Meditation: India's Spiritual Gift to the World
Introduction
The human
history has been running through the path of development since its beginning.
Mankind with its unique intellectual power has explored new things. All man's
tools dwellings & weapons, all the means of his comfort & discomfort
have arisen from his will and knowledge which produce actions. This path of
life contains errors & corrections. Among many of primary errors, there is
one error which is yet to be corrected. Man looks development through
environmental context. He generally never takes any efforts to look inside his
self. However, there have been some minds of finer that have looked at
themselves & made the discovery of the true self.
Great Rishis
from Ancient India had a spiritual centre to their daily beings from which they
derived the tranquil light that helped them to shape the vision of a different
humanity.
Meditation
One may look
for things with the help of light but where is the light with which one may
search for the inner light? Which is the
eye wherewith one may see the eye itself?
The state of
consciousness in which I knows I is called Meditation.
There are
different theories in accordance with the word ‘Meditation’. According to some
scholars the word Meditation derives from Latin verb ‘meditari’ which means to think to research. There are also some
researchers who opine that it has derived from Sanskrit word ‘medha’ meaning
sagacity or the source of knowledge.
Ordinarily,
all living creatures remain aware of only three states of mind: waking,
dreaming & sleeping. With the help of Meditation, one can attain fourth
state which is called ' Turiya '. Meditation is an inward way of
fathoming all the levels of consciousness, from where consciousness flows on various
degrees & grades. Meditation is the tradition of the ancient sages of the
Vedic Period which does not oppose modern sciences.
The 6th
chapter from Hindu sacred text, Bhagwat Gita, has references of meditation
where lord Krushna tells Arjun the techniques & benefits of
Meditation.
“Yatroparamate chittam niruddham yogsevaya
Yatra chaivatmanatmanam pashyannatmani tushyati”
Sukhamatyantikam yat tad buddhigrahyamatindriyam
Vetti yatra na chaivayam sthitashchalati
tattvatah
Bhagwat Gita (6.20 & 21)
With help of “Dhyanyoga”,
mind of the “Sadhaka” attains the
trait of self denial i.e. asceticism,here he starts experiencing nonduality and
self realization.
At this stage of meditation yogi acquires the “Aatmasukha”which is eternal rejoice & divine bliss.
History
The origin of
meditation can be traced to 5000 years back in Vedic Civilization. Archaeological
Surveys reveal that the seals & figures in a meditation posture of yoga in
the Indus Valley Civilization dates back to 3000 B.C. Archaeological surveys
& evidents prove that the meditation has its origin in the Valley of Indian
Subcontinent & has influenced Hindu Religion. Statue of several deities in
Hindu Religion can be found in meditation posture or Mudras. The well
known example would be images of Lord Shiva. In ancient period, around 500 B.C.
Lord Buddha was the greatest advocate of meditation. Buddha is regarded as the
icon of Meditation. He took the path of meditation in attaining enlightenment
& which he attained successfully.
The references
of meditation are found in Hindu Scriptures mainly from India, China &
Japan. In the sacred texts of Hindu
Religion the scholars have found the references of Meditation. The earliest
references are found in Rig Veda. Patanjali, an ancient Indian sage explained
the “Samkhya” philosophy where he has
preached Yoga Sutra, techniques &
benefits of Yoga. The ancient literature texts of Hindus, Mahabharata, Bhagwat
Gita and Upnishadas have references about meditation.
Patanjali, Shankarachrya, Shri Ramakrishna
Paramhansa, Shri Sharada Devi, Swami Vivekananda have enriched & spread the
Indian Meditation across the globe.
Samkhya
Philosophy says,
“Through intensity of Meditation there come to the 'Purush',
all the powers of Nature."
Upnishadas:
“Whoever among men attains greatness here on earth seems to have
attained a share
of Meditation. Thus, while small people are quarrelsome & abusive,
great men appear
to have obtained a share of Meditation."
According to
the philosophies of “Vedanta” & “Yoga”
is something more than concentration. We
get to know about the mechanism of meditation those times through the literary
work. The mechanism by which “Self
Realization " occurred was a closely kept secret that was handed down from
a Guru to his disciple after long penances, discipline & purification.
