The Purpose of Meditation (Part 1 of 2)

Satsang by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

What is the purpose of meditation? Some people proclaim it is a way to self-realization and the fusing of individual awareness with higher awareness. In my humble opinion, this aim is too high and the outcome of a psychological error in human minds. Meditation is for self-realization, but very few people can teach it in this light, very few can learn it and fewer still can practise it. Until the mind is sound and healthy, and the subliminal inhibitions and personality errors are completely remedied, it is not at all advisable to take to the practice of meditation for the expansion of cosmic consciousness. Otherwise it tends to be self-hypnosis.

Human welfare

I want to discuss yoga in relation to human welfare, not divine awareness. Spiritual awareness may be the summum bonum of life, but it is too early for us to think of it because we are not healthy. We are suffering from not only chronic physical illness, but also mental illness. We are not aware of the deep-rooted tensions guiding human behaviour. The individual afflictions and subliminal pains in our lives are guiding the destiny of the world. The restlessness throughout the world is an outcome of the sickness in man's mind. There must be some way to cure this illness, some method to develop a healthy environment in society, the community, the family and also in the individual mind.

Religions have failed; economic programs have also failed to bring peace to mankind and to solve the problems of the individual, the community and the society. The problems start with the individual, and they can only be resolved by the individual.

What is meditation?

If you agree that meditation is a science of mind and not a science of God; if you agree that it is a system for the reorientation of human personality as a whole and not mere physics; if you agree it is a system through which we can root out the individual's pain, the unseen afflictions and tensions around us, in the muscular, mental and emotional bodies, then let us go ahead with the subject.

Our behaviour, thinking, actions and reactions are guided by the soul, by the consciousness. This consciousness is not pure; it works in association with the atmosphere, environmental conditions, etc. As a result, tensions pile up in the different spheres of our personality and we are not aware of it. Therefore, we suffer from insomnia, inhibitions, juvenile delinquency, sexual anarchy, hatred, restlessness, anxiety, worry and so on. Then we look for peace and tranquillity, but peace does not come from outside and tranquillity cannot be introduced. They are the result of unfoldment, but we do not know real unfoldment.

Meditation is a system by which we are able to get rid of the tensions and at the same time analyze the deep-rooted psychological errors. After surveying the different meditation movements throughout the world, I am sorry to tell you that people do not know what meditation is for. Concentration of the mind on a particular point is not meditation. Developing inner awareness is not meditation.  

Eliminating tensions

The first step towards achieving meditation is relaxation. It is not the relaxation where you lie down, close your eyes, and feel yourself becoming lighter, happier and so on. This method of auto-suggestion is the hypnotic method. In yoga the process of withdrawal is the process of relaxation. What Patanjali calls pratyahara, withdrawal of external consciousness, or dissociation of consciousness from external objects, is relaxation. It cannot be complete unless you have relaxed all the tensions within the system.

Tensions are physical, mental and emotional. Unbalanced hormonal secretions due to faulty living, faulty breathing and so on can cause tensions. They are not necessarily due to the psychological problems of society or the emotional maladjustment of the family. There can also be nervous disorders and other physiological problems. Therefore, in yoga, asana and pranayama come first in order to get rid of muscular and physical tensions, to eliminate the toxins from the body and, at the same time, to balance the hormonal secretions. For instance, over and under secretion of the pituitary hormones, the sexual hormones, adrenaline, thyroxin, all have a great influence on our behaviour and thinking.

These tensions can be solved by the practice of hatha yoga. Asana and pranayama are not just exercises, and should be performed with great care. Scientific investigations carried out in Russia, Poland, India, France and Germany have shown that the whole endocrine system is greatly influenced during the practice of asana. As a result, toxins are eliminated and energy blocks are cleared. Therefore, asana and pranayama remove muscular tensions and then mental tensions, which are the greatest tensions.

Overthinking, wrong thinking and vicious thinking, which we do in our day-to-day life, cause these mental tensions. To eliminate them, we must practise relaxation where we withdraw our consciousness. When the withdrawal or the negation of consciousness has taken place, the next step is the expansion of consciousness. So the whole process is divided into two stages: negation and expansion.

In the process of negation, there are different techniques to withdraw or calm the tensions created by the ocular system, the auditory system and the nervous system, and those created by internal functional deficiencies.

Relaxation and meditation

When we practise mediation or relaxation, we must have a technique. Not all techniques are suitable for everyone, but various practices can be taken up without any difficulty or risk. The easiest one is ajapa japa, spontaneous awareness of japa while concentrating on the breath. When you concentrate on the breath, you try to formulate an ascending and descending process. Then the consciousness is withdrawn; the area of experience is diminished. The consciousness functions in a limited area and thereafter you start with a symbol.

You have an image; you have a centre. You try to develop a clearcut psychic, internal, non-sensuous, mental awareness of that symbol. This symbol must become clear to you. You should be able to see it consciously in order to effect complete relaxation. It is not enough just to visualize your subconscious mind. Yoga believes that in meditation you should be able to see your conscious mind, your subconscious mind and also your unconscious mind, which is very difficult.

The moment the experience of the unconscious personality arises, complete relaxation takes place. There are moments during deep sleep when we become aware of the unconscious mind and afterwards we feel completely relaxed. In the science of yoga, it is believed that when the awareness is detached from the conscious, subconscious and unconscious, and when the individual awareness functions independently of these three dimensions of consciousness, relaxation takes, place and meditation begins.

Meditation can never begin before relaxation, and relaxation is the most difficult thing. You may think that meditation is difficult, but it is not. Meditation is accomplished spontaneously. Meditation comes to you and it does not take a long time. But in order to develop the spontaneous state of meditation, it is necessary to go through the whole process of relaxation.

