Dhyana

• Dhyana means absorption. It is the art of self-study, reflection, keen obsevration, or the search for the infinite within. It is the observation of the physical processes of the body, study of mental stats and profound contemplation. It means looking inwards to one's innermost being. Dhyana is the discovery of the self.

• When the powers of the intellect and the heart are harmoniously blended, this is dhyana. All creativity proceeds from it, and its good and beautiful results benefit mankind.

• Dhyana is like deep sleep, but with a difference. The serenity of deep sleep comes as a result of unconsciously forgetting one's identity and individuality, whereas meditation brings serenity which is alert and conscious throughout. The sadhaka remains a witness to all activities. Choronological and psychological time have no existence in deep sleep or in total absorption. In sleep the body and mind recover from wear the tear and feel fresh upon waking. In meditation the sadhaka experiences illumination.

• Dhyana is the full integration of the contemplator, the act of the contemplation and the object known vanishes. The sadhaka becomes vibrant, alert and poised. He becomes free from hunger, thirst, sleep and sex as well as from desire, anger, greed, infatuation, pride and envy. He is unassailable by the dualities of body and mind, or mind and self. His vision reflects his true self like a well-polished mirror. This is Atmadarshana, the reflection of the soul.

• Jesus said that man does not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds out of the month of God. Pondering upon the meaning of life, man is convinced that there dwells within his soul a force or light far greater than himself. Yet in his walk of life he is beset by many cares and doubts. Being caught in the environment of artificial civilisation he develops a false sense for values. His words and actions, run counter to his thoughts. He is bewildered by these contradictions. He realises that life is full of opposites – pain and pleasure, sorrows and joy, conflict and peace. Seeing these polarities, he strives to attain a balance between them and to find a state of stability so that he can experience freedom from pain, sorrow and conflict. In his search he discovers the three noble ways of word, work and worship, which teach him that his inner light is the only guide leading to mastery over his own life. To reach this inner light he returns to meditation or dhyana.

• To have a clear notion of the true nature of man, of the world and of god, the sadhaka should study the sacred books. Then he can distinguish the real from the unreal. Knowledge fo these three truths- the soul, the world and god -is essential for him who seeks liberation such knowledge gives him insight into life's problems and their solution, and strengthens his spiritual sadhana. Yet knowledge acquired by reading alone will not lead to liberation. It is by having courage and unshakable them into practice till they become a part of his daily life that the sadhaka gains freedom from the domination of his senses. Knowledge of the sacred books and sadhana are the two wings by which the sadhaka files towards liberation.

• Man is drawn between two paths: one drags him downwards towards fulfilment of voluptuous desires and sense gratifications, leading to bondage and destructoion; the other guides him upwards towards purity adb realisation of his inner self. Desires fog his mind and veil his true self. It is the mind alone which leads to bondage or to liberation. It is his reason or intelligence which either controls his mind or allows itself to be dominated.

• An untrained mind files aimlessly in all directions. The practice of meditation brings it to a state of stability and then directs it to proceed from imperfect knowledge to perfection. The sadhaka's mind and intelligence work as an integrated team led by his will-power. He finds harmony between his thoughts, speech and actions. His stilled mind and intelligence burn like a lamp in a windless place with simplicity, innocence and illumination.

• Man has great potentialities that lie dormant within him. His body and mind are like fallow land lying untilled and unsown. A wise farmer ploughs his land, provides it with water and fertilser, plants the best seeds, carefully tends the crops and ultimately reaps a good harvest. To the sadhaka, his own body, mind and intellect are the field which he plughs with energy and right action. He sows with the finest seeds of knowledge, waters it with devotion and tends them with unrelenting spiritual discipline to reap the harvest of harmony and peace. He then becomes the wise owner of his field, and his body becomes a sacred place. The germination of the seeds of good thoughts, planted by sound logic, bring clarity to his mind and wisdom to his intellect. He becomes an abode of joy as his whole being is filled with the lord.

• The journey to the moon and outer space demanded years of rigorous training and descipline, deep study, research and preparation. The inward journey of man to reach his inner self demands the same type of relentless effort. Years of discipline and long uninterrupted practice of the moral and ethical principles of yama and niyama, training of the mind and of inner awareness -dhyana and samadhi.

• Dharana is like a lamp which is covered and does not light up the area outside. When the cover is removed, the lamp lights up the whole area. This is dhyana, which is the expansion of consciousness. Then the sadhaka acquires a unified mind and maintains a dynamic unfading awareness in its pristine purity. Like oil in seeds and fragrance in flowers, the soul of man permeates his whole body.

• The lotus is symbolic of meditation. It symbolises purity. Its quiet beauty has given it a prime place in Indian religious thought. It is connected with most of the hindu dieties and their seats in the chakras. The stage of meditation is like that of a lotus bud hiding its inner beauty while awaiting transformation into a full blown lotus. As the bud opens to reveal its resplendent beauty, so also the sadhaka's nner light is transformed and transfigured by meditation. He becomes an enlightened soul and an inspired sage. He lives in the eternal now- the present, without yesterdays and tomorrows.