The techniques
and knowledge of the meditation was in Sanskrit till 12th century and
apparently Saint Poet Dnyaneshwar took the permission from his Guru to
translate those sacred texts into vernacular language, Prakrut Marathi.
In that way the tradition of mysticism and meditation began within the populace
India.
In around
1960s, the art of meditation had been introduced to western world by Indian
Advocates. Western countries have accepted the importance of India originated
Meditation for self realization, reducing stress, anxiety, anger & to
enhance positive thinking.
Types of
Meditation
Vipassana
Among the
various types of Meditation in the world today, the Vipassana method taught by
S.N.Goenka is unique. This technique is a simple, logical way to achieve real
peace of mind & to lead a happy, useful life. Long preserved in Burma,
Vipassana itself contains nothing of a sectarian nature & can be accepted & applied by
people of any background. It is becoming popular as Mindfulness in the western world.
Vipassana
meditation has its origin in India. Vipassana means “insight” in the ancient
Pali language in India. It is the essence of the teaching of the Buddha. It is
the actual experience of the truths he spoke. Vipassana is the technique
extraordinary in its simplicity, its lack of all dogma & above all in the result
it offers.
Although
Vipassana Meditation comes from India, it was preserved in countries like Burma
& Myanmar. S.N. Goenka learnt this technique from Sayagyi U ba Khin. In
1969, he became authorized teacher of Vipassana. In the same year, came to India
& started teaching Vipassana here, reintroducing this technique into the
land of its origin.
Vipassana
Meditation is taught in courses of ten days, open to anyone who wishes to learn
the technique & who is fit to do so physically and mentally. During these
ten days, participants remain within the area of the course site having no
contact with the outside world. For the entire period of the course they follow
a basic code of morality which includes celibacy & absentention from all
intoxicants. They also maintain silence among themselves although they are free
to discuss meditation problems with the teacher & material problem with
management. During the first three days participants practice an exercise of
mental concentration. Further steps within the practice are introduced each
day, so that by the end of the course, the entire technique has been presented
in outline.
Certainly, the
technique agrees with the instructions of Buddha on meditation, with the
simplest, most literal meaning of his words. Most importantly, it provides
results that are good, personal, tangible & immediate.
Transcendental
Meditation
Transcendental
meditation is the type of meditation which became popular in later half of 20th century. It has its origins in India.
Maharishi Mahesh Yogi introduced the Transcendental Meditation technique &
Transcendental Movement in India in 1950s. It is the Mantra meditation. During
1955 to 1965, Maharishi spread technique of Transcendental Meditation through
the series of world tour. Transcendental Meditation became more popular in
1960s & 1970s. By the end of the 20th century, Transcendental Meditation had been
taught to millions of people & the worldwide Transcendental Meditation
organization had grown to include education programs, health products &
related services. Transcendental Meditations the pure technique of
transcendental- setting to the simplest most powerful state of awareness-
untainted by any mind control or thought process.
Transcendental
Meditation technique has been described as both religious and non-religious, as
an aspect of a new religious movement as rooted in Hinduism & as
non-religious practice of self development. Transcendental Meditation is taught
by the certified teachers of Transcendental Meditation Organization.
Here’s the
basic technique of Transcendental Meditation.
Transcendental
Meditation is done generally in the quiet room where person can live alone for
at least 25-30 minutes. If it is a night, lights are to be put dim and candle
burning. A person sits comfortably on chair or lie down on the bed with hand at
his sides, in completely relaxed position. As we have already discussed,
Transcendental Meditation is Mantra Meditation, the person meditating breaths
deeply and repeats the Mantra, Ohm Mane Padme Ohm… The mantra has come
from Tibet. After repeating it for several times, you will attain “Alpha State”
where you will feel as there are no problems in the world.
Transcendental
Meditation gives a sense of deep peace & tranquility. Your muscles &
nerves become completely relaxed & under perfect control.
In the book
“The Miracle Power of Transcendental Meditation”, Norvell has described the
technique & the power of Transcendental Meditation with including
experiences of common people.
