AW: samadhana and nidhidyasana

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Dear Shyamji, dear allPranamseverything that anyone contributed in this thread has been a little stone in building up an understanding of samadhana. Although from the start it was clear that it is translated as single pointedness, concentration, somehow it seemed so superficial (maybe I could not value it enough because I myself never had problems with it). Swami Dayanandas explanation changed this attitude. I can see samadhanas impact now.Also I am very happy about the many things I learned about nidhidyasana in the course of the discussion. Thank you all,Om ShantiSitaraVon: shyam_md <shyam_mdAn: advaitin Gesendet: Donnerstag, den 25. März 2010, 1:41:41 UhrBetreff: Re: samadhana and nidhidyasana

 

 

Pranams Sitara-ji, Dhanya-ji and other respected followers of this thread.

 

To begin with here is a link for an essay about samadhana by Pujya Swami Dayananda-ji which will hopefully make the concept quite clear for our understanding.

http://www.avgsatsa ng.org/hhpsds/ pdf/FOCUS_ SAMADHANA. PDFReply to sender |

 

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Pranams Sitaraji.

I am reproducing here some profound and strikingly sublime words by the Kanchi

Mahaperiyavar [as reproduced by respected Prof VK in Advaita Sadhana (the entire

text can be found at

http://www.advaita.org.uk/discourses/downloads/sadhana.pdf)]

 

Here is the relevant excerpt which talks about samadhana and also subsequently

about the role of the intellect - it is very lengthy - but well worth the time

and effort to assimilate for everyone.

 

Samaadhaana

 

After Shraddhaa the Acharya lists *Samaadhaana* as the sixth item in the sextad

of spiritual accomplishments. The words *samaadhaana* and *samaadhi* have the

same meaning. The six ‘treasures’ starting with ‘shama’ are known as

‘shamAdi shhaTkaM’ [shama-Adi (beginning with shama) – shhaTkaM (sextad)]

and this ‘shamAdi shhaTkaM’ terminates with ‘samAdhi’ !

SamAdhi is the final goal. The final aim is brahman. To be totally immersed in

brahman is samAdhi. Being the final goal it cannot be termed as a part of the

SAdhanA. It is the final state of accomplishment. Accordingly the Acharya does

not also mention it in the second stage of jnAna path, namely, the

SAdhanA-chatushTayaM (the four components of SAdhanAa) . Thereafter, in the

third stage, where one adopts the renunciate stage, when one goes through the

regimen of shravana, manana and nididhyAsana, this is not mentioned as one of

those exercises. Because it is just the end-result of all this SAdhanA. In the

state of samAdhi one experiences it and does not do anything by one’s effort .

Thus it is that the Acharya never mentions samAdhi as a component of SAdhanA.

However, --

There are two grade-levels in shraddhaa, as there is in bhakti. The samAdhi I

talked about just now is the higher grade; there is another one of a lower

grade. The lower grade samAdhi is the ‘samAdhAna’ of the

‘shamAdi-shhaTkaM’ spoken by the Acharya. ‘samAdhi’ has generally the

connotation of being in unison with the goal of brahman; so in order to make a

distinction he calls this as ‘samAdhAna’.

I told you already how the Acharya adds ‘shraddhaa’ to the five

accomplishments mentioned by Rishi Yajnavalkya in Brihadaranyaka Upanishad. And

Yajnavalkya calls the person who possesses them as ‘shAnta, dAnta, uparata’,

etc. The Acharya calls the accomplishments defining them as ‘shama, dama,

uparati’, etc. and makes them as components of the SAdhanA. Yajnavalkya names

the one who has the last (the fifth) accomplishment as ‘samAhita’. That

which makes him a ‘samAhita’ is named by our Acharya as ‘samAdhAna’.

‘sama’ + ‘Ahita’ is ‘samAhita’. ‘sama’ + ‘AdhAna’ is

‘samAdhAna’. The two words ‘Ahita’ and ‘AdhAna’ have the same

meaning; namely, ‘to unify, confirm, establish, in one place’. What is

supposed to be established, confirmed? Where?

‘sama’ means equality – no high, no low. There are other meanings also.

What is full or complete is also said to be ‘sama’. ‘samAdhAna’ means to

unify the mind and establish it completely in one place.

