What does meditation mean ?
Hindu civilizations have used the word "Dhyana" which means "to
focus", "to go deep inside". From our early childhood days the Indians are
always directed by their elders as "study with dhyan" or "paint with dhyan". We
never bothered to think what is the very meaning of "dhyan". The very
understanding of it will simplify all the concepts written on these pages. When
we are told that "study with dhyan" or "paint with dhyan" that means that get
engrossed or focused in that particular work so much that you are cut-off from
the outer world. Mind it, "dhyan" does not bring seriousness to any work,
rather it brings focus to it (with joyfulness). The same thing happens when you
do absolute "dhyan" or "meditation". You get focused or centered, as you get
cut-off from the outer world. As soon as you are cut-off from the outer world,
you get connected to your inner-world. Deeper the "dhyan" or "meditation", the
deeper would be your connectivity to your inner-world and you will be more and
more centered. The more centered you become, you will know "Who you are?" and
"what is the purpose of your life?".
Many interpretations and
misunderstandings exist concerning the meaning' of meditation. For example, a
favorite assertion is that only specially trained, highly evolved persons can
meditate, or those who are able to let go of stress easily. It is also said that
meditation is limited to particularly "sacred" situations and special
circumstances.
This is not the case at all. The word
meditate originated in Latin and means nothing more than "to go into the
center." And that is something that everyone can do, whether young, old, well
educated, or not. When someone who is experiencing tension knowingly goes "into
the center," this person will find that stress diminishes considerably.
Meditation can be practiced in many
ways. A person can retreat into silence for a week and do nothing for a number
of days but sit on a pillow with closed eyes. This practice can result in
profound experiences that strengthen the individual with respect to the
functions of daily life. A person can sit in a dark room without the clothes and
keep watching his thought pattern (simply watch it, no reaction to it) and
gradually shift to a trance like state.
Meditation can also take place in
prayer, in ritual, in a group situation, or by listening to a song, a favorite
passage of text, or a piece of instrumental music. However, it is also possible
to build meditation into a purely normal day. You can stop briefly to
contemplate the idea that there is more to life than what you are doing at the
present and that you are bonded to a Higher Power. You can say a short prayer,
acknowledging that everything in life-even the smallest detail is meaningful,
even if, perhaps, you do not understand it. You can be cognizant of the fact
that your goal is self-knowledge-to be alert, to be awake, even if the world
around you is not presently in a position to aid you .
This reflection can
manifest itself through a brief thought, for example, while you are appreciating
beauty, perhaps as you become aware of a tree, an animal, the blue sky, or
another person. It can happen through the experience of friendliness, by giving
it or by receiving it. You can also display small mementos in your home or
workplace, such as a picture, a note tacked on the bathroom mirror, a symbol.
you can even set the alarm clock and stop for a while when it rings. Such
moments of "being awake" and "being in the center" have a place in every life,
no matter how plagued with stress it is. The effort expended amounts to nothing
more than a bit of concentration. That slight effort is richly rewarded in at
.least three ways: by establishing a relationship with the unseen worlds
surrounding us all, from which we can obtain strength, and to which we can give
strength in return; through inner growth and fulfillment; and by the acquisition
of a treasure that nothing or no one can ever take away.
Of course, it is recommended that you
take a little more time for your personal meditation. Perhaps it can be in the
evening for 10 or 15 minutes when you simply go into the silence or when you
allow the integration of specific issues to take effect. For example, as has
been suggested, you can focus on concepts such as shock, trauma, dependency,
interdependency, and sexuality, together with the color orange, and allow this
to have its effect on you. Or you can simply center yourself just before going
to sleep, and in the morning just as you awaken. (At these times, you are
especially connected with the other worlds.) However, the first and easiest step
is the experience of "awake" moments in everyday life.
Meditation OR
Dhyana,
The Definition
The Sanskrit word dhyana, derived from the verbal root dhyai
("to contemplate, meditate, think"), is the most common designation both for
the meditative state of consciousness and the yogic techniques by which it
is induced. The Vedanta tradition also employs the terms nididhyasana,
which stems from the same verbal root, upasana (literally "dwelling
upon"), and bhavana (literally "cultivating").
The term dhyana is widely used to refer to the contemplative
process that prepares the ground for the ecstatic state Samadhi,
though occasionally the term is also employed to signify THAT
superlative state of consciousness.
(source)
In
Buddhist meditation, the meditative stages of samatha (or shamatha: tranquillity), Samadhi (specifically,
Access Concentration: upacara-samadhi), and jhana [Pali]
or dhyana [Sanskrit] correspond roughly to
Patanjali's
dharana, dhyana, Samadhi, respectively.
In Buddhism, it is usually 'jhana' or 'dhyana', but sometimes also
'Samadhi', that is used for absorption. Samadhi, understood as means of
access to absorption, is usually considered a precondition of absorption (jhana/dhyana).
See:
Shikantaza
I have been ordained "shaktipat"
by his holiness Swami Parmanad Tirth ji
Maharaj of Siddh-Mahayoga. He is
disciple of His holiness Swami Vishnu Tirth ji &
Swami Shivom Firth ji Maharaj
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