YOGALife I Summer 2010 - Sivananda Yoga

Meditations from the Upanishads
the Brahmin caste was expected to clean the toilets just
as well as anyone else. Even without the caste system,
hierarchies are everywhere, even in the West. As soon
as a person arrives at an ashram or similar community,
he or she has to be prepared to do everything. The ego
develops a whole new reference to the different tasks, as
well as to the other people who are also expected to do
everything. A strong sense of brotherhood is the result.
“Where there is no ‘I’, there is release; where
there is ‘I’, there is bondage. Man is bound
by ‘mine’ but he is released by ‘not mine’.”
– Anandabindu Upanishad, Mantra 6
It shouldn’t be the case that a scholar develops his or
her scholarly abilities yet is incapable of making a cup of
tea, putting clothes away in a closet or telling a joke and
being able to laugh about it. A yogi is only a yogi when
he or she is balanced and isn’t hiding behind anything.
One person might know more about the Upanishads, the
other might be more adept at working on a certain task
and yet another could be more musically inclined. Swami
Vishnudevananda, for example, was a hard worker who
could take care of all sorts of jobs. But he could also
speak about the Upanishads and at just the right
moment be drop-dead funny.
“The sage, who is resting in his own
Swaroopa (nature), sports in Atma (Self), ever
delights in Atma, looks upon all with equal
vision, plays like a child and roams about as
nature made him.”
– Svaroopabodha Upanishad, Mantra 4
It is very pleasant and refreshing to be in the
presence of such a wholesome and balanced person.
What all yogis have in common, without exception, is a
hands-on attitude and a sense of humour. These two
characteristics are the expression of a mind which can
approach meditation in a very relaxed manner.
With the support of integral yoga practice, meditation
comes naturally because the mind is humble, like an
unspoiled child who is thankful and full of awe: “Is this
chocolate really for me?”, “May I really start trying to
meditate?” At this point, a dialogue with the mind can
begin: “Are you mature enough? Will you listen to what
I am saying or are you going to continue with business
as usual?” The mind responds: “I can give it a try…” For
five, ten minutes, everything is fine. No itches, the back
and knees feel okay. The aspirant is unaware of what
is going in the room and only hears the inner sound:
“OM, OM”, or “SOHAM” (I am THAT). But then the voice
of the mind returns and the dialogue continues:
•“Okay, that’s enough now. What is the use of this anyway?”
•“Please calm down just a bit longer. Yesterday you were
quiet for an entire fifteen minutes.”
•“Yesterday was yesterday and today is today. I am
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YOGALife I Summer 2010
hungry now”, or “I want to get up now”, or “I want to
watch the news and call a friend – and I don’t feel like
doing this anymore.”
Slowly one has to begin denying the mind its wishes,
outside the actual concentration practice, not as an
obligation but of one’s own free will. Tapas or austerity is
the name of this practice. “The cake is in front of me but
I don’t eat it” – that is austerity. Not having enough
money to buy the cake is a different situation. Here the
mind knows that it must obey. Whichever way tapas
is practised, the next day the mind may already have
forgotten. This phenomenon, called maya or illusion,
can be compared to a firework: a flash in the sky and
moments later it has simply disappeared.
“Maya is the illusory power of the Lord.
It is neither Sat (existence) nor Asat
(non-existence).”
– Brahmarahasya Upanishad, Mantra 13
In meditation, as soon as we say, “It works”, the
concentration is gone. Even the observation, “Now the
meditation is good”, means that it has already slipped
away. Approaching meditation with childlike humility
certainly helps.
The technique is not complicated: breathe calmly,
concentrate on a point, have an object to contemplate
on and enter meditation. Let everything go. Imagine
being surrounded by a transparent plastic box, and that
any mosquito, fly or wasp which comes your way bounces
off the box. Imagine that no thoughts are able to make it
through the prana or energy sheath you have surrounded
yourself with. Another method is to imagine being
surrounded by a ball of light. Visualisations like these are
actually easy to create. If it is possible to see an apple or
a pear where there is none, why shouldn’t it be possible
to picture a ball of light around yourself, even if it isn’t
really there? It requires intense concentration and
thinking about nothing else. Otherwise the ball of light
disappears, just like the apple is gone when you start
thinking about a pear.
As you continue with this practice, you understand
that it is you yourself who creates the thoughts, the
sheaths, or the upadhis. When you refrain from creating
the thoughts, you reach the subject. While the principle
is simple, it requires daily practice to experience it.
All types of excesses are counterproductive to meditation:
too much food or sugar, coffee, black tea, alcohol and
cigarettes all hinder concentration and thus meditation.
One’s entire life has to be aligned with the intention
to meditate.
“If the mind is filled with Sattva (purity),
the other two Gunas (Rajas, passion and
Tamas, inertia) will perish by themselves.
The mind will become very subtle and steady
like a lamp in a windless spot.”
– Jyotirbindu Upanishad, Mantra 5