MEDITATION

ARSHA VIDYA UK

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Meditation, dhyāna, is well known to help reduce stress and calm the
mind, but it offers much more when practised properly.

Meditation shows that the mind is observable, that I am distinct from it.
The conviction ‘I am my mind’, meaning ‘I am my thoughts and feelings’,
is a misconception. The functioning mind is observable and I, its witness,
am ever distinct from it. On seeing I am not stress, its power goes.

The witness is that actionless, uninvolved knowing that, for example, is

aware that you are standing or sitting, walking or running. Similarly, when
you are speaking, the witness is the awareness of speech happening. It
does not change anything said by you, but is aware of what is being said
and of any impulse from within to change or stop it.

Identifying the witness with the mind causes identification with the body,
the mind’s product. The mind and body change constantly. The witness of
that change does not, or it would not detect change. The witness sees; it is
not, and never can be, seen.

The unchanging nature of the witness is the basis of my sense of self. I

know, without needing confirmation, that I exist, that I am – and that
existence is the existence of the witness. This ever-present, self-evident
self has remained the same since earliest childhood – through all the
changes of mind and body – quietly witnessing the movement of thoughts
and feelings, whether in meditation or not. Recognising I am distinct from
them gives me freedom to choose which to entertain. Not identifying with
them, I can manage them instead of them managing me!

Greater depth in meditation brings increasing subtlety of perception. With

that subtlety comes an increasing capacity to distinguish the witness from
the witnessed, helping overcome fundamental misconceptions about
oneself, the world and God. Those errors, and the ignorance at their root,
are the cause of all sorrow.

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Sitting properly

If sitting in a chair, sit comfortably in an upright one, not in an armchair.

Ensure both feet are fully flat on the ground, about hip-width apart, thighs
parallel to the floor. Alternatively, sit cross-legged on the floor or
elsewhere.

Sit balanced and upright, with the head, neck and trunk naturally straight
and aligned, as if being gently pulled upwards by the top of the head.
Never lean against anything nor lie down to practise for that inhibits the
minute bodily adjustments needed for complete physical ease and physical
stillness.

Support the weight of the arms by placing your hands in your lap (palms
uppermost, right on top of left) or rest the back of each hand on a thigh.

Face straight ahead. If the head tends to tilt to one side or the chin juts
forward, correct it.

Close the eyes and lips, gently and fully. Breathe normally, through the
nose alone.

Don’t ‘look around’ under closed eyelids – gaze ahead, eyes at rest.

Let the tongue keep still on the floor of the mouth. Don’t clench the lips,
teeth or jaw, nor frown.

Let go of muscle tensions throughout the body until it remains fully

tension-free, balanced, upright, completely comfortable and completely
still.

Sitting completely relaxed and still is essential. Muscle tension is a stuck

movement, maintained by effort. Neither actual nor stuck movement fulfils
the need to sit still. Movement distracts the mind from settling
wholeheartedly into meditation – it keeps the mind actively involved with
the body. This involvement is why tensions must go.

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Some physical tensions are due to physical discomfort, which is relatively
easily corrected. Others are due to mental distractions in which muscle
tension may express strength of feeling or a vivid thought. Whatever the
cause, when tensions are noticed, do not maintain them. Letting go of
physical tension releases the desire driving it, easing the way to greater
stillness and depth.

Properly sitting comfortably still ensures the body is not a distraction

during meditation.

Awareness of the breath

Using the sense of touch alone, be aware of external air entering and
leaving the nostrils. Don’t enhance the flow of breath to make it easier to
be aware of it; breathe normally.

Attend to your breath. Ignore any images, colours or thoughts that appear
in your head. When attention turns away from the flow of breath, bring it
back to it.

If you normally breathe from the chest, let breathing gradually become
abdominal (in which the chest remains almost still while the abdomen
moves gently with each breath). This natural way to breathe, the way small
children breathe, lets the diaphragm do its job. Allow the change to
abdominal breathing to happen naturally, gradually, by itself.

Use of a focal point in meditation

During meditation the mind needs a focal point for attention – just as it
does elsewhere – or it will wander. When the mind wanders it reverts to
ordinary thinking. Meditation is a form of thinking, but instead of going
from thought to thought, one thing is dwelt upon consistently.

One form of meditation uses only the breath as a focal point, another uses
a sound (usually a mantra), another uses a deity, yet another uses
awareness itself.

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When using the breath as a point of focus, let it flow naturally, without
adjustment. As the breath quietens, so does the mind as the two are linked.
Awareness of the breath is a good way to begin meditation. Gradually, in
meditation, it may be noticed that instead of predominantly flowing
through one nostril, breath flows equally through both (indicating things
are going well). Return to watching the breath when thoughts distract.