Perception of consciousness

In yoga this process is called pratyahara and dharana. Pratyahara means withdrawal of consciousness, and dharana means conception of consciousness in a particular way. You are your consciousness; you see your awareness but it is an internal perception. It may be a round stone, a triangle, a flower or anything, but you should be able to see it. The object you see inside is not imagination; it is a form of your consciousness.

The triangle you see inside is made up of your consciousness through which you understand me. It is the same consciousness through which I am able to speak to you on yoga, It is the same consciousness through which you know what is right, through which your intellect functions. It is the same consciousness which manifests in day-to-day life in the form of memory, and through which you understand hatred and love. It is the same consciousness which functions in the world. It is not imagination or hypothesis but a force, an awareness, an instrument of knowledge, or medium of understanding, the substance of perception.

It is this consciousness that is withdrawn from objects, from intellectual knowledge, from experience and memory of the past, from the knowledge of right and wrong. When it has been dissociated from the different bases of perception, but at the same time it becomes clear to you in the form of a triangle, flower, stone, light or an animal, then it means that you are seeing your own consciousness. This is the fundamental secret of yoga and meditation.

Right Conduct: the First Step

Satsang by Swami Sivananda

Spiritual life is not a light matter. Always regard yourself as a beginner just commencing your sadhana. Never underestimate the importance of yama, niyama and sattwic virtues. They are everything. Self-realization and dharma, righteousness, are inseparable. Man evolves through the practice of dharma according to the situation in life, and eventually attains self- realization, the ultimate goal.

Sadachara or right conduct is the foundation of yoga. Yoga is rooted in virtue. Ethical discipline is very necessary for success in yoga. One should be well established in sadachara right from the beginning of one's spiritual life. Sadachara is the practice of yama and niyama. Right conduct is superior to all branches of knowledge and the root of all prosperity. It is conduct that begets virtue, and it is virtue that prolongs life.

A person of right conduct has ideals, principles and mottoes. He strictly follows them, removes his weaknesses and defects, develops good conduct and becomes a sattwic individual. He is very careful in behaving with his elders, parents, teachers, acharyas, sisters, brothers, friends, relatives and strangers. He attempts to know what is right and wrong, by approaching the wise and the saintly and studying the scriptures very carefully, and then treads the path of dharma.

Do unto others - the essence of right conduct

An aspirant went to Veda Vyasa and said: "O Maharshi, I am in a dilemma. I cannot properly comprehend the right significance of the term dharma. Some say it is right conduct. Others say that which leads to moksha and happiness is dharma. Anything, any action that brings you down is adharma. I am bewildered. Kindly give me a very easy definition of dharma to enable me to follow dharma in all my actions."

Maharshi Vyasa replied: "O aspirant! Hear me. I shall suggest an easy method. Always remember the following sayings with great care when you perform any action. 'Do as you would be done by. Do unto others as you wish others do unto you.' This is the whole of dharma. Attend to this carefully. You will be saved from all troubles. If you follow these wise maxims, you can never give any pain to others. Practise this in your daily life. Even if you fail one hundred times, it does not matter. Persevere. You will succeed in the attainment of the goal."

This is a very good maxim. The whole gist is here. If one practises this very carefully, he will not commit any wrong act.

Pursue duty, not pleasure

The first step in right conduct is to reflect upon ourselves, our surroundings and our actions. Before we act we must stop to think. When a man earnestly attends to what he recognizes as his duties, he will progress and in consequence thereof his comfort and prosperity will increase. His pleasures will be more refined; his happiness, enjoyments and recreations will be better and nobler.

Happiness is like a shadow; if pursued it will flee from us, but if a man does not trouble himself about it and strictly attends to his duties, pleasures of the best and noblest kind will crop out everywhere on his path. If he does not anxiously pursue it, happiness will follow him. Apply yourself diligently to daily duties. Consult the scriptures and saints whenever you are in doubt. Build up your character. This will give you success in life. Practise daily to remove old evil habits. Establish virtuous healthy habits daily.

Yama and niyama

Yama and niyama are the two moral backbones of yoga, which the aspirant must practise in his daily life. These correspond roughly to the ten commandments of Jesus or to the noble eight-fold path of Lord Buddha. Practise of yama-niyama will eradicate all impurities of mind.

All aspirants commit mistakes in jumping to samadhi and dhyana as soon as they leave their house without caring a bit for yama and niyama, The mind remains in the same condition although they have practised meditation for fifteen years. They contiriue to carry the same jealousy, hatred, idea of superiority, pride and egoism. However, when one has ethical perfection, meditation and samadhi come by themselves.

Yama: The practice of yama is the very foundation of yoga, without which the superstructure of yoga cannot be built. Yama is the practice of ahimsa (abstinence from injury and killing), sat yam (truthfulness), asteya (abstinence from theft or false- hood), brahmacharya (continence) and aparigraha (abstinence from avariciousness or greed). Patanjali Maharshi mentions the above five chief items for practice in yama. In every religion you will find these ideals. Great emphasis is laid in every chapter of the Bhagavad Gita on the practice of yama.

Ahimsa, for example, is not to hurt the feelings of others in thought, word and deed; not to speak harsh words to anyone; not to show anger towards anybody; not to abuse others or speak ill of others. If you abuse anyone, if you hurt the feelings of others, really you are abusing yourself and hurting the feelings of God. You must always speak sweet, loving words. You must not speak any word that is calculated to hurt the feelings of others. You should weigh your words well before they are spoken. You must speak a few words only. This is austerity of speech or vak tapas that will conserve energy and give you peace of mind and inner strength.

Do not cause pain or suffering to any living being from greed, selfishness, irritability or annoyance. Give up anger or ill-will. Give up the spirit of fighting, heated debates. Do not argue or contradict. Do not try to convince persons who are unreasonable and undeveloped. Avoid too much mixing with people. Avoid the company of those whom your mind dislikes. If you quarrel with somebody or if you have a heated debate with anybody, you cannot meditate for three or four days. Your balance of mind will be upset and much energy will be wasted in useless channels. The blood will become hot and the nerves will be shattered.

