Ahmedabad panics on astrologer's prediction - http://www.timesof india.com/today/01trem3.htm

[Guest guest]

Some may be wondering, why am I forwarding these articles... I just wanted

to point out that there are things which we now a days ignore, but our

ancestors cared for...

 

http://www.timesofindia.com/today/01trem3.htm

Ahmedabad panics on astrologer's prediction

Nilanjana Bhaduri Jha

www.timesofindia.com

AHMEDABAD: Rumours are making matters worse for a city tense and tired.

People here panicked Thursday on a local astrologer's prediction that a

lethal planetary alignment that caused the January 26 quake would take place

on Saturday.

A Gujarati newspaper, Aajkaal, had on January 13 published the prediction of

an astrologer that the earth would shake in Gujarat on January 26, eight

days before the planets aligned in a way that would cause a series of

natural calamities all over the world till August this year.

News of the prediction spread like wildfire in Ahmedabad, where life went

into a tailspin. People who had just begun settling down to routine life

after five days of living in extreme fear began to leave town again on

Thursday morning.

The astrologer, Jai Prakash Madhak, had said in the newspaper that a

confluence of Mars entering Scorpio along with Pluto and opposing Saturn on

February 3 would makes its presence felt first on January 26 and then

continue to affect the world, resulting in a series of earthquakes till 10

April.

He also predicted a number of train accidents between January and August

this year.

What added fuel to the fire was the revelation that Madhak had predicted the

tremors in Bhavnagar last year, and some as far back as November 1994 in

Kerala.

There have been rumours galore in the city with people vacating buildings in

a trice at the mere mention of a tremor. On Wednesday morning a report from

Rajkot that a loud blast had been heard created panic. People said a similar

blast had been heard in Rajkot before the big quake. It later turned out to

be a routine detonation. The slightest vibration shakes up the city, which

is out on the roads in the nights to avoid another catastrophe.

[Guest guest]

OM

Pranam

Blessed Self,

thank you for forwarding the article. Astrology is a

science, and like most sciences such as Yoga, Tantra etc

are largely not being followed in their true spirit.

people make money in the name of these sciences.

The value of astrology has been enunciated by our saints

and in all Scriptures, planetary positions and transits are

studied. This has been recorded in the Mahabharata, the

Puranas and the Vedas.

Please retain your confidence, sometimes it is not easy.

I am attaching a booklet, "Meditation And Its Utility In

Daily Life With Practical Hints" by Sri Swami Premanandaji

Maharaj, please read it, you will find peace.

his booklet is also available at:

http://www.SivanandaDlshq.org/download/download.htm#premamed

it

Pranam

OM

> Some may be wondering, why am I forwarding these

articles... I just wanted

> to point out that there are things which we now a days

ignore, but our

> ancestors cared for...

>

> http://www.timesofindia.com/today/01trem3.htm

> Ahmedabad panics on astrologer's prediction

> Nilanjana Bhaduri Jha

> www.timesofindia.com

> AHMEDABAD: Rumours are making matters worse for a city

tense and tired.

> People here panicked Thursday on a local astrologer's

prediction that a

> lethal planetary alignment that caused the January 26

quake would take place

> on Saturday.

> A Gujarati newspaper, Aajkaal, had on January 13

published the prediction of

> an astrologer that the earth would shake in Gujarat on

January 26, eight

> days before the planets aligned in a way that would cause

a series of

> natural calamities all over the world till August this

year.

> News of the prediction spread like wildfire in Ahmedabad,

where life went

> into a tailspin. People who had just begun settling down

to routine life

> after five days of living in extreme fear began to leave

town again on

> Thursday morning.

> The astrologer, Jai Prakash Madhak, had said in the

newspaper that a

> confluence of Mars entering Scorpio along with Pluto and

opposing Saturn on

> February 3 would makes its presence felt first on January

26 and then

> continue to affect the world, resulting in a series of

earthquakes till 10

> April.

> He also predicted a number of train accidents between

January and August

> this year.

> What added fuel to the fire was the revelation that

Madhak had predicted the

> tremors in Bhavnagar last year, and some as far back as

November 1994 in

> Kerala.

> There have been rumours galore in the city with people

vacating buildings in

> a trice at the mere mention of a tremor. On Wednesday

morning a report from

> Rajkot that a loud blast had been heard created panic.

People said a similar

> blast had been heard in Rajkot before the big quake. It

later turned out to

> be a routine detonation. The slightest vibration shakes

up the city, which

> is out on the roads in the nights to avoid another

catastrophe.

>

>

> ------------------------ Sponsor -----------

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MEDITATION

AND ITS UTILITY IN DAILY LIFE

WITH PRACTICAL HINTS

 

 

 

SRI SWAMI PREMANANDA

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published By

THE DIVINE LIFE SOCIETY

P.O. Shivanandanagar-249 192

Distt. Tehri-Garhwal, Uttar Pradesh,

Himalayas, India.

1996

 

Second Edition 1996

(2000 Copies)

 

 

 

 

 

 

WWW Edition for free distribution: 2000

 

 

 

 

 

 

© The Divine Life Trust Society

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Published by Swami Krishnananda for The Divine Life Society ,

Shivanandanagar, and printed by him at the Yoga-Vedanta Forest Academy Press,

P.O. Shivanandanagar, Distt., Tehri-Garhwal, U.P., Himalayas, India.

 

http://www.dlshq.org

http://www.swami-krishnananda.org

http://www.dlsmd.org

 

NOTE:The Divine Life Society does not at this time have an official

website.

OM

 

MEDITATION AND ITS UTILITY IN DAILY LIFE

 

SRI SWAMI PREMANANDA

 

Meditation is not for a few but is necessary for all human beings. The

inner self of a person touches the Higher Self (the Param-Tattwa)

during deep sleep daily. This unknown touch recharges the battery of man.

