INTRODUCTION
The ultimate aim of religion is freedom from the cycle of birth and death. ‘Yoga’ refers to the practical aspect of religion. It means union of the individual soul with the universal soul, the Absolute. Yoga practice helps gain control over the mind through concentration and meditation.
The greatest aid to spiritual unfoldment is meditation. A scientific approach to God and religion, it gives a holistic approach to live life fully. Meditation is intense thought upon God to reveal the immortal, eternal spirit, our true nature. Closing our eyes to glance within and discover the light of our soul! Only individual personal experience counts; not book knowledge nor mere speculation.
Different paths or types of yoga were designed to suit different temperaments. Before attempting meditation, one has to be physically and mentally fit. Hatha yoga has different types of postures for physical perfection and for comfortable sitting in meditation. Bhakti yoga, the yoga of love, is the path of complete devotion to a personal God. Jnana yoga, the path of wisdom, is based on the principle of monism, the non dualistic system of the Vedanta. Karma yoga is the path of action: work is performed as a spiritual discipline. The person is not attached to the fruits of action. Raja yoga deals exclusively with the power of the mind. It is considered the surest path to perfection. Kriya yoga, Laya yoga and Mantra yoga are other yoga paths. Siddha Kundalini Maha Yoga is the true synthesis of all other yoga paths. Here, the different yogas spontaneously occur according to the aspirant’s needs.
It should be understood that all these different yogas are not mutually exclusive. There can be no love, Bhakti without knowledge Jnana, nor knowledge, without love. There can be no work, Karma without knowledge Jnana, nor knowledge without work. There can be no love, Bhakti without work Karma, nor work without love. Only a blend of the three (Bhakti, Jnana & Karma), Love, Wisdom and Work, leads to Raja yoga, the yoga of meditation and realisation.
All paths of yoga have existed from remote past. They were not devised or invented by man. They had been experienced by seers during the superconscious state. These different paths cater to different human tendencies. Each person is thus provided with the means to God realisation according to his inclination. No one can make any excuse not to do so.
Meditation is the highest form of worship, where the individual soul merges with its creator Lord. As a first step, prayer, fasting and idol worship etc may be considered. But one has to keep going higher and higher, not stagnating at the level one started. Everyone will have to evolve to reach meditation and selfless action.
God communion is known as meditation. Meditation is practical religion. We are not asked to believe blindly. We do need verification! How can we claim that God exists if we have not seen Him? Or we have a soul if we do not feel it! If we have a soul we must sense it. If there is a God we must see Him. He is not the God of a select few to be seen by them alone! He is the universal perfect God for anyone to see. Meditation is the science that teaches us how to get these perceptions.
The process of meditation enables us get spiritual sustenance from the subtle forces of nature and provide the subtle body necessary nourishment and ideal conditions for progress. Prayer becomes direct personal experience; no longer externalized and separate! Meditation is the great scientific method of knowledge. It rids us of our ignorance and superstition. The mind gets knowledge and the spirit, food.
In deep meditation there is no body consciousness. The body is forgotten. No matter what the bodily condition, stress is eradicated, replaced by a state of absolute wellbeing and inner joy. The mind, when completely free, enjoys rest and peace. This state of complete calm and perfect rest is only possible through the scientific discipline of meditation.
Progressively one attains the highest state of purity and is able to transcend the intellect. Meditation gives intensity to our thoughts. The more concentrated they are, the more the potential power. There is no limit to the power of the human mind. We rediscover our spirit, our true identity, our true nature, the Higher Self, pure and perfect, in the true likeness of our Creator Lord. The aim of meditation is to realise this perfection.
All knowledge in the world has to be gained through concentration. Meditation teaches that all knowledge has its source in the concentration of the mind. Existence cannot be limited to consciousness (awareness and memory), and sub-consciousness (instinct or habit). Meditation reveals a higher state: the superconscious state.
Man is a most ignorant being. He knows only one part of himself. So he obviously knows but one part of the universe, not the whole of it. The subconscious, conscious and superconscious are the three states of the mind. Together they constitute man’s intelligence, and the Universal Intelligence. Man knows only one part of the three states of his intelligence; day to day ‘consciousness’ is only one part of the three states that make up human nature.
