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Copyright 1912, 1916, 1917 and 1921 by Swami Pa

PRINTED IN U . S . A .

CONTENTS

MEDITATION

SUPERCONSC IOUS VISION

PRACTICA$ HINTS

a. Fixity of Purpose

b. Practice of Concentrat ion

c . Methods of Meditation

CONCENTRATION

mE al l pos ses s the faculty of concem

tration,but with the maj ority it i s

instinctive and automatic,not conscious .

Even among the animal s we see how a

lion or tiger wil l gather his strength by a

moment of absolute stil lnes s before he

springs upon his prey ; that automatic, in

stinctive power of concentration is embedded in every l iving creature . But un

til we can gain conscious command over

our mental and Spiritual forces,we can

never have complete concentration . When

the scattered mind is gathered together it

i s l ike a bright searchlight,and by it man

is able to investigate the latent powers

which he pos ses ses but of which he i s notnow whol ly aware . A s he grows more

conscious of these hidden forces and

learnsto use them,he becomes more and

more proficient .

8 Concentration and Meditation

We never wish to be defeated and yet

how often our strength of mind or our

physical capacities prove inadequate . It

i s because we have not the ful l and con

scious poss es sion of our whole being .

Man cannot achieve much unles s he has

free use of his hands and feet,free use of

his eyes and ears,free use of his muscl es

and above al l free use of his mind and in

tellig ence. But how many of us have the

free use of all these $ When we would

make use of them we find them hopeles s ly

scattered and rebel l ious to our wil l . The

cause of thi s does notl ie in any inherentl ack of power

,but in our inabil ity to co

ordinate,and in our l ack of definite one

pointed purpose . We miss the mark be

cause we do not set our aim properly.

Once in ancient India there was a

tournament hel d to test marksmanship in

archery. A wooden fish was setup on ahigh pole and the eye of the fish was the

target . One by one many val iant princes

Concentration 9

came and tried their skil l but in vain .

Before each one shot his arrow the teacher

asked him what he saw and invariably al l

replied that they saw a fish on a pol e at a

great height,with head

,eyes

,etc . ; but

A rjuna as he took his aim said : $ I see the

eye of the fish,

” and he was the only one

who succeeded in hitting the mark .

A s imil ar incident is given by the

Chinese sage,Chuang-Tzu : $ The man

who forged swords for theMinister ofWar

was eighty years of age . Yet he never

made the slightest s l ip in his work . The

Minister of War s aid to him :$Is it your

skill , sir, or have you any method $$ $It i s

concentration,$ repl ied the man .

$When

twenty years old,I tookto forging swords .

I cared for nothing el se . If a thing was

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

myself ofwhatever energy I did notuse inother directions in order to secure $ greater

efficiency in the direction required .

$


Concentration means wholenes s,unity

,

equilibrium . The hands,feet

,mind

,al l

our members and faculties must be uni

fied. They must al l work in harmony,in

tranquil lity and balance Balance is

needed everywhere in life . A man may be

over-active or he may be idle ; both indi

cate absence of s elf-adjustment . Sri

Krishna declares in the Gita : $ O A rjuna,

the practice of Yoga is not for him who

eats too much or who does not eat at al l ,

nor for him who sl eeps too much or who

keeps awake in exces s . He who is mod

crate in eating and recreation , moderate

in his efforts in work,moderate in sl eep

and wakefulnes s,his practice of Yoga

destroys al l mis ery .

” What does this

signify $ That he who goes to extremes

i s a s l ave of impul se,he is not the master .

He lacks balance and l ack of bal ance

means l ack of strength and $ ithout

strength no great work can be aecom

plished. If on the contrary we practi se

Concentration 1 1

moderation or equilibrium even in our

most ordinary daily tasks,we shal l see

how steady will be our gain in concentra

tion .

The practice of moderation neces sitates

a certain amount of s elf-discipline . The

Hindus cal l this Tapas, which l iteral ly

means fire” or$ heat

,

” and they believe

that unles s thi s fire of s elf-discipline i s

l ighted in order to burn to ashes al l the

impurities and limitations of our system,

spiritual il lumination will be impossibl e .

But here too extremes must be avoided .

Often peopl e through misunderstanding

or over- enthusiasm torture and strain

themselves in the hope of advancing more

rapidly,butthey defeat their own end .

Excess ive penance or mortification i s a sharmful as self-indulgence . The purpose

of al l discipline is to make our constitution

more enduring,more adaptabl e and more

responsive . Body and mind must be

made wholly obedient to the will and in

dependent of external circumstances .


The person who is a sl ave to physical

comforts should gradual ly el iminate al l

that i s superfluous and train himself to be

content with the bare neces sities . Any

one who finds it difficult to overcome

physical lethargy and rise early in the

morning should drag himself outof bedby sheer force of will . One who is in

clined to over-eating should by degrees

reduce the quantity of his food . A person

who has the habit of talking unneces sarily

should practis e stil lnes s by persistent con

trol of al l usel es s motions . Such practices

not only increase our power of concentra

tion and meditation,but do muchto im

prove our bodily health and make us

happier in every way.

The mind fal l s naturally into three

general states —the dul l state ; the over

active or scattered state ; and the calm,

centred state . These correspond to the

three Gunas~ or qualities of matter,call ed

in Sanskrit Tamas, Rafa: and Sattwa .

Concentration 13

They are innate in every l iving being and

manifest in the human mind as the sub

conscious,the conscious and the super

conscious . The first qual ity is that of

darknes s,inertia

,heavines s

,the brute

state . When the mind is overcome by

this quality,it l acks in power to diff eren

tiate between right and wrong and is easily carried away by lower animal pas sions .

The second quality i s that of exces sive

ambition,egotism

,arrogance and discon

tent . When this quality is in ascendancy,

a man i s consumed by feverish unrest and

an irres i stible desire to multiply pos ses

sions and to entangl e himself more and

more in external undertakings . His

energies are scattered and often wasted .

No matter how much he achieves,he is

never s atisfied ; for the flame of his desire

mounts with each new gratification as a

fire fed by fresh fuel . With the quality of

Sattwa the mind grows coll ected,serene

and il lumined . This is the fitting state


for spiritual attainment In order to

reach it the condition of dullnes s or in

ertia must be conquered by stimulatingal l the physical and mental activities

.

Then these activities must be regulated

and directed until they are focused . The

sub-conscious must be brought into com

plete subj ection to the conscious and theconscious must be expanded into the

superconscious . This i s the natural

proces s in acquiring the power of concen

tration and meditation .

