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Sai Baba's Views on Meditation
See also:
Jyoti Meditation
Meditation - Compiled from the
discourses of Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba

Excerpts from "DHYANA VAHINI"
Sathya Sai Baba's book on meditation.

When the wayward mind fleeing in
all directions is plunged in the contemplation of the Name of the
Lord, the effect will be like the concentration of the rays of the
Sun through a piece of magnifying glass; the scattered rays
develop the power of a flame to burn and consume; so too when the
waves of Buddhi and the feelings of Manes become one - pointed
through the converging lens of the Atma, they manifest as the
Divine Splendour which can scorch evil and illumine Joy.
Page 5

Everyone is able to gain success
in his profession or occupation only through concentration and
one-pointed effort. Even the pettiest of tasks needs for its
fulfilment the quality of concentration. The toughest problem
yields before unswerving endeavour. Man is endowed with unlimited
powers. Not one single man is without them! But the road is missed,
since he is unaware of this truth. To gain the awareness of this
power, he must join the company of the holy; he must strive in
Sadhana; and he must practise Japam and Dhyanam. What use is it
even if you have all kinds of ingredients in plenty, when you do
not know how to cook? Similarly, man has in himself all the
ingredients needed for his upkeep and progress, but he discards
them lightly and leaves them unused because he doesn't know the
method of benefiting by them. Man must seek to see and understand
the Universal Sakthi, the One without a second, which is the Basis
of all the multifarious manifestations of Name and Form in the
world around him. The mind flies off on tangents all the time.
Dhyanam is the process by which it is trained to acquire
concentration.
Page 6

The method of Dhyanam: The place
chosen should be a little elevated from the ground; that is an
inch or two high. Place a grass mat on it, spread a deerskin on
the mat and have a thin white cloth laid on the skin. Upon this
seat one should sit adopting the Padmasana pose. The right foot
must be above the left and the left foot above the right. The
fingers of the hand must be in close touch with one another and
the hands should be placed in front. The eyes must be either
half-open or fully closed, the teeth, the stomach, the fingers,
the back, the thighs, the knee, the calves and the feet should be
relaxed. After this, one has to meditate on one's own favourite.
Name and Form, with OM added. While this is being done, there
should be no mental wanderings; one must be stable and quiet. No
thought of past events, no trace of anger or hatred and no memory
of sorrow should be allowed to interfere. Even if they intrude,
they should not be considered at all; to counteract them, one must
entertain thoughts which will feed one's enthusiasm for Dhyanam.
Of course, this may appear difficult at first. The best time for
Dhyanam is in the quiet hours before dawn, between 3 and 5 a.m.
One can awake, say at 4 a.m. First of all, sleep has to be subdued.
This is very necessary. In order to keep the hours unchanged, one
may set the alarm clock for 4 a.m. and rise. Even then, if sleep
continues to bother, its effect can be overcome by means of a bath
in cold water. Not that it is essential to bathe, it is needed
only when sleep gives much trouble.
If in this manner the Dhyanam path is rigorously followed, it is
possible for one to win the Grace of the Lord very quickly.
Page 7-8

Sadhakas all over the world will
naturally be engaged in Japam and Dhyanam, but first one has to be
clear about the purpose of Japam and Dhyanam. Without this
knowledge, people begin Japam and Dhyanam believing them to be
related to the objective world, capable of satisfying worldly
desires and hoping to demonstrate their value by means of sensory
gains! This is a grave error. Japam and Dhyanam are for acquiring
one-pointed attention on the Lord, for casting off sensory
attachments and for attaining the joy derived from the basis of
all sensory objects. The mind should not wander off in all
directions, indiscriminately, like the fly. The fly dwells in the
sweet shop and runs after the rubbish carts; the fly which has
such a mind has to be taught to understand the sweetness of the
first place and the impurity of the second place, so that it may
not desert the sweet shop and pursue the rubbish cart. When such
teaching is imparted to the mind, it is called Dhyanam! Look at
the other type, the bee. It will have contact only with sweetness;
it will approach only those flowers that possess nectar; it will
not be attracted to other places; it will not go there at all.
Similarly, one has to give up all inclinations towards the sensory
attraction, towards the rubbish cart of the untrue and the
impermanent; and as far as possible, one has to direct the mind to
all holy things which yield sweetness and the joy associated with
the Lord. For this, time is needed, of course. How long that time
will be is dependent on the activities of thought, word and deed
as well as on the motives that impel those actions.
Pages 8-9

