Dhyanadarshana – 1 (Theory and Practice of Meditation)

The following article was compiled and translated by B. Srinivas Murthy from Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba’s Divine Discourses. Below is Part 1 of the article. Part 2 is presented in the July/August 2021 issue of Sai Sarathi.

Dhyana

Dhyana [meditation] is a self-motivated, self-suggested, and self-induced state of super-consciousness. It is an aid to the attainment of higher alter­ed state of consciousness.

The nature of mind

If you think about an object incessantly, imagine its form vividly, remember it con­stantly, chant its name repeatedly, and brood over it passionately, it will make an indelible and everlasting impression on your mind. A mind capable of becoming insane­ly preoccupied with mundane ambitions will be equally capable of becoming magnificen­tly obsessed with spiritual aspirations. Just as a lovely form lures a voluptuary, a divine form enraptures a devotee. If any form of the immanent Cosmic Self, omnipresent Divinity, and eternal reality is constantly reflected upon, It manifests Itself as a thou­ght form, reveals Itself as a vision, and ulti­mately materializes Itself as a Divine Exi­stent.

Man’s mind is an immaculate mirror. It provides an undistorted image of an object reflected by it. A mind polluted by profane thoughts mirrors the same profane thou­ghts. The human mind is a tabula rasa [a mind that is a blank slate]. It is naturally pure, amoral, and neut­ral. If it is exposed to evil influences, it becomes evil. An immaculate mind will be dehumanized by diabolical desires. A mind irradiated by the lambent light of divine love becomes divinized and sanctified. Such a sanctified mind becomes a radiant mirror of the life divine.

What meditation means

An ordinary human mind is perpetually preoccupied with mundane matters. It is eternally engaged in the contemplation of its environment. To attain a higher altered state of consciousness, this mundane mind must turn inward and concentrate its at­tention on the inner personal self. In other words, meditation is mental regression from extreme extroversion to profound introver­sion.

The vast universe around us is in an eter­nal state of dynamic equilibrium. Our ex­ternal world is in a state of perpetual flux. All material objects, the ents and entities of this restless universe are mutable and transient. They have illusory forms and are evanescent existents confined to our spatiotemporal continuum. All worldly va­lues are purely relative and have no abso­lute worth. Meditation is the search for that noumenal reality that lies behind the phenomenal appearances created by our conscious sensations, perceptions, and con­ceptions.

Five-dimensional personality of man

Man is a microcosmic replica of the ma­crocosmic creation. His body is composed of panchabhutas or the five primordial principles of earth, water, air, fire, and ether. He is animated by five jnanendriyas or the five doors of perception represented by his eyes, ears, nose, tongue, and skin corresponding to the five sensations of sight, sound, smell, taste, and touch. Our know­ledge of the external world is inferred from these visual, aural, olfactory, palatal, and tactile sense data. The human body is con­stituted by panchakoshas or the five subtle sheaths. It is energized by panchapranas or the five vital energies.

The ever-changing, evanescent, and irrever­sible human organism composed of pancha­bhutas, animated by panchendriyas (five jnanendriyas assisted by five karmendriyas), constituted by panchakoshas, and energized by panchapranas is subject to decay, disin­tegration, dissolution, and death.

Jyoti represents the immortal atman

But there is an asomatic, immutable, imperishable, indestructible, and supra-spati­otemporal subsistent that survives the dissolution of the panchabhutas, panchen­driyas, panchakoshas, and panchapranas. It is the immortal atman or the discarnate personal self. It is essentially a divine jyoti, a lambent light radiating the golden glory of God, the Cosmic Self. It shines with an everlasting and inextinguishable efful­gence.

Let us take the example of a tank full of water. Let each person remove a tumblerful of water from the tank. The level of water goes down and the tank becomes em­pty. Let us also imagine a heap of sand. If each person removes a handful of sand from the heap, the sand disappears.

Let us next consider the phenomenon of the eternal jyoti shedding its lambent light of love and divinity. It represents the im­mortal atman. An infinite number of jyo­tis can be lit with the aid of a single jyoti. But the brilliance of this primordial arch­etypal jyoti does not diminish. This ori­ginal prototype continues to glow with the same pure primal effulgence. It goes on gleaming eternally. Hence, a steadily shin­ing jyoti is the most appropriate form to be meditated upon.

Ekagrata

Ekagrata is one‑pointedness of mind. It is undivided attention concentrated on a definite form. It is the reduction of the span of attention to a single point. It is the convergence of all thought waves at the focus of attention. A large number of up­adhis or practical aids are available for the attainment of ekagrata. Contraction of the normal span of attention leads to deep con­centration. Likewise, expansion of the normal span of attention leads to diffusion of thought and the divergence of thought waves away from the focus of attention. In other words, ekagrata or one‑pointedness becomes anekagrata or many‑pointedness.

