Post on 15-May-2015
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INTRODUCTION
To comprehend and to practice meditation is obligatory for every man in
modernday world. Meditation is the wonderful method of realizing dharma in human
life. In fact, it will be more apt to say that meditation is an aspect of religion
connected with breathing. Meditation is a form of religion. In modern times we find
religion and its different aspects being hotly debated and discussed, but there has been
no discussion, no discourse on the form of religion, on its spiritual aspect. Several
socalled religious people have turned religion into a subject of controversy and
polemic. They seem to have forgotten that religion is not a subject for polemic or
controversy, rather it is a subject of spiritual dialogue, spiritual purification, soul
discovery and spiritual karma.
Meditation is spiritual or selfpurification and self discovery. Meditation helps
such flowers blossom on earth as will give out spiritual fragrance. Therefore, I
request, I exhort the entire world that it should get itself introduced with the fragrance
of religion through the medium of meditation.
Shri Shirish Muni and Shri Sailesh²the former an ascetic and the latter a
believing Jain²are deeply involved in trying to realize my dream in the field of
meditation. Their right and proper efforts deserve my blessings. The responsibility of
getting the original Hindi version of this book published was taken over by Shri
Vinod Sharma : I wish him spiritually all the best. Dr. Dharam Singh of Punjabi
University, Patiala, accepted our request to make time to render it into English: he
will ever be an object of my blessing for the labour he has put in to make this English
translation possible as well as for what he has been doing to help various members of
the Jain Sraman Sangh in the perusal of their academic studies. Our thanks are also
due to Mr. Ravinder Jain and Purshottam Jain of Malerkotla and Dr. Rajesh Ranjan
and Dr. Paryudumna Shah Singh of Punjabi University who helped in a variety of
ways in the publication of this book.
The series of meditation camps we have been holding is an exercise aimed at the
universal weal, the welfare of all. At this auspicious hour I welcome all those
dedicated young men and others to join and make a joint endeavour to bring about a
beautiful, clean and healthy social setup through the medium of meditation.
SHIV MUNI
CHAPTER I
MEDITATION :
WAY TO INNERPURIFICATION
Introduction
Welcome to all the seekers of the path to meditation and discipline. The Hindi
equivalent of the word ‘welcome’ is ‘swÈgat’. The word ‘swÈgat’ literally means
coming (Ègat) to self (swai). Thus, one’s return to the self is called ‘swÈgat’.
There are certain things and desires in this world which sprout quite easily. For
example, one such thing is the food. It is quite easy for one’s mind to get attracted
towards food. Suppose you have just finished with your food and all of a sudden some
eatable of your liking and choice comes to your sight. A thought flashes through the
mind²‘let me taste a little bit of it.’ It is thus easy for the mind to get attracted to food.
And for this, one need not make a resolution that one will go for the food today. One
never knows when the mind is tempted by the good food. You sit on an upper floor
and the sweet smell of some dishes being prepared downstairs reaches your nostrils,
mind in a flash reaches downstairs to find out what is being cooked. It is somewhat
natural.
The second example is that of sleep. You enjoy a good 8hour sleep at night. Still
if you find nothing to be done during the day, what happens then? The mind favours
having some rest and finally some sleep. It is also quite easy for mind to go for rest
and sleep. You do not have to force your mind to have a sleep. Of course, sometimes
more than one attempts have to be made to wake you up. But while going for rest or
sleep, no effort is needed; sleep comes of its own.
The third such example comprises the different objects and entertainment of our
senses. Music sounds good to the ear, sweet smell is good to nose, beauty appeals to
the eye, taste tempts the tongue and touch soothes the skin. These are five different
object of our five senses. Our mind is prone to go to any of these quite easily. If and
when a melodious music reaches the ear, no conscious effort is required to make the
ear listen to it. The mind concentrates on it of its own. And, if there happens to be a
sweet smell, no effort is required to make the nose smell it: our mind reaches the place
of that smell in a flash.
So, these are the three things to which our mind is attracted quite easily and of its
own. First is the food, the second sleep and rest, and the third our different
inclinations (say, for tasty food), entertainment (say, listening to music), and other
objects appealing to mind. However, to get away from these, to think of returning to
oneself, one will have to make efforts in this behalf: accomplishment of it is no doubt
a great achievement. There will be numerous people who might have thought of
meditating, observe silence for a while, and attend the camp at least once or twice.
There will only be very few among those who thought of this but then made a strong
resolution to do that. Of course, this thought came to many people, but what was the
thought actually? ‘O.K., shall do it sometime. There is still time. We shall do.’
