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Calm the mind to create favourable inner climate

bharatbhushanpadma

Picking up threads from the previous issue, it comes out that once the state of Samadhi is attained, mind becomes thought free. The obvious question that follows: If mind is devoid of any thought, what purpose would it serve?  For, usually thoughts drive all actions on our part.  Let me make it clear that attaining samadhi is not the end game.  It is just a self-empowerment process, which purifies the mind of all the clutters and preconditioning. Evidently then full landscape of mind becomes accessible. With that, wholesome powers of mind come into play, which would know no limits.  Also, mind regains its sense of orderliness, when all its functional constituents begin to spontaneously operate in coordination with each other as a unified organism. The scope of vision thus expands to its optimum best.  Intelligence gets sharpened. Armed as such, mind explores the targeted subject with an open mind. It then perceives things in the right perspective, and accordingly makes most appropriate moves. It needs to be appreciated here that if you look at things from the highest centre of consciousness, nothing remains hidden from you.  Intuitively, you may get to root of whatever is looked at.  


Let me add here that the process does not end with samadhi.  Patanjali must have realised the danger inherent in the process. For, it also carries the probability to develop the tendency to get mentally disinterested from the usual course of life and keep moving in an abstract imaginary world.  That, however, is not the purpose of samadhi.  Apart from trying to unfold the best in oneself and be equipped to negotiate the callings of living world with ease and comfort, we are also supposed to lead others.  Accordingly, Patanjali suggested a backward integration of samadhi, dhyana, and dharana, what he calls Samanvaya.  Having established in the process, when due attention is given to an issue in hand, and reflected upon, one may intuitively get to the root of the subject.  Following which, one may be able to spontaneously pick up the right lead.  This is what in Kashmir Saivism terms as being in Sahaja Samadhi.     


Having thus discussed the concept of Yoga, it is time now to get down to its application.  There are hundred and odd methods of dhyana/meditation in circulation, followed by various cultures.  A fresh seeker will obviously wish to know which one to pick up. Experientially speaking, a three-course process is suggested – Calming down the Mind, Detoxification of mind, and Contextual Meditation – that runs in conformity with the above laid principles.   


A fresher, before taking up the Dhyana process, needs to first create a favourable inner mental climate.  The method calls for trying to relatively calm down the restive mind, flirting with unwieldly thought crowd playing within in immediate terms, mostly inconsequential and negative.  Otherwise, the state of mind would not be conducive to pursue meditation process in right earnest.  

The method is simple, true to the callings of Pratyahara.  You need to lie down on your back in a relaxed posture with no pillow support, preferably on a hard bed so that spinal cord remains straight.  Close your eyes.  All your sensory instruments will naturally get disengaged from the outer world and thereby waking state consciousness.  The subconscious mind immediately comes into full play, bringing into focus random thoughts picked up in immediate past that would be playing on the surface.  Persistent desires and feelings too may keep knocking your inner space.  Evidently then, you will be flooded with thoughts, unnerving you from within.  Allow the thoughts to naturally flow in and out.  Continue the process for at least 20 minutes.  Don’t pay any attention to the thoughts visiting you again and again. Just try to remain disengaged from them as a silent witness.  It needs to be appreciated here that unless you pay attention to something, you may not get affected.    It is, however, difficult to remain oblivious to the thoughts knocking you.      


Train to keep your attention away from the thoughts chasing you, by giving auto suggestion if necessary.  With time, all inconsequential thoughts and feelings will get away from cognitive reach.  This doesn’t mean that all thoughts and feelings would go out of reckoning during this process.  Still there may be many more left, parked at deeper layers of mind, yet to surface up.  They will be attended to during the Mind-Detoxification process proper.  Yet, you may be relatively calmer as thoughts and feelings bothering you in immediate terms may no longer chase you from within.

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