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Thread: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

  1. #1

    Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    hello,

    What I have read mostly is that you meditate by repeating a mantra over and over in your head and focus only on the mantra, basically shutting out all thoughts. Is this the kind of meditation used in the Hindu tradition to reach enlightenment? Or is that a different form of meditation which involved thinking deeply about something? If so, can someone explain to me how it works?
    Last edited by yajvan; 16 November 2014 at 07:16 PM.

  2. #2

    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Dear Mountain Spirit,
    Namasthe!

    Mantra means mananat trayate iti mantrah... upon contemplation it releases you from bondage.

    note : upon contemplation, not upon repetition.

    To contemplate you should have the meaning ... meaning well learnt and properly ascertained from a good guru who can teach.

    Then if you contemplate on it ... it will lead to enlightenment!!


    Love!
    Silence
    Come up, O Lions, and shake off the delusion that you are a sheep

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    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Namaste MS,

    Quote Originally Posted by MountainSpirit View Post
    What I have read mostly is that you meditate by repeating a mantra over and over in your head and focus only on the mantra, basically shutting out all thoughts. Is this the kind of meditation used in the Hindu tradition to reach enlightenment? Or is that a different form of meditation which involved thinking deeply about something? If so, can someone explain to me how it works?
    Meditation should not be taught or learnt on internet because grace of Guru is required for success in meditational practice. Meditation done in wrong way can do harm than any good.

    However, I will give you some signals :

    In reality, you are not bound but eternally free. You are omnipresent and omnipotent. You are Brahman. Now, the questions arise :

    a) What is this "you" or for that matter "I" ?

    Pure Infinite Consciousness which we call Self is the sole reality. You and "I" are thought-waves on the Reality/Self. This thought-wave acted by MAyA or nature of Brahman, projects your mind and your body and also veils the Reality/Self. You are nothing but mind (which is not brain but that which observes, thinks, stores memory and assumes the ownership of thoughts and actions). Mind is nothing but Self turned outward due to agitation within consciousness because of desires/fear/past impressions gathered and tendencies created etc. When the agitation of mind stops completely by any means, the Mind vanishes and Self reveals.

    b) Meditation is one of the practices for Self-realisation. Meditation is performed in various ways but the central aim of doing meditation is to achieve perfect stillness of mind.

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

  4. #4

    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Quote Originally Posted by devotee View Post
    Namaste MS,



    Meditation should not be taught or learnt on internet because grace of Guru is required for success in meditational practice. Meditation done in wrong way can do harm than any good.

    However, I will give you some signals :

    In reality, you are not bound but eternally free. You are omnipresent and omnipotent. You are Brahman. Now, the questions arise :

    a) What is this "you" or for that matter "I" ?

    Pure Infinite Consciousness which we call Self is the sole reality. You and "I" are thought-waves on the Reality/Self. This thought-wave acted by MAyA or nature of Brahman, projects your mind and your body and also veils the Reality/Self. You are nothing but mind (which is not brain but that which observes, thinks, stores memory and assumes the ownership of thoughts and actions). Mind is nothing but Self turned outward due to agitation within consciousness because of desires/fear/past impressions gathered and tendencies created etc. When the agitation of mind stops completely by any means, the Mind vanishes and Self reveals.

    b) Meditation is one of the practices for Self-realisation. Meditation is performed in various ways but the central aim of doing meditation is to achieve perfect stillness of mind.

    OM


    Ok. But meditation to seek enlightenment does involve focusing on concepts and not simply clearing ones head of thoughts?

    And you say meditation done the wrong way can do harm. How can it be harmful?

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    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Quote Originally Posted by MountainSpirit View Post
    What I have read mostly is that you meditate by repeating a mantra over and over in your head and focus only on the mantra, basically shutting out all thoughts. Is this the kind of meditation used in the Hindu tradition to reach enlightenment? Or is that a different form of meditation which involved thinking deeply about something? If so, can someone explain to me how it works?
    Vannakkam: This term 'meditation' is understood differently by many, and is taught differently by different teachers. What is your understanding as it stands now?

