Summary:

Discussion begins with the Vedantic definition of meditation and how to bring Ishvara (the divine) into one's life. It outlines three steps: removing incorrect notions about Ishvara, understanding the right definition, and using this understanding to transform one's life positively.

The session then delves into the practical aspects of meditation, including how to position oneself, the importance of a clean environment, and maintaining proper posture. It explains the purpose of meditation as self-purification and keeping the mind focused on a single point.

The importance of japa (mantra repetition) is highlighted as a method to intercept associative thinking and deepen understanding of reality. The session concludes with a summary of the meditation process and describes the jiva's journey from ignorance to knowledge.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 10: 

योगी युञ्जीत सततम् आत्मानम् रहसि स्थितः ।
एकाकी यत-चित्त-आत्मा निराशीः अपरिग्रहः ॥ ६-१०॥
yogī yuñjīta satatam ātmānam rahasi sthitaḥ ।
ekākī yata-citta-ātmā nirāśīḥ aparigrahaḥ ॥ 6-10॥
May the meditator, whose body and mind are relaxed, who is free from longing and possessions, remaining alone in a quiet place, constantly unite his (or her) mind (with the object of meditation).

Continuing from last session…

• Vedantic definition of meditation: saguṇa-brahma-viṣaya-mānasa-vyāpāraḥ
  • Meaning, mental activity whose subject matter is “saguna brahma” (Ishvara). Meaning to do meditation, your first needs to bring Ishvara into your life.
• How to bring Ishvara into your life?
  • STEP 1: Remove incorrect notions of what is Ishvara.
    • EG:
      • We think Ishvara is a benign entity. Is this true? Else there would be love everywhere all the time.
      • Then suppose you say “Ishvara, please do this for me!”. And prayers are unanswered. Mind concludes, “All loving Ishvara doesn’t care”.
      • Then to explain all the violence, you create another entity, “devil”. So there’s constant fight between God and devil. Devil seems to have upper hand. If Ishvara is struggling to contain evil, (a) what can I possibly do! (b) why should I pray to such entity!
  • STEP 2: Understand right definition of Ishvara.
    • Intelligence that pervades everything. It is laws and forms governed by laws.
      • EG: This body is work of intelligence of each cell working in symbiosis. Cells become organs, and organs connected together to work in harmony. Applies to animals, insects too.
    • Intelligence can also be observed in non-sentient things.
      • EG: A whole system is designed to convert ocean-water into drinking. Sun evaporates ocean water > forms cloud > So initially sun on it’s own seems inert, but when connect it to other things, recognize whole thing is sustained by one intelligence.
    • If this is how understand Ishvara – is it a belief? It’s knowledge. Belief is not-available (non-verifiable). Knowledge means it’s available here and now (verifiable).
  • STEP 3: ASK: How can I use my understanding of Ishvara to transform my life positively?
    1. No longer think “World is unfair, Life is not treating me well”. EG: People act irresponsibility, and create disturbances. But there are laws that ensure consequences are received. So you stop making judgements about world, but see cause-effect relationship. Take responsibility.
    2. Use Ishvara’s force of destruction/death to your advantage (via Maha Mrityunjaya Mantra):
       1. Manifestation: Within this intelligence, things are constantly coming into manifestation.
       2. Unmanifestation: Whatever manfiests now, unmanifests. Destructive power of universe. Learn to see indispensability of it.
          • EG: Without destruction, can’t pave way for new opportunities. Thus can ask this destructive power for help, “Please help destroy my self-limiting beliefs, my ignorance”. Prayer can’t violate laws: If pray to get physically well, can help. But if body excessively damaged, prayer can’t help.
          • Mahamrityunjaya Mantra to make force of destruction work for you:
            • oṁ tryambakaṁ yajāmahe: I prostrate Ishvara, in form of destruction.
            • sugandhiṁ puṣṭi-vardhanam: Destruction is a blessing, as can create new opportunities.
            • urvārukam iva bandhanān: What do I want from this force of destruction? Free myself from the bondage (mental/physical afflictions, freedom from birth-death). Just like ripe cucumber falls naturally off the tree.
            • mṛtyor mukṣīya māmṛtāt: May this force help me remove ignorance that leads to my final liberation.
       3. Sustenance: Between coming and going, there’s seeming stability.
    3. Bring in law of Dharma:
       • Along with your faculty of choice, comes capacity to understand what is appropriate and inappropriate. By stepping on others toes & being unfair to get what I want, there’s consequences (not in my favour). Otherwise Veda has no issue of you pursuing security and entertainment. If understand dharma as manifestation of Ishvara, and I need dharma my wellbeing, then inclined to follow.
       • Dharma is impartial: If rub against tree and get hurt, can’t hold tree responsible. Tree was being itself. You used freewill to interact with it inappropriately.
       • When things not going your way: Recognize presence of larger order. Gives you composure. This is called having Ishvara-prasada-buddhi (intellect that recognizes everything is a manifestation of Intelligence that never makes mistakes).
• CONCLUSION: In meditation, bring in knowledge how Ishvara relates to YOU, your life. If don’t make it personal, it remains academic.
  • Step 1: Bring proper understanding of Ishvara. What it means / doesn’t mean.
  • Step 2: Recognize how Ishvara’s presence relates to your living.
  • Step 3: Bring in equation, how I and Ishvara are one.
• NEXT VERSE: How to position yourself before meditation…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 11: 

