Meditation 3
Therefore first step in good meditation is to control the senses. That’s what the Lord prescribes in 3rd Chapter of Gita when he says –
Tasmad indriyani adyaou niyamya bhatarsabha
Papmanam prajahi hi enam gyanavigyananashanam
-First control your senses and try overcoming these sinful impulses (lust, anger) which destroys the knowledge (of the Self).
Continence is the key in restraining lust, a key enemy against leading a pure life. Continence helps in controlling senses by taking away senses from their resp. objects, the source of distractions and deprives the mind much of its power to scatter in different directions. The other step is restraining desires. Desires will invariably drive mind and senses in different directions. Restraining desires also restrains anger as the two are intrinsically related (anger stems from desire – Gita Chapter 2, verse 62, 63)
The second step is getting rid of the dirt and grimes which have accumulated in the mind over a long period of time, in order to achieve purification of mind. A pure mind can concentrate better, it can achieve dispassion better. There are several ways of purifying mind and meditation is one of them. That’s a catch 22 – with a pure mind one can meditate better, while meditation purifies mind! The truth lies in Lord’s prescriptions – Abhyasa and Vairagya. It’s the abhyasa or practice or sadhana that is needed to purify the mind. Practices of controlling these senses, like continence, restraining the desires etc., also purify mind. A pure mind can develop dispassion. Purification of mind can also be achieved through selfless work or Karma yoga, through sacrifice, through penance, through charity devoid of any desire or ego, by cultivating humility and restraining the ego etc.
The third step is concentration, focus. Here several things will help. This is what the lord refers to in 2nd chapter of Gita as the Vyavasayatmika buddhi, or the one pointed intelligence – “Vyavasayatmika buddhi ekeha kurunandana”. When the intelligence is one pointed, it has one purpose, one direction; mind will get focused because it will not be able to scatter in different directions. This is again arrived after perfecting the first two steps, after developing perfect detachment and dispassion for worldly affairs. This is something restricted to a serious seeker. This is also achieved through bhakti or one pointed devotion and is also a high point in Bhakti Yoga. This is also achieved through contemplation or the “not this”, “not this” approach, also called Gyana Yoga, where all “unreal” i.e. worldly matters are discarded and only the “real” is reflected upon.
The one pointed intelligence is also explained in Bible through the story of Mary and Martha, the two sisters whose house Jesus visited. Mary was sitting near Jesus and was looking at him while Martha was busy preparing food and taking good care of the lord and his devotees. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping her, Jesus said that Mary had chosen one thing that was necessary, while Martha was busy with too many things. Mary here stands for that one pointed intelligence.
Meditation thus synthesizes various Yoga paths together and enables one to achieve complete control of mind once the above three steps are perfected well.
Tasmad indriyani adyaou niyamya bhatarsabha
Papmanam prajahi hi enam gyanavigyananashanam
-First control your senses and try overcoming these sinful impulses (lust, anger) which destroys the knowledge (of the Self).
Continence is the key in restraining lust, a key enemy against leading a pure life. Continence helps in controlling senses by taking away senses from their resp. objects, the source of distractions and deprives the mind much of its power to scatter in different directions. The other step is restraining desires. Desires will invariably drive mind and senses in different directions. Restraining desires also restrains anger as the two are intrinsically related (anger stems from desire – Gita Chapter 2, verse 62, 63)
The second step is getting rid of the dirt and grimes which have accumulated in the mind over a long period of time, in order to achieve purification of mind. A pure mind can concentrate better, it can achieve dispassion better. There are several ways of purifying mind and meditation is one of them. That’s a catch 22 – with a pure mind one can meditate better, while meditation purifies mind! The truth lies in Lord’s prescriptions – Abhyasa and Vairagya. It’s the abhyasa or practice or sadhana that is needed to purify the mind. Practices of controlling these senses, like continence, restraining the desires etc., also purify mind. A pure mind can develop dispassion. Purification of mind can also be achieved through selfless work or Karma yoga, through sacrifice, through penance, through charity devoid of any desire or ego, by cultivating humility and restraining the ego etc.
The third step is concentration, focus. Here several things will help. This is what the lord refers to in 2nd chapter of Gita as the Vyavasayatmika buddhi, or the one pointed intelligence – “Vyavasayatmika buddhi ekeha kurunandana”. When the intelligence is one pointed, it has one purpose, one direction; mind will get focused because it will not be able to scatter in different directions. This is again arrived after perfecting the first two steps, after developing perfect detachment and dispassion for worldly affairs. This is something restricted to a serious seeker. This is also achieved through bhakti or one pointed devotion and is also a high point in Bhakti Yoga. This is also achieved through contemplation or the “not this”, “not this” approach, also called Gyana Yoga, where all “unreal” i.e. worldly matters are discarded and only the “real” is reflected upon.
The one pointed intelligence is also explained in Bible through the story of Mary and Martha, the two sisters whose house Jesus visited. Mary was sitting near Jesus and was looking at him while Martha was busy preparing food and taking good care of the lord and his devotees. When Martha complained to Jesus that Mary was not helping her, Jesus said that Mary had chosen one thing that was necessary, while Martha was busy with too many things. Mary here stands for that one pointed intelligence.
Meditation thus synthesizes various Yoga paths together and enables one to achieve complete control of mind once the above three steps are perfected well.
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