Meditation is inseparabl e from concen

tration . When the mind has gained itsful l strength through singl enes s

,it natur

ally becomes meditative . Often the mind

is compared to a lake . If the surface is

absolutely smooth—not a rippl e—then wecan see clearly what lies beneath . Simi

larly when this mind becomes calm,when

the wind of uncontroll ed desire does notconstantly create ripples over the surface

of it,then the image of our true nature is

Concentration 15

not broken and we obtain a perfect reflec

tion ofwhat we are in reality and what our

rel ation is with the Supreme Intel l igence .

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

our V i s ion can never be unerring . We are

constantly hoping that some one el s e may

give us knowledge and happines s,but that

i s not pos sible . These can only come

from $ ithin .

What we need is to be active spiritual ly .

A s we go on living our outer l ife,we must

devote some time each day to making our

mind introspective,that we may develop

our subtler powers of perception . In al l

investigations certain instruments are

neces sary, as we see scientists inventing

finer and finer instruments for their re

s earches . A l so for spiritual observation

we need a form of mind which can discern

the subtler things imperceptible to our

ordinary sense faculties . The concem

trated mind is such an instrument and theonly one fitted for higher res earch . It i s

16 Con centration and Meditation

l ike a focus ed light . We know that when

l ight i s dis sipated we cannot see well,but

when the scattered rays are brought to

gether by the help of a shade or reflector,

then everything grows distin ct . So wi ll

the hidden powers of the univers e be re

veal ed to us when through determined and

steadfast practice we gather up the pres

ent forces of our mind,which is now weak

only because it is di sorganized and

divided.

we mustnot remain content, however,with the lower forms of concentration.

Thes e may brin g us physical health,pros

perity or succes s , because concentrationalways gives power ; but even though we

acquire more weal th,greater honor or in

creas ed bodily strength,we shall find that

one part of our being still remains unsatisfied in spite of all our worl dly aoqmsia

tions . Never wil l it be conten t until we

awaken and begin to work for our higher

development. Nor shoul d such work be

Concentration 17

regarded as s elfish,because al l human

beings are bound together and as we unfold

our own spiritual nature we cannot fail to

benefit others . The same life runs through

and through everywhere ; and only he

who can seize hold of that subtl e spiritual

being hidden in every heart,wil l know how

to solve the riddl e of this 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 because so many things are hidden

from us : we fear the future because we

do notknow what the future may bring ;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 within,

then by its bril liant l ight we shal l under

stand all things and attain the vi s ion of

Truth .

The purpose of meditation is to gain

that vision . Nor must we stop until we

have seen by direct perception our true

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II.

MED ITAT ION

HEN the mind is poised and wel l

concentrated,the Supreme Self of

man becomes visibl e . Atother times wedo not see the real man and the apparent

man thinks himself al l in al l . The Seer

or higher Self i s there, but we are not con

scious of it . When, however, the mind

becomes poised,the Self appears in its true

state and we do not have to make any

effort to perceive it . In the Mundaka

Upanishad these two selves of man are

compared to two birds on a tree . One sits

aloft,calm

,s erene

,immers ed in lts own

glory ; the other jumps from limb to l imb ,eating the sweet and bitter fruits of the

tree . Each time it tastes a bitter fruit,it

looks towards the other bird and beholding

it calm, contented, shining, its grief

pas ses away .


So long as there is any disturbance in

our mind,we cannot get the vi s ion of our

true Self . A ll thes e waves—in the form

of selfishness,ambition

,desires—must

subside . The mind must be made one

pointed . When a man attains this,he

sees the Self . Atother times he identifieshimself with some pas sing adjunct of

mind l ike anger or j ealousy or fear . If

we analyze,we shall see that when any one

speaks harshly to us,the word i s first out

side us, then it enters into us and we grow

angry . Atfirst anger and we are sep

arate ; then we become one, we identify

ourselves with it and we suffer . The wise

man,however

,does not identify himself

with these states or modifications ofmind

and body. He does everything l ike other

people,eats

,s l eeps

,works— but his

actions differ from others because he

knows the distinction between the true

Self and the eg o . He real izes that al l

these outer things only exist because the

Meditation 2 1

Self i s behind them and he is only con

scious of That,so he goes through the

various experiences of l ife without being

affected by them .

A s long as we identify ourselves with

conditions,we suffer ; but when we cease

to identify ourselves with these pas sing

conditions,we never really suffer . At

present our mind is going in many dirce

tions . We must turn it and direct it to

wards a fixed goal . We must train it to

differentiate itself from its modifications .

Now,if something agreeabl e happens

,we

feel pl easure ; if something disagreeable

comes,we feel pain . But this pleasure

and pain are only momentary ; and when

in both we can keep our mind steady,we

gain lasting concentration .

The mind manifests in various states .

The first is the scattered state (Vi/eshipta )In this state the thought moves hither and

thither without any s ense of responsibil ity.

We may be sitting here,but our mind may


be travell ing hundreds ofmiles away . So

long as it is thus wandering and scattered,

the Yogis say, we can never accomplish

anything ; nor can we hope to find peace .

Yet it is only a state . The mind is notthat

,it merely lacks the power to separate

its elf from the conditions which have

covered it . In opposition to this i s the

state of dul lnes s or s lothfulnes s,in which

the mind does not wish to exert itself in

any direction . Not that there is no de

s ire . It is full of desires,but it i s over

powered by a heavines s which keeps it

from making the neces sary effort tos atis fy them .

Then there is the concentrated state

(Ekag ra ) , which is the final aim of Yoga .

This i s the state of union,for the power

of concentration leads to union or com

munion with God . I t makes us one with

the obj ect of worship . The first practice

in acquiring this concentrated state i stohold the mindto one point

,the obj ect of

Meditation 23

our s earch . No modification must be

allowed in it When we have aecom

plished this , if we can then hold our

thought absolutely steady for twelve sec

onds,this wil l constitute a Dhyana or

meditation $ and twelve of thes e wil l give

Samad/ti. Fhat i s,twelve such medita

tions wil l bring superconscious vision . So

l ong as there is a sens e of division in the

mind and we are struggling to concen

trate,there cannot be meditation ; for

meditation means a state of col l ectivenes s

or unity of thought . Atpresent ourmindis in constant struggle . It wil l not obey ;but we must make it obey. We have in

dulg ed it al l our l ife from our childhood ;

now when we try to make it obey it rebel s .

Therefore our practice must be carried on

with firmnes s and perseverance . When

the mind finds that we wil l notobey it,then it wil l obey us . The same is true of

the body,for that which makes both body

and mind act is Spirit .


