Concentration and Meditation - by Swami Sivananda

Concentration and meditation are the royal roads to perfection. Concentration leads to meditation. Fix the mind on one object either within the body or without. Keep it there steadily for some time. This is concentration. You will have to practice this daily. Purify the mind first through the practice of right conduct and then take to the practice of concentration. Concentration without purity of mind is of no avail. There are some occultists who have concentration. But they have no good character. That is the reason why they do not make any progress in the spiritual line.

He who has a steady posture and has purified his nerves and the vital sheath by constant practice of control of breath will be able to concentrate easily. Concentration will be intense if you remove all distractions. A true celibate who has preserved his energy will have wonderful concentration.

Some foolish, impatient students take to concentration at once without in any manner undergoing any preliminary training in ethics. This is a serious blunder. Ethical perfection is a matter of paramount importance.

You can concentrate internally on any of the seven centres of spiritual energy. Attention plays a very prominent part in concentration. He who has developed his powers of attention will have good concentration. A man who is filled with passion and all sorts of fantastic desires can hardly concentrate on any subject or object even for a second. His mind will be jumping like an old monkey.

A scientist concentrates his mind and invents many new things. Through concentration he opens the layers of the gross mind and penetrates deeply into the higher regions of the mind and gets deeper knowledge. He concentrates all the energies of his mind into one focus and throws them out upon the materials he is analysing and finds out their secrets.

He who has gained abstraction (withdrawing the senses from the objects) will have good concentration. You will have to march on in the spiritual path step by step, stage by stage. Lay the foundation of right conduct, postures, regulation of breath and abstraction to start with. The superstructure of concentration and meditation will be successful then only.

You should be able to visualise the object of concentration very clearly even in its absence. You will have to call up the mental picture at a moment's notice. If you have good concentration you can do this without much difficulty.

In the beginning stage of practice, you can concentrate on the 'tik-tik' sound of a watch or on the flame of a candle or any other object that is pleasing to the mind. This is concrete concentration. There is no concentration without something to rest the mind upon. The mind can be fixed on any object in the beginning which is pleasant. It is very difficult to fix the mind in the beginning on an object which the mind dislikes.

Those who practise concentration evolve quickly. They can do any work with scientific accuracy and great efficiency. What others do in six hours can be done by one who has concentration within half an hour. What others can read in six hours, can be read by one who does concentration within half an hour. Concentration purifies and calms the surging emotions, strengthens the current of thought and clarifies the ideas. Concentration helps a man in his material progress also. He will have a very good outturn of work in his office or business house. What was cloudy and hazy before becomes clear and definite. What was difficult before becomes easy now and what was complex, bewildering and confusing before becomes easy within the mental grasp. You can achieve anything through concentration. Nothing is impossible to a man who practices regular concentration. It is very difficult to practice concentration when one is hungry and when one is suffering from an acute disease. He who practices concentration will possess very clear mental vision.

Meditation is the only royal road to the attainment of salvation or Moksha. Meditation kills all pains, sufferings and three kinds of Taapas (fevers) and five Kleshas or sorrows. Meditation gives the vision of unity. Meditation produces sense of oneness. Meditation is an aeroplane that helps the aspirant to soar high in the realms of eternal bliss and everlasting peace. It is a mysterious ladder that connects earth and heaven and takes the aspirant to the immortal abode of Brahman.

Meditation is the continuous flow of one thought of God or Atman, like the continuous flow of oil from one vessel to another (Tailadharavat). Meditation follows concentration.

Practise meditation in the early morning from 4 to 6 (Brahma-Muhurta). This is the best time for the practice of meditation.

Sit in Padma or Siddha or Sukha Asana. Keep the head, neck and the trunk in a straight line, and concentrate either on the Trikuti, the space between the two eyebrows, or on the heart with closed eyes.

Meditation is of two kinds viz., Saguna Dhyana (concrete meditation) and Nirguna Dhyana (abstract meditation). In concrete meditation the Yogic student meditates on the form of Lord Krishna, Rama, Sita, Vishnu, Siva, Gayatri or Devi. In abstract meditation he meditates on his own Self or Atman.

