Balancing life through Vedanta -2: Summary of Swami Ishwarananda's lecture

[Guest guest]

Namaste

 

The following is my brief summary -- errors of fact,

slips of content and faults of logic are all mine -- of

the second lecture of a series of five lectures by Swami

Ishwarananda. The second lecture (18th April) was titled:

Meditation and Life. I have omitted most of his quotations

from Upanishats and other Vedantic works.

___

 

 

Meditation and Life

 

Is meditation an activity? Is it to be practised every day?

What is the objective of meditation? From the standpoint

of Vedanta it is the easiest and shortest route to the

Final Realisation, provided you are well-prepared for it.

 

What is life? It is what happens to you when you are busy

with other things. That is only one definition of life.

Swami Chinmayananda’s definition is: LIFE is Limitless

Incessant Flow of Experiences. It is actually

beginningless and endless. Even a plant is alive, but it

has no emotions or feelings. Life certainly expresses

itself in plants in the form of growth. But in the case of

human beings it is a continuous momentum of expressions

that comes to a halt at death.

 

The Existence itself is called ‘sat’ in Sanskrit. It is

its expression that is indicated by the word ‘cit’.

Whatever always exists is ‘real’. Whatever appears and

disappears is ‘unreal’. The well-known shloka from the Gita

*nAsato vidyate bhAvo ...* says that what is real will

never cease to be real and what is unreal can never be

real. On waking up from the dream we realise that all the

time we have been in an unreal world. It is meditation that

wakes you up from the imaginary world of the so-called

‘real life’. Death is only a stage in the continuous

momentum of expressions of Life. Death is not the end of

life; it is a situation in the continuity. When you

recognise you are ‘sat’, the absolute Reality, then you

will not be afraid of the event called ‘death’. It is the

continuous omnipresence that expresses itself all the time.

Even in sleep there exists the continuity of this presence.

This presence is never absent. We can experience the

absence of even our mind – for example when we are

absent-minded – but no one ever experiences the absence of

oneself. ‘I am absent’ is always an invalid statement.

 

The expressions of Life take place through the BMI.

Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do

with what happens to you. For instance, I am speaking now.

This speech is a happening. But to each one of you it is a

different experience. Your experience depends on your mind.

So experience is not decided by what is happening. In

other words happening does not decide happiness. It is the

mind that so decides.

 

Life is not milestones; but moments. It is Ramana Maharishi

who said: Move from Expressions to Existence. LIFE is

actually Lessons Invited For Ever. In life, it is the test

that comes first and lessons come later. If you do not

learn the lessons, you have to take the test again!

“punar-api jananaM punar-api maraNaM...”

 

Being human you have continuous opportunities to learn. If

you stop learning you stop growing. We humans have an

enormous ability to learn and decide, while all other

beings have very little choice. That is why Shankaracharya

says: *jantUnAM nara-janma-durlabhaM .. *. In learning

the lessons we have to use the mind. It is the mind that is

a great friend in this respect. You can never get away

from your mind. But use it as a friend. Nobody can teach

you wisdom; you have to learn it. Decisions in life should

be borne out of learning and not out of instincts.

 

Learning keeps you young. One who is capable of keeping on

learning is always young. One devotee came to our Pujya

Gurudev and asked him: ‘Swami, you have been teaching

Vedantic wisdom for several years now. But do you know of

any one who has learnt from your teachings and advices?’ .

And Swami answered: ‘Yes I know one person. That is myself.

You learn when you start listening to your own advices to

others’! The teacher only demonstrates what is possible;

but it is the learner who makes it possible to oneself.

 

When the expressions of life are perceived positively, it

is easy to use meditation to realise Existence, sat.

Otherwise, wild thoughts disturb the meditation. Where are

these wild thoughts coming from? Remember meditation is

not just for relaxation. The purpose of meditation is to

direct your mind towards your own spirit. You advise your

mind to accept the facts and cross the barriers of mind.