So, when he gets up from his sleep, he feels that he is refreshed, full

of strength and relaxed. This is a natural process for all persons

alike. If one could not sleep properly, he feels disturbed and is in a sort

of weariness. It is the experience of every man, whether he is rich or

a beggar, a literate or an illiterate, an executive or a labourer, a

farmer or a business man, a housewife or a huckster. So, every man needs

peace, strength, ability to discharge his duties and for tranquillity

of mind. So, a wonderful discovery of man is to keep his inner self in

touch with the SOURCE in a wakeful state for longer periods continuously

through specific type of systematic practices. This is called the art

of meditation. And such a person is said to be a YOGI without any

discretion/distinction of caste, creed, colour and country.

 

Dhyanam nirvishayam manah-That state of the mind, wherein there are no

Vishayas or sensory thoughts, is meditation.

 

Whether oriental or occidental, Hinduism or Mohammedanism, Buddhism or

Jainism, Christianity or Judaism, Shintoism or any other 'Ism',

the-spiritual purpose and meaning is to lead an individual soul to the

ecstatic communion with the Universal Divinity or ONE TRUTH, the SOURCE. A

continuous flow of perception of thought is Dhyana-Tatra pratyayaikatanata

dhyanam. It is the flow of continuous thought of one object or God or

Atman or Supreme Source -Tailadltaravat. According to Raja Yoga,

meditation is the seventh rung or step in the ladder of Yoga. One cannot

attain this state unless he knows the art of "Concentration". What is

concentration?-Desa bandhas-chittasya dharana. Concentration is fixing the

mind on an external object or an internal point continuously, without

interruption or break for twelve seconds. So, an aspirant has to develop

himself in concentration, which itself is changed into meditation, if

his state of keeping the mind focused at one object/point/subject

continuously and spontaneously for 12x 12=144 seconds. It is termed as

`Dhyana' in Sanskrit scriptures, which comes from the root `Dhi'. In English

we generally call it `intellect' which is the basic root with different

derivations in different practices. However, 'Buddhi' (reasoning

faculty) is said to be directly based on this root term; yet this term is

used liberally by all systems of Yoga, which is central theme of all

mystic techniques leading one to higher levels, of spiritual consciousness

with profound depths of spiritual expansion and takes one to

God-realisation or Self-realisation.

 

Meditation may be objective, or on qualities or purely subjective or on

one's own breath. In objective meditation the Sadhaka meditates upon an

idol or picture of his Ishta devata may be Lord Shiva, Vishnu, Rama,

Krishna, Christ, Buddha or any other God or Goddess. For him, the idol is

something alive, vibrating with supreme reality, omnipresent,

omniscient, omnipotent. He may meditate upon the beautitude, the qualities, the

activities of his Ishta-devata. Or he may meditate upon the

all-pervading pulsating Supreme Energy which is within him and without,

permeating

..everywhere. This is subjective meditation.Similarly on his breath

while inhaling and exhaling with MINIMAL SILENCE. All meditations are good;

what counts is the intensity and unbroken continuity of meditation.

 

An aspirant has to rest his soul on the bosom of the Lord, to bathe

in the bliss of Divine ecstasy, to drown his ego in the ocean of

eternity, to draw sustenance and strength from the SOURCE to attain whatever

he is capable of achieving. A Sadhaka should meditate regularly, chew

and digest what he has learnt, to transform what he has learnt into

wisdom, to apply that wisdom to solve the problems that cross his path

daily. Says F.W. Robertson: "It is not the number of books you read, nor

the variety of sermons you hear, nor the amount of religious

conversation in which you mix, but it is the frequency and earnestness with

which you meditate on these things till the truth in them becomes your own

and part of your being, that ensures your growth."

 

A sincere spiritual seeker meditates to realise the Ultimate Reality

to unravel the mystery of life and death, to understand in the bottom

of his heart, what is Truth. Once he knows Truth, he knows the Ultimate

Reality, he becomes That, and there is nothing more to know. A person

who has realised Brahman, becomes Brahman, and lives in Brahman.

Knowing is being. That is the highest state.

 

India has been fortunate to have produced many saints and seers who

had realised the Truth and for more or less time lived in a state of

Divine Ecstasy. Even during the past hundred years people have witnessed

such saints like Paramahamsa Ramakrishna, Swami Vivekananda, Swami

Ramatirtha, Sri Aurobindo, Ramana Maharshi, Swami Ramdas, Swami Sivananda

and several others of world fame. Ramakrishna would while talking

relapse into Samadhi and often prayed to his Divine Mother not to draw him

frequently into Her Bosom so 'that he can converse with his disciple,

particularly his darling Naren later known to the world as Swami

Vivekananda so that he could prepare a band of workers to spread his message,

the holy message of India. Swami Ramatirtha was often seen in a state

of ecstasy during last seven years of life in India and United States.

Swami Sivananda was another who would often sing and dance or be just be

quiet in divine ecstasy. There have been more in India and quite a few

messengers of God in other parts of the world.

 

Meditation and concentration are often treated as synonymous. However,

I have drawn earlier a distinct line between concentration and

meditation. In further explanation when one brings to bear all his thoughtwaves

on a -single point or spot like a laser beam where the scattered rays

of light are concentrated, it is concentration. - Every body needs

concentration to understand, assimilate and apply any information, any

knowledge. When the concentration is prolonged for 144 seconds, it is called

meditation and when-extended to 144 multiplied by 144 i.e. 20736

seconds = 345.6 minutes, it is said to reach the state of Samadhi. According

to Ashtanga Yoga comprising two main parts of Hatha Yoga -Yama, Niyama;

Asana and Pranayama covers the first one, whereas Pratyahara, Dharana,

Dhyana and Samadhi, is the second part. There is no equivalent word in

English language for Samadhi. Concentration is the sixth, Meditation

the seventh and Samadhi the eight and last stage of Yoga when the Sadhaka

is united with the Supreme Being. It shows that concentration leads to

Meditation, similarly prolonged constant meditation leads to Samadhi.

In other Yogas Manana, Nididhyasana, Upasana, Chintana, Dhyana---these

terms are used in different Yogas with subtle differences in their

techniques. Manana is a sort of reflection. It is just to chew the cud

slowly and nicely. It is done through into intense practice of Manana.

