To Gain Control

(I don’t know when I wrote this, (must be a long time ago) and I may have run it in the blog before, but I haven’t had time to check!
It talks about the initial steps to gain control over the mind. It might be of use to someone. So there is nothing wrong in running it again too. Here it is!)

Fixing the mind at any place or on any object is a difficult task. I have had my troubles with it. It is the first and perhaps the final task we need to be good at to achieve anything in life. We all have certain leanings in us. Some like music and gets easily absorbed in it, to some others it might be some other things. But everyone has the talent to concentrate on the things that they like in exclusion to everything else.

Yet to gain control over the mind one needs to fix it on the most uninteresting of things. It would resist like hell every time you try to make you do it. But this is how you tell your mind who is the real master, who is in command and in the driving seat. But before I go any further with this I would like to point to an important difference in the concept of the mind among the western and the eastern systems of thought.

In the west the mind is taken as a part of consciousness, that is, part of our true self. Thus mind is considered as a sentient entity. This makes it absolutely difficult to control. For how could you control the self which is the real controller!

But in the east, especially in India mind is conceived as Jada (inert). It’s an object in the phenomenal world. It appears sentient only because of its proximity to the self. This is an important difference and a very helpful one too. An object can easily be controlled and made to do whatever the self wants it to do. There is whole philosophy on the subject, that is, how the world evolves into what we see now before us, but it’s not necessary to learn all that for our purpose.

I would talk here of a certain practices I used to follow to gain such control, to some these might look very insignificant and simple techniques, but don’t let the simplicity deceive you. This is the biggest step that you are going to take in your life, make no mistake about it. By adopting complex procedures you can easily deceive yourselves that you are making progress, not with these ones. You would know for sure whether you have made any progress at all while doing them.

Take up any tiny object, any uninteresting object will do, let it be a small pebble, a hook, or a button or anything you can find, hold it in front of you and look at it steadily, all the while thinking about it. Force your mind to think about it in isolation to everything else. Everyone would have their own method of thinking, so it would be unwise to outline it for you. Yet for the sake of illustration let us outline one. Say you are thinking about a button-

Well turn it in your hand, notice its shape, color, design, any flaws you can find in it, its material, its size, whether it’s smooth or rough to the touch, the way it is to be attached to the dress, where it is produced, how it is produced, the place you obtained it, its function, and so on to everything that you can think about it. These are not instructions to follow one after the other, these are only suggestions and you can improve on them.

You might believe that you know all about them even without consciously taking note of their features, or that they are trivial, but remember that you are not trying to check the extent of your knowledge or trying to expound your philosophy of life. You are trying to put your entire mind at work on an insignificant thing. The only way to keep yourself interested in it is to think about it without allowing your eyes and mind to wander.

Try doing this for five minutes every day. You will soon find how tiring it is to keep the span of attention for more than a minute or so. If you succeed doing it for five minutes the world would look very different to you from then onwards. You will start to observe the minutest details of the things that you see around.

Another technique is to try to follow a thought to its end. Some think we need a wealth of knowledge to do that. Again we are not trying to prove how knowledgeable we are. It doesn’t matter even if we know next to nothing about it. Keep it simple. Take up any word or idea, the less complex the better.

Any word will do. Day, road, sky, wild, summer, wind, you know it can be any word. Think of anything and everything on it, but keep at it for five minutes. This would make you hold a thought for a longer time. It helps you focus.

You can devise any number of such exercises yourself, but if you the above two regularly it would be enough to get you on your way to your final conquest of mind.

I will outline what I would do with a word; mine need not be the style you prefer, but I am volunteering this because I have often found people bamboozled by the simple act of thinking. They would start off at a hectic pace if they are following someone else’s ideas, but the moment they have to produce something out of their own, people mostly jam.

There is nothing to it really; in this instance you are not out to show-off before yourself by exhibiting your wealth of knowledge about it, you are only trying to recall everything you know about what you are thinking of. You are trying to force your mind to be at it for a while.

