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Sri Humananda "Analysis will reveal that the mind always tends to run away to those objects to which the individual is attached; and attachment is the same as desire. Attachment and desire go hand in hand. Where there is attachment, there is desire for the object. Therefore, ultimate analysis will reveal that concentration is hampered by desires and attachments." (Swami Sri Chidananda) On Concentration - The Way (Part3) From the previous two writings on Concentration we know a few things now; We know we need to be able to concentrate because concentration leads to meditation which leads to Self Knowledge, and knowing your real Self is your ultimate goal and your very reason for existence. We know that the mind wanders and that it takes effort to stop it from wandering. We know it wanders towards that which we think will provide us happiness, and which comes in the form of our desires, and that these desires imprison us in the sense that they keep us from being able to concentrate and evolve. We also know that our desires and their supporting thoughts and feelings are all constructs of the mind, because they are outside of us in the world out there as a thing or an idea, and so we know that the mind operates only towards the outside of us. Furthermore, it is scattered, constantly moving, and vacillating (go to and fro) between things endlessly. We have the tools of mantra, wise technique, and knowing when to attempt concentration, and when not to, and for the dedicated ones, the past two weeks we have introduced a twice-daily 20-minute routine to train the body into a state conducive to concentration because we know that sustained practice is a prerequisite for concentration to develop. So now, we are ready to begin our mediation? Well, not quite… Because every time you’ve tried this, you’ve found that the distraction has its roots in your desires - maybe even only a single one – something you are attached to very, very deeply. You may have figured this out or it may be so that you have not because this desire or attraction may be subconscious. And to confuse you further, on the opposite side of attraction is repulsion, and yes, even though I have not mentioned it till now, either or both of these can be the cause of distraction. And it is now that we arrive at classic Yoga. This may be the point most of you will want to quit, but for those who hang on, here is the Teaching, which is probably familiar to you on some level because it it really ancient: You must give up your desires. Giving up does not mean denying them. It means coming to terms with them as being parts of your own creation. Nor does it mean fighting them, because that only gives them credence, validity and strength. And by desires it is meant both that which you are attracted to as well as that which you repulse. If you are still here :-) then it is time for you to assimilate two new terms: Viveka, which means “discrimination” and Vairagya, which means “dispassion”. In a previous writing “On Simplification” I mentioned this: “From Yoga comes this advice; you must, for yourself and by yourself, carve out, refine and hold a life philosophy that adheres to some basic (albeit yogic-like) principles, the first of which is that there are two types of “things” in this universe – some change and are called relative, and some don’t change and are called Absolute.” Understanding that your Self is Absolute and unchanging (hence, real) and your desires are temporary and changing (well, duh!) and therefore of an unreal nature, is Viveka – discrimination. Since your goal is the Absolute (or Self-Knowledge), then, if you are still going to have a desire, let it then be for the Absolute, rather than for the temporary ever-changing stuff that keeps you from knowing your Self and that give you so much grief in this world anyway. It is like using a bad quality for a good purpose. And oh yes, desire leads to pain. Get it? The constant, and my Friends I mean constant keeping in mind of the difference between the real and the unreal, and the subsequent, natural drifting away from the reality of your idea that your desires are real, has as effect Vairagya – dispassion for these desires of attraction and repulsion, because, well simply said, you start to recognize them as unreal (not to even mention that they are in all likelihood your very own creation in the first place!) And by "unreal" I mean that they lose their influence on you - even though they do not go away. Now, the less real they become to you over time because of your constant discrimination and growing dispassion, the easier your concentration will become. It is self-evident, since we have seen that these desires are the obstacles to concentration (because of their perceived validity to you). Furthermore, some influences in the outside world are not conducive to our dispassion – or rather let me say, very conducive to our passion. If and when you can verify by means of your discrimination that these passions lead to desires that become deeply ingrained into your consciousness, then it is better to avoid these things or areas or people or food or drugs or TV program or whatever it may be that becomes such a deep and disturbing desire. Do it in an effortless, nonchalant way like you avoid stepping in a mud-puddle on your way to work. Because if indulged