• This state of the sadhaka is one of passivity known as manolaya. He has fully marshalled his intelligence and energy to prevent the intrusion of external thoughts. His state is full of dynamic alertness. When both is no waste o fphysical, mental or intellectual energy.

• Dhyana is a subjective experience of an objective experience state. It is difficult to describe the experience in words, for words are inadequate to do so. The delight experienced at the first bite of a delicious mango is indescribable. So it is with meditation. In meditation there is no tar of infinity must be tasted, the abundant grace of the lord within must be experienced. Then the individual soul becomes one with the universal soul. The sadhaka experiences the fullness sung by the upanisads: That is full; this is full. Fullness comes out of fullness. Even after fullness is taken from the full, fullness yet remains.

Sabija or sagarbha dhyana

• In meditation, chanting of mantras is sometimes given to the beginner to study his wandering mind and to keep him away from worldly desires. At first the mantra has to be recited aloud, then it is said mentally; lastly comes silence. This is known as sabija or sagarbha dhyana. Sitting in meditation without reciting mantras is known as nirbhija or agarbha dhyana.

• Before proceeding to the techniques of dhyana, one should be careful to differentiate between the emptiness and tranquility of the sense on the one hand, and the illumination and serenity of the spirit on the other. Meditation has three categories; sattvic, rajasic and tamasic. In the uttara kanda of the epic ramayana it is told that king ravana and his two brothers kumbhakarana and vibhishana spent many years in acquiring scared knowledge. Kumbhakarana's effort made him fall into a death- like torpor, for his meditation had been tamasic. Ravana became engulfed in amorous pursuits and ambitions, for his had been rajasic. Only vibhisana remained truthful and righteous and abstained from sin, for his meditation had been sattvic.

TECHNIQUE

• Meditation is the technique of inter-penetrating the five sheaths of the sadhaka to blend them into one harmonious whole.

• The body is known as the city of brahma with nine gates. These gates are the eyes, ears, nostrils, mouth, anus, and the reproductive organ. Some add the navel and the crown of the head and say that the body has eleven gates. All these have to be closed in meditation. The city is controlled by the ten winds organs of perception, five organs of action and seven chakras or inner chambers. As pearls are strung together on a thread to make a necklace, so have the chakras to be connected to the self to make an integrated person.

• In meditation, the brain has to be well balanced in relation to the spine. Any unevenness in its position disturbs the quietness of meditation. The energies of the left and the right hemispheres of the brain have to be brought to the centre. The thinking activity of the brain ceases. Just as one withdraws energy from a particular limb or part of the body to make it passive, so also the flow of energy to the brain must be reduced and directed towards the heart – the seat of the soul. The key to the technique of meditation lies in keeping the brain as a passive observer.

• The various preparatory techniques of yama, niyama, asana and pranayama mould the body and mind, pacify and balance them. In a steady and stable posture, free from physical and mental disturbances, an even circulation of arterial and venous blood, lymphatic and cerebro- spinal fluid is maintained through the head and spinal column. Simulation is kept minimal and as symmetrical as possible. This evenness of circulation of knowledge and experience. Stimulation allows the brain and mind to attain a unification of knowledge and experience.

• The brain is divided into three main portions: the cerebral cortex, the hypothalamus and the cerebellum. The cerebral cortex functions in the process of thinking, speech, memory and imagination. The hypothalamus regulates the activities of the internal organs and imprints emotional reactions of pleasure and pain, joy and sorrow, contentment and disappointment. The cerebellum is the centre of muscular co-ordination. The back brain is regarded as that which functions in meditation; it is the seat of wisdom and clarity.

• The art of sitting correctly and silently is essential to achieve physical and mental harmony while practising meditation.

• Any comfortable position may be assumed for sitting, through padmasana is ideal.

Alignment of the body

• Without performing the jalandhara bandha, follow correctly the instructions given in th eart of sitting.

• Raise the front and back portions fo the body evenly, attentively and rhythmically, without jerking.

• Keep the spine erect and the chest lifted up. The slows down the flow of breath, lessens the activity of the brain and leads to the cessation of all thoughts.

• Keep the body alert, with razor-sharp awareness. Keep the brain passive, sensitive and silent, like the thin end of a leaf, which shakes even in a gentle breeze.

• Collapse of the body brings intellectual dullness and a distracted mind disturbs the steadiness of the body. Avoid both.

The head

• Keep the crown of the head parallel to the ceiling without tilting the head to the right or the left, forwards or backwards, up or down.

• If the head is down, the sadhaka is brooding on the pat, the mind is dull and tamasic. If it moves up, he is wandering in the future, which is rajasic. When the head is held level, he is in the present, and this is a pure state of mind.

