Mediation and sense impressions:
Meditation is Samadhi. In Samadhi, there are no ‘Vrittis’ or sense impressions. Meditation chiefly consists in reducing or lowering down the number of sense impressions, or roasting down the sense impressions, so that they lack the potential to create a desire-motivated action, resulting in suffering. When the sense impressions are thus eliminated, they fail to achieve any volition, thereby eliminating a potential desire-action, and the consequential suffering is thereby eliminated.
Great saints, who have eliminated the sense impressions completely, were able to remain absorbed in Samadhi for a long duration of time, even the bodily needs fail to bring them down. It is said that a person, who has attained Samadhi, will not be able to hold on to his body for not more than 21 days. It is only by great Avatars, who even after attaining Samadhi, were able to come down for the benefit of humanity.
Aspirants of spiritual life, struggle to reduce the number of sense impressions, which are haunting them. An aspirant will be able to spend long hours of time in meditation, only if the sense impressions doesn’t arise. What to do to prolong this meditative effort? And what to do at times, when we are not able to meditate? This is explained here.
Long Vs Short meditation:
It is said earlier that the key to meditation lies in minimizing the number of sense impressions. A person who has a large number of these impressions, and at the same time decides to sit for a long duration of time in meditation, ends in disaster. Because as soon as the mediation effort is over, the mind spirals down in a second and goes on enjoying the sense objects. The objective of meditation is defeated thereby.
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| Meditation |
On the contrary, it is good, if a person puts his effort in eliminating sense impressions, even if he sits for meditation for a shorter duration of time. Both must be undertaken simultaneously. Both mediation and curbing sense impressions must go hand in hand.
How to reduce sense impressions?
The sense impressions, which are already in work, cannot be undone. But the sense impressions, which are yet to be formed, can be undone. How?
1. Keep a distance from sense objects. This simple technique will save a great deal.
2. Shut down the sense organs. This is another simple technique. Just close your eyes and ears and do not allow the sense impressions from taking shape.
3. Run a consequential process in your mind. If one happens to encounter any sense impression, just take them to the logical conclusion. Sense objects – contact – sense impressions – volition – desire action – enjoyment – suffering – rebirth.
In this way, the sense impressions are eliminated, and mediation can be prolonged for a long duration of time. But still, if one is not able to sustain, there are some alternate techniques which will help them. They are very simple, just like breathing and walking. In fact, it is breathing and walking meditation techniques, which helps to prolong this effort.
Breathing Meditation:
Breath and mind are interconnected. The more one is restrained, the other is automatically restrained. This is the principle. Control the mind, and you control your breath; control your breath, and you control your mind. This generally we call it as pranayama. It is a very simple breath-in and breath-out process can be learned from any meditation centers. This is for beginners.
For a person, who has considerably brought down the sense impressions, even breathing becomes a meditation. Great saints meditate in every breath. They inhale all the sufferings of humanity and exhale peace. They literally take the sufferings of humanity through their breath and give peace in turn.
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| Inhale suffering and exhale peace. |
When we come in contact with these great saints, they will be able to penetrate through our breath and stall it, and thereby bringing peace to the mind. The person is not aware of it, but the saint knows what he has done. The person only experiences peace in the presence of the saint. Because the breath has penetrated the breath.
This is the technique – inhale all human sufferings and exhale peace.
Walking Meditation:.
Buddhism strongly enforces this technique. It is a simple walking on a lawn or a garden or a busy road. The only condition is that a person must be alone. Take slow to medium steps in a rhythm. The focus must be on cutting down the non-self.
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| Walking Mediation |
When walking 1) Think that you have given up the world completely. 2) Then, cut down the non-self, which then arises (when the world is completely given up, there is no reason for the objects to rise), i.e. the objects or desires, through ignorance, attributes itself to the self. 3) Send your peaceful thoughts to the world. By this process, the breath is automatically stalled, and one can enjoy the ensuing peace.
This is the technique – 1. Cut down completely 2. Whatever then arises – cut down 3. Pray for peace.
Undercurrent meditation:
This is a technique, which is very difficult to grasp. It is only for the advanced spiritual aspirants. This undercurrent meditation is to put your part of the mind in meditation all the time, below the surface and to put your other part of the mind on the surface engaging in day to day activities. An advanced aspirant will look normal from outside, doing all the activities just like an ordinary person, but deep beneath the surface of the mind, he is seated in meditation.
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| Calm below and activity above |
The spiritual aspirant too gets angry and laughs etc. But it is only for a moment, for they are not real and only a feigning. Whereas, for an ordinary person, anger, and other emotions are real since they are connected with objects. For the spiritual aspirant, since there are not objects to hold on, all the emotions disappear in a moment. There is no substantial reality to sustain these emotions.
This is the technique – Put your mind to meditation below and do all your activities above.
I can talk meditation, I can walk meditation, I can laugh meditation...
Thank You.
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