When using a mantra, the sound alone should be attended to, not the
meaning. Let the mantra repeat silently in the mind, not out loud, with a
natural gap between each repetition and with reverence for that to which it
points. Innocently follow the mantra’s lead. Do not make it conform to your
preconceptions or desires. If it disappears altogether, be unconcerned. When
ordinary thoughts arise, return to the mantra.

If the mantra needs to be actively repeated, let go of any excess force in its
repetition, especially from the lips and tongue. Continue noticing and
letting go of excess force. Gradually, less and less will be found to be
needed until it becomes impossible to tell whether the mantra is running
by itself or not. Continue following it as it naturally slows, lengthens and
becomes subtler and fainter. Return to it when thoughts take you away.

Another form of meditation uses a favourite deity as its object. This is a

religious form in which the the deity’s hands, eyes, feet, ornaments, etc.,
are pictured mentally in detail.

Using the breath or a mantra or a deity as a focal point is meditation on an

object. The division of subject and object in this way is a dualistic form of
meditation known as saguṇa upāsana (upāsana and dhyāna are
synonyms). It is practised for mental steadiness before the attainment of
knowledge.

In the deepest type of meditation, all dualism goes. Attention or awareness

shifts from an object, however subtle, to consciousness itself, to the
consciousness by which one is aware of that object.

In properly giving attention to an object – a point of focus – that object is

recognised not only to be held in awareness but to be a form of awareness,

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just as a wave held in water is recognised to be a form of water, or a clay
pot to be clay. Awareness, recognising itself in the thought form, rests in
itself rather than on the form.

Now there is no longer attention to some thing, awareness dwells in

awareness, consciousness remains in consciousness itself. On becoming
non-dualistic, meditation is now called contemplation. The self, which is
fundamentally consciousness, contemplates itself.

Contemplation, nididhyāsana – meditation in which there is no subject-

object division – is also known as nirguṇa-upāsana. It can be practised
only after understanding the nature of the self through śravana.

In contemplation, the deepest peace, beauty and fullness are at last

attained. On being attained, they are immediately recognised to have never
been absent, just obscured by a misconception, a misconception in which
oneself, God and the world were taken to be what they are not, like a
dimly lit rope mistaken for a snake.

The correction of that misconception is completed only in the waking

state, for which Advaita Vedānta alone is the means and for which
meditation is preparatory.

Meditation does not, cannot, remove the ignorance causing that

misconception. It is only for disciplining the mind before the attaining of
knowledge through śravana and manana. Nididhyāsana, the practice of
meditation after attaining knowledge, is for its assimilation.

Only in the waking state, in the midst of the world, may it validly be found
that I, witness consciousness, am not and never have been lost in saṃsāra,
the endless round of births and deaths. Only in the waking state (not in
samādhi) is the knot of the heart, that binds me to identification with the
body and mind, finally cut asunder.

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Practise daily

Using the most appropriate form of meditation for you, practise at least
once a day – dawn and dusk are conducive times – but preferably every
morning and evening, before meals. (Post-meal distractions, such as torpor
and continuing saliva production, are best avoided.)

Beginners should meditate solely on the breath until they have learned
from experience what it means to sit comfortably and properly still.

Duration of practice

Beginners should practise for about ten minutes, gradually lengthening this
as appreciation of the benefits increases. Do not short-change yourself by
sometimes reducing the time. 30-minute sessions are sufficient for most
people.

Regularity of practice

Regular (and regulated) practice creates useful habits that encourage the
mind to work with you. The mind easily forms habits and that can be to
your advantage.

Meditating daily, at the same time(s), in the same place, in the same way
uses habit to show the mind that it’s time to settle down. Such regularity is
important as well as useful.

Even so, dwelling excessively on either pleasant or unpleasant thoughts

during the day can mean they come back to you in meditation – such
dwelling gives them value. Ignore them.

What the mind dwells on is company for it. All forms of company –
thoughts, feelings, books, music, people, events, etc – influence the mind.
Some influence is useful and beneficial, some not. It’s sensible to avoid
what is not. Inspiring company helps meditation, as does a relatively
simple life.

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To properly regulate the way life is lived is to implement karma yoga.
Karma yoga is a way of life followed as a discipline to prepare the mind
for knowledge of the truth, the Lord. As God becomes the ultimate goal,
all actions become offered to God.

That attitude of offering matures with an increasing recognition that all

that is here is the Lord, including the natural laws, such as gravity, that
govern all events and actions (physical and mental). Understanding this,
one’s actions naturally become unopposed to those laws. Since those
laws determine all aspects of all phenomena, the results of action are
accepted as gifts from those laws and hence from God. This in turn brings
an equanimity that is further enhanced by meditation.

Questions and Answers

How do I still my turbulent mind?

It is natural for the mind to be involved in thoughts of the world. However,

interest in thoughts is interest in the world. In meditation, interest is in the
opposite direction, in causes not effects. If this is clear, thoughts will be
easily relinquished as an irrelevance. When thoughts are of no interest or
value, it is easy to return to the breath, mantra, etc.