Chintana is also a sort of reflection and meditation to assimilate the

thoughts in consciousness for proper and significant impression with

profound understanding. Intense meditation on the Self or Brahman or ANY

SPIRITUAL ILLUMINED PERSONALITY is termed as `Nididhyasana'. As Saint

Francis of Assisi did. `Upasana' stands for devout meditation which is being

used in both i.e., Jnana Yoga Sadhana and Bhakti Yoga. Upasana means

'sitting near by' 'In Jnana Yoga Sadhana .the seeker has to sit near the

Self or Brahman; whereas in Bhakti Yoga a devotee has to sit by the

side of God.

 

A keen and true regular practitioner (Sadhaka) will attain quick and

sure results, when he proceeds properly stage by stage under the guidance

of his GURU or master. The first four parts are meant to purify the

mind and keep the body strong and fit to receive and retain the power of

the DIVINE. Many moderns, however, equate Yoga with the practice of few

asanas and pranayamas. This is not sufficient for spiritual uplift.

Yet, it is better to practise asanas and pranayamas for health's sake.

than not to do anything at all. But Yoga is really first to withdraw one's

mind from the objects of senses (pratyahara), practice concentration,

prolong the period of concentration under proper guidance to reach the

stage of meditation and finally become one, unite (Yoga to join to

unite) with the Supreme Reality, the TRUTH.

 

Thus meditation is not meant merely for the recluse, the ascetic, the

renouncer. It is of utmost important in man's day-to-day life;. It is of

immense help to a student, a youth, an old man. A man who can meditate

'will become a better manager, a better businessman; a better executive

and, above all, a better man. Conversely, if a person cannot meditate,

he will lack composition, courage and confidence to achieve his goal.

Nowadays, several medical doctors and psychologists advise to their

patients suffering from nervousness, unusual irritation, disordered mind,

fear and inferiority complex and lack of self-confidence to meditate in

a specific manner along with the medical treatment. So, the meditation

is very necessary these days when man leads a life of tension and

complexity.

 

Every morning and evening, preferably at dawn and dusk, sit down in a

comfortable posture with your backbone straight, relax each and every

limb of your body, and then your mind, and sit unmoved, in the same

pose, as long as you can. It is always better to invoke your Guru (master)

and Ishta Devata first, when you sit for meditation for their blessings

and guidance and gratefully thank them again when you finish the

meditation. Gradually, increase the time of your meditation. It is easier to

relax your limbs of the body but not so easy to relax your mind. This

process of relaxation, stillness and body awareness will automatically

reduce the speed of your breathing, which, in turn, will help in

meditation. So many thoughts will cross your mind now and then. They may even

disturb you. Do not be afraid. Try to remain calm and watch them with

equanimity. Let them come, let them go. Do not fight to free your mind

from thought waves. Try to be indifferent to them. But do not observe

these thoughts with equanimous mind. Gradually, automatically the

flitting of thoughts across the canvas of your mind will diminish. After

sometime-sooner than later-you will be absorbed in your Ishta-Devata if your

meditation is objective, or in your Being, if your meditation is

subjective. Once, you get the taste of it, believe me, you' will like to

taste it more and more and more.

 

May God Almighty and All-merciful and the Most Revered Gurudev, help

you, THEY WILL.

 

 

 

MEDITATION PRACTICE

 

I. "SILENCE IS THE GREAT REVELATION". LAO-TSE

 

I . Scripture as the revelation of God.

2. Discover the revelation that silence brings.

3. Silence offers, one must attain silence. It is NOT EASY.

 

Comfortable Posture. Close eyes for 10 minutes. Observe total silence

of Heart and Mind. Describe 'Silence' in terms of your attempts.

Experience may infinitely be varied. You have to still the constant wandering

of your mind. To quiet the emotional turmoil. On approaching frontiers

of silence there may be PANIC and WITHDRAWAL. You may have frightening

experience. NO REASON TO BE DISCOURAGED. Wandering thoughts are a great

revelation: Take time to EXPERIENCE this wandering mind - and TYPE of

wandering it indulges. SOMETHING ENCOURAGING-awareness of mental

wandering, inner turmoil and inability to be still shows, that you have small

degree of silence within you. AGAIN close your eyes, become aware of

wandering mind for two minutes. Now sense the silence that makes it

possible to be aware of wanderings of your mind.

 

MINIMAL SILENCE-as it grows, it reveals more and more-rather it reveals

yourself to you. You .will have ATTAINMENTS-like WISDOM. SERENITY,

BLISS, GOD. PRECAUTION: you shall have no talk and no discussion. Inhale

and exhale deep and slow breathing throughout. Again close your eyes for

five minutes. SEEK SILENCE. Now see your success-whether more or less.

Don 't seek ANYTHING SENSATIONAL. In fact, do not seek at all.

 

Limit yourself to observing. Take in everything that comes to your

awareness whether big, small. trite or ordinary. CONTENT of' awareness is

less important than the quality of awareness. As quality improves, so

silence deepens, you will experience. You will discover, to your delight,

that revelation is not knowledge. It is power: a mysterious power that

brings transformation.

 

II. BODY SENSATIONS

 

One must become aware of certain body sensations of which one is

explicitly not aware. To go around by yourself-to become conscious of your

toes, your feet, your legs, your knees, your thighs, your buttocks, your

waist, your stomach, your chest, your shoulders, your fingers (starting

from the tips), your forearms, your elbow, your arms, your full back,

then again your shoulders, your neck, your chin, your lips, your nose,

your cheeks, your ears, your eyes, your forehead, your head, upper side

of your head and backside of your head. Do not dwell for more than two

or three seconds on each part of your body. REPEAT it again and again

for. five minutes. This act of yours brings a sense of relaxedness.

