Manasam karma, meditation (Spiritual Heritage... Part 16) - Pujya Swamiji

[Prashant Parikh]

Spiritual Heritage of India- Part 16

Manasam Karma, Meditation

(section 1)

 

What is manasam karma in terms of prayer? Generally, what goes under the name “meditation” is manasam karma. The classical definition of manasam karma, otherwise called “dhyanam”, is “saguna brahma visayah, manasa vyaparah”. I am giving this definition so that we all understand what is the classical definition of meditation.

 

There are different forms of meditation and all of them are fine. They each have their own results, which are beneficial, but the classical definition would be “saguna brahma visayah, manasa vyaparah”. Vyapara is activity. Manasa vyapara is mental activity, mental action. Every mental action doesn’t become dhyanam; therefore, it has to be defined further. Saguna brahma visayah, this mental activity has its object in saguna brahma. Brahman with gunas is Isvara. That is the altar, the object, for mental activity.

 

Saguna brahma, Isvara, is also the altar for kayikam karma and for vacikam karma. We have the definition, “saguna brahma visayah, kayika vyaparah”, also. So, when you do puja, a ritual of worship, it is saguna brahma visayah, but it is kayika vyaparah. In that vyapara, the physical body is involved, the organ of speech, vak, is involved, and the mind is involved.

 

"Saguna brahma visayah, vacika vyaparah", is the definition for oral prayer activity. The altar is saguna brahma again; the mind is involved and vak, the organ of speech, is involved.

 

Then, the definition, “saguna brahma visayah, manasa vyaparah”, says that mental activity has the same saguna brahma visayah. So, mere mental activity would not be the classical definition of meditation.

 

Suppose, I go on looking at something, imagined or set up. This does not fit the classical form of meditation. Of course, this kind of meditation may be helpful, also. For example, you can observe your own breathing process. There is no better technique to compose oneself than watching one’s own breathing. The logic is very simple. I am the watcher. The one who watches is me and what is watched, also, is not something different from me. So, the conscious me is watching an involuntary activity of myself, breathing. Therefore, I come back to myself. It is something we do make use of in the seat of meditation, but only to compose myself. I don’t call it meditation, because we have a classical definition.

 

To arrive at the meditator, dhyata, that would be the most ideal technique. To be quiet, to be composed, to be myself free from tension, that is a wonderful method. Nevertheless, meditation is when that meditator, who is composed, relates to Isvara mentally. One is naturally free from tension just by shedding one’s concerns etc., because all tension is picked up. To be myself is to be free from tension. More about this we will see later. So, this person relates to Isvara mentally. This relating is meditation.

 

Saguna brahma visayah, manasa vyaparah. I need to invoke Isvara either in an altar or in a word. I invoke Isvara and keep on relating to Isvara either through visualizing an act of worship or I can mentally repeat a Sanskrit verse. Both these methods we will discuss further.

 

In an act of worship there are many steps in our culture. The process begins with asanam. We do not give a chair, we give an asana, a pitha, where one sits cross-legged. That is our sitting culture. That is why every Indian is half a yogi, in the sense that everybody knows a few asanas, yoga postures, naturally growing up. You sit cross-legged and it is a kind of asana. You sit erect, it is all asana.

 

So, when somebody comes to your house, you offer the person a seat, asanam. Then, you offer the person water to wash the feet, padyam. Afterwards you do upacaras, you entertain the person with food, water etc. Wine is not a part of it. Our culture is not a wine culture. Then, you give candanan, kumkumam, and puspam, flowers. All these are used in our elaborate ritual of worship. But you can mentally do them, also.

 

In meditation we need to have a posture, also, called “asanam”. Asyate anena – you sit cross-legged. If one cannot sit cross-legged, one sits in a chair. Samam kaya sirogrivam, the body is perpendicular to the base. The body means the trunk along with siras, head, and griva, neck. This is the body they are talking about with the word “kaya”. Samam, you sit straight, unless one needs to lean upon a backrest – no harm. One can lean upon the chair; one can put down the legs if there is any difficulty. If one can sit cross-legged, this is the posture.

