment.

At its core, meditation is about touching the spiritual essence that exists within us all. Experiencing the joy of this essence has been called enlightenment, nirvana, or even rebirth, and reflects a deep understanding within us. The spiritual essence is not something that we create through meditation. It is already there, deep within, behind all the barriers, patiently waiting for us to recognize it. One does not have to be religious or even interested in religion to find value in it. Becoming more aware of yourself and realizing your spiritual nature is something that transcends religion. Anyone who has explored meditation knows that it is simply a path that leads to a new, more expansive way of seeing the world around us.

Everything including all heavenly bodies is controlled and works under the influence of an unknown Supernatural power in a much disciplined manner and this invisible power can be said to be God who is omnipotent and omnipresent. God can neither be seen nor be tested in the laboratory. However, the existence of God can be felt with the faculties of mind in peaceful internal environment. In fact, God creates, sustains and destroys everything in this Universe. All Natural and Supernatural events take place as per the wish of God. In case of living beings, God performs three significant functions i.e. God creates: Everything, living or non-living is created by God, and God sustains: God reshapes our luck in accordance with our past deeds. In other words, God pushes up or pulls down the level of prosperity or keeps it constant with little ups and downs in terms of health, wealth and fame etc. and the last function is that God destroys: everyone who is born has to meet an end after a specified period.

The sun is the secondary God. It is the creator of life on earth. It sustains life on earth. It makes days and nights. It changes seasons. Fruit and crops ripe and we get food. It provides all living or non-living things with energy. The Sun-light forms all the colours. The gravitation force of the Sun keeps the earth in discipline. In yogic philosophy Surya Namaskara, or the Sun Salutation is practised to honour the Sun. Surya Namaskara is very commonly practiced in most forms of yoga. It originally evolved as a type of worship of Sun, the Vedic solar deity. The physical aspect of the practice 'links together' is twelve Asanas in a dynamically expressed series. The Asanas included in the sun salutation differ from tradition to tradition.

Meditation is a narrower term than Patanjali’s Ashtang yoga i.e. Yama, Niyama, Asana, Pranayam, Pratayahara, Dharna, Dhayan and Samadhi. Former is just a part of the later. Dhayan or Meditation, Asana and Pranayam are mostly propagated and widely practised. At the same time, Pratayahara is a forgotten or neglected limb of Patanjali’s Ashtang yoga. In fact, Asana, Pranayam and Pratayahara are performed simultaneously with equal weight to accomplish Meditation.

Many people today look to Patanjali, the compiler of the ‘Yoga Sutras’.  A study of the very old text on Yoga reveals that the Yoga practice is much older than Patanjali’s work. Patanjali in the ‘Yoga Sutras’ is not referred to as an inventor of the Yoga teachings, but only as a compiler. Patanjali’s compilation having a striking depth, clarity and brevity is the mark of a later summation but not a new beginning. The topics addressed in the Patanjali Yoga Darshana from Yamas and Niyamas to Dhayana and Samadhi are already taught in detail in the older literature. The traditional originator of the ‘Yoga system of philosophy’ is generally said to be Hiranyagarbha. Yoga texts like the Brihadyogi Yajnavalkya Smriti XII.5, describe Hiranyagarbha as the original instructor of Yoga. This former Yoga texts before Patanjali can be called the Hiranyagarbha Yoga Darshan. In fact, most of the Yoga taught in ancient literature of Yoga derives from Hiranyagarbha Yoga Darshan. Such ancient Pre-Patanjali literatures have a word of a Yoga Shastra or the ‘authoritative teachings on Yoga’ and of a Yoga Darshana or ‘Yoga philosophy’, but they mean the older belief traced to Hiranyagarbha by that. It is the Yoga Darshana attributed to Hiranyagarbha which existed long before Patanjali. In fact, the literature on the Hiranyagarbha Yoga custom is much larger than that on Patanjali Yoga tradition, which itself represents a limb of it. While no single simple Hiranyagarbha Yoga Sutras manuscript has survived, quite a few of its knowledge have remained.

The first thirst for acquiring spiritual knowledge arises at the stage of the period of transition from childhood to adulthood i.e. adolescence when biological, physical, social, cognitive changes take place and a person tries to trace out his identity i.e. a person’s sense of placement within the world, the meaning that one attaches to oneself in the broader context of life. Identity is composed of the weight an individual gives to the questions “who am I?”  and “why do I exist in this world?”

