Yoga - The 'key' to meditation

Author

The 'key' to meditation

punditster@gmail.com

2005-06-10, 9:03 am

Thoughts are the apparent movements, states or moods of the mind, which
contain ideas, concepts, and/or images of memories. According to
Patanjali, all these can be grouped under five categories - this is
irrespective of whether they are experienced as painful or not-painful,
and whether or not they are covertly or clearly tainted by the
five-fold afflictions.

The 'key' to meditation is thinking, which is effortless for most
people. In fact, the problem is not with thinking, but with the
cessation of thoughts. The technique is very simple and easy: all you
have to do is sit down and observe - then start thinking things over.

But, observing your thoughts is effortless too - here they come! Just
watch them come and go, but don't be held by them. But, even here
Maharishi Patanjali points out that cessation can come about by just
simply thinking itself, and then by letting all thought fall off. The
term 'nirodha' means cessation, not suppression.

Sage Patanjali says: 'Isvara pranidhanad va'- Cessation of thought may
also come about by completely surrendering the ego-thinking-principle
to the Transcendenatal Absolute, the Ishvara. Y.S. - I.1.23.

This is instant realization with the help of the 'Lord of Yoga',
Ishvara. Just by thinking a single thought as being distinct form of
Prakriti - Purusha unaffected by actions, by the fruits of actions or
even by any subliminal intentions - a single thought with no
expectation of reaping the fruits of any action.

Sage Patanjali: Being unconditioned by time, the Lord of Yoga is the
teacher of the bijas to even the ancient teachers - He provides the
opportunity for transcending. The enlightening experience of all the
Sages from beginningless time. - 'tatra niratisayam sarvajna bijam;
purvesam api guru kalena navacchedat; tasya vacakah pranava'. - Y.S.
I.1.25-26

Steve Ralph

2005-06-10, 9:03 am

> Mahesh Yogi says there is a natural cessation, not a concious
> suppression, of thoughts, during yogic meditation. This is accomplished
> with the use of a non-ideational, mnemonic device termed a bija-mantra,
> experienced just like any other thought. The bija leads the mind
> without any need for suppression. And why? You simply 'charm yourself
> with yourself', which naturally leads to the Self or the Transcendent.
>
> Sage Patanjali says: Otherwise you identify with the turning of
> thoughts - 'vritti sarupyam itaratra'. I.1.4
>
> In this subtle meditation, there is no need to suppress thoughts - they
> just naturally fall away. And why? Because the mind finds the
> bija-mantra so attractive, so charming, that the mind just naturally
> goes to a field of greater happiness. The field of greater happiness is
> the Buddha Field - a field of Pure Conciousness.
>
> Otherwise, you identify with the thoughts, get overwhelmed by them, and
> before you know it, you are thinking, 'this is my body, this is my
> self', and forgetting that the Absolute Person is up in the spiritual
> sky, looking over your Self.
>
> Meditation is based on thinking - pure and simple, and hardly a person
> would find that difficult - it's just natural to think. If thinking is
> natural then it can't be difficult. Besides, how can I be difficult to
> myself? But, the question is, who is doing the thinking?
>
> The witness doesn't have to act or do anything - no effort, just sit.
> All the observor has to do is observe, that's all. Just sit quietly,
> close your eyes and Be. It's that simple!
>
> The subject just watches the whole world of phenomenal experience with
> detachment. The observor then is the Purusha, the Spirit of Yoga -
> that's you, your Self, as you always have been, but like the Prodigal
> Son, you lost your way and got hidden in the Maya, now you've seen the
> Light and found your way on the Eightfold Path.
>
> Now it's time to wake up and subsume the Amrit!
>
>
<punditster@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1118382827.057859.136460@g47g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...
> Thoughts are the apparent movements, states or moods of the mind, which
> contain ideas, concepts, and/or images of memories. According to
> Patanjali, all these can be grouped under five categories - this is
> irrespective of whether they are experienced as painful or not-painful,
> and whether or not they are covertly or clearly tainted by the
> five-fold afflictions.
>
> The 'key' to meditation is thinking, which is effortless for most
> people. In fact, the problem is not with thinking, but with the
> cessation of thoughts. The technique is very simple and easy: all you
> have to do is sit down and observe - then start thinking things over.
>
> But, observing your thoughts is effortless too - here they come! Just
> watch them come and go, but don't be held by them. But, even here
> Maharishi Patanjali points out that cessation can come about by just
> simply thinking itself, and then by letting all thought fall off. The
> term 'nirodha' means cessation, not suppression.
>
> Sage Patanjali says: 'Isvara pranidhanad va'- Cessation of thought may
> also come about by completely surrendering the ego-thinking-principle
> to the Transcendenatal Absolute, the Ishvara. Y.S. - I.1.23.
>
> This is instant realization with the help of the 'Lord of Yoga',
> Ishvara. Just by thinking a single thought as being distinct form of
> Prakriti - Purusha unaffected by actions, by the fruits of actions or
> even by any subliminal intentions - a single thought with no
> expectation of reaping the fruits of any action.
>
> Sage Patanjali: Being unconditioned by time, the Lord of Yoga is the
> teacher of the bijas to even the ancient teachers - He provides the
> opportunity for transcending. The enlightening experience of all the
> Sages from beginningless time. - 'tatra niratisayam sarvajna bijam;
> purvesam api guru kalena navacchedat; tasya vacakah pranava'. - Y.S.
> I.1.25-26
>
>