शुचौ देशे प्रतिष्ठाप्य स्थिरम् आसनम् आत्मनः ।
न अति-उच्छ्रितम् न अति-नीचम् चैल-अजिन-कुश-उत्तरम् ॥ ६-११॥
śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ ।
na ati-ucchritam na ati-nīcam caila-ajina-kuśa-uttaram ॥ 6-11॥
Having arranged one’s seat (made of) a piece of soft cloth, a skin, and a grass mat layered in (reverse) order, in a clean place, firm, not too high (and) not too low…

• Śucau deśe pratiṣṭhāpya: Having put yourself in a clean (external environment) place. Respectful frame.
• Sthiram āsanam ātmanaḥ: Having certain amount of comfort, so you don’t experience aches soon.
• Na ati ucchritam: Neither too high (unstable), nor too low (damp/moist).
• Cāila ajina kuśa uttaram: In older days, people would sit on deer skin, straw – for comfort.
• NEXT VERSE: With this in mind, remind yourself what is purpose of meditation…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 12: 

तत्र एकाग्रम् मनः कृत्वा यत चित्त इन्द्रिय क्रियः
उपविश्य आसने युञ्ज्यात् योगम् आत्म विशुद्धये
tatra ekāgram manaḥ kṛtvā yata citta indriya kriyaḥ
upaviśya āsane yuñjyāt yogam ātma viśuddhaye
… sitting there on the seat, making one’s mind one pointed (absorbed in the object of meditation), may the one who has mastered the mind and senses practice meditation for the purification of the mind.

• Purpose of meditation: To keep bringing mind back to it’s object of meditation for period of time. Meaning  mind is not entertaining happenings of the day. 
• What does meditation do for you? Yoga ātma viśuddhaye (Yoga of self-purification) : Cleans up inner pressures guiding your decisions.
  • Why is word Ātma used as “mind”? ātmā means “I am”, in other words Consciousness. When “atma” is put in body-mind due to ignorance, then atma is called jiva. When Atma is put in Body-mind due to ignorance, then Atma is called body-mind, or in one short word – jiva.
• NEXT VERSE: Additional adjustments before meditation…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 13: 

समम् काय-शिरः-ग्रीवम् धारयन् अचलम् स्थिरः ।
सम्प्रेक्ष्य नासिक-अग्रं स्वम् दिशः च अनवलोकयन् ॥ ६-१३॥
samam kāya-śiraḥ-grīvam dhārayan acalam sthiraḥ ।
samprekṣya nāsika-agraṃ svam diśaḥ ca anavalokayan ॥ 6-13॥
Holding oneself firm without moving, keeping the body, head, and neck in one straight line, (as though) looking at the tip of one’s nose (for eye position) and not looking in all directions…

• Keep your body in straight line (not slouched). Erect. Eyes fixed between eyebrows; helps keep mind on single point.
• NEXT VERSE: Steps to mental meditation…

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, Verse 14: 

