MORNING MEDITATION
Sit in meditation for an hour thinking that Divine Light is present in your heart. Do it in quite a simple and natural way without forcing your mind. Never mind if you do not see the light there. Start with a mere supposition so to say, and sit meditating in one posture with your attention turned towards the heart in a natural way without any effort to concentrate. Try to be unmindful of the thoughts arising at that time.
EVENING CLEANING
Sit for half an hour with a suggestion to yourself that all complexities and impurities including grossness, darkness, etc., are going out of the whole system through the backside in the form of smoke or vapour
and in its place the sacred current is flowing into your
heart from the Master's heart. Do not meditate on those things which you want to get rid of. Simply brush them off.
PRAYER
O, Master!
Thou art the real goal of human life.
We are yet but slaves of wishes
Putting bar to our advancement.
Thou art the only God and Power,
To bring us up to that stage.
Just before going to bed at night, offer
prayer. The proper and the most effective method
of prayer is to sit in a supplicant mood and repeat
the same mentally twice or thrice. Then begin
to meditate over its true sense and try to get
lost in it.
Meditation
When we meditate, the Central Power we have i.e. thought in its pure form remains in force.
We start our practice fixing our mind on
one point in order to practise meditation (Dhyana
of Rajayoga). The previous steps of Ashtang Yoga
are not taken up separately but they automatically
come into practice as we proceed on with meditation.
Thus much of our time and labour are saved.
The practice followed is meditation on the heart. There is a great philosophy underlying it. We have got within us the same central force (thought), though marred by our wrong doings. We take work from the same force during meditation. This is how we proceed naturally with Nature's force, so to say. When we meditate, the central power we have remains in force. It disperses the overwhelming clouds which are greatly fried up by its force. It cannot be expressed in words, only an aspirant can feel it. This can only be known practically. The mind is disciplined. It is regulated automatically. Senses begin to come under control and you gain mastery over them. To master yourself means to master Nature. When the passage becomes clear you find Nature's work within your bounds and limits; rather you begin to work yourself.
In our system the aspirant is advised to meditate on the heart thinking of the Divine Light there. But he is directed not to view light in any form or shape like that of an electric bulb or a candle, etc. In that case the light appearing therein will not be real, but one projected by his own creative speculation. An aspirant is advised to proceed with a mere supposition of light with the thought of Divinity at the bottom. What happens then is that we meditate upon the subtlest which is to be attained.
The method of meditation on the heart is to think Godly light within it. When you begin meditating in this way please think only that Godly light within is attracting you. Do not mind if extraneous ideas haunt you during meditation. Let them come but go on with your own work. treat your thoughts and ideas as uninvited guests. If even then they trouble you think they are Master's, not yours. This process of meditation is very effective, and can never fail in bringing about the desired result. Sit in an easy posture for an hour in the morning in quite a natural way. You should only meditate. You should not struggle with your ideas which generally come during meditation. Concentration is the automatic and natural result of meditation. Those who insist on concentration in place of meditation, and force their mind to it, generally meet with failure.
Under our system the aspirant, no doubt, sometimes sees light. But the glittering light appears only in the beginning, when matter comes into contact with energy. In other words, it is only a clue that energy has begun to work. The real light has the dawn colour or a faint reflection of colourlessness. Although light is not the exact translation of the thing, (because light is really far more heavy a thing than what that actually is) it has been expressed so merely for the sake of understanding. If the aspirant begins to feel himself lighter and lighter, it means he is progressing, because in that case he is going into the state that God is in. Light means the loss of the weight of one's own thoughts. Thus the real Light refers only to the real substance, or more appropriately, substanceless substance.