 

Then, looking straight, disasca anavalokayan, don’t look at the quarters. This means, do not look at this side, do not look at that side, do not look up, do not look down, look straight ahead. This is what is said. Eyes can be closed. Hands can be brought together, fingers clasping each other, thumbs touching each other, and placed on the lap.

 

Now, you have a very good posture, a posture in which you can sit comfortably for a muhurtam. A muhurtam is 48 minutes. If one can sit comfortably for one muhurtam in a given posture without changing the posture, limbs etc., comfortably of course, it is called siddhi, asana siddhi. One has accomplishment in terms of sitting posture. By practice it is accomplished. It is not difficult.

 

When you close the eyes, make sure the eyeballs are not crushed. The upper eyelids are consciously brought down to touch the lower, softly. You can see in a statue of the Buddha, Mahavira or any tirthankaras in a Jain temple, the upper eyelids are presented by the sculptor without any line; they carry no lines, no crease. Why? The eyes are softly closed. They knew exactly what they were doing. It is very beautiful. I love those sculptures. The Buddha is all peace. By just the eyelids, they have brought that out.

 

One can deliberately, consciously, bring the upper eyelids to touch the lower softly to command that kind of inner absorption, quietude. You can see this just by closing the eyes consciously a few times. If it is done two or three times, closing, opening, closing, opening, softly, the upper eyelids just touching the lower, with no lines on the upper eyelids, remembering the Buddha’s statue, you will get a good freedom from tension.

 

To make myself more and more free from any dash of tension, I need to follow a few steps. I need to keep the external world external. Bahyan sparsan bahi kritva.

 

Who am I to keep the external world external? Already the external world is external to my senses. The trees are external to me, the mountains are external, father is external, mother is external, spouse is external, children are external, in-laws, thank God, are external. In-laws means all in-laws, brother-in-law, sister-in-law etc. are external. Who am I to keep them external?

 

When an advice is given with reference to this external world, asking me to keep the external world external, at least for a thinking person it looks very obvious that certain things are not only external they are internal. We do internalize a lot of situations, we do internalize people. We should learn how to keep people external.

 

The mountains are external and they are not bothering you. If they bother you, they are external and internal. The trees are external, the sun is external, the moon is external, all stars and planets are external, and Jupiter is external. But suppose somebody tells you, “Your Jupiter has not come to the right place. When he comes to the right place you will have guru balam and when you have guru balam, you will get married.” Then, Jupiter is internal as well as external. Correct?

 

Therefore, I can keep them all external when I do not want them to be different, when I do not have agenda for any one of them. So, when I think of mountains, I am quite at peace with myself. It’s not that mountains give me peace, but I see myself a non-wanting person with reference to those mountains. Thus, I create peace for myself. A blue sky does not leave me wanting, does not invoke in me the wanting person.

 

These are all situations that I love to have because I am not able to see myself as not-wanting all the time. When I look at some people, I become a wanting person. Why do they not behave differently? Even when I see religious people, I want them to be a little more kind, compassionate and friendly with all other religious people. I do not see them objectively all the time, because I see myself a wanting person with reference to them. I should be able to keep people in their own spaces. To do that I need to give people freedom to be what they are, even though I want them to be different. I need to allow them to be what they are. And if I am convinced that some changes are really good for them, good for us, I can bring about desired changes. I can do whatever I have to do, and pray for it also, instead of feeling helpless. This allows me to keep them outside.

 

An acted upon wish is no more a source of frustration. When you don’t act upon a wish because you feel helpless, it turns into frustration. We have to act upon every wish we have. There is nothing wrong to feel that the person should behave differently. But then, I do what I can do. When I find I am helpless, I do not remain helpless. I pray for such changes and allow them to be where they are. Then, I am at peace with myself and ready to proceed with meditation.