by your pursuit or repulsion of them, that item will grow and deepen and eventually become the latest and greatest one responsible for interfering with your concentration. As for your repulsions, get a little closer to them. Examine them inside yourself. Don’t hide from them or push them away with such passion. Recognize their unreal nature, and by doing that, you will lessen their power and influence and concentration-distracting ability over you. Come to terms with them, because they are your creations and as such not other than you. Ok, so now… we are ready to meditate, right? Well, almost. Yes, Yoga is also greedy for your patience. Look, certainly we can concentrate easier and more effectively now, right? And therefore we have a much higher potential at this point, after following the guidelines of before, to get to a state of meditation, so at least you are so much closer to your goal right now. But there is more… My Teacher, the Kavi Yogiraj Mani Finger, used to say – “the mind seems like the most complex of things, and the breath seems so simple, but it is exactly the other way around. The mind is simple (believe it or not) and the breath is infinitely complex”. And so it has now come to the time for us to breathe, my Friends. Yes, that thick book on ‘pranayama’, eh? Hmm… intimidating to say the least, looking more and more like a lifetime of work. Well, then let’s simplify by using some Jnana Yoga - The Yoga of Knowledge. There is the most intimate of connections between your breath and your mind. As you think, so you breathe, and as you breathe, so your mind becomes. Yip, as you can see, Jnana is some powerful stuff and that knowledge is extremely helpful for us right now. It really means that if you want to control the mind then all the various tips, tools, techniques and philosophies mentioned here are sort of removed in a sense, and some more than others. But right now, right here, we have an instant, direct and deeply intimate mind-influencing tool in the breath. Something like the touch of a hand on your skin – instant, completely understood, nothing to think about or analyze. It is just felt as is and is known for exactly what it is. Such is the effect of your breath on your mind. You can play with it, even if you don’t know anything about this intimate companion you spend your entire life with. I mean, be honest, when last have you given any thought to your breath other than that one time you almost drowned or something like that? See? And yet you live by it every second of every day of your life. Yoga advises that you take a little more notice of this thing called breath, because as your soul is your very best friend, your breath is your most intimate of lovers. Or it should be, and the counsel is to work to make it so. For now, keep up the work of the guidance above, and begin the Path that includes the cornerstones of discrimination and dispassion. And for the next few days and weeks, and whenever you sit in silence, learn about your breath. Just watch it. Observe it. Nothing else. Don’t interfere with it – at least not yet. Look for the colors in it, the level of strength or weakness, on which side of the nostril it enters, and which nostril. Then listen to it. A gently indrawn breath makes the sound of “haa” and a gently expelled breath makes the sound of “saa”. Listen to the sound, don’t make it. Listen even for the echo of the sound. Check it out, and while you are learning the various nooks and crannies of your breath you will begin to wonder at it, and then you will become fascinated, and hopefully over time you will fall in love with it quite deeply. And then your breath, you ever-present constant and life-giving companion will once again finally regain its rightful place as the very finest of your most intimate lovers. And this is when you have come to Tantra. With what you have learned in this and the previous two writings, if you have been diligent in what us Yogis call your “sadhana” (your exertion, or practice), you will notice a marked improvement in the quality of your concentration and perhaps even a slipping into meditation for brief periods. Please continue. Have no fear. It is only yourself and from time to time, your Self. And now, with the new things you have absorbed here – discrimination and dispassion, while the workload of attention has increased, if you persevere, things will get more integrated over time. Things like you and me, and things like you and You. Many become One, and that One is You. I’d like to say “trust me”, but I never do. Just try it for a while with some intent and see, and then trust yourself. Yoga is hard work for sure, but knowing and then being your Self is the ultimate goal, and a goal of which it is said that once known, nothing… nothing else here remains to be known. Cool concept, eh? By knowing One Thing, you know all things. And it so happens that the One Thing is your Self. Do not be like the musk-ox forever wandering all over to find the luscious smell eminating from his own being. Know that You is who and what you seek. So, if you are still around, then some time soon we will look at the Yoga Science of Pranayama – meaning “the control of the Life Force”, although we will just call it “Breath”, and if you have been following, then you will be able to call it, “Breath, my Lover Divine”. Namaste.
Sri Humananda © Dwapara 307 (2007) |