Eyes and ears

• Close the eyes and look within. Shut your ears to outwards sounds. Listen to the inner vibrations and follow them until they merge in their source. Any absent-mindedness or lack of awareness in the eyes and ears creates fluctuations in the mind. The closure of the eyes and ears directs the sadhaka to meditate upon him who is verify the eye of the eye, the ear fo the ear, the speech, the mind of the mind and the life of life.

• Flex the arms at the elbows, raise the hands and fold the palms in front of the chest with the thumbs pointing towards the sternum. This is called atamanjali or hrdayanjali mudra.

• Intelligence oscillating between the head and the heart creates multiple thoughts. When oscillates, press the palms to bring back the attention of the mind on the self. If the pressure of the palms becomes loose, it is a sign that the mind is wandering. Again join them firmly to recollect the self.

• Dhyana is the integration of the body, mind, intelligence, will, consciousness, ego and the self. The body is the external layer of the mind, mind of the intelligence, intelligence of the will, will of consciousness, consciousness of the 'I' or ego and the 'I' of the pure self. Dhyana is the process of inter-penetration of all these sheaths, a merging of all that is known into unknown, or of the finite into the infinite.

• The mind acts as the subject and the self object; yet in reality the self is the subject. The end of meditation is to make the mind submerge in the self so that all seeking ad searching comes to an end. Than the sadhaka experience his own university, timelessness and fullness.

• Stay in meditation for as long as you can, without allowing the body to collapse. Then do savasana.

NOTES

• Do not sit for meditation immediately after doing asanas and pranayama. Only those who can sit steadily for a long period can do oranayama and dhyana together. Otherwise the limb will ache and disturb mental equilibrium.

• The best time to meditate is when one is fresh in boy and mind or at the time of going to bed when one feels peaceful.

• Do not allow the eyes to look upwards, for this leads to retention of breath and creates tension in the nerves, muscles, blood vessels, head and brain.

• Only people who are easily dejected or distressed and who have dull or weak minds are advised to direct the gaze at the centre between the eyebrows with closed eyes for short periods of time. This should be done four or five times during meditation, with an interval between each attempt. This practice bring about mental stability and intellectual sharpness. However, people with hyper tension should not follow this procedure.

• Stop meditation the moment the body starts swaying forwards, backwards or sideways or if faintness is felt. Do not persist when this happens, as it means that the time for meditation is over for the day. If you persist, it may lead to mental imbalance.

Effects of meditation

• In meditation the mind traces its origin and comes to rest there as a child rests on the lap of the mother. The yogi, having found his own resting place and spiritual haven, sees the underlying reality around and within him.

• Meditation abolishes the polarity between the analytical dominant consciousness of the front brain and the receding sub-consciousness or unconsciousness of the back brain. It controls and slows down certain automatic physical functions, breathing, and the heart beat. All external stimuli which normally disturb human consciousness through the various sense organs are cut off as the nine gates of the body are closed in dhyana.

• In meditation mind and matter are fused. This fusion burns out all distracting throughts. The sadhaka becomes dynamic, creative and supremely attentive. He has inexhaustible reserves of energy and engages himself in battering humanity.

• He experiences a new dimension wherein his senses and his chitta become crystal clear. He sees things as they are and is free from prejudices and delusions. This is the jagrtavastha, astate of watchful awareness. His soul is awake, but his senses are under control. He is full of knowledge, understanding, percision, freedom and truth. Illumined by the fire within, he radiates joy, unity and peace.

• The sadhaka progressively attains the seven states of higher consciousness. These are right desire, right reflection, disappearance of the mind, self-realisation, non-attachments, non-perception of objects, and the experience of a state which is beyond words. It is the sum total of all knowledge: knowledge of the body, breath, mind and intelligence: knowledge gained by experience, by digesting the various sentiments and flavours that life offers, and knowledge of the self.

• His senses are drawn in. His thoughts are pure. Free from attachment and delusions, he has become stable and a jivana-mukha.

The state of a jivana-mukha is described thus in the bhagavad gita: He has left behind him vanty, violence and arrogance. He has gone beyond lust, anger and greed. He has become selfless and tranquil – he is fit to be one with the eternal. He who dwells with the eternal and is tranquil in dpirit, neither grieves nor desires. His love is the same for all creation; he has supreme love love for the lord.

• Thus, the sadhaka begins his journey from bondage to freedom of the spirit. From conquest of the body, he proceeds to master the breath. After the mastery of the breath, he controls the movements of the mind. From stability of mind, he develops sound judgement. By sound judgement, he does right actions and gains total awareness and becomes illumined. This illumination leads to supreme knowledge. With this knowledge, he saranagati yoga- the yoga of surrender.

References

The above mentioned information is added from the book called LIGHT ON PRANAYAMA by B.K.S. IYENGAR.