The mind has to accept whatever comes; then it becomes your

friend. When anger, jealousy and greed creep in, you know

your mind is your own enemy at that point. But when love,

compassion and peace arise, you can recognise the friend in

your mind. *sAdhur-eva sa man tavyaH .. * says the Lord in

the Gita. Just change your perception and vision. What

plays in your mind is what has been recorded in it earlier,

either known to you or not, either in this life or in

previous lives. Therefore be careful about what you see,

what you hear and what you talk. Let it be always good and

noble. *bhadraM karnebhiH shruNuyAma devAH ...* is the

well-known vedic prayer to this effect.

 

Thus MEDITATION is Mind Engaging Deeply In Total Awareness

Transcending Its Own Nature. As Pujya Gurudev used to say,

it is like a pole-vaulter, who rises with the pole to a

peak greater than the height of the pole and then

discarding it right there for him to cross the barrier.

 

Now, What is Mind? Sri Ramana Maharishi says: There is

nothing called the Mind. It is only an activity within the

brain, made of water, lipid and protein. It is the flow of

water that makes a river. If there is no flow there is no

river. A river therefore is a happening. Mind is the flow

of thoughts. If flow stops there is no mind. Brain is a

physical apparatus in which mind is a happening.

 

At any one time there is only one thought. You are all

seeing me talk and you are listening. But when you are

seeing you are not listening. No thought is aware of the

other thought. The thoughts come so fast one after another

that we tend to think they are simultaneous. That which

knows the presence of thoughts is the spirit behind. It is

the rapid succession of thoughts that presents a turbulence

in the mind. Slowing down the succession of thoughts is a

prerequisite preparation for meditation.

 

What is a thought, after all? An object of perception plus

awareness is the thought. We are aware of the appearance

of the thought and we are also aware of the disappearance

of the thought. It is the Presence of the Absolute in us

that recognises the appearance and disappearance of

thoughts. When it so recognises, it is called Awareness,

that is, CIT.

 

When we say ‘my coat’, ‘my car’, etc. we understand the

‘coat’ and the ‘car’ are different from us. But when we say

‘my body’ why don’t we understand that it is also different

from us? You may say: ‘When I leave my car in the parking

lot, I don’t carry my car with me; but I always carry my

body with me!’. That is right. You don’t carry the

so-called ‘my car’ with you. But without your knowing it

you always carry a ‘car’ with you, that is, “ahaM-kaar” !

It is this car that should also be left in the parking lot!

 

As each thought succeeds another thought, no thought

belongs to you. It is ahaMkaar that claims the thought. A

thought is only an expression of The Presence. When an

object is perceived by the eye, or the ear or the tongue or

the skin, a thought is experienced. When an object is

imagined through memory then also a thought is experienced.

All thoughts are created in the brain. There exists no

source of thought outside of you. It is only a lunatic who

lives in the castles built through his thoughts. In normal

circumstances we are capable of brushing aside our thoughts

and say ‘No’ to a thought.

 

A person came to me and said: ‘Swami, I saw the

announcement in the newspaper this morning of the dance

programme this evening; and that created the thought in my

mind that I should go and attend it’. This does not prove

that thought is produced by external sources. Because, I

also saw the same advertisement but no such thought arose

in my mind! Thoughts are generated only by your vAsanAs.

The newspaper ad can at best be said to have been only a

catalyst for the generation of the thought. So never blame

somebody else for your thoughts.

 

It is the generation of thoughts that starts an agitation

in the mind. When we live in appreciation of nature, we

accept nature as it is. The moment we hesitate to accept

it, we have generated a thought-process. For instance, once

we think: ‘If only this tree had been there instead of

here, ....’ this thought starts an agitation in the mind.

Accept things as they are. Thoughts are like waves in the

ocean. In meditation you focus on the awareness behind,

rather than the thoughts on the surface.

