Hari
OM
Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation.
Meditation & Life, with Sw. Chinmayananda
(Gurudev).
We are now exploring the writings of Gurudev on our focus subject of
Meditation. The book is a thorough treatment of the subject and extends to over
170 pages of closely printed text. No attempt is intended, here, to present the
text in its entirety. However, important paragraphs and quotes will
be given, within a summary of each section. You
are encouraged to use the links on sidebar to obtain a copy for yourselves from
CM publications. Please remember that each of the posts under this title is part of a
thought flow and it is important to go back and read the previous post in order
to refresh and review the context.
Ch. 19 Silence the Mind.
Rsis of ancient times inquired into the nature and workings of the
'subject', the individual observing the world, and how that individual relates
to the 'object', the world of experience. The decision to look inwards was a
natural progression from their intensive and exhaustive investigation of the
material world, from which they discovered a connection with the subject and
the need to analyse that connection equally as deeply. These Masters, in
seeking the Truth of existence from the objective world in the same manner as
we now know as physics, chemistry or biology, came to understand that the
'observer' was an element not attached to these objects.
The Source of Actions.
The researches of the Rsis, then, focused fully on the human being
and its activity in the world of objects. First observation was that not two
people would act in the same way to the same situation. Such variety had to be
examined. What was revealed was that each individual's re/actions were
dependent upon their thoughts. The logical conclusion drawn was that actions
are 'amplifications' of the thoughts; quality thoughts are likely to equal
quality action. Where there are no thoughts, no action takes place (eg in
sleep). The next enquiry then was as to
the source of human thought. This turned out to be from the formation of
desires. It is split-second stuff, but therein lies the truth. All thoughts
occur as a direct result of a desire; even the most noble… for to engender
noble thoughts and actions there must be the desire for such nobility to spark
them.
What, then, initiates desires? The Rsis found that these spring from
avidya - ignorance. A lack of knowledge about the Self, the Pure Consciousness.
All individual selves are nothing but sparks of that Great Self. To remember
that Truth of Self, the sparks can return to the Great Fire of Existence.
What keeps these sparks from returning automatically? The
identification with the physical, the body, mind and intellect (BMI); but
mistaking these for being our 'truth' we form the individual ego-self. Yet
every one of us does have an inkling of our Blissful Truth; every individual
has the desire to improve things in life - even if they do not recognise this
drive as being the Pure Consciousness yelling at us to come home! In attempting
to find that 'happiness', that 'bliss', we strive to attain position, acquire
objects, to control events and so on. In doing so, we find agonies and
ecstasies which we generally call 'life'.
In our avidya our desires create thoughts, some will just fly away
and prove useless to us, others will demand action and those actions will be
directly display the nature of our thoughts and desires. Desires, thoughts and
actions are but three 'shades' of avidya and by controlling any one of them, we
can control all three.
"This is the logic behind all
the rules of ethics and morality, and all the prescriptions of the world's
religions. By controlling action, which is the grossest representation of
ignorance, we purify and control our thought-currents. When our thoughts are
purified, our desires are also. The purer the desires, the lesser the thickness
of ignorance and, where ignorance has receded, Knowledge shines forth."
The serious student of meditation is therefore initiated into the
practice through training that insists upon a pure and ethical life.
Brahmachaarya. Many mistake this to mean 'sexual abstinence' - but it is
actually continence in all aspects of our behaviour. Refraining from
over-indulging in all the temptations of the objective world is required.
Know the Enemy.
When we talk 'meditation', we certainly understand that an
engagement of the mind a single point of thought is involved - and generally,
this thought ought to be the Divine. True meditation brings all thoughts to
bear upon this, and then, strips away even these thoughts until the mind is Divine. Not empty, note. Just one, single
Divine Thought.
We have learned about the antaH-karana, the mind, intellect, ego,
chitta combination. Whilst it is important to understand these four sides of
the mental equipment, it is also important to understand, as with the thought
triad, that control of one aspect will result in control of all. Meditation is
the process by which the intellect gains dominance over the mind, such that it
becomes still. The whole aim of meditation is to tame monkey mind.
Understanding the mind its functions is an essential part of success in this
endeavour. To know the enemy is to be able to strategise against him. We are so
bound up in our own minds, that we rarely 'stand apart' from it. Unless we take
an objective view of our own mind, it will remain difficult to control. No matter
how hard or often we 'try to meditate', the ignorance of the actual workings of
our mind will undo us.
Whilst mind is the constant flow of thoughts, thoughts themselves
are not 'mind' - to say so would mean we had an infinite number of minds within
us! Rather, 'mind' is the processing chamber for thoughts. In the car's engine,
if top-grade oil passes through the combustion chamber, it will run smoothly
and produce a better power output. If poor-grade oil is used, especially if it
has additives, then the power output is likely to be poor also and there are
likely to by-products such as pollution of the environment. Thoughts are the
'oil' which the mind must use to power the intellect.
Not only in Vedanta, but in all applications of Divine connection,
the culmination of spiritual practices is to eliminate the mental mayhem.
"By physically relaxing the
body, by adjusting it into a firm, neutral equilibrium, and by breath
regulation, you can… withdraw from the outermost 'sheaths'... next step of meditation will be
to transcend consciously the subtle body also."
Transcend the Subtle Body.
This is the point at which chanting a mantra or singing bhajans are
advised, at a sound level for yourself to hear (the whole world does not
necessarily need to join in!). Such chanting is done before a symbol which
represents the Divinity/Shifted Consciousness for you - be it Buddha, OM,
Christ, Sri Ram… The form is your personal choice, but a symbol is unavoidable
as the human mind cannot easily hold the idea of something greater without a
representation.
Hard-core materialists may argue against this, but even the most
advanced physicist or biologist have their 'symbols' in the form of equations,
without which they cannot move higher and higher through their discoveries.
There are others who might claim that to try and represent the
Divine in a physical object is sacrilege… yet they have such representation in
the very scriptures themselves. Words are objects. Use of the holy writings as
the meditational focus is every bit as effective.
Whatever symbol you settle upon, fix your eyes upon it as you chant.
After chanting for some time, close the eyes lightly. Body stable and upright
yet relaxed; breathing regulated and relaxed; chanting flowing and relaxed;
eyelids drooped and relaxed. As you chant now, only that ought to be in your
consciousness. None of the physical. The ears may now need to be controlled, if
there are distractions around. Equally so the nose, if there are odours. The
tongue is occupied with the chanting, now let the ears be occupied with the
hearing of it, they at least can now be under your control.
See how we can reign in our senses? Gradually stop the audible
chanting and use mental chanting only. Let the tongue relax. You may notice the
throat still trying to form the words. Let it relax. Now let the intellect be
dominant as you become the observer of the chanting in the mind. Observe the
effect this is having upon you.
Now; even after much practice of even this simple exercise, that the
mind adapts very easily to chanting whilst 'multi-tasking' and wandering into
other thoughts! Demand that of your intellect that it whip the mind into
control again. Keep raising the 'inner pitch' so as not to fall into a 'groove'
or permit the mind any chance of escape. It is tiring. Like any exercise, this
requires regular and sustained practice. When the intellect cannot over-ride
the mind in each session, that is the time to cease for the day. Watch very
carefully. As you build the practice, you may find that in spite of the noise
immediately before ending the session, at the point of closing, the mind even
drops its efforts and there will be a moment of utter peace and silence.
That is what is being sought and then held. Remember those glimpses
and seek the reward of extended periods of that silence.
