Meditation in Life: Chapter 13 (contd.)
Class Notes | September 17, 2019
Notes by Primary Writer: Nitya Bhagavatula
Confidence is a building block for leading a noble or ignoble life. The Sama Veda invokes confidence through the Prarthana. May all the qualities of Brahman as described in the Upanishads, May that come to me. “Therefore, ‘Dharma projita’: we should let go of anything that dilutes Dharma.”
The need for meditation is that what we apparently are vs. actually are is out of sync. We need to hold on to what we are, and, as Swami Vivekananda says, de-hypnotize ourselves. As we prepare for meditation we need to introspect, detect, negate, and substitute. The mind and intellect need to be one unit. There needs to be synergy or intuition, which is natural. To do so, prayer makes the mind quieter. Pray to Bhagwan or an Ishta devata who can and will protect you. Pray to your personal God and one’s Sadhguru who may be critical but makes you feel you can be better.
As we get ready for contemplation, the seat should be soft yet firm. We should each have our own asana as it will have its own energy, and the mind will naturally be quiet. The eyes are closed and the body is in a straight line. The sooner the body falls asleep the better.
Then, begin the thought massage. Any thought/tension, massage it away. Take time to relax the body. Clothes should be loose, and you shouldn’t feel the body. Once it’s relaxed, be quiet. As the conscious mind quietens, the subconscious mind comes out with broken thoughts. These are each unfulfilled desires or experiences that left an impression. Try and live each experience more fully.
Then, begin the thought parade. Be interested yet unaffected, so treat your thoughts like a movie. Guruji said a thought parade is like watching water boil. Watch yet don’t follow. Overall, there is nothing more meaningful that striving for enlightenment. Be Dharmic and convert values into virtues. Be quiet, and integrate it into the week with regularity and sincerity.
Relax, enjoy, chant, and inquire.