Really speaking, man's inner
feelings will be evident from his physical body. The stance and
the appearance of the body help us to discover these feelings. It
is found that there is a close mutual relationship between the
attitudes of the body and the attitudes of the mind. Take one
example; with the loins girded, the sleeves of the shirt rolled
and the palms rounded into fists, it is not possible to exhibit
love or devotion. With bended knees, the eye half-closed and the
hands raised up over the head with the palms joined, is it
possible to show one's anger or hatred or cruelty? That is why the
ancient Rishis used to tell the Sadhakas that it was necessary
during prayer or Japam and Dhyanam to adopt the appropriate bodily
pose. They saw that it was possible by this means to control the
waywardness of the mind. Of course, for the expert Sadhaka;
Dhyanam is easy in any pose; but for the novice, such physical
means are essential. This bodily and mental training must be
undergone only to be later discarded as but a means to attain the
True and the Eternal Atma. Until this is realised. Sadhana has to
be consistently practised.
Page 12

The waters of a river leap from
mountains fall into valleys and rush through gorges, besides,
tributaries join at various stages and the water becomes turbid
and unclean. So too, in the flood of human life, speed and power
increase and decrease. These ups and downs might happen any moment
during life. No one can escape these; they may come at the
beginning of life or at the end, or perhaps in the middle. So,
what man has to firmly convince himself is that life is
necessarily full of ups and downs; and that far from being afraid
and worried over these, he should welcome them as adding to his
experience. He should not only feel like this, but he should be
happy and glad whatever happens to him. Then, all troubles
whatever their nature, will pass away lightly and quickly. For
this, the temper of the mind is essential.
Page 14-15

Concentration is essential for
all. It is the foundation of all successful endeavour. It is
needed not only for Dhyana, but even for worldly affairs and
ordinary living. Whatever is the task that one is engaged in, if
one does it with concentration, one will develop both
self-confidence and self-respect; for they are the result of the
attitude of one's own mind. The mind may lean on either the bad or
the good. Concentrated attention must be employed to keep the mind
attached only to good promptings. Success or failure in the good
task depends upon one-pointedness.
Page 15

? a person should develop
Interest in Dhya-na and a taste for Dhyana. That is to say, a
yearning, which admits of no other step and which, will not
tolerate any obstacle. Of course, one may yearn to hear music and
derive joy therefrom: or see the bodies of near rela-tives who
have died and derive sorrow therefrom! Yearning may thus have
pleasant or even unpleasant consequences! Yearning must have the
strength to inspire endeavour; in fact, yearning is but dormant
endeavour; endeavour is yearning in action. When yearning is weak,
en-deavour declines; when one is strong the other too is active.
Dhyana gives concentration and success in all tasks.
Page 16

A new understanding dawns, clear
and unruffled. When the heights of Dhyana are reached, this
understanding becomes so strong that one's lower nature is
destroyed and burnt to ashes! Then, only 'You' remains. The entire
Creation is a delusion of your mind! One alone IS Sathyam, the
Lord, Satchidananda, Paramatma, and Sivoham-the ONE.
The Sathya, the Truth, is so subtle and so soothing. Once that is
reached, there is no meditation, no mediator, no Dhyana, no
Dhyatha, all merge into one. That is the fixed, illumined
experience. Exulting within himself that is Pure Knowledge, the
Jnani will be aware only of Atmanubhava, Atmic Bliss. That is the
Goal, the fruit of Immortality. Attaining the transcendent
experience, the Yogi finishes his Dhyana and moves among men
resplen-dent with divinity! In him, the Vedas find fulfilment. He
is transformed into a pure being. Dhyana and Dhyana alone have the
capacity to make a person transcend the vicissitudes of time, and
make him ever the same equanimous individual, as if he were
another Creator himself.
Page 17

You have heard so far little
about the inner world but Divine Life is nothing but this method
of 'inward living'. Just as the baby, after learning to watch and
understand, tries to toddle here and there at home, so also the
Sadhaka learns to toddle in the Inner world and understand it. A
healthy baby in the cradle waves it arms and legs in glee,
watching the lamp on the wall and lisps in joy: the Sadhaka also
healthy in body, mini and soul, lying in the cradle of life,
watches the Inner world and claps his hands ceaselessly in great
glee at that inner joy.
Page 18

The Dyani considers the
realisation of Atmic Bliss as important; but the promotion of the
welfare of the world is also an equally important aim. For
carrying out that aim, he must bring under control certain
physical, verbal and mental tendencies. These are usually known as
the ten-fold sins: the three physical, the four verbal, and the
three mental. The physical tendencies are injury to life,
adulterous desire and theft. The verbal sins are false alarms,
cruel speech, envious talk and lies. The mental attitudes are
greed, envy and the denial of God. The person intent on following
Dhyana must take every care that these ten enemies do not approach
him. They have to be eschewed completely. He needs tendencies that
will help him to progress and not those that will drag him back.
Page 19

