Meditation and beyond...

Hari Om. A good blog on meditation in Harvard Business Review (HBR) by Peter Bregman.  Click the link below.

http://blogs.hbr.org/bregman/2012/10/if-youre-too-busy-to-meditate.html#comment-681465764

Peter explains the method in a very simple way as below.

"Sit with your back straight enough that your breathing is comfortable — on a chair or a cushion on the floor — and set a timer for however many minutes you want to meditate. Once you start the timer, close your eyes, relax, and don't move except to breathe, until the timer goes off. Focus on your breath going in and out. Every time you have a thought or an urge, notice it and bring yourself back to your breath. That's it. Simple but challenging. Try it — today — for five minutes. And then try it again tomorrow."

Based on our reading and knowledge in Vedanta, let me add a little more to the above. As Peter explains, every time we have a thought (or urge as he puts it) that disturbs our concentration of meditation, notice it and bring yourself back to your concentration. This aspect of noticing is the 'Saakshi Bhaavam'  or the witness aspect within us.  Through the process of meditation, we transcend our involvement with the BMI layers and recognize ourselves as this Saakshi. Through constant meditation, our concentration on breathing also should end and we recognize the silence within us.  This is the 'Pratyak Bodha' (witnessing conciousness) state.  Gurudev Chinmayananda has beautifully described it as below:

"Just look quietly from within and watch all the blabbering of the mind.  From the sequestered silence within yourself, be aware of everything happening around and within you, without involving yourself in them.Watching without an object to be aware of yourself - that is objectless awareness, that is the moment of realization. When there is nothing to witness except silence itself, that state of awareness is the Truth. It is the one without a second, when there is nothing but yourself."

A person reaching the level above as explained by Gurudev does not have to make time for meditation, because he/she will be acting and working in this world always in a meditative state.  That is the ultimate in meditation.

'Nirvichara Vaisaaradhyaadyatma prasaadah" - When the mind is brought to a state without least trace of any thought, the divinity of the Self will shine forth. 

Hari Om.

Vaakya Vritti (वाक्य वृत्ति) - Slokas and meanings

Bhagavan Shankara has started the text of Vaakya Vritti in the same format and tradition of his other books and as generally followed in our scriptures of Sanathana Dharma. He starts Vaakya Vritti with an invocation and salutation to Lord Shri Vallabha**, that Supreme Consciousness who is all pervading (Vishnu) and all powerful. This is a stotram (स्तोत्रं) rich and deep in its meanings, that we  all should learn, recite and meditate upon regularly in our daily prayers.

सर्गस्तिथि प्रलय्यहेतुम् अचिन्त्यशक्थि 

विश्वेस्वरम् विश्वम् अनन्थमूर्थिं

निर्मुक्त बन्दनमपारसुखंबुरासि

श्रिवल्लबं विमलबोधघनं नमामि

Sargasthithi Pralayahetum Achintyasakthi

Vishveswaram Vishwam Ananthamoorthim

Nirmuktha Bhandanasukhmaburaasi

Shrivallabham Vimalabodhaghanam Namami

"I bow down to that Pure Consciousness Divine - a shoreless ocean of happiness , which is all pervading (Vishnu), the beloved of Shri (Shri Vallabha**), the all-knowing Lord of the Universe, assuming endless forms and yet ever-free, having an inscrutable power to become the cause of creation, maintenance and dissolution of the universe."

In concurrence to our tradition, Shri Shankara, in the second verse, seeks the blessings of HIS GURU whose teachings and grace has helped him in realizing the 'Atman' within himself and the 'Brahman' all around, and importantly realize that the Atman and Brahman are one and the same (Tat Tvam Asi). As in every type of education, a student will benefit from the teachings of his/her Guru only if they both are tuned-in at the same wave-length of their thoughts (controlling the mind and intellect) and understanding.  It is important for the student to contemplate on the words and advice of the Guru to realize the deeper meanings of the Vedantic scriptures. By Guru's grace alone, can the student arrive at his true knowledge culminating in the wisdom "I alone am the all-pervading essence of this universe".

In the third sloka Shree Shankara starts the text in a format very commonly used in the Upanishads - a student, already trained and prepared on the Vedantic concepts, with a burning desire to delve deeper into the scriptures that he has already learnt so as to attain the culmination point which is the experience of Brahman.  approaching the Guru with a serious set of questions on the finer points of his education. Vedanta is the science of knowing ourselves and our inner core. It is a subject that is abstract and difficult for an ordinary person living a pure materialistic way of life.  It is a topic to understand the very subject of an individual, hence cannot be understood through the usual faculties of body, mind and intellect (BMI).  One has to transcend these BMI layers and look deeper into oneself (thro contemplation and meditation) to achieve this knowledge. Hence the students need to have an inherent interest, maturity and fundamental knowledge developed through years of education and practice before he/she can embark on a journey to learn Vedanta.  Hence it has always been a tradition that the student who is thus qualified fully and has the urge to dive deeper will approach a Guru with the necessary preparations (indicated symbolically by the student carrying 'samith' and approaching the Guru in old Gurukula days) and with a question that has been baffling him for a long time.

