Re: Active Imagination and Hinduism Meditation.
namaste PI.
One form of dhyAna--meditation, is to contemplate on a mUrti--image, of a deity, where we must necessarily use the technique of active imagination. Here is a quote from David Frawley:
"Each deity has a subtle body form for meditation or contemplation (Dhyana Murti). The deity appears in a certain color, making certain gestures, carrying certain weapons, wearing certain ornaments, and so on. These are revealed in various meditation verses on the deity (Dhyana Shloka). The meditation form is the initial way to contact the deity and to energize its power within our psyche, as we most respond to human forms in our daily life. We should seek to commune with the form of the diety. If we meditate upon it strongly enough the form will come alive and teach us, and reveal the deeper aspects of its reality."
(Ref: http://books.google.com/books?id=L5C...0murti&f=false)
Such form to meditate upon could well be that of a guru. TirumUlar in his 'Tirumandiram' says:
theLivu--Knowledge/wisdom/peace results by having darshan of Guru's holy frame;
theLivu results by uttering Guru's holy name;
theLivu results by listening to Guru's holy words;
theLivu results by contemplating Guru's form.
Meditation thus involves active imagination that uses all the five primary senses. With the meditation ripening more and more, blessings of the the dhyAna-mUrti will be obtained in the form of darshanam--darshan, sparshanam--touch, saMbhAShaNaM--dialogue, and finally, Alingganam--deity embracing the devotee.
Once the state of samAdhi is reached and the sAdhaka--practioner, could sustain it gradually, all the sensations would disappear like the objects in a room disappear when suddenly flooded with an immense amount of white light (a popular movie technique), and only the sensation of bliss would remain.
रत्नाकरधौतपदां हिमालयकिरीटिनीम् ।
ब्रह्मराजर्षिररत्नाढ्यां वन्दे भारतमातरम् ॥
To her whose feet are washed by the ocean, who wears the Himalayas as her crown, and is adorned with the gems of rishis and kings, to Mother India, do I bow down in respect.
--viShNu purANam
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