Yoga means uniting ourselves with the

obj ect of our search . It al so means dis

uniting the mind from disturbing influ

emees . Like a driver who restrains his

horses and makes them go as he will s,s ince

otherwise they wil l run away with him,so

we must control our senses ; for the senses

are l ike horses,the mind is l ike the reins

,

and only by holding firmly to it can we

keep control over thes e hors es of our

senses . If we do not,they wil l drag us

away. We must begin by fixing our mind

on our Ideal . Atfirst we may have to

practis e fixing it on some picture or outer

obj ect . But this external concentration is

a very low form . It is better to have some

inner Ideal . If we can hold the thought

of purity or of some pure being in our

mind,whil e that i s there

,there wil l be no

room for impurity ; and if we continue

this practice,l ittl e by littl e the mind wil l

become pure . By thus holding the thought

on purity,if only for three or four minutes

,

Meditation 25

we shal l be like different beings ; we shal l

be so fi ll ed with peace,power and light .

In order to do this,however, we must

bring ourmind into perfect harmony with

our Ideal . If we begin to think of purity

and then unkind thoughts against some

one ris e,we cannot hold the thought of

purity . We may have the most beautiful

flowers,we may have incense

,we may

have holy pictures ; but until our mind is

pure,that is

,until it i s one-pointed and

fixed on the Ideal , we shal l never know

holiness . When our mind rests firmly in

love,holines s and purity

,nothing can

overwhelm us. Any outside condition

can be overcome through the power of

concentration,because the mind

,when

focused,becomes strong and is abl e to shut

outwhatever disturbs it . The scatteredmind is l ike a singl e thread

,it can be

broken eas ily ; but the concentrated

mind is l ike many pieces of thread twisted

together and difficult to break . Therefore

Meditation 27

the obj ect, then he may attain meditation .

Atfirst we may have to picture some ob

jectin our mind,but if we go on to the

reality behind it,our mind becomes one

pointed and we perceive the Truth .

Ordinarily we can only see a person who

i s near ; we cannot see one who is far .

Meditation is the power which enables us

to see and draw near to a person thou

sands of miles away . Sometimes this

meditation comes in sl eep . Again we

may have a pure vision and by meditating

on that we may acquire wisdom . Wis

dom means steadines s,balance . When

the mind is balanced,then we have clear

Vision . So we must make our minds

steady . When a man gains a steady

mind, he can penetrate any veil , external

or internal , as light penetrates darknes s .

Lack of concentration creates a veil and

our vision is clouded ; but the moment we

concentrate our mind,we pierce through

the veil and at once see clearly. Through


concentration we develop extraordinary

sense perceptions . We sense things which

other people cannot . If some one holds

unkind - thoughts,we perceive it ; and if

any one holds a loving thought,we feel

that at once al so . But this does not

mean that we suffer more . We dwel l

clos er to God and can feel more keenly

what others feel ; al so we can sympathize

better . Only that one real ly suffers who

lives in ignorance and selfishnes s .

Another way of reaching the SUpercon

scious state is by meditating on the heart

of one who is holy and pure—an effulgent

being . This may be inside or outs ide .

We see thi s in the case of St. Franci s ofA s si s i

,who as the result of his constant

meditation on Christ i s s aidto have received the marks of the stigmata . In

India there are hundreds of such examples

where the disciple,by meditating on the

Master who has become one with God,al so becomes one with God . From thi s

Meditation 29

has come the idea of being freed from all

sins and sorrows by holding the thought

on a Saviour or a holy character ; because,Patanj ali says in his Yoga teaching , whatever our mind dwel l s upon

,we become

j oined to that . Our thought forms a

point of connection between us and the ob

jectthought of. Hence as our mind

dwel l s on holy things,we become holy.

So strong $ i s this power of thought to

change the character that Sri Krishna de

clares in the Bhag avad-Gita :$

Even if

the most wicked worshippethMe with nu

divided devotion,he should be regarded

as good,for he is rightly resolved . Very

soon doth he become a righteous soul and

attaineth to eternal peace .

A s with good,so with evil . If evil

enters our mind,it is because we have at

tracted it by our thought . Whenever we

think of evil,we unite ourselves with it.

So we must be careful what we fix our

thought upon The mind is always


concentrated on something . It i s con

stantly active and so is the body . I f,

therefore,we wish to take care for our

welfare,we must observe on what our

mind dwel l s . The saint i s always watch

ful . He does notl et his mind run away .

He never l ets go of it or allows it to be dis

turbed by any condition of l ife . A s a lov

ing wife keeps her thought fixed on her

absent husband and thus unites herself

with him ; so if we keep our thought fixed

on the Lord,we shal l become united with

Him .

We must,however

,have sincerity of

purpose . We must notmerely seek acomfortabl e road to Truth . We must

strive to cultivate staunchnes s of feel ing

and an ardent devoted spirit . D evotion

gives us steadfastnes s in resolution . If

we are interested in one thing to-day,

another to-morrow,we shal l never attain

concentration . We shall only fritter away

our energies . First we must take an

Meditation 3 1

Ideal . Then we must think of it, become

absorbed in it,l os e ours elves in it . There

must be nothing in our mind except our

Ideal . When we have pure devotion for

the one Ideal,that i s concentration .

When the mind through such devotion is

properly col l ected,its power becomes tre

mendous and it carries us quickly to the

realization of Truth .

R eal faith and devotion to our Ideal wil l

come when we have attained a certain

amount of perception . To gain it we

must first pay attention to external obser

vances and practices ; next we must make

the mind introspective ; then concentra

tion and meditation wil l fol low . In

Samadhi, the state of perfect peace and

blis s , the body is control led by the mind

and the mind is controlled by the Self.

This consciousnes s of ours is only a reflex

ofthe universal consciousnes s and as wel earn more and more to make ourselves

open to its l ight we gain greater and


greater il lumination . This is a privilege

which belongs to all . But we can hasten

it by responding to the cal l of the Spirit

and obtain it very much sooner . This in

herent light of the Spirit may at times seem

dim and indistinct . Sometimes our mind

with its cloud ofworry and anxieties mayhide its brightnes s

,but in spite of all ad

vers e vicis situdes this divine,unfail ing

spark in us ever comes to our rescue for it

i s sel f-existent and self-effulgent . The

Soul i s omnipotent . It may remain under

a cloud for a time,but in the end it is

bound to reach the highest state of spir

itual effulgence .

I I I .

