References and explanation of Sanskrit terms

In this section I shall try to briefly explain the concepts referred to in other postings in this blog.

yam, niyam, praanayaam, pratyaahaar and dhaarnaa

Yam has five disciplines:

Ahimsa which means not giving pain to anyone through speech, deed and mind

Satya means to be always truthful

Asteya means not to get attracted by the wealth of others, or get affected by what others have

Aparigraha means unnecessary collection of luxuries or attachment to collections

Brahmacharya means natural discipline of the body

Niyam also has five disciplines

Shauch means cleanliness of the body, mind and soul Santosh means contentment in every aspect of life Tap means to bear all pains and hurts bravely and be unaffected by them, which means, bearing everything with peace Swadhayay means constant learning by self meditation Samarpan means total surrender but not complacency. Doing everything that comes our way with all our mental and physical capacities i.e. living the moment to perfection. Pranayam means (Yoga Breathing) Extension and control of breath. Pratyaahaar means (Withdrawal of Senses) A mental preparation to increase the power of mind.

Dharana means (Concentration on Object) Concentration of mind on one object and its field. Samadhi means (Salvation) State of Super bliss, joy and merging individual consciousness in to universal consciousness. Union between Jivatman and Paramatman. Realizing the Bramhan (pure consciousness) or Realization of God is the ultimate achievement of Human Birth.

Sadhan Chatushtay : Four Means of practice (sadhana chatushtaya), which include Six Virtues (shatsampat), are cultivated on the path of Self-Realization by the school of Vedanta or gyaan Yoga. These allow a clear, steady foundation for the three stages of the practices of listening to the teachings (sravana), reflecting on those teachings (manana), and deep contemplative meditation on those principles (niddhidhyasana).

1. Vivek means Discrimination : The first of the four means is that of discrimination. It is the gradual unfolding of the ability to explore and discern the difference between the real and the unreal (sat and asat), the permanent and the temporary (nitya and anitya), self and not-self (atman and anatman). Discrimination (viveka) is also a foundation principle of the Yoga Sutras.

2. Vairagya means Non-attachment : As a natural byproduct of discrimination, there is an decrease in attraction to the objects of the world and the inner desires for those worldly fruits. It is a process of gently reducing the coloring of attractions and aversions in the inner field of mind. This dispassion does not mean abandoning ones responsibilities to other people or to fulfilling of one's duties to society at large. One who has successfully cultivated non-attachment is actually more effective in the world, as well as more prepared for the subtleties of seeking Truth. Non-attachment is also a major foundation of Yoga.

3. shat sampat means Six virtues: Six virtues, areas of mental training, and attitudes are cultivated so as to stabilize the mind and emotions, allowing the deep practice of contemplative meditation to be performed.

1) Tranquility (shama): Intentional cultivating an inner attitude of tranquility, peace of mind, or contentment is a foundation on which the other practices can rest.

2) Training (dama): Training of the senses (indriyas) means the responsible use of the senses in positive, useful directions, both in our actions in the world and the nature of inner thoughts we cultivate.

3) Withdrawal (uparati): With a proper inner attitude of tranquility, and the training of the senses, there also comes a sense of satiety, or natural sense of completeness, as if no more of the sensory experience need be sought.

4) Forbearance (titiksha): Forbearance and tolerance of external situations allow one to be free from the onslaught of the sensory stimuli and pressures from others to participate in actions, speech, or thoughts that one knows to be going in a not-useful direction.

5) Faith (shraddha): An intense sense of certainty about the direction one is going keeps one going in the right direction, persisting in following the teachings and practices that have been examined and seen to be productive, useful, and fruit bearing.

6) Focus (samadhana): Resolute focus towards harmonizing and balancing of mind, its thoughts, and emotions, along with the other virtues, brings a freedom to pursue the depth of inner exploration and realization.

4. mumukshutva means longing : An intense, passionate, longing or desire for enlightenment and liberation from the levels of suffering that comes from the repeated cycles of suffering and delusion. It is a longing that is so strong that it gradually swallows up all of the other, smaller desires.

Chakras : There are 7 energy centers called "Chakras" and they parallel the spine. Each chakra has certain qualities and associations. And there are yoga postures that help us get this energy in balance.