Take up the word day, of course you think you know all about it, but really do you? What is day? You would answer day is when the sun is around and when sun goes down the day ends; as an afterthought you would also add that the sun neither goes up or down and it’s the earth which does a slow summersault to cause the phenomenon of day and night. You are also bound to remember that though the normal duration of a day is about 12 hours more or less, there are places on the globe where the day extends for six months at a time…. And several other things besides.

Fine, but we are not even out to find new facts about day either within or without us, a poet might describe a hundred different types of days, a phenomenologist or semanticist may have different interpretations on its meaning and may bring in the context in which its discussed before the mind, a social scientist may talk of its evolution and growth, there could be numerous approaches to any single word or idea. But none of that need concern us. We are using thought to get hold of our mind and fix it somewhere. In this effort what matters is the steadiness that we display in it.

Just try to do the above, you will start developing concentration. This just let me tell you, is the biggest step you will ever take in life. It will lead you towards the real goal of your life. But how? Just wit and practice, all would become soon evident to you without any help.

Am I socially committed?

( I wrote this for another blog of mine sometime ago, I think its relevant even in this one. I have tried to edit out the more scalding portions of it, if any has escaped my editing, just bear with it;) )

Lord I would rather be murdered first. Did I shock you? I know I did, conventions dictate that you should be shocked, yet NO, I am not an anarchist, that is, in the sense the word is used by the anarchists. It may be true that I share their dislike for God, State and Religion as they exist (in our minds) today. But I haven’t lost hope in two of them-God and Society, though I have no sympathy for the society as it is now. Most of you, whether you like society or not, might not be well disposed towards god and I don’t wonder at it. The guy has not been of real help to us over the years.
But the god I am talking of is different, on the outer level it is the sum total of everything we hold dear in our lives, the value system, beliefs, finer feelings and everything that you may call godly in you for want of a better word. On the inner level my definition of god is totally revolutionary and it contains everything that you are. Some may call it a vague definition. I am not really defining god here, I am doing something even better, I am pointing a way to find god and you can learn it from my relevant posts.
I am sure that all of you can find god even without resorting to any religious practices. Please note that I am not denigrating the finer elements in religion here, there are finer elements in everything, but they all get clouded by the structure in which they are shut up. Instead of liberating us they trample us underfoot. None of the established religions can save you, study the lives of any saint, all have gone beyond the strictures imposed by their faith in search of truth. Have you ever thought why it is so; have you ever thought why Jesus told the world that his kingdom is not of this world?
It isn’t of this world, but what he didn’t say is that it includes this world in it as well. He could not say that to a bunch of stupid people who goes by the strictures of Talmud and cannot think straight. I know that some may take umbrage at this, but listen people, jump out of those darkened caves inside your heart, take a look around and see the world for what it is.
It is happening right before you, people are being led into traps they can never come out of, they are being mentally castrated, they are being traded and subjugated, every code, every book is being made use of in this terrible man hunt. Learn that all systems of beliefs are regressive, they instill subordination, they make you obey, they don’t lead you forward.
This is why intellectuals are the most obedient people in the world, they work with data, and that data is provided by the system, every intricate point that you learn makes you more obedient, makes you more docile, it takes away the capacity to react as a human being, it curbs wonder, it provides answers for all your questions. It plants you inside a mental fortress from which you can never escape.
You can control intellectuals like you control dogs with a piece of bone or a lump of sugar. They would never believe that they are being controlled; they would think that they are acting out of their own volition. They only generate thoughts for their masters, both hidden and evident. Every time I think on this it calls back the words of Hitler to my mind. He openly stated that 99 percentage of the population is like women, they can be led, they can be told to do things and they would gladly do that.
Did you know what was the excuse offered by most of those tried in Nuremberg after the WW II? They said that they were only taking orders. Some of you may think that Hitler was a total idiot and a fanatic, he may have been, but he had learned one thing right, that the people require a master and he consciously became that.
It is this weakness among the humans that I am afraid of, this willingness to follow the leader, this frantic desire for a host mechanism, this total submission. You think that only the ‘weirdo’s’ desires such things don’t you, you are wrong, everyone would follow a leader if he is forceful enough. It is easier to justify something than make something on your own. This is a perennial weakness of the human mind.
The human mind yearns for something to lean on; it wants to forget its insignificance and would like to bask in reflected glory. This is why people run to religion and such other systems of thought that there is out there which promises salvation. This goes for the materialist as well as the idealists, the idealist promises heaven up above and the materialists promise the heaven below. Both lull the fear of isolation in the human heart. They can’t think out of the hat, though they mouth these words incessantly. The inflow towards religion all over the world now is the failure of a dependable substitute, People want to be comforted, patted on the back and looked after. Even if these are provided invisibly they would be satisfied.
Hence they run to religion.
Yet really religion is a totally mucked up institution. It has out grown its usages and it relevance. But the alarming fact is that people are being attracted to religion by hoards. The world has not been able to replace religion with anything that people can really believe in. The people have not unfortunately grown. They did not grow with the growth of civilization. Only internal changes could make people grow; only an inner revolution could make people break the shackles imposed by their conditioning. But the religions would not allow that. The people who run them have several things to lose by doing that.
If I could I would wipe the entire religiosie out from the world. I would do it this moment if I can. It has to be done by someone to cleanse the world.
But the guys are too entrenched, too dug in, and there are enough dolts in the world who believes every word that’s uttered by these Beelzebub’s. If anyone speaks against these ‘godly’s their followers would rise up in arms and would start murdering you right and left. I can’t even blame them unfortunately, they are totally muddled up and frightened. They don’t know what to do and they flock to the first group which assures them that they would take care of them come what may. I can’t gain say the words of Marx, religion is the opium of the masses, though later Marxism itself started exhibiting the characteristics of a religion. It has even chapels where they place flowers and incense now. Look at the terrible servility to the earlier modes of culture.
So what do we do to get out of this strange servility? Well we start thinking on our own- discard the current forms of thought and fashion our own conceptions of life and things. It looks simple doesn’t it? You just have to pick the right words and utter thoughts! How simple!
Try to form any thoughts on your own without reference to any of the thought structures that is around. And you will learn about simplicity in real earnest.
Or else you can dive inside and come up with a real nugget of truth as I have been suggesting to you all the time.