Himsa, injury, is a deadly enemy of bhakti and jnana. It separates and divides. It stands in the way of realizing unity or oneness of Self. That act or exertion which does not do good to others or for which one has to feel ashamed should never be done. The person of right conduct always cares for the welfare of all beings. He lives in harmony with the neighbours and all people, never hurting the feelings of others.

From ahimsa comes satya, truthfulness. You must practise austerity of speech if you really want to attain quick progress in sadhana. You must speak truth at any cost. Note carefully how the rishis had given instructions to their students when they had finished their course of study: "Speak the truth. Do your duty. Do not neglect the study of the Vedas. Do not swerve from truth. Do not swerve from duty. Do not neglect your welfare. Do not neglect your prosperity. Do not neglect the duties towards God and forefathers. May the mother be your God (Matri devo bhava). May the father be your God (Pitri devo bhava). May the preceptor be your God (Acharya devo bhava). May the guest be your God (Atithi devo bhava). Do such actions as are blameless. Those that are good actions, they should be performed by you, and none else. Those brahmins that are superior, should be comforted by you with seats, etc. Give with faith. Do not give without faith. Give with joy, with modesty, with fear, with kindness."

Do not indulge in sundry talks and miscellaneous thoughts just to ease the mind. These are common obstacles for the spiritual aspirant. Become silent. If you can give up idle talks and gossiping, and if you do not meddle in the affairs of others, you will immediately free yourself from all sorts of obstacles. Still the mind. Select your words carefully. Turn your thoughts constantly to the spiritual path. Think and talk only of that which will transform you into a divine being. Niyama: Niyarna is the observance of the five canons: shaucha (purity), santosha (contentment), tapas (austerity), swadhyaya (self-study) and Ishwara pranidhana (dedication to the highest principle).

Shaucha, for example, is external and internal purity. Washing the hands, taking a bath, etc. are intended for external purity. Filling the mind with pure, divine thoughts is internal purity. Patanjali has said that the mind becomes pure by cultivating habits of friendliness, joy and compassion, and indifference towards happiness, misery, virtue and vice. The dirt of envy leaves one who shows friendliness towards all who are enjoying pleasure and joy towards those who are virtuously inclined. When the mind shows compassion towards those who are suffering from pain and the wish to remove the miseries of others as if they were one's own, the dirt of the desire to do evil to others is removed. Whoever shows indifference and does not side against the viciously inclined, the dirt of impatience is removed from his mind.

By this removal of the characteristics of the qualities of disturbing energy, rajas, and inertia, iamas, the characteristic of essential purity, saituia, manifests itself. The mind becomes possessed of a very high manifestation of essential purity. When the mind becomes pure it attains the state of steadiness and becomes one-pointed.

Aim to perfect one yama or niyama

One should be well established in sadachara if one wants to attain perfection in yoga. Aim to perfect at least one yama and niyama. When one is established in it perfectly, then samadhi or nishtha will come by itself. Remember this point clearly. Constantly reflect upon it. Know what true spirituality is. Fully realize the importance of becoming a changed person morally and ethically, before you can claim to be an aspirant.

Carefully avoid the dangers of self-deception by means of constant vigilance and introspection. When your entire nature is changed, purified and prepared, grace will flow by itself in the firmament of your pure heart. Bliss will spontaneously flow and fill you when you have emptied yourself of all egoism, harshness, pride and passion. Perfection and immortality will be yours. Where there is kindness, humility, purity and love, there spirituality springs up, saintliness shines, divinity descends and perfection manifests itself.

Shake off all weakness. Stand up. Evolve quickly on the spiritual path. Wake up. Open your eyes. Learn to discriminate. Do not trust your senses. They are your enemies. Stick to yama and niyama with leech-like tenacity. Life is short. Time is fleeting. Keep up the ideal character always before your eyes. This is your very being. Evolve. Expand. Grow. Realize.

Balance between Extroversion and Introversion

Satsang by Swami Satyananda

  

Many people with spiritual aspirations are faced with a dilemma: whether to live in the world of action, or to only practise meditational techniques. The Ishavasya Upanishad gives a clear answer. It says that both must be done simultaneously. One must be both extroverted and introverted, and supplement and express one's inner experience with outer actions. This is stated in no uncertain terms in verse 9: ''Those who follow the path of action alone will surely enter the blinding darkness of ignorance. Furthermore, those who retreat from the world in order to seek knowledge through constant practice of meditative techniques, similarly remain in the quagmire of ignorance." This is like the razor's edge: there must be a balance between excessive worldly interest and activity, and excessive introspection, if samatvam is to be attained.

One must try to integrate the. paths of extroversion and introversion. If you consider great yogis, saints and sages through history, you will realize that they all continued to express themselves in the outer world, even though they experienced the infinity of enlightenment. This applies to Buddha and Christ, to Mahatma Gandhi, Swami Vivekananda and many others. They taught their disciples, they travelled giving sermons and tried to help people who sought their guidance. These illumined people continued to act and express themselves in the outside world according to the natural dictates of dharma. Some became hermits; others such as Swami Sivananda and Mahatma Gandhi worked ceaselessly for the general welfare of their fellow humans. None of them became human vegetables. This applies not only to those who live in and know the highest states of illumination, it also applies to you. You too must strike a balance between external action and introspection.

The Ishavasya Upanishad further emphasizes this important point in verse 10: "That which is known through doing only external actions, is different to that which is known through introversion. Thus it has been said by the wise." Total concern with the outside world leads only to intellectual knowledge, not intuitive knowledge. Only by understanding the internal sphere of existence will you be able to bring about deeper understanding of the material world in which you live. On the other hand, rejection of worldly life and complete concern for meditational practices and the mind is also a block.