CHAKRA ONE called MULADHARA means "root" and support. This chakra is located at the base of the spine.

CHAKRA TWO called Svadhisthana means sweetness. The location of this chakra is in the area of the genitals and womb.

CHAKRA THREE called Manipura means Lusterous Gem. It is located in the area of the navel to the solar plexus.

CHAKRA FOUR called Anahata means one that can't be hurt. It is located at the heart.

CHAKRA FIVE called Visuddha means purification. It is located at the area of the throat.

CHAKRA SIX called Ajna means to know, to percieve, to command. It is located in the head at or just above the 3rd eye level.

CHAKRA SEVEN called Sahasrara means thousandfold. It is located at the top of the head or actually, just above the top of the head

Dhyaan in meditation

Dhyan is of various types. The interests of the sadhak, his nature, capability and mental orientation determine the type of Dhyan that is suitable to any sadhak. A believer thinks of his deity. Raj yogi focuses on a person who is beyond worldly affliction of happiness and sorrow. A hath yogi focuses on chakras and their designated deities. A gyani focuses on his soul. One has to decide for oneself as to which type suits one the best. If you cannot determine it yourself, it helps to go to a learned guru. He would definitely know the right method for your nature.

Rajyogi practices yam, niyam, praanayaam, pratyaahaar and dhaarnaa before entering the state of meaningful meditation. A believer nurtures his pure love for god and enters the state of meditation. Vedanti or gyaan yogi practises discourses and saadhan chatushtay ( Vivek, vairagya, patsampatti and mumukshatva) to reach this state. Hath yogi practices praanayaam to enter the state of deep meditation.

Regular practise of dhyaan opens up the inner awareness, and the mind slowly becomes calm and stable. Sadhak experiences extreme joy of togetherness with the creator. Mind becomes free of all doubts. The next step of spiritual elevation becomes visible by itself, and an inner voice begins to guide him. One must listen very attentively to this inner voice.

When you enter the state of deep meditation, you are beyond the distinction of physical being and true inner self, and attain a state of equanimity, where you would not easily be confused, the rise and fall of emotions and feelings completely subsides. The awareness of self or the aham(ego) begins to fade slowly. You experience a joy that is beyond description. Then the activities of logic and debate, thoughts and mental pursuits also end gradually.

When you sit quietly in a state of deep meditation, then the world outside and all problems associated with it also end. You experience an eternal calm. One witnesses the ultimate light only in a state of quiet meditation, and only then can one experience the actual power of the creator. When one enters the state of deep meditation then the entire persona is transformed and re energized.

Faith is power of yoga. The essence obtained from dhyaan is - vitality which is essential for enthusiastic pursuit of yog sadhna, - Smriti or mental focus for thought, - samaadhi or concentration for focussing the mind, and - awareness, for pursuit of the intended knowledge, all of which were unknown hitherto , become prime tools of meditation.

The key to meditation

After one becomes aware of all activities of the mind, then the mind can be focussed on any one point. Focussing the mind energy on any one object, thought or action is a component of the process of meditation. Concentrated focus yields maximum results in any endeavour in minimum time.

This rule applies to all aspects of human life. A surgeon performs a surgery with full concentration of the mind. All activities which demand perfection, like drawings, maps etc, the technicians, engineers or architects involved can be distinguished by their prime quality of concentration. The workers involved in making watches and other scientific instruments in Switzerland also have the same ability of concentration.

The power of energy focussed on one point needs no further elaboration. The steam in a boiler, or the rays of the sun passing through a lens all become causes of extreme power. Similarly, practise of meditation helps in focussing the mind. Mind is attracted by three things – sound (physical or mental), shape and thought. A yogi concentrates on the deep sound of his internal self and enters a state of deep meditation. This is anaahat naad, which can be heard when all internal holds are completely purified and synchronized. This sound can also be heard when a yogi chants a mantra in an even timbre and concentrates the mind on the sound of these mantras. He can select any aspect of his deity - physical, or Om. The learned vedanti practitioner continuously focuses his mind on some elevated thought or the sutra.

The mind becomes peaceful and stable in a state of meditation. The instincts of the mind are focussed on the object. In other words the mind gets focussed on the target. Wandering of the mind ceases. The senses relax and almost stop working. In a state of deep meditation one loses the consciousness of physical body and the spiritual being. The sadhak who perfects the skill of meditation can be one with his deity in his mind at any time.

