AIDS FOR STEADYING THE MIND

 

[caption id="attachment_1135" align="alignnone" width="300"] AIDS FOR STEADYING THE MIND[/caption]

GUIDE TO YOGA MEDITATION
BY
SHRI YOGENDRA

Many obstacles come in the way of the wouldbe
student of meditation, even in the very early
attempts of external conduct. Thus, in spite of the
sincerity to fulfill the great vows of yama and niyama,
he may be troubled not infrequently by evil thoughts
and bad desires. Yoga therefore holds that mere
philosophy and acceptance are not sufficient.
Knowledge alone is not enough in destroying immoral
tendencies and recommends a graduated practice of
identical reflection (vipaksabhavana) so, formulated
that by generating the will for higher habits and better
modes of life, one can by steadying the mind on its
subtler states, ultimately uproot the evil habits of an
ordinary life.
RELATION BETWEEN THE CONSCIOUS AND
SUBCONSCIOUS
Yoga also holds that our conscious plane is
closely related to the subconscious plane in such a way
that by exerting superior control on the conscious
states, we can control the subconscious ones in which
are contained the roots, the memory potentials
(samskaras) of all conscious processes. That we are apt
to indulge in bad thoughts or evil emotions is largely
due to a previous habit of indulging in them
consciously by which such modifications took place in
the subconscious plane and these bad thoughts and evil
tendencies can recur over and over again under the
slightest excitement caused by our environment. If,
therefore,
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we want to reassure ourselves against such recurrences
of bad thoughts and emotions, we have to generate
such an opposite tendency in the subconscious plane
that by their continuous opposition the roots of the evil
propensities in the subconscious are ultimately
destroyed. Then we may be sure that there shall be no
recurrence of them in the conscious plane.
NEED OF CONTEMPLATION ON THE OPPOSITES
The purpose of Yoga is to uproot the evil
tendencies by constant training first by the acceptance
of the universal vows of yama and niyama and,
secondly, by strengthening moral influence to purge
the unconscious mind of all its evil propensities. If in
performing the great vow of ahimsa (non-injury) he is
troubled by contrary thoughts, he should remove such
evil thoughts by habituation himself to those that are
contrary to them. Thus when the old habit of evil
opposed to virtues tend to drive him along the wrong
path, let him banish such evil thoughts by meditating
upon such ideas as the following:
“Being burnt up as I am in the fires of the
worldly environments, I have sought refuge in the
practice of Yoga as the last resort to save myself since
it assures protection to all living beings; I have thus
given up injury, untruthfulness, theft, greed,
immoderation in sex, and were I to resume these evil
tendencies over again, Which I have now abandoned, I
would certainly be behaving like a dog which licks its
own vomit.”
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This contemplation on the opposites
(pratipaksa-bhavana) is successful in overcoming evil
thoughts which obstruct the path of Yoga. Further,
through constant reprisals through meditation on the
opposites of the temptations for the time being
occupying the mind, one is able to generate and sustain
a healthful opposite tendency which when gradually
strengthened helps to destroy the evil potencies, which
stand as obstacles on the way of one’s spiritual
progress.
EMOTIONAL CONTROL FOR MEDITATION
It is therefore essential that every student of
Yoga desirous of achieving success should after
initiation in the disciplinary training immediately
undergo the purification of the mind through emotional
control. During the early stages of emotional conflicts,
contemplation on the opposites is recommended and
the same should be practiced daily. This moral
achievement gradually turns into a habit so that there
can be no repetition of the evil desires and bad
thoughts. This is also the best remedy for eliminating
immoral influences and evil effects which obstruct the
path of meditation.
NON-KNOWLEDGE: CAUSE OF SORROW AND
PAIN
Again, not only do evil tendencies cause
continuity of sorrow and pain, but they lead to untrue
knowledge. Thus, pain and untrue cognition are the
unending fruits of the immoral tendencies. In the
understanding of this context lies the power which
produces
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the habit of giving a contrary trend to our thoughts.
Non-knowledge (avidya) is the breeding
ground for all the afflictions (klesas). The process of
pratipaksabhavana may be said to act on the
intellectual level, ‘to dissect knowledge, discernment
of the constituents of knowledge and the removal of
false knowledge’, all of which lead to perfect
discrimination (viveka).
THINK BEFORE YOU ACT
Vyasa recommends that prior to undertaking
any action, a person should analyze whether he is
prepared to do the particular deed himself (ii) or is he
making someone else do it, or (iii) whether he permits
it being done. Also the motivation of the same (iv)
whether preceded by desire or anger or ignorance, (v)
the intensity of the accomplishment, whether slight or
