$ OR KS B Y THE S A ME A U THOR

So u l s '
t
in g s $
2 00
D oo r P m H
se
P t cts 10
e ible b i nd
. oe s . a n dso me x

g os a e
The P ath o f De o ti o n ( Fi fth E diti o n ) C l o th
. .

v
P o sta g e 1 0 cts
. .

V o ie De $ De o t i o n F rench translati o n o f Th
.

Pat
$ a a v e
h o f De o t io n C lo th P o sta g e 1 0 cts
.

v
The $ y o f P eace and l d ( S ec o nd
. .

a es se n es s.
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V edanta P ractice ( S ec o nd E d i ti o n ) C lo th
. .

I n
P o sta g e 1 0 cts
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R eincarnati o n and I mm o rt ali ty ( N w ) C l o th e

P o sta g e 1 0 cents
. .

PR A C TI CA $ S E R I E S
t t
.

65 c s e a c h Post a g e 4 c s
S e l f Mastery
. . .

C oncentrati o n and Meditati o n

S piritual H ealin g
C reati e P ow er o f S i le nce
v
F aith as a C o nstructi e F o rce v

COMPA RA TI VE S TUD Y S E R I E S
t t
.

65 c s ea c h Po s t a g e 4 c s .

P l at o and V dic I dealism

. .

e
E mers o n and V edanta
C hrist and O ienta l I dea l s r
The Great $ o rld Teachers
The P ro blem o f $ i fe and Death P aper 3 5 cts
Po sta g e 3 cts
. .

S ecret o f R i g ht A cti ity P ap r 3 5 cts P o sta ge 3 cts

.

v e
P o w er o f Th o u g ht P aper 2 5 cts P o sta ge 2 cts
. . .

U ni ersal I dea l o f R e l i gi o n P aper 2 5 cts P o sta g

. . .

v e
2 cts
. .

P rincip l es and P urp o se o f V edanta P aper 2 5 cts

.

P o sta g e 2 cts
. .

S i '
and P ractice o f Y og a P aper 2 0 cts P o sta g e
g cts
c e ce . .

and C hristian My sti cs P aper 2 0 cts P o sta g e

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Y go
; cts
. .

TRA NS$ A TI ON S FR OM THE SAN SKR I T

B ha g av a d Gi a ( S co e nd E d t n
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t o le ble cl th
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blue i l k cl o th Gi l t t o p P o st
. .

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,

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P em ble faw n sil k cl o th $ itho ut go ld
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P o sta g e 1 0 cts
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.

The M ssa g e o f the E ast I ssu d m o nthl y E dited

e e
b y S wami P aramananda A nnual subscr i pt io n
. .

S in gle c o p i es 2 5 cts
.

IS E D P UB $ H BY
T H E V E D A N TA C E N T R E
1 $ ueensberr y S treet B o st o n Mass U S A , ,
.
, . . .
 tt
mtt
C oncen ra ion anb
$ u a ion

S $ A MI PARA MA NA N D A
A UT H OR S S SE E D
OF OU $
$
CR T O OR ,
THE $ AYo r EA E AN DPESSED NESS
C B$ ,

R EIN A NA I N AN D
C R T O ET C .

TH IR D E D I T IO N
E ISE D AN D EN A E D
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THE VED ANTA C ENTRE

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 T m: or
$

C o pyri g ht 19 12, 19 16, 1 9 1 7 an d 1 921 by Swami Pa

PR IN E D
T IN U. S A .
.
 C ON TE N TS

MED I T AT I ON

SUP ER C ON SC I OUS VI SI ON

PRACT I CA$ HI NT S
a. Fixity of Purp ose

b . a t
Pr c ice of C o n c en tr atio n

c . Metho ds of Medit ati o n

m
C O N C E N T RA T I ON

E all pos ses s the faculty o f conce m

tt ra io n but with the maj ority it is
,

instinctive and automatic not cons cious

, .

E ven among the animal s we s ee how a

lion o r tiger will gather his strength by a
moment of absolute stillnes s before he
springs upon his prey ; that automatic in
tt
,

s in c iv e power of concentration is em

bedded in every living creature B ut u n

.

til we can gain cons cious command over

o u r mental and Spiritual forces we can
,

never hav e compl ete concentration When .

the s cattered mind is gathered together it

is like a bright s earchlight and by it man
,

is abl e to investigate the l atent p owers

which he pos s es ses but o f which he i s n o t
now wholly aware A s he grows more
.

conscious o f thes e hidden forces and

t
l earns o u s e them he becomes more and
,

more procient .
8 C o n cen tt
i
ra on and Medi tt
ai on

We never wish to be defeated and yet

h ow often o u r strength o f mind o r our
physical cap acities prove inadequate I t .

is becaus e we have not the ful l and con

s c ious poss es sion o f our whol e being .

Man cannot achieve mu c h unles s he ha s

free u se of his hands and feet free use o f
,

his eyes and ears free u se of his mus c l es

,

and ab ove all free u se o f his mind and in

t ellig en c e B ut how many o f u s have the
.

free u se o f all thes e $ When we woul d

make u se o f them we nd them hopeles sly
scattered and rebellious to o u r will The
t
.

caus e of t his does n o lie in any inherent

l a c k of power but in o ur inability to c o
,

o rdinate and in our l ack o f denite o n e

,

pointed pu rpos e We miss the mark be

.

c aus e we do not set our aim properl y .

O nce in ancient I ndi a there wa s a

tournament hel d to test marksmanship in
archery A wooden sh was se up on a
. t
high pol e and the eye o f the s h was the
target O ne by o n e many v aliant princes
.
 C o n cen tt
i
ra on 9

came and tried their s kill but in v ain .

B efore each one shot his arrow the teacher

asked him what he s aw and invariably all
replied that they s aw a sh o n a pol e at a
great height with head eyes etc
, , ,
.
; but
$
A rj una as he took his aim s aid : I see the

eye of the sh ,
and he was the only one

who succeeded in hitting the mark .

A simil ar incident is given by the

C hines e s age C huang Tzu : The man
$
-
,

who forged swords for the Minister o f War

was eighty years o f age Yet he never .

made the slightest slip in his work The .

Mi nister of War s ai d to him : $

Is it y o ur
sir, o r
$
s kill , have you any method $ $
It is
$ $
concentration replied the man When
t
.
,

twenty years old I took o forging sw o rds , .

I cared for nothing el s e . If a thing was

not a sword I did not notice it I avail ed
t
, .

mys elf o f whatever energy I did no u se in

other directions in order t o se c ure greate r $

ef ciency in the direction re quired .

$
10 C o n cen tt
i
ra o n an d Meditt
i a on

C oncentrationmeans wholenes s unity , ,

equilibrium The hands feet mind all

.
, , ,

o u r memb ers and faculties must be u n i

ed They mu st all work in harmony in

.
,

tranquillity and bal ance B al ance is

needed everywhere in life A man may be .

over active o r he may be idl e ; both indi

-

cate abs ence o f s elf adj ustment S ri

-
.

Krishna decl ares in the Gita : O A rj una $

,

the practice o f Yoga is not for him who

eats too much or who d o e s not eat at all ,

nor fo r him who sl eep s too much or who

keeps awake in e x ces s He who is mod .

c rate in eating and recreation m o derate ,

in his efforts in work moderate in sl eep

,

and wakefulnes s his practice o f Yoga

,

destroys all mis ery What does this
.

signify $ That he who g o es to e x tremes

is a sl ave of impul se he is not the master
, .

He l acks bal ance and l ack o f bal ance

means l ack of strength and $ ithout
strength no great work can b e a ecom
p lished . If on the contra ry we pra cti se
 C o n c en tt
i
ra on 11

moderation o r equilibrium even in our

most ordina ry daily tas ks we shall see ,

ho w steady will b e o ur gain in concentra

tion.

The practice of moderation neces sitates

a ce rtain amount o f s elf discipline The-
.

Hindus call this Ta p as which literally ,

$
means re o r heat and they believe ,

that unles s this re o f s elf discipline is -

lighted in order to burn to ashes all the

impurities and limitations of o u r system ,

spiritual illumination will be impos sibl e

t
.

B ut here o o extremes must b e avoided .

O ften peopl e through misunderstanding

o r over enthusiasm
-
to rture and strain
thems elves in the hop e o f advancing more
t
rapidly bu they defeat their o wn end
tt
.
,

E xcess ive penance o r mo r ic a io n is a s

harmful as s elf indulgence The pu rpos e
-
.

of all discipline is to make o u r constitution

more enduring more adaptabl e and more
,

responsive B ody and mind must be

.

made wholly obedient to the will and in

dependent o f external cir c umstances .
12 C o n c en tt
i
ra on and tt
Medi a
i on

The person who is a sl ave to phys ical

c omforts shoul d gradually eliminate all
that is superuous and train himself to be
content with the b are neces sities An y .

o n e who nds it di fficult to overcome

physical lethargy and ris e early in the
morning shoul d drag himself o u o f bed t
by sheer force of will O ne who is in .

c lin ed to over eating s houl d by degrees

-

reduce the quantity of his food A person .

who has the habit of talking unneces s arily

shoul d practis e stillnes s by persistent con
trol of all us el es s motions Such practices
.

not only increas e o ur power of c o ncentra

tion and meditation but do much o im
,
t
prove our bodily health and make us
happier in every way .