There are some that try to be
quality-less; but they achieve only living death. Their pale faces
reveal only lack of zest and interest. This is the result of
unreasoned haste in spiritual discipline. Though becoming
quality-less is ultimately needed, there should be no hurry to
reach the goal; even though a person may have the ardour, it very
often leads to dilemmas, which many solve through suicide! First,
one must accumulate the wealth of character. Since they evince no
interest in earning this qualification, many stalwart Sadhakas
have lost their way and not regained it in spite of years of
effort! Others have slipped into the morass through which they
were wading
Page 21

... Consider the condition of
this world hundreds of thousands of years ago. At that time this
globe was the scene of two things only. On one side was the fiery
lava, which poured forth from the volcanoes and crevices that
scarred the surface of the earth. The flood of destruction
descended on all sides and spread fear and death in the regions
around, as if the end of everything had come. On another 8ide, the
scarcely noticeable molecules of living matter, the microscopic
amoeba floated on the waters or clung to the crevices among the
rocks keeping the spark of life safe and well protected. Of these
two, one, boisterous and bright; the other, quiet and secluded;
upon which would you have built your trust? At that time, surely
no one would have believed that the future was with the amoeba or
the animalcule! Who could have foreseen that these minute specks
of life could hold out against the gigantic onslaught of molten
lava and earth-shaking up-heaval? Those specks of Chaithanya or
Life-Consciousness won through nevertheless. Unheralded by fire
and dust, by swooping gale or swallowing floods, the amoeba, in
process of time, by the sheer force of the Life principle It
embodied, blossomed into goodness and strength of cha-racter, into
art and music, into song and dance, into scholarship and Sadhana
and martyrdom, into sainthood and even Avatars of Godhead I In all
these, the history of the world is found summarised.
Page 22

This Prakriti is like an ocean;
even if it is agitated a little, tens of thousands of living
beings will be destroyed. When the sea becomes slightly ruffled,
ships break like hollow reeds; at no time can you cross this sea
by your own effort alone. The Lord's Grace is essential, so pray
for that raft and when you secure it, you can reach the shore.
Everything in this world is ephemeral, transitory, it is here
today but it may not be here tomorrow.
So, if you desire to crave for something, seek the Lord, who has
no decline. Instead, if you crave for progeny, wealth and all
comforts, you will suffer untold misery when you are called upon
to leave everything and depart. At that you would lament, 'Oh, did
I love so deeply that I may weep so loudly?' In this transitory
life, joy and pain are also perforce transitory. So, to get
immersed in this search for the evanescent and to forget the
Supreme and Everlasting is, indeed, humiliating to man. Ignoring
Madhava who is free from Maya and spending time in things immersed
in Maya is fruitless; sorrow alone is the gain. There is nothing
here fit to be worshipped as Eternal. Whomsoever you love, that
love has to come to an end. The self-same Lord gives, and takes!
He gives and takes as and when He wishes. Everything is His; so
how foolish it is to lament when things belonging to him are taken
back by Him? The wise man will, there-fore not pine over any one
or feel undue attachment to anything. Let all the pining and all
the attachment be for the Lord; He alone is eternal; He is the
source of all Joy. For the rest, love a thing as a thing, not
more. Love Man as Man, not more. If you love them more, it is a
sign that you have been deceived about their real nature. You can
behave only for a short time as if the house you have rented out
is your own for, as soon as the period is over, it passes on to
another. If you think on these lines, you will know that the wife,
the children, the possessions, the relatives, are not yours for
long; they are yours for a short time only. So, why waste away
worrying over these impermanent things? A millionaire can eat only
one bellyful, not more. Man has to come to this world, like the
traveller taking refuge at nightfall in a caravanserai; when dawn
breaks, he departs! He goes towards his goal, from caravanserai to
caravanserai, stage by stage. It is good to think of life in this
light.
Page 31-32

Animals with many legs have to
creep along the ground; man has only two legs and so he can freely
move about. The larger the number of legs the greater the bondage,
the tighter the restriction. Now, suppose he marries. Then he has
four legs, he has become a quad-ruped; later, when he gets sons,
daughters, sons-in-law and grand-children, he is transformed into
a regular centipede, capable of moving only by crawling along the
ground! He cannot stand erect; he loses the freedom of movement;
he has to creep slowly along the mire of material objects; he has
no time or inclination to secure the Lord's Grace.
The attachments of the world are short-lived. People have been
born many times before and have lived out their lives; loving and
getting immersed in love, and attaching themselves to others. But
does any one now know where all that has gone? Does he worry about
any one of those he loved then? Does he remember them at least,
now and then? No. The same love and attachment were there then
also; but with the passage of time it has been forgotten. So too,
when one departs from this world the love one had for others and
the joy, pain and happiness one had through that love will be
forgotten. Like the playgrounds of children the senses of action
of Man will also be changing, from here to there, and from there
to somewhere else ! Fixing their minds on the insecure, changing
love, how tragic it is that people forget the cultivation of the
disciplines that will give them the permanent Bliss of the Lord!
Page 33