BIGGEST ENEMIES: Nervous tension, living too much in head i.e., to remain

conscious of the thinking and imagination and to remain conscious far

too little of the activities of the senses. It is a must to remain in the

PRESENT and not in past and future. One must master this technique of

sense awareness. One must learn to get out of the area of thinking and

imagination and move into the area from Head to Heart i.e., feeling,

sensing, loving and intuiting where contemplation takes birth, prayer

becomes transforming power and a source of delight and peace. A few of you

may feel an increase in Tension. Note what part of your body is tense

and see exactly what the tension feels like. Become of the fact you are

tensing and note exactly how you are doing this. Note means not to

reflect but to feel and sense. You pick up no sensation. Why? Your

sensibility has been dead from so much living in head. Our skin is covered with

trillions (3 Powers of a million) of bio-chemical reactions-that we

call sensations and you are finding it hard to pick up even a few of them?

You have hardened yourself not to feel--may be due to some-motional

hurt or conflict that you have long since forgotten. And your perception,

your awareness, power of concentration and attention are still gross

and underdeveloped... It is as a means for attaining relaxation and

stillness. GET IN TOUCH WITH SENSATIONS AGAIN AND AGAIN without naming limbs

and organs as you sense. If you notice an urge to move or to shift your

posture or position--do not give into it. Do continue this exercise for

a few minutes. You will gradually feel a certain stillness in your

body. Go on with your AWARENESS exercise and leave taking care of

stillness. If you are distracted, get back to awareness of body sensations,

moving from one to another, until your body becomes still once again, your

mind quietens, you are able to sense again stillness that brings peace

and a foretaste of contemplation and of God. HOWEVER, DO NOT explicitly

rest in the stillness. Because resting in it can be relaxing and even

delightful. BUT in it there is DANGER of mild trance or mental blankness

which is not good for contemplation. It is like a sort of self-hypnosis

that has nothing to do either with the sharpening of awareness or with

contemplation. IMPORTANT: DO NOT DELIBERATELY seek stillness or silence

within you and not EXPLICITLY REST in it when it occurs. BUT SEEK

SHARPENING OF AWARENESS. In moments, stillness becomes so powerful that all

exercise and all your efforts become impossible. Then it is no longer

you who go in quest of stillness. But stillness takes possession of you.

THEN you may safely, and profitably, let go of all effort and surrender

to this overpowering stillness within you.

 

III. DEEPENING EXERCISE--BODY SENSATIONS

 

The body sensations exercise is so simple, in fact, as to prove

disillusioning. To advance in it, you have to preserve in simplicity. Resist

temptation to seek novelty, but. try to seek DEPTH. You have to practise

second exercise over a long period of time. You may ask for benefits.

Don't ask. Do what you are asked to and you will discover yourself.

TRUTH is found less in words and explanations than in action and experience

So get to work, with faith and perseverance. Close your eyes. Repeat

previous exercise of body sensations for five to ten minutes.

Now CHOOSE JUST ONE SMALL AREA OF YOUR FACE, PICKUP EVERY SENSATION. At

the beginning you may not feel. Continue previous exercise, then enter

in this area. Be aware of the type of sensations that emerge; itching,

bricking, burning, pulling vibrating, throbbing, numbness, If your

mind wanders, bring it patiently back to exercise.

 

IV THOUGHT CONTROL

 

By doing previous awareness exercises, your mind may be distracted. To

deal with such situation, you shall keep your eyes half closed--resting

on an object or one spot three feet ahead of you. You are not to focus

on the object/spot. By doing this, you may have trouble with your

wandering mind, No cause for alarm. You practise control over your wandering

mind with patience and perseverance. Gradually you will succeed.

 

To deal with distraction of mind you may follow any of the two ways:

 

a) You have to follow your thoughts as a puppy in the streets follows

any pair of legs it finds in motion. It does not. care for the direction

where they are moving. After some seconds, you shall make yourself

aware that you are thinking. You may say to yourself interiorly that I am

thinking thinking thinking. By this you will be aware that thinking

process is going on.

 

b) The other way to overcome distraction is to observe your thoughts as

a man stationed at his window watching passers by on the street. After

doing this for a while, you shall keep yourself aware that you are

thinking ....thinking....thinking.,.. You may do any of the above two

exercises for not more than five minutes. Thinking tends to stop by making

yourself aware of it. A distraction charged with strong emotion: love,

fear, resentment, sorrow--will not easily yield to this exercise. Other

exercises discussed hereinafter shall help you in that.

 

 

V. BREATHING SENSATIONS

(Become aware of sensations in various parts of your body)

 

Become aware of the air as it comes in and goes out through your

nostrils. Do not concentrate on the air as it enters in lungs, but limit

awareness to nostrils breath. Do not control your breathing. Don't attempt

to deepen it. It is not breathing exercise, but breathing awareness.

Whenever you are distracted, return with vigour to your task to enable

you to make you aware of each breath. Continue this exercise for ten to

fifteen minutes. This exercise may be difficult for some of you in

comparison to previous exercises; but it is most rewarding in sharpening

awareness, bringing calmness and relaxation. HOWEVER, in attempting

breathing awareness DO NOT tense your muscles. Determination must not be

confounded with nervous tension. You may be distracted at the beginning but

you must keep returning again and again to the awareness of your

breathing--the mere effort involved in doing this-will bring beneficial

effects that you will gradually notice.

 

After developing some proficiency in this exercise move on to somewhat

difficult and more effective variant:

 

a) Become aware of the sensation of the air passing; through your

nostrils. Feel its touch-in, which part of the nostrils you feel the touch

of the air while inhaling; .... and in what part of the nostrils you

feel the touch of the air while exhaling; .......

 

b) Become aware of the warmth or coldness of the air .... its coldness

when it comes in, and its warmth when it goes out.

 

c) Also be aware of quantity of air that passes through one nostril is

greater than the amount that passes through other ..."

 

d) Be sensitive and alert to the slightest, lightest touch while

inhaling; and exhaling ....STAY with this awareness for ten to fifteen

minutes, In case you put in more time, you will get better results. But DO

NOT stay on breathing awareness alone for many hours over a period of

more than two or three days., Although this exercise brings you great

peace and a sense of depth and fullness that delights you but prolonged

concentration on breathing is likely to produce hallucinations or to draw

out material from the unconscious that you may not be able !o control.

