Summary:

Lesson 47 lists 8 steps of Patanjali Yoga Sutras (ashtanga yoga) in light of Vedanta non-duality. Subject matter is Dharana (concentration), Dhyana (Meditation) and Samadhi (Absorption). And WHAT is to be done during meditation.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, verse 18, 19  and Patanjali Yoga Sutras

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Patanjali Yoga Sutra — 8-Steps of Ashtanga-Yoga:

1) Yamaḥ (niṣedha): Avoided. Don'ts

1. Ahimsa: Avoid injuring others. Give up violence, physical, verbal, mental. Because it disturbs your mind. 
2. Satyam: Give up speaking untruth, or making things bigger then they actually are. Give up falsehood at thought/verbal level. Else you'll doubt yourself.
3. Asteyam: Non-stealing. Any benefit I gain through unfair deal is a stolen benefit. Translates into low self-esteem and guilt in the future. 
4. Brahmacaryam: Give up inappropriate attitude/relationship towards opposite sex. 
5. Aparigrahaḥ:
   • Parigrahaḥ: Possessing too much. Amassing wealth. According to scriptures, one has to share with society; that's what makes you grow.
   • Thus aparigraḥ means: Not possession too much.

2) Niyamaḥ (vidhi): Followed in daily life or embraced. Do's.

1. Śaucam: This involves maintaining purity both internally and externally. Internal purity refers to keeping the mind free from negative thoughts and emotions, while external purity involves cleanliness of the body and surroundings.
2. Saṃtoṣaḥ: Contentment means being satisfied with what one legitimately earns and possesses. It involves avoiding comparisons with others and instead focusing on personal growth and self-improvement.
3. Svādhyāyaḥ: Scriptural study.
4. Tapaḥ: Austerity involves living a simple life of discipline and non excess indulgence. It means observing moderation in all aspects of life and avoiding excessive indulgence in material comforts.
5. Īśvara praṇidhānam: This involves surrendering to Ishvara. It includes accepting the moral and physical orders as manifestations of Ishvara. Acceptance of life's experiences, whether joyful or challenging, as Ishvara‘s manifestations. This means not resisting or criticizing any experience but understanding it as a result of one's karma (past actions). Acceptance should be objective, thinking solution mode, without allowing experiences to generate bitterness, anger, or jealousy. It involves recognizing that “what I get is what I deserve” and praying for the strength to face life's inevitable challenges. This surrender is known as śaraṇāgati, pranidhanam, or prapatiḥ.

3) Āsana:

• Training oneself to sit in posture for length of time. 
• Deals with Annamaya kosha (physical body).

4) Prāṇāyāmaḥ:

• Deals with pranamaya-kosha (physiological functions).
• Regulating breathing, as breathing is the fastest and easiest way to affect the mind.

5) Pratyāhāraḥ:

• Withdrawal of sense organs from external world.
• Eyes, as though looking tip of nose.
• Pratyahara is equivalent to “dama” of Vedanta, which means: Sense control.

6) Dhāraṇā: (Focusing/fixing/holding)

• Turning mind away from world, and fixing on object of meditation.
• Like the initial adjusting of camera to focus on the subject.
• Object of meditation varies according to level of student:
  • Before study of Vedanta:
    • Any iṣṭa-devata. Picture, flame of light, sun. Anything that reminds meditator of God.
  • After study of Vedanta:
    • Ishvara is saguṇa brahma viṣaya manasam vyāparaḥ (Mental activity associated with God).
    • NOTE: To call it dhyānam (meditation), it should be associated with Ishvara. If no Ishvara is involved, then it's concentration exercises. 

7) Dhyānam: (Meditation)

• Retaining mind on the object for a length of time. Remember, object is always Ishvara in Vedantic meditation.
• Dhāraṇā vs, Dhyānam:
  1. Dhāraṇā: initial focusing (eg: active process of adjusting camera lens) on object. This is hardest stage because when person sits down for meditation, mind is restless.
  2. Dhyānam: retaining/maintaining focus. Easier as already went through the struggle.