intense and (vi) its overall repercussions viz. pain and
untrue knowledge. Such intellectual activity reduces
the strength of the evil thought by constant habit of
thinking to the contrary and is likely to act in
accordance with it on the spur of the moment.
In pratipaksabhavana each idea may be taken
up separately and habituation to the contrary ideas may
be cultivated in detail to overcome the particular evil
tendency. It is however important to find the exact
positive chain of thought in connection with the
negative evil thought. In the Yoga Sutra (II, 4) in the
description of the kriya yoga the paksa and pradipaksa
and the five klesas are mentioned.
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The five afflictions (klesas) are (i) ignorance (avidya),
(ii) egoism (asmita), (iii) attachment (raga), (iv)
aversion (dvesa) and love of life (abhinivesa) which
are all clear about the scope of pratipaksabhavana.
Thus for example, in spite of his restraint when the
desire for doing injury to others comes to his mind,
even if it be prompted by a righteous motive to punish
the evil doer, he should immediately meditate on the
evil effects of this bad desire, i.e. he should think of the
trouble and grief such an injury causes. He should
further make a resolve that once he has forsaken the
principle of injury to all living beings, he should not
under any circumstances take it up again as it is the
source of all sorrow and pain.
CULTIVATING MENTAL DETACHMENT
The restraint of mental modifications
(cittavrittinirodha) is the object of Yoga as interpreted
by Patanjali, the compiler of the Yogasutras. The
restraint is not only necessary for the attainment of
self-realization but it is equally desirable for the
success in the achievement of any object in life. Thus
among the means of control advocated by Patanjala
Yoga may be mentioned (i) constant exercise or
abhyasa and (ii) non-attachment or vairagya. Both
these means are recognized as interdependent since
none is fruitful without the aid of the other. Constant
exercise is necessary because of the habit of the mind
to change its modifications every moment. Constant
exercise, again, by itself cannot achieve anything, if
there is the seed of desire. And that seed of desire can
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Only be removed by cultivating the habit of nonattachment
or desirelessness.
It is also evident that such supreme mental
tendency cannot be created without certain definite
efforts towards that end. Such attempts therefore
should first establish themselves, through
discrimination and realization in the lower conscious
planes before permanent imprints could be made upon
the subconscious mind. The most simple kind of
training consists in selecting suitable ideas for daily
auto-suggestions. With every philosophical system and
school of Yoga they differ, but since mental
detachment is to be considered here, we shall take up
such reflections as are common to many schools of
philosophy and are moreover in harmony with the
teachings of Yoga.
Here is an intellectual reflection (bhavana) for
initial autosuggestive purposes and the student may
meditate upon it for ten to fifteen minutes each day till
the understanding is deeply rooted in his conscious
mind.
ANITYA BHAVANA
“What was in the morning is not at mid-day;
what was at mid-day is not at night, for all things are
transitory (anitya). Our body which is the cause of all
kinds of human effort is as transitory as the scattering
clouds. All our objects of pleasure are changing.
Wealth is as transitory as a wave (kallola), youth like a
cotton particle blown off in a whirlwind; and
opportunities like the fleeting
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dreams. Why should I be attached to anything when
nothing is permanent and everything is changing?”
This pondering over the transitoriness
(anityata) of all things is called anitya bhavana which
is highly recommended for the cultivation of mental
detachment and equability to all beings. Let the student
seriously reflect over this simple truth and ask himself,
why should I foolishly attach my mind to all transitory
objects and enjoyments? And why should I behave
differently to others when the body for which the
differences arises is not permanent? Then, after the
realization is over, the would-be student may take up
other bhavanas.
NISPANDA BHAVA
Nispandabhava is derived from the Sanskrit
words nispanda – non-changing and bhava – a state of
mind. This practice is formulated by the author. In
nispandabhava the person assumes any comfortable
position – comfortable for two reasons; firstly he
should be relaxed and secondly he should be able to
retain the posture for a considerable length of time
without the need to change it.
Having secured a comfortable relaxed posture,
close the eyes and feel relaxed mentally and physically.
Passively try and follow one sound – real or imaginary,
which is constant, rhythmic and feeble like the distant
whistling sound of a train, the chirping of a bird, or the
tick of a wall clock. Soon a state of no movement of
the mind is noticeable as one becomes more and more
passive.
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