Similarly, in Vaakya Vritti, the student approaches the Guru with the question to know the "means by which I may easily get liberated from the sorrows of this bondage of change" . The Guru (Shree Shankara) then responds to the earnest student to dwell deeper into the meaning of the Mahavakya 'Tat Tvam Asi' as immediate means of liberation.

In the rest of the text book, Shree Shankara very clearly and beautifully explains, with examples,  the deeper meanings of each term (Tat and Tvam) and how it merges together to give the overall significance (Lakshyartha) of the sentence Tattvamasi (तत्त्वमसि ).  The verses 11 to 27 is devoted to a detailed explanation of 'Twam' or THOU which is the Self, the Atma that is the inner core of every personality.  From verses 28 to 37, Shankara explains the term 'Tat' or THAT which indicates the Brahman that is the substratum of this universe.  From verses 38 to 53 are the explanations on how these two pregnant terms are threaded as a garland by the Mahavakya  'Tat Tvam Asi' (तत्त्वमसि). Let us explore more in the next few posts.

**There is a Sri Vallabha temple in Tiruvalla, Kerala. The town was earlier called 'Sri Vallabhapuram' which over a period of time came to be shortened into 'Thiru Valla(bha)' or Tiruvalla.  This temple is one of the 108 famous Vaishnava temples in India and is said to be 4000 years old. For more details on the temple, visit www.srivallabhatemple.org

Hari Om.

Vakya Vritti (वाक्य वृत्ति) by Adi Shankaracharya

Bhagawan Adi Shankaracharya, possibly the greatest philosopher our world has seen,  had written many commentaries on almost all of the Upanishads, Brahma Sutras, Bhagavad Gita etc. HE also wrote introductory text books (Praakarana Granthas) on the fundamentals of the Advaita Vedanta for the benefit of beginners and students of Vedanta. One such valuable commentary HE wrote is on the famous and very popular Mahavaakya from Chandogya Upanishad 'Tatvamasi'   (तत्वमसि).  This Mahavaakya is one of the four eminent Vaakyas from the Upanishad texts  quoted widely in the Hindu philosophical texts as well as used as a statement of detailed contemplation and meditation as advised by our Rishis.

The four Mahavaakyas are as below.

1. Prajnanaam Brahma (प्रज्ञानं ब्रह्म): Consciousness is BRAHMAN; Aitreya Upanishad, Rig Veda

2. Tat Tvam Asi (तत्वमसि) : That Thou Art (Are):  THAT You ARE;  Chandogya Upanishad, Sama Veda

3. Ayam Atma Brahma (अयं आत्म ब्रह्म): This Self is BRAHMAN; Mandukya Upanishad, Atharva Veda.

4. Aham Brahma Asmi (अहं ब्रह्म अस्मि): I AM BRAHMAN;  Brhadaranyaka Upanishad, Yajur Veda

It is said that the first Mahavaakya (statement) above, gives a definition of BRAHMAN (Lakshana vaakya); the second one is a statement of advice to the student by the Guru (Upadesha vaakya),  the third statement is the direct experience of the student in his/her seat of meditation (Anubhava vaakya) and the fourth one is the roar of realization echoed by the student after his/her enlightenment (Prasthaava vaakya). 

In the commentary text Vaakya Vritti consisting of 53 verses, Bhagavan Shankaracharya very lucidly  and vividly explains the lakshyartha (logical meaning) of each of the terms in the Mahavaakya 'Tat Tvam Asi'.  As Swami Chinmayananda explains in his 'Vaartikam' (Translation with explanations) of this text on Vaakya Vritti, every statement in our Upanishads can have two meanings - one a direct meaning of the word or statement (Vaakyartha) that a casual reader may understand and second the deeper indicative meaning (lakshyartha) that only a knowledgeable person with sufficient contemplation(mananam) will understand.  The eminent philosopher that Shankara is,  it can only be expected that these Mahavaakyas derive a special and unique glow through HIS suggestive meanings that a normal person can't comprehend easily.  It takes the calibre of Bhagwan Shankaracharya with HIS commentaries and the ability of Gurudev Chinmayananda  with his translation to dive deeper into this  statement and bring out the pearls of wisdom for our world to appreciate.

As I continue reading this great text and try to dive deeper into its richness, I will try to reflect my understanding of that text in this blog in the coming weeks/months.

A side note:  In my recent trip to India, I visited Kalady (in Kerala state), the birthplace of Bhagawan Adi Shankaracharya.  There is a nice temple dedicated to Bhagavan Shankara and Goddess Shardamba built by the Shringeri Madom.  However, I was sad to see the town of Kalady, (which should ideally be kept like the Vatican City  in terms of its historical importance, richness, neatness, respect etc.,) is now totally commercialized, crowded and kept unclean with no signs and trace of the historical importance and greatness of Shankaracharya anywhere except for the temple and hopefully in the minds of the residents there. 