Place the picture of Lord Hari with four hands in front of you. Gaze at this picture steadily for five minutes and then close the eyes and visualise the picture. During visualisation move the mind on the various parts of Vishnu. See with the mind His feet first, then in the following order, legs, His yellow silk cloth, His golden necklace set with Kaustubha gem on the breast, the earring, Makarakundala, then the face, then the crown on the head, then the discus in the right upper hand, then the conch in the upper left hand, then the mace in the lower right hand, then the lotus in the left lower hand. Then come down to the feet and repeat the process again and again. Finally fix the mind either on the feet or on the face. Repeat the Mantra, Hari Om or Om Namo Narayanaya, mentally. Think of the attributes of the Lord such as Omnipotence, Omnipresence, Purity, etc.

Meditate on Om and its meaning with feeling. This is Nirguna Dhyana. Repeat Om mentally. Identify yourself with Atman. Feel "I am the all-pervading immortal Self or Atman. I am Sat-Chit-Ananda Brahman. I am Sakshi or silent witness of three states and all modifications of the mind. I am pure consciousness, I am distinct from the body, mind and Prana and senses, I am the self-luminous Light of lights. I am the eternal supreme Soul."

If you have contentment, cheerfulness, patience, unruffled state of mind, sweet voice, one-pointedness of mind, light body, fearlessness, desirelessness, disgust for worldly things, think that you are advancing in the spiritual path and that you are nearing God.

O Prem! There is a place where you will neither hear any sound nor see any colour. That place is Param Dham or Padam Anamayam (painless seat). This is the realm of peace and bliss. There is no body-consciousness here. Here mind finds rest. All desires and cravings melt away. The Indriyas remain quiet here. The intellect ceases functioning. There is neither fight nor quarrel here. Will you seek this silent abode through silent meditation? Solemn stillness reigns supreme here. Rishis of yore attained this place only by melting the mind in the silence. Brahman shines in native effulgence.

Forget the body. Forget the surroundings. Forgetting is the highest Sadhana. It helps meditation a great deal. It makes the approach to God easier. By remembering God, you can forget all these things.

Taste the spiritual consciousness by withdrawing the mind from the sensual objects and fixing it on the lotus-feet of the Lord, who is ever shining in the chambers of your heart. Merge within by practising deep silent meditation. Plunge deep. Swim freely in the ocean of Sat-Chit-Ananda. Float in the Divine river of Joy. Tap the source. March direct towards the fountain-head of Divine Consciousness and drink the Nectar. Feel the thrill of Divine Embrace and enjoy Divine Ecstasy. I shall leave you here. You have attained the state of immortality and fearlessness. O Prem! Fear not. Shine now. Thy light has come.

Practise regular systematic meditation during the same hours daily. You will get the meditative mood easily.

The more you meditate, the more you will have inner spiritual life, wherein mind and Indriyas do not play. You will be very close to the source, Atman. You will enjoy the waves of bliss and peace.

All sensual objects will have no attraction for you now. The world will appear to you as a long dream. Jnana will dawn in you by constant, deep meditation.

You will be fully illumined. The curtain of ignorance will drop now. The sheaths will be torn. The body-idea will vanish. You will realise the significance of the Mahavakya, "Tat Tvam Asi." All differences, distinctions, qualities will disappear. You will see everywhere one infinite, illimitable Atman, full of Bliss, Light and Knowledge. This will be a rare experience, indeed. Do not tremble with fear like Arjuna. Be bold. You will be left alone now. There is nothing to see or hear now. There are no senses. It is all pure consciousness only.

Thou art Atman, O Prem. Thou art not this perishable body. Destroy the Moha for this filthy body. Do not utter in future "My body." Say, "this instrument." The sun is setting now. It is drawing within all the rays. Now sit for meditation. Again have a dive in the sacred Atmic Triveni within. Collect all the rays of the mind and plunge within quite deep into the innermost recesses of the heart. Give up all sorts of fears, cares, worries and anxieties. Rest in the ocean of silence. Enjoy the eternal peace. Your old Jivahood is gone now. All limitations have disappeared. If the desires and old cravings try to hiss, destroy them by the rod of Viveka and the sword of Vairagya.

Keep these two with you always for some time till you get Brahmi-Sthiti (fully established in Atman).

OM is Sat-Chit-Ananda.

Om is Infinity, Eternity.

Sing OM. Feel OM.

Chant OM. Live in Om.

Meditate on OM.

Roar OM OM OM.