 

Awareness is what is conscious of the thoughts. Don’t be

conscious of the thoughts. Be aware. Be as you are. Right

in the morning of the day before you are conscious of the

desires waiting to be launched for the day, slow down your

thoughts. Sit down and observe the breath only. That will

slow down the thoughts. The first stage of meditation is

this slowing down.

 

Meditation is the support you take to let go all other

thoughts. Slow and measured chanting of a simple mantra

like ‘AUM’ with pauses between each chant will help to let

go all the other thoughts. In the beginning, chant aloud

so that you hear the vibration of the sound and also are

aware of the silence between the chants.

 

Then comes a stage when your chanting becomes a silent

chant. There comes a stage thereafter when, in the

silence, you become aware of the birth and death of

thoughts. In a further stage of this you will be able to

decide what you want to think instead of thinking

involuntarily of things which you don’t want to think

about!

 

Once you have come to this stage where you are the arbiter

of what you want to think, the sharpness of your intellect

has become perfect enough to stand still in perfect silence

and relish the bliss innate in that silence.

_

PraNAms to all advaitins and to Swami Ishwarananda.

profvk

[Guest guest]

Namaste profvk,

 

thank you for the message.....it include many interesting details....

could be the source of much talk.....but then, there is the thought

about meditation rising.....

i believe that what is "real" can be discovered in meditation....

the lesson to practice meditation is one of best lessons existing....

without this lesson of meditation....how could one ever discover what

happen in deep sleep......with a consciousness of being "awake"...?

 

the explanations about "Meditation" in your message are nice...

 

it seem that the effect of meditation can be compared with the one of

deep sleep.....

means....people who meditate daily need less (deep) sleep....

 

some Masters rarely have long sleep.....because their consciousness

is the one of Meditation....most of time....obsorbed in infinity...in

the Self...

 

out of mind....

 

out of mind....is the entrence to what is "real"....to

Meditation.....to the "here and now"......which is eternel

 

how the "here and now" can be eternel?....

 

because in the "here and now" is no past...no future.....no

birth.....no death.......no mind.......

 

it's all about to keep the mind in calmness.....

 

a mind which learned about the "truth" of what is "real" can realy

enjoy this knowledge maybe only by leaving this same knowledge.....at

the entrence door to....infinity......

then, this mind is no more limited (BMI)....it disappeared ....in

everything...

 

in Self

 

(like the dream enter on one point...to Deep sleep)

 

wish you a calmness mind.....

 

love and peace

 

Marc

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

advaitin, "V. Krishnamurthy" <profvk>

wrote:

> Namaste

>

> The following is my brief summary -- errors of fact,

> slips of content and faults of logic are all mine -- of

> the second lecture of a series of five lectures by Swami

> Ishwarananda. The second lecture (18th April) was titled:

> Meditation and Life. I have omitted most of his quotations

> from Upanishats and other Vedantic works.

> ___

>

>

> Meditation and Life

>

> Is meditation an activity? Is it to be practised every day?

> What is the objective of meditation? From the standpoint

> of Vedanta it is the easiest and shortest route to the

> Final Realisation, provided you are well-prepared for it.

>

> What is life? It is what happens to you when you are busy

> with other things. That is only one definition of life.

> Swami Chinmayananda's definition is: LIFE is Limitless

> Incessant Flow of Experiences. It is actually

> beginningless and endless. Even a plant is alive, but it

> has no emotions or feelings. Life certainly expresses

> itself in plants in the form of growth. But in the case of

> human beings it is a continuous momentum of expressions

> that comes to a halt at death.

>

> The Existence itself is called `sat' in Sanskrit. It is

> its expression that is indicated by the word `cit'.