The mind fall s naturally into three

general states the dull state ; the over
active o r scattered state ; and the calm ,

centred state Thes e correspond to the

.

three Gun a s ~
or qualities of matter c all ed
t
t
,

in S ans krit Ta ma s R afa: and S a

, w a .
 C o n c en tt
i
ra on 13

They are innate in every living being and

manifest in the human mind as the sub
conscious the conscious and the super
,

conscious The rst quality is that of

.

darknes s inertia heavines s the brute

, , ,

state When the m ind is overcome by

.

this quality it l acks in power to diff eren

tt
,

ia e between right and wrong and is ea s

ily carried away by lower animal p as sions .

The s econd quality i s that o f exces sive

ambition egotism arrogance and dis con
, ,

tent When this quality is in ascendan cy

.
,

a man i s consumed by feveris h unrest and

an irresistible desire to multiply pos ses
sions and to entangl e himself m o re and
more in e x ternal undertakings His .

energies are s cattered and often wasted .

No matter how much he achieves he is ,

never s atised ; for the ame o f his desire

mounts with each new gratication as a
re fed by fresh fuel With the quality o f
t
t
.

S a wa the mind grows coll ected serene ,

and illumined This is the tting state

.
14 C o n cen tt
i
ra on an d tt
Medi a
i on

for spiritual attainment In order to

reach it the condition o f dullnes s or in
t
er ia must be con q uered by stimulating

all the physical and mental activities .

Then thes e activities must be re g ul ated

and directed until they are focus ed The .

s ub conscious must be brought into c o m

-

t
p le e subj ection to the c o nscious and the
conscious must be expanded into the
sup er c onscious This is the natural
.

proces s in acquiring the power of c o n c en

tt
ra io n and m editation .

Meditation is ins eparabl e from c o n c en

tt
i
ra When the mind has gained i s
on . t
full strength through singl enes s it natur ,

ally becomes meditative O ften the mind .

is compared to a l ake If the surface is

.

absolutely smooth not a rippl ethen we

can s ee clearly what lies beneath S imi .

l a rly when this mind becomes calm when

t
,

the wind of uncontroll ed desire does n o

constantly create rippl es over the surface
of it then the image o f our true nature is
,
 C o n c en tt
i
ra on 15

not broken and we obtain a perfect re ec

tion o f what we are in reality and what o u r
rel ation is with the Supreme I ntelligence .

A s long as the mind i s agitated s o long ,

our V ision can never be unerring We are .

constantly hoping that s ome o n e el s e may

give u s kn owl edge and happines s but that ,

is not pos sibl e Thes e can only come

.

from $ ithin .

What we need is to be active spiritu ally .

A s we go on living o ur outer life we must ,

devote som e time each day to ma king o u r

mind introsp ective that we may develop
,

o u r subtl er powers o f p erception I n al l .

investigations certain instruments are

neces sary as we s ee s cientists inventing
,

ner and ner instruments for their re

s earches A lso for spiritual obs ervation
.

we need a form of mind which can discern

the subtl er things imperceptibl e o o ur t
ordinary sens e faculties The conce m
ttd mind is such an instrument and the
.

ra e

o nly one tted fo r higher res earch . I t is

16 C on c en tt
io ra n and t
Medi a t
io n

like a f o c us ed light . W e kn ow that when

l ight i s dis sipat ed we c ann o t s ee w ell but ,

when the s c atter ed rays are br ou ght to

gether by the help of a sha de o r re ector
t
,

then every hing gr ows distin ct So wi ll .

the hi dden powers o f the univers e be re

veal ed t o u s when thr o ugh dete rmin e d an d
steadfast pra c tic e w e gather up the pres
ent f o r ces of our min d whi ch is n ow w e ak
,

only be c aus e it is di s o rgani z e d an d

divid e d
t
.

we mu s not re m ain c o ntent how ev er

t
, ,

wi h the l ow e r f o r m s of co ncentr ation .

Th e s e may b rin g us physi c al heal th pros

t
,

p eri y or su cc es s b ec aus e concentr ation

,

always gives p o wer ; but even th o ugh w e

acquir e mor e weal th greater honor or in
,

c reas e d b o dil y strength we shal l n d that

t
,

one pa rt of our b e ing sti ll remains u n sa

is ed in spite of a ll our worl dly ao qms i a

tions Never w ill it be conten t until w e

.

awak en an d begin to work fo r o ur hi gher

dev el opm e nt Nor s houl d such w o rk b e
.
 C o n c en tt
i
ra on 17

re g arded as s elsh becaus e all human

,

beings are bound together and as we unfol d

o u r own spiritual nature we cannot fail to

benet others The s ame life runs through

.

and through everywhere ; and only he

who can s eize hol d o f that subtl e spiritu al
being hidden in every heart will know ho w
,

to solve the riddl e o f thi s human exi stence

for himself and be able to render l asting
help to his fel low men That one alone
-
.

l ives happily and fearl es sly Now we are.

fearful becaus e so many thi ngs are hi dden

from u s : we fear th e future becaus e we
t
do n o know what the future may b ring ;
we fear death because we are not sure what
may come after For this reason we must
.

learn to focus the mind and turn it withi n ,

then by its brilliant light we shall under

stand all things and attain the vision o f
Truth .

The purpo se of meditation is to gain

that vi sion Nor must we stop until we
.

have s een by direct perception our true

18 C o n c en tt
i
ra o n and Medi tt
i a on

S elf and our rel ation with the Supreme .

That must be the purpose o f all o ur spirit

ual practice . When the mind becomes
xed o n the Supreme B eing when through ,

meditation we are united with that P ower ,

then we have fullnes s of vi sion . This is

called the S uperconscious state or
S a ma dhi . A s we concentrate o n That
which is A ll Light the darknes s of mind
-
,

and body will vanish ; for what we con

tt
ly think
s an upon that we become , .

There is only o n e P ower one I ntelligence , ,

one Mind whi c h is God and

,
mind is ,
o ur

nothing but a ree x of that U nivers al

Mind A s it works s eparate from that
.

Mind it remains unint elligent ignorant

, , ,

powerl ess ; but when it becomes united

with I t it attains a state of compl ete
,

A fter having attained

$
illumination :
which no other gain s eems greater ; being
established wherein man is not over

whelmed even by great sorrow .
 II .

M E D I T A T I ON
H E N the mind is poised and well
concentrated the Supreme S elf o f
t
,

man becomes visibl e A other times we .

do not s ee the real man and the apparent

man thinks himself all in al l The S eer .

or higher S elf is there but we are not con ,

s ciou s of it When however the mind

.
, ,

becomes pois ed the S elf appears in its true

,

state and we do not have to make any

effort to perceive it I n the Mu n da k a .

Up anishad thes e two s elves o f man are

compared to two birds o n a tree O ne sits
t
.

al oft calm s erene immers ed in l s own

, , ,

gl ory ; the other j umps from limb to limb ,

eating the sweet and bitter fruits o f the

tree . E ach time it tastes a bitter fruit it ,

looks towards the other bird and behol ding

it calm contented, ,
shining ,
its grief
pas ses away .
20 C o n cen tt
i
ra on a n d Medit
at
io n

Solong a s there is any disturb ance in

o u r mind we cannot g et the vi sion of o u r
,

true S elf A ll thes e waves in the form

.

of s elshness ambition desires must , ,

subsi de The mind mu st be made one

.

p ointed When a man attains this he

t
.
,

s ees the S elf A other times he identies

.

himself with s ome p as sing adj unct of

m i nd like anger or j ealousy or fear I f .

we analyze we shall s ee that when any one

t
,

sp eaks harshly to u s the word i s rst o u ,

side u s then it enters into us and we grow

t
,

angry A rst an g er and we are s ep

.

arate ; then we b ecome o n e we identify ,

ours elves with it and we su ff er The wis e .

man however does not identify hims elf

, ,

with these states or modications o f mind

and body He does everything like other
.

peopl e eats sl eeps works but his

, , ,

actions diff er from others becaus e he

knows the distinction between the true
S elf and the eg o He realizes that all .

these outer things only exist becau se the

 Medi a t
io n t 21

S elf i s behind them and he is only con

scious o f That so he goes through the
,

various experiences of life without being

a ffected by them .

A s long as we identify o urs elves with

conditions we suffer ; but when we ceas e
,

to identify ours elves with thes e pas sing

conditions we never reall y suff er A
,
. t
pres ent o u r mind is going in many dir c e
tions We must turn it and direct it to
.

wards a xed goal We must train it to

.

diff erentiate its elf from its modications .

Now if something agreeabl e happens we

, ,

feel pl easure ; if something dis agreeabl e

comes we feel pain B ut this pleasure
,
.

and pain are only momentary ; and when

in both we can keep o u r mind steady we ,

gain l asting concentration .

The mind manifests in variou s states

t
.

The rst is the s cattered state ( Vi/es hip a )

I n this state the thou g ht moves hither and
thither without any s ens e of responsibility .

We may be sitting here but our mind may

,
22 C o n c en tt
i
ra on and Medi tt
ai on

be travelling hundreds o f mil es away So .

long a s it is thus wandering and scattered ,

the Yogis say we can never accomplish

,

anything ; nor can we hope to nd p eace

t
.