All living beings are actors on
this stage. They take their exit when the curtain is rung down or
when their part is over. On that stage, one may play the part of a
thief; another may be cast as a king; a third may be a clown and
another a beggar. For all these characters in the play, there is
ONE who gives the cue! Here, some points have to be understood
clearly. The prompter will not come upon the stage and give the
cue, in full view of all. If He does so, the drama will lose
interest. Therefore, standing behind a screen at the back of the
stage, He gives the cue to all the actors, irrespective of the
role; be it dialogue, speech or song, just when each is in most
need of help. In the same way, the Lord is behind the screen on
the, stage of Prakriti, giving the cue to all the actors for their
various parts. So every actor must be conscious of His Presence
behind the Maya screen; he must be anxious to catch the faintest
suggestion He might give, keeping a corner of the eye always to
Him and having the ear pitched to catch His voice.
Page 35

Hindus, Muslims and Christians
may differ on many points, but they are all one in the
glorification of the Name of the Godhead. All of them take but the
Name of the One Lord, though the language through which the Name
is expressed is different. Each one recites, repeats and remembers
the Name as formed on his own tongue. Each one turns with his
fingers the rosary appropriate to his religion. But for every one
there is nothing so fruitful, so universal, or so holy among
spiritual disciplines as these are: Japam, Dhyanam and Smarana.
Page 36

Note this. When there is a
peculiar disease prevalent in a particular country, the drug that
can cure it is also found in that very country more so than
anywhere else. Though available after vigorous search in other
lands, it will not be so good, or as plentiful. Similarly, this
specific drug is available now, in this Kaliyuga! It is now in
this Yuga that the ghastly evils of injustice, immorality and
falsehood infect the world. That is the reason why the Sastras
have been proclaiming again and again, with greater and greater
emphasis, that in this Kali age there is no means of salvation
other than the Nama! Of the four Yugas, the Kali Yuga is the best
on account of this. Nama, Japa and Dhyana strain out the evil in
mankind. Human nature is guarded and protected by these three.
Hence, the fruits of Dhyana are greater than those secured with
great difficulty through Yoga, Yajna or Pranayama.
Page 39

Let the mind run wherever it
likes, only, be careful you do not follow it, seeking to discover
where it is going! It will then wander about for some time as the
fancy takes it and soon getting tired and exhausted, it will come
back to you in the end! It is like a little child that knows
nothing. Since the mother is following it and calling it back, it
gets courage and confidence to run forward in any direction; but
if the mother does not run behind the child and retraces her steps
quietly, the child too, of its own accord, will run back to the
mother!
Page 42

More over, the world loves only
good men, endowed with good qualities; it keeps bad men at a
distance. Exterior charm attracts the animal; internal charm,
resulting from character, pleases the Lord. Do not be tempted by
the low tastes of the world and the cheap regard that people
bestow. Strive for the holy Grace and Love of the Lord. The
affection that men shower is inconstant for it depends on their
likes and dislikes. But the Love that the Lord bears to you
depends on your good qualities alone. It can also give you
permanent joy. Those who are enamoured of the external will tumble
into disappointment and sorrow every now and then. Beauty consists
in character, not in anything else. There is nothing more charming
than that.
Page 45

In the same manner, the Lord is
manifest in the picture or image that one worships; but is this
due to any special excellence of the picture or image? No, The
picture, the photo, the image, these are and remain as picture,
photo and image. The fact is that on account of the intensity of
the devotion of the Bhaktha, the Lord cannot desist from
manifesting Himself for him. For that reason, He assumes Form; the
Form that Blesses, in stone, wood or paper that the Bhaktha
contemplates and meditates upon and worships. He materialised from
a pillar for the sake of Prahlada! For Markandeya, He issued from
a Linga! In order to fulfil the yearning of the Bhaktha, Han, the
Immanent Basic Being of the Universe, will come, in any Form, in
anything, at any place.
Page 46