> Whatever always exists is `real'. Whatever appears and

> disappears is `unreal'. The well-known shloka from the Gita

> *nAsato vidyate bhAvo ...* says that what is real will

> never cease to be real and what is unreal can never be

> real. On waking up from the dream we realise that all the

> time we have been in an unreal world. It is meditation that

> wakes you up from the imaginary world of the so-called

> `real life'. Death is only a stage in the continuous

> momentum of expressions of Life. Death is not the end of

> life; it is a situation in the continuity. When you

> recognise you are `sat', the absolute Reality, then you

> will not be afraid of the event called `death'. It is the

> continuous omnipresence that expresses itself all the time.

> Even in sleep there exists the continuity of this presence.

> This presence is never absent. We can experience the

> absence of even our mind – for example when we are

> absent-minded – but no one ever experiences the absence of

> oneself. `I am absent' is always an invalid statement.

>

> The expressions of Life take place through the BMI.

> Experience is not what happens to you; it is what you do

> with what happens to you. For instance, I am speaking now.

> This speech is a happening. But to each one of you it is a

> different experience. Your experience depends on your mind.

> So experience is not decided by what is happening. In

> other words happening does not decide happiness. It is the

> mind that so decides.

>

> Life is not milestones; but moments. It is Ramana Maharishi

> who said: Move from Expressions to Existence. LIFE is

> actually Lessons Invited For Ever. In life, it is the test

> that comes first and lessons come later. If you do not

> learn the lessons, you have to take the test again!

> "punar-api jananaM punar-api maraNaM..."

>

> Being human you have continuous opportunities to learn. If

> you stop learning you stop growing. We humans have an

> enormous ability to learn and decide, while all other

> beings have very little choice. That is why Shankaracharya

> says: *jantUnAM nara-janma-durlabhaM .. *. In learning

> the lessons we have to use the mind. It is the mind that is

> a great friend in this respect. You can never get away

> from your mind. But use it as a friend. Nobody can teach

> you wisdom; you have to learn it. Decisions in life should

> be borne out of learning and not out of instincts.

>

> Learning keeps you young. One who is capable of keeping on

> learning is always young. One devotee came to our Pujya

> Gurudev and asked him: `Swami, you have been teaching

> Vedantic wisdom for several years now. But do you know of

> any one who has learnt from your teachings and advices?' .

> And Swami answered: `Yes I know one person. That is myself.

> You learn when you start listening to your own advices to

> others'! The teacher only demonstrates what is possible;

> but it is the learner who makes it possible to oneself.

>

> When the expressions of life are perceived positively, it

> is easy to use meditation to realise Existence, sat.

> Otherwise, wild thoughts disturb the meditation. Where are

> these wild thoughts coming from? Remember meditation is

> not just for relaxation. The purpose of meditation is to

> direct your mind towards your own spirit. You advise your

> mind to accept the facts and cross the barriers of mind.

> The mind has to accept whatever comes; then it becomes your

> friend. When anger, jealousy and greed creep in, you know

> your mind is your own enemy at that point. But when love,

> compassion and peace arise, you can recognise the friend in

> your mind. *sAdhur-eva sa man tavyaH .. * says the Lord in

> the Gita. Just change your perception and vision. What

> plays in your mind is what has been recorded in it earlier,

> either known to you or not, either in this life or in

> previous lives. Therefore be careful about what you see,

> what you hear and what you talk. Let it be always good and

> noble. *bhadraM karnebhiH shruNuyAma devAH ...* is the

> well-known vedic prayer to this effect.

>

> Thus MEDITATION is Mind Engaging Deeply In Total Awareness

> Transcending Its Own Nature. As Pujya Gurudev used to say,

> it is like a pole-vaulter, who rises with the pole to a

> peak greater than the height of the pole and then

> discarding it right there for him to cross the barrier.

>

> Now, What is Mind? Sri Ramana Maharishi says: There is

> nothing called the Mind. It is only an activity within the

> brain, made of water, lipid and protein. It is the flow of

> water that makes a river. If there is no flow there is no

> river. A river therefore is a happening. Mind is the flow

> of thoughts. If flow stops there is no mind. Brain is a

> physical apparatus in which mind is a happening.

