THE MAHARSHI 1-2/2002

[Guest guest]

THE MAHARSHI

January/February 2002 Vol. 12 - No. 1

Produced & Edited byDennis HartelDr. Anil K. Sharma

MeditationBy S. S. Cohen

Meditation means many things to many individuals and ranges from quiet

brooding on a concept or an ideal to the beatitude of the highest

spiritual contemplation. But in the sadhana propounded by the

Maharshi it strictly means, whatever the method, the attempt to still

the thinking faculty, the perpetually-surging waves of the mind, in

order that the calm ocean of pure awareness, from which they rise and

on which they move, may be experienced.

To beginners this mind control appears to be a formidable feat, yet

the Master encourages them to go ahead and practice — at all events

to make a beginning. He constantly dins into us the inspiring notion

that we are already Self-realized and that, if we are not aware of

it, the obstruction to that awareness should be removed by

investigation — vichara — which is as logical as it is simple.

To hear it direct from him, this "Self-knowledge", rather the way to

Self-knowledge, is "...the easiest thing there is" ("Atma Vidya");

but, judging from the questions constantly

asked of him, and later of his disciples, there appears to be the need

for much spade work before its central idea takes a firm hold on the

seeker. The Master's obvious meaning seems to be that, even apart

from the psychological efficacy of the vichara proper, preoccupying

the mind with a single theme to the exclusion of all others, if

doggedly practiced, will not fail to produce beneficial results. It

will tend to reduce the oscillations of the thinking processes, and

thus render the mind amenable to concentration on the supremely

important work which is to follow, which by itself is a splendid

achievement. Finding the answer to the query "Who am I?" is not the

immediate burden of the practice in the beginning. Stability and

fixity of the restless, mercurial mind is the first aim, and this can

be achieved by constant practice and by frequently pulling oneself

back to the subject of the meditation whenever the mind strays away.

When the mind has attained an appreciable degree of concentration,

which means of depth, it will be time to think of the answer. Some

sadhakas are fortunate enough to begin with a mind already accustomed

to concentration, either naturally, or by training, or through intense

fervor, so that they are able to go straight to the application of the

vichara, and thus make a more or less rapid progress, according to the

intensity of their determination, without much strain. For the Master

tells us that mental calmness, that is, a controlled mind, is

essential for a successful meditation.

The next idea in the vichara seems to be that wherever, and for

however long, one may search for the answer in meditation, one will

certainly not find it in the physical body; for no part of it is

intelligent enough to stand the test of analysis or answer the call.

Even if the meditator takes his body as a whole and confers on it his

name, say, Krishna or Peter, sooner or later he will discover that it

is only his mind which is responsible for this as well as all other

thoughts and sensations. Thus diligent search and keen observation

eventually lead to the mind as the perceiver, desirer and enjoyer of

a world which is entirely its own thoughts; for the mind cognizes

naught but its own ideas.

The final idea, one gathers, refers to the most vital stage of the

vichara, when the foregoing fact has become a settled conviction and

the seeker unabatingly continues his inquiry, this time no longer

into the insentient body, but into the very nature of the mind, from

which he has discovered the `I-thought' to have arisen. Meditation

has by then taken a firm grip and has turned from an erstwhile

painful and apparently fruitless effort to a joyful,

eagerly-looked-forward-to performance, which can no longer be

abandoned or even slackened. The thinking processes have by now

considerably slowed down and with it, naturally, the restlessness of

the mind. Profound peace and inner joy impel more frequent and longer

meditation, which in turn reduces thinking still further, till the

moment of full maturity is reached, when all of a

sudden all thoughts completely cease, and the meditator, the `I',

having nothing to disturb or preoccupy him, spontaneously finds

himself in his pure Being, which is the Absolute State or Substratum.

This is what the second and third sutras of Patanjali's Yoga mean by

saying: "Yoga is the suppression of the vritti (modifications of the

thinking principle). Then the seer abides in himself."

And what is that Self in actual experience? Sri Bhagavan tells us that

it is the Light which ever shines in the Cave of the Heart as the

flame of the Consciousness `I - I' — the eternal and blissful

Sat-chit-ananda. This is the answer to the vichara and its

fulfillment. The `I', which has carried out a determined and

protracted search into its own nature, has at long last found itself

to be not other than the Pure Mind, the immaculate Being, which is

eternally wrapped in blissful stillness. This is Turiya, the Fourth

State, or Samadhi. There remains nothing more for one to achieve but

to consolidate this state into the permanent experience of Sahaja

Nirvikalpa, which is the Great Liberation.

Sadhakas take courage from the personal assurance of Sri Maharshi and

the testimony of those who have found the Ultimate Peace, and

relentlessly continue their efforts however sterile these may at

first appear to be, strong in the belief of the descent of the Divine

Grace on their endeavor to crown them with the greatest of all crowns,

that of Supreme Enlightenment.

Bhagavan: Patanjali's first sutras are indeed the climax of all

systems of Yoga. All yogas aim at the cessation of the vritti

(modification of the mind). This can be brought about in the variety

of ways mentioned in the scriptures through mind control, which frees

consciousness from all thoughts and keeps it pure. Effort is

necessary. In fact effort is itself yoga.

Visitor: I am taught that Mantra Japam is very potent in practice.

Bhagavan: The Self is the greatest of all mantras and goes on

automatically and eternally. If you are not aware of this internal

mantra, you should take to it consciously as japam, which is attended

with effort, to ward off all other thoughts. By constant attention to

it, you will eventually become aware of the internal mantra, which is

the state of Realization and is effortless. Firmness in this awareness

will keep you continually and effortlessly in the current, however

much you may be engaged in other activities. Listening to Vedic

chanting and mantras has the same result as conscious repetitions of

japam — its rhythm is the japam.

Visitor: As far as I can see it, it is impossible to realize the Self

until one has completely succeeded in preventing the rushing

thoughts. Am I right?

Bhagavan: Not exactly. You do not need to prevent other thoughts. In

deep sleep you are entirely free from thoughts, because the

`I-thought' is absent. The moment the `I-thought' rises on waking,

all other thoughts rush out spontaneously. The wisest thing for one

to do is therefore to catch hold of this leading thought, the

`I-thought', and dissect it — who and what it is —giving thereby no

chance to other thoughts to distract one. There lies the true value

of the vichara and its efficacy in mind control.

— from Guru Ramana, Chapt. XI, Meditation

Search presents - Jib Jab's 'Second Term'