MEDITATION

You are not the body, nor is the body yours, nor are you the doer of actions or the reaper of their consequences. You are eternally pure consciousness, the witness, in need of nothing—so live happily, an aphoristic proclamation by Sage Ashtavakra (Ashtavakra Gita,15.4., translation by John Richards, 2^nd Edition, 1996, Stackpole Elidor, UK).

Meditation is based on the premise that the subjective self is eternal, luminous, self-effulgent, sentient, imperishable, existence-consciousness-bliss (Sat-Chit-Anand), and the outward objective world of matter is transient, insentient, inert, perishable, anxiety, misery, vexation, craving, bondage, attachment, jealousy, and all those appended adjunct qualities. The way forward is to turn inward to uncover the ignorance and realise the self within. Meditation is to become conscious of your own self, hitherto covered by a veil of ignorance. It is a means of ascending on the ladder of enlightenment and realisation of consciousness, starting from the gross and subtle to the subtlest level. That way, it is the fundamental means to be in union with the Ātman (inner self, or spirit) in the quest to realise Brahmān (the Supreme Self, or Absolute Existence). It is a state of complete thoughtlessness in the mind. Its other hallmarks are inwardness towards the subject or self, withdrawal from sensual desires, detachment, solitude, and the blooming of consciousness all along. Its aim is to unveil the wisdom of Ātman that has been hidden under a veil of ignorance. Ignorance impairs one's ability to attain a continuing higher level of consciousness through self-realisation, self-awareness, or the realisation of their true nature as beings.

Ignorance is the positioning of the outer self in the world of sense-driven objects propelled by the thought-manufacturing machine of the mind. The mind cannot stand independently on its own without some form of attachment. It intrinsically manifests towards sense-driven objects, which by nature are transitory, beyond the realm of the subject, or the inner self, which is by nature eternal. In a body-mind-intellect complex, the mind plays a pivotal role in interfacing sense-driven desires based on the externality of “I” with consciousness, a state of complete awakening, illumination, and enlightenment through the discernment of “I” based on the subjective dimension of Self inseparable from the Supreme Self, or Absolute Reality. Consciousness is all knowledge, awareness, enlightenment, and illumination. It is not a mental entity; rather, it is one of the self. Consciousness is not tangible; the mind is. The mind, the intellect, or any other physical entity or mechanism are gross and subtle components of the body-mind-intellect system. Both the gross and subtle components are not in communication with consciousness. Consciousness also plays no causal role in mental functioning. Therefore, the seemingly closed physical system is neither disturbed nor interfered with by the existence of consciousness. In accordance with this context, the interacting instrumentality faces the intellect and the rest of the physical universe on one side and consciousness on the other. The body-mind-intellect system is closely linked. Normal perception involves the mind using the senses and mental processes to take the form of objects. By themselves, the forms are unconscious mirrors of the material world. In the purusha's light, the mental forms transform into conscious existence. Sensual perception is the mental form; it becomes cognition when the purusha's reflection is applied. Thus, every conscious perception is a cognition. The mind needs to be controlled in a manner that goes from its thought-manufacturing aspect to a state of thoughtlessness through constant discrimination, detachment, equanimity, forbearance, and solitude. It leads to a state of Sat-Chit-Anand (Existence-Knowledge-Bliss), or bliss, purity, and wisdom.

1. Outline

Sages, Scriptures, and philosophers profoundly assert that ignorance, or avidya, that covers the self acts as limited adjuncts in veiling its luminosity and trapping it in the birth-death cycle of samsāra. In realising that meditation is to become conscious of the unity of Ātman (the inner self or spirit) with Brahmān (the Supreme Self or Supreme Consciousness). The goal of the life journey is to realise moksha, or liberation, through self-discipline, which the Katha Upanishad says is the subtlest proceeding from the gross senses in the ascending degree of subtlety.