The choice is yours.

KEEP THE MIND AT THE POINT BETWEEN THE EYEBROWS

Excerpts on Sambavi Mudra

(When was the last time I updated the blog? Well anyway, there is no point to it, is there? Those who want to know would search for knowledge elsewhere, they hardly need my prompting. And those who don’t wouldn't have to listen to me!

It’s a catch 22 situation ;)

All the same here is something for those who pass by…..)

You don’t have to learn anything to become liberated. It's the most natural of all states. Yet there could be obstacles in realizing this. The one effort should be to dispel these…..

All true teachers of the world (Don’t mistake me, I only intend to bring the gist of what they have said to you and vouch that its attainable!) have always tried to do this in the most simplest of ways.

In my readings I have come across many portions in Upanishads that are related to the things I have been trying to explain to you. The following is a compilation of those vital portions. Because I have very little time and more because of my laziness I haven’t put them in any clean order. So you need to take them in good faith and think on them.

Now to the excerpts from Vedas on Sambavi Mudra

I think this is from Mandala Brahmana Upanishad:

“Know that Yoga is twofold -the earlier and the later.
The earlier is Taraka (of stars) and the later is Amanaska (the mindless).
Taraka is divided into Murti (with limitation) and Amurti (without limitation).


That first goes to the end of the senses (or exist till the senses are conquered). Amurti Taraka goes beyond the two eyebrows (above the senses).


Both these should be performed through Manas (mind).


( Note: That is, mind is the instrument for achieving them)

Antar-Drishti (internal vision) associated with manas comes to aid Taraka. Tejas (spiritual light) appears in the hole between the two eyebrows.


This Taraka is the earlier one.

The later is Amanaska.

The great Jyotis (light) is above the root of the palate. By seeing it, one gets the Siddhis Anima, etc.

Sambhavi-Mudra occurs when the Lakshya (spiritual vision) is internal while the (physical) eyes are seeing externally without winking. This is the great science which is concealed in all the Tantras.

When this is known, one does not stay in Samsara(in the world). Its worship (or practice) gives salvation.