[Note by VK: I have used the word ‘mind’ here

for the Tamil word ‘cittaM’ that

the Mahaswamigal uses in this chapter.

But as he goes along he explains the usage

of ‘cittaM’ for ‘manas’ (Mind).

This explanation will come in the next post.]

It should not be allowed to move this side or that side. We all know the mind

thinks of several things at the same time. To converge it into one place and

firmly establish it there is ‘sama AdhAnaM’ or ‘samAdhAnaM’. The one who

has so established the mind by fixing it in one place is a ‘samAhita’. By

doing this the perturbations of the mind are all calmed and it becomes focussed

completely at one place. By such a ‘samAdhAna’ the peace of a calm restful

mind is obtained.

What is that one thing into which the mind is to be focussed without running

into all directions?

*shuddhe brahmaNi* : ‘In the pure unmixed Brahman’. To establish the mind

always and in all manner, completely in Brahman is ‘samAdhAnaM’.

*samyak AsthApanaM buddheH shuddhe brahmaNi sarvadA /

tat-samAdhAnam-ityuktaM …. //*

This is how the Acharya defines it in Vivekachudamani shloka 26 (27).

‘samyak’ means ‘correctly’ or ‘completely’. Here both meanings have

to be taken in. ‘AsthApanaM’ means ‘ the establishing of’. ‘The

intellect has to be always (*sarvadA) established completely in Brahman in the

right manner (*samyak*); this establishing is said to be (*ityuktaM*)

samAdhAnaM’.

Brahman is the only thing which is unmixed with MAyA. What is referred to as the

substratum of the entire universe is Brahman; the same thing when referred to as

the substratum of the jIva is called Atman. Brahman which is the same as Atman

is the only thing which is untouched by MAyA. Hence it is called ‘shuddha

brahman’ – that is why the shloka has ‘shuddha Brahmani’. Even a little

mixture of MAyA will make it different. Ishvara Himself has such a mixture of

MAyA.The universe which is totally mixed with that MAyA is being administered by

that Ishvara, who has MAyA with him (*MAyA-sahita Ishvarah). Brahman does not do

any Advaita-saadhanaa

such thing as administration of the universe. Brahman has nothing to do with the

universe or its affairs. Of course it is the substratum, basis of the universe;

but from that Brahman it was MAyA that produced the vision of the universe.

Brahman is not related to the universe.

The dim light produces the vision of the snake from the rope, but the rope in

reality has no relationship with the snake. It is an unmixed rope all the time.

That kind of unmixed thing-in-itself is what is called shuddha Brahman. Instead

of the saguna form of Ishvara, if the mind is focussed on nirguna Brahman, that

is said to be ‘samAdhAnaM’.

Our SAdhanA is Atma-SAdhanA. The SAdhanA is for the Realisation of Brahman which

is attributeless (nirguNa) and which is the Atman . Therefore it is necessary to

keep the mind unshaken in the Brahman which transcends the MAyA, instead of in

the Ishvara with His MAyA.

By Ishvara is meant all the different forms of God. Originally it was one such

form that was worshipped by us and that is why the mind was trained to focus

itself on one thing.That was the first stage. In this second stage, the mind has

to have its ‘AdhAna’ in the Brahman without form.

Off and on one will recall the saguna form of Ishvara. When it comes, don’t

think of Him as the administrator of this mAyic universe but think of Him as

Grace Personified (*anugraha-svaruupaM*) which granted us the thought that we

have to transcend this MAyA. And with the determination that ‘It is He (that

saguNa form) who shows us the path of JnAna towards the nirguNa Brahman and so

we should no more cling to the saguNaForm of His’, one should turn one’s

mind towards the Atman principle. He is the One who shines as our Atman. So

holding on to the Atman is as good as holding on, doing bhakti, to Him. The mind

should always be turned towards the nirguna brahman; even if the memory of the

saguna Brahman recurs, knowing that the basis of that saguNa one is only the

nirguna brahman, we should dissolve the saguna in the nirguna.

I have been telling you of ‘the mind’ so far. But the Acharya has referred

to ‘buddhi’, the intellect. *samyak AsthApanaM buddheH* are his words –

namely, ‘the intellect must be caught hold of and fixed in Brahman’.

The intellect (*buddhi*) is only one particular aspect of the mind.