Brooding, fantasising or aimless wandering in the realm of imagination is not meditation. This is not even concentration. This is a mere leap of the mind in thin air. Introspection and self profiling helps one become aware of this habit, and is essential to control it.

Practical exercises for improving concentration

1. Ask your friends or companions to show you some playing cards for a few seconds. You should try to describe them immediately after they have been removed from sight. This helps in sharpening retention power of the mind and this is an elementary step for meditation.

2. Read a few pages of a book. Now try to focus on what you have read. Reject the thoughts which conflict with the effort to delve on the contents of your readings. Focus the mind on one object. Now tell your mind to classify the thoughts and make them up in small aggregations based on similarity of content. Now compare these assorted thoughts. With this practise you will be able to assimilate much more of your readings and much faster too. There is no gain in flipping through the pages of a book. Some students read very fast but are not able to retain much. This is a waste of effort and time. If we pay attention carefully to the subject at hand, it leaves a deep impression on the mind. Deep impression sharpens memory. Have you ever thought why you remember only some of the things and not all from your childhood? Things that have left deep impressions are indelible and last in our memory through a life time, and sometimes even beyond.

3. Sit in a comfortable posture for meditation. Keep a time piece at a distance of one foot from your eyes. Concentrate your mind on the ticking sound of the clock. Keep pulling back your mind to the ticking sound of the clock, as soon as it wanders away. Assess yourself as to how long you manage to keep your concentration intact. With practise, wandering mind gets controlled.

4. Sit in a comfortable posture for meditation. Close your eyes. Put earplugs in your ears. Now concentrate on listening to the sounds. You will hear different sounds, like flute, violin, drums, storm, temple bells, humming of bees and birds etc. Concentrate on the macro sounds at first. Concentrate on one type of sound at one time. If the mind begins to wander, try to take it from macro sounds to micro sounds, and from micro to macro. Usually one hears the sounds in the right ear, but sometimes one can hear them in left ear as well. One should try to focus on the sounds in any one ear. This stabilizes the mind. This is an easy method for controlling one's own mind.

5. Light a candle and place it in front of you. Concentrate the mind on the flame. When the eyes feel tired, close them and try to focus on the mental image of the flame. Try this initially for half a minute, and slowly increase it to 5 to 10 minutes. When you reach a state of deep meditation you will have the vision of gods. You may actually see images of learned men as per your perceptions. These impressions are manifestations of cultural upbringing that one has been exposed to.

6. Lie flat on an even surface under the open sky on a moonlit night, and concentrate on the moon. As and when the mind wanders, pull it back on to the image of the moon. This is an extremely effective method for those who are deeply emotional.

7 One can select any one of the stars instead of the moon, and practise the same way as prescribed in preceding paragraph.

8 Sit on the quiet bank of a river where waves meet each other with a sound of Om. Concentrate on this sound. Practise as long as you want. The experience is extremely exciting and inspiring at the same time.

9. Lie flat on an even surface under an open sky, and concentrate on its vast expanse. This practise works wonders for expanding the mind and opening it up. You will feel elevated. The blue expanse of the sky will remind you of the endless spirit.

10. Sit in any comfortable posture for meditation. Concentrate your mind on any one of the many subjective qualities like kindness, compassion etc. Decide upon the duration of the practise as per your capabilities. Only practise can help improve concentration.

Dhyaan

It is not possible to attain full concentration in the process of meditation in the absence of some base. Mind can be trained to concentrate on some pleasant thought. It is extremely difficult to concentrate on any subject that is not pleasing to the mind. Mind should be focussed on any internal or external object or subject. It should be kept focussed for some time with consistency and stability. This is "faith". Practise this daily. The base of "laya yog" or unity with sync is also faith only.

A Vedanti sadhak (practitioner) tries to focus the mind on the soul. Hathyogi and Rajyogi try to focus the mind on the six chakras of their body. The faithful try to focus their mind on their deity. Concentration is a very important requirement for all practitioners.