Antar-Lakshya is of the nature of Jala-Jyotis (or water colored light). It is known by the great sages and is invisible both to the internal and external senses.

4. Crown (chakra) light is the Antar-Lakshya.
By becoming one with Antar-Lakshya, the self becomes one with Absolute space”

Again in another Upanishad it is said:

“Antar-Lakshya ( Internal Target)

It is very hidden and Unmanifested. It can be known (only) by one who has got into the boat of Jnana (Wisdom). It is the object of both Bahir and Antar (external and internal) Lakshyas. In its midst is absorbed the whole world.”


And I believe this is from Annapoorna Upanishad


“one should look out for Taraka. Taraka is Brahman which being in the middle of the two eyebrows, is of the nature of the spiritual effulgence of Sachchidananda.


The (spiritual) seeing through the three Lakshyas (or the three kinds of introvision) is the means to It


When the two ears are closed by the tips of the forefingers, a Phutkara (or booming) sound is heard. When the mind is fixed on it, it sees a blue light between the eyes as also in the heart. (This is Antar-Lakshya or internal introvision).

In the Bahir-Lakshya (or external introvision) one sees in order before his nose at distance of 4, 6, 8, 10 and 12 digits, the space of blue colour, then a colour resembling Shyama (indigo-black) and then shining as Rakta (red) wave and then with the two Pita (yellow and orange red) colours. Then he is a Yogin.


When one looks at the external space, moving the eyes and sees streaks of light at the corners of his eyes, then his vision can be made steady.


When one sees Jyotis (spiritual light) above his head 12 digits in length, then he attains the state of nectar.


In the Madhya-Lakshya (middle target), one sees the variegated colours of the morning as if the sun, the moon and the fire had joined together in the Akasa(space or skies) that is without them.


Then he comes to have their nature (of light). Through practice, he becomes one with Akasa, devoid of all qualities and peculiarities.


At first Akasa with its shining stars becomes to him Para-Akasa as dark as Tamas itself and he becomes one with Para-Akasa shining with stars and deep as Tamas. (Then) he becomes one with Maha-Akasa resplendent (as) with the fire of the deluge.
Then he becomes one with Tattva-Akasa, lighted with the brightness which is the highest and the best of all. Then he becomes one with Surya-Akasa (Sun-Akasa) brightened by a Crore of suns. By practising thus, he becomes one with them. He who knows them becomes thus.


( Don’t mind these various akasa’s or skies. they are only a scientific description of the states you go through. If you start searching for all of them you would soon be out of the meditative state)

Hope this is helpful

“

Keep the mind at the point between the eye brows

”

About comments in other languages

Well guys, I have been receiving comments in what looks like the Chinese (or the Japanese) language for some time now. May be my small efforts at bringing a simple truth across might be making some little impact on the followers of two of the ancient cultures in the world. If so I am very glad. But sadly this blog is in English and I don't know a word of the languages that those comments are written in………Hence I am in a little bit of a predicament here.


The thoughts expressed in them could be the most sublime or the most beautiful for all I know. But as I can't understand their import or meaning I have little option but to reject them. This in no way reflects on the genuine intentions of the authors of the comments and I hereby express my regret in failing to understand them.

My thanks too are intimated for their kindness in taking an interest in what I write. But I am unable to publish them in the blog and though I would very much like to learn those beautiful tongues, I am just not in a position to do so now.


So, if you like the blog or what's written in it, you can say that in very simple English. Let me also say that I am no anglophile and English is only a second language to me. But a blog in any language hopes for comments in that language.

So guys, please do not be offended if I don't publish your beautiful comments in other languages in my blog.

Thank you!

Sambavi Mudra as per Hatha Yoga Pradeepika and Kheranda Samhita

I was recently going through a commentary of Hatha Yoga Pradeepika by Hans Ulrich Rieker and came across these portions about Sambhavi Mudra in the book. It’s a nice translation of the original verses and could be useful to those who are interested in the practice of the Mudra. There are some minor variations to the method of practice and the description of the Mudra to that of mine in my post on it. But in essence they are the same.


