 |
       |
|
|
SARAL MEDITATION
H L Dhar
Director and Gerontologist, Medical Research Centre, Bombay Hospital Trust, Mumbai - 20.
DC Meditation group located in washington DC, USA allows practice of all different types of meditation and teachings, whether buddhist, vedic, krishnamurti, suffi, TM, yogic and all others - there are hundred of different types of meditation including Zen meditation and more currently meditation for world peace by Lama Gangchen.[1]I have gone through almost all types of meditation although practising TM (Transcendental Meditation of Maharishi Mahesh yogi) for many years. I have been teaching meditation techniques (TM) short of mantra for scientific evaluation of effect of TM on health and disease including performance, intelligence (IQ) and reversal of aging process[2] as well as general improvement in the quality of life.[3,4] One of the basic aspects of TM is to utter mantra which will gradually make one reach the point of absolute silence where the individual is not aware of outside happening but conscious within. This state of self awareness makes one automatically guided by the Law of nature.[5] The discovery that human physiology is veda[6] tells us that human body contains within it total organizing power of nature and one can realise totality in everything and enliven in veda. TM enlivens in veda and in human physiology so that everyone is the embodyment of Law of nature. Every individual so awakened acts by the Law of nature. By the practice of TM, mind is elevated from gross level to finer aspect of consciousness.
Since body is veda and mind is the expression of veda when mind reaches that state body takes it and any abnormal or disruptive forces are eliminated making the body and mind free from disease and choosing the choicest path and behaviour.
Currently TM is being used in corporate sector (amongst business executives) like a mental bath that one takes at the end of the day.[7] A 20 minute meditation exercise twice a day is the prescription effect it has on the remaining 23 hours of the day. According to wagger[7] who has been teaching TM for many years, nature has an infinite organising power and if we could fine tune ourselves to “natural law we will find these qualities grow in us”. A person is creative when mind is fresh and simple. TM gives a person this creative advantage. It gives a person the ability to stay calm even when under lot of pressure as the mind relaxes from an excited to a relaxed state during TM. More over the “rest is the basis of activity” and that TM allows the mind and the body to rest completely.
Meditation is a mental exercise in which we direct our mind to think inwardly by shutting our sense organ to external stimulations. By the constant practice of meditation one can also gradually develop voluntary control over various involuntary functions of the body, such as beating of the heart, the digestion of food or the absorption of oxygen from the lungs which are normally carried out spontaneously under the control of the autonomic nervous system. By meditation, a person can also learn to stabilise his emotional changes, thereby restraining abnormal functions of various vital organs of the body. Ordinarily there are two planes in which the mind functions the conscious and the unconscious yet there can be one more plane which is higher than both, one where the mind goes beyond the level of self consciousness. This is called superconsciousness. When a man goes to sleep he enters the plane of subconsciousness; on waking up he regains his consciousness and becomes a normal person. But when a person has attained superconsciousness; normally through the prolonged practice of meditation, on returning to the conscious state he becomes a different person having acquired greater knowledge and wisdom.8 Sage Patanjali described eight steps to achieve the goal of super consciousness. This cannot be reached suddenly or accidentally. One will have to gradually improve one’s social and personal behaviour, by regular practice of yogic exercise, breath control and various mental exercises. Buddha, 2500 years ago described the vipasana meditation in which a person sits in a comfortable position with eyes closed and directs his attention to the tip of his nose to observe his breath continuously. By this simple procedure one learns to practice concentration of the mind. Gradually, one can make use of this method for meditation on any noble object to attain peace and happiness. Maharshi Mahesh Yogi described popular method of TM, in which the person assumes a comfortable sitting position with eyes closed and turns his attention inwards to control his internal environment. Then he repeats certain sacred words called ‘mantra’ and potraits the Gods Vishnu, Shiva and Brahma for about 20 minutes. Throughout the period of meditation the person concentrates on prayer and the communication with deity and avoids all mental distructions.[8]
Taking into account all these different methods, Benson had described a simpler method of meditation for beginners[9] as follows:-
a) A quite environment : For this it is necessary to have a quiet room one usually kept for worship - this helps to eliminate destruction.
b) A passive attitude : One should not bother about any disturbing thoughts that come to one’s mind during meditation but should try to concentrate on the objects chosen.
c) A comfortable position : A comfortable sitting posture is desirable. If this is not feasible one can also adopt a lying - down posture, but should not go to sleep.
d) A mental device for concentration : In order to shift the mind from external objects to internal thoughts one should repeat silently sacred words known as ‘mantra’ for about 20 minutes with eyes closed. Such meditation should be carried out twice a day - morning and evening. Wallace and Benson, who conducted extensive studies on Transcendental Meditation10 observed that the electroencephalograph showed an increase in the alpha wave activity indicating greater tranquillity of mind.
