18363976 yoga and meditation

7/28/2019 18363976 Yoga and Meditation

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Yoga and Meditation

Q. How is yoga just the stopping of thoughts in the mind? Is that all there is toit?

A. No. It is much more sophisticated than that. It is also pretty technical, butthere is no avoiding that.

Yoga is the suppression of the modifications of the chitta, is the beginningstatement of the Yoga Sutras as well as being Patanjalis definition of yoga.Meditation establishes our consciousness in the true self and renders the chitta(mental energy, mind substance) free from outer-caused modifications or vrittis(waves). We should look at this further.

To the purusha the chitta is the sole object in the form of its modifications.And chitta with its modifications [vrittis] inhibited [suppressed] would no longerbe an object, according to Shankara. The spirit, whose nature is consciousnessalone, experiences the modifications of the mind (chitta) and mistakenly

identifies with them. Though it seems to see many things, the only thing it everreally does see is the chitta as it dances before it in the form of ever-changingwaves (vrittis). It is this objective consciousness that is the root of bondageactually is the state of bondage. For Vyasa comments on Sutra 4:22: Thoughunmoving and unchanging, the purusha-experiencer has as it were entered into thechanging object [of the chitta and its many forms or objects] and conformed itselfto its function by false identification with it. Shankara, considering the samesutra, says: A wave in the mind, by merely arising, becomes an object for thepurusha,[although] its true nature is pure awareness. Therefore, over-simple asit may seem, it is the removal of such objective consciousness that is liberation.And meditation is the direct means to remove such a binding consciousness.

By the resulting direct experience of our spirit-self, ignorance comes to an end,and when that ceases there are none of the taints. With no taints, there is nokarma-fruition. In that state the gunas have finished with their involvement andno longer arise before the purusha as perceived objects. That is the liberation ofthe spirit when the spirit stands alone in its true nature as pure light. So itis. This is the conclusion of Vyasa.________________________________________

Q. The following is a reply to an inquirer who described an experience inconsciousness and asked what was its nature and if it was enlightenment:

A. Along the way many doors swing open, giving us unexpected insights. But we justkeep moving on. On occasion we enter into profound states of consciousness, someof which begin to fade away since they are messages to seek and becomeestablished in them, and others are plateaus from which we do not regress.Whichever they are, in the words of Sri Ramakrishna: Go forward. Infinity liesahead.________________________________________

Q. What is the purpose of spiritual practice?


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A. Everything is Consciousness, but when it is unmoving we call it spirit, andwhen it moves (vibrates) we call it energy. Spiritual practices are methods whichdevelop the individuals consciousness and its potential states. That is,spiritual practice awakens, develops, and attunes the inmost consciousness of theindividual. The basic intention of spiritual practice is to transmute theconsciousness from humanity to divinity, passing through the infinite variety ofevolutionary states that lie between those two poles. Since the process is direct

and pragmatic, it does not manifest as externalized powers or displays. I do notmean by this that the aspirant does not experience changebut the changes aremostly internal and usually apparent only to the practitioner.________________________________________

Q. I have an established japa practice centered around a mantra of Ganesha and theKali/Durga mantra. I am drawn to the Om practice as outlined on our website. Canthese practises be done together?

A. The shastras tell us that Om is the Mula Mantra, the source of all mantras.Therefore Its use is not inconsistent with other mantras.

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Q. I have recently started Om Yoga practice. Getting right to the point, I ampuzzled by what seems to be the lack of practitioners of Om sadhana. Other thanyour web site, and references by early twentieth century masters (SwamisSivananda, Rama Tirtha, etc.) there seems to be little support for the practiceother than lip service to it being the highest mantra, etc. But then it isappended to a longer mantra, not used by itselfalmost as if it is mantra light.For example, I have seen many references which say something like, If you are notcomfortable with these mantras, you can always just use Omlike it is a safe oldafterthought.

One other thing: many references indicate that a mantra is useless unlessempowered by a master. Is this universally true?

A. Considering the amount of material on Om sadhana to be found on our website inTHE WORD THAT IS GOD, especially the section: The Glories and Powers of Om, itis incredibly amazing that more people (at least in India) do not practice it. Themajority of dasanami (Shankara) sadhus do practice Om sadhana, and in India mostof those in the non-SRF/YSS lineage of Lahiri Mahasaya (Shyama Charan Lahiri) alsodo japa and meditation of Om in addition to their pranayama practice. Virtuallyall Arya Samaj members do Om sadhana. The Jains also meditate on Om. Still, thepercentage is small. This is because of the terrible degeneration of Hinduism that

has been going on since the death of Krishna and the advent of the Kali Yuga.