Consider the example of a vessel filled with water. If the vessel is steady, the water in it will also be steady. If the vessel is shaken, the surface of the water will be distur­bed by little ripples. Then imagine a mael­strom in an ocean. The terrible waves thrown up by its deep whirlpools can wreck the largest steamers.

The lake of the human mind

The human mind is often likened to a lake. If the placid lake of man’s mind is agitated by turbulent waves of passions and ambitions, he becomes unhappy and rest­less. In a similar manner, frequent and undesirable bodily movements like changing postures or making gesticulations cause irreparable psychic damage to human perso­nality. They affect mind and body like the waves thrown up by a whirlpool. Young men endowed with robust bodies and ener­getic minds are likely to be excited by vici­ous thought waves generated by wrong post­ures and violent gestures. Body and mind interpenetrate each other. You cannot con­trol your mind without disciplining your body.

Mind is disturbed by body move­ments

Man’s body is interpenetrated with mind. Mind can be regarded as the embodied self. During meditation the body should be quiet, steady, and motionless. Then the mind interpenetrating with the body can attain tranquility. If bodily postures change con­tinually, the mind gets agitated. A disturbed and worried mind makes the clear stream of consciousness murky and muddy. The un­controllable meanderings of mind disperse its thought waves from the main focus of atten­tion.

Mind is a power pack of energy

Man’s mind is endowed with stupendous potential energy. It possesses innumerable unutilized and unmanifested potentialities. It is subtler than the subtlest form of matter. It is a power pack of preternatural energy.

Personal self is cosmic self

Let us fill a little cup with salt water from the sea. The water in the cup and the water in the sea are the same though the cup contains only an infinitesimal fraction of the seawater. Likewise, the microcosmic per­sonal self is the same as the macrocosmic universal Self.

Padmasana

The practice of padmasana or the cross­-legged lotus posture is of paramount impor­tance in meditation. A sadhaka[spiritual aspirant] should keep his backbone straight. No part of the backbone should be bent. Many youngsters walk like hunchbacks. Sitting straight is essential for all forms of meditation. Many men and women do not know how to sit straight. In course of time their backbones acquire the curvature of an easy chair. The head, shoulders, and back of a sadhaka should be erect. He should not recline backward, stoop forward, or bend side­ward. The entire body should be quiet and relaxed. An imaginary straight line passing down through the center of the top of the skull of the sadhaka should be almost perpendicular to the seat on which he squ­ats during meditation. The total mass of his body should be equally distributed and balanced around this imaginary axis. Those who cannot learn the padmasana may adopt the sukhasana or any convenient and practi­cable posture.

The importance of the cross-legged lotus posture technically known as padmasana cannot be overemphasized. Its regular practice is conductive to physical fitness and mental alertness. The practice of padmasana is an integral part of dhyana [meditation]. Its esoteric significance is closely connected with the chakras or plexuses.

Chakras

Man’s body consists of a number of cha­kras or plexuses. A chakra is the center of a subtle network of nerves. A complicated and crisscrossed web of veins and arteries radiate from each chakra. In the opinion of occultists and clairvoyants, a chakra is a small circular segment where the subtle astral body coincides with the gross physical body. Muladharachakra is the perineal plexus situated in the perineum between the genital organs and the rectum. It is also known as the basal coccygeal plexus.

Kundalini shakti

Muladharachakra or the perineal plexus is the storage cell of kundalini shakti, the primal paraphysical energy latent in man. It is a subtle esoteric form of energy congealed around the muladharachakra. It is symbolically depicted in treatises on yoga as a small sleeping serpent with three coils and a half. It inhales and exhales rhythmi­cally. It transmits super physical impulses along the subtle axis connecting the six occult plexuses. One‑pointed attention, com­plete concentration, steady contemplation, and deep absorption sustained by strong self-motivation leads to the ultimate altered state of consciousness.

In the most profound state of meditation, the coiled serpent symbolizing the primordial energy of kundalini is slowly awakened from its spiritual slumber. The potential energy of kundalini gets converted into kinetic energy. It levitates slowly along the subtle axis connecting the six chakras or plexuses viz., the aforementioned muladharachakra or the umbilical plexus, anahatachakra or the cardiac plexus, vishudhachakra or the phary­ngeal plexus, ajnachakra or the brow plexus, and sahasrarachakra or the crown plexus. Sahasrara means a thousand‑petalled lotus. It is regarded as the king of plexuses. It is situated at the top of the skull. When the awakened kundalini shakti reaches the sahas­rara chakra an adept acquires preternatural powers. The communion of the personal self with the Cosmic Self is the ultimate goal of dhyana-yoga.