A IDS TO MED ITAT ION

EFORE we can take up any spiritual

practice the mind must become wel l

establ ished in the fundamental ethical

principles,such as non- inj uring, non

steal ing,truthfulness

,continence

,exter

nal and internal purity,contentment,

control of the senses , study of the Scrip

tures and self- surrender . This means

that we must not give way to j ealousy,

anger,hatred or unkindnes s by thought,

word or action ; we must not covet or

envy ; we must speak the truth fearl es s ly ;we must observe chastity

,inner and outer

cleanlines s and self-restraint ; and we

must be faithful in our higher study and

in devotion to our Ideal . Until thes e

are firmly fixed in the heart,no amount

of outer practice can help us ; for the

foundation must be right before we can

A ids to Meditation 35

wish,but that is not true . Unless the

mind is balanced,we cannot sitstil l even

for a few seconds ; al so if our body is notin a good condition

,the mind cannot help

thinking of it and it is difficult for ittogain absolute tranquil l ity . The idea of

posture,therefore

,isto acquire firmnes s

of both mind and body. We learn to sitin a manner in which we are as l ittl e con

scious as pos sible of our physical exist

ence ; thus our mind is not dragged down

by the weight of the body and it more eas

ily grows calm . One who has notpropercontrol over his body cannot make proper

use of his mind, he can never concentrate

—much les s can he meditate . A man

who lacks mastery over the physical or

g anism cannot possibly gain spiritual

consciousnes s ; hence the need to practis e

posture .

I n the beginning we may have to force

the body to be sti ll . We do this by mak

ing up our mind that for a stated time we


shal l hold our body in a certain pos ition

with balance and stabil ity. By doing this

from day to day we overcome physical

restl essnes s as wel l as physical l ethargy .

How often we feel overpowered by our

bodily conditions,the body does not want

to do a thing and at once we yield . Per

haps it does not feel wel l and so we sacri

fice our spiritual study . This means that

the body is proving its supremacy over themind

,which should never be . The prac

tice of posture wil l help us to gain control

of the body, so that it wil l not interfere

with our mind and we can become les s con

scious of our physical and more conscious

of our spiritual nature . The chief sug g es

tion with regard to posture is to hold the

Spinal column in an easy,erect position

,

for we find that most of the conditions of

i l l-health aris e from disorders in the spinal

column . The position of the spine has

much to do with the breath and with the

flow of l ife-force . Unles s it i s properly

Aids to Meditation 37

held,neither the breathing nor the ciren

l ation of the nerve currents can be normal .

There are peopl e who are not used to

sitting straight and at first it wil l be very

diflicultfor them ; but after a littl e effortit will become easy and natural and then

the mind wil l have greater freedom tothink . When we have learned to hold

ourselves in an erect,easy

,natural way

,

the mind wil l be abl e to go upward . A s

l ong as the body keeps moving we cannot

focus and elevate our thought . We know

that a telescope needs to be steady before

we can focus the lens and observe the

stars or planets ; s imil arly thes e instruments of body and mind must be steady

before we can have clear inner vis ion .

Asana or posture means a steadfast feel

ing . We feel no wavering anywhere,our

body is wel l establ ished,our mind is wel l

establ ished, neither disturbs our balance

and thus we acquire a state of perfect

equilibrium .


Breath is the next thing to be consid

ered .

$What can breath have to do with

our spiritual development $” you may ask

again . Breath is l ife It is the medium

through which the l ife current flows into

us , permeating our whole being and sus

taining us . We know that a person has

ceas edto l ive,that the l ife current i s no

longer working in him when he has lost

the power to breathe,and we say that $ he

has breathed his l ast .” Now we breathe

automatical ly,involuntarily

,unconscious

ly ; we must l earn to breathe consciously,properly and rhythmically . Through

breath alone we can create such a rhythmwithin the body that it wil l restore health .

Pranayama means control l ing the life

force by controll ing the breath . When

we understand how to do this,we can fi l l

ourselves with Prana or l ife- force and

el iminate all impurities .

We all breathe,but we do not derive the

proper benefit from our breathing . This


is because we do not consciously regulate

our breath . Breath is controlled by

thought . If we observe, we shal l see that

whenever our mind is very restl es s , our

breathing becomes irregular . A l so when

the body is i l l,the breath becomes dis

ordered . Iti s because we have lost therhythm

,everything is thrown outof bal

ance and the result is a disturbance in both

our physical and mental health . To avoid

this,the Yogis tel l us to cultivate the

habit of rhythmic breathing and this wil l

enable us to store Up the vital energy we

have within us . When our inhal ing and

exhaling become even,it affects us j ust

l ike a musical rhythm,creating harmony

throughout our system .

A fter thes e preparatory steps,the next

i s to make the mind introspective . It is

al l very wel l to have some one tel l ustolook within, that only there shall we

realize the Truth ; buthow to go within $We cannot do it suddenly

,because of the


hold the body has over us. Our mind also

i s divided and claimed by many things .

To detach ourselves from our bodily con

ditions and make our mind one-pointed

requires steady effort. Sometimes we

grow discouraged and want to give up ;but those are the moments when we must

hold firmly and not l et our spirit be de

press ed or al low ourselves to fal l back .

A rj una says to Sri Krishna in the

Bhag avad-Gita : D o not be depressed ;even this mind which seems so unyielding

and difficult to subdue,wil l become your

obedient servant through constant prac

tice of dispas sion and discrimination .

Intensity of purpose is what brings con

centration . When we real ly feel devoted

to an Ideal,then nothing can hold us

back ; we shall surmount every difficulty.

Atfirst we may have to make a great

effort,but if we real ly yearn for spiritual

things,our mind wi ll natural ly become

singl e . Singlenes s i s what we want . The

Aids to Meditation 4 1

ideal of Yoga and of al l philosophy and

rel igion is to make the mind single,the

heart single,the purpose singl e ; for al l

sages and seers recognize that in this

s inglenes s l ies the whole secret of real iza

tion . Christ s ays that the eye and heart

must be s ingle before we can see God or

Truth .

Holding the mind to one point means

controll ing al l the waves or modifications

which ris e on its surface . You know that

in order to put a thread through the eye

of a needle, you have to twist the thread

to a point ; if you do not, it i s a difficult

task to put it through . Similarly the mind,which has become divided through itsvaried interests

,must be made single be

fore it can penetrate into the depths of our

being . This does not neces sarily mean

that we cannot take interest in other

things,that we must give up everything ;

s ingleness means that we are able to putour whole force into whatever we under


l ack of power,no lack of anything . Be

fore we can realize this and releas e the

soul from bondage,we must go through

certain practices in order to form fixed

Spiritual habits and entirely wipe outpastimpres sions . We have to choose the

Ideal upon which to concentrate accord

ingto our own individual need or inclination . One cannot go contrary to one

$ s

natural spiritual instinct . Whether we

recognize it or not,we have within our

s elves a Spiritual instinct just as we have

a physical instinct,and this Spiritual in

stinctmust be our guide in choosing our

I deal . Having chosen,we must fol low

this Ideal in spite of failures , in spite of

obstructions in the way ; day by day we

must hold it before us ; and if we forget it,we must bring our mind back to it . In

this way the mind grows unwavering and

one-pointed,we can easily fol low a thought

without interruption and meditation be

comes pos sibl e .