Watch this wonderful authentic documentary (1 hr 20 mins) on the birth and childhood of  Bhagvan Adi Shankara and the fascinating story of the rediscovery of his  birthplace , Kalady, by the 33rd Jagadguru of Sringeri. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HaYfoghV-n8&feature=uploademail

Hari Om.

Destruction of the mind to attain the state of ‘Nirvikalpa Samadhi’.

In the March 2012 issue of Tapovan Prasad, there is a chapter on Swami Tapovanam answering the questions on how vikshepa vritti (mental agitations) can be controlled and the mind eliminated in order to enter the state of Nirvikalpa Samadhi and thereby attain the Supreme Brahman-hood.  Nirvikalpa Samadhi is the state of meditative living where the person has no traces of any EGO within him/her and the individualism has completely merged with the Infinite Consciousness.  To reach that state of samadhi, the Body-Mind-Intellect (BMI) layers have to be transcended and all vasanas eliminated.

As Swami Tapovanam explains, the mind is the product of the ‘satvik’ elements of the ‘pancha mahabhootas’ or the five basic elements (space, air, fire, water & earth) in their nascent form (apachikaranam). Mind is the flow of thoughts, so it is always in a state of change.  The mind has to be controlled and brought to a stillness by directing it to an higher inspiring IDEAL.  This is done through the various methods of Bhakthi Yoga.  Depending on the vasanas in the individual, the character of the person will be of different gunas – Tamasic, Rajasic and Satvik.    The person has to put in the effort to uplift themselves step by step from lower gunas to the higher ones. Lord Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita has said the following in Chapter 6, verse 5.

“Let a man elevate himself by his own Self alone, and let him not lower himself; for this self alone is the friend of oneself, and this self is the enemy of oneself”.

 Once they reach the Satvik guna, the mind has to be oriented to higher levels by constant thought and understanding of the principle of ‘Aham Brahmosmi’ (I am Brahman).  Then through constant practice of meditation (Nidhidyasanam), the person has to stop this single thought of ‘Aham Brahmasmi’ to end all thoughts.  By that time, the person will have his/her personality layers totally tuned to the state of Supreme Consciousness all the time, and merges into ‘Nirvikalpa Samadhi’  - Objectless awareness.  In this state of objectless awareness, the  vasanas are weakened and mind gets annihilated. In that Samadhi state, the glory of Brahman with its attributes of ‘Sat Chit and Aananda’ is realized.

Hari Om.

Four Stages of Spiritual Growth

The latest issue of Tapavon Prasad magazine has a wonderful article on the Four Stages of Spiritual growth in an individual as explained by Gurudev Chinmayananda in his speech in Chennai (Madras) way back in 1963.   I am capturing below the brief definitions of the four stages, though I would suggest all to read through the entire article in Tapovan Prasad which has detailed explanations with examples on each.

1.     Tad buddhayah (तद बुद्धयः) - Intellectual Comprehension:   This is the first stage where the individual hears (Sravanam) or reads (Swadhyaya) about the preliminary concepts of the Vedanta and other Higher ideals explained in our Srutis (Vedas, Upanishads, Bhagavad Gita). and tries to understand the philosophies intellectually. Even to get interested and read/hear on these the great goals of existence and the possibility of a perfect living needs a certain level of growth and maturity that comes only after the evolution of many lives.

2.   Tad Atmanah (तद आत्मनः) – Assmiliation : The concepts understood intellectually should then be assimilated intellectually to know the deeper meaning and appreciate their significance.  This is done through regular contemplation (mananam) and meditation (dhayanam). Once it is assimilated, it becomes part of the individual’s thought process and that’s called Tad Atmanah.

3.    Tannishthah (तन्निष्टः) – Trying to live the values:  The ideals understood and assimilated in the first two stages are then put to practice as much as possible, whenever it is conducive and where the environment is not too much against it.  However it is still a stage of compromise.  The individual has the interest and vasanas to practice them as much as possible, but cannot enforce them into practice in an environment of opposition.

4.     Tat Parayanah (तत् परायणः) -  Integration of Values in the Personality:  This is the final stage where the highest ideals as espoused by the scriptures are deeply ingrained into the personality of the individual to such an extent that it reflects in all their activities. Such a person is constantly dedicated to the ideal and live it in spite of the opposition around them.

Though the above stages are enumerated in terms of the Vedantic knowledge, this is applicable for all knowledge, principles and theories.  There are many examples of Mahatmas (Great personalities) in the history who have achieved the fourth stage and beyond, such as Buddha, Jesus Christ, Adi Shankara etc. all the way to Mahatma Gandhi and our Gurudev Swami Chinmayananda.

Hari Om.