Yet it is only a state The mind is n o .

that it merely l acks the power to s ep arate

,

its elf from the conditions which have

covered it I n opposition to this is the
.

state of dullnes s o r slothfulnes s in whic h ,

the mind does not wis h to exert itself in

any direction Not that there is n o de
.

sire It is full o f desires but it is over

.
,

powered by a heavines s which keep s it

from making the neces sa ry effort o t
s atisfy them .

Then there is the concentrated state

( E ka g ra ) which is the nal aim o f Yoga
, .

This is the state of union for the power ,

of concentration l eads to union or com

munion with God I t makes u s one with.

the obj ect of wors hip The rst practice

t
.

in acquiring this concentrated state is o

t
hol d the mind o one point the obj ect of ,
 Medi tt
ai on 23

o ur s earch No modication must b e

.

allowed in it When we have a ecom

p lis hed this if we can then hol d o u r
,

thought ab solutely steady fo r twelve s ec

o n ds ,
this will constitute a D hya n a o r
meditation and twelve o f thes e will give
$

S a ma d/t i
. Fhat is twelve such medita
,

tions will b ring superconscious vision S o .

l ong as there is a s ens e o f division in the

mind and we are stru g gling to c o n c en
trate there cannot b e meditation ; for
,

meditation means a state o f coll ectivenes s

o r unity of thought . t
A pres ent o u r mind
is in constant struggl e It will not obey ;
.

but we must make it obey We have in .

dulg ed it al l o u r life from o ur chil dhood ;

n o w when we try to make it obey it rebel s .

Therefore o u r practice must b e carried o n

with rmnes s and p ers everance When
t
.

the mind nds that we wil l n o obey it ,

then it will obey u s The s ame is true o f

.

the body for that which makes both body

,

and mind act is Spirit .

24 C o n c en tt
i
ra on and tt
Medi a
i on

Yoga means uniting ours elves with the

obj ect o f o u r search It al so means dis
.

uniting the mind from disturbing in u

e mees Like a driver wh o restrains his
.

horses and makes them go as he will s since ,

otherwise they will run away with him so ,

we must control o u r senses ; fo r the s enses

are like horses the mind is like the reins
, ,

and only by hol ding rmly to it can w e

keep control over thes e hors es of our
s ens es . I f we do n o they will drag u st
,

away We must begin by xing our mind

t
.

o n o ur I deal A rst we may have to

.

practis e xing it on s ome picture or outer

obj ect B ut this external concentration is
.

a very lo w form It is better to have some

.

inner I deal If we can hol d the thought

.

o f purity or of some pure being in o u r

mind whil e that is there there will b e no

, ,

room for impurity ; and if we continue

this practice littl e by littl e the mind will
,

become pure By thus hol ding the thought

.

o n purity if o nly fo r three o r four minutes

, ,
 Medi tt
ai on 25

we shall be like different bein g s ; we shall

be s o ll ed with peace power and light ,
.

I n order to do this however we must , ,

bring o u r mind into perfect harmony with

o ur I deal I f we begin to think o f purity
.

and then unkind thoughts against some

o n e ris e we cannot hol d the thought o f
,

purity We may have the most beautiful

.

owers we may have incens e we may

, ,

have holy pictures ; but until our mind is

pure that is until it is o n e pointed and
, ,
-

xed o n the I deal we s hal l never know

,

holiness When o u r mind rests rmly in

.

l ove holines s and purity nothing can

, ,

overwhelm u s A n y outside condition

.

can b e overcome through the power o f

concentration becaus e the mind when
, ,

focus ed b ecomes strong and is abl e to shut

t
,

ou whatever disturb s it The scattered .

mind is like a singl e thread it can be ,

broken easily ; but the c oncentrated

mind is like many pieces o f thread twisted
together and difficult t o break . Therefor e
26 C o n c en tt
i
ra o n an d Medi tt
ai on

we must govern all o u r thoughts and hol d

o u r mind steadily on the obj ect of o u r con

centration When we can make our mind

.

abs olutely harmonious with o u r I deal ,

then alone we are peaceful ; for al l u n

happines s comes from friction or duality
t
.

I f the mind is concentrated we do n o ,

hear sounds we do not see anything ; all

,

o ur s enses are in abeyance E xternal .

sounds ex ternal vision all e xternal s ens e

, ,

perceptions therefore can be overcome by

, ,

concentration ; and intensity of c on een

ttra io n l eads to meditation Meditation .
,

however is not an easy thing

,
I t means .

feeling the presence of Go d within The

t
.

highest form of meditation is n o think

ing o f any external obj ect This means .

xing the mind o n the R eal the U m ,

changeabl e A n a rtist s mind is xed o n

.
$

s ome obj ect in nature and he succeeds in

painting a b eautiful picture . B ut this is
changeabl e I f however he carries his
, ,

thought on to the idea of beauty beyond

 Medi tt
ai on 27

the obj ect then he may attain meditation

t
.
,

A rst we may have to picture some o b

t
j ec in o u r mind but if we go on to the
,

reality behind it o ur mind becomes o n e

,

pointed and we perceive the Truth .

O rdinarily we can only s ee a person who

is near ; we cannot see o n e who is far .

Meditation is the power whi c h enables us

to s ee and draw near to a p erson thou
s ands o f mil es away S ometimes this .

meditation comes in sl eep A gain we .

may have a pure vision and by meditating

o n that we may acquire wis dom Wis .

dom means steadines s bal ance When ,

.

the mind is b alanced then we have cl ear

,

V ision . So we must make o u r minds

steady When a man gains a steady
.

m ind he can penetrate any veil external

, ,

o r internal as light penetrates darknes s

, .

L ack o f concentration creates a veil and

o u r vision is clouded
; but the moment we
concentrate o u r mind we pierce through
,

the veil and at once see cl early Through .

28 C o n c en tt
i
ra on a nd Medi tt
ai on

concentration we develop e xtraordinary

s ens e p erceptions We s ens e things which
.

other people cannot I f some o n e hol ds

.

unkind thoughts we per c eive it ; and if

-
,

any o n e holds a loving thought we feel ,

that at once al s o B ut this d o es not

.

mean that we suffer more We dwell .

cl os er to God and can feel more keenly

what others feel ; al so we c an sympathize
better O nly that o n e really suffers who
.

lives in ignorance and s elshnes s .

A nother way of reaching the S U p erc o n

scious state is by meditating on the heart
of one who is holy and pure a n eff ulgent

being This may b e inside or outside

t
. .

We s ee this in the case of S Fran ci s of .

A s sisi who as the result o f his constant

t
,

meditation on C hrist is s aid o have re

c eiv ed the marks of the stigmata I n .

I ndia there are hundreds of such ex ampl es

where the discipl e by meditating o n the
,

Master who has become one with G od ,

al so becomes one with God From thi s .

 Medi tt
ai on 29

has come the idea o f being freed from all

sins and s orrows by hol ding the thought
on a S aviour o r a holy character ; becaus e
t
,

P a an j ali s ays in his Yoga teaching what ,

ever o u r mind dwells upon we become ,

j oined to that O ur thought forms a

.

point o f connection between us and the o b

t
j ec thought o f Hence as our mind
.

dwell s o n holy things we become holy

, .

So strong is this power of thought to

$

change the character that S ri Krishna de

cl ares in the Bhag av a d Gita : E ven if
-
$

the most wicked worshippeth M e with n u

divided devotion he shoul d be regarded
,

as good for he is rightly resolved V ery

, .

soon doth he become a righteous soul and

at
tt a in e h to eternal p eace .

A s with good so with evil I f evil

t
.
,

enters o ur mind it is because we have a

,

tracted it by o ur thought Whenever we .

think of evil we unite ours elves with it

, .

S o we must be careful what we x o u r

thought up on The mind is always
30 C o n c en tt
i ra on an d Medi tt
i a on

concentrated o n s omething I t i s co n
tt
.

s a n ly active a n d so is the body If .

,

therefore we wis h to take care for our

,

welfare we must observe o n what o u r

,

mind dwell s The s aint is always watch

t
.

ful He does n o l et his mind run away

. .

He never l ets go of it or all ows it to be dis

t u rbed by any c o ndition o f life A s a lov .

ing wife keep s her thought x ed o n her

abs ent husband and thus unites hers elf
with him ; so if we keep our thought x ed
o n the Lord we shall b ecome united with
,

Him .

We must however have sincerity of

t
, ,

purpos e We must n o merely s eek a

.

comfortabl e road to Truth We must .

strive to cultivate staunchnes s o f feelin g

and an ardent devoted spirit D evotion .

gives u s steadfastnes s in resolution If .

we are interested in o n e thin g to day -

,

another to morrow we s hall never attain

-
,

concentration We s hall only fritter away

.

o u r energies First we must take an

.
 Medi tt
ai on 31

I deal Then we must think o f it become

. ,

absorbed in it l os e ours elves in it There

,
.

must b e nothing in our mind except o u r

I deal When we have pure devotion for
.

the o n e I deal that is concentration

, .

When the mind through such devotion is

properly coll ected its power becomes tre
,

men do u s and it carries us quickly to the

realization o f Truth .

R eal faith and devotion to o u r I deal will

come when we have attained a certain
amount o f p erception T o gain it we.

must rst p ay attention to external o bser

vances and practices ; next we must make
the mind introspective ; then concentra
tion and meditation will follow I n .

S a ma dhi the state of perfect peace and

,

bliss the body is controlled by the mind

,

and the mind is c o ntrolled by the S elf .

