Meditation styles and Yoga practice

Guru Patanjali Preaching in Sadhana Yoga

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Part 11
Translation: -
These thoughts or movements of pain, unease or sorrows are rejected and silenced by meditation.

It is through meditation that thoughts of pain, unease or sorrows, which besiege to the unconscious mind, are dispelled, rejected, avoided or silenced. When elements of mental distress besiege the unconscious mind, they are got rid of by means of reflection and meditation. When elements of mental distress become disgusting and operative, they can be dispelled by contemplation or meditation. Meditation destroys the unpleasant thoughts, which strangle the unconscious mind. There are five kinds of distress provoking pain, unease or sorrow thoughts. There are five causes underlying these troubles and thoughts. Their main cause is lack of spiritual knowledge. So long as the causes leading to distress provoking thoughts do not get destroyed, the flow of distress provoking thoughts, keep on undulating and swelling in the unconscious mind.

These thoughts keep on moving as ripples on the surface of the unconscious mind. The flow of distress provoking thoughts is of three kinds. It is in form, subtle and subtlest. Such a flow keeps on flowing on the unconscious mind, the conscious mind and the inner core of conscious mind respectively. So long as the disciple in the unconscious mind, the conscious mind and the inner core conscious mind does not experience knowledge of their lack of spiritual knowledge and pain ,unease or sorrows and distress provoking thoughts will not get destroyed. Further preparatory yogic discipline is of three kinds. The first is the yogic discipline of self-discipline. This discipline is inculcated in the first five limbs of yoga. These are YAMA (restraint) NIYAMA (culture); ASANA (posture); PRANA (breath control) and PRATYHARA (withdrawal of senses). It is on the perfection and disciplining of these limbs that knowledge about distress provoking thoughts gets attained. Attainment of this knowledge weakens the distress provoking thoughts. It enfeebles the condition of distress provoking thoughts. The flow of distress provoking thoughts, however, does not get stopped with the attainment of this knowledge.

The second yogic discipline is concentration, meditation and spiritual union with self conscious in conscious mind. This discipline entails perfection and disciplining of the yogic limbs of concentration and meditation and spiritual union. The Great Guru Patanjali says that with the perfecting and disciplining of this second rung of yogic disciplines’ ladder, the flow of distress provoking thoughts in their gross form gets destroyed. These thoughts however continue to remain in their subtle seed form. The third yogic discipline entails the recitation of the name of God essence. It is through this discipline that seeded spiritual union, that is the eighth limb of yogic discipline, gets purified. It is after the perfection of seeded spiritual union that the flow of provoking thoughts, in their subtle seed form, also gets destroyed through the preparatory yogic discipline.

The subtle seed flow of distress provoking thoughts, which is in the conscious mind, gets destroyed. The subtlest flow in the inner core conscious mind, which is in the form of a seed however, continues to flow unabated. It is at stage that the yogi enters the domain of non-preparatory yogic discipline that the flow of distress provoking thoughts in the inner core conscious mind gets destroyed only on the attainment of self-conscious during seedless spiritual union. It is on attaining knowledge of total lack of spiritual knowledge that insight vision of pure knowledge attained. The grace and benevolence of God attain insight vision of supreme knowledge, and insight vision of knowledge of the soul essence.

The outer or external gross form of the flow of distress provoking thoughts manifests itself in the argumentative thoughts. The flow is felt by concentrating the senses on the external subjects and objects. The middle subtle form of distress provoking thoughts and the form of lingering past subliminal impressions are felt according to the vibrations of the natural inclination and bent of mind, of the disciple. These vibrations are felt by shutting out all the senses and by focusing the concentration and meditation on the conscious mind. The subtlest internal form of the distress provoking thoughts and its seed like form and the form of fruits of karma action, remains immersed in the conscious mind, all this does not easily come in the grasp of concentration and meditation. It is by the grace and mercy of God essence that these aspects are comprehended through spiritual union with self conscious in conscious mind.

This comprehension and this awareness occur when a disciple enters the final field of preparatory yogic discipline. It is only by the elimination of the seeds distress provoking thoughts of the unconscious mind that these thoughts get completely restrained and nullified. It is only by the restraint and nullification of thoughts that the mind gets de-activated from their activity. It is then that the strangle hold of subtlest nature essence on the concentration meditation and self-conscious of the soul gets broken. It is then that the individual self conscious of soul gets into the pure form. It is in this state that knowledge about realization of true self-conscious, soul and God essence is realized. It is in this state that knowledge about birth and death of life of subtlest nature essence over self-conscious is realized. It is in this state that the liberation from birth and death of life of mind that is subtlest nature essence is attained.

The eight limbs of yogic ladder as a rule mentioned in the preparatory yogic discipline are to be perfected and disciplined systematically, in a sustained manner and with trust. Taking the vow of stillness and imaginative resolve is to be made in the conscious mind to undertake the task of perfecting and disciplining these eight limbs of yoga. It is only by following a disciplined and strict schedule that the perfection and disciplining of the eight limbs of yoga will lead to the attainment of seeded spiritual union. Seeded spiritual union no-doubt does get attained but supreme knowledge, however, does not come within the grasp of the disciple. Seeded spiritual union leads the disciple to the door of the mansion of supreme spiritual knowledge. It does not lead to the end of the path of the life of the embodied soul. An insight vision of the last stage of the human life is, however, obtained and realized. Awareness of the last stage of human life does get realized. This awareness is in a formless shape. After obtaining this awareness, the disciple consciously sees nothing, fears nothing, smells nothing and tastes nothing and touches nothing. Whatever he sees gets automatically manifested and experienced in his natural and conscious bent of mind and inclination. His experience cannot be described in word of any brain language. It can only be felt. Each disciple experiences differently as per his own individual natural bent of mind and inclination and his individual way of life. Each disciple attains true self-conscious, which he alone can experience but is unable to explain. The state of a disciple resembles the state of a person who is mute or dumb and who cannot explain the taste of sugar though he tastes it.

Yoga Tip: - Select any one spiritual form & remain above any blind worship or superstition attached to it. Meditate on it with devotion regularly and consciously. Here is offered an icon of spiritual painting of Dakini Goddess. Dakini Goddess is the supreme embodiment of highest spiritual knowledge and the most potent manifestation of feminine divinity in Tibetan Buddhism. Dakini Goddess name is indicator of Nature dance where nature of living being is a womb symbol connoting blankness, creativity, and potentiality. Dakini Goddess serves as instigator, inspirer, and messenger of conscious mind. It is even trickster, pushing the aspirant across the barriers to enlightenment. The necklace of skulls, her peaceful aspect depicts her wrathful aspect by the lotus frond. Dakini Goddess left hand holds high the lamp of spiritual knowledge that leads to path of liberation from life & death cycle.