Sahaj Samadhi

1). What is meditation?

Meditation is the art of being with my SELF. Nature of my SELF is existence-consciousness-bliss (sat-chit-ananda). I am of the nature of silence.

2). If I sit for meditation, thoughts disturb me. How can I silence the mind ?

There is no need to silence the thoughts! Thoughts depend on you. Moon depends on sun for light. It is not the other way.

Waves after waves rise in ocean. In spite of waves nothing happens to water. Similarly, rise and fall of thoughts does not affect my SELF whose nature is silence. Thoughts are just appearances in me. Thoughts cannot affect my SELF which is changeless. I cannot gain silence because I am Silence ! I am silent with or without thoughts. I can be my silent SELF in spite of thoughts is called meditation.

3). But thoughts disturb me. I am not able to meditate.

You are not dependent on thoughts! Thinking is the mechanical habit of mind. Attraction, repulsion (raga, dvesha) create a thought chain. You identify with the thoughts and become thoughts and get carried away with thoughts It is just that you keep chasing thoughts. One thought will lead to other thought.

Thoughts are like clouds. They come and go. Sun may appear to be covered for some time but as soon as the clouds disappear, sun shines. It is not that once in a while sun shines. Sun was always shining. It is just that clouds came and went off. Similarly, your SELF nature – silence shines in spite of thoughts coming and going.

4). How to be free from thoughts?

Sahaja Samadhi is simple practice of staying in sahaj state (natural) state. Mind is nothing but bundle of thoughts. All thoughts are dependant on “I” thought. Thoughts are objects (things). For example the object called fan creates a thought in the mind. If you pay attention to the thought, thought is there. You may identify with the thought and chase the thought. However shift your attention from the thought which is seen to the seer by asking the question – who am I. ( Koham ) ? Focus your attention in the heart center. You will stay in Sahaj Samadhi or Natural state effortlessly.

Another simple practice is to mentally create one thought using a mantra – om or Shivoham. Variety of thoughts is reduced to one type of thought. Now it is easy to observe the gap between thoughts. Just chant mantra mentally and stay in silence of SELF. If too many thoughts come, again chant Mantra. In this way, you an stay in silence of SELF effortlessly.

5). What should be my experience in meditation ? I donot get any visions.

Silence and Peace is the only experience of meditation. Visions, experiences are just mental impressions surfacing. Ignore them and focus on “who am I”.

6). What are the characteristics of Sahaj Samadhi ?

Deep silence, full awareness, no thoughts. Freedom from thoughts like deep sleep and full awareness like waking state. Deep peace and restfulness.

7). What is the purpose of Sahaj Samadhi ?

In deep sleep we are blissful. We are pure consciousness/awareness. We donot have experience of body,mind or world. That is our natural state. However on waking up we identify with the body and get stressed up in the worldly interactions. Ignorance of our SELF covers us. To be free from ignorance, we have to pay attention to our SELF in the form of Sahaj Samadhi. Gradually ignorance will drop and we realize our true nature as – sat-chit-ananda.

8). What is Bhava  Dhyana ?

      In general we can categorize meditation as two types : a). Bhava dhyana ( meditation with feeling) and b). Bhavatita Dhyana ( transcendental meditation). The purpose of Bhava dhyana is to get over feelings of hurt, fear etc.  Typically contemplation on vedantik teachings of  “Sarvam Khalvidam Brahma – all this Brahman”, “Aham Brahmasmi – I am Brahman”,  Oneness of  all creation etc will generate a feeling of deep love within and heal emotional hurts. Prepares the mind for bhavatita dhyana or transcendental meditation. Bhava dhyana can be accompanied with imagination and thought/mantra which is in tune with teachings of Vedanta. 

Prabhuji 28th august 2018

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