Cit is Knowledge. The organ that the JIva has that is associated with knowledge

is ‘cittaM’. This is an internal organ; called ‘antah-karaNaM’. By

‘Knowledge’ is not meant just what is done by the intellect (buddhi). Though

what is done by the intellect is part of this Knowledge, ‘cittaM’ is not

just that. The feelings that arise in the mind (manas) is also part of it. The

work of the mind, the work of the intellect, what the mind thinks, feels, what

the intellect knows – all these together constitute what is called

‘cittaM’. Because of this combination of works of both the mind and

intellect, it is customary in advaita works to refer to the process of cleaning

up the mind and the intellect and of

focussing them as ‘citta-shuddhi, citta aikAgriyaM’.

There are four: cittaM, manas, buddhi, ahamkAraM.The four together constitute

‘antah-karaNaM’. ‘Thought’ is something that is common to all the four.

But its source is ‘cittaM’. The ‘cittam’ that produces thought

associates itself with the other three. Manas is the instrument of feeling. It

does not know good and bad. It drowns itself in all kinds of feelings. It is the

intellect that is the instrument of discrimination between good and bad. Only

the intellect has the power of judgment.Ahamkaara is the mood (bhAva) that

arises first in all thoughts. The thought of separate jIva as differentiated

from the ParamAtmA, with an ‘I’ of its own, is what is known as ahamkAra

(Ego). When and only when that is destroyed then only the separate JIva-hood

will go and the status of the Atman in its Realisation of one-ness with the

ParamAtmA arises. This destruction/end of the Ego is the apex of SAdhanA.

When he defines ‘samAdhAna’ the Acharya talks of the intellect (buddhi) –

the role/pose of ‘cittaM’ when it exercises the power of discrimination

–and says that this intellect has to be fixed in Brahman.

Ordinarily, cittam is equated with manas (mind). In the same manner, what is to

be monitored and controlled with effort is the manas (mind) – this is the

common understanding. Even if we do not understand the meaning, we are in the

habit of saying ‘The mind does not have samAdhAna (peace or rest)’ or

‘Rest your mind, pacify the restlessness of the mind’. In ritual mantras

they say ‘manas samAdhIyatAM’ in the sense of ‘Let the mind rest in

peace’. And in reply to that prayer, one says *samAhita-manasaH smaH*. Note

that in all this, it is the mind (manas) that is talked about.

In other words, we equate ‘manas’ and ‘antaH-karaNaM’ in all our

ordinary exchange of ideas. ‘Control the mind, Let the MAyA covering the mind

be removed, May the dirt of the mind be erased’ – these are the statements

in the literature of spirituality and Atma-SAdhanA. The reason for all this is

that it is the mind (manas) that draws the JIva by its feelings into all

directions. When the Acharya defined ‘shamaM’ in this sextad, he says it is

“the state wherein the mind (manas) is anchored to the goal (lakshyaM) of the

Atman†-- *svalakshhye niyatAvasthA manasaH shama ucyate*.

The next one ‘damaM’ is also the controlling of the mind’s agents, the

senses. ‘uparati’ is also another component of mind-control. Holding back

the channels (vRtti) from proceeding to outside attractions is ‘uparati’ and

the channels are nothing but flows of the mind. The tolerance or patience

implied in ‘titikshhaa’ is also a work of the mind. Thus all that we have

seen so far are SAdhanAs that correct the mind.

Here when he talks of ‘samAdhAna’ he talks about the ‘fixing’ of the

intellect (buddhi). We have heard many speak “The mind has to become still;

the mind has to be drawn and made to be fixed on one thing; it is the mind that

has to be anchored ..â€. In this kind of environment it will be odd if I tell

you to do such things with buddhi; I did not want to appear different, right

from the start. So I tried to be smart and without saying it is the mind or the

intellect that should be brought under control, I mentioned ‘cittaM’ which

is common to both. Also the Acharya himself has shown me the way for that. In

AparokshhAnubhUti (Verse #8) he says “The unitary focussing of cittaM on the

goal of Absolute Reality (*sat*) is said to be ‘samAdhAna’*:

*cittaikAgRyaM to sallakshhye samAdhAnam-iti smRtaM*.

Having made all this introduction, we shall now see why the Acharya has

mentioned the intellect here (instead of simply, the mind).