This type of single-mindedness
comes out of Sathwaguna only; and that again is the product of
Dhyanam. Therefore, you must cultivate good qualities and in order
that these may develop, you should desire the company of the good,
sathsanga. Your ideal companions from whom you derive the maximum
good are those who talk and discourse about the Lord, about truth,
about the Seva of others and about Prema that considers all as
equal. Association with such is certainly association with Sadhus,
for these are the real Sadhus.
Those who never speak of the Lord, or those who are not even aware
of Him; who are busy multiplying and strengthening the bonds of
Samsara; who preach and practise falsehood, injustice and
oppression and who advise you to stray from the path of Dharma;
treat these, not as your friends, but as people to be avoided at
all cost Theirs is the company of wicked men, the Dussanga.
Associating with such leads to the commissions of' wrongs against
your will, the utterance of words which should not be uttered, the
doing of deeds that should not be done; and consequently, treading
the downward road to ruin.
Page 47

This type of single-mindedness
comes out of Sathwaguna only; and that again is the product of
Dhyanam. Therefore, you must cultivate good qualities and in order
that these may develop, you should desire the company of the good,
sathsanga. Your teal companions from whom you derive the maximum
good are those who talk and discourse about the Lord, about truth,
about the Seva of others and about Prema that considers all as
equal. Association with such is certainly association with Sadhus,
for these are the real Sadhus.
The Jivanmukthas, the realised souls, are as lighthouses that
point out the way to ships caught in blinding darkness in mid
ocean. The spiritual lighthouses show the way to those who
struggle helplessly in the thick night of ignorance.
Page 48

It is really a source of
amazement this, creation and the wonder with which it is filled.
But considering present conditions, there are very few who watch
for Light and who are guided by the Light. So, instead of
following this person and that and taking devious roads and
getting lost, it is best to place full faith in the Lord Himself
and rely on Him as the only Mother, Father, Guru and Guide. Then
you will never lose the right path. He will never direct you to
the wrong path. To have that firm faith and that experience one
must take to Dhyana; that is the one and only means. It is enough
if the Name and Form of the Lord are meditated upon with Prema and
with Faith; and you can choose the Name and the Form, which you
like most. For this spiritual discipline you must cultivate the
quality of being always joyful; with smile on the face this will
give you good distinction. People will also like you more. And so,
the Lord too will have joy on seeing you. Therefore, observe
Dhyanam with innocence, purity and humility.
Page 49

Character is Power. So train it
and use it to attain the visualisation of the Lord, Sakshathkara:
hold fast to the Goal. You must have contentment, whatever the
gain or loss, or state. This is essential. Contentment grants
happiness and increases it. For the contented mind, life is an
endless festival. The mind worried by desire will have no rest.
With desire troubling you, concentration is impossible. Desire is
the fire in your frame; it reduces you to ashes. Contentment is
the effective drug to destroy it. Just as a bath in the cool
waters of a stream refreshes a traveller exhausted and perspiring
in the burning heat of day, the pellucid waters of Contentment
will refresh the man suffering from the scorching fire of greed.
Page 52

Do not get attached to this
evanescent body; utilise the body as an implement. Consider
yourself as separate from this destructible body, created out of
the conjunc-tion of the five' Elements. Know yourself as the
indestructible Atma. As the house in which you dwell is separate
from you, so is the body, which surrounds you for a little time,
also separate. The body is the root cause of all this grief, all
this calamity and all this sla-very. Understand this well: make
the body obey your will, never bow down to it and follow its whims.
Be prepared to cast it away; resolve to control it and keep it
under strict control. You have to deal carefully with the body;
you have to train it with great attention.
Though all that was said above related to the Atma, some
activities have to be undertaken by everyone. How to use the body
as an implement, as a boat for example, to cross the stream of
life? Until the other bank is reached, or In other words, until
the Ultimate Truth is attained, you must take care to see that it
is not damaged or broken or leaky. Let not the boat fall to pieces;
be on the look out for the signs. That is to say: moderate food of
good Sathwic quality at the correct time and disciplined physical
activities for the body should not be given up. Such activity
directed to the spiritual becomes the discipline needed for real
Sadhana. This is what is referred to as Dhyanam, Smarana, Puja and
Bhajana. When the discipline is practised, as well as later, you
must be joyful and not gloomy. This should not be forgotten; never
get tired or timid. If, however the Sadhaka gets tired, then he
can eat at the end of the day's Dhyanam, a few peanuts or almonds
soaked well in water. These will cool the body and endow it with
strength.
Pages 54-55