No one els e can give us an adequate

idea ofwhat meditation is,of the value or

the ecstasy of it ; we can never know until

we ourselves taste it . Then only does the

soul become wakeful,become itself

,enter

into its own element . Why is it we suf

fer $ Because we come in contact with so

many things that are not in harmony with

our real nature . Meditation el iminates

al l such foreign elements from our

thoughts . But this practice of exclusion

i s not to make us more narrow and bound,

it is to help us col l ect our forces . Where

ever we have an unusual task we always

try to store up our energies and have a re

s erve to cal l upon . So before we under

take the practice of meditation , we must

have so coll ected and stored our forces

that we shal l not be wanting in strength,

either physical ly ormentally.

Often peopl e fail to realize a desired end

because of the l ack of col l ectednes s in

body and mind . So Patanjali, the great


teacher of Yoga,tel l s us that we must pro

teet ours elves from the very outset. I f

we neglect to make the foundation strong,

the superstructure cannot be satisfactory .

Many pe0 p1e do notgain spiritual vi s ionbecause they have not paid proper atten

tion to the prel iminary stages . When we

are wel l establ ished in our first practices ,then the other things wil l come natural ly.

The higher study not only deal s with the

spiritual nature,it al so deal s with our

human nature . We must discipline and

gain mastery over the whole of our being .

Butwe must do everything gradual ly .

This is one of the great things we must

bear in mind . We must not be impatient

and overdo . What we need in all prae

tice i s moderation ; then we shal l go

steadily forward,doing each day a l ittl e

more according to our capacity. We

must not put too much pres sure either on

our body or our mind ; but if we are pa

tient and persevering,soon we Shal l find


that things which seemed impossible to

conquer have been conquered .

This l ife i s not a matter of a few sec

ouds . It did not spring from just this

littl e beginning ; it has had a past and it

wil l have a future,so there i s no need for

undue hurry . If we have imperfections,

we can overcome them ; and whatever

virtues we poss es s,we did something to

earn them and we can earn more . Under

standing this,we Should strive to take up

these practices and carry them on with

perseverance and an undepress ed heart ;then we shall gradual ly overcome all

obstacles .

One l ittl e glimpse of higher things,one

l ittl e proof wil l strengthen our faith on our

j ourney. First we hear about a thing ;then we reflect ; and after thinking and

reasoning,a flash of l ight comes and

proves to us that what we heard is true .

$ust one littl e flash is enough to give us

confidence to g o on ; then comes another

A ids to Meditation 47

and then another,until at l ast the whol e

Truth shines . Atfirst it comes only once

in a while One day perhaps we feel great

serenity,a great s ense of i llumination ,

then it disappears . Again we persevere

and again it comes and remains a l ittle

l onger . So we go on until some day it

comes and stays with us. But this is only

pos s ible through constant meditation .

To make it a permanent factor in our l ife

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 l ife

has become perfectly natural to us. This

means creating a new habit . We have

formed certain physical habits and it i s notdifficult for us to follow these ; but we

have not formed a habit of meditation ;therefore it seems unnatural and difficult

and we often grow discouraged . Let us

form the habit of faithful practice . In


stead of dwell ing on petty things and de

voting our energ y to smal l personal aims ,we must hold our mind on larger ends .

A s we rel ease it from the bondage of s elfi sh

concerns and fix it on noble worshipful

thoughts,we Shal l find that it wil l become

more and more independent and free . Atfirst it may not feel at home in the spiritual

realm ; butvery soon it wil l begin to feelat home there ; then no matter how it

may be engaged,always l ike the needl e of

a compass it wil l keep itself pointed

towards the Ideal .

Only in the Infinite,the Unchanging

,

do we find a firm basis for our medita

tion . But to enter into relationship with

That we must consecrate ourselves . We

must have firmnes s of determination .

We must seek and pray and yearn for it .

We must not st0 p until our mind gainsdirect contact with the al l-effulgent Spirit .

It is in this Spiritual union that the soul

attains its highest il lumination .

IV .

SUPERCONSC IOUS VISION

EBING supernaturally i s one of the

great dreams of al l mystics,devotees

and seekers . What does it mean to see

supernatural ly $ D oes our normal vis ion

become abnormal $ Some peopl e imagine

that this i s the cas e . The idea of medi

tation and of superconscious vision to an

average person seems very indefinite,ab

stract and wholly al ien to practical every

day l ife . But there can be nothing of

greater practical value to a man than this

deeper Sight . What is the basis of l ife $

Can one succeed by cl inging to the point

of view ofmere physical existence $ Those

who are absorbed in the material believe

that the habit ofmeditation decreases am

bitiou and energy . I t i s one of the accu

sation s made against those who take upthe contemplative l ife that they lack

ambition .

Superconscious Visian 51

human heart and the answers to them

come only from within through medi

tation .

Meditation is not a visionary abstrae

tion . It does not mean that we sitin acorner and become selfish or morbid and

indifferent to everything el s e in life . On

the contrary,al l our sympathies are

quickened, our perceptions grow keener,our feelings deepen and we perform our

duties with greater efliciency. We do notl ose our present consciousnes s

,but it be

comes enlarged . We do not lose any

feeling of sympathy or love,we have a

more abundant supply. It is notdeath tothe mortal s ide of man when he attains a

higher state of consciousnes s . It does notmean the extinction ofhis pres ent s elf, but

the quickening of a larger Self. The

l es ser l ight i s swallowed up in a bigger

light . The les ser l ight stil l exists,but it

i s merged in the greater glory of the

l arger l ight .


A s l ong as we are guided by self-wil l

and swept by the ordinary impul ses of l ife,

we never find happines s or rest . It is the

contemplative man who is ful l of j oy and

peace . He is notcarried away by hislower impul ses . He exercises perfect con

trol over al l his faculties and powers,and

he gains this control through meditation .

Meditation means the unbroken flow of

the thought towards some obj ect . There

are peopl e who meditate on material

things and there are others who j ust as

naturally hold their mind fixed on the

spiritual . A ccording to where we place

our 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 l ife and char

acter are moulded,al so his destiny.