When he was talking about shraddhA earlier, though he made it clear that buddhi

(intellect) has to be kept aside and it is only the mind that has to posit the

faith, still he said that it is the confirmation by the intellect

(*buddhy-avadhAraNaM*) that is called shraddhA. And we explained by saying that

it is the intellect itself that has to decide that it has to play no role and

thus make way for the mind to accept the words of the Guru and the Shastras.

The present context where he says that buddhi (intellect) has to be focussed on

brahman, and that is samAdhAnaM, is being done in the same strain .Without being

swayed by emotion, it is the intellect as the component of the internal organ

that weighs truth and falsity and makes judgments in all worldly matters. That

same buddhi has now to be withdrawn from that function and coordinated to

converge on matters relating to Brahman. He says that is samAdhAnaM. It is not

only the feelings of the mind that run helter-skelter; the intellect also does

the same. But we usually think it is the play of emotional feelings that is bad;

we do not think in that manner of the goings-on of the intellect. In the name of

‘Pursuit of Knowledge’, the intellect goes in search of all sorts of

information and all of us are in the habit of praising such action. It is

generally an acceptable thing to say: “We should know everything; all arts and

science. Even thieving is an

art. (Recall the Tamil saying: *kaLavuM katrumaRa*). Even the Acharya got the

award of ‘sarvajna’ (all-knowing)â€. In fact I myself have told you many

times the same things. But note that such things are not told to a spiritual

sAdhaka who is advancing in the second stage. They were all said to one who is

far behind; that was the stage when the intellect has to be sharpened. It is

that sharpness of the intellect that had to be used to do the

‘nitya-anitya-vastu-vivekaM’ (the discrimination between the ephemeral and

the transcendent). This viveka (discrimination) is totally a function of the

intellect. After having become an ‘Atma-sAdhaka’ (seeker of spirituality) he

does not need any more outside knowledge. The only knowledge that he needs is

Self-Knowledge. His intellect should not any more digress into other matters.

The only subject to which it should now be anchored is the pure Brahman.

The Gita (V -28) says *yatendriya-mano-buddhiH* that is, not only the senses and

the manas, but the intellect also should be controlled. Intellect has to be

stationed in brahman, without tossing itself into several objects.

This fixing of intellect in brahman has been called *brahmaNi buddheH sthApanaM*

by the Acharya. But the Upanishads on the other hand say that we cannot reach

brahman by our intellectual power. In two Upanishads, namely, Kathopanishad (II

– 23) and Mundakopanishad (III-2.3) it says emphatically * na medhayA* (not by

intelligence). Neither by mind, nor by speech, nor by intellect can the Atman be

obtained – is well-known.Then why did the Acharya say so? It means he is not

talking about the final Realisation stage of ‘samAdhi’; he is only talking

of the lower stage, *samAdhAnaM* and thus let us remember he has distinguished

both.

So neither by intelligence nor by Vedic scholarship can the Atman be obtained.

If that is the conclusion of those two Upanishads then by what shall one obtain

the Atman? You have to ‘choose’ it. This process is called ‘varaNaM’.

What does one mean by ‘varaNaM’?

What is ‘varaNaM’?. ‘vara’ means ‘best’. When a bridegroom is chosen

for an eligible daughter; the bridegroom is called ‘varaH’ in Sanskrit and

‘varan’ in Tamil. Also another meaning is one who has been chosen from among

several. This choice is inbuilt into the word ‘svayamvara’ where a bride

(usually a princess) chooses her match from an assembly of several princes who

consider themselves eligible bachelors for the princess.

chooses whomsoever she likes best. The act of choosing is ‘varaNaM’. We look

for a proper guru, finally choose one and seek him as our guru – this is

‘guru-varaNaM’. Accordingly there is ‘sishhya-varaNaM’ also.

In a similar manner we have to choose ‘Atman’, by discarding everything

else. We have to keep praying “Please reveal yourself, O Atman. You are

nothing but my self; but I am not able to recognize it. All this mind, speech,

and intelligence (medhA) which think of myself as ‘I’, cannot recognize you.

Therefore please reveal yourself by yourselfâ€. A continued prayer like this

will one day flash the truth. It will nullify the intellect, manas and speech

and produce a Self-realisation as the Atman itself.