After settling down in young adulthood and having lived through with rooting phase, the individual starts feeling sense of uprooting and dissatisfaction during mature adulthood. At the stage of aged adulthood, an individual gradually lose the sense of meaningfulness in life. It is the time for spiritual revaluation to take place. For want of proper guidance, counselling and direction, some remain indifferent while others develop interest in social service and spend most of their time in financial planning, reading, travelling, visiting religious places and enjoying nature and so on. On the other hand, the real satisfaction comes out of meditation only.

New Age meditation is regarded for its techniques of blanking out the mind and releasing oneself from conscious thinking. It is frequently influenced by Eastern philosophy, Yoga, Hinduism and Buddhism yet may have some degree of western influence. This is often aided by repetitive chanting of a mantra, or focusing on an object. Gym Yoga is one of the most effective techniques. It is a modern development in the field of meditation, in which meditation on all the centres of energy is done following physical work-outs in order to secure almost all the benefits.

 

INNER FOCUS MEDITATION (Antar trataka/ Drishti Yoga)

Inner Focus (Antar trataka/ Drishti Yoga) is the practice of gazing in the midpoint of the brain with closed eyes to experience awareness by stopping the activity of the mind.

Safety Measures: Sometimes you feel loneliness in nature while practicing Inner Focus (Antar trataka). There is a change in the nature of many people. This change surprises you and others how you are changing so much. Loneliness is not a problem. Many times you do not understand its initial experiences correctly and you feel that there has been some mistake in the practice. When your mind starts getting lonely, you should first learn to balance yourself. Your mind will be restrained by the beauty of nature around you.

Your eyes and breathing patterns directly influence your mental and emotional state. Next time you feel anxious, angry, or stressed; observe how is the movement of your breath, and of your eyes. Then consciously bring a sense of relaxation and stillness to them both, and you will notice that the emotional state changes as well.

Method: Perform meditation on it as follows:

Step 1: Sit in Lotus pose (Padmasana) and relax your body.  

Step 2: Enter into Pranayama by practicing slow and deep breathing through nose. Simultaneously do Pratyahara by the practice of turning the mind to introspection by voluntarily shutting out distractions provided by the senses.

Step 3: Keep your hands in your lap and fingers in Interlock Position (Ling Mudra). 

Step 4: Focus your vision at centre of the head. Concentrate at Thalamus by relaxing central part of brain. Keep your eyes shut, spine erect, body relaxed while breathing deeply.

Perform at least one round of ten deep gentle breaths.

Benefits: Inner Focus is the way of cleansing, contemplating and paying undivided attention on your mind. It aligns the external and internal worlds within you and takes you on the transcendent state of peace and bliss. It stops the activity of the mind. When the eyes are completely fixed, the mind is completely stilled. 

In order to enter into the subtle realms, one must take support of the subtle element. One should, therefore, practice taking support of the subtle (non-material) element. Subtle support is “the infinitesimal point”. The infinitesimal point is also known as the subtlest of the subtle forms of God. Inner Focus is concentration on this infinitesimal point. By uniting the beams of vision of both eyes, and focusing on a single point in the centre and concentrating the mind on that point, single pointedness is attained. In this practice, it is advised neither to focus forcefully nor manipulate the eyeballs in any manner. By this practice, the inner divine vision is opened.

This is beyond the sensory dimension of seeing. You will see your energy in movement, all of your colours will float before your eye of wisdom. If your concentration is strong and pure, you will pass through the circle into the pure white light of pure consciousness, and you will discover the void beyond the light. If your only desire is for God, you must realize that you are pure consciousness. This is all beyond what your mind can comprehend, beyond what you could think about to understand.

While practicing this Energy Centre‚ you also catch all the benefits of Lotus pose. It has numerous health benefits for mentality, physicality and spiritual energy. In addition to it, you are benefited from Pranayama, Pratyahara and Interlock Position.

Final Position: Inhale a deep breath through nose and exhale it through mouth to come out of this stage. Take another similar breath and release it coming out of practice. Take one more similar breath before opening your eyes.