We have free wil l to direct our mind

either in one way or another . Constantly

we are moulding our l ife by the thoughts

we are thinking . We can avoid al l evil

Superconscious Vision 53

and unclean,detrimental thoughts if we

wish ; but more often we do not wish nor

do we exert ours elves . Some one pro

vokes or inj ures us and that person wi l l

ris e in our mind more often than the one

who has given us spiritual inspiration .

The mind can become in this way very

treacherous Yet it i s not the fault of the

mind . It is the fault of the training we

give to it . The mind has the power of re

tention ; and when we train it to retain

only that which is helpful to us andto discard that which is harmful

,we advance

quickly. If we begin to hold certain

thoughts,we see the effect immediately ;

al so whatever we al low our mind to as so

ciate with,we absorb the qual ity of that .

If we come in contact with a person who

is dul l,heavy

,ignorant

,l ethargic

,very

soon we al so begin to feel heavy and dul l .

In the same way when we come in contact

with one who is inspiring,radiant and

spiritual,those same qualities ris e Up in

US .


E ither conscious ly or unconsciously

we have formed our present habits of mind,

and to build a new set of habits means tre

mendon s zeal and steadfast effort . By

intel ligent reasoning and discrimination

every one can know the right path to fol

low. There is a right instinct in us al l

which tel l s US what to do and what toavoid ; but very few of us have the

strength,stabil ity

,and determination to

keep that right path constantly before the

mind and fol low it . Why is this $ Be

cause we have so many wrong impres sions

in the mind . We have to create a new setof impressions and there is nothing which

can help us do this so quickly as the prac

tice of concentration and meditation . In

the Vedanta teaching there is no need

whatsoever for any oneto be despondent,

bel ieving that it i s too late for him to be

gin or that he is unfitted for spiritualstriving . It matters nothow unfitted wemay appear to be

,we can always over


come . The key is in our own hand . We

do not need a different kind of mindtofol low the path of meditation and attain

higher consciousnes s . I t i s the s ame

mind which creates bondage for US and

which l iberates us. It is the same mind

which makes us happy ormiserabl e . The

diflerence l ies wholly in the training it has

received .

We al l have moments of exaltation and

inspiration . The question is how to fol

low them Up . No surer means can be

found than the practice of meditation .

There are no setrules for meditation, asthere are no setrules for spiritual evo lution in any form . Various suggestions

are offered US by the great philosophies

and religions of the world and we must

absorb them according to our capacity.

From beginning to end the path of medi

tation teaches US that it i s not the letterwhich saves us ; it is from the Spirit with

in that we receive the revel ation and it


comes to us when we reach the supercon

scious state . A S we practis e meditation,

gradual ly our consciousnes s extends . In

stead of centering it in our l ittl e being and

rel ating ourselves through it to one l ittle

environment or group,we begin to feel the

pul s e of the univers e . The heart of the

univers e takes pos ses sion of our heart

and the great cosmic l ife begins to surge

through our l ife .

In India they say that there are three

different states of consciousnes s- waking,

dreaming and sound sleep . In the first,although a man may appear to be awake

and may seem to know and feel and do ,

yet he i s not free from error . In the

dream state between Sleep and waking he

is stil l notfree from error. In soundsl eep his active consciousness i s dormant .

But there is a fourth state,where a man

does not make any mistakes,where he

feel s and knows unerringly,because he has

come so clos e to the heart of the Infinite


that he has no self-will left to hinder him .

When our individual consciousnes s thus

becomes merged in the universal con

sciousness,we do not lose our identity .

Buddha did notl ose anything when heattained Nirvana . He dropped the l im

iting,

finite self and he became the

Awakened One . This awaking of the

higher consciousnes s comes to us when

we drop the bondage of our lower nature ;

but we have to strive for it,and we can

accomplish it only through persistent

effort .

Meditation means forming the habit of

unbroken thought Whatever we think

with singlenes s of heart becomes medita

tion . The power to meditate i s a wonder

ful gift,but it cannot come suddenly. If

we have not formed the habit of excluding

al l non- es sential thoughts and distractions

from our mind, it wil l not come to us ; it

cannot Therefore we must $ begin to

train the mind . This path is not for the


cannot be any closer bond than that

which exists between God and ourselves .

Why then should there be any reluctance

or any hesitancy on our part to go direct

ly to Him and ask Him how we shal l

meditate,in what way we shal l cal l Upon

Him $ The great Saviours and saints tel l

US that we must be born again as l ittl e

children,if we would enter the kingdom

of God . A s the littl e child goes to its

mother,in the same way we must be wi l l

ing to go to the great D ivine Mother as

l ittl e children and lay al l our troubles at

Her feet . Iti s the s elf-conscious personwho has endles s troubles and distractions

and miseries . The selfl es s person has

always a sense of serenity . He can

meditate .

We may nothave the same power in thebeginning

,but we all pos ses s it intrinsi

cal ly . There is not one who is notequipped with al l the finest pos s ibil ities ;but no one el s e can bring them outfor US .


No one can drink for us and quench our

thirst ; no one can eat for us and nourish

our body . We haveto do it for ourselvesand meditation wil l help . The contem

plative l ife does notmean that we g oapart and lose al l practical u sefulness

,or

that we cease to contribute our Share to

wards the good of humanity. On the

contrary we pray and meditate in order

that we may have greater power,greater

abil ity,greater clearnes s of vis ion . Then

whatever we contribute wil l be the gift of

God . That i s what the z supercon sciousman does . He does nothing with self

conscious feeling . He does not even

write a sentence thinking that he is doing

it . We say$ Thy will be done” but when

it comes to actual practice,we use our own

wil l . There is no contradiction in the l ife

of the superconscious man .

We make the best use of our human l ife

by putting the D ivine into it . The hu

man life by itself can easily become barren

Superconscious Vision 6 1

and burdensome . I f we feel that our l ife

is ful l of darknes s and despondency, it i s

because we have not given acces s to theD ivine . We have not brought in the

divine light and this i s the reason why it

remains in darkness . Why not bring in

that l ight $ Why notopen that gate of

our heart $ Why clos e it to that one

thing which can revive US $ God has not

created man with two hearts . He has notgiven him a divided mind . It i s we who

divide ours elves through our complex de

sires and ambitions and our self-wil l . So

long as we are weak,our understanding

wil l be clouded and incorrect ; but when

al l our forces are gathered Up in a one

pointed,aspiring

,contemplative l ife

,we

Shall begin to see clearly. Through the

practice of meditation we cannot in any

way lose our efficiency. People who have

developed the power ofmeditation are al

ways the most efficient . Whatever they

do is invariably wel l done .


