Hari OM
'Text-days' are for delving into the
words and theory of Advaita Vedanta.6th
We are now studying Aatmabodha. As
always, with each week, you are encouraged to review the previous teachings and
spend some time in contemplation of the meanings as the affect your life.
Please do consider purchasing the text. Remember, also, to recite the mangala charana before each study and
review the lessons before each new one.
At
the end of last week's post, a question was asked… (you are remembering to
review each week, are you not?!) The verse under discussion had stated clearly
that dedicated practice of jnaan-abhyaasa would bring the saadhaka to the
ultimate pinnacle, Union with Self as Brahman. How then is the student to
proceed?
iviv´deze
AasInae ivragae ivijteiNÔy>,
_aavyedekmaTman<
tmnNtmnNyxI>.38.
Viviktadeshe
aasiinao biraago vijitendriyaH,
Bhaavayedekam-aatmaanam
tamanantam-ananyadhiiH ||38||
Sitting in a solitary place, freeing the mind from
desires and controlling the senses, meditate upon the Aatman, which is One
Without Second, with unswerving attention.
The
one constant factor in any spiritual practice of any sort is the focus which
must be placed from the seeker to that which is sought. The term used here is
'bhaavayet'. Bhaava is another of those Sanskrit words with apparently endless
nuance and much dependant upon context. There are some 74 English descriptions
for it in the dictionary! All are centred around the four key parts of emotion,
manner, sentiment and spirit.
Why
then translate this as 'meditate upon'? The conjugation to bhaavaYET gives the
emphasis that one must have a sustained effort in 'bhaav' - it is implied that
the Love, the devotion, the 'emotion' one feels for the Higher can be given our
fullest attention. This is reinforced with the 'ananyadiiH' - unswerving
attention. Thus, when seeking to truly connect with the Higher Spirit of Being,
there must be no interruption, no distraction, no stray thoughts. Focus, focus,
focus.
Whilst
advanced and very experienced meditators will say that they can enter this
state no matter where they are, even in the centre of a teeming crowd, the
plain fact is that majority cannot. Therefore, the teacher also instructs that
one ought to attempt this only where the environment is conducive. That is to
say, out of the public eye and preferably where there is also no sound to
interrupt the flow.
That
said, our own internal environment must also be addressed. If we are full of
'what ifs' and 'if onlys' and daydreams and angsts, we will find it very
difficult indeed to enter any decent from of contemplation, never mind full
meditation.
This
is where active saadhana comes in. The saadhana chatushtaya provides the
practical means for tempering ourselves for the spiritual pursuit.
There
are many who will tell you that the intellectual process is all that is
required and that 'the goal' is purely intellectual also. Certainly one can fly
very high indeed on intellect alone. None of the true mahatmas will limit you
to this though. All will say that there must also be elements of 'bhava' - the
trust, the emotion, the ability to Love… there has to be a 'feeling' behind the
reach to the Higher Spirit which dry intellectualism cannot provide.
Another
trap is to read such verses as this and mistake the process as being a simple
sitting down and creating thoughts of God.
If
you have been following AV-blog, and have attempted the saadhana exercises
and the meditation advice, you will know all too well that this is far from
simple! There are many traps lying in wait for the unsuspecting saadhaka. Not
least all the vaasanas which appear like whispering ghosts. We will say,
"where did that thought come from?!", sometimes quite shocked at
ourselves, because these things can become quite murky. It is important to
remember that these are echos of all our lives lived and even if the things
which come up are not true of us now, they were true at some stage and require
to be 'burned out'. The burning is simply the allowing of the presence of these
things, inviting them to come forth and then to leave again. Once seen, they
can no longer present risk to spiritual progress. Part of this process may be
that we have to forgive ourselves too. Don't fight your nature, but acknowledge
it and release what is no longer required. All these restless agitations are
part of the process of purifying.
Beware
sleep also. It is a big hazard, even for advanced meditators! Meditation
requires stamina and freedom from fatigue. This is why it is commonly said to
practice on rising, rather during the day or at bedtime, where there is greater
risk of the body taking over.
Even
in advancing well through meditation practice, do not become complacent. There
will come times of 'rasaasvada', moments of such exquisite sweetness that we
can be lured into thinking that we have found Bliss and that itself becomes a
distraction. You've heard it, have you not? "Oh the colour of light was
amaaaazing!!!'… "the door felt like it beckoned me…" All such
phenomena are still part and parcel of the vaasana field and whilst valid to
the individual are not part of the True Self.
Then
there is the 'kashaaya' - the veil of darkness. St John of the Cross
experienced this as 'the dark night of the soul'. For experienced saadhakas,
there will come, eventually, a point where everything does indeed become still
and isolated within - however it also becomes dark and apparently empty. It can
take as long again in years and effort to pass through this phase. Even here,
at this late stage, some will become disheartened and fall back to earth, as it
were.
No.
Sitting in meditation is not for the faint of heart or the weak-minded!