Thi s consciou snes s o f ours is only a ree x

t
o f he univers al cons c i ousnes s and as we

l earn more and more to make ours elves

open to its light we gain greater and
32 C o n cen tt
i
ra on a nd Medi tt
i a on

greater illumination This is a privilege

.

which belongs to all B ut we can hasten

.

it by responding to the call of the S pirit

and obtain it ve ry much sooner This in .

herent light of the Spirit may at times seem

dim and indistinct S ometimes our mind
t
.

with i s cloud o f worry and anxieties may

hide its brightnes s but in spite of all a d
,

vers e vicis situdes this divine unfailing ,

sp ark in u s ever comes to our rescue for it

i s self ex istent and s elf effulgent The
- -
.

S oul is omnipotent It may remain under

.

a cloud for a time but in the en d it is

,

bound to reach the highest state o f spir

t
i u a l effulgence .
 III .

A I D S TO ME D I T A T I O N
E FO R E we can take up any spiritu al
practice the mind must become well
established in the fundamental ethical
principl es s uch as non inj uring n o n
,
-
,

stealing truthfulness continence exter

, , ,

nal and internal purity contentment , ,

control o f the s enses study of the S crip

,

tures and self surrender

-
This means .

that we must not give way to j ealousy ,

anger hatred o r unkindnes s by thought

, ,

word o r action ; we must not covet o r

envy ; we must sp eak the truth fearl es sly ;
we must obs erve chastity inner and outer,

cleanlines s and s elf restraint ; and we

-

must be faithful in o u r higher study and

in devotion to o ur I deal U ntil thes e
.

are rmly x ed in the heart no amount ,

o f outer practice can help u s ; for the

foundation must be right before we can
34 C o n c en tt
i
ra on and Medit
at
io n

construct a solid buil ding and the buil d

,

ing of o u r charact e r or spiritual stru cture

can never b e s olid unl ess we are well
grounded in these moral qualities They .

are al so es s ential to tranquillity of mind ,

fo r unl es s we can look within and nd our

s elves above reproach we can never enj oy
,

p eace or s erenity C hrist s aid If thou

.
$

bring thy gift to the altar and there re

t
,

memberes that thy brother hath aught

against thee l eave there thy gift before the
,

altar and go thy way ; rst be reconcil ed

to thy brother and then come and offer
,

thy gift . I f we have anything in o u r life
that is not in accordance with our spir
t
i u a l principles no am o unt o f sittin g still
,

and trying to meditate will bring u s the

bl es sing of c ontempl ation .

The next step is the practice o f posture ;

that is one must learn to si properl y
,
t .

You may as k : What can that have to

$

do with o u r spiritu al progres s $ We
imagine that we can si in any way we t
 A ids tM ditt
o i e a on 35

wish but that is not true U nless the

t
.
,

mind is bal anced we cannot si still even

t
,

for a few s econds ; al so if o u r body is n o

in a good c ondition the mind cannot help
t
,

thinking o f it and it is diffi cult for it o

gain abs olute tranquillity The idea o f
t
.

posture therefore is o acquire rmnes s

t
, ,

o f both mind and body We l earn to si

.

in a manner in which we are a s littl e c o n

scious a s pos sibl e o f o u r physical e x ist
ence ; thus o u r mind is not dragged down
by the weight of the b o dy and it more eas
ily grows calm O ne who has n o proper
. t
control over his body cannot make proper
u s e o f his mind he can never concentrate

much les s can he meditate A man

,

who l acks mastery over the physical o r

g a n is m cannot possibly gain spiritual
conscious nes s ; hence the need to practis e
posture .

I n the beginning we may have to force

the body to be still We do this by mak
.

ing up o ur mind that fo r a stated time w e

36 C o n cen tt
i
ra on an d Medi tt
ai on

shall hol d o ur body in a certain pos ition

with bal ance and stability By doing this .

from day to day we overcome physical

restl essnes s as well as physical l ethargy .

How often we feel overpowered by o u r

bodily conditions the body does not want
,

to do a thing and at once we yiel d P er .

hap s it does not feel well and so we s acri

c e our spiritual study This means that
t
.

the body is proving i s supremacy over the

mind which shoul d never be The p rac
,
.

tice of posture will help u s to gain control

o f the body so that it will not interfere
,

with our mind and we can become l es s con

s cious o f o u r physical and more consciou s
o f o u r spiritual nature The chief sug g es
.

tion with regard to posture is to hol d the

Spinal column in an easy erect position , ,

for we nd that most o f the conditions o f

ill health aris e from disorders in the spinal
-

column The position o f the spine ha s

.

much to do with the breath and with the

ow o f life force U nles s it is properly
-
.
 A ids tM ditt
o i e a on 37

hel d neither the breathing n o r the cir en

,

l ation o f the nerve currents can be normal .

There are peopl e who are not used to

sitting straight and at rst it will be very
t
dii cul fo r them ; but after a littl e eff o rt
it will become easy and natural and then
the mind will have greater freedom o t
think When we have learned to hol d
.

ours elves in an erect easy natural way

, , ,

the mind will be abl e to g o upward A s .

l ong as the body keep s moving we cannot

focus and elevate our thou g ht We know .

that a telescope needs to be steady before

we c an focu s the l ens and ob serve the
stars o r planets ; simil arly thes e in s ru t
ments of body and mind must be steady
before we can have clear inner vision .

A s a n a o r posture means a steadfast feel

ing We feel no wavering anywhere o u r
.
,

body is well established o ur mind is well

,

established neither disturbs o u r bal ance

,

and thus we acquire a state of perfect

equilibrium .
38 C o n c en tt
i
ra on a n d Medi a tt
i on

B reath is the next thing to be c o n sid

$
ered . What can breath have to do with

o u r spiritual development $ y o u may as k
again B reath is life I t is the medium
.

through which the life cur rent ows into

us permeating o u r whol e being and su s
,

taining u s We know that a person has

t
.

ceas ed o live that the life current is no

,

longer working in him when he has lost

$
the power to breathe and we s ay that he
,

has breathed his l ast Now we breathe .

automatically involuntarily unconscious

, ,

ly ; we must l earn to breathe consciou sly ,

properly and rhythmically Through

t
.

breath alone we can create such a rhy hm

within the body that it will restore health .

P ra n ay a ma means controlling the life

force by controlling the breath When .

we understand how to do this we can ll ,

ourselves with P ra n a o r life force and -

eliminate all impurities .

We all breathe but we do not derive the

,

proper benet from o u r breathing This .

 A ids tM ditt
o e i a on 39

is becaus e we do not cons c iously regul ate

o ur breath B reath is controlled by
.

thought If we obs erve we shall s ee that

.
,

whenever o u r mind is very restl es s o u r ,

breathing becomes irregul ar A l so when .

the body is ill the breath becomes dis

t
,

ordered I is becaus e we have lost the

t
.

rhythm everything is thrown o u o f bal

,

ance and the result is a disturbance in both

o u r physical and mental health To avoid .

this the Yogis tell us to cultivate the

,

habit o f rhythmi c breathing and this will

enable u s to store Up the vital energy we
have within u s When o u r inhaling and
.

exhaling become even it affects u s j ust

,

l ike a musical rhythm creating harmony

,

throughout o ur system .

A fter thes e preparatory step s the next ,

is to make the mind introspective I t is

t
.

al l very well to have some one tell u s o

look within that only there shall we
t
,

realize the Truth ; bu how to go within $

We cannot do it suddenly becaus e of the ,
40 C o n c en tt
i
ra on a n d Meditt
i a on

hol d the body has over u s O ur mind also

.

is divi ded and cl aimed by many things .

To detach ourselves from o u r bodily con

t
di io n s and make o u r mind one pointed -

requires steady effort Sometim e s we.

grow discouraged and want to give up ;

but those are the moments when we must
hol d rmly and not l et our spirit be de
press e d o r allow ourselves to fall b ack .

A rj una s ays to S ri Krishn a in the

Bha g av a d Gita : D o not b e depressed ;
-

even this mind which s eems so unyi el ding

and difficult to sub due will become your
,

obedient s ervant through constant p ra c

ti c e of dispas sion and discrimination .

I ntensity o f purpos e is what brin g s c o n

centration When we really feel devoted
.

to an I deal then nothi ng can hol d u s

,

back ; we shall surmount eve ry difculty

t
.

A rst we may have to make a great

effort but if we really yearn for spiritual
,

things o u r mind wi ll naturally become

,

singl e S ingl enes s is what we want The

. .
 A ids tM ditt
o i e a on 41

ideal o f Yoga and o f al l philosophy and

religion is to make the mind single the ,

hea rt singl e the purpos e singl e ; for all

,

s ages and s eers recognize that in this

singlenes s lies the whol e s ecret of realiza
tion C hrist s ays that the eye and heart
.

must b e singl e before we can s ee God or

Truth .