We must not imagine that our spiritual

l ife and our l ife in the world cannot blend

in harmony. I f they do not,there i s

something wrong in US . It means that

our inner and our outer l ife 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 our acts are the reproduc

tion of one and the same 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 us to direct our action . Before we

do anything if we fortify ourselves by the

l ight of meditation,we are not apt to make

mistakes and we do nothave to waste anytime undoing what we have done . When

we are inspired and fortified by contact

with the inner Source of strength and wis

dom,we cannot go very far wrong . When

we have made God the foundation of our

Superconscious Visidn 63

l ife,then whatever we construct on that

foundation wil l be enduring and wil l bring

l asting happines s .

Superconsciousnes s i s cl arified vis ion .

A ll that we see inthat state i s free fromerror . A l so it i s inclusive . Our sight

grows more comprehensive . That is why

those who have this wider vis ion become

more tolerant,more loving

,and more en

during . A person with small vi s ion sees

only from one angle and easily grows

irritable and angry ; but when the heart

has become a part of the univers al heart,

it i s never impatient or unloving Peace

and happines s come through understand

ing and understanding comes through the

l ight of meditation .

V .

PRACT ICA$ HINTS

(a )FIXITY OF PURPOSE

E whose j oy is within,whose rel axa

tion is within , and whose l ight is

within,that Yogi

,being well-established

in Brahman (the Supreme ) , attains to

absolute freedom .—Bhag aoad—Gita .

A s the champion warrior rel ies for vic

tory Upon his armor $s strength,so right

thought is l ike a strong cuirass abl e to

withstand the six s ense-robbers .

If a man$ s faith is unsteady,if he does

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

is troubled,his knowledge wil l never be

perfect . If a man $s thoughts are not dis

sipated, if his mind is not perplexed, if hehas ceased to think of good or evil

,then

there is no fear for him while he is watch

ful . Knowing that this body is fragile

Fixity of Purpose 65

l ike a j ar,and making his thought firm

like a fortres s,one should attack Mara ,

the tempter,with the weapon of knowl

edge, one should watch him when con

quered,and should never rest .

Whatever a hater may do to a hater,or

an enemyto an enemy,a wrongly-directed

mind wil l do him greater mischief. Not

a mother,not a father

,wil l do so much,

nor any other rel atives ; a wel l-directed

mind wil l do us greater s ervice—Buddha .

In studying the wisdom of the sages it

i s imperative to have one definite aim

that of becoming a true man . The

Ancients said that he who could will,could

always accomplish,and that determina

tion was half the battl e Once we have a

definite aim,we become as bowmen with

arrows trained on the target,or as trav

el l ers already moving towards their

destination . In formulating our aims,

l et us be courageous rather than timid,

and seek the truth even as the hungry man

Practice of Concentration 67

wise man guard hi s thoughts,for they are

diflicultto perceive,very artful

,and they

rush wherever they li st : thoughts wel l

guarded bring happiness . Those who

bridle their mind which travel s far, moves

about alone,i s without a body

,and hides

in the chamber Of the heart,wil l be free

from the bonds Of Mara,the tempter .

—Buddli a .

This is the rule for achieving concen

tration : restraint Of the breath, restraintOf the s enses

,meditation

,fixed attention ,

investigation,absorption

,thes e are cal l ed

the sixfold Yoga . When beholding by

this Yoga,he beholds the gold-coloured

maker,the lord

,the person

,Brahman

,the

cause,then the sage

,l eaving behind good

and evi l,makes everything (breath, organs

Of s ense, body, &c . ) to be one in the High

est Indestructibl e .

-Maitrayana-Brahmana-Upanishad.


A s a l amp placed in a windles s spot does

notflicker, the same simile is us ed to de

fine a Yogi Of subdued mind,practising

union with the Self . In that state,when

the mind is completely subdued by the

practice ofYoga and has attained serenity,

in that state, s eeing Self by the self, he is

s atisfied in the Self alone . In that state,

transcending the senses,he (the Yogi )

feel s that infinite bl is s which is perceived

by the purified understanding ; knowing

that and being establ ished therein , he

never fal l s back from his real state (of

Self-knowledge ) after having attained

which,no other gain seems greater ; being

establi shed wherein,he is not overwhelmed

even by great sorrow. Know that ( state )of s eparation from the contact with pain

as Yoga . This Yoga should be practised

with perseverance and undepres sed heart .

Abandoning without reserve al l the de

sires born Of mental fancies , and restrain

ing completely by the mind the entire

Practice of Concentration 69

group Of the senses from all directions ,

with understanding held by firmnes s, and

mind established in the Self, let him ( thus )by degrees attain tranquil l ity ; 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 Self

alone .

A Yogi should constantly practis e

concentration Of the heart,remaining in

s eclusion alone,subduing his body and

mind and being free from longing and pos

s es sion ( s ense of ownership ) . In a clean

ly spot having established his s eat firmly,

neithertoo high nor too low,with a cloth

,

skin and Kusha gras s,placed one on the

other ; being seated there, making the

mind one-pointed and subduing the activities of mind and senses

,l et him practis e

Yoga for s elf-purification . Let him hold

his body,head and neck erect and

motionles s , fixing the gaze on the tip Of hi s


nos e,not looking around . Being serene

hearted and fearles s,ever steadfast in the

vow of Brahmacharya (continence ) and

control l ing the mind,l et him sitsteadfast

ly absorbed in thoughts OfMe,regarding

Me as his supreme goal . Thus ever keep

ing himself steadfast,the Yogi of subdued

mind attains eternal peace and freedom,

which abide inMe.

But,O A rjuna

, (the practice Of) Yoga

is not for him who eatstoo much or who

does not eat at al l,nor for himwho s leeps

too much or keeps awake ( in exces s ) . He

who is moderate in eating and recreation,

moderate in his efforts in work,moderate

in s l eep and wakefulnes s, (his practice of )

Yoga becomes the destroyer of al l misery.

When the mind,completely subdued

,

rests in Self alone,free from longing for

al l Obj ects Of desire,then he i s s aid to be

a Yukta ( steadfast in Self-knowledge ) .—Bhag aoad-Gita .

Practice of Concentration 7 1

Atthat time (the time Of concentration )the seer ( the Purusha ) rests in his own

(unmodified ) state .

Atother times (other than that Of concentration ) the seer is identified with the

modifications (Of his mind ) .

The concentration call ed right knowl

edge is that which is fol lowed by reason

ing, discrimination , blis s , unqual ified eg o .

There i s another concentration which

is attained by the constant practice Of

ces sation Of al l mental activity,in which

the mind retains only the unmanifested

impres sions .