The same is said in more detail in Bhagavad Gītā 6.35 where Krishna says
that by abhyāsa, practice, and vairāgya, dispassion, the turbulent mind can
be mastered. By repeatedly recognising the flaws in attractive/unattractive
thoughts of the world, dispassion towards them will arise, making them
easily relinquished. Over time, this practice of repeated recognition and
relinquishment leads to the gradual re-alignment of deep-seated habitual
orientations of the mind that obstruct meditation.

A broader view of the two words is that abhyāsa, practice, is repeatedly

recognising that although the mind is me, I am ever distinct from the mind,
that even though every thought is me, I am always free from thought.
Again and again, this is to be seen to be so. It is also true that unmerited
attributes (positive or negative) are superimposed by me on various things
of the world, giving them subjective valuations. Repeatedly seeing the

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limitations of these attributes and valuations – and the desires they
engender – is vairāgya, dispassion. Through both these means, abhyāsa
and vairāgya, thraldom to the mind is gradually broken, whether in
meditation or not.

What mantra should I use?

If you do not have one, use one of the famous ones, such as om nama
shiwaaya or om so’ham or om eeshaaya namaha. The choice of mantra is
not as significant as correct practice. However, the sacred syllable om
(pronounced as in home or roam) is best included. A vānaprastha or
sannyāsi may use om alone.

How can I stop falling asleep during meditation?

A full eight hours a night of unbroken sleep should be the aim. If

sleepiness often hinders meditation, it indicates mismeasure in some
aspect(s) of daily life and so changes may be necessary.

A life that is not self-disciplined is not conducive to deep meditation.

Meditation is part of life, not separate from it; its influence is felt in life
and it reflects how one lives.

Should attention be on the tip of the nose?

Focusing on the tip of the nose applies when watching the breath. It’s an
instruction with which to begin a meditation practice. The words
samprekṣya nāsikāgraṃ svaṃ diśaścānavalokayan (Bhagavad Gītā 6.13)
literally translate as ‘looking at the tip of one’s nose, not looking in all
directions.’ At that time, a gentle movement of air will be felt on the skin
above the upper lip, or perhaps at the actual opening of the nostrils. This is
what is meant by the tip of the nose. Attention should rest there while
‘watching’ the breath.

When the eyes are closed, and awareness of the flow of breath is not being
practised, the inner gaze will naturally fall some way beyond the tip of the

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nose. When attending to a mantra or when in contemplation, this question
about where to place the attention doesn’t need addressing.

Sometimes, in meditation, I cannot tell one finger from another…!

At some point during meditation, when the body is sitting balanced, erect
and completely tension-free, fingers become indistinguishable from one
another; similarly with the toes. Soon the arms and legs become no longer
discernible as distinct limbs. Eventually, the entire body 'becomes' one
amorphous mass, with literally no discernible parts at all.

All this means is that the sense of touch has receded from gross, physical
experience. It is now not occupied with the physical and is more active
subtly. This indicates that the body, although present, is not receiving much
if any attention from the sense of touch – hence the earlier need for ensuring
the body is safely balanced and not dependent on physical effort to remain
so! This 'non-discernible' body is normal and is nothing to be concerned or
excited about, or impressed by. And don’t expect any of this to happen in
any one practice; it may or may not – although it must if depth in meditation
is to occur. Whether it happens or not, stay with the focal point.

Similarly, as the practice deepens further, there may be times when the body
becomes so peaceful, so still, it becomes like a stone statue. Breathing is
present, but by now so slight it is undetectable. An onlooker will see a
person who literally looks like a statue; it is a unique and remarkable sight,
something that cannot be faked. The peace, fullness and utter stillness the
meditator enjoys then is so beautiful one is reluctant to come out of it; it
feels a great pity to have to do so. The feeling is, “I could stay here forever.”

Encouraging and enriching though such times are, they are not the aim or
fulfilment of meditation. The mental and emotional quietude they bring stays
for a while afterwards and everyday emotional disturbances begin to have
less impact. Such experiences also demonstrate that the quest for real peace,
real freedom from sorrow, is not a fool’s errand.

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Finally, all experience is of the mind and in the mind, and is a product, a
result. Meditation, being an action, has results. All results are
limited. Freedom from unhappiness, being ever-present, is not a result, not of
the mind and so cannot be attained through any form of meditation, only
through knowledge. Neither is samādhi liberation. Samādhi, rich as it is, is
an experience that begins and ends, and therefore is not the ultimate goal.

The usefulness of meditation is in its being a means to refine the mind and to
increase its steadiness, subtlety, depth and sharpness – all of which are
necessary preparation for cleanly hearing that knowledge that alone
is freedom. That knowledge is Vedānta.

2/2/22

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