It is commonly believed that an aspiring yogi must be empowered for yogapractice through some kind of initiation or transference of power. There are manyexaggerated statements made about how it is impossible to make any progress, muchless attain enlightenment, without initiation. But they have no relevance to thepractice of Om Yoga, which requires no initiation because it is based squarely onthe eternal nature and unity of the jivatman and the Paramatmanwhat to speak of


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of yoga. But even more, it opens our intuition and enables us to comprehend theinner workings of the subtle levels of our being and its mastery. Yoga trulybecomes our teacher, revealing to us that which is far beyond the wisdom of booksand verbal instructions. Moreover, it is practice of yoga that enables us tounderstand the basis and rationale of its methods and their application. The whyand wherefore of yoga become known to us by direct insight.

Please read the books Om Yoga and The Word That Is God more then once.

The bottom line, however, is your own experience through practice. This is theonly way the validity of any methodology can be known. Just see how both here andin India people are laboring away at all kinds of exotic yogas that have no realbasis in the pure Sanatana Dharma tradition. They get nowhere, but because theyhave accepted a great deal of exaggerated praise about the practice and the guru,they waste decades in faith instead of using good sense about their ownperceptionsor lack thereof. People often lament their lack of progress, butmistakenly blame themselves instead of facing the truth that their practice isworthlessand so is their guru.________________________________________

Q. I hope you will help me with a long-standing question: Can a person realiseBrahman just by spiritual activities such as meditation, without ritualisticworship and prayers or devotion to personal gods?

A. If ritualistic worship and devotion to various deity forms assist the sadhaka,they should be used. But they are not necessary. However the Gita indicates thatwe should cultivate devotion to the Infinite Being, Brahman, who was speakingthrough Sri Krishna.

The Bhagavad Gita gives complete instruction on how to realize Brahman. Pleasetake the Gita as your supreme teacher and read a chapter from it each day. Youwill succeed in spiritual life if you follow its teachings. And you will surelyhave the living blessing of Sri Vyasa, the author, as well as Sri Krishna.________________________________________

Q. Mentally chanting Om in time with my breathonce on the inbreath and once onthe outbreathcauses a bit of anxiety. It is nothing serious, but it is just notrelaxing, and seems to speed up my breathing rate somewhat. Things seem to flowbetter (and I feel more serene) when I intone one long Ooommm for a full breathcycle. I understand what you are saying in Om Yoga though. So, would yourecommend that I just stick with the inbreath/outbreath method until things

stabilize or is there room for flexibility in the technique?

A. A few things can produce some tension in the practice of Om Yoga.

1) Sometimes we are too anxious about making sure the O and the M get equal time,so we unintentionally start trying to regulate the breath. Here the solution is torealize that our inner intelligence can take care of it in time, and just relaxand be satisfied with approximate equality of time taken.


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2) As we move into our inner bodies there is an inner resistance to the process ofunsnarling the inner tangles we have gotten into, and also resistance to therepolarization of the breath. In time this fades away, but we need to hold thecourse and not let our present condition continue.

3) But usually the problem is that we are keeping the mental intonations of Om on

too loud or objective a level. If we will consciously lighten up and make ourintonations soft or whisperlike, and consciously relax even more, everything willadjust itself automatically and we will experience great ease and benefit.The importance of mentally intoning Om once while inhaling and once while exhalingis explained in the following paragraphs from the Om Yoga book:

Om should be intoned once throughout each inhalation and once throughout eachexhalation because there are two poles or subtle currents within the causal realmthat make the sound of Om as they move outward and manifest as inhalation andexhalation. In a sense there are two Omspositive and negative, Shiva and Shaktiwhich together produce the projection of the cosmos and the individualsmanifestation therein. So the two Oms affect the two sides of the yogis being.

Ultimately they are one, and by his joining of Om to his breath, each breath moveshim onward toward the goal of Divine Unity.

As already indicated there are two Omsor two sides of the single Omone ofpositive polarity and one of negative polarity. Om intoned while inhaling is ofnegative polarity, and Om intoned while exhaling is of positive polarity. Byintoning Om once while inhaling and once while exhaling we produce a complete Omof both polarities.

It is very important, then, to intone in the recommended pattern. Be assured thatwe have ourselves spent years in experimental practice on this very matter, and

although a single Om intoned throughout a single breath has beneficial effect, itis much more effective to intone as advised in the book. The single intonationpractice enables a person to float at peace in a bubble of awareness; but thedouble intonation moves us both upward into higher consciousness and forward intoincreased internal development.

(Questions by various friends, and Answers by Swami Nirmalananda, abbot of AtmaJyoti Ashram)

18363976 yoga and meditation

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