Hol ding the mind to o n e point means

controlling all the waves or modications
which ris e o n its surface Y o u know that
.

in order to put a thread through the eye

o f a needl e y o u have to twist the thread
,

to a point ; if y o u do not it is a difficult

,

tas k to put it through S imil arly the mind

t
.
,

which has become divided through i s

varied interests must be made singl e be
,

fore it can penetrate into the depths of o u r

being This does not neces s arily mean
.

that we cannot take interest in o ther

things that we must give u p eve rything ;
t
,

singl eness means that we are abl e to p u

o u r whol e force into whatever we under
42 C o n c en tt
i
ra on an d tt
Medi a
i on

take and through thi s concentrated

,

energy we s ee more cl early and ac c omplish

things more q uickly C oncentrating our
.

mind on ordina ry e x ternal obj ects ho w ,

ever gives u s only limited results ; but

,

when we can direct o u r thought o n inner

t
spiritual o bj ec s z o u innite strength ,

innite wis dom innite love o r purity ; o n

,

the effulgent ame o f life s eated in the

t
heart ; o n an y hing through which the c ur
rent o f divine life is runnin g ; we nd
that o u r mind becomes quickened and all
t
i s l atent q ualities are awakened The .

mind takes the c olor of whatever it dwell s

upon and by bringing it in contact with
,

spiritual things it becomes puried and

strengthen e d .

We must not think that the aim of thes e

spiritual pra c tices is to gain a littl e bit of
physical health o r a littl e bit o f mental
power ; their main obj ect is to free the
s oul Freedom means completenes s no
.
,

l ack anywhereno l ack of knowl edge n o ,

 A ids tM ditt
o i e a on 43

l ack o f power no l ack of anything B e

, .

fore we can realize this and rel eas e the

soul from bondage we must go through
,

certain practices in order to form x ed

Spiritual habits and entirely wip e o u p ast t
impres sions We have to choos e the
.

I deal upon which to concentrate accord

t
ing o our o wn individual need o r inclina
$
tion O ne cannot go contrary to on e s
.

natural spiritual instinct Whether we

t
.

recognize it o r n o we have within o u r

,

s elves a Spiritual instinct j ust as we have

a physical i nst i nct and this Spiritual in
tt
,

s in c must b e our guide in choosing o ur

I deal Having chos en we must follow
.
,

this I deal in spite o f failures in spite of

,

obstructi o ns in the way ; day by day we

must hol d it before us ; and if we forget it ,

we must bring o u r mind back to it I n .

this way the mind grows unwavering and

o n e pointed we can easily follow a thought
-
,

without interruption and meditation be

comes pos sibl e .
44 C on c en tt
i
ra o n and Medit
a io n t
No oneels e can give us an adequate
idea o f what meditation is of the value o r,

the ecstasy o f it ; we can never know until

we o urs elves taste it Then only does the
.

soul become wakeful become its elf enter, ,

into its o wn el ement Why is it we suf .

fer $ B ecaus e we come in contact with so

many things that are not in harmony with
o u r real nature Meditation eliminates
.

all such foreign el ements from o ur

thoughts But this practice o f e x clusion
.

i s not to make u s more narrow and bound ,

it is to help u s coll ect o u r forces Where .

ever we have an unu sual task we always

try to store up o u r energies and have a re
s erve to cal l upon S o before we under
.

take the practice o f meditation we must ,

have so coll ected and stored our forces

that we s hall not be wanting in strength ,

either physically o r mentally .

O ften p eopl e fail to realize a desired end

be c aus e o f the l ack o f coll ectednes s in
body and mind So P a a n j a li the great
. t ,
 A ids tM dit
o t
i e a on 45

tea c her of Yoga tells us that we must pro

,

te et ours elves from the very outset I f .

we negl ect to make the foundatio n strong ,

the superstructure cannot be s atisfactory

t
.

Many p e 0 p 1e do n o gain spiritu al vision

becaus e they have not paid proper atten
tion to the prelimina ry stages When we .

are well established in o u r rst practices ,

then the other things will come naturally .

The h igher study not only deal s with the

spiritual nature it also deal s with o ur
,

human nature We must discipline and

.

gain mastery over the whol e o f o ur being

t
.

B u we must do everything gradually .

This is o n e of the great things we must

bear in mind We must not be impatient
.

and overdo What we need in all pra e

.

tice is moderation ; then we s hal l go

steadily forward doing each day a littl e
t
,

m o re according o o u r cap acity We .

must not put too much pres sure either o n

our body or o ur mind ; but if we are p a
tient and pers evering soon we Shal l nd
,
46 C o n c en tt
i ra on and tt
Medi a
i on

that things whi c h s eemed impos sibl e t o

conquer have been c o nquered .

This life is not a matter o f a few s ec

o u ds It did not spring from j ust this
.

littl e beginning ; it has had a p ast and it

will have a future s o there is no need for
,

undue hurry If we have imperfections

.
,

we c an overcome them ; and whatever

virtues we p o ss es s we did something to
,

earn them and we can earn more U nder .

standing this we Shoul d strive to take up

,

thes e practices and carry them on with

perseverance and an undepress ed heart ;
then we shall gradually overcome all
obstacl es .

O ne littl e glimps e o f higher things one ,

littl e pr o of will strengthen our faith o n our

j ourney First we hear about a thi ng ;
.

then we reect ; and after thinking and

reasoning a a sh o f light comes and
,

proves to u s that what we heard is true .

$ ust one littl e ash is enough to give u s

condence to g o o n ; then comes anothe r
 A ids tM ditt
o i e a on 47

and then another until at l ast the whol e

t
,

Truth shines A rst it comes only once

.

in a whil e O ne day p erhaps we feel great

s erenity a great s ens e of illumination
, ,

then it dis app ears A gain we p ers evere

.

and again it comes and remains a little

l onger S o we go on until some day it
.

comes and stays with u s But this is only

.

pos sibl e through constant meditation .

To mak e it a permanent fact o r in our life

we must practise steadily .

We cannot gain any vital end without

supreme effort This supreme effort we
.

must make within ourselves and we ,

must persevere until the meditative life

has become perfectly natural to u s This .

means creating a new habit We have

t
.

formed c ertain physical habits an d it is n o

difficult fo r u s to follow these ; but we
have not formed a habit o f meditation ;
therefore it seems unnatural and difficult
and we often grow discouraged Let us .

form the habit of faithful practice In .

48 C o n c en tt
i
ra on an d tt
Medi a
i on

stead of dwelling on petty things and de

voting o u r energ y to smal l pers onal aims ,

we must hol d our mind on l arger ends .

A s we rel ease it from the bonda g e o f s el sh

concerns an d x it on nobl e worshipful
thoughts we Shall nd that it will be c ome
t
,

more and more independent and free A .

rst it may not feel at home in the spiritual

t
realm ; bu ve ry s o on it will begin to feel
at home there ; then no matter how it
may be engaged always like th e nee dl e of
,

a comp as s it will keep its elf pointed

towards the I deal .

O nly in the I nnite the U nchanging

, ,

do we nd a rm basis for o u r m edita

tion B ut to enter into relationship with
.

That we must consecrate ours elves We .

must have rmnes s of determination .

We must s eek and pray and yearn for it

t
.

We must not s 0 p until o u r mind gains

direct contact with the all effulgent Spirit
-
.

I t is in this Spiritual union that the soul

t
attains i s highest illumination .
 IV .

S UPE R C ON S C I OU S V I S I ON

E B I NG sup ernaturally is one o f the

great dreams of all mystics devotees
,

and s eekers What does it mean to see

.

supernaturally $ D oes o u r normal vision

become abnormal $ S ome peopl e imagine
that this is the cas e The idea of medi
tt
.

a io n and o f superconscious vision to an

average person s eems very indenite ab ,

stract and wholly alien to practical every

day life But there can be nothing o f
.

greater practical value to a man than this

deeper Sight What is the basis o f life $
.

C an o n e succeed by clinging to the point

of view o f mere physical existence $ Thos e
who are absorbed in the material believe
that the habit o f meditation decreases am
bitio u and energy I t is one of the accu
t
.

sa io n s made against those who take up

the contempl ative life that they l ack

ambition .
50 C o n c en tt
i
ra on and Medi a tt
i on

B ut what is ambition $
I s it enough to
b e ambitious to acquire wealth to accum
t
,

u la e p oss es sions to gain worl dly name

,

and power ; o r shoul d we have another

kind of ambition $ I s it wrong to b e a m
t
bi io u s spiritually $ O ne who i s ambi
tious for Spiritual attainment is willing to
make any s acrice to gain it The man .

who has not this point o f V iew may l augh ,

at the one who thus s acrices his material

a dvantage B ut the question is which is
.
,

the more l asting and which sheds the

greater amount o f light o n our p ath and
on that of o ur fel low beings - $ This
shoul d be the ba si s o f c omparison .

Whether we want to walk in the darknes s

alone or whether we want to off er U p al l
our aspirations o u r faculties o u r will and
, ,

mind to God and wal k in His li g ht ;

t
whether we want o follow the impul ses of
o u r body o r to gather Up o u r forces and l et

the higher principl e within govern u s ;

thes e are questions very cl ose to eve ry
 S up erc o n s c io us Vis ian 51

human heart and the answers to them

come only from within through medi
tt
i
a on .