Hear OM. Taste Om.

See OM. Eat OM. Drink OM.

OM is Thy Name! May that OM guide you!

OM! OM! OM! OM SANTIH.

Courtesy: http://sivanandaonline.org/public_html/?cmd=displaysection&section_id=640&format=html

On Women

Source: Osho International Newsletter

A soul stirring Bengali song from Gitanjali by Tagore : Klanti Amar Kshoma Karo Prabhu

 ক্লান্তি আমার ক্ষমা করো প্রভু,
                   পথে যদি পিছিয়ে পড়ি কভু॥
          এই-যে হিয়া থরোথরো   কাঁপে আজি এমনতরো
এই বেদনা ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো প্রভু ॥
                   এই দীনতা ক্ষমা করো প্রভু,
                   পিছন-পানে তাকাই যদি কভু।
          দিনের তাপে রৌদ্রজ্বালায়   শুকায় মালা পূজার থালায়,
সেই ম্লানতা ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো, ক্ষমা করো প্রভু ॥

English Transliteration

Klanti aamaar kshama karo prabhu,
Pathe jodi pichhiye pari kabhu   
  Ei je hiya thorothoro  kaape aaji emontoro
Ei bedonaa kshama karo, kshama karo, kshama karo prabhu   
Ei deenota kshama karo prabhu,
Pichhon paane taakaai jodi kabhu  
  Diner taape roudrajawalay  shukaay maalaa pujaar thaalaay,
Sei mlanota kshama karo, kshama karo, kshama karo prabhu

English Translation

FORGIVE MY languor, O Lord,
If ever I lag behind
Upon life's way.
Forgive my anguished heart
Which trembles and hesitates
In its service.
Forgive my fondness
That lavishes its wealth
Upon an unprofitable past.
Forgive these faded flowers
In my offering
That wilt in the fierce heat
Of panting hours.

Summary of the poem

My weariness forgive o lord If I ever fall behind on my way My heart is all a flutter, trembling so in this way This aching pain, forgive, o lord This worldliness, forgive o lord If I ever look to the past. Scorching heat of day withers flowers on worship tray.This faded hue forgive o lord forgive.

http://www.geetabitan.com/ 

The speaking tree - Dissolving Differences With Flowers

Pranav Khullar





As the Sufi call to the Beloved reached its crescendo the entire complex of Qutubuddin Bakhtiar Kaki's dargah seemed suffused with the mystical sound of the qawwali. You are being invited to experience another dimension, where the mind merges with the Ruh, the Soul, and the humdrum of everyday existence is forgotten in that ecstatic moment. Unsurprisingly , this dargah complex at Mehrauli has become the focal point of a unique interfaith festival of floral offerings, the Sair-e-Gul Faroshan, popularly known as the Phoolwalon-ki-Sair.
The qawwali seems to reverberate the composite strands of our cultural mosaic ­ a remarkable sufi-yogic syncretism which lies at the core of our being, and which was triggered off by the Khwaja at Ajmer and Bakhtiar Kaki at Delhi. Islam's mystical flavour is heightened in the musical outpouring of verses written in the vernacular by Sufi saints.
This festival of flowers, in the great tradition of bonding of communities, revivifies the spirit as each participant joins in the procession to offer flowers and pankhas or fans at the dargah of Qutu buddin Bakhtiar Kaki and the ancient adjoining temple of Yogmaya at the Mehrauli complex.
Tradition has it that Akbar Shah II's queen had vowed to offer a chadar and flowers at the dargah and a pankha at the Yogmaya Mandir, if her wish for the safe return of her son Mirza Jehangir from his exile at Allahabad was fulfilled. Not only did the wish come true but the incident flagged off the festival of floral offer ings at the dargah and temple every year.
The call of the Sufi is the mystical emotional outpouring of the heart which reaches out to the Self in its compassion.
Yogmaya Temple is believed to date back to the Mahabharata, that recounts the story of Yog maya, infant sister of Krishna ­ reincarnation of the Mother Goddess ­ who escapes Kansa in Mathura, and predicts his doom at the hands of the eighth born of Devaki in an akashvani before dis appearing into the ether.
Since the site is believed to be spiritually charged, the Mehrauli temple complex has hosted the sadhana or meditation of many a yogi and faqir.
It is said that a Sufi is one who possesses nothing and nothing pos sesses him except the name of God and service of humanity . It is this spirit of complete surrender and simplicity which endears the Sufi to one and all, especially the commoner, and it is this spirit which gets embodied in such interfaith bonding festivals.
This festival of flowers and floral tributes, the Phoolwalon-ki-Sair, spreads the message of spiritual bonding and brotherhood even today , through the fragrance of its offerings.It is like those few still points of the turning world to which all of us go back to, to remind ourselves of our common heritage, and revive our inner spiritual core, through festivities and music.
Phoolwalon-ki-Sair is a reminder to dissolve our differences and know that each belongs to the other, and one would be empty and bereft without the other.