 Meditation, says Swami Sivananda, is the gateway to infinity of knowledge; the knowable becomes very little, full of bliss, purity, and wisdom. The Yogi becomes ever more free and independent. Meditation removes all coverings of impurities; all succession of the modifications of Gunas (tendencies, qualities, and attributes); thoughts and past impressions come to an end; and so do all afflictions and Karmas.

Meditation is to become aware of what Sri Ramana Maharshi says, “Who am I?" He goes on to say that “I” is not the seven humours, or dhatus (plasma, blood, muscle, fat, bone, bone marrow and reproductive fluid), nor the five cognitive sense organs (the senses of hearing, touch, sight, taste, and smell, which apprehend their respective objects (sound, touch, colour, taste, and odour), nor the five cognitive sense-organs (the organs of speech, locomotion, grasping, excretion, and procreation, which have as their respective functions speaking, moving, grasping, excreting, and enjoying gross elements), nor the five vital vayu, or airs (Prana vayu, Apana vayu, Samana vayu, Udana vayu and Vyana vayu that govern different areas of the body and different physical and subtle activities), nor even the mind which thinks, nor the nescience too, which is endowed only with the residual impressions of objects, and after negating all the above-mentioned as ‘not this’, ‘not this’, that Awareness that alone remains - that I am(Who Am I?, The Teachings of Bhagavan Sri Ramana Maharshi, Translation by Dr. T. M. P. Mahadevan, from the original Tamil, Published by V. S. Ramanan, President, Board of Trustees Sri Ramanasramam, Tiruvannamalai, 1982).

 Ephemeral, temporary, or evanescent is not the nature of being; rather, it is something more than and beyond all of these in the state of eternity, perpetuity, or knowledge-existence-bliss. The atman, also known as the inner self or spirit, is the self, or "I," and it is the subject that exists inside every being rather than the things that are external. Atman’s nature, according to Sage Ashtavakra, is Pure Existence, light only, and nothing but light. When the world arises Ātman alone shines (AG-2.8). He affirms that you should set your body aside. Sit in your own awareness. You will at once be happy, forever still, and forever free (AG-1.4). Sage Ashtavakra tells you that you are already pure and perfect. You don’t need to add anything to that. And you don’t need to give up anything. Don’t misunderstand that you still need to improve your life through meditation, etc. The universe is you, says . The universe arises from you. Detachment, but the entire universe is arising in you; you’re not apart of that. You can’t experience anything outside of your own consciousness. What you experience is you, yourself. To the question, how do we abide in Pure consciousness? He says that You already abide in Pure Consciousness – the problem is that you get mixed up with the mind that thinks, 'I have to abide as Pure consciousness." Abiding in Pure Consciousness is... noting that in every experience of life, bad or good, it is the same Pure Consciousness that shines through all of them. All experiences are experienced in that One light. We think we need time because masters meditated for years to achieve Samādhi (Ashtavakra Gita, translation by John Richards, 2^nd Edition, 1996, Stackpole Elidor, UK).

The perceiver's aim is to perceive the Ātman. The inner spirit is unseen, impervious, everlasting, and constant. It exists somewhere outside the reach of our normal senses. Only a genuine perceiver is able to perceive it. aware of Absolute Existence, sometimes known as Ultimate Reality.

 2. Scriptures

Meditation is emphasised and reemphasised in various teachings and sayings of sages as well as scriptures. Sage Yajnavalkya, while imparting teachings to King Janaka, says that the "Self, indeed, is our light, O king, for by that we sit, move, work, go out, and come back.” “The Self is the pure awareness that shines as the light within the heart, surrounded by the senses. It is this Self that is one with the Sole Reality, the Brahman. This Self is free from desire, from evil, and from fear. The man who is in union with the Self sees without seeing, smells without smelling, tastes without tasting, speaks without speaking, hears without hearing, touches without touching, thinks without thinking, and knows without knowing, for there is nothing separate from him. This state of not having another is the state of unity, one without a second, and that is the world of Brahmān. This is the supreme goal of life, the supreme treasure, the supreme joy.” 