Voice of silence

The voice of silence is the voice of God, the immanent Cosmic Self. Hence, perfect solitude is a prerequisite for the practice of meditation. You may choose for meditation any convenient place you like, but it should be as clean as possible. A solitary spot, a serene atmosphere, and a spiritual environment promote pure thoughts, sub­lime sentiments, and unselfish emotions. A polluted place promotes polluted thoughts. Pollution is spiritually contagious. Pollution of the atmosphere pollutes mind and body. A sadhaka’s attention is likely to be distracted by the diabolical thought forms created by a polluted environment. Serenity and solitude are essential for the purification and tranquillization of body and mind

`Solitude in multitude’ and `Multitude in solitude’

When a large number of people have to practice meditation at one place they should not sit in an overcrowded manner. They must not touch each other. There should be no physical contacts during meditation. Mental tranquility and physical euphoria are essen­tial for acquiring higher altered states of consciousness. Even in an overcrowded room `solitude in multitude’ can be experi­enced if all sensory stimuli and responses are scrupulously avoided. Sadhakas should cooperate with one another in maintaining absolute silence.

In general, collective meditation is self-­contradictory and self-defeating. Group meditation is a misnomer since no meditati­on can be practiced in an uncontrollable crowd. As meditation is a solitary spiritual exercise, the question of mutual collabora­tion does not normally arise except in tele­pathic communications. It is exceedingly difficult though not absolutely impossible to gain one‑pointed attention in a large con­gregation. During congregational meditation a sadhaka may shut his eyes but his mind may wander from one thought to another. He is likely to become listless and restless. He may be tempted to see what others are doing. He is apt to indulge in compari­sons. He is likely to forget that sadhana is a personal spiritual practice in which com­parisons are invariably odious.

Each sadhaka should formulate his own unique spiritual program. He should not worry about others. He should try and listen to the still small voice of his own inner silence. It is only then that he can experience the most sublime divine afflatus, the highest altered state of consciousness. If two or three bangles are worn on each wrist the slightest movement causes a series of tintin­nabulations. But if each wrist is adorned with a single bangle no sound is produced. The striking contrast between the `one’ and `two’ is picturesquely expressed by the epi­gram: `Ek niranjan do gadbad‘ (one cre­ates calm and two create a storm).

Meditation is reduced to an exercise in futility whenever two or more persons try to work together as a team. It is necessary to repeat that there can be no collaboration in meditation. However, it may not be al­ways possible for a sadhaka to have a sepa­rate cell or cubicle for meditation. Never­theless, it should be possible for every sadhaka to isolate himself physically from others, insulate his body and mind from all external and internal disturbances, and be­come a lonely island in a turbulent sea of distractions. He should try and with­draw himself into a spiritual shell of his own. He should cut off all sensory contacts with his physical environment. He must endea­vor to confine himself to his own personal aura though he may be compelled by circum­stances beyond his control to stay in the company of other sadhakas. It should be clearly recognized that a soul that has dis­covered its own inner tranquility can enjoy `solitude in multitude’ just as a sick soul suffers from `multitude in solitude’!

Purity of mind and body

A sadhaka should cultivate ceremonial purity by keeping his body and mind clean. The human body is a tabernacle consecrat­ed to its personal self that is identical with the Cosmic Self. A sadhaka should regard his body as a temple of the living God. He should purge his mind of all morbid emo­tions and fill his heart with divine love.

Preparation for meditation

A sadhaka should not practice meditation squatting on bare ground. The subtle oc­cult force or esoteric energy generated during deep meditation is akin to a current of electricity. It is common knowledge that an electric circuit is connected with the earth to avoid accidents like electrocution and short-circuiting. The earth conducts an electric current and dissipates its high pot­ential. Thus, many electrical hazards are either completely eliminated or partially minimized. The subtle current of esoteric energy generated during deep meditation flows along the backbone of a sadhaka. This esoteric energy should be utilized for acquiring higher altered states of conscious­ness. Hence, a sadhaka should always squat on a mat or a carpet during medita­tion. He may use an ordinary mat. It also serves as an efficient shock‑absorber. A simple mat woven with durbha grass (a tropical grass considered sacred material in Vedic scriptures) or tunga reeds (an aqu­atic weed growing in shallow streams) will be useful. It is necessary to reiterate that a sadhaka should never squat on uncovered floor during medi­tation. This preliminary precaution will protect him from the psychic and physical hazards involved in spiritual sadhana.

Every serious student of the spiritual sci­ence of noetics should remember that such rituals are only external paraphernalia. They do not form an integral part of meditation. They are only aids to the attainment of higher altered states of consciousness. Any cunning charlatan can squat on a mat made of weeds, practice padmasana or the cross­-legged lotus posture, join his thumb and index finger in the form of chinmudra, and keep his eyes half closed. It may be a mere pose for hoodwinking gullible people. Un­wary persons are fooled by such theatrical gimmicks. But an adept can easily dis­tinguish genuine spirituality from spurious ritualism.