AWARENESS AND CONTEMPLATION AND PRAYER.

 

Prayer means a communication with God that is carried on mainly through

the use of words and images and thoughts. Contemplation means a

communication with God that makes a minimal use of words, images and concepts

altogether. The exercise of awareness of body sensations or

breathing... can be termed as communication with God. Many mystics tell us that,

in addition to the mind and heart with which we ordinarily communicate

with God, we are endowed with a mystical mind and mystical heart, a

faculty which makes it possible for us to know God directly, to grasp and

INTUIT Him in His very being--apart from all thoughts, concepts and

images.

 

Ordinarily all our contact with God is indirect through images and

concepts. To be able to grasp Him beyond these thoughts and images is the

privilege of this faculty-a mystical heart. In most of us this Heart

lies dormant and undeveloped. If it is awakened, it would be straining

towards God and, given a chance, would impel the whole of our being

towards Him. Hence, it needs to be developed, it needs to have the dross that

surrounds it removed so that it can be attracted towards the ETERNAL

MAGNET. To be near or discover Eternal Magnet, one is to find means of

silencing the mind. And to silence the mind is an extremely difficult

task. How hard it is to keep the mind away from thinking, which is

producing thoughts in a never-ending stream. But it is also said that one

thorn is removed by another. So you can be wise to use one thought to rid

yourself of all the other thoughts that crowd into your mind. One

thought, one image, one phrase or sentence or word that your mind can be

made to fasten on. For to consciously attempt to keep the mind in a

thoughtless state, in a void, is to attempt the impossible. The mind must

have something to occupy it. The seemingly disconcerting conclusion is

that concentration on your breathing or body sensations is very good

contemplation. The awareness exercises lead to a deepening of the prayer

experiences. Now is the time to expose yourself to the Divine Sun in

SILENCE. .

 

VI. GOD IN MY BREATH

 

With closed eyes practise - the awareness of body sensations for a

while .... Then come to the awareness of your breathing as done before and

stay with this awareness for a few minutes .... Reflect now that this

air that you are breathing is charged with the Power and the PRESENCE of

God Think of the air as of an Immense OCEAN that surrounds you .... an

ocean heavily coloured with God's presence and God's being .... While

you draw the air into your lungs you are drawing God in .... Be aware

that you are drawing in the Power and Presence of God each time you

breathe in... Stay in this awareness as long as you can... Notice what you

feel when you become conscious that you are drawing God in with each

breath you take ......

 

ANOTHER REFLECTION

 

a) While you breathe in, be conscious of God's Spirit coming into you

..... Fill your lungs with the divine energy he brings with Him.

 

b) While you breathe out, imagine you are breathing out all your

impurities ....your fears ....your negative feelings .... Your shortcomings

and weaknesses.

 

c) Imagine you see your whole body becoming radiant and alive through

this process of breathing in God's life-giving Spirit and breathing out

all your impurities...:..

 

d) Stay with this awareness as long as you can without distractions

 

 

VII. BREATH-COMMUNICATION WITH GOD

 

Devotional Prayer may here be called as 'PRAYER'; whereas 'Intuitional

Prayer' may coincide roughly with CONTEMPLATION. Both type of prayers

lead to union with God. Such of them is more suited to some Sadhakas

than to others. According to time and need suitability of these Prayers

may change.

 

Any Prayer that limits itself to the thinking mind alone is not prayer

really but! at best, a preparation for prayer. Even among Sadhakas

there is no genuine personal communication that isn't at least in some

small degree heart communication, that does not contain some small degree

of emotion in it. If a communication, a sharing of thoughts, is entirely

and totally devoid of all emotion you can be sure the intimate,

personal dimension is lacking.

 

Here are some variations of the previous exercise more-devotional than

intuitional. As the thought content in prayer is minimal-it will easily

move from the devotional to the intutional from the head to the heart.

 

Become aware of your breathing .for a while. Now REFLECT presence of

God in the atmosphere all around you ....Reflect His presence in the air

you are breathing - CONSCIOUS OF HIS PRESENCE ....Notice what you feel,

when you become conscious of His presence in the air you are breathing

in and out ....

 

Now express yourself to God non-verbally. Frequently, express a

sentiment through a look or a gesture ....Then again by breathing. Express

first of all, a great yearning for Him without using words, even mentally,

say to Him, "MY LORD, I long for You .... " Just by the way you

breathe: - You may express this by breathing in deeply, by deepening your

inhalation.

 

Now express another attitude or sentiment: ONE OF TRUST AND

SURRENDER-NO words- just through breath, "My LORD, I surrender myself entirely

to

you ...." You may do this, by emphasising your exhalation, by breathing

out each time as if you were sighing deeply. Each time you breathe out

feel yourself letting the whole of yourself go in God's hand.

 

Then, after sometime, take up other attitudes before your LORD and

express these through your breathing such as: LOVE .... CLOSENESS.... and

INTIMACY ADORATION GRATITUDE PRAISE if you are tired of doing this,

return to the beginning of this exercise and just rest peacefully in the

awareness of God all around you and in the air you are breathing in and

out .... Then, if you tend to get distracted, fall back on second part

of the exercise and express yourself to God non-verbally once more.

 

VIII. STILLNESS

 

Modern man is unfortunately plagued by a nervous tension that makes it

almost impossible for him to be quiet. If he actually wants to learn to

pray he must first learn to be still, to quieten himself In fact, this

very quietness and stillness frequently becomes prayer when God

manifests Himself in the form of STILLNESS.

 

Repeat the exercise of becoming aware of sensations in' your body-whole

body. This time start with the top of your head and end it with the

tips of your toes, omitting no part of the body. Beware of every sensation

in each part ....You may find some parts of your body completely devoid

of sensation ....Dwell on these for a few seconds-if no sensation

emerges. move on......

