“There is a universal framework for deepening the meditation, generally kept secret and untold. Finer points that impact your performance & are extremely useful in deepening your understanding about the whole process of stilling & transcending the mind. The same system also allows you to see where you stand, where you are going & to know about those little things that you can do to transcend the mind effortlessly.”
Dr. Nitin, a practising Anesthetist from Delhi and a very sincere Tattva Shakti Vigyaan practitioner has asked a question on his experiences during his chosen meditation / dharana practice. His question has prompted Acharya ji to give all of you a detailed account of what’s all is there in this simple and silent activity called meditation. Read further.
– Ma Shakti
Shivoham!
I know, it has been time since we connected here. So, I will speak for long and enough to give out elaborate understanding of the process and stages of meditation and role of ‘Tattva Shakti Vigyaan Level -I’ practices, especially the awareness and mantras, in ensuring preparedness for sure success on the journey of individuals on the path of sadhana to achieve the state of Shiva-Shakti consciousness. Let’s discuss.
MEDITATE JUST FOR THE LOVE OF IT!
We have hundreds of sadhakas who despite being responsible otherwise find a particular (early morning practice) Meditation cumbersome. Some find it’s timing to be a challenge and others feel they are unable to get the technique right, while others don’t try at all. Such is not the challenge only with us, every teacher is bound to be majorly surrounded with ‘marghat vairagis’ and ‘sukhaakaankshis’.. Yug Prabhaav! (Smiles) anyways..
If you start the meditation with an inappropriate attitude and sloth toward the process of meditation or kind of sublime dislike towards the object of meditation.. means you are doing it but not liking it, then it’s not going to work for you. You have already created a roadblock and on such road your ride is definitely going to be too bumpy to handle. Finally you are going to head nowhere like this. Meditation is like your beloved, an utterly dear old friend that you yearn to spend time with. Will you not be willing to drop everything else if you were to meet your beloved? I know you would. So program yourself to love the process and delight in meditation. You must think ‘WOW! Fantastic!! So beautiful!!!
PLACE & TIME – IMPORTANT!
In general most of the beginners & meditation enthusiasts do not pay much attention to these two extremely important factors that govern the quality of every meditation practice – The place of Meditation and Time of practice.
There are clear guidelines for how your meditation place should be in terms of comfort, aesthetics, acoustics and ambiance but the more crucial aspect of it is – keeping its purity and sanctity. The general rules about choosing the right place for meditation should be followed unless specifically told by your Master for example certain tantric processes and meditative practices are done on the bed itself. In such cases follow your teacher’s words. In general if you are not initiated and wish to meditate the you should use that designated place only the purpose of meditation and nothing else. Also you should refrain from entering that place when you are not feeling reasonable calm and enthusiastic about the practice.
A more general question is sometimes asked is “Where” (which city, place or region on earth) should one choose to set up his meditation room (cave?). Some teachers use some weird logic of Earth’s rotation and the latitude of the place to declare which place on earth is “the best place to meditate”. They declare that being seated in lotus posture at Latitude 11 Degrees North (From Equator) yields the best result of your meditation efforts. I do not generally engage in evaluating/commenting on other point of views especially when they come from people who belong to my own fraternity of Spiritual teachers but then I must tell you such things are propagated to serve some hidden agendas probably just to prove the uniqueness of their ashrams etc.
|| STOP SEARCHING THE THE RIGHT PLACE – IT IS RIGHT THERE WHERE YOU ARE ||
In fact places having conducive energies and supportive environment for meditation are those spots where Siddhas have meditated in the past, places that experienced meditator(s) chose, certain shrines and all the teerthas, mountains, banks of rivers, lakes, ocean, places where nature is abundant and uncontaminated. The best one is the place that your Guru suggests you even if that does not find its place in the listing anywhere. However when you don’t have regular access to such places make a place for yourself. Only regular practice of meditation at one single spot each day makes it a energetic place to meditate.
Timings of ‘when’ you should sit for meditation are definitely important. The meditation/chanting/kriya practices can be put in various categories and depending on its hue and color the appropriate time is given out by the Teachers. There are four sandhyas during every 24 hours of cycle. Sandhyas are the points where the collective cosmic energies have intense influence – The forces of grace and gravitation, Light and Darkness and in special transits giving a boost to individual efforts. Two sandhyas (One muhoorta around sunrise and one in evening) out of these four can be used freely by everyone irrespective of their status of initiation.