Vedanta
Philosophy & Yoga Philosophy
Yoga &
Vedanta philosophy has references about meditation. According to Vedanta,
Meditation is intense Mental Worship. Vedanta terms this as Upasana.
Individuality is the product of Maya. The goal of Vedanta is to awaken
the individual from the hypnotic belief in his embodiment caused by
forgetfulness of the self.
According to
Vedanta, the seeker of self knowledge must be established in the practice of
fourfold discipline by which he or she becomes fit for the Meditation.
1. Discrimination between real & unreal :
It goes beyond the obvious & the apparent
& recognizes that what appears to be true is not true in fact.
2. Dispassion :
Giving up all the desires.
3. Mastery over six virtues :
(a) Control of Mind
(b) Control over Senses
(c)
Withdrawal of the mind from senses
(d) Fortitude
(e) Faith in the words of the spiritual
teachers & scriptures
(f). Concentration
4. Liberation from all bondage
In the same
way, Yoga philosophy advocates Eightfold path to attain goal of Self
Realization.
1. Restraint ( Yama)
2. Discipline (Niyama)
3. Posture (Asana)
4. Control of Breath (Pranayama)
5. Withdrawal of Mind (Pratyagraha)
6. Concentration (Dharana)
7. Meditation ( Dhyana)
8. Absorption (Samadhi )
The Vedanta
& Yoga are ancient Indian philosophies. There is another Philosophy,
“Samkhya “Philosophy, advocated by Patanjali, an ancient Indian sage, which has
references about Dhyana that is, Meditation.
Meditation: A
Scientific Experiment
What is
scientific about Meditation? The answer would be Meditation itself is a Pure
Science.
Though the
concept & theories of Meditation come from ancient literature,
predominantly from Indian religious scriptures, the studies all around the
world have proved that the technique of meditation is entirely scientific &
is devoid of any mysticism, irrationality or hocus-pocus. It is scientific in
the purest sense of the world. The modern scientific experiments are based on
four important components: Apparatus, method, observation & conclusions..
In similar way, Meditation is an experiment where apparatus is our body,
Meditation technique is the method & conclusions are drawn from
observations.
Literary work
by modern scientists has proved that the Mediation is Pure Science. The well
known example of such work would be “Meditation, Oneness & Physics”, a book
by Glenn Peter Kezwer.
Benefits &
Need of Meditation in 21st Century:
The physical,
emotional & spiritual value of meditation has been well documented for
thousands of years. Meditation is often recommended as a remedy for the ills of
modern living: stress, anxiety, depression & poor health. Everyone can
benefit from Meditation.
As we have
already discussed, studies made by scholars have proved that Meditation
Techniques are purely scientific. Meditation has its effects on physical
health. Heart Rate, Blood Pressure, cholesterol & some endocrine secretions
can be altered to healthful levels in the transcendental meditative state.
Meditation has showed results in deep sleep, enabling the body to rest its
systems & repair ongoing damage. It plays significant role promoting the
flow of Endorphins, i.e. the natural brain chemical that produce a state of
well being & has great value in addressing the problems of anxiety &
panic disorders.
Pain can be altered
through mental & social conditioning. The mind & emotions can either
magnify or reduce the perception of pain depending on how a patient responds to
pain. Here the meditative techniques have been proved useful.
To conclude,
in the modern era where everyone is prone to affect physically, mentally or
spiritually, techniques of meditation can prevent or cure the society’s
problems.
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References
1.Meditation –
David
B.Dillard Wright, Ravinder Erath
2.Super
Conscious Meditation –
Pandit
Usharbudh Arya
3.Meditation
and its practices –
Swami
Ashirwadananda
4.The Art of
Living – Vipassana Meditation –
William Hart
5.Meditation –
Louis S.R.Vas
6.Meditation,
Oneness and Physics –
Glenn Kezwer
7.The
Encyclopedia of Indian Philosophies Vol 12 –
Gerald Ralson
8.Secrets of
Meditation –
David ji
Sites: ( only
for reference )
www.projectmeditation.org
Wikipedia
&
Google E
Books.
Thank You. Best wishes.