 

As you become more proficient in this exercise you will, hopefully,

sharpen your awareness to the extent that there will be no part of your

body in which you do not feel several sensations ....For the time being

..you must be content to dwell briefly on the blanks and move on to the

parts where you feel more sensations-Move slowly from head to foot ....

then once again, from head to foot ..... and so on for some fifteen

minutes. As your awareness sharpens you will pick up sensations that you

hadn't noticed before ....you may also pick up sensations that are

extremely subtle, too subtle to be perceived by any but a man of deep as a

whole. Feel the whole of your body as one mass of concentration and

deep peace. Now become aware of yours .body as a whole. Feel the whole of

your body as one mass of various types of sensations ....Stay with this

for a while, then return to the awareness by parts, moving from head to

foot ....then, once again, rest in the awareness of your body as a

whole ......

 

Notice now the deep stillness that has come over you. Notice the

complete stillness of your body ....Do Not, however,, rest in the stillness

to the extent of losing awareness of your body ....If you are getting

distracted, give .yourself the occupation of moving once again from head

to foot, becoming aware of sensations in each part of your body ....

Then, once again, notice the stillness in your body .... If you are

practising this in a group, then at occasions, notice the stillness in the

whole room.

 

It is very important that you do NOT move any part of your body while

doing this Sadhana. This will be difficult at first, but each time feel

the urge to move, or scratch, or fidget, become aware of this as

sharply as you can .... Don't give in to, it ....It will gradually go away

and you will become still once more ........

 

It is extremely painful for most people to stay still. Even physically,

painful and you become physically tense, spend all the time you need

becoming aware of the tension ....where you feel it, what it feels like

.....and stay with it till the tension disappears.

 

You may feel physical pain, rather severe pain. No matter how

comfortable the position or posture you have adopted, your body is likely to

protest against the stillness by developing aches and pains in various

parts. When this happens, a serious Sadhaka MUST RESIST the temptation to

move limbs or readjust posture so as to ease the pain. Just become

keenly aware of the pain.

 

Your awareness may wholly be absorbed by the acute pain. You may start

sweating, may be profusely. Your mind may think that you are going to

faint with pain; at such moment firmly decide Not to fight it, Not to

run away from it, Not to desire to alleviate it, but to become aware of

it, to identify with it. Then you may see that the pain sensation is

broken into its component parts and you may be surprised to discover that

it is composed of many sensations viz., intense burning sensation a

pulling and tugging, a sharp, shooting sensation which may merge every now

and then .... and a point which may keep moving from one place to

another ....This point you may identify as pain ....As you will keep up this

exercise, you shall find that you are bearing tile pain quite well-

i.e., pain without suffering.

 

Every Sadhaka has to experience some types of pains, as indicated

above, until his body becomes accustomed to remaining perfectly still. Deal

with the pain through awareness. When your body finally does become

still, you will have a rich reward in the QUIET BLISS that this stillness

will bring you. The temptation to scratch is another frequent

temptation with beginners. This is because, as their awareness of their body

sensations sharpens, they become aware of itching and pricking sensations

that were there all -along but were hidden to awareness because of the

psycho-physical hardening that most of us submit our bodies to and

because of the grossness of their awareness. A Sadhaka must resist such

temptations during awareness Sadhana.

 

IX BODY PRAYER

(A devotional variant of the body sensation)

 

First quieten yourself through the awareness of sensations in various

parts of your body .... Sharpen your awareness by picking up even the

subtlest sensations, Not just the gross and evident ones .... Keep your

hands on knees. Now very gently move your hands and fingers so that

your hands come to rest on your lap, palms facing upwards, fingers joined

together .... The movement must be very, very slow ....like the opening

of the petals of a flower ....And while the movement is going on BE

AWARE OF each part of it.

 

Once your hands are resting on your lap, palms facing upwards, become

aware of the sensations in palms .... Then become aware of the gesture

itself, this is a gesture of prayer to God ....What meaning does this

gesture have for you? What are you saying to God through it? Say without

words, merely identifying with the gesture. . . It may give you some

taste of the kind of prayer you can make with your body ....

 

When you pray with your body you *give power and body to your prayer.

People fail to attend to their body in prayer; they fail to take their

bodies along with them into (he holy temple of God. When they themselves

visit temples or places of worship, they stand or sit in life presence

of God, but they are carelessly slouched in their scat or standing in a

very slovenly fashion ....They are still not gripped by the living

presence of the Lord. Therefore, a devotee of the . Lord should try to

understand the meaning and purpose of 'Body Prayer'. The 'gestures'

suggested are merely samples. A 'devotee' may invent his own gestures to

express his 'Love', Praise', Adoration', Surrender', Gratitude' ....

 

Close your eyes. Quieten yourself through one of your awareness

exercises. FEEL you are in the presence of God in a very devout way, hands

devoutly joined in front of you, slowly raise your face upwards towards

God ....Let your eyes continue to be closed ....What are you saying to

God through your upturned face? Stay with that sentiment or communication

for a few moments ....Then become as fully aware as possible of the

position of your face .... of the sensations on your face ....After a few

moments ask yourself once again what you are expressing to God through

your upturned face and stay with that for a while ....

 

X. THE TOUCH OF GOD

 

This is a devotional variant to the exercises on body sensations that

you will find helpful if you have reservations about calling the body

sensation exercises true prayer or contemplation. Repeat one of the body

sensation exercises. . Take some time to experience as many and as

subtle sensations as you can in various parts of your body ......

 

Now make the REFLECTION: Every sensation I feel, no matter how light

and, subtle is the result of a bio-chemical reaction that could not

exist except for God's Almighty Power .... FEEL God's power at work in the

production of every single sensation ....Feel HIM touching you in each

of those sensations that HE is producing ....Feel the touch of God in

different parts of your body: rough, smooth, pleasurable,painful ....

 

The experience of God need not be something sensational or out of the

ordinary, unless your devotion and Divine Love is developed. There is,

no doubt, an experience of God that is different from the ordinary run

of experiences that we are accustomed to: there is the deep silence that

I spoke of earlier, the glowing darkness, the emptiness that brings

fulfilment.

 

There are sudden, unaccountable flashes of Eternity or of the infinite

that comes to us when we least expect them, in the midst of our work.