8) Samādhiḥ: (Absorption)

• Effortless absorption in object of meditation. It's where distractions have ended. While in Dhyanam (stage 7), distractions are still coming and going (tug of war).
• Samādhi can be described as: vijātīya pratyaya anantarita sajātīya pratyaya pravāhaḥ: The flow of similar thoughts is unobstructed by dissimilar thoughts. Meaning constant flow of similar thoughts (on Ishvara). 
• Savikalpa vs Nirvikalpa Samadhi:
  • Savikalpa: Sense of I (ahamkara) remains. But life story goes away. There is a subject who is witnessing absence-of-objects. It's still a subject-object duality.
  • Nirvikalpa: Sense of I (ahamkara), or the subject also resolves. Thus there's no subject-object duality. This is also called experiential non-duality. It's the highest form of a blissful, time-bound experience one can have. 

QUESTION: What if you already know your true nature? You still need meditation to solidify the knowledge.

 

Further details about Dhāraṇā, Dhyānam, Samādhi:

• These are 3 most important which account for Vedantic Meditation
• In Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6, verse 18 – Krishna comes to Dhyāna-svarūpam. Which consists of 3 stages…

Dhāraṇa:

• Focusing mind on object of meditation. Entertaining thought dealing with object.
• Technical:
  • Called: OBJECT-ākāra-vṛttiḥ (ākāra: of form of | vṛttiḥ: thought modification). Meaning: Thought Modifications ABOUT __ (object such as: tree, ishvara, compassion, etc)
  • So for BG CH6, object of meditation is: īśvara-ākāra-vṛttih (Thought modification about Īśvara)

Dhyānam:

• Since all thoughts have momentary existence (EG: TREE-ākāra-vṛttiḥ), meditator attempts to have the NEXT vṛtti (modification) of TREE. And then the next. The next. Etc. This is called: sajātīya-pratyaya-pravāhaḥ (flow of similar thought, each thought dealing with same object).
• By constant repetition, the repeated thought forms an impression in your mind. EG: Coming home after kīrtanam, mind in background continues chanting. OR hearing disliked music in shop; it continues playing in your head.  So idea is to use repetition so you can't get Ishvara out of your mind.

Samādhi:

• The state of thought continuation on auto-pilot is called absorption (samādhi).

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 18: The State of Accomplished Meditation

yadā viniyatam cittam ātmani eva avatiṣṭhate ।
niḥspṛhaḥ sarva-kāmebhyaḥ yuktaḥ iti ucyate tadā ॥ 6-18॥

When the mind has gained a certain composure (and) remains in the self alone, when one is free from longing
for all the objects (of desire), then (the person) is said (to be) one who is accomplished.

In this verse, Lord Krishna describes the state of a meditator who has achieved composure and abides in the self, free from desires.

1. Withdrawal of the Mind (Viniyatam Cittam):
   • The mind is withdrawn from external objects, not physically, but by refusing to entertain thoughts connected with random daily events, what happened yesterday, what to do after meditation, etc.
   • During meditation, if thoughts related to worldly affairs are removed, it is called “cittam viniyatam” (restraint or withdrawal).
2. Detachment from Desires (Sarva-Kāmebhyaḥ Niḥspṛhaḥ):
   • Tell yourself, ‘Right now, may all desires be about having a deep, pleasant, insightful meditation”.
3. Abiding in the Self (Ātmani Eva Avatiṣṭhate):
   • After successfully withdrawing the mind from the world, the mind should abide in the self (ātma), entertaining relevant thoughts.
   • This does not mean physically placing the mind on the ātma, as ātma is all-pervading consciousness, described as space-like. The mind is never away from ātma.
   • The notion of “mind coming to ātma” is false because the entire creation rests in ātma alone.
   • So what does it mean to say “mind is abiding on atma”? 
     • “Abiding” means entertaining thoughts about the nature of atma. Involves recognizing the atma as the witness consciousness of both the presence and absence of thoughts.
     • Practically, this means training oneself to constantly affirm and recognize the nature of atma. Statements like “I am asaṅgaḥ (unattached),” “I am śuddhaḥ (pure),” “I am free from merits and demerits,” “I am akartā (non-doer),” and “I am abhoktā (non-enjoyer)” help in this practice.
4. Nature of Ātman-Related Thoughts:
   • Vedantic meditation is not about achieving thoughtlessness, unlike Yogic meditation, which aims for a thoughtless state.
   • Vedanta emphasizes thoughts turned onto nature of atma or how Ishvara relates in your life.
   • Examples of atman-related thoughts include:
     • “I am the conscious principle by which the world, body, mind, and even this thought are known. Even the thoughtless state is known by Awareness alone. This Awareness is the witness of both the thoughtful and thoughtless mind, I AM.”
     • “These thoughts arise in Consciousness, but they can't disturb it. Like my hand moving in light, the light is not disturbed by the hand; it only illuminates the hand. Similarly, I, consciousness, illumine the thoughts, but thoughts don't disturb me.”
     • “I am formless and illumine forms. Just like light illumines a formed hand, but light itself is formless.”
     • “Thoughts arrive and depart, but I never arrive or depart. Just like all people are illuminated by light, and so is an empty hall illumined by light. Light illumines both a full and empty hall.” (Mind = hall, Thoughts = people, Consciousness = light)
   • Sanskrit examples reinforcing “I am Consciousness” include:
     • aham arūpaḥ (formless)
     • aham asaṅgaḥ (independent)
     • aham sākṣī (witness)
     • aham nityaḥ (unchanging)
     • aham śuddhaḥ (pure)
5. Absorption in Meditation (Yuktaḥ Iti Ucyate):
   • The state of being absorbed in meditation is called “yuktaḥ,” which is also referred to as yoga or samādhi.
   • Samādhi is divided into two types:
     • Savikalpa Samādhi: Involves effort due to the presence of ego and individuality. Effort means “individuality is pronounced.”
     • Nirvikalpa Samādhi: Becomes effortless over time, similar to a cyclist who initially pedals with effort but eventually moves with momentum, entering an autopilot state.