प्रशान्त-आत्मा विगत-भीः ब्रह्मचारि-व्रते स्थितः ।
मनः संयम्य मत्-चित्तः युक्तः आसीत मत्-परः ॥ ६-१४॥
praśānta-ātmā vigata-bhīḥ brahmacāri-vrate sthitaḥ ।
manaḥ saṃyamya mat-cittaḥ yuktaḥ āsīta mat-paraḥ ॥ 6-14॥
…being the one whose mind is tranquil, who is free from fear, established in one’s commitment to the life of a brahmacārin, may (that) meditator sit thinking of Me, having Me as the ultimate goal, while withdrawing the mind from everything else.

• Manaḥ saṃyamya (Managing the Mind): (Withdrawing mind from roles / associative thinking)
  • Mind works by association. EG: Think of food > Italy > Rome > Pickpockets > etc.
  • Story to show how associative thinking works: Man was invited to dinner, and served mashed potato by host. He notices others got 2 scoops of potato. He only got 1. While everyone is enjoying, he’s thinking “I was served one! This is insult! I have been badly treated”. All enjoyment gone. After going home, ruminating all night, couldn’t sleep. He thought “I will get the host back! I’m going to host dinner myself, call everyone and him, serve everyone 2 scoops, and him 1 scoop.  So I can see on his face his anger that I went through!”.   As he serves him 1 scoop, there’s no reaction on man’s face. After party is over, so much money spent.  
  • Associative thinking creates narratives. And japa intercepts this process.
• Purpose of Japa: (Trains mind to remain concentrated to a single point. Same as Dharana)
  • What is it? Short statement or mantra – repeated in loop. EG: om tat sat, om namah shivaya.
  • How does it work? Japa intercepts associative thinking, by returning mind to mantra.
  • Benefits of Japa:
    • Makes thoughts more deliberate and less mechanical.
    • Helps you recognize silence between “om tat sat”, and “om tat sat”. Helps you catch a thought before “I” identify with it totally.
    • Deepens your understanding of Reality by thinking about what each word in the japa means. For example, instead of mechanically repeating “om tat sat”, think about meaning of each word.
      • Om = All forms of past-present-future.
      • Tat = intelligence connecting 3 periods of time.
      • Sat = Truth of om and tat, which is your truth also.
• After japa (5+- min), then what? Yukta āsīta matparaḥ
  • “Thinking about Me”. Relating with Ishvara.
    • STEP 1: First need to know nature of Ishvara to whom you are relating in meditation:
      • EG: If you’re relating to Ishvara as big uncle punishment/rewarding, then you’re not relating to Ishvara, but imagination.
      • Nature of Ishvara: Ishvara is intelligence from which laws and objects manifest. Ishvara isn’t just laws-objects within time-space, but that which proceeds time-space.
    • STEP 2: Welcome unprocessed emotional pain to come out. While being with it, ask Ishvara to help release it.
• CHAPTER 6 MEDITATION PROCESS SUMMARIZED:
  • Sit down > Focus between eyebrows > Close eyes > Japa 5 min > om tat sat > think about meaning of each word > Begin relating with Ishvara > Bring up pain, and immediately ask it to be released.
• Through this process, matparaḥ: You eventually collapse highest potential possible while being alive in a human form, “I and Ishvara enjoy the same reality”.
• Jiva’s Journey from Ignorance to Knowledge:
  • STAGE 1: Initially wave starts feeling isolated, apart from all waves and Ocean.
  • STAGE 2: Then through meditation, the wave starts developing relationship with the Ocean, recognizing it has no existence apart from it. To get to this stage, requires aligning to laws (like dharma), undoing past hurts, relooking at world as neither benevolent nor malevolent – but expression of Ishvara.
  • STAGE 3: Now wave is ready for final reality (matparaḥ). Appearance between wave and Ocean is different, but substance of both is water. Wise wave doesn’t deny wave/Ocean, but recognizes they both depend on water. Similarly, sat-cit is truth of you and Ishvara.  Only one reality. You can still enjoy sun rising-setting, despite knowing it is adhyasa.
• NEXT SESSION: Difference between meditation & contemplation.

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Recorded 11 July, 2024