The reason is simple. Without resolving and harmonizing one's outer life, one can never really know deeper states of knowledge. Higher states of awareness only occur when there is perfect balance both in the inner and outer worlds. People who have a tendency to reject so-called mundane worldly activities as irrelevant to their spiritual evolution still tend to have many unresolved problems.

Dual process

Rejection of the world does not remove personality problems, which merely lie dormant in the mind, acting as obstacles to success in meditational practices. Failure to clear up the outer conflicts and concerns automatically prevents one from gaining the highest benefits from introspection. Therefore, there must be a dual process of external activities combined with periods of trying to explore the mind.

The Bhagavad Gita says that spiritual aspirants should never shun the active life; they must devote time to the performance of karma yoga because it is very necessary for a meditator to have some outlet for the expressions of spiritual power. If this is done, then the spiritual power generated through meditation can be practically channelled, and properly utilized and directed. In this light, all spiritual aspirants must take up the path of karma yoga, particularly in the early stages of spiritual life, for eventually there ceases to be any difference between the inner and outer world. This is what Ramana Maharshi meant when he said: "Setting apart time for meditational practices is only for beginners. A man who is advanced in the spiritual path will begin to enjoy deeper beautitude whether he is at work or not. While his hands are in society, he keeps his head cool in solitude."

However, as most aspirants are beginners it takes a combination of karma yoga, bhakti yoga, raja yoga and jnana yoga to remove the cause of tension and unhappiness, not partially, but as a whole. The human personality can be divided broadly into four fundamental categories: emotional, active, intuitive and volitional. Each person has a different temperament and inclinations according to a predominance of one or more of these traits. Accordingly, the yogic path has to be designed to suit the specific characteristics of an individual. Raja yoga is difficult; bhakti yoga is simpler, yet karma yoga is the simplest. However, that does not mean you should only do karma yoga. You must practise a synthesis of all four yogas, because in this way the paths of extroversion and introversion are integrated and emotional balance and mental peace acquired.

Attention, Memory and Will

Satsang by Swami Sivananda Saraswati

Attention is of two kinds - voluntary and involuntary. When the attention is directed towards external objects by an effort of will, when you have an express volition to attend to this or that, it is called voluntary attention. You understand why you perceive. Some deliberate intention, incentive, goal or purpose is definitely involved. Voluntary attention needs effort, will, determination and some mental training. This is cultivated by practice and perseverance. The benefits derived from the practice of attention are incalculable.

Involuntary attention is quite common. It does not demand any practice. There is no effort of the will. The attention is induced by the beauty and attractive nature of the object. Individuals perceive without knowing why, and without observed instruction. Young children possess this power of involuntary attention to a greater degree than adults.

Attention is the basis of will. The force with which anything strikes the mind is generally in proportion to the degree of attention bestowed upon it. Attention on any object may be either subjective (internal) or objective (external). Attention is steady application of the mind. It is focusing of consciousness on a chosen object. Through attention, you can develop your mental faculties and capacities. Where there is attention, there is also concentration. Attention should be cultivated gradually. It is not a special process. It is one aspect of the whole mental process.

Perception always involves attention. To perceive is to attend. Through attention you get a clear and distinct knowledge of objects. The entire energy is focused on the objects towards which attention is directed. Full and complete information is gained. During attention all the dissipated rays of the mind are collected. There is effort or struggle. Through attention a deeper impression is made in the mind. If you have good attention, you can attend to the matter in hand exclusively. An attentive person has a very good memory and is very vigilant, circumspect and alert.

Attention plays a very great part in concentration. When properly guided and directed towards the inner world for the purpose of introspection, it will analyse the mind and illumine very many astounding facts for you. Attention is one of the signs of a trained will. It is a rare faculty which can be cultivated and developed by persistent practice.

The human mind has the power of attending to only one object at a time, although it is able to pass from one object to another with a remarkable degree of speed. So rapidly, in fact, that some have held that it can grasp several things at a time. But the best authorities, eastern and western, hold to the 'single idea' theory as being correct. It agrees with one's daily experience also. There are yogis who can do eight or ten or even a hundred things at a time. This is not strange. The whole secret lies in the fact that they have developed their attention to a remarkable degree. All the great people of the world possess this faculty in varying degrees.

Memory

The Sanskrit term for memory is smriti. Smarana is remembering. This is the function of the subconscious mind or chitta. The samskaras, or habits, of thinking and acting are deeply impressed in the chitta, which is like the sensitive plate of a camera. All impressions are indelibly recorded there. Whenever you attempt to remember past events or things, they come to the surface of the mind through the trap door. They come out in the form of big waves of thought or as mental images.

Memory culture is very important. It brings success in God-realization as well. A person with a strong and retentive memory has success in all undertakings. One who has a good memory can conduct his business affairs very successfully. A student who has a retentive memory will have success in all his examinations. Intelligence is only one-tenth of memory.

Take up memory culture. Take any exercise that suits you best and put it into daily practice. Keep a daily record - this is very important. Mere skipping over the pages will be of no benefit. If you really want rapid improvement, put the lessons into practice and take notes. You can watch your progress and correct your mistakes.

Whenever you meet a person, look at his figure carefully from top to bottom. Mentally note any peculiar features - the condition of his eyes, eyebrows, teeth, arms etc., the sort of dress he is wearing, what kind of cap he wears, whether he has a moustache or not. Notice his behaviour, his looks, his gait, whether he seems to be kind-hearted or cruel, whether he is intelligent or dull, polite or impolite, his colour and so on.

