Hari
Om
Monday is AUM-day; in search of meditation
These articles first appeared on Yamini-amma's personal blog. They
were designed to promote deeper thinking on values, personal growth, Vedantic
understanding - and to prompt conversation. Use them for contemplation either
before or after your regular meditative practice.
Lekhyaarudha - committed to writing
This being the thirteenth, and therefore the half-way post of the A - Z 'monthathon', it is perhaps fitting I chose this word. Purely for the act of committing so much to writing thus far and with the promise of more to complete the set! However, as this series is about self-development and spiritual (philosophical if you prefer that term) intention, then you will surmise that there is a little more to explore.
At surface value, the word tells us that we are taking a story or concept and giving it an external expression. Writing is a gift of communication that only the human species utilises. Other animals use scent trails to communicate with others they may never see or meet, but the human critter alone can create patterns that can be read and understood through countless years and centuries. It is not just the patterns themselves, but the sounds attached to them which form the mental picture within us that conveys the essence contained within the writing. Yes, it will come down to images in the end! It is impossible, for example, to read the word 'writing' and not have first the sound of it enter our minds and then a mental image of a page with lots of rhythmic patterns on it!
Any who choose to commit their thoughts to the blank page will know that it takes some effort. Beyond that effort, there may also be some level of courage required. Courage? Indeed. Talking aloud is one thing. It is done in the presence of others where one can immediately gauge the response to what has been said, and there can be interaction and an expansion of the thoughts according to that immediate environment.
Writing those same thoughts down, however, is done in isolation. Then there is the perception that once it is committed to the page and has been published (regardless of the format), that the words are set, unchangeable. Depending on the medium, any response will be delayed to some greater or lesser degree. Any counter-response is that much more demanding, as it has to try and erase any misinterpretation or misunderstanding which may arise. Writing, by its very process, ought to give space to the writer to formulate their thoughts, to edit their words and to ensure that they are giving the best they can at that moment. However, modern written communication channels have tended to erode this quality and sacrificed it to quantity!
There are endless reasons to commit to writing; here, though, our purpose is Higher Calling. Back on track, then, with the self-evolvement through writing… a Sanskrit technique used for focus and devotion is 'likhiita jaapa'. Repeated writing. With this, the writer takes a blank page and a favourite pen and finds a place to sit in peace in order to focus only on that page and the process of writing. A word or phrase is taken up for concentration. For example, 'May There Be Focus', or 'The Lord is My Shepherd', or 'Jaya Shri Ram'… the word or phrase needs to be something which raises the internal 'vibration'. Carefully, deliberately, the pen is placed upon the page, and the first phrase is formed. It should be done with full attention to the flow of the pen, the pencraft itself. There should be no hurry. Then it gets repeated until the page is filled.
At completion, you may be surprised to find that a pattern has developed from the whole, as well as within the completed phrases. Once focus and concentration are coming more naturally in this process, it is possible to start playing with it, forming pictures with your calligraphy - but at no time lose the focus of the pen touching the paper, the ink flowing. Do not be tempted to side-track and begin doodling or changing pens for colour. This is not an art project. It is an exercise in full focus, dedication to task and commitment.
The benefit which will be felt with dedicated use of this technique is a mind which feels more still, more single-pointed and ready to think about other matters with a raised attention. If this benefit is not being felt, the exercise is not receiving the focus it deserves.
Have you the commitment to commit to writing?
