Hari
OM
Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation.
"I said to my soul, be still and wait without hope, for hope would be hope for the wrong thing;
wait without love, for love would be love of the wrong thing;
there is yet faith, but the faith and the love are all in the waiting.
Wait without thought, for you are not ready for thought;
so the darkness shall be the light and the stillness the dancing."
(T S Eliot)
We
have begun an exploration of OM through its component parts as represented by
A-U-M. This is but the merest picking at the surface. In brief, we found that there are many words
in our language which begin with the letter A, meaningful and inspiring
words. A is to be understood as the
beginning of all things, it is the first sound of the creatures with voice, it
is the last sound whispered as final breath is passed. With U we found there is commitment to
process; maintenance and circular experience until such time as sufficient
learning ensures a gap to reach out arrives.
A gap which permits progress to M. Mindfulness and meditation are part
of the severing of the bindings of the physical world. We may get part way, or if filled with grace, may reach the very pinnacle
of spiritual understanding.
So
easily written… words are spoken with a reasonable intent… the poet understood!
The
alert will have begun to perceive a sense of Trinity in the concept of AUM.
This would be true. The theological
aspects will be dealt with more fully as we assess other areas of practice, but
it is important to note that absolutely everything arises from OM. Creation
occurred (Father), it is in a constant state of maintenance (Son), all things
must return to source (Holy Ghost).
"In the beginning was The Word and The Word was with God and The Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by Him; and without Him was not anything made that was made. In Him was life; and the life was the light of men; And the light shineth in darkness and the darkness comprehended it not." (St John ch1 v 1-5)
Again,
the comparison with advaitic understanding will be made elsewhere at a later
time. For now, be aware that in this
passage is a complete encapsulation of that which in Sanskrit is known as ब्रह्मन् /Brahman, not a physical being, but the
'light' of consciousness, the spark of that which defines life. There is no
separation between what we think we are now in physical form and that which is
the entire cosmos - and beyond. In the bolded text, there is understanding of
there being nothing original since the origin of everything. Absolutely everything arises from that first
generated thought, manifest as sound. The final sentence in the quote is as
good a description as could be found in any Upanishad of the nature of
Sat-Chit-Aananda. It is also an echo of a concept given in the 'creation hymn'
of the Rig-veda.
Throughout
all textual sources there is attempt to describe the indescribable. The failing is that the words cause us to define, to limit. The very word 'God' has resulted in an ownership of something external to us and prevented our reunification (yoga) with our source. It has become lost in the torrent of words.
The words are as physical as any step on a
stair case. We need them to clamber our
way through the clouds of our current perceptions. Ultimately, we have to leave
them behind.
SAADHANA.
Continue
daily practice of not less than 15 and not more than 30 minutes of sitting in
correct posture, stilling the mind, focusing on the letters of the sound
syllable. In settling to posture, if you have not already found it part
of the process, seek also to deepen and slow your breathing. Oxygenation
aids full relaxation of muscles. Keep checking in on the body that it
does not tighten. Drop those shoulders! Unclench those buttocks! Unfurl those
fists! Be sure you have found your balanced and centred pose from which
to dive inwards on this expansive journey called meditation.
Beware...