Many people cannot give a clear description of the faces of their own friends, or their own parents! The obvious reason is that they have not developed the power of memory. Enter your friend's room; notice carefully all the things you see there. Then close your eyes and reflect. Come out of the room and note mentally all the things the room contains, in order. Then re-enter the room and verify what you noticed. Practise this for some months - you will develop a wonderful power of sight.

Develop willpower

Learn the art of extracting work from the subconscious mind. If you want to remember a forgotten passage, give a definite message to the subconscious mind just before you retire to bed. Talk to the subconscious mind, just as you would talk to a friend. Give the order in clear terms. The following morning it will place the words before you. If this fails, wait with a calm mind till the answer comes from the subconscious mind itself. After you are well up in memory culture, you can take up will culture. You will train every nerve in the practice of will culture. You have started the current and it will keep up your enthusiasm.

Practise the assertions boldly and calmly. Fully understand the meaning of every assertion. Try to feel it. This feeling will slowly manifest. Do not be discouraged. You will have to fight with your old enemies, the old samskaras. Try to develop patience, attention, power of endurance, balance of mind, presence of mind and so on.

Pay great attention to this; you will derive great benefit. Will is dynamic soul force. If rendered pure and irresistible, it can work wonders. There is nothing you cannot achieve with a strong will. Most people have no consciousness of will or mind or intellect, though they talk much of 'will' and 'mind'.

The will has become weak through desires or vasanas. When a desire is controlled, it becomes changed into will. Sexual energy, muscular energy, anger etc. are all transmuted into will force when they are controlled. The fewer the desires, the stronger the will.

Attention, endurance, overcoming likes and dislikes, patience, keeping a daily diary - all pave a long way towards developing the will. You should patiently hear the words of others even though they are not interesting and charming. You should not fret and fume. Patient hearing develops will and wins the hearts of others. Do actions or tasks that are uninteresting - this also develops willpower. The actions that are uninteresting will become interesting after some time.

If you have every comfort in a place, you will not grow strong. Your mind will be puzzled in a new place when you cannot get these comforts. Therefore, make the best use of all places. Never complain about bad environments. Create your own mental world wherever you are, wherever you go. The mind deludes you at every moment, at every step. Do not try to run from bad, unfavourable environments. God has placed you there to grow quickly.

If a calamity occurs, the mind should not be upset. Keep an unruffled mind. Do not be carried away by bubbling emotions. Control the mind. Reflect how the calamity has come about. There is always scope for suitable, effective, easy methods to tide over the crisis. Develop foresight, wisdom - many obstacles will be obviated. Do not brood over failures and mistakes. This will weaken your willpower. Let the defects remain there. They will be removed quickly when the will grows and when the will becomes purer and purer, stronger and stronger.

The practice of concentration is of great help in strengthening the will. You must have an intelligent understanding of the habits of the mind, how it wanders and how it operates. You must know easy and effective methods to control the wandering of the mind. The practice of thought culture, the practice of concentration and the practice of memory culture are allied subjects. All are of immense help in the practice of will culture. You cannot draw a line of demarcation to denote where the practice of concentration or memory culture ends and the practice of will culture begins. There is no hard and fast rule.

Ashram Life

Satsang by Swami Satyananda Saraswati

I have travelled far away to fascinating places all over the world. One of them was Thailand, which impressed me a lot because of the visible traces of Vedic culture in its traditions and heritage. Vedic concepts are so intricately woven into their religion, social culture and folklore that it is certain that there was a very strong link.

The legend of Rama is a household one. Just as we do in India, the Thai people enact the story of Rama through their song, dance, art and sculpture. Just as he is for us, there too Rama is both the perfect man as well as divinity incarnated. The streets and roads are named after the heroes of the Ramayana and so too are the hotels and businesses. This indicates a mass awareness of the tales of Rama and Sita.

There I visited a gigantic Brahma temple. Apart from India, the land of the Vedas, this is the only other place in the world where Brahma, the creator, is worshipped. Part of the Vedic trinity, Brahma is worshipped as the creator, along with Vishnu, the preserver, and Mahesh or Shiva, the transformer or destroyer. Naturally, once the creation has taken place, the creator has no role to play after that, hence the scarcity of Brahma temples as opposed to Vishnu and Shiva.

In the Vedic rites and rituals, apart from the trinity, Brahma is also eulogized as one of the panch mahadevas along with Vishnu, Mahesh, Devi and Ganesha. In 1968 when I visited that temple over one crore rupees of incense was burned daily in worship. Apart from that I also visited grandiose Buddha temples, which were simply spellbinding because of the sheer enormity of their size as well as their attention to detail. I also felt that these were not just monuments of a dead and gone tradition but one that was vibrant and alive even today.

As I moved out of the capital city of Bangkok into the villages and rural area, I came across its monasteries, which maintained many of the same traditions as sannyasins in India do for our people. After all, it is the sannyasa traditions and wandering mendicants or sadhus that are to be applauded for preserving these traditions for us. If they did not do it, we would simply have no access to this knowledge.

I lived in their monasteries as a bhikshu, which is the name given to their renunciates who subsist solely on bhiksha or alms. Each morning the bhikshus set out for the villages nearby and after collecting alms from five homes they sit down somewhere to have their only meal of the day. These monasteries do not have kitchens. Each and every inmate has to go out for bhiksha.

This has been the tradition in many ashrams of India too since very ancient times. In the sannyasa tradition of India this practice played a very important part in a sannyasin's life. It gave him the practical experience of aparigraha or non-possession, which in turn purifies the ego and gives rise to an inner surrender to the will of the divine. Nowadays, however, if a sadhu goes for bhiksha in the village, he will get nothing. When you do not have food for yourself, what can you give to another? This tradition and culture is only possible in a prosperous society where you have plenty to feed yourself so that you can also think of others as well.