Meditation is
not a visionary ab stra e
tion It does not mean that we si in a
. t
corner and become s elsh o r morbi d and
indifferent to everything el s e in life O n .

the contrary all o u r symp athies are

,

quickened our p erceptions grow keener

, ,

our feelings deepen and we perform our

duties with greater ei c ien cy We do n o
. t
l os e our present consciousnes s but it be ,

comes enlarged We do not l ose any

.

feeling of symp athy o r love we have a

t
,

more abundant supply It is n o death to

.

the mortal side o f man when he attains a

higher state of consciousnes s It does n o
. t
mean the extinction o f his pres ent s elf but ,

the quickening of a l arger S elf The .

l esser light is swallowed up in a bigger

light The l es ser light still exists but it
.
,

is merged in the greater glo ry o f the

l arger light .
52 C o n c en tt
i
ra o n and Medi tt
ai on

Asl ong a s we are guided by s elf wil l -

and swept by the ordinary impul ses o f life ,

we never nd happines s o r rest It is the .

contempl ative man who is ful l o f j oy and

peace He is n o carried away by his
. t
l ower impul ses He exercises perfect c o n
.

trol over all his faculties and powers and ,

he gains this control through meditation .

Meditation means the unbroken ow of

the thought towards some obj ect There .

are p eopl e who meditate o n materi al

things and there are others who j ust a s
naturally hol d their mind xed o n the
spiritual A ccording to where we pl ace
.

o ur thought do we gain the result What .

ever a man thinks that he becomes This

,
.

$
i s the l aw What a man s mind dwell s
.

upon according to that his life and char

,

acter are moul ded al so his destiny,

.

We have free will to direct our mind

either in o n e way or another C onstantly .

we are moul ding o ur life by the thou g hts

we are thinking We can avoid all evil
.
 S up erc o n s c io us Vis io n 53

and uncl ean detrimental thoughts if we

,

wish ; but more often we do not wis h n o r

do we e x ert ours elves S ome one pro .

vokes o r inj ures u s and that person will

ris e in o u r mind more often than the o n e
who has given us spiritual inspiration .

The mind can become in this way v ery

treacherous Yet it is not the fault o f the
mind I t is the fault o f the training we
.

give to it The mind has the power o f re

.

tention ; and when we train it to retain

only that which is helpful to u s and o dis t
card that which is harmful we advance ,

quickly If we begin to hol d certain

.

thoughts we s ee the e ffect immediately ;

,

also whatever we allow o u r mind to as so

ciate with we absorb the quality o f that
,
.

I f we come in contact with a p erson who

is dull heavy ignorant l ethargic very
, , , ,

soon we al so b egin to feel heavy and dull .

I n the s ame way when we come in contact

with o n e who is inspiring radiant and ,

spiritual those s ame qualities ris e U p in

,

US .
54 C o n c en tt
i
ra on an d Meditt
i a on

E itherconsciously or unconsciousl y
we have formed o u r present habits of mind ,

and to buil d a new set of habits means tre

mendo n s zeal and steadfast effort By .

intelligent reasoning a nd discrimination

every one can know the right p ath to fo l
low There is a right instinct in u s al l
t
.

which tell s U S what o do and what to

avoid ; but very few o f u s have the
strength stability and determination to
, ,

keep that right p ath constantly before the

mind and follow it Why i s this $ B e
.

caus e we have so many wrong impres sions

in the mind We have to create a n ew se
. t
o f impressions and there is nothing which

can help u s do this so quickly as the p rac

tice o f concentration and meditation I n .

the V edanta teaching there is no need

t
whatsoever fo r any o n e o be despondent ,

believing that it is too l ate for him to be

t
t
gin o r that he is u n ed for spiritual
striving I t matters n o how u n ed we
. t t
t
may app ear to be we c an always over
,
 S up erc o n s c io us Vis io n 55

come The key is in o u r o wn hand We

t
. .

do not need a different kind of mind o

fol low the path of meditation and attain
higher cons ciousnes s I t is the s ame
.

mind which creates bondage f o r U S and

which liberates u s It is the s ame mind
.

which makes us happy o r mis erabl e The .

di eren c e lies wholly in the training it has

received .

We all have moments o f exaltation and

inspiration The question is how to fol
.

lo w them U p .No surer means can be

found than the practice o f meditation
t
.

There are n o s e rul es for meditation a s

t
,

there are no se rul es for spiritual evo lu

tion in any form V arious suggestions
.

are offered U S by the great philosophies

and religions o f the worl d and we must
abs orb them according to o u r capacity .

From beginning to end the path o f medi

tt
a io n teaches U S that it is not the l etter

which s aves us ; it is from the Spirit with

in that we r e ceive the revel ation and it
56 C o n c en tt
i
ra o n an d M edi tt
i a on

comes to u s when we reach the s up erc o n

scious state A S we practis e meditation
.
,

gradually o u r consciousnes s extends I n .

stead o f centering it in our littl e being and

rel ating ours elves through it to one little
environment or group we begin t o feel the
,

pul s e of the univers e The heart of the

.

univers e takes pos s es sion of our heart

and the great cosmic life begins to surge
through o u r life .

I n I ndia they say that there are three

different states of consci o usnes s waking -
,

dreaming and sound sl eep I n the rst .

,

although a man may appear to be awake

and may s eem to know and feel and do ,

y et he is not free from error I n the .

dream state between Sl eep and wakin g he

t
is still n o free from error I n sound .

sl eep his active consciousness is dormant .

B ut there is a fourth state where a man,

does not make any mistakes where he ,

feel s and knows unerringly because he ha s

,

come so clos e to the hea rt of the Innite

 S up erc o n s c io us Vis ion 57

that he has no s elf will left to hinder him

-
.

When o u r individual consciousnes s thus

becomes merged in the univers al con
s c io u sn ess we do not l os e our identity
t
.
,

B uddha did n o l ose anything when he

attained Nirvana He dropped the lim.

iting nite self and he became the

,

A wakened O ne This awakin g o f the

.

higher consciousnes s comes to u s when

we drop the bondage o f our lower nature ;
but we have to strive fo r it and we can ,

accomplish it only through persistent

effort .

M editation means forming the habit of

unbroken thought Whatever we think
with singlenes s of heart becomes medita
tion The power to meditate is a wonder
.

ful g ift but it cannot come suddenly I f

, .

we have not formed the habit of e x clu din g

al l n o n es sential thoughts and distractions
-

from o u r mind it will not come to u s ; it

,

$
cannot Therefore we must b egin to
train the mind This p ath is not for the
.
58 C o n c en tt
i
ra on and Medi tt
ai on

carel es s person I t is for thos e who live

.

every moment with thoughtfulnes s and

with vigil ance We can all acquire thi s
.

gift Without it life is very empty

. .

A ccumul ating material pos sessions does

not fortify our happines s ; it is the n d
ing of the inward light No priest or min .

ister no gospel o r form of religi o n c an

, ,

Open the door for U S to that unbounded

source of spiritual bl es sing We o u r .

s elves must open it through yearning and

,

well directed effort

-
.

The Spiritual goal cannot be attained

through material means We need the .

hand o f God to l ea d u s O ur step s are .

faltering without His guidance o u r will ,

is frail o u r mind is ful l o f error ; but if

,

we turn o u r thought unfailingly towards

the D ivine our nature gradually be c omes
,

transformed B ut ho w may we meditate

.

o n God y o u may as k
,
I f God is our .

Father and Mother if He is the o n e from ,

Whom we have descended certainly there ,

 S up erc o n s c io us Vis io n 59

cannot b e any cl oser bond than that

which exists between God and ours elves .

Why then shoul d there b e any relu ctance

o r any hesitancy o n our pa rt to go direct

t
ly o Him and a sk Him ho w we shall
meditate in what way we s hal l call Upon
,

Him $ The great S aviours and s aints tell

U S that we must be born again a s littl e

chi ldren if we woul d enter the kingdom

,

o f God . A s the littl e chil d goes to its

mother in the s ame way we must be will
,

ing to go to the great D ivine Mother as

littl e chil dren and l ay all o ur troubl es at
. t
Her feet I is th e s elf conscious p erson
-

who ha s endl es s troubl es and distractions

and mis eries The selfl es s pers on has
.

always a s ens e o f serenity He can .

meditate
t
.

We may n o have the s ame power in the

beginning but we all pos sess it in rin si t
t
,

cally There is not one who is n o

.

equipped with all the nest pos sibilities ;

but no o n e el s e can bring them o u for U S t .
60 C o n c en tt
i
ra o n an d Medi tt
i a on

No o n e can drink for u s and quench our

thirst ; no one can eat for us and nourish
o u r body t
We have o do it for ours elves
.

and meditation will help The contem

t t
.

l
p a iv e life does n o mean that we g o
apa rt and l os e all p ractical u sefulness o r ,

that we cease to contribute our S hare to

wards the good o f humanity O n the .

contrary we pray and meditate in orde r

that we may have greater power greater ,

ability greater clearnes s o f vision Then

,
.

whatever we contribute will be the g ift of

t
God That is what he z sup erc o n sc io u s
.

man does He does nothin g with self

.

conscious feeling . He does not even

write a sentence thinking that he is doin g

it We s ay Thy will be done but when
.
$

it comes to actual practice we u se o u r own,

will There is no contradi ction in the life

.

o f the superconscious man .