Man’s mind is a mad monkey

A novice must try and transcend all trivial worries, wavering moods, fickle thou­ghts, inexplicable phobias, and unpredict­able manias that torture and torment his monkey mind. Many students switch off the lights and settle down for meditation. But they cannot switch off their thoughts. One thought leads to another, sparking off a sort of mental chain reaction. It is the nature of mind to go on recalling, recollect­ing, remembering, reflecting, reasoning, thinking, and worrying. Man’s mind is a mad monkey. It cannot spontaneously acquire ekagrata or one‑pointed attention. It is like a monkey, who can never keep quiet. You may give him all sorts of sweet­meats. But he will go on scratching him­self and jumping from one branch to ano­ther branch.

An idle man’s brain is said to be a devil’s workshop. It is dangerous to keep the mind idle. It must always have come work to do. It should never be given a holiday. An un­preoccupied mind destroys the individual himself. The human mind works without respite. It cannot rest even for a single split second. Its spiritual appetite should be whetted in order to prepare it for medita­tion. A slothful mind remains slothful forever. It is only an energetic mind that can develop strong self-motivation, for the culti­vation of ekagrata or one‑pointed atten­tion, complete concentration, steady contemplation, deep absorption, and non­-dualistic meditation.

Meditation is not concentration

Many lay persons believe that meditation and concentration are identical. They are not. Concentration is not a lower form of meditation. They are related but not simi­lar. The first step in meditation is self-moti­vation. Self-motivation should enable a sadhaka to attain ekagrata or one‑pointed attention. Contraction of the normal span of attention leads to concentration. A man might say that he has been meditating for many years and that he has not been able to achieve concentration of mind. But it is obvious that one need not practice me­ditation for cultivating concentration. Con­centration is a natural mental faculty. It is a spontaneous intellectual activity. It is an integral part of all worldly activities. It is inseparable from the karma [action] of human life. It can never be dispensed with as long as karma is being worked out. It is an essential element of all voluntary action.

In fact, you cannot do anything without concentration. If you have no concentrati­on you cannot walk along a street, eat your food, write a letter, or read a book. When you read a book, you concentrate on the juxtaposition of letters, words, sentences, paragraphs, and chapters. Thus, you try and grasp the meaning of words, sentences, paragraphs, chapters, and an entire book. Without concentration you cannot under­stand even a single word. In a similar manner, you cannot compose an ordinary letter decently without concentration of mind. Consider the example of eating your meal. When you sit down for your meal you have to distinguish chutney from sambar [lentil curry] without mixing them up. If you have no concentration, you cannot eat your food in a socially acceptable fashion. When you are walking along a road to go to your college you concentrate on the traffic to avoid accidents.

Concentration is such a common faculty that you need not make any special effort to acquire it. It is so uni­versal and phenomenal that you need not even think about it. You need not practice meditation for acquiring mental concentra­tion. If you try to do so you will be putt­ing the cart before the horse. Thus, it be­comes clear that concentration and medita­tion are two separate faculties though they are always interdependent and interconne­cted. Concentration is sensory, empirical, rational, logical, and intellectual; whereas meditation is suprasensory, supraempirical, suprarational, supralogical, and supraintel­lectual. Meditation is an intuitive and my­stical experience. In short, concentration is a conscious activity and meditation is a super-conscious experience.

From consciousness to super-consciousness

Eyes see. Ears hear. The nose smells. The tongue tastes. The skin feels cold and warmth. Hands and feet do work. Manas [mind] discriminates. Buddhi [intellect] reasons. Eyes, ears nose, tongue, skin, hands, feet, manas, and buddhi are indriyas. Their functions depe­nd on sensory impressions. Concentration is achieved when the activities of the various sensory and motor organs are organized, correlated, coordinated, synthesized, and synchronized. Concentration is an activity of the conscious mind. It is entirely dependent on the sense data supplied by sensory organs. It is always subservient to sensations. It can never be an independent mental faculty.

But meditation is a supramental experience akin to intuitive insight and my­stical revelation. It can be described as a state of suprasensory experience or extra­sensory perception. Since concentration is an indispensable natural activity, it must obviously form the foundation of meditation. The steady transition from concentration to meditation is the summum-bonum of spiri­tuality. Concentration depends on indriyas, and the indriyas are regulated by mind. Thus, it is only by transcending the mind that the transformation of concentration into medi­tation becomes possible. Consciousness should evolve into super-consciousness.

[Continue to Part 2 of the article]

Source: Sanathana Sarathi, March 1980