As stated in the Taittiriya Upanisad (2.1.1), the individual soul, although fundamentally identical to Brahmān, nevertheless identifies and attaches itself to the sheaths made of food and other limited, subtle elements. Similarly, just as in the story, a person whose mind is preoccupied with counting others fails to count his own self. Despite the fact that personality is the closest to one and provides the missing number, so too does the individual soul, under the influence of ignorance typified by the inability to perceive one's own true nature as Brahmān, accept the external non-Selves, like the body made of food, as the Self. In this way, even though Brahmān is the self, ignorance can keep one from realising it. The highest state is attained by one who is aware of Brahmān. "He who understands Brahmān—that is, cause and not effect—becomes one with the omniscient Brahmān and experiences all blessings. Brahmān is conscious, endless, and concealed in the highest ether of the heart."

 One becomes conscious of the Self of the Supreme Self consciously, ‘aham brahma asmi,’ or I am Divine, declares the Brihadaranyak Upanishad. It is to generate a strong impulse to migrate from the realisation of sense-perceived objects to the realisation of the subject, or inner self, through meditation.  

The Katha Upanishad states in relational order that the self-existent created the senses outward; therefore, one sees outside and not the Ātman within. Some intelligent man, with his senses turned away from their object and desirous of immortality, sees the atman within. However, the ignorant pursue external objects of desire; they get into the meshes of widespread death, but the intelligent, knowing sure immortality, do not covet the uncertain things here. Adi Shankaracharya, in his commentary, states that the natural tendency to see external objects that are not Ātman is the cause of the obstacle, i.e., ignorance, to the realisation of the Ātman. As opposed to it, the desire for enjoyments pertaining to this world and to the next, external to self and held up by ignorance, is another obstacle. The realisation of the Ātman impeded by ignorance and desire; men with little intelligence pursue only external objects of desire. By that cause, they get into the meshes of widespread samsara chakras of birth, death, desire, and karma. Meshes that which binds, consisting in the possession and deprivation of the body, the senses, etc. The meaning is that they fall into a continuous stream of manifold misery, such as birth, death, old age, sickness, etc. This being so, the intelligent, knowing the certain immortality of concentration in the pratyagatman (Ātman within), i.e., knowing this constant and unshakable immortality, the knowers of Brahmān, do not covet any among the ephemeral objects here, i.e., in samsara full of misery, because these objects are opposed to the realisation of the pratyagatman. The drift is that they rise above the desires of sons, wealth, and worlds.

The Srimad Bhagavad Gita emphatically declares that self-preparation is essential to realising the self through meditation. Self-preparation involves: practice of equanimity, dispassion, detachment, and forbearance; sanctification and purification of the mind to make it serene, fearless, and unwavering; controlling of mind-driven thought and senses; calming the mind and subduing the passions; being free from all yearning of the senses and attachments; concentration on the subject or self; and absorbing the mind on the Supreme Self to realise the Supreme Peace and Happiness.

  3. Remaks

Meditation is to release oneself from the trammels and trappings of the sensual desires and attachments to the realm of enlightenment, serenity, and tranquilly to the realisation of salvation and liberation. To become free and liberated is the fundamental right of every being. Freedom and liberation from the samsara cycle chakra of birth, growth, decay, death, and rebirth. It is to be in union with one's own self. Every being has the fundamental right to moksha, or liberation. Fixation and movement inside the everlasting order or way of existence improve liberation. In this world, everyone only needs freedom to the greatest extent and for the longest amount of time imaginable. In the end, there will be freedom from death, ignorance, bondage, attachments, and all other kinds of emotional moorings. An inability to sense his own position is a man's bondage. Knowledge is freedom; ignorance is servitude. Nevertheless, man basically craves freedom. He is not concerned about birth or death. We are ultimately destined for this freedom, as evidenced by the fact that we strive for the positive attainment of ultimate freedom, which is unlimited and everlasting in nature, despite the difficulties associated with birth and death.

 -Asutosh Satpathy