We make the best us e o f o u r human life

by putting the D ivine into it The hu .

man life by itself can easily become b arren

 S up erc o n s c io us Vis io n 61

and burdensome I f we feel that o u r life

.

is full o f darknes s and desponden cy it is

t
,

becaus e we have not given acces s o the

D ivine. We have not brought in the
divine light and this is the reason why it
remains in darkness Why not bring in
t
.

that light $ Why n o op en that gate o f

o u r heart $ Why clos e it to that o n e
thing which can revive U S $ God has not
created man with two hearts He has n o . t
given him a divided mind It is we who .

divide ours elves through o u r complex de

sires and ambitions and our s elf will S o -
.

long as we are weak o u r understanding

,

will b e clouded and incorrect ; but when

al l o u r forces are gathered Up in a o n e
pointed aspiring contempl ative life we
, , ,

Shall begin to s ee cl early Through the .

practice o f meditation we cannot in an y

way los e o ur efficiency P eopl e who have
.

developed the power o f meditation are a l

ways the most efcient Whatever they .

do is invariably well done .

62 C o n cen tt
i
ra on and Medi a tt
i on

We must not imagine that our spiritual

life and our life in the worl d cannot blend
in harmony I f they do not there is
.
,

something wrong in U S It means that .

our inner and o ur outer life are not coin

ciding that we are hypocrites
, . We think
one thing and do another . When the
inner and the outer blend ,
when our
thoughts and o ur acts are the rep ro du c

tion of one and the s ame ideal then we ,

may know that we are living in accord

with the Highest . And meditation is the
chief means in accomplishing this . It
helps u s to direct o u r action B efore we .

do anythi ng if we fo rtify ours elves by the

li g ht of meditation we are not apt to make
t
,

mistakes and we do no have to waste an y

time undoing what we have done . When

we are inspired and fortied by conta ct
with the inner S ource o f strength and wis
dom we cannot go very far wrong When
,
.

we have ma de God the foundation o f o ur

 S up erc o n s cio us Vis id n 63

life then whatever we construct on that

,

foundation will be enduring and will bring

l asting happines s .

S uperconsciousnes s is cl aried vis ion

t
.

A ll that we s ee in hat state i s free from

error A l s o it i s inclusive O ur sight
. .

grows more c omprehensive That is why .

thos e who have this wider vision b ecome

more tol erant more loving and more en
, ,

during A p erson with small vision s ees

.

only from o n e angl e and easily grows

irritable and angry ; but when the heart
has become a part o f the univers al heart ,

it i s never imp atient o r unloving P eace

and happines s come through understand
ing and understanding comes through the
light of meditation .
 V .

PRA C T I C A $ H I NT S

( a)
FIXITY O F PURPOS E

E
whos e j oy is within whose rel a x a ,

tion is within and whos e light is ,

within that Yogi being well establis hed

, ,
-

in B rahman ( the Supreme ) attains to

t
,

ab solute freedom B ha g a o a d
. Gi a .

As the champion warrior relies fo r vic

$
tory Upon his armor s strength so right ,

thought is like a stron g cuira ss abl e to

withstand the six s ense robbers -
.

$
I f a man s faith is unsteady if he does ,

not know the true l aw if his peace of mind ,

is troubl ed his knowl edge will never be

,

p erfect I f a man s thoughts are not dis

$

t
.

s ip a ed if his mind is not p erplexed if he

, ,

has cea sed to think o f good o r evil then ,

there is no fear for him whil e he is watch

ful Knowing that this body is fragil e
.
 Fixi y tf P
o urp o s e 65

like a j ar and making his thought rm

,

like a fortres s o n e shoul d attack M ara

, ,

the tempter with the weapon of knowl

,

edge o n e shoul d watch him when con

,

quered and shoul d never rest

,
.

Whatever a hater may do to a hater or

t
,

an enemy o an enemy a wrongly directed

,
-

mind will do him greater mischief Not .

a mother not a father will do so much

, , ,

nor any other rel atives ; a well directed -

mind will do us greater s ervic e B u ddha .

I n stu dying the wis dom o f the s ages it

is imperative to have one denite aim
that o f becoming a true man The .

A ncients said that he who coul d will coul d ,

always accomplish and that determina

,

tion wa s half the battl e O nce we have a

denite aim we become as bowmen with
,

arrows trained on the target o r as trav ,

ell ers already moving towards their

destination I n formul ating our aims
.
,

l et u s be courageous rather than timid ,

and s eek the truth even as the hungry man

66 C o n c en tt
i
ra on and Medit
at
io n

s eeks food the thirsty water allowing

, ,

nothing to hinder U S as we pres s on to

wards the goal C hu s aid : U nl es s the
.
$

aim be Single it cannot succeed

,
Then .

l et him who ventures in the quest fo r true

wis dom be singl e minded with the c o n
-
,

centration Of a s etting hen or Of a cat

watching her prey Ka iba ra E kken . .

( b)
PRACT I C E OF C ONC E NT RAT I ON

C on c entration
is the source Of strength
in politics in war in trade in short in al l
, ,

the management O f human aff airs .

-
E mers o n .

a etcher makes straight his arrow

AS ,

a wise man makes straight his trembling

and unsteady thought which is difficult o ,
t
guard diffi cult to hol d back I t is g oo d
t
.
,

o tame the mind which is di fficult to hol d

t
,

in and ig h y rushing wherever it listeth ;

,

a tamed mind brings happines s L et the .

 t
Pra c ice o f C o n c en tt
i ra on 67

wis e man guard hi s thoughts for they are

t
,

dii c ul t o perceive ,
very artful and they ,

ru s h wherever they list : thoughts wel l

guarded bring happiness Those who .

bridl e their mind which travel s far moves ,

about alone is without a body and hides

, ,

in the chamber Of the heart will be free ,

from the bonds Of Mara the tempter , .

B uddl ia .

This is the rule fo r ac hieving c o n c en

tt
i
ra on : restraint Of the breath restraint ,

Of the s ens es meditation x ed attention

, , ,

investigation absorption thes e are call ed

, ,

the sixfol d Yoga . When beh o lding by

this Yoga he behol ds the gol d coloured
,
-

maker the lord the p ers on B rahman the

, , , ,

cause then the s age l eaving be hind good

, ,

and evil makes everything ( breath organs

, ,

O f s ens e body & c ) to be o n e in the High

, ,
.

est I ndestructibl e .

Ma i
-
ty
ra a n a -B ra h ma n a Up a n is ha d
-
.
68 C o n c en tt
i
ra on an d Medit
a io n t
Asa l amp pl aced in a windles s spot does
no ticker the s ame simil e is us ed to de
,

ne a Yogi Of subdued mind practising ,

union with the S elf I n that state when

.
,

the mind is compl etely subdued by the

practice o f Yoga and has attained s erenity ,

in that state s eeing S elf by the self he is

, ,

s atised in the S elf alone I n that state .

,

trans cending the s ens es he ( the Yo g i ) ,

feel s that innite blis s which is perceived

by the puried understanding ; knowing
that and bein g established therein he ,

never fall s b ack from his real state ( o f

S elf knowl edge )
- after having attained
which no other gain s eems greater ; being
,

established wherein he is not overwhel med

,

even by great sorrow Know that ( state )

.

o f s eparation from the contact with p ain

as Yoga This Yoga shoul d be practised

.

with perseverance and undepres sed heart .

A bandonin g without reserve all the de

sires born Of mental fancies and restrain ,

ing compl etely by the mind the entire

 t
P ra c ice o f C o n c en tt
i ra on 69

group Of the s enses from all directions ,

with understanding hel d by rmnes s and ,

mind established in the S elf let him ( thus )

,

by degrees attain tranquillity ; l et him not

think of anything el s e Wheresoever the
.

restles s and unsteady mind may wander

away l et him withdraw it from there and
,

bring it under the control Of the S elf

alone .

A Yogi shoul d constantly practis e

concentration Of the heart remainin g in ,

s eclusion alone sub duing his body and

,

mind and bein g free from longing and pos

s es sion ( s ens e o f owners hip ) I n a cl ean.

ly spot having established his s eat rmly

t
,

neither o o high nor too l ow with a cloth , ,

s kin and Kusha gras s pl aced o n e o n the

,

other ; being s eated there making the

t
,

mind one pointed and subduin g the a c iv

-

ities of mind and s enses l et him practis e

t
,

Yoga for s elf p u ric a io n Let him hol d

-
.

his body head and neck erect and

,

motionles s x ing the gaze o n the tip Of his

,
70 C o n c en tt
i
ra on an d Medit
a ion t
nos e not l ooking ar o und
,
. B eing s erene
hearted and fearles s ever steadfast in the ,

vow of B ra hma cha rya ( continen c e ) and

controlling the mind l et him si stea dfast , t
ly absorbed in thoughts O f Me regarding ,

Me a s his supreme goal . Thus ev er keep

ing hims elf steadfast the Yogi o f subdued ,

mind attains eternal p eace and fre e dom ,

which abide in Me .

B ut O A rj una ( the pra ctice O f) Yoga

t
, ,

is not for him who eats oo much o r who

does not eat at all nor for him who sleeps
,

too mu c h keep s awake ( in ex c es s )

or He .

who is moderate in eatin g and recreation ,

moderate in his eff orts in work moderate ,

in sl eep and wakefulnes s ( his practi c e of ) ,

Yoga becomes the destroyer o f all mise ry .

Whe n the mind ,

completely subdued ,

rests in Self alone free from longing for

,

all Obj e c ts Of desire then he is s aid to be

t
,

a Yuk a ( steadfast in S elf knowl edge ) -

t
.

Bha g a o a d -
Gi a .
 t
P ra c ice of C o n cen tt
i ra on 71

A t
that time ( the time concentrati o n )
Of

the s eer ( the P urusha ) rests in his o wn

( unm o died ) state
t
.