In his ignorance, he neither knows the subconscious nor the superconscious. Only knowledge of all three states will make the human perfect. The three states merged, reveal his untapped intelligence, his true potential. Man knows only one part of God just as he knows only one part of the universe. All the rest is beyond cognition. Man’s own imperfect knowledge makes him see imperfection in God and His creation.
The basis of the unconscious is the conscious. The unconscious thoughts (impressions) are the millions of our old conscious thoughts, conscious actions, sunk deep within our subconscious mind. This is the potential danger: some of these past impressions are still acting within our subconscious. They represent the unconscious causes that might bring our downfall. It is therefore vital to control the unconscious and bring it under the control of the conscious.
The most crucial consists of going beyond the conscious. When we reach the superconscious we become free and divine. That is the goal of this phenomenal life: the infinite realm of the superconscious. This is man’s spiritual perfection which can only come through living a life of yoga and meditation. Meditation is the highest form of prayer, the highest activity. God has to be known here in this life. If not been found here, He would be found nowhere else.
Concentration and meditation lead to Samadhi, the final state of meditation. These are the three stages to God realisation. Samadhi is the tranquil state where the conscious mind has subsided completely and the Self manifests itself in its exalted, glorious nature; the state of pure being, of peace, the state of divine communion; the individual spirit becomes merged with the Universal spirit and realises perfect oneness. It is the state of salvation; transcending the bondage of birth and death; attaining freedom; the state of spiritual realisation, God consciousness.
The mind stops, all thought waves stop; the world stops. Consciousness expands. The ultimate goal of meditation is to reach this pure consciousness. It is the highest state man can attain and become capable of enjoying his full potential. True religion begins after one reaches the state of Samadhi.
The science of meditation has as its basis the science of yoga. Yoga is a way of life. All spiritual and religious knowledge are revealed through yoga. Yoga consists of different methods of spiritual practice to enable us realise our true divine nature and merge with our creator. All the different yogas are but stages in preparation for meditation. The various practices help the vital process of purification and gaining perfect control of body and mind. Thus, a yogic way of life should be adopted.
Each discipline or science has its own principles that have to be adhered to meticulously for the best results. Unless the body is strong enough it will not respond. Some yogic breathing exercises will strengthen the physical state. Yogic breathing is the easiest way of gaining control of ‘prana’, the cosmic energy in the body. Furthermore, for meditation to succeed a balanced diet is an absolute must. Over eating or too much fasting disturb a steady mental effort.
The earlier stages in most yoga disciplines are meant to quieten the mind in preparation for meditation leading ultimately to awakening of the kundalini, the inner power, the vital life force lying dormant in us all. When the body is sufficiently disciplined, control of the mind becomes less difficult. A peaceful mind is man’s greatest friend. For the mind to be calm one has to have a peaceful life, achieved through self discipline and moderation. This will decrease all tendencies to sense objects. Additionally, mantra repetition helps by preventing the mind to flit from one thought to another.
Day by day the world is plunging deeper into spiritual sickness, the greatest ill of all times. Only deep meditation will lift the veil of ignorance and reveal to man his true nature. Only a highly moral life makes of meditation a success; purity of mind, purity of action and purity of speech alone will reveal God to man. To experience divine awareness, a constant prayerful attitude is absolutely necessary. One has to live a life of self discipline and moderation based on the highest moral values. Morality is the means to spirituality. It is not spirituality. Spirituality is the culmination of the highest morality – Perfection.
The path to God realisation is through the mind. To control the mind, we have to meditate. Meditation teaches us what we really are. It helps us make use of the powers and forces in the body to make the mind stronger until it regains its lost glory. The only way to understand the Absolute and the universe is to go beyond reason, beyond consciousness: beyond what is known. Only when we go beyond them will we find ‘Perfect Harmony’, and not before.
The perfect human is the one who through life long practice of yoga and meditation attains to this truth.