For the extremely energetic,concentra

tion is near .

D is eas e,mental lazines s

,doubt

,ces sa

tion,fals e perception

,non—attaining con

centration,and fal ling away from the

state when Obtained,are the obstructing

distractions .

Grief,mental distres s

,tremor Of the

body,irregul ar breathing

,accompany

non-retention Of concentration .


TO remedy this the practice Of one sub

j ect should be made .

—Patanjali Yog a Aphorisms.

(C )

METHODS OF MEDITATION

Meditation is directed to the highestBeing (Brahman ) within .

A s a fire without fuel dies down on the

hearth,thus do the thoughts , when al l

activity ceases,become quiet in their

place .

For thoughts alone cause the round Of

births ; l et a man strive to purify his

thoughts . What a man thinks,that he is

thi s i s the Old s ecret.

By the serenity Of his thoughts a man

blots outal l actions,whether good or bad .

Dwel ling within his Self with s erene

thoughts,he Obtains imperi shabl e happi

nes s .

Methods ofMeditation 73

If the thoughts Of a man were so fixed

on Brahman as they are on the things Of

this world, who would notthen be freedfrom bondage $

The mind,it i s said

,i s Of two kinds ,

pure or impure ; impure from the contact

with lust,pure when free from lust .

When a man,having freed his mind

from sloth,distraction

,and vacil lation,

becomes as it were del ivered from his

mind,that i s the highest point .

The mind must be restrained in the

heart til l it comes to an end —that i s

knowledge,that is l iberty ; all the rest are

extensions Of the ties (which bind us to

this l ife ) .

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 Self,cannot be de

scribed here by words ; it can be felt

by the inward power only.


remain immovable,but our perturbations

come only from the opinion which is

within .

—Marcus Aurelius .

Friendship,mercy

,gladnes s

,indiffer

ence,being thought Of in regard to sub

jects, happy, unhappy, good and evil respectively, pacify the mind .

By throwing out and restraining the

breath .

Those forms Of concentration that

bring extraordinary s ens e perceptions

cause perseverance Of the mind .

Or (by the meditation on ) the Efful

gent One which is beyond al l sorrow .

Or (by meditation on ) the heart thathas given Up al l attachment to sense

Obj ects .

Or by meditating on the knowledge that

comes in sl eep .

Or by the meditation on anything that

appeal s to one as good .

The Yogi$ s mind thus meditating, be

comes unobstructed from the atomic to

the Infinite .


The Yogi whose Vrittis (modifications )have thus become powerles s ( controll ed )obtains in the receiver

,receiving and re

ceived (the self, the mind and external Ob

j ects ) , concentratedness and samenes s,

l ike the crystal (before different coloured

Obj ects ) .

Dharana (concentration ) i s holding

the mind on to some particular Obj ect .

An unbroken flow Of knowledge in that

Obj ect i s Dhyand (meditation ) .

When that,giving Up al l forms

,reflects

only the meaning,it i s Samadhi.

By the suppres sion Of the disturbed

modifications Of the mind,and by the rise

Of modifications of control,the mind is

s aid to attain the control l ing modifica

tions— fol lowing the controll ing powers of

the mind .

Its flow becomes steady by habit .

Taking in al l sorts Of Obj ects,and con

centrating Upon one Obj ect, these twopowers being destroyed and manifested


respectively,the mind gets the modifica

tion call ed Samadhi ( il lumination ) .—Patanjali Yo g a Aphorisms .

Now what most contributes to the

growth Of thes e wings (of the soul ) i smeditation

,by which we learn littl e by

littl e to wean our affections from earthly

things , and to get a habit Of contemplating the things that are immaterial and in

tellig ible, and to Shake Off the pol lutionsit has contracted by its union with the ter

restrial and mortal body . And,indeed

,

by these advantages it revives in some

manner,it rouses up its elf, it i s fi l led with

divine vigor and reunites itself to the

Intel l igent Perfection within .—Hierocles .

And there is , further, the most D ivine

Knowledge Of A lmighty God, which is

known,through not kn owing ( agnosia)

during the union above mind ; when the

mind,having stood apart from al l exi st

ing things,then having dismis sed al so it

78 Concentratidn and Meditation

s elf, has been made one with the sup er

luminous rays , thence and there being

il luminated by the unsearchable depth of

wisdom .—D ionysius the Areopag ite.

The spirit which i s truly sanctified

attains to so lofty a degree that al l which

it s ees is real,al l which it desires is

granted, and in al l which it commands , it

is obeyed—A vicenna .

DO not you perceive that when you have

l et your mind loose,it is no l onger in your

power to cal l it back,either to propriety

or modesty or moderation $ For this

reason philosophers advis e us not to be

contented with mere l earning ; but to add

meditation likewis e,and then practice

Be desirous to convers e in purity with

your own pure mind and with God .

—Epictetus .

Fixing the mind on the lows of the

heart,or on the centre Of the head, i s what


i s cal l ed Dharana ( concentration ) . When

remaining in one place,making one place

as the bas e,when the waves Of the mind

ris e up,without being touched by other

waves—when al l other waves have

stopped—and one wave only rises in the

mind,that i s cal led Dhyana (meditation )

When no basis i s neces sary,when the

whole Of the mind has become one wave,$ one-formedness

,

” it is cal led Samadhi

superconsciousnes s )Imagine a lotus upon the top Of thehead

,s everal inches Up , and virtue as its

centre,the stalk as knowledge . The

eight petal s Of the lotus are the eight

powers Of the Yogi . Inside,the stamens

and pistil s are renunciation . If the Yogi

refuses the external powers he wil l come

to salvation . SO the eight petal s Of the

lotus are the eight powers,but the internal

stamens and pistil s are the extreme re

nunciation,the renunciation Of al l these .

Inside Of that lotus think Of the Golden


One, the A lmighty, the Intangible, He

whose name is Om,the Inexpress ible

,

surrounded with effulgent l ight . Medi

tate on that .

Think Of a space in your heart,and in

the midst of that space think that a flame

is burning . Think Of that flame as your

own soul , and inside that flame is another

space,effulgent

,and that is the Soul of

your soul,God. Meditate Upon that in

the heart .

Chastity,non-injuring

,pardoning

every one,are al l diff erent Vrittis (quali

ties Of mind ) . Be not afraid if you are

notperfect in al l of thes e ; work, and theothers will come . He who has given up

al l attachment,al l fear and al l anger, he

whose whole soul has gone unto the Lord,

he who has taken refuge in the Lord,

whose heart has become purified,with

whatsoever desire he comes to the Lord

He wil l grant that to him.

-Swami Vioehananda .

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