Courtesy: The Times of India, October 18, 2014

Thinking Cap: Change yourself

You cannot things by changing people around you. You can change  only yourself to bring change in people and situations in your life.

Love
Ramananda

Kahlil Gibran: On Children

This is a beautiful poem by great Lebanese artist, poet, and writer, Kahlil Gibran. One of his most notable lines of poetry in the English-speaking world is from "Sand and Foam" (1926), which reads: "Half of what I say is meaningless, but I say it so that the other half may reach you". This line was used by John Lennon and placed, though in a slightly altered form, into the song "Julia" from The Beatles' 1968 album The Beatles.

Your children are not your children.

They are the sons and daughters of Life's longing for itself.
They come through you but not from you,
And though they are with you yet they belong not to you.

You may give them your love but not your thoughts,
For they have their own thoughts.
You may house their bodies but not their souls,
For their souls dwell in the house of tomorrow,
which you cannot visit, not even in your dreams.
You may strive to be like them,
but seek not to make them like you.
For life goes not backward nor tarries with yesterday.

You are the bows from which your children
as living arrows are sent forth.
The archer sees the mark upon the path of the infinite,
and He bends you with His might
that His arrows may go swift and far.
Let your bending in the archer's hand be for gladness;
For even as He loves the arrow that flies,
so He loves also the bow that is stable.

होली की हार्दिक शुभकामनायें

आपका जीवन राममय बने। आपको व  आपके परिवार को होली की शुभकामनायें। पेश है मेरे द्वारा लिखी कुछ लाइनें।

जीवन के कैनवास पर
सुन्दर चित्र बनाइये
कुछ अबीर कुछ कबीर
कुछ सुर्ख कुछ पीले
कुछ गुलाब कुछ नीले
छाप छोड़ें
कल ये एहसास ना हो हम ब्लेक एंड व्हाईट रह गये
लोग HD विद Surround Sound तर गए
जिंदगी में लाइफ  डालें
रंग भरें उजले
औरों के जीवन
में
रंग जाओ एक रंग में
जो सब रंगों के मेल से बनता हैं
नाचो गाओ हंसो हंसाओ
जीवन एक उत्सव है
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होली मुबारक।

विनीत रसाइली 'रामानंद'

Kabira Rocks: Moko Kahan Dhundhe Re Bande

Kabir Das, a mystical poet and great Saint of India, was born in the year 1440 and died in the year 1518. The name Kabir comes from Arabic Al-Kabīr which means 'The Great' – the 37th name of God in Islam. Kabir Panth is the huge religious community which identifies the Kabir as the originator of the Sant Mat sects. The members of Kabir Panth are known as the Kabir panthis who had extended all over the over north and central India. Some of the great writings of the Kabir Das are Bijak, Kabir Granthawali, Anurag Sagar, Sakhi Granth etc.

मोको कहां ढूढे रे बन्दे -कबीर दास 

मोको कहां ढूढे रे बन्दे
मैं तो तेरे पास में

ना तीर्थ मे ना मूर्त में
ना एकान्त निवास में
ना मंदिर में ना मस्जिद में
ना काबे कैलास में

मैं तो तेरे पास में बन्दे
मैं तो तेरे पास में

ना मैं जप में ना मैं तप में
ना मैं बरत उपास में
ना मैं किर्या कर्म में रहता
नहिं जोग सन्यास में
नहिं प्राण में नहिं पिंड में
ना ब्रह्याण्ड आकाश में
ना मैं प्रकति प्रवार गुफा में
नहिं स्वांसों की स्वांस में

खोजि होए तुरत मिल जाउं
इक पल की तालाश में
कहत कबीर सुनो भई साधो
मैं तो हूँ विश्वास में

Translation by Rabindranath Tagore

O servant, where dost thou seek Me?
Lo! I am beside thee.