Anyone aiming at the realisation
of God should practise the diminishing of impulses, the curbing of
the mind and the understanding of the fundamental principle. Not
one of these is enough for Moksha. In the Jivanmuktha, impulses
persist, but as fried seeds only. They will not cause further
births. See the subtle body is the Ajnani, the seat of Ignorance.
It is saturated with impulses and traditions and experiences. The
Atma is free. From all these. It is ever pure. It belongs to
neither sex, has no mind, no senses, no form. Not only that, it
has no Prana, even! It cannot be said to be a1ive or dead. How can
contemplation on such en Atma be any thing other than pure? How
can Light and darkness coexist? How can purity and impurity
coexist?
Page 60

Listen! Bharadwaja studied the
Vedas for three successive lives. When born a fourth time, he
started reading again! So Indra came to him and taught him the
Brahmavidya and confided to him the secret of Liberation. Then
Bharadwaja put an end to his reading and his study and entered
upon hard, concentrated Dhyanam He realised the Atma. Therefore,
study is a purposeless exercise if the essence is not imbibed and
practised. The greed to read about all kinds of subjects and
topics is itself not a very healthy impulse. Once upon a time
Durvasa, the saint, reached the presence of Shiva with a cartload
of religious books. Narada then compared him to the proverbial
donkey; for too much attachment to books is itself a Durvasana, or
undesirable habit. Though one carries the burden of a multitude of
books concerning all branches of knowledge and though he might
have read all of them, the teaching contained in them cannot be
grasped at all without actual practical experience. Mere pride in
learning is itself a malina Vasana, the Vasana of greed. When
Durvasa heard such words of advice he was enlightened; he
immediately threw all the bundles into the sea and plunged into
deep meditation or Dhyanam. See how the sages feel that Dhyanam is
all-important for attaining full knowledge!
Pages 63-64

The wayward mind wanders hither
and thither; but it is possible to fasten it on one fixed point by
means of steady discipline and persistent training in Sadhana
This is the condition called Ekagratha, one-pointedness. It is
also referred to as single-mindedness or Dharana. The
uninterrupted flow of oil from one vessel to another is a fine
symbol of the mental process called Dharana. For novices in
Sadhana, Dharana appears to be very difficult of attainment since,
after some progress is won, they do not usually keep up the
practice. Instead, they give it up even though on those days on
which they desist from Sadhana, they will not have peace of mind.
Dharana endows man with divine joy, wisdom beyond measure, the
inner vision, the insight into the deeper truths, clearer
understanding and unison with the God-head. This science of
Sadhana is more wonderful than the three Worlds !
Pages 66-67

The Sadhaka has to be ever
watchful of this tendency of his mind. When mind flits from object
to object, he must bring it back to the right path and the right
object. That is the correct spiritual Sadhana, the path of Dharana
and Dhyanam. If, however, the Sadhaka does not struggle to achieve
this one-pointedness but leaves the mind to itself, following its
vagaries from this to that and that to this, the process deserves
to be called Merkata Dhyanam, or monkey-meditation; a type of
meditation vary harmful indeed to spiritual progress. In short,
the chief purpose of Dharana and Dhyanam is to minimise the
travels of the mind and force it in one place. Holding it on to
that fixed stage, one should continue Sadhana for a long time.
Then there is no limit to the peace and joy that one can have.
When, for example, you meditate on a table, your thoughts dwell on
the wood, the size and measurements, the style, mode of
manufacture etc. No other thought pertaining to anything else
should be allowed. If the thought hovers round a cot, the idea of
the table becomes hazy; and cot too is imagined incompletely. Both
get confused and the state of the mind must be single-pointed. So
too, the when the Lords Form is meditated upon, the mind must
dwell upon the form of each part and its beauty and splendour and
these ideas must be co-ordinated and combined into the completed
picture.
That is the modus operandi of Dhyanam. Persistent performance of
this Dhyanam will result in the emergence of a particular Rupam or
Form. Contemplating on that Form, looking at it and seeing it for
days and days, finally a stage will be reached when the Form will
disappear and you will forget yourself. That is the one Samadhi
stage, In that stage, if one feeling or ideation alone persists,
it is called Savikalpasamadhi, the Samadhi with ideation; and if
no feeling or thought persists, it becomes what Patanjali in the
Rajayogaaastra designated as avanasana or the end of ideation.
Pages 67-68

Of course, the mind is inert, or
jada. Just as when water, inert matter begins to shine when it is
placed in the Sun, the inert mind borrows effulgence from the Atma
and appears as if it has Chaithanya, or Consciousness. In the mind,
Buddhi gets reflected and so it looks as if the mind too is
intelligent, that is all. It's real nature la Ignorance or Ajnana.
The mind is not self-effulgent, like the Atma. The mind's
splendour is as the luminosity of insects in the rainy season. The
Atma, however, is the Sun of Suns; it is the Effulgence of
Effulgences; It la the Supreme Light, the Paramjyothi. It is
Swayam Jyothl, the Self-effulgent.
Pages 67-68