    Aum Namasivaya

  6. #6

    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Quote Originally Posted by Eastern Mind View Post
    Vannakkam: This term 'meditation' is understood differently by many, and is taught differently by different teachers. What is your understanding as it stands now?

    Aum Namasivaya
    Well, the version of meditation that was explained to me was transcendental meditation I believe, and from what I have read, it is based on Hindu meditation. It is basically where you focus on a mantra and the object is to clear the mind and focus only on that one word.

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    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Vannakkam: I'm not personally familiar with TM, but others here are.
    As far as I know, which is very little, TM isn't designed with samadhi in mind, but I could very well be wrong.

    Aum Namasivaya

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    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Namaste MS,

    Quote Originally Posted by MountainSpirit View Post
    Ok. But meditation to seek enlightenment does involve focusing on concepts and not simply clearing ones head of thoughts?
    As I told you meditation is done in many ways. What is a concept ? It is a thought. If you focus on a thought, you consciously bring your mind to that thought. If you focus on certain mantra you keep bringing mind to that mantra. If you focus on breath, you keep bringing mind to that breath. So, what you achieve is reducing the unforced wandering of mind or drifting of mind. This improves concentration. This stills the mind.

    And you say meditation done the wrong way can do harm. How can it be harmful?
    Yes. As you are interfering with the process of mind or existence of mind, it should be done in right way and by invoking Gurus/God to help you. This is because of vulnerability of mind in the initial periods. Mind is used to drifting in thoughts in an average person just like an alcoholic is used to alcohol. So, it has to be brought into control patiently and rightly invoking Guru/God otherwise harmful external vibrations can affect mind during the vulnerable period. One can even lose his mental balance because of this.

    OM
    "Om Namo Bhagvate Vaasudevaye"

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    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    Dear friends ,
    When we meditate we can't concentrate on nothingness . At least in the initial stages we should have something ,some object , some manthra , some name to concentrate upon .Just as there are microbes , bacteria , viruses , and other bad poisonous elements in the atmosphere invisible to the naked eye , we are surrounded with many evil forces also along with good forces .When mind tries to meditate , the evil forces enter in to the psyche unless there is some strong good protecting influence .Precisely for this reason we are advised by our gurus , elders and sages to take some name or manthra .Thus essentially meditation in the initial stages is manthra or nama japa .As one progresses , one may reach a stage where the need for manthra may not be there . But at that stage also , the yogi does not stop manthrajapa altogether unless he enters in to samadhi , a state where ordinary mortals can't reach. When we discuss about all these techniques or practices we have a common man or woman in view but not a siddhayogi. Siddhayogis obviously don't need the internet fora .

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    Re: Meditation to reach enlightenment, how?

    hariḥ oṁ
    ~~~~~~
    namasté
    Quote Originally Posted by saswathy View Post
    Thus essentially meditation in the initial stages is manthra or nama japa .As one progresses , one may reach a stage where the need for manthra may not be there . But at that stage also , the yogi does not stop manthrajapa altogether unless he enters in to samadhi , a state where ordinary mortals can't reach.
    If what you say is true, who then is patañjali’s yogadarśana aimed at ? It surely is not the muni for the end-state has been reached. And it is not for the brute who knows nothing of this knowledge. It is aimed at the one's that aspire for the wholeness of consciousness to be revealed.

    samādhi समाधि- is one-pointed absorption; One can say the mind is absorbed or 'concentrated' - but it is not the act of concentrating.
    It is not only for the few ; it is for the one that practices. But what practice? Aṣṭāṅga ( 8 limbs) of yoga or other means ( of which I can think of 112 ways¹).

    iti śivaṁ

    words

    • The 112 ways - this is the subject matter of the vijñānabhairava kārikā-s. This work belongs to the bhairava-āgamas.
    यतस्त्वं शिवसमोऽसि
    yatastvaṁ śivasamo'si
    because you are identical with śiva

    _

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