I am neither in temple nor in mosque:
I am neither in Kaaba nor in Kailash:

Neither am I in rites and ceremonies,
nor in Yoga and renunciation.

If thou art a true seeker,
thou shalt at once see Me:
thou shalt meet Me in a moment of time.

Kabîr says, "O Sadhu! God is the breath of all breath."

What is Vedanta?

India 's culture is based on a body of knowledge known as the four Vedas. This knowledge came from rishis, seers, who in states of deep meditation visualised this teaching in the form of mantras, many thousands of years ago. Much later, a great sage known as Vyasa arranged the Vedic mantras into four specific texts known as Rig-Veda, Yajur Veda, Sama Veda and Atharva Veda. This knowledge, which is said to be not of human origin, formed the blueprints for humanity in terms of how it should live and interact with its environment and the world at large.

The end portions of the four Vedas are known as Upanishads which are teachings of a more subtle nature. The Upanishads teach in infinite detail that there is one consciousness that is in and through the universe and every form of life. It is Brahman. It is awareness. There is nothing else. This is Vedanta.

There are one hundred and eight known Upanishads in existence today. There are thought to have been many more. Of these, ten are considered to form a nucleus for the teaching known as Brahmavidya - the knowledge of Brahman.

A post-Buddhism-era sage called Shankara popularised these ten Upanishads and wrote extensive commentaries on them and the Bhagavad Gita, which contains the essence of the Upanishadic teaching. For in these Upanishads is the clear knowledge of who I am.

The Upanishads show through the knowledge of Brahman that immortality and freedom from the cycle of life and death are the true nature of humanity and of every form of life.

 

Courtesy: dayananda.org

Peaceful Aum namah Shivaya Mantra Complete!

B.K.Shivani on Relationships

Relationships do not work if we do not work on ourselves. The equation does not work if we are trying to care for the other without caring for ourselves. A parent is stressed and anxious, but wants to make his children happy. A spouse is unhappy but wants to make his wife happy. If every soul takes care of itself, relationships will evolve. If I cannot create my happiness, I look to my spouse or my family to give it to me and they are looking to me to give it to them. Both are demanding what they are unable to give to each other.

If a parent were at ease and comfortable with himself, a child would never know how to fear an exam. When they see our reaction to a failure, and how our faces change, they begin to believe that happiness depends on external achievements.

Spirituality, on the other hand, says that I am the creator of my inner state.

Courtesy: Life Positive

Sri Ramakrishna on Prayer and Meditation

"Chant the name of God and sing his glories unceasingly; and keep holy company. Now and then one should visit holy men and devotees of God. If a man lives in the world and busies himself day and night with worldly duties and responsibilities, he cannot give his mind to God. So it's important to go into solitude from time to time, and think about God. When the plant is young, it should be fenced on all sides. Unless there's a fence around it, goats and cattle may eat it up.

When you meditate, go into the solitude of a forest, or a quiet corner, and enter into the chamber of your heart. And always keep your power of discrimination awake. God alone is real, that is to say, eternal; everything else is unreal, because it will pass away. As you discriminate in this manner, let your mind give up its attachment to the fleeting objects of this world."

Steve Jobs: How to do great work

"The only way to do great work is to love what you do. If you haven't found it yet, keep looking. Don't settle. As with all matters of the heart, You'll know when you find it."

- Steve Jobs 

The only moment

This is the only moment you have got - Osho

The Power of Thoughts

Random Thoughts: tech and us

Technology makes us less perceptive, meticulous and original- Ramananda

Times Wellness Video: The Dalai Lama Speaks - Paths To Happiness

This video brings together the world's pre-eminent Buddhist monk, celebrated by millions across the world for his secular message of compassion and the most respected and influential yoga teacher in modern history.

His Holiness The Dalai Lama & B.K.S. Iyengar engage in a historic discussion on the Paths to Happiness. Together they share their wisdom and their own expertise on how each one of us can avoid suffering in our own lives.

This knowledge has come from the intense practise and inner realisation. Their destination is their journey. It can be yours too.

Guided Meditation from Sri Ramakrishna

Courtesy: Sagar Kanhere on YouTube