I saw that Thai men, women and children all come to these monasteries and spend a few days there, out of their own choice. This has become one of its unwritten traditions, so much so that even the king and queen live in the monasteries for some time to attain a new kind of experience. During their stay each and every person, even if they are from the royal family, followed the routines, disciplines and etiquette of the monastery. They wore unstitched cloth, slept on the floor without a special bed, shaved their heads, moved out for bhiksha like the reminciates, and followed all the other disciplines of that life in act, work and deed. Then when they came to leave they returned with a new and better focus, which gave them the skills needed to excel in life.

Training ground for life

This is a most valuable contribution that ashrams have made to society. Just as in the Vedic era when the ashrams of Valmiki, Vashishtha and others were visited by people of all classes and all relevant sciences were taught to them according to their needs, in the same way the ashrams today provide a learning ground for children, youth and adults.

In my own life I have realized that all that I learnt at my guru's ashram was what was useful for me in life, not what I learnt in the textbooks in school. To know in which century Ashoka ruled the empire of India had no relevance to my life, but to know how to build a house did. All the crafts I have Iearnt or skills I have developed, whether it is writing, speaking, managing, administering, organizing, teaching or propagating, have been through my total and complete involvement in the activities and affairs of the ashram.

I learnt to cook and feed others and also to look after the needs of the sick and ailing. I learnt how to assume responsibility for my duties and tasks and how to complete them successfully. I learnt crisis management too. Sometimes we would wake up to find a problem and the whole day would pass trying to solve it. It used to be a challenging experience from which I always learnt a lot.

Once when we had to construct a building and had no water, we decided to dig a canal from high up in the mountains where there was a stream and bring it down to the ashram, which was many kilometres away. For this we made a big tank or reservoir in the ashram and collected the water. When released at the top, the water took a full month to reach the tank - that is how far it was.

There are lessons that each individual has to learn about life so that he can face it squarely. Unfortunately this is not provided in schools or colleges and nor do the parents assume that role or responsibility towards their children. However, this training is crucial for the success or failure of an individual. Even if a child has no academic qualifications, if he has learnt these lessons he will be able to survive in life without difficulty. Because these lessons relate to his capacity to interact with life, to be able to take the correct decisions and formulate the correct ideas about what he should or should not do. Luck and opportunity knock on everyone's door at some time or the other, one should only know how to utilize it.

Here in India each family goes to an ashram for some time. Parents introduce their children to ashrams at a very tender age so that they can imbibe a strong and resilient foundation for their lives. Now, even that is not necessary because the children themselves are keen to visit the ashram. In an ashram you get a chance to forget yourself for a few moments and live only for others. This in itself gives you a new vision and concept, which is full of promise and confidence in yourself.

The greatest lesson we have, to learn is the lesson of life. And this becomes available to us when we decide to step out of our routine existence and adopt some different ways to live by, even if it is for a short time. One of these ways is ashram life, where you can stay for a few days as a sannyasin and live a life that is diametrically opposite to yours and learn how to deal with different situations, different people, different problems and, at the same time, also learn to deal with yourself. Both children and adults should have this experience. Children, however, will gain more from this experience as their acceptance of the ashram is simple and

straight from the heart.

In his youth, Rama lived in an ashram for twelve years, acquiring the skills needed by a young prince who is one day destined to rule. Sita, too, lived in Valmiki's ashram with her sons, Luva and Kusha. Krishna also lived in the ashram of Sandeepany. They too went out for bhiksha, slept on the floor and wore the simplest of clothing, although they were from the royal families.

Why were they sent for that life by their parents, who could have educated them in the palace itself by calling the best tutors for their education? We cannot merely say that it was the custom. Instead we will have to realize that it became the custom because of its relevance in the life of every individual.

Relevance today

Ashram life is as relevant in our lives today as it was then. Even today, to live in the ashram for a few days as a sannyasin offers you the scope for enlarging your vision about yourself, and about life as well. You begin to understand yourself better, which in itself is a great achievement because it is our great misunderstanding of ourselves that leads us to disharmony.

School going children feel more confident about themselves after residing in the ashram. They also begin to feel a responsibility towards life and the necessity for a sense of direction and focus. College kids are able to gain much more through their stays in the ashram by involving themselves totally in the ashram activities and routine. Through this they inculcate discipline and a sense of perfectionism and commitment to work, where the work is done not for its rewards but as an expression of creativity' and joy. Newly married couples learn to shoulder their new responsibilities better through their stay in the ashram and adults gain from the spiritual environment that permeates the place.

The ashram acts a shock absorber for each individual. The traumas, stresses and strains of life sometimes get too demanding for us. They eat up our energy and deplete our reserves. The ashram is an ideal place to stay and recharge yourself by stepping out of your normal life and living not just for yourself. Or if you feel that some unknown obstacle is disturbing your life on account of which you are unable to progress. Often the studies are disturbed or the job unstable. Or the marriage is not materializing. In some cases lack of direction, commitment and seriousness about life could be the cause of disharmony. No matter what the cause, the ashram is a panacea for all ills.

I have seen many people who came to the ashrams at Rishikesh, Munger and even to Rikhia, and after living there for some time engaged in ashram life had a breakthrough. The ashram is not anyone's home. It belongs to everybody and yet to nobody. No one stays in an ashram forever. They come and go like flowing rivers finding new pathways and new terrain.

Spiritual lifeline

The word ashram is derived from the word shram, which means to labour. So shram forms the foundation of ashram life. Anything you set your heart on to achieve cannot be attained without struggle or effort from your side. A student labours hard to get good marks. A housewife labours hard to look after her family. A husband labours hard to meet the needs of his children. Each and every living creature struggles hard to survive.

