Some Essentials of Dhya'na

Date: Wed, 02 Sep 2009 10:39:14 +0530 To: AM-GLOBAL From: "Pandit_Sudhakar" Subject: Some Essentials of Dhya'na Baba PS Intro: In the life of a sadhaka sometimes sadhana is good and one feels very close proximity to Parama Purusa-- Baba. Then everything in life is pleasing & charming: Blissful. Naturally though, over the course of their systaltic movement, sadhakas inevitably experiences a phase of pause in their sadhana. In that time deep, devotional spiritual ideation and strong sadhana are almost impossible; instead the mind becomes dry. One's surroundings become tasteless and in the heart the sadhaka starts to feel that 'something is missing'. Because in the absence of the Divine Entity-- Baba-- one's surroundings become bland & mundane. Even then in the hearts of good sadhakas, they still have deep longing for Parama Purusa-- Baba. And that blissful, devotional yearning is known as melancholic longing. In the following song, this entire idea has been expressed through the metaphor of the bakul flower garden etc. "Jabe ei path diye esechile, viithika' pus'pe bhara' chilo..." (PS 2141) Purport: Baba, when You came to my home by this path, that time the garden lane was full of sweet, fragrant flowers. By Your divine presence, my mind became spiritually intoxicated with the divine aroma of those flowers. On that occasion also the flow of songs was floating in the air. Baba, since You did not come, even today that bakul flower lane is just lying there vacant-- unused. Innumerable flowers have fallen and become one with the dust. Where has that sweet flower fragrance of the bakul flower gone. Now all its aroma is completely dried up. O' my dearmost, since You have not come to this lane for so long, everyone has forgotten how beautiful and charming that garden was. Because of Your presence. Baba, anyhow still today the flowers on the trees are surviving, but due to Your absence, the garden lane has lost all its charm. So those trees are just weeping thinking how the days of old were so charming and blissful in Your presence. Because in those days You showered Your grace by coming down that garden lane. Those days were so magnificent and blissful. But now You are not coming. So by remembering Your august visit those trees are very unhappy. Their melancholic tears have totally drenched the garden lane. And those trees repeat again and again that despite having everything: The flower, the lane, the atmosphere, and greenery-- despite all these things, in the absence of the One, i.e. You Baba, this entire world becomes utterly meaningless and empty. Baba, please be gracious. Do not remain distant-- always remain inside my heart. Baba, please grace me so that I always feel Your divine presence...

== SOME ESSENTIALS OF DHYA'NA ==

Namaskar, AM sadhana is the key point in the life of any true aspirant seeking to really move along the divine path. Here Baba talks how pointedness on Him is that unique pathway to eternal life-- remaining always on His Lap. Baba says, "Try, O Sa'dhaka, to know only Him, in Whom are held the sky, the world and the void, in whom are ensconced the mind, the five vital forces and the sensory and motor organs. Shun all other pointless considerations except your efforts to know Him. You are mortal, subject to death. Your desire of establishing yourself in deathlessness has been with you from eternity. And that very Brahma is the bridge leading to that state of deathlessness. So you will reap the real good, if you can only know Him." (SS-2, p.30) So dhya'na ultimately brings one up to the crowning glory of spiritual life. Thus it is first lesson which leads to liberation (mukti & savikalpa samadhi) whereas it is dhya'na that carries up to that highest stance of salvation. By the practice of dhya'na sadhakas reach to the ultimate goal, moksa. BABA says, "Dhya'na yoga which elevates human beings through constant self-analysis, obliterates the very existence of the non-spiritual, and expedites one's elevation into the supreme spiritual stance." (MVNS, p.92-3) Hence in AM the practice of Guru dhya'na is unparalleled. BABA says, "Dhyana is the unbroken flow of the mind-stuff, or citta, in one continuous stream, like the flow of oil, where all the propensities of the mind are fixed on the goal." (CC, part 1, pg 11) And in out dhyan Baba guides us that a special sort of devotional determination and longing are needed. Baba says, "Both Pran'idha'na and Anudhya'na come within the scope of Dhya'na, come within the scope of Abhidhya'na. "Tasya'bhidhya'na't". I said Abidhya'na. Abhidhya'na means that you have accepted that Supreme Self as your object of ideation, but suppose your Lord does not want you, suppose you are a sinner and your Lord does not want that you should get Him, He will try to dart away from you, but in that case you will have to chase Him mentally. This chasing of yours is called Anudhya'na. You must say, 'O my Lord, I may be a sinner but I won't spare You, I must catch You'. When this mentality functions it is anudhyana. So without anudhyana one cannot get Him." (SS-18, p.86-7) Namaskar, Sudhakar Note 1: Here below is one further special guideline. By remembering Him we remember all. Baba says, "...The psycho-spiritual approach strengthens the memory, and makes the intellect omniscient. A good way to stabilize the memory is to meditate on someone you have seen or heard about who possesses a unique photographic memory. This will increase your own memory." (Faculty of Knowledge-5)

************************************************ Unruly Free Mixing between Males and Females?

Baba says, "It does not require the harnessing of any elaborate logic or reasoning to convince people that the final outcome of permissiveness is not healthy. But it is also true that the result of free mixing in society, without self-control, is bad...Hence, along with the recognition of the freedom of the two sexes, a well-judged code of self-control will also have to be associated with their mutual mixing." (HS-1, p. 35) Note: Baba's has given the dharmic code for how and when males and females may socialize. Remembering that all females are the mothers of males, all women-- irregardless of their age-- are to be looked upon with utmost respect and reverence. At the same time males must be ever-ready to lend their physical strength to protect and uphold the prestige of women. These are some of the basic points. Needless to say loose gossiping between the sexes is not at all appreciated or supported by Baba's teachings. Unfortunately still this looseness or casual way of dealing is evident in our western sectors of our AM society. Unmarried males & females are living together and carrying on relations and sometimes even producing children out of wedlock. And even at our retreats this looseness between the sexes is clearly evident. The worst part being that it is rampant amongst our youths-- 13-18 year olds. So all around this is a point of awareness. Because promiscuity is the undoing of any society. Now is the time we should rise to the occasion and step by step work to instill Baba's dharmic guidelines on this important aspect of life. This will be beneficial to all-- and a positive example for the society at large.

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