This is ‘Atma-varaNaM’. The reciprocal process by the Atman, is beautifully

described in the Upanishads and called *vi-varaNaM*. The word means

‘revelation of what is inside or hidden’.

In sum, the sAdhaka has to do only this. He should understand that intellectual

smartness will not work with Brahman. What will work is only a constant prayer,

after having discarded everything else, to Atman itself, to be the chosen goal,.

The word ‘varaNaM’ which is the process here, includes in it the concept of

‘prayer’ also; that is how the Acharya has constructed his Bhashya for those

mantras of the Kathopanishad.

The same Acharya here says: “Establish the buddhi (intellect) in shuddha

Brahmanâ€. What is meant by this? I think it is only this: The intellect should

dwell, not on shuddha brahman, but in a one-pointed way on what has been said by

the Guru and the Shastras about Brahman.

To allow buddhi or intellect to be drowned in the ocean of Brahman comes at the

end of the third stage: samAdhi.

Here it is ‘samAdhAnaM’. ‘BrahmaNi’ does not mean ‘in Brahman’ here

but ‘in matters pertaining to Brahman’ – what the ShAstras and the Guru

say about it. This is the right way to understand it. The purport is that we

should direct the intellect to dwell always on the philosophical implications of

Brahma VidyA.

In the exercise of shraddhA, we made the intellect to confirm (avadhAraNa) the

faith in what the ShAstras and the Guru say. In continuation of the same , as a

logical conclusion, the Shastra of the Atman has now to be learnt, by the

intellect itself, without any doubts raised by the intellect. The Guru might add

something of his own, which may not be in the ShAstras. That also has to be

absorbed in the same way.

Realisation or Experience of Brahman (*brahmAnubhava*) comes much later. That is

the true Enlightenment. Right now whatever has to be learnt through the

intellect has to be absorbed as ‘buddhi-jnAnaM’. The total force of the

intellect has to focus on this now. This is the *samyak AsthApanaM* (Right

fixation). And this has to be done always. This is the ‘samAdhAna’ of the

intellect.

Now the Sadhaka has not yet matured to sit in dhyana and have his intellect

dissolved in the Atman. At this stage the intellect keeps on doing its

functions. Use that intellect only in those functions which help you rise in

spirituality. And what could be those functions except to know well the ShAstras

about the Atman? Except for the formal initiation (upadesha) into the mahAvakyas

(which has to be done only at the time of taking Sannyasa), everything else has

to be learnt now by proper study.

They have to be learnt at the feet of a guru. This is the VidyA-guru.The one who

later gives him the sannyAsa and initiation into the mahAvAkyas is the

Ashrama-guru. It goes without saying that the latter has to be a SannyAsi

himself.

*********************

 

My prostrations to Prof VK, and koti namaskarams to His Holiness the Sage of

Kanchi.

 

Hari OM

Shri Gurubhyoh namah

Shyam

 

--- On Thu, 3/25/10, Sitara Mitali <smitali17 wrote:

 

 

Sitara Mitali <smitali17

AW: Re: samadhana and nidhidyasana

advaitin

Thursday, March 25, 2010, 10:42 AM

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Shyamji, dear all

 

 

Pranams

 

 

everything that anyone contributed in this thread has been a little stone in

building up an understanding of samadhana. Although from the start it was clear

that it is translated as single pointedness, concentration, somehow it seemed so

superficial (maybe I could not value it enough because I myself never had

problems with it). Swami Dayanandas explanation changed this attitude. I can

see samadhanas impact now.

 

 

Also I am very happy about the many things I learned about nidhidyasana in the

course of the discussion. 

 

 

Thank you all,

 

 

Om Shanti

Sitara

 

 

 

 

Von: shyam_md <shyam_md >

An: advaitin@ s.com

Gesendet: Donnerstag, den 25. März 2010, 1:41:41 Uhr

Betreff: Re: samadhana and nidhidyasana

 

 

 

Pranams Sitara-ji, Dhanya-ji and other respected followers of this thread.

 

To begin with here is a link for an essay about samadhana by Pujya Swami

Dayananda-ji which will hopefully make the concept quite clear for our

understanding.

http://www.avgsatsa ng.org/hhpsds/ pdf/FOCUS_ SAMADHANA. PDF

 

 

 

 

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