In the ashram too the sannyasins labour very hard, but this struggle is for perfection of one's thoughts, words and deeds. The effort is towards attaining balance in these different facets of one's personality. The head, heart and hand must synchronize if you want to realize your goals, whether they are material, spiritual or both. The ashram provides a suitable environment for this metamorphosis to take place because the lifeline of the ashram is spiritual. By spiritual I mean pure and untainted.

Purity of environment enhances that side of our personality which is ready to accept inherent weaknesses and blemishes, change our outlook and opinion as well as improve ourselves. The fault is not in the environment or in the people with whom we have to interact, the problems we face arise from within. The circumstances only act as a catalyst to bring them to the surface. Everything you feel, think, say or do is coming from deep within. Ashram life gives you the chance to reflect on this and therefore the changes that take place in you after spending time in the ashram are more permanent and abiding.

Ashram culture is going to be a panacea for the people of this modern era because it will provide them with a positive environment to explode that seed of creativity which is dormant within them.

Music Yoga

Satsang by Swami Sivananda

Music or sangita is the essence of this universe. It is the very breath of God and food for the soul. Sangita vidya is a sacred science, its goal being God-consciousness. Music is not art instrument for titillation of the nerves or satisfaction of the senses. It is yoga sadhana, which enables one to attain atma sakshatkara, direct realization of the soul. Music should be treated as yoga. True music can only be tasted by one who has renounced the world, freed himself from all taints of worldliness, and who practises music as a sadhana for self-realization.

When a devotee sings with intuitional and overflowing love of the Lord and Guru, he realizes God. Music, when clearly expressed with rasa and bhava, sentiment and feeling, bestows the wisdom of Brahman wherefrom arise the highest virtues of peace and patience. However, you must be the very greatest among renunciates if you are to realize the Supreme Being through adoration of His first manifestation - sound. Not a parrot-like repetition of words, not a masterly rendering of music perfectly set to scale and rhythm, but singing with the heart, playing on the inner veena on the strings of bhakti and love alone will enable you to enter into the spirit of a nada yogi.

Blend of all yogas

Music is a synthesis of the various yogas or paths to God-realization. It is a hatha yoga sadhana, for it involves a good amount of control and regulation of breath. There is deep and full breathing involved in singing, and this greatly strengthens the lungs and purifies the blood. Moreover, the various musical notes have their own corresponding nadis (subtle channels in the vital sheath of the body), and music vibrates these nadis, purifies them and awakens the psychic and spiritual power dormant in them. Purification of nadis not only ensures peace of mind and happiness, but goes a long way in yoga sadhana and helps the aspirant to reach the goal of life very easily.

Trapped in music, the mysterious mind with its thousands of vasanas and vrittis, lies quiescently on the lap of the sadhaka, and he can make it dance to his tune, control it according to his will and mould it as he pleases. Mind, the magic wand of maya, the terror of all spiritual aspirants, is there in the hands of the music yogi under his perfect control, for music makes the mind one-pointed quickly.

The wonder of wonders in the case of music yoga is that it is not only the musician whose mind is thus controlled, but the minds of all those who listen to music become calm; peaceful and blissful. That is why great saints like Mira Bai, Tukaram, Kabir Das, Thyagaraja, Purandhara Das and others wove their teachings into sweet music. With the sweet music, their sublime thoughts would easily penetrate the heart of the listener, which is at other times zealously guarded by the cobra of worldliness. It is music yoga that effortlessly brings about chitta vritti nirodha, control of mental modifications, practised by the raja yogi. When thus the mind is steadied and purified, and merged in nada, primal sound, the eye of intuition is opened and the music yogi gets yoga siddhi or samadhi.

 Music is, of course, an integral part of bhakti yoga. Sankirtan, singing of God's name, and bhakti are inseparable. Music purifies the emotions and fills the mind with sublime, soul-elevating higher emotions. The devotee sits with his ekatara or tanpura to melt his mind in his Lord in silence. Narada rishi roams about the three worlds with his tanpura, singing the Lord's name. Music helps the devotee to commune with the Lord. The bhakta enters bhava samadhi by singing devotional music. He comes face to face with the greatest storehouse of knowledge and wisdom, ananda or supreme bliss, and emerges from this samadhi as a jnani radiating peace, bliss and wisdom all around.

The true musician is the highest nishkama karma yogi. He removes the sorrows of the people who listen to him. Music cures incurable diseases, dispels the gloom of ignorance, wrong notions and despair from the heart, and instills joy, cheer, happiness and hope. You cannot easily repay the deep debt of gratitude you owe to the music yogi who renders you this inestimable service.

Music breaks the three granthis or knots of ignorance: brahma granthi, vishnu granthi and rudra granthi. It easily awakens the cravings and restlessness, and removes all sorts of whims, moods, fancies and wild imaginations. It removes the three doshas: mala, impurity; vikshepa, tossing of the mind; and avarana, veil of ignorance. It annihilates the three kinds of fevers: adhyatmika, spiritual; adhibhautika, caused by extrinsic agents; and adhidaivika, caused by supernatural agents. It eradicates the five kleshas or afflictions: avidya, ignorance; asmita, sense of doership; raga-dwesha, attraction-aversion; and abhinivesha, fear of death. It destroys the three kinds of karmas: sanchita, accumulated; prarabdha, bound to fructify, agami or kriyamana, current actions. It destroys rajas, passion, and tamas, inertia, and fills the mind with sattwa, purity. The mind, concentrated on the melodious sound, easily achieves the state of laya, dissolution or involution. Just as the snake is charmed by a melodious sound, so also the snake-mind is charmed by the sound of music. He who practises music forgets the body and the world. Music removes dehadhyasa, identification with the body, and brings super-intuitional knowledge. Practise, try, fill yourself. Just as the intoxication of opium lasts for several hours, the practice of kirtan continues to bring spiritual waves from the indweller of the heart. Such is the glory of music yoga.