Again, in Dharana you must be
careful not to have as the object something your mind does not
like; for however hard you try, your mind will not stay on it. In
the beginning, therefore, have some object that is a source of joy.
Sit in the Padmasana pose and fix your eyes on the tip of your
nose. For a minute in the beginning; than for three minutes; for
six, soma days later; for as long as nine minutes, after some
time; thus, the concentration has to be strengthened gradually
without undue hurry. In this way, it can be held for even half an
hour, with the lapse of time. Only, you should not force the pace.
Slowly and steadily, the discipline must be developed. With
practice, the mind will get fixed and the power of Dharana will
increase. To attain Dharana and acquire one-pointedness, you must
undergo exertion to soma extent. You must fasten your mind on the
Lord and keep off all other thoughts from the mental plane. By
constant exercise of this type, your vision will be firmly fixed
on the Lord residing in your heart. That is, verily the goal; the
full fruition of Dhyanam.
Page 71

The Sadhaka must be vigilant not
to lose his temper even in small things, for that will block his
progress. He must cultivate love towards all and meekness. Then
undesirable habit will fall away from him since anger is the
parent of all wrong behaviour. Anger can turn any into bad ways,
any moment, and in any form. So it should be sublimated first by
systematic effort. The Sadhaka must welcome gladly the
announcement of his defects by any one; he must indeed, be
grateful to those who point them out. He must never entertain
hatred against them, for that is as bad as hating the 'good'. The
'good' has to be loved and the 'bad' discarded. Remember that the
'bad' should not be hated. It has to be given up, avoided. Only
such persona can achieve progress in Dhyanam and Spiritual Wisdom.
Conceit, jealousy, the Rajasic exhibition of one's superiority,
anger, the craving to inform oneself of the weakness of other: and
their failings, trickery, all these are obstacles in the path of
Dhyanam. Even it these are not patently exhibited, the inner
Impulses urging one along these wrong directions are latent In the
mind. As a room kept closed for a long time is found dust-ridden
and foul smelling when it is opened and as it becomes clean and
habitable after elaborate sweeping and dusting so the mind too has
to be cleaned by Dhyanam. The Sadhaka must, by inward observation,
examine the mind and its contents and condition. By proper
disciplinary habits he should remove the accumulated dirt, little
by little, systematically. Conceit, for example, is deep-rooted
and unyielding in the Rajasic mind; it puts forth manifold
branches in all directions and spreads everywhere. It might appear
to be dry and dead for some time. But it will sprout again easily.
As soon as a chance arises for its exhibition, it will raise its
hood. So the Sadhaka has to be ever vigilant.
Page 72

It is a hard job to get rid of
Pride and Self-Love or Ahamkara; for every one has been shaping
this life from the beginning-less period of time! Each has been
allowing his mind to flow in the direction it likes for ages past.
So it is very difficult now to turn it from its accus-tomed path
and bend its steps in another direction. The individual full of
Aham loves to exercise authority over others. He will not agree
with others that it is 'bondage', for their arguments have not
been advanced by him! They see everything through the glasses
coloured by the smoke of selfishness and self-love. "My words are
true", "My Opinion is correct", " My deeds are right", thus they
feel and thus they spend their days. Such behaviour is very
harmful for Sadhakas. The Sadhaka must eagerly look forward to any
helpful criticism or suggestion or advice, from whatever quarter.
Page 74

Thus, you must reform your mental
traits and habits. Cultivate the habit of never causing pain to
others. Try to understand others and sympathise with them and do
things that will be helpful. Train yourself to take insult and
criticism as "medals" awarded to you. Struggle hard to be friendly
with every one, whatever be their nature or conduct.
A sense of joy is necessary for Dhyanam and Dharana to progress,
but many things deprive you of the atmosphere of joy. So you must
pray sincerely, in order to be free from such obstacles. The
recital or repetition of Mantras will be of great help. Krishna in
the Dwapara Yuga said, "Mathchinthanath sarva durgaani
mathprasaa-daath tharishyathi", which means, "when you start
fixing your thoughts on Me, all thoughts that agitate you will be
stilled through My Grace."
The Discipline of Dhyanam must be rigorously fol-lowed. In fact
Dhyanam means 'discipline'. Discipline, regularity, steadiness;
these are essentials of Dhyanam. If the Sadhaka keeps these things
in view, he can achieve quick results. Dhyanam is a first class
cure for the Bhavaroga, illness of Samsara. Along with it, another
drug too must be taken; its name is contentment. If there is
Contentment in the mind, one enjoys an endless festival.
Pages 75