A other times ( other than that O f c on

centration ) the seer is identied with the
modications ( O f hi s mind ) .

The concentration call ed ri g ht knowl

edge is that which is followed by reas o n
ing discrimination blis s un quali ed eg o
, , , .

There is another concentration which

is attained by the constant practice O f
ces s ation O f all mental activity in which ,

the mind retains only the unmanifested

impres sions .

Fo r the extremely energetic c o nc e ntra ,

tion is near .

D is eas e mental l azines s doubt ces s a

tion fals e p er c eption non
, , ,

,
attaining c o n
,

centration and falling away from the

,

state when Obtained are the ob stru c ting

,

distractions .

Grief mental distres s tremor Of the

, ,

body irregul ar breathing accompany

, ,

non retention Of concentration

-
.
72 C o n c en tt
i
ra on an d Medi a tt
i on

TO remedy this the practice Of o n e sub

j ect shoul d be made

Pa t
.

a n j a li Yo g a A p ho ris ms .

(C)
MET HOD S OF MED I TAT I ON

Meditation is directed tthe

o hi g hest
B eing ( B rahman ) within .

As a re with o ut fuel dies down on the

hea rth thus do the thoughts when al l
, ,

activity ceas es ,
become quiet in their
pl ace .

For thoughts alone cause the round O f

births ; l et a man strive to purify his
thoughts . What a man thinks that he is ,

this is the Ol d s ecret .

B y the s erenity Of his thoughts a man

blots ou t
all actions ,
whether good or bad .

D welling within his S elf with s eren e

thoughts he Obtains imperishabl e happi
,

nes s .
 ho ds o f Medit
Me t a io n t 73

If the thoughts O f a man were s o xed

o n B rahman as they are o n the things Of

this worl d who woul d n o then be freed

, t
from bondage $
The mind it is s aid is O f two kinds
, , ,

pure o r impure ; impure from the contact

with lust pure when free from lust
,
.

When a man havin g freed his mind

,

from sloth ,
distraction ,
and vacillation ,

becomes as it were delivered from his

mind that is the highest point
,
.

The mind must b e restrained in the

heart till it comes to an end that is
knowl edge that is liberty ; all the rest are
,

extensions Of the ties ( which bind us to

this life )
.

That happines s which belongs to a

mind which by deep meditation has been
washed clean from al l impurity and has
entered within the S elf cannot be de ,

scribed here by words ; it can be felt

by the inward power onl y .
 74 C o n cen tt
i ra on and Medi tt
ai on

M ind alone is the caus e Of bonda g e and

liberty for men ; if attached to the world ,

it becomes bound ; if fr e e from the worl d ,

that is libe rty

Ma it
.

ra y a n a -
B ra hma n a - Upa n is ha d .

God is s e en when the mind is tran q uil .

When the mental sea is agitated by the

wind Of desires it cannot ree ct God and
,

then God vision is impossibl e

-
.

S ri R a ma krishn a .

Nowhere either with more quiet or more

freedom from troubl e does a man retire
than into his o w n soul p articul arly when
,

he has within him such thoughts that by

looking into them he is immediately in
p erfect tranquill ity ; and I afrm that
tranquillity is nothing el s e than the goo d
ordering O f the mind R emember to
retire into this littl e territory of thy own
and a bove al l do not distract or restrain
thys elf but be free
, Things do n o t
touch the soul for they are external a n d
,
 Me t
h d o s o f Medi tt
i a on 75

remain immovable but o u r perturbations ,

come only from the opinion which is

within Ma rc us A urelius
. .

Friendship mercy gl adnes s in differ

, , ,

ence being thought O f in regard to sub

t
,

j ec s happy unhappy good and evil re

t
, , ,

sp ec iv ely p acify the mind

,
.

By throwing out and restraining the

breath .

Thos e forms Of concentration that

bring extraordinary s ens e perceptions
c ause p erseverance Of the mind .

O r ( by the meditation on ) the Efful

gent O ne which is beyond all sorrow .

O r ( by meditation o n ) the heart that

has given Up all attac hment to s ens e
Obj ects .

O r by meditating on the knowledge that

comes in sl eep .

O r by the meditation o n anything that

appeal s to one as g o od .

$
The Yogi s mind thus meditating be ,

comes unob structed from the atomic to

the I nnite .
76 C o n c en tt
i ra on an d Medi tt
ai on

t
t
The Yogi whos e Vri is ( modications )
have thus become powerles s ( controll ed )
obtains in the receiver receiving and re
,

c eived ( the s elf the mind and e x ternal O b

tt
,

j ects ) c o n c en ra edn ess and s amenes s

, ,

like the crystal ( before different coloured

Obj ects ) .

( concentration ) is hol ding

D ha ra n a
the mind o n to some p a rticul ar Obj ect .

A n unbroken ow Of knowl edg e in that

Obj ect is D hya n d ( meditation ) .

When that giving Up all forms reects

, ,

only the meaning it is S a ma dhi

, .

By the suppres sion O f the disturbed

modications O f the mind and by the rise ,

Of modications o f control the mind is ,

s aid to attain the controlling mo dic a

tions following the controlling powers o f
the mind
t
.

I s ow becomes steady by habit .

Taking in all sorts O f Obj ects and c o n

tt
,

c en ra in g Upon one Obj ect these two ,

powers being destroyed and manifested

 Me t
h d
o s o f Medi tt
ai on 77

respectively the mind gets the mo dic a

,

tion call ed S a ma dhi ( illumination )

P a t
.

a n j a li Yo g a A p ho ris ms .

Now what most contributes to the

t
grow h Of thes e wings ( o f the soul ) is
meditation by which we learn littl e by
,

littl e to wean o u r affections from earthl y

things and to get a habit Of c o n emp la
, t t
ing the things that are immaterial and in
tellig ible and to Shake O f
,
f the pollutions
it has contracted by its union with the ter
t
res ria l and mortal body A n d indeed .
, ,

by thes e a dvantages it revives in some

manner it rouses up its elf it is lled with
, ,

divine vigor and reunites its elf to the

I ntelligent P erfection within Hiero cles . .

And there is fu rther the most D ivine

, ,

Knowl edge Of A lmighty God which is ,

known through not kn owing ( agnosia )

,

during the union above mind ; when the

mind having stood ap a rt from all exist
t
,

ing things then having dismis sed al so i

,
78 C o n cen tt
i
ra dn an d tt
Medi a
i on

s elf has been made one with the su p er

,

luminous rays thenc e and there being

,

illuminated by the unsearchabl e depth o f

t
wis dom D ion ys ius he A reo p a g i e
. t .

The spirit whi c h i s truly s anctied

attains to so lofty a degree that all which
it s ees is real al l which it desires is
,

granted and in all which it commands it

, ,

is obeye d A vicen n a .

DO not you p erceive that when y o u have

l et your mind loos e it is n o l onger in you r
,

power to cal l it back either to propriety

,

o r modesty or moderati on $ Fo r this

reason phil osophers a dvis e us not to be

contented with mere l earning ; but to add
meditation likewis e and then practice
,

B e desirous to convers e in purity with

your o wn pure mind and with God
t
E pi t
.

c e us .

Fixing the mind o n the low s of the

heart or o n the centre O f the head is what
, ,
 Me t
h d o s o f Medi tt
ai on 79

is call ed D ha ra n a ( c o ncentration ) When .

remaining in o n e pl ace making o n e pl ace

,

as the bas e when the waves Of the mind

,

ris e up without being tou c hed by other

,

waves when all other waves have

stopped and o n e wave only ris es in the
mind that is cal led D hya n a ( meditation )
,

When no basis is neces s ary when the ,

whol e Of the mind has become o n e wave ,

$
one fo rmedn es s it is called S a ma dhi
-

,

supercons ciousnes s )
I magine a lotus upon the o p Of the t
head s everal inches U p and virtue as its
, ,

centre the stal k as knowl ed g e The

,
.

eight petal s Of the lotus are the eight

powers O f the Yogi Inside the stamens .
,

and pistil s are renunciation I f the Yogi .

refus es the external powers he will come

to s alvation S O the eight petal s O f the
.

lotus are the eight powers but the internal ,

stamens a n d pistils are the extreme re

n u n c ia t
i
the renunciation Of all thes e
on, .

I nside O f that lotus think Of the Gol den

80 C o n c en tt
i
ra on an d Medi tt
ai on

O ne the A lmighty the I ntangibl e He

, , ,

whos e name is O m the I nexpressibl e , ,

surrounded with effulgent light M edi .

tate o n that .

Think Of a sp ace in your heart and in ,

the midst of that sp ace think that a ame

is burning Think Of that ame as your
.

o wn soul and inside that ame is another

,

space effulgent and that is the Soul of

, ,

your soul Go d M editate Upon that in

,
.

the heart .

C hastity non inj uring pardoning -

t
t
, ,

every one are all diff erent Vri is ( quali

,

ties Of mind ) B e not afraid if you are

t
.

no perfect in all o f thes e ; work and the ,

others will come He who ha s given u p .

all attachment all fear and all anger he

, ,

whos e whol e soul has gone unto the Lord ,

he who has taken refuge in the Lord ,

whos e heart has become puried with ,

whatsoever desire he comes to the Lord

He will grant that to hi m .

-
S wa mi Vio e ha n a n da .