  

Therapeutic effects

Music is an aid to treatment of diseases. In ancient Egypt, music was used in temples in healing diseases of the nervous kind. Sages affirm that many diseases can be cured by the melodious sound of a flute, violin, veena or sarangi. They maintain that there is an extraordinary power of music over diseases. The harmonious rhythm caused by sweet music has an attractive property. It draws out disease. The disease comes out to encounter the music wave. The two blend together and vanish in space.

Music soothes the brains and nerves. It lulls the whole system. It stimulates, energizes, galvanizes and vitalizes the whole system. It affects the emotions and arouses the impulses to action and thereby influences all the vital functions. It consists of a series of harmonious vibrations, electrical in their nature and make-up.

Music relaxes nervous tension and makes parts of the body affected by tension to resume their normal functions. Music is highly beneficial in the treatment of nervous disorders, sleeplessness, etc. Music has a tremendous power to bring comfort and solace when one is in a state of despondency or pain. Sangita or kirtan is the best medicine when all other systems of medicine have failed to cure a disease. Kirtan will work wonders. Try this unique medicine and realize its marvelous benefits.

Sweet melody exercises a powerful influence on the mind and physical nature of every living being. If someone is suffering from a disease, sing kirtan near his bed. He will soon be cured.

            .

Basis of music

How music transmutes human nature into divine nature, how it overhauls the old detrimental samskaras, how it changes the mental substance, how it transforms or metamorphoses the diabolical nature into pure sattwic nature and how it brings the devotee face to face with God is a mystery. Science and reason can hardly explain the modus operandi of sankirtan.

Music derives its mighty power from the supreme music of Brahman, the sacred pranava, the mantra Om. Listen to the vibration of the tanpura or the veena: do you hear the majestic pranava nada? All musical notes spring from the pranava. Music is intended to reverberate this pranava nada in your heart. For Om or. the pranava is your real name, your real swarupa, essential nature. You love to hear music because it is but the most melodious intonation of your own essential name. When the mind thus gets attracted and unified with one's essential nature, the great power of the primal Self stored there wells up and heals the body and mind.

Easy and effective sadhana

Music is the easiest, best and glorifying sadhana to attain moksha in this age of Kali Yuga. In fact, music enjoys the unique privilege of defying one of the fundamental spiritual doctrines: 'That which is pleasant is not good, and that which is good is not necessarily pleasant.' It is in music that you find the sole exception to this rule. It is both pleasant and good, preya and shreya, in the terminology of the Kathopanishad.

Where is music not wanted? In war, in peace, in joy, in sorrow, in palaces and in ashrams, it is welcomed everywhere. It has different expressions to suit different occasions. Music caters to people of all temperaments, wins the hearts of all and transforms all beings. The gods are pleased and easily propitiated by music. Even animals are charmed and tamed by sweet, melodious music. The enchanting power of music draws every living being. Music melts the hardest heart. Music softens the brutal nature of man. Music heals. a million maladies. It gives peace and tranquillizes the agitated mind. It gives you the strength to face the difficulties in the battle of life.

Music has a very high educative value. It is the most valuable means of upbringing the young. It adds to the character, ennobles the mind, awakens and feeds the aesthetic sense and gives grace to all human expressions. A composer can easily express his thoughts through the medium of a song. It is one of the joys of humanity and is the most harmless of pleasures. No art stirs emotions so deeply as music. Music is international and knows no barriers of religion, race, creed or caste. It makes one forget oneself, carrying one into a sort of trance, and helps enjoy divine bliss.

Even the great saint Narada is believed to have been told by Lord Narayana:

Naaham vasaami vaikunthe, yoginaam hridaye na vaa;
Madbhaktaa yatra gaayante, tatra tishthaami Naarada.

I dwell not in Vaikuntha (heaven), nor in the hearts of sages
and saints, but where my devotees sing there I am, O Narada.

Music is not a thing to be neglected or brushed aside. It, must be the aspiration of every person to either sing or play some instrument. So, start now in right earnest and practise music with bhakti bhava. A strong habit of singing can be formed in six months. Even when someone is in a dying state, the habit of singing the name of the Lord will come to the rescue at the last moment.              

Guru Purnima - Rikhiapeeth 1st to 3rd July 2012

For thousands of years Vyas Purnima or Guru Purnima has been celebrated as a day of worship of Guru.  On this sacred full moon of July we can receive the grace and blessing of all Gurus who have ever lived, who are alive today, and those who are yet to be born. Guru worship is the ultimate of all yogas.  This is a glorious time to connect with the subtle, vibrant and spiritually powerful energy of Guru tattwa. 

During his stay at Rikhiapeeth Swami Satyananda did not ever conduct the Guru puja here, as although millions all over the world saw him as their Guru, he himself said, "I am foremost and will always remain a disciple not a Guru, it is discipleship that is important not Gurudom."

This year Guru Purnima will be commemorated at Rikhiapeeth in honour of the disciple of disciples, Swami Satyananda who lived and breathed only for his Guru, Swami Sivananda Saraswati.  During this most sacred event Rikhiapeeth, the tapobhumi of Paramahansa Satyananda, will come alive with prayers and worship of Sadguru Swami Sivananda, Swami Satyananda as well as all Gurus of the universe who inspire our lives. Traditional worship of Guru will be performed along with havan, mantra chanting, spiritual discourses and diksha.

The Guru Purnima anusthan from 1^st to 3^rd July 2012 will culminate with the sacred Guru Puja from 7–11 am on the 3^rd July, and diksha will be given on 3^rd July. The grand scale event will be presided over by Swami Niranjanananda and Swami Satyasangananda. Devotees who wish to offer their love and devotion to Guru and invoke the grace and blessings of Guru Shakti into their lives may register by phone, email or letter at the earliest.