Kheranda Samhita also mentions it, but its scant and unsatisfactory. Yet it would be interesting to first look into it before going to the commentary of Rieker.


The Kheranda Samhita discusses it in the the Ch.3 (15) . It is curious to note that it suggests applying Kajal or some sort of eye care to the eyes before starting the practice. I believe it is intended to keep the eyes cool to minimise irritation to the eyes.


Anyway here is the description of the Mudra in the Samhita.


“ After applying kajal or eye-ink to the eyes look at the knower of truth. This is the Sambhavi Mudra hidden in all the sciences.”

“The Vedas, Satstras and puranas are like common prostitutes , but this Sambavi Mudra is like a chaste women, well protected and safe”

“The Lord Siva as well Brahma ( The creator) knows of this Mudra”

“Those who know the sambhavi Mudra is the truth itself . This is true, true , true.”



Here ends the mention of the Mudra in Kheranda Samhita . Now let us go to the commentary of Rieker. I have left the commentary as it is.



Verse “(35) The Vedas, the Shastras and the Puranas are like prostitutes [attainable to all]. The shambhavi mudra, however, is like a chaste woman, carefully guarded.


(36) Shambhavi mudra consists in fixing the mind inwardly [on any one of the chakras], and fixing the eyes without blinking on an external object. This mudra is left secret by the Vedas and Shastras.

(37) It is rightfully called shambhavi mudra, when mind and prana are absorbed by the object, when the eyes become rigid in the contemplation of the object. Once this state has been reached by the grace of the guru, everything perceived becomes a manifestation of the great Shambu (Siva) and is thus beyond emptiness and not−emptiness.

Everything is Siva: everything is kala (light−waves, form, yantra, manifestation of the divine image in all its forms), nada (sound waves, sound) mantra, divine name in all its forms), and bindu (meaning, the divine) and the logos common to both the other spheres).

(39−40) Direct your [inner] gaze upon "light" by slightly raising the eyebrows. Then perform shambhavi mudra as you have learned it. This induces samadhi. −−Some confuse themselves by the alluring promises of the shastras and tantras, others by the Vedic Karmas, and still others by logic. None of them recognizes the real value of this mudra, by the aid of which one can cross the ocean of existence.


(41) With half−closed eyes focused on the tip of the nose, the mind steadily fastened[on its object], and the active prana current of the ida and pingala nadis suspended [by guiding it into the sushumna], thus the yogi reaches the slate of realization of Truth in the form of a radiating light which is the source of all things, and the highest objective to be reached. What higher state is there that he might expect?”

Well practice practice practice and good luck be with you in it.


KEEP THE MIND AT THE POINT BETWEEN THE EYE BROWS

Uththara Geeta

Most of us have heard of Bhagavad Geeta, and some of us have endeavored to understand it too. The Geeta is like a broad spectrum spiritual antiseptic. It considers every kind of mental preferences and prescribes remedies for all sort of spiritual illnesses. People are often confused about the different streams of thought that is seen in it. That is why Arjuna says that he is bewildered by Krishna’s equivocal instructions (Cha.3 verse 2 of Geeta). The Geeta can only be taken as an introduction to spiritual practices.

This is the reason why Krishna later taught the AnuGeeta (the verses that follow geeta) to Arjuna. But he knew that even an intelligent student like Arjuna would find it hard to arrive at truth unless repeatedly advised on it. So in compassion he goes on to teach the Uththara Geeta (Post Geeta) to Arjuna. This is the final advice and culminates the teachings of Geeta.

He takes out the essence of every science in it and teaches it to Arjuna saying “Yal saara bhUtam thadupaasithavyam”. Worship only that which matters. Sciences are many, we could spend our entire life learning them and understanding nothing at all about ourselves.

I will relate to you meaning of the important verses of the advice. They throw light on the practice we are interested in.

Imagine the limitless Chidakasa (inner space, or the space you find within when you close your eyes and turn your attention to your forehead) as the soul or imagine the soul as the inner space so that both becomes merged into one – forget everything else. One should be steadfast and intelligent about it. Never doubt for a moment that what you find within is your true self. As you keep on doing it the breath would become still at the point between the eye brows.

