MIND : ITS MYSTERIES & ITS CONTROL - CHAPTER-32. MEDITATION - 8.1Continued .. Swami Sivananda

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Thursday, May 28, 2020.
MIND : ITS MYSTERIES & ITS CONTROL :
Chapter - 32. Meditation -8.
8. SOME USEFUL HINTS-1. Continued
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You must daily increase your Vairagya, meditation and Sattvic virtues such as patience, perseverance, mercy, love, forgiveness, purity, etc. Vairagya and good qualities help meditation.

Meditation increases the Sattvic qualities. Just as you conserve the energy by observing Mouna (vow of silence), so also you will have to conserve the mental energy by stopping useless thinking. Then you will save abundant reserve energy for meditation.

Remember these three word-images: PURIFICATION, CONCENTRATION, ABSORPTION.
Repeat them mentally during meditation. This is a triplet. Remember this triplet. Purify the mind.

Get rid of Mala (impurities such as Kama, Krodha, etc.). Perform selfless, desireless actions. This will purify the mind. Practise Upasana, Pranayama, Trataka and Rajayogic .Chitta-Vritti-Nirodha.. This will help Ekagrata. Then practise constant and deep meditation.

The mind will be absorbed eventually.

.Pranavo dhanuh saro hyatma brahma tallakshyam uchyate;
Apramattena veddhavyam saravan tanmayo bhavet..

.Om is the bow, mind is the arrow and Brahman is the mark to be aimed at. Brahman is to be hit or pierced by him whose thoughts are concentrated. Then he will be of the same nature (Tanmaya) as Brahman, as the arrow becomes one with the aim when it has pierced it..

(Mundakopanishad, II-ii-4)

Sit on Padma or Siddha Asana. Close the eyes. Concentrate the gaze on the Trikuti (space between the two eyebrows). Now, chant Dhirga Pranava (long OM) forcibly for five minutes. This will remove Vikshepa or tossing of the mind. Concentration will ensue. Now repeat OM mentally with Brahma-Bhavana. Whenever the mind begins to wander, again chantOMverbally.

As soon as the mind gets calm, mentally repeat OM again. The same process can be adopted for Saguna meditation also. Those who have knowledge of the flow of the five Tattvas in the nostrils can very rapidly advance in meditation. There is an intimate connection between the mind and the five Tattvas.When Agni-Tattva flows through the nostrils, mind is much agitated and meditation is interrupted.

During the flow of the Akasa-Tattva, meditation is very favourable. A knowledge of
.Svara-Sadhana. or .Svarodaya. as it is popularly termed is an indispensable necessity for those who take up to meditation.

Just as a very skilful archer, in shooting at a bird, is aware of the way in which he takes his steps, holds the bow, the bow-string and the arrow at the time when he pierces the bird..Standing in this position, holding thus the bow, thus the bow-string and thus the arrow, I pierce the bird..and ever afterwards would not fail to fulfil these conditions that he might pierce the bird, even so should the aspirant note the conditions such as suitable food thus: .Eating this kind of food, following such a person, in such a dwelling, in this mode, at this time, I attained to this meditation
and Samadhi..

As a clever cook, in serving his master, notes the kind of food that he relishes and hence forward serves it and gets gain, so the aspirant too notes the conditions such as nourishment, etc., at the moment of attaining meditation and Samadhi and, in fulfilling them, gets ecstasy again and again.

Next -8.2 MEDITATION WITH EYES OPEN -
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To be continued ...

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