Saral Meditation
Very recently the author has simplified further the meditation for beginner by Benson (based on TM) incorporating basic approach of other techniques available and finally adding to it the devine feeling, the ultimate aim of almost all types of meditations. The simplification is based on personal practice and evaluation on nursing students during last several years in the Nursing college of Bombay Hospital Trust, both as a teacher of nursing faculty as well as a guide to meditation for betterment of life style, improving personality, performance, reducing mental stress and strain and improving intelligence and for better look and personality with ultimate aim of achieving superconsciousness.
Technique : Technique is simple based on TM sitting on a chair (preferably armed) with back straight and eyes closed.
Place : As far as possible, the place should be quiet with natural light (no bright light), in case of travelling (bus/train/air), one can relax on the seat with eyes closed.
Time : Time is preferably morning (15-20 minutes) and evening (15-20 minutes) which can vary depending on feasibility. One can practice at any time but there should be a gap of 5-6 hours between the two sittings.
Mantra
No mantra is required to be uttered, initially one should be observing breath and with each breath think of something beyond any object, any form, the most supreme one - the divine power may call God, Allah, Bhagwan or any other name dear to one’s heart ultimately everything will merge into one, the point of absolute silence - a vacuum unlimited, one can call it energy, which could be self referral - the Atma, present anywhere and everywhere the unlimited - the eternity.
Here comes the greatest discovery of recent times in our understanding of vedic literature, the unique universal knowledge representing anybody and everybody which came into existence before creation of any country, not to speak of religion- the veda. Veda is pure knowledge, the knowledge of all time including what will happen thousands of years hence. The discovery that veda is human body irrespective of religion, nationality or geographic barrier by Maharishi Mahesh Yogi11 points towards eternity as self referral one, a source from where everything comes all human being come from that source.11
SUMMARY
Saral (simple) meditation profounded by the author is based on vedic approach, personal experience as well as research on large number of students for number of years. Main difference from TM is mantra but basic aspects and goal are alike - mantra has been replaced by offering oneself completely to divine power, the Almighty, the supreme authority which may be self referral - the Atma. Inspiration has been obtained from other meditations including Gangchen’s meditation for world peace and scientific background has been provided by the discovery that veda is human physiology.
REFERENCES
- Lama Gangchen TYS. Training Budhist self healing meditation, Buddha centre, Jalan, IPOH, Kaulalumpur, Malasia. 1995.
- Scientific Research on Maharishi’s Transcendental Meditation, a review, Maharishi’s International University Press. Fairfield, USA. 1993.
- Tony Nadar. Human physiology, expression of veda and vedic literature. Maharishi vedic University press, Vlodrop, Holland. 1993.Dhar HL. Research on Meditation. Bom Hosp J 1999; 41 (3) : 505-8.
- Dhar HL. Research on Meditation. Bom Hosp J 1999; 41 (3) : 505-8.
- Dhar HL. Meditation and health. Bom Hosp J 1997; 39 (4) : 738-41.
- Dhar HL. Veda in relation to human physiology. Bom Hosp J 1996; 38 (2) : 354-57.
- Roli Srivastava. Meditation is like a mental bath for stressed-out. Times of India 2000; 7.
- Udupa KN. Yoga and meditation for mental health in Traditional Medicine and health care coverage. World Health Organisation, Geneva. 1983; 134-41.
- Benson H. The relaxation response. New York, Avon. 1976.
- Wallace RK, Benson H. The physiology of meditation scientific America. 1972; 226 : 84.
- The dawn of total knowledge, Maharishi vedic university press. 1997.
 |