When you do it what happens is this:
Prabhaa sUnyam, manhsUnyam
BudhisUnyam, niraamayam

That is, your consciousness goes through these stages- first, thoughts become nil and the mind remains in its nature of light, in fact mind and this light is one and the same. Slowly the light fades and our psyche remains with its names and forms, this also fades and what remains is the intellect which is still aware of different emotions, then that intellect also fades. After that you can’t say what remains…..

“There the words and mind turns back”

As an Upanishad describes it, this state in indescribable, this state is called Samadhi.

Krishna states emphatically in the verse 10 of the second chapter:

“MuhUrthamapi yogaschEl
NasaagrE mansa saha
Sarvam tharathi papmaanam
Thasya janma sathaarjitham”

That is:

If someone achieves this state for a single minute, all the sins in all the births they ever had become destroyed forever. Now the sins that Krishna speaks of are the foolish entanglement with the world of ignorance which our consciousness ever had.

This is the method of “sadyO mukthi” or “immediate liberation” and Krishna goes on to describe how Krama Mukthi” or step by step liberation can be achieved for the ignorant by following the Kundalini Yoga. We are not concerned about it here.
So,
KEEP YOUR MIND AT THE PLACE BETWEEN THE EYE BROWS

Breathing

Most of us are very busy in our lives. We do not have a spare moment and even when we have it, it is weighed down with the cares and troubles that we generally have. Thoughts come and go, emotions flit through the mind. Everything we see around us brings back memories of things done and reminds us of things which need to be done. We either live in the past or in the future and never in the present. Naturally we are not at peace. We can only be at peace if we live in the present.

Hence, even when we put aside a bit of time for meditation it becomes mostly useless because we can’t rid ourselves of this constant activity of our mind. This is more so when we try to follow a simple technique of meditation like the Sambavi Mudra. If we can quiten the mind it might be of some help in the practice.

So let us talk about the most effective and easy technique to do that- Breathing.

Technicalities about pranayama are not important here and are not necessary for our purpose. Our aim is to lessen the number of thoughts we have so that it would be easy to fix our mind at the Trikut or middle of forehead.

What you do is to breathe deeply when you sit or are lying down for meditation. Just breathe from your abdomen or the pit of your stomach or whatever you like to call it. Names and terms do not matter, breathing long and deep and slow is what matters. Take it as the preparatory exercise before beginning the real meditation. As you do it, follow the breath in an out. There is no need to tire yourself out by rushing things. Slow steady sweet breathes would do it.

If you can manage it keep your spine straight, but even if you can’t do it breathe through the nostrils. This is very important, apart from other ills like colds etc which may result from mouth breathing, breathing through nostrils would make the breath pass though the trikut making us more aware of it. Also breathing through mouth can never be deep. So breathe through the nose at all times.

Well what do you when your nostrils are blocked as sometimes they are? Mostly this does not happen to those who practice pranayama. But if you do not do it but is person who takes a bathe every day, try this technique. When you shower or pour water over your head or are in the pool bathing, keep a little water in the mouth and keep it shut till you have toweled your hair dry. Then spit it out. This works most of the time and clears the nostrils for the day.

I think it works this way. The water that get into you through your head you as well as the mucus which might block the nose otherwise, trickle down to the water kept in the mouth and goes out of you when you spit it out.

Well back to breathing. As you go on doing it you would notice that thoughts are becoming lesser and lesser till they disappear completely. Please remember that we are not trying to fill ourselves with energy by doing it. An excess of energy does more harm than good to our state of mind. Our primary purpose is getting rid of unwanted thoughts and emotions so that we can bring our attention to our foreheads.

There would come a time when you are aware that the thoughts, feeling etc have completely disappeared from you for the present then turn your attention to the spot between your eye brows and place your mind there.

Normally the breath or prana becomes still at the place where the mind is placed. I outlined the above technique only for those who find it difficult to control their thoughts whatever they do, at times. All pass though such stages, even the best.

Wish you luck with it

KEEP THE MIND AT THE PLACE BETWEEN THE EYE BROWS