>

> At any one time there is only one thought. You are all

> seeing me talk and you are listening. But when you are

> seeing you are not listening. No thought is aware of the

> other thought. The thoughts come so fast one after another

> that we tend to think they are simultaneous. That which

> knows the presence of thoughts is the spirit behind. It is

> the rapid succession of thoughts that presents a turbulence

> in the mind. Slowing down the succession of thoughts is a

> prerequisite preparation for meditation.

>

> What is a thought, after all? An object of perception plus

> awareness is the thought. We are aware of the appearance

> of the thought and we are also aware of the disappearance

> of the thought. It is the Presence of the Absolute in us

> that recognises the appearance and disappearance of

> thoughts. When it so recognises, it is called Awareness,

> that is, CIT.

>

> When we say `my coat', `my car', etc. we understand the

> `coat' and the `car' are different from us. But when we say

> `my body' why don't we understand that it is also different

> from us? You may say: `When I leave my car in the parking

> lot, I don't carry my car with me; but I always carry my

> body with me!'. That is right. You don't carry the

> so-called `my car' with you. But without your knowing it

> you always carry a `car' with you, that is, "ahaM-kaar" !

> It is this car that should also be left in the parking lot!

>

> As each thought succeeds another thought, no thought

> belongs to you. It is ahaMkaar that claims the thought. A

> thought is only an expression of The Presence. When an

> object is perceived by the eye, or the ear or the tongue or

> the skin, a thought is experienced. When an object is

> imagined through memory then also a thought is experienced.

> All thoughts are created in the brain. There exists no

> source of thought outside of you. It is only a lunatic who

> lives in the castles built through his thoughts. In normal

> circumstances we are capable of brushing aside our thoughts

> and say `No' to a thought.

>

> A person came to me and said: `Swami, I saw the

> announcement in the newspaper this morning of the dance

> programme this evening; and that created the thought in my

> mind that I should go and attend it'. This does not prove

> that thought is produced by external sources. Because, I

> also saw the same advertisement but no such thought arose

> in my mind! Thoughts are generated only by your vAsanAs.

> The newspaper ad can at best be said to have been only a

> catalyst for the generation of the thought. So never blame

> somebody else for your thoughts.

>

> It is the generation of thoughts that starts an agitation

> in the mind. When we live in appreciation of nature, we

> accept nature as it is. The moment we hesitate to accept

> it, we have generated a thought-process. For instance, once

> we think: `If only this tree had been there instead of

> here, ....' this thought starts an agitation in the mind.

> Accept things as they are. Thoughts are like waves in the

> ocean. In meditation you focus on the awareness behind,

> rather than the thoughts on the surface.

>

> Awareness is what is conscious of the thoughts. Don't be

> conscious of the thoughts. Be aware. Be as you are. Right

> in the morning of the day before you are conscious of the

> desires waiting to be launched for the day, slow down your

> thoughts. Sit down and observe the breath only. That will

> slow down the thoughts. The first stage of meditation is

> this slowing down.

>

> Meditation is the support you take to let go all other

> thoughts. Slow and measured chanting of a simple mantra

> like `AUM' with pauses between each chant will help to let

> go all the other thoughts. In the beginning, chant aloud

> so that you hear the vibration of the sound and also are

> aware of the silence between the chants.

>

> Then comes a stage when your chanting becomes a silent

> chant. There comes a stage thereafter when, in the

> silence, you become aware of the birth and death of

> thoughts. In a further stage of this you will be able to

> decide what you want to think instead of thinking

> involuntarily of things which you don't want to think

> about!

>

> Once you have come to this stage where you are the arbiter

> of what you want to think, the sharpness of your intellect

> has become perfect enough to stand still in perfect silence

> and relish the bliss innate in that silence.

> _

> PraNAms to all advaitins and to Swami Ishwarananda.

> profvk