Those who practice concentration, advance very rapidly, and they gain the capability to accomplish any task in relatively lesser time with greater efficiency. One who can concentrate one's mind can do in half an hour, what would usually take six hours for the uninitiated. Practising concentration purifies the mind. The tide of feelings subsides. Lines of thoughts strengthen, and thoughts become clearer. Concentration helps in material growth as well. A practitioner of concentration executes the jobs at hand with a greater efficiency in office or business as the case may be. What was unclear to him earlier becomes easily comprehensible. Nothing is impossible for one who has practised concentration regularly. Remote vision, remote hearing, hypnotism, mind reading, music, mathematics and scientific pursuits are all dependent upon concentration. Just as laws of gravity and relativity are active at the physical level, similarly relativity, co existence and laws of relativity are active at the level of thought. Practitioners of concentration need to know and understand these very clearly.

When mind thinks about any matter, it analyzes the qualities and components as well. When it thinks about the cause, it also thinks about the associated activity. If you study the religious scriptures like the bhagvadgeeta over and over again, you will discover some new thoughts each time. One is able to appreciate the depth of these scriptures only with the practise of concentration. It is then ,that the deep meaning of these scripture starts becoming clear in the mind of the reader, and one can enter the realm of philosophical depths of these scriptures. Practise to concentrate on different micro (sookshm) and macro (sthool) objects. Gradually, concentration becomes a habit. Just as you sit down to meditate; the mind will attain the state of ready preparedness. If you have any desires in your mind, do not fulfil them. Reject them, as soon as they arise. Gradually their number will decline. Instincts will also diminish. You have to free yourself from all weaknesses of thought, superstitions, false imaginary fears and bad sanskars, then only can you learn to concentrate.

Spiritual India

India has many hues, but its ancient civilization and heritage of knowledge handed over to successive generation through a tradition of teacher and the disciple is unique and perhaps the most striking. The religion of many Indians is often confused as Hinduism. This is not so. A lot of people of Indian origin follow a religious way of life, which is rooted in sanatan dharma. Sanatan means continuous or endless, which in essence encompasses all. Pursuit of a religion is an individual's choice, and religion in India is a way of life, having a deep impact on all aspects of life. Sanatan dharma is the quintessential Indian spirituality.

Indian spirituality is about discovery of oneself. It's a journey where traveller merges with the destination. It is an acknowledgement of the gift of human life bestowed with intellect and capability of meditation. I will try to bring out the practical aspects of Indian spirituality in this blog. We all know through scientific discovery that we use a very small portion of the capability of the human mind. It is the most powerful of nature's creations and almost each living being is blessed with one. Brain and mind are two different things. A brain with life is a mind, without life is a piece of meat. The power of mind is supreme, only if we know who controls whom. Do we control our mind or does our mind control us? Is there really a distinction between my mind and me? If yes, who am I?

If you have asked this question, you are on the right path. I have not yet found the answer, but I am blessed with the access to someone who is the learned one, and I am in serious pursuit of myself. There is no large mountain with a giant yogi sitting in a charming posture, or a large ocean of milk, home to a relaxing deity. These are but the cat on the ledge which is so convincingly told to every child, for him to behave. It is done by parents who are definitely concerned for their child, and are very sure that the child will outgrow his fear with age, but the concept today helps them guide the child in a path they think is right for him. Similarly the grown up children embark on a journey of discovery of self rather late in life, and by that time they have already nurtured a burden of a matured ego, and perception of the world. In such a scenario, the spiritual guru uses the cat on the ledge to guide you along a path. Hence the temples, and attractive statues of deities, and the faith that these deities are capable of blessing you.

Actual knowledge is a mathematical truth. Infinity. Difficult to explain. When we mention infinity in mathematics, we simply accept the concept, whereas entire scientific pursuit is based on empirical evidence of things and perceptions. This acceptance of the concept of infinity in mathematics is termed as the creator in spirituality, and the acceptance of infinity in mathematics is termed as faith in spirituality. It is a subject matter of experience. The capability of physical form and its senses is extremely limited for this experience. Hence these capabilities are required to be enhanced and the first step towards this is Yoga, which leads to meditation. It is in the exalted state of deep meditation that one can experience the truth. I am not competent to comment on this aspect beyond what I have said above, as I have just embarked on this path myself, and am yet to begin the travel.

In the following sections I discuss about Dhyan, which is the essence of all spirituality as human beings know.