In our tradition of Gurus we use two sets of muhoortas for Tattva Shakti Vigyaan initiates. One set comprises of – Vishnu & Dyumadgadyuti in the morning and another – vasu, vaaraah and vishwedevaah (in the evening) for the beginners in meditation. In later stages we use agni, vidhaatra, kand, satmukhi etc. and even certain parvas/sandhi/sankrantis as well. Those who are initiated they should consult their Guru/Teacher about the timings to follow in meditation. A teacher may suggest any Velaa depending on the tradition and His/Her own experience. Most of the Gurus choose to give Brahm Velaa or Amrit Vela a time of around 90 minutes before dawn.
DIRECTION FACED DURING MEDITATION & SLEEP
Yes, the directions faced during meditation should be East or North unless specified by your teacher. There are certain meditational practices that require one to face unconventional directions like west and even south. In fact the directions are decided based on the tattvic hue of the practice and facing a particular direction helps the practitioner as energies of that particular tattvas are enhanced during meditation / Japa and Dharana.
Most practitioners do not pay much attention to the choice of direction during their sleep but mind you ‘deep-sleep is unconscious samadhi‘ and therefore it is equivalent to a spiritual meditation practice. So, without an iota of doubt a meditator should always sleep with his feet facing (if not exactly then approximately) West or North for not doing this creates a turmoil in your pranamaya kosha. [Just a mention – when a practitioner becomes energetically strong an immunity to energy disturbances and negativity is achieved at advanced stages later] A spiritual practitioner is more vulnerable for his/her stagnant Tamasik energies are now receding and moving towards sattwa. Therefore he/she is more sensitive to the minutest of energy disturbances. If a spiritual practitioner does not take these directions in his/her sleep there are nadis that start getting impacted and thus he/she may even feel certain adverse health symptoms. Certain Nadis like Vajra Nadi, Amrit Varshini Nadi, Bhrikuti Dhyaan Nadi, Karn-Bhedna Nadi, Moordha Nadi are impacted. There is impact on Granthis too specifically the Brahm Granthi is impacted more this way.
Let me describe the extent of devastation – for instance let’s assume Bhrikuti Dhyaan Nadi is getting impacted during sleep. This is the nadi that physically connects the Gandhari Nadi and Hastjihva Nadi to major chakras. Gandhari is the nadi that flows in the right eye and works under the control of Pingala Nadi maintaining the temperature in the minor chakras near both the eyes due to its hot nature. Hastjihva on the other hand is the supplier of life-force to the nerves surrounding the eyes. This too is situated near the left eye and works under the control of sushumnaa nadi. Isn’t it creating eye-sight related issues? Yet another example – If lets say karn-bhedan nadi is impacted then auditory levels of hearing will be attenuated. Initially it will cause temporary loss of hearing but if corrective steps are not taken in time it may lead to permanent damage. There are in the same way many nadis in your feet that are so very important for a spiritual seeker to be able to receive the initiation well. Like Muktabheda Nadi that is activated during the blessing of one’s Guru. It gets activated as soon as the Guru makes the varad mudra to bless a disciple. The Vaikunth Nadi is also one which becomes activated upon receiving the blessings of your Guru/ a Master. Incidentally this nadi is also activated when a girl becomes a mother and having issues with this nadi will create problems in conception/motherhood.
So if you should always maintain a proper direction during your sleep.
LISTEN TO YOUR MASTER – LOVE HIS WORDS!
People keep and cherish the gifts of their love whole life. Whatever Gross Object is chosen for meditation (visualized images, sensation, breath, energy, mantra, or attitudes, etc.), the process moves inward through stages (Gross, Subtle, Bliss, I-ness, Objectless). All methods of meditation work but different schools, traditions, teachers, lineages, religions, or paths repeatedly use certain techniques only. So follow the instructions as told to you by your teacher, use the object of meditation as prescribed in the tradition.
In case you following a specific tradition/lineage it is strictly advised to follow the instructions of your teachers. Ask your teacher if you are being recommended any sort of meditation/dharana/contemplative processes or kriyas. If not then stay patient.. the practice of meditation shall definitely come your way. Just wait.. love and cherish what you have been given.. Ghalib says..
Ashiqui sabr-talab aur tamanna betaab
Dil ka kya rang karoon khoone-jigar hone tak
Curiosity and desires are good but when coupled with impatience and jiffy they rob you off the beauty of this delicate and fragrant (Gul-faam) relationship of yours with your practices. Don’t compare your practices with others for they may be just enthusiasts who don’t seem to care what they do, when they do, how they do and where they do in the name of meditation. I know such people around you bring about biggest distractions.
Beloved Nitin, I shall share more in my next post. For the time being I would like to assure you that you should not feel anxious as of now. It is ok to experience what you are experiencing however we would discuss about it in more detail during our satsang next time.
Enough for today..
-Acharya Agyaatadarshan Anand Nath
Its all about you! 