One needs to do so little, really, to experience God. All one needs to

do is quieten oneself, become still-and become aware of the feel of your

hand. Beware of the sensations in your hand .... There you have God,

living and working in you, touching you, intensely near you .... Feel

HIM.... Experience HIM. Most of the devotees look upon an experience like

this as far too pedestrian. Surely there is more to the experience of

God than just the simple feel of the sensations of one's right hand.

This needs a long explanation to know the reality-Yet, you are assured

that these simple and humble exercises shall help you a lot to march

towards that reality.

 

We forget all too easily that one of the big lessons of incarnations is

that God is found in the ordinary also. Do you wish to see God? Look at

the fact next to you. You want to hear him? Listen to the cry of a

baby, the loud laughter of a simple party, the wind rustling in the trees.

Or just quieten yourself, become aware of the sensations in your body,

sense HIS ALMIGHTY POWER at work in you and feel how near He is to you.

 

XI. CONCENTRATION

(This is an exercise in pure awareness)

 

Choose one sense object for a basic object of attention. It is

suggested that you choose either the sensations in one part of your body of

your breathing or the sounds around you.

 

Focus your attention on this object, but do so in such a way that if

your attention shifts to something else you are immediately aware of the

shift.

 

Let us suppose you have chosen for your basic object of attention your

breathing. Well, then, concentrate on your breathing....It is quite

likely that after a while your attention will move to something else-a

thought, a sound, a feeling Now provided you are aware of this shift of

attention to something else, this shift is not to be counted as a

distraction. It is important, however, that you be aware of the shift while

the shift is taking place or immediately after it has taken place. Count

it - a distraction only if you become aware of the shift long after it

has taken place.

 

Suppose you choose breathing as your basic object of attention. Then

your exercise will possibly go something like this:-.

 

"I am breathing .... I am breathing .... Now I am thinking ..

...thinking ....thinking....Now I am listening to a sound .... listening....

listening.... Now I am irritated .... irritated. ::Now I feel bored ....

bored....bored ......

 

In this exercise, the wandering of the mind is not

considered a distraction provided you are aware that your attention is shifting

to some other object ....Once you have become aware of this shift, stay

with the new object (thinking, listening, feeling .... ) for a while,

then return to the basic object of your attention (breathing) ....your

skill in self-awareness may become so great that you will not only

become aware of the shift of your attention on to some object, but even of

the desire to shift, the impulse in you to shift on to something else.

As when you want to move your hand you will first become conscious of

the desire arising within you to move the hand, your consent to this

desire, your carrying out of this desire, the very first stirring of your

hand .... All of which activities are performed in an infinitesimal

fraction of a second and so we find it impossible to. distinguish one from

the other until the silence and stillness within us has become almost

total and our awareness has acquired razor edge sharpness.

Self-awareness is a powerful means for increasing in love of God and of

neighbour.

The self-awareness heightens the love. The love, when it is genuine,

fosters deeper self-awareness.

 

Do not go in search of abstruse means for developing your

self-awareness. Begin with humble things like the awareness of: the feel of your

body or awareness of the things around you and then more on to exercises

like the ones which are suggested here and it won't be long before you

notice the fruits of peacefulness and love that heightened

self-awareness brings with it.

 

XII. FINDING GOD IN AIL THINGS

(This is a recapitulation of most of the previous exercises)

 

Do any of the awareness exercises that have preceded. Take your body

sensation, for instance, as the focus of your attention .... Observe not

only the sensations that yield themselves readily to your awareness,

the grosser sensations but also the subtler ones .... If possible, do not

give the sensations any names (burning, numbness, pricking, itching,

cold .... ). Just feel the sensations without putting a label on to them

.....

 

Do the same with sounds ....Capture as many of them as possible ....Do

not try to identify the source of the sounds ....Listen to the sounds

without putting a label on to them.

 

As you proceed with this exercise you will notice a great peacefulness

coming upon you, a deep silence ....Now become aware, briefly, of this

peacefulness and silence ......

 

Feel how good it is to be here now. To have nothing to do. To just be.

Be.

 

For those who are more devotionally inclined. Do the previous exercise

until you sense the peacefulness that comes with it ....

 

Become aware, for a brief while, of that peacefulness and silence ....

 

Now express yourself to God non-verbally. Imagine that you are dumb and

you can only communicate with your eyes and your breathing. Say to the

Lord, non-verbally, "Lord, .it is good to be here with you." Or, do not

communicate with the Lord at all. Just rest in His presence.

 

Also, for the devotionally inclined, a rudimentary exercise in Finding

God in all things.

 

Return to the world of the senses ....Become as keenly aware as

possible of the air you breathe ....of the sounds around you ....of the

sensations you feel in your body .... Sense God in the air, the sounds, the

sensations. Rest in this whole world of the senses. Rest in God....

Surrender to this whole world of the senses (sounds, tactile sensations,

colours .... ) ......

 

....... Surrender to God......

 

 

 

INDIVIDUAL'S UPLIFT AND WORLD WELFARE

 

 

The Divine Life ideal offers a panacea for all the social and political

ills of the modern world. The three fundamentals of Divine Life -Serve,

Love, Give- are the pillars upon which an individual can stand and

uplift himself and the brotherhood of man can be built. Thus the life in

this world can become more fearless and happy as well as purposeful.

 

If one tries to observe people, one may see there three types of

persons-extroverts, introverts and ambivert. Extroverts are persons whose

mind always goes outwards. They become slaves of their senses. They are

after money, pleasure and passion, position and power, honour and

acclaim. They are bound with the conditions and circumstances and the

circumference of life. Naturally, their pursuit is of the outer and they forget

the purpose and destination of human life.

 

Introverts are those persons who are reflective and contemplative and

long to study their inner realm, the inner universe hidden within.

Goethe called it as "Man's inner universe". They renounce pleasure and

position, keeping themselves aloof - away from acclaim and honour. The charm

of the world is such that one may find only a few who are introverts.

Ambivert is a person who does not cut himself from the outer, but lives

in .the 'inner' and makes the outer a vehicle of the inner. He

dedicates his life in selfless service of humanity and places his life as an

offering at the altar of the Great Creator of the universe--the Lord.