All artificiality and misdirected emphasis guided by the aspirant's own desires and preconceived notions prove injurious-very often irrevocably. As such, the visions of light, etc. are not to be artificially created or insisted upon. These may only be noted, when they do arise, without any feeling of personal attachment to any of them. The only object of personal attachment should be the Ultimate goal, viz., Realisation, which is to be firmly held in view throughout; and this is to constitute the most reliable guarantee against any and every irrelevant diversion. One example of harmful misdirected emphasis, as already pointed out, is the insistence on concentration of consciousness, expected anxiously during every session of meditational practice by most Raja Yogic aspirants. This has played havoc in the history of Yogic Sadhana in India and elsewhere. Methods of ascetic austerities, penances and physical mortification, usually applied for keeping the mind under control, do not relieve it of its misdirected trends. On the other hand, they only serve to keep the evil subdued within, and it might at any time burst forth, when, by chance, the control is somehow relaxed. The real solution of the problem lies not in controlling the mind artificially by suppression, restraint or mortification, but in its gradual moulding which is to relieve it of its misdirected trends. In this, and every other matter, therefore, having the attitude of a sincere student, grasping and allowing everything to work and develop in a natural way, is to ensure the most speedy progress.
Cleaning
The
process of cleaning uses the Original Power of
Thought in the form of human will for the refinement
of the individual soul to enable it to ascend
the steep and slippery path of Realisation of
the subtlest essence of identity.
The cleaning process
will help you in purging your mind and will make
you receptive of the efficacious influence of
our great Master. In this way, we soar up high,
awakening and cleaning the chakras and the sub-points
thereof. But it must be remembered that while
practicing these methods one should not force
his mind too much but only sit in a normal way.
Other ways of cleaning may also be advised according
to the needs of individual aspirants. Suffice
it to say that the process of cleaning uses the
original power of thought in the form of human
will for the refinement of the individual soul
to enable it to ascend the steep and slippery
path of Realisation of the subtlest Essence of
Identity.
Prayer
remains the most important and unfailing means
of success.
The Prayer is one
more practice to be offered daily at bed time
in the most suppliant mood, with a heart overflowing
with Divine Love. Repeat the prayer in your mind
once or twice and begin to meditate over it for
a few moments. The prayer must be offered in a
way as if most miserable man is laying down his
miseries with a deeply afflicted heart before
the Supreme Master, imploring for His mercy and
grace, with tearful eyes. Then alone can he become
a deserving aspirant.
Prayer remains the most important and unfailing means of success. Through it we have established link with the Holy Divine. The reason why prayer should be offered with a heart full of love and devotion is that one should create within oneself a state of vacuity so that the flow of Divine grace may be diverted towards him. When the world emerged into the present form, the central point was already rooted deep in all the beings. This central point rooted in us, being a part of the Supreme, turns attention towards the source. In prayer we try to reach up to the same central point. This is possible only when we create a similar state within. This requires practice. It can be attained by resigning ourselves to the Divine Will, which is absolutely simple and tranquil. Apparently, it seems to be very difficult but, in fact, it is not so, though only for those who aspire for it. When a man creates in him a strong craving for the Absolute, he is indeed in a state of prayer, and it is for every one to strive for. Whenever a man enters into that state even for a moment, his prayer is granted. But it requires continued practice to accomplish it.
Location:
From the left nipple measure two finger width straight towards the right. Then proceed straight downwards upto three finger width. This is the position of point 'A'.
Further on proceed two finger width more in the same downward direction. This is the point 'B'.
Note: Measurement is to be made with one's own fingers.
Fix your attention on the point and think that all men and women of the world are your brothers and sisters. Do this before going to bed for not more than 10 minutes. This meditation is highly effective for checking the indulgences of the mind and the improprieties of conduct.
Generally ladies do not need of this meditation for they are comparatively free from restless tendencies. But if any of them is a victim to it, the process should be advised to her with following modification.
She should think all the Divine gifts are available to her and that every man and woman of the world think each other to be brother and sister and she is also with them in this respect.
Imagine
all your impurities and grossness to be going
out from the point towards the front side and
from behind it the glow of the Atman is coming
to view. Do this for not more than 10 minutes
before commencing your daily practice of meditation.
Note:- The two meditations on point 'A' and 'B', as given above are very helpful in curing the disturbed tendencies of mind. Since this disturbed condition of mind exists in majority of cases, the two meditations are advised to all the aspirants |
