Hari
Om
Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation.
The text being referenced for the next few weeks is "The Art Of Contemplation". Obtaining the booklet for yourself would be a good move. Use it as
your prompt, your guide - even as a note book; don't fear to scribble points
for yourself within the pages! The exercises might be looked at separately; but
there is a 'step-ways' progression, so best to begin at the beginning!
EXERCISE
4
Having
established that one of the best ways of burning out the old and useless
vaasanas is to replace them, initially, with more useful and positive ones,
such as taking up spiritual saadhana. The saadhana given focus in the current
teaching is to chant mantra in the mind. Train the mind to always fall back to
mantra when not being employed in more immediate and purposeful work.
There
is an extension to this. One of the traps in taming the mind is letting it have
too much freedom in sleep. Modern psychology now offers various technical
methods for utilising the mind whilst asleep - but the technique was always
there. Did your grandparents not advise you to say your prayers before bed? Did
they not, also, advise that early rising and offering thanks for coming through
the night and to the sun for rising again is a good practice? As children we
think our elders our being mean, much better to play or make up scary stories.
Then when we have our nightmares and can't sleep at all we don't make the
connection to the cause being the preceding activity. Saying prayers, or
reading scriptures, prior to sleep switches the brains waves onto positive
things and only beneficial thoughts will arise, our dreams will be sweet and
non-disturbing and we are likely to find that the quality
of the sleep is such that we are much more refreshed. This is something to give
thanks for on rising!
Let
your mind keep the mantra of your choosing occupy your mind in those last
moments before sleep. The moment you become awake, let the mantra be the first
thing to mind. Let the first verbal words of the day be the mantra.
You
will be surprised how quickly the mind accepts and wants to carry out this
exercise! It is like 'sugar' for the mind. More and more you will find the mind
is willing to follow your instruction.
The
rising discipline is an important one to establish for maximum spiritual
benefit. The old adage "early to bed and early to rise makes a man health
and wealthy and wise" holds validity! Whilst that is a maxim which arose
from the Western model, it equates very well to the teaching of the Rsis. On
waking, don't lie and drift into nonsense. Immediately rise from the bed, all
the time with the mantra (or the morning prayers) being recited, mentally or
verbally. Make your ablutions and then settle in your seat of meditation. Gaze
upon your altar or item of focus and begin your prayer and meditation saadhana.
Chanting
is the job you give the mind to do when no other more important work is
available. Sitting in the morning, come to know one clear fact, "I am not
the mind; mind is but a vehicle and tool of interaction which I control."
Build this relationship with your mind. The more you do this the greater will
be come the awareness of being the observer and not the mind itself. Merely
chanting, "Mano buddhi ahankar chitani naham" (I am not the mind,
intellect, ego, or memory) does not of itself make us the observer. We have to
feel it; we have to experience it; we have to make it our Knowledge.
"Chidaananda rupaH shivoham, shivoham" (I am that consciousness and
bliss which is most auspicious). Nothing of the
past can linger in me, nothing of the future can bind me; in this state of Pure
Consciousness, time takes its place and the word of names and forms dances
within time.
Any
animal which has known freedom, fights to regain that freedom when it has been
caught. The mind is no different! Till now we have not understood that our mind
has been roaming like a wild animal, but we begin to put on the harness of
control, it will fight back. Do not be daunted. Keep at it. After a time, the
mind will find that even if it escapes for a while into the old distractions,
they no longer hold the lustre which was thought to be there. The true gleam is
found in the kernel of the Self.
Resolve
to have your chosen mantra in mind as you sleep and as you rise.
