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sweet, silent voice of the soul.
9. Never wrestle with the mind. Do not use any violent efforts in concentration. Relax all
muscles and nerves. Relax the brain. Gently think of the Lord. Slowly repeat your Guru Mantra
with Bhava and meaning. Still the bubbling mind. Silence the thoughts.
10. Make no violent efforts to control the mind, but rather allow it to run along for a while
and exhaust its efforts. It will take advantage of the opportunity and will jump around like an
unchained monkey first, until it gradually slows down and looks to you for orders. It may take some
time to tame down at first, but each time you try, it will come around to you in a short time.
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PRACTICE OF MEDITATION
11. If evil thoughts enter the mind do not use your will force in driving them. You will lose
your energy only. You will tax your will only. You will fatigue yourself. The greater the efforts you
make, the more the evil thoughts will return with redoubled force. They will return more quickly
also. The thoughts will become more powerful. Be indifferent. Keep quite. They will pass off soon.
Or substitute good counter thoughts (Pratipaksha Bhavana method), or think of the picture of God
and the Mantra again and again forcibly or pray.
12. Dash cold water in the face to drive off drowsiness. Stand up for 15 minutes. Or lean
upon an improvised swing for 10 minutes and move yourself to and fro. Do 10 or 20 mild
Kumbhaka Pranayamas. Do Sirshasana or Mayurasana. Take only milk and fruits at night. By these
methods you can combat sleep. Stroll about for 10 minutes. Keep light burning if sleep comes.
13. Very often depression comes in meditation in neophytes owing to the effect of previous
Samskaras, influence of astral entities, evil spirits, bad company, cloudy days, bad stomach and
loaded bowels. It must be removed quickly by cheerful thoughts, a brisk walk, singing, laughing,
prayer, Pranayama, purgative and a dose of carminative mixture.
14. When the bee finds itself that its feet are struck in the honey, it slowly licks its feet
several times and then flies away with joy. Even so extricate yourself from the mind s sticking and
clinging to this body and children owing to Raga and Moha (attachment and attraction) through
Vairagya (dispassion) and meditation, and fly away with joy from this cage of flesh and bone to the
source, Brahman or Absolute.
15. No more words. Enough of discussions and heated debates. Retire into a solitary room.
Close your eyes. Have deep silent meditation. Feel His Presence. Repeat His Name Om with
fervour, joy and love. Fill your heart with Prema (love). Destroy the Sankalpas, thoughts, whims,
fancies and desires when they arise from the surface of the mind. Withdraw the wandering mind and
fix it on the Lord. Now Nishtha, meditation, will become deep and intense. Do not open your eyes.
Do not stir from your seat. Merge in Him. Dive deep into the innermost recess of the heart. Plunge
into the shining Atman (Soul) within. Drink the nectar of Immortality. Enjoy the silence now. I shall
leave you there alone. Nectar s son! Rejoice. Rejoice. Peace. Peace. Silence. Silence. Glory. Glory!
5. Hints on Meditation
1. What does a passionate man do? He repeats the same ignominious act again and again and
fills his stomach as many times as he can. What does an aspirant with burning desire for
Self-realisation do? He takes a little milk and repeats the process of meditation again and again
whole day and night and enjoys the eternal bliss of the Self. Both are busy in their own way. The
former is caught up in the wheel of births and deaths (Samsara Chakra), and the latter attains
Immortality.
2. A glutton or a sensualist, a dullard or a lazy man cannot practice meditation. He who has
controlled the tongue and other organs, who has an acute acumen, who eats, drinks and sleeps in
moderation, who has destroyed selfishness, lust, greed and anger, can practice meditation and attain
success in Samadhi.
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EASY STEPS TO YOGA
3. Just as you require food for the body, so also you require food for the soul in the shape of
prayers, Japa, Kirtan, meditation, etc. Just as you are agitated when you do not get food in time, so
also you will be agitated when you do not pray in the morning and evening at the proper time if you
keep up the practice of prayer and Japa for some time. The soul also wants its food at the proper
time. The food for the soul is more essential than the food for the body. Therefore do your prayers,
Japa and meditation regularly.
4. When you are a neophyte in meditation, start repeating some sublime Slokas, Stotras
(hymns) for ten minutes as soon as you sit for meditation. This will elevate the mind. The mind can
be easily withdrawn from the worldly objects. Then stop this kind of thinking also and fix the mind
on one idea only by repeated and strenuous efforts. Then Nishtha will ensue.
5. You must have a mental image of God or Brahman (concrete or abstract) before you
begin to meditate.
6. When you start a fire you heap up some straw, piece of paper, thin piece of wood. The fire
gets extinguished quickly. You blow it again several times through the mouth or the blow-pipe.
After some time it becomes a small conflagration. You can hardly extinguish it now even with great
efforts. Even so, in the beginning of meditation, the neophytes fall down from meditation into their
old grooves. They will have to lift up their mind again and again and fix it on the Lakshya. When
meditation becomes very deep and steady, they get established in God eventually. Then the
meditation becomes Sahaja (natural). It becomes habitual. Use the blow-pipe of Teevra Vairagya
and intense meditation to kindle the fire of meditation.
7. You will have to note very carefully whether you remain stationary in the spiritual path
even after many years of spiritual practice or whether you are progressing. Sometimes you may go
downwards also if you are not vigilant and careful, if your Vairagya wanes and if you are slack in
your meditation. Reaction may set in. Some practise meditation for a period of 15 years and yet they
have not made any real progress at all. Why? This is due to lack of earnestness, Vairagya, keen
longing for liberation and intense, constant Sadhana (spiritual practice).
8. During meditation when your mind is more Sattvic you will be inspired. The mind will be
composing fine poems and solving some problems of life. Stamp out these Sattvic Vrittis also. This
is all dissipation of mental energy. Soar higher and higher to Atman only. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]