Such a person realises the .sanctity of service, seeking nothing for

himself, keeping ablaze the Divinity within. They are the embodiments of

humility and compassion and love-pure and simple at heart. But without

becoming introvert it is not possible for anyone to become ambivert. And

such a person is called sadhaka in its real perspective. In fact, man is

an inborn sadhaka, but fails to recognise the same due to

misconceptions, misunderstandings; arrogance and vanity.

 

HOLISTIC VIEW

 

"There is a common tendency to isolate spiritual principles from

politics, especially in these days of great intellectual power. Dreamers and

visionaries are often brushed aside as people with their heads in the

clouds", out of touch with stark realities. In so many ways man has

become wedded to the doctrine of self-salvation, self-achievement and

self-dependence that in the resultant excitement of great material

achievements he is in danger of forgetting the eternal truths upon which this

entire universe exists and its future heritage depends.

 

The bad habit of complaining against others, the conditions and

slackness in sincere attempts, and a lack of love for himself and humanity-and

man becomes a prey of vanity which subsists on false values. Man

generally thinks falsely that he is unblemished and superior to others and

that others are blemished and inferior. The inevitable consequence is

that he gets a perverted vision and loses the capacity for seeing and

accepting Truth. If a man develops an attitude of selfishness, he is liable

to poison every good sight and tie. But, if his attitude becomes one of

helpfulness and understanding, he shall beautify every tie-foes will

turn into friends, problems will have their solutions and man will have

..his salvation. Unfortunately, man thinks his gain in the loss of

others, his progress in another's downfall and his happiness in another's

unhappiness. It is a tremendous mistake and a dangerous trend born out of

indiscrimination and selfishness, The inspired visions of saints,

mystics and leaders in the religious education, social, economic and

artistic scene of every country have truly reflected the true aspirations of

the people. From these visions was born the practical reality of

everything which is recognised to be good in their way of life. And of course,

everything that is discordant or bad is the outward result of

individual and collective negative or evil thinking or beliefs.

 

One of the greatest saints of the present day Sri Swami Sivanandaji

Maharaj has placed before the world the 'Divine Life' gospel for the

uplift of the individual and attainment of divinity in the end which can be

summed up in six succinct words, "Serve, Love. Give, Purify, Meditate,

Realise."

 

The physical frame of a man owes much to the world because it is made

of the same five elements of which this world is composed. One has,

therefore, to serve one and all without any distinction whatsoever and

without any expectation of return or reward so that he may clear out his

debt towards the world. One must properly understand that the acquired

wealth and power are not his own but are the 'trust' of the poor and

weak. In the right use of things lies the key which consists in the service

of others. Service and sacrifice, hence, are the acme of duty and

dutifulness. When a duty is performed as a duty for duty's sake, it becomes

the source of salvation and not the bondage of attachment. But he

should not have the idea of doership. Hence the service and performance of

duty with a feeling of responsibility and pure heart without

expectations, which is prompted by an inner sense of fellowship and unity,

reduces

attachment and destroys the sense of doership and thus liberates the

man.

 

Love is light, life, eternity. There is nothing else to achieve in this

world but love. In love consists the perfection of human life. All

impurities are rooted in the craving for the pleasure of the senses, but

love is not there. Love is the nature of the beloved and the life of the

lover. One must know that faith and Love go together, because in the

sense of unity resides Love and in the ending of desire is the dawn of

Love. Man has sincerely to understand that the outer form of action

warranted by a given Situation generally makes little difference to the Love

and sympathy in one's inner attitude. The man has to learn a great

lesson that he has to love even a sinner, while hating the sin. A man, who

is an inborn sadhaka must learn the lesson of forgiveness even without

asking for the same from the person who has done something wrong. Thus

only the impurities of man's mind can be washed off. Of course, it

requires great moral strength to seek forgiveness for one's own past wrong

actions. Only one who is truly repentant and who has realised that any

satisfaction of the senses derived from evil propensities is bound to

repeat a harvest of evil and sorrow.

 

Man should not be Confounded with a seeming contradiction between

forgiveness and justice. Man's sense of justice is distorted, on account of

the limitations of his ego, his reactions are perverted. Strictly

speaking, in one sense, man can do justice only to himself because he can

understand his own mind and not of others. As a man and as a sadhaka one

should, therefore, refrain from judging others; and also one should be

forgiving others in so far one feels wronged by others. When the mind

is devoid of hate, a long step is taken by man towards recovery. Love is

the tremendous curative force for an individual and for the society. So

'the great Master emphasised. greatly this love factor and preached in

practice-Love all, hate none. God is in all, do not hurt Him

 

The urge to give happiness to others helps man to destroy his own

craving for pleasure. The desire for pleasure is the cause of frustration;

giving and sharing what you have and serving others with compassion

consumes the craving for pleasure. He warned an aspirant that generosity

motivated by attachment, and renunciation caused by anger are fruitless.

The truth is that the supreme giver is ours, but all the things He

gives are His. Therefore, man should learn the lesson of giving and giving

with happiness all the good that he possesses and not think that by

giving he will lose. In fact he will gain something which is Divine and

Eternal.

 

If the three mottos above - Serve, Love and Give - are properly

understood and practised by man in his day-to-day life, he will find that his

heart has become purified and he is living in a higher stage and better

society. In fact, in the renunciation of one's rights and protection of

rights of the others lies the secret of attainment. His mind becomes

purified and then alone he is in a position to meditate and realise.

 

This is the gospel of Divine life which is the need of the hour, and if

we follow this, we shall be serving this world in a better way on its

upward march. Then alone can there be 'Ramarajya'.

 

Let us march on this path with confidence and faith, with sincerity and

strength, with devotion and dedication. May God and Gurudev bless you!

 

 

 

 

Radiate to all thoughts of love and goodness. Never look into the

faults and defects of others. Always appreciate the good in others.

Overlook their weakness. Pray for the one who wishes to harm you. Bear insult

and injury. Be good and do good.

 

--Swami Sivananda