Bhagavad Gita Chapter 6, Verse 19:  The Simile of the Steady Flame

yathā dīpaḥ nivātasthaḥ neṅgate sopamā smṛtā ।
yoginaḥ yata-cittasya yuñjataḥ yogam ātmanaḥ ॥ 6-19॥

The following simile is mentioned for the restrained mind of a Yogi who is practising dhyana yoga of the Ātma – (it is) like a lamp in a windless spot (which) does not flicker.

In this verse, Lord Krishna uses the simile of a steady flame to describe the state of a Yogi's mind during meditation.

1. Simile of the Steady Flame:
   • The verse compares the restrained mind of a Yogi practicing dhyana yoga of the Ātma to a lamp in a windless spot that does not flicker.
   • When a flame is placed in an open area, it flickers due to the external breeze. The direction of the flame depends on the direction of the breeze. To keep the flame steady, it must be protected from disturbances.
2. State of Samādhi:
   • In meditation, thoughts are like the flame. When focusing on the ātman, the thought is often not retained because other thoughts intrude, causing the mind to flicker due to external influences.
   • When the flame is steady, it represents nirvikalpa samādhi, where the ātma-related thought (akhaṇḍa-ākāra-vṛttiḥ) is not disturbed by anātma-thoughts.
3. Steadying the Ātman-Thought:
   • To maintain the steadiness of the ātman-thought, one needs protection in the form of vairagyam (dispassion).
   • Worries often arise from concerns about the past, present, and future, especially the future, which includes actual and imaginary scenarios, as well as concerns about family members' opinions.
   • The solution is to surrender these non-useful thoughts to God. Say, “God, please help dissolve any non-useful thoughts during this meditation”. Or simply say “Erase” to whatever non-useful thought arises.
4. Summary and Caution:
   • The flickerless flame is an example of the restrained mind of a yogī engaged in ātma-dhyānam (meditation on the self). This state is called samādhi.

In next class…

• Krisna will take about culmination of dhyānam, called: nirvikalpa-samādhi
• 7 definitions/features will be given for nirvikalpa-samādhi, which is consequence of aṣṭāṅga-yogaḥ

 

Keywords: akara vritti, akhanda, anatman, antaranga, aparigraha, aparigrahah, arupa, asana, asanga, atmani, avasthanam, avatishthate, avatisthate, bhagavad gita, bhagavan, brahmasmi, citananda, dharana, ishvara, isvara, iswara, kamebhya, kriya yoga, nisedha, nishedha, nitya, niyama, Niyamah, Parigraha, patanjali, Pranayama, Pranayamah, pranidhanam, prapatih, Pratyahara, Pratyaharah, pravahah, rama, sadhana, saguna, sajatiya, sakshi, saksi, Samadhih, Samtosa, Samtosha, samyama, saranagati, saucam, sharanagati, shaucam, shivo ham, shuddha, shuksma, suddha, suksma, sutras, Svadhyaya, tapa, tapah, tapas, vairagyam, vijatiya, visaya, vishaya, vrtti, vyapara, vyaparah, yama, yamah, yogah, yuktah

 

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• After class questions

Credit for help in Bhagavad Gita teaching is given to Swami Paramarthananda

Recorded 30 April, 2019