Do not worry about the
unsatisfactory environment you may have. Of course, the place may
have some drawbacks end it may not be ideal. But it is no use
trying to run away from all that. You can overcome the drawbacks
by training your own mind. Stay there itself end prey to the Lord!
Pray that He may fill you with His thoughts and Vision, making you
ignore the defects of the environment. Do not seek comfort, for
comfort might not be conducive to Dhyanam. Learn to be comfortable
in any place; that is better. Live in joy wherever you are; that
is the way. Revel in the realm of your mind; worship there the
Lord you have chosen as your goal and be free of all the defects
of the natural or human environment! No spot can be irksome to you
then, nor will any place seem disgusting.
Page 73

If you would like to read all
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Source:

Meditation
Compiled from the discourses of
Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba." Meditation is a
function of the inner man. It involves deep subjective quietude,
the emptying of the mind and the filling oneself with the light
that emerges from the Divine spark within."
- BABA
Meditation is a
spiritual discipline leading to self-realization. Simply closing
one's eyes and letting the mind wander about and play, as per its
whims, is not meditation. Meditation or silent sitting is a
process or a stage transcending the senses. "Only in the depth of
silence can the voice of God be heard". This is a true statement,
because when we pray, we silently speak to God. Meditation takes
us to that silence. It is a way of communicating with that Divine
self who is God or the Atma.
Life is a journey
with a purpose and not unlike a voyage, it must be charted out.
We must first mentally prepare ourselves for this journey. In the
same way, before we sit to meditate, some preparation is necessary.
Each individual is unique; therefore one should not judge one's
progress with another. This would be misleading and most probably
distort one's self-confidence. It is the same with meditation;
each experience will differ depending on the condition of the body
and mind of the individual.
Here are some
tips for a beginner starting on the path of meditation. Establish
two regular periods for meditating, one in the morning and one in
the evening. The morning session prepares us for the daily tasks,
whereas in the evening, we are thanking God and offering all that
we have done at His lotus feet. Baba tells us that between the
hours of 3 a.m. and 6 a.m., meditation is very potent, as all is
still and quiet and the body is refreshed after sleep. As one
develops the habit of meditating, one automatically adjusts the
time to suit one's daily activities.
It is best to
meditate before meals. If one is hungry, have something light to
eat or else the body and mind will not get the benefit of rest
during meditation. One should not sit directly on the ground.
Sit on a special mat reserved only for prayer or meditation, or
sit on a piece of cloth forming a seat, so as to have some
insulation for the body currents which naturally move to earth.
Why should one
sit straight and quiet in meditation? Baba says this is a very
essential part of our practice of meditation, " because when the
body is straight and quiet, the mind is also straight and quiet.
If you cannot control your body, how can you control your mind? "
If one is ill, it is alright to meditate lying on the bed.
How long should
one meditate? There is no set time for a beginner, but 20 minutes
to half an hour would be appropriate. It is best to practice in a
quiet area, in a prayer room or wherever it is convenient for you.
Take measures to disallow disturbances (e.g. take the phone off
the hook, put animals in another room, wait until the children are
asleep, etc.). Noise should not be a hindrance to a meditator
because even in a noisy market one can think. In the same way, do
not let noise be a disturbance. However, if during the practice,
one is suddenly disturbed, (doorbell, etc.) do not be alarmed.
Take a minute or two to come out of that state of relaxation, as
any sudden jerk could be jarring to the nervous system. When you
are finished with meditation, loosen your limbs slowly, before you
start your usual duties.
Since meditation
provides deep rest to the body and mind, it is likely that a
beginner may become over-energetic, tired or sleepy during or
after the practice. Whatever the body needs, it usually calls for,
so if one feels sleepy it is all right to rest for a few minutes.
Meditate with sincere devotion and love and Baba tells us that He
will be our Guru and Guide.
Baba says Give
and Gain. One can give in many ways. Sometimes we wonder what
can we give to God? Baba says that all that He wants from us is
Love. In silent sitting, we are giving of ourselves; we are
pouring our hearts to God. For what is really ours to give, when
all is His? If we give a little of our time to communicate with
Baba, He will answer our prayers and guide us.
The ultimate goal
of each individual is self-realization. Baba says that we start
with self-confidence, then we get self-satisfaction, followed by
self-realization, the ultimate state being Sat-Chit-Ananda or
Absolute- Bliss- Consciousness. Peace and Bliss are within us,
they are not external. Eventually with perseverance and practice,
the experience of only the object of your meditation should
subsist, i.e. nothing else but the presence of divinity.
Source:
http://mypage.direct.ca/s/sairam/nov86.doc
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