They failed to take the final decision. They remained confused or in dilemma.
Some people resolved that they would do it and then they did get their names
enrolled, but even amongst them there were quite a few who failed to put that
resolution to practicemaybe something at home prevented them or maybe their
resolution was not strong enough and their mind wavered. In case of those who got
prevented because of some important or unavoidable work at home, it is somewhat
understandable. The main thing is that mind wavered at one or the other stage. Thus,
even after getting their names enrolled, even after taking the decision, they failed to
put that resolution to practice. You are welcome for the reason that you are among
those resolute ones who took the decision and then sticking to it reached here.
Stages of SelfPurification
Now we shall see as to what we have to do during these three days. How shall
we live during these three days? What is the importance of living here? What have we
to do while being here? If we put into one word all those different activities, different
sorts of meditation and the different methods of working on our own selves during our
stay here for three days, the word obviously will be innerpurification or
selfpurification. We shall work on this purification during our stay in the camp for
three days.
What is the meaning of inner or selfpurification? How can we explain it? When
people generally listen to the word ‘inner- or self-purification’, they take it to be
purification of Ètman or soul. And, when they listen to the word ‘Ètman’, it seems to
them to be something different, something within the body yet different from it. This
is not the primary meaning of the word. When the word came into usage for the first
time around three thousand years ago, the word ‘Ètman’ meant ‘I’. That is why the
word ‘Ètmaj’ was used to convey the meaning of ‘my son’ or ‘my daughter’. If Ètman
or soul was something different from body, then whose son or daughter he/she would
be? It would belong to the inner consciousness, and the body would have had no
relation with it? Thus, son/daughter is related to your body and the Ètman also means
‘I’. In this sense, inner-purification means ‘my purification’ or purification of
whatever I am.
First of all, what are you? What is your first identifica- tion? When you say ‘I’,
then what is your first identification? How can one identify you? By name? There can
be several people by the same name. Then the first identification is your body.
Suppose there are three persons by the same name and you want to call one of them,
how will you do that? How will you identify one you want to call from the other two
by the same name? Obviously, by looking at their physical appearance, at their body.
All three have the same name, but they have different bodily appearance. So what is
the first mark of identification? The body. So the body forms the first stage of the self
we talk about.
First Step : Purification of Body
The first step in this direction is the purification of the body. This body of ours
needs be cleansed, purified. This first step is rather significant because we never give
serious attention to our body. And if we ever divert the attention, it happens only
when the body starts giving problems, i.e. when it becomes prone to disease and
decay. These teeth in our mouth seldom attract the serious attention they deserve: of
course, our attention goes to them but only when one of them gets painful. When a
tooth falls off or is pulled off, the tongue spontaneously reaches there time and again
to assure itselfor warn us?that a tooth is gone. Maybe, otherwise we might not
bother to think as to how many teeth we have. We never divert our attention in this
direction. Similarly, we never consciously think that we have two ears. Again, we
remember and think of the ear only when it gets painful or becomes hard of hearing. It
is only after that that we think that there is something wrong with our ear. It is
thereafter that we begin to attend to the ear. The same happens with our body as a
whole. We never pay attention due to it. That is why our body falls prey to different
diseases.
What is a Disease?
Disease implies ‘give attention to me’. Suppose there is a small toddler and
nobody is paying any attention to it. What will it do? It will weep, wail and cry. Then
you give it a little of your attention, ask it what was wrong with it and why it was
weeping. On your attending to it, it will calm down a bit. It will ask for nothing, it
needs nothing except your attention. Similarly, you did not pay attention to your body.
Gradually with the passage of time one or the other disease takes roots. If you are
fortunate enough that no disease took roots, some impurity or disorder takes place.
The latter also implies lethargy. Today, if you are asked to sit straight for a while, you
start complaining of pain here or there. You cannot sit straight, but can easily sit in a
little bending posture. Sitting straight is quite difficult. For some people, walking
upstairs is problematic. In the Dayalji Ashram if you daily go upstairs, you realize
how much is its height. No doubt, you are not yet old people beyond 80 years of age,
but any disorder can take roots in the body even when you are young enough of say
30 or 40 years of age. In the case of some people, it is the head that has become
problematic, it is the waist in the case of other, and similarly some other part of the
body in the case of others. In fact, when I said the age of 30 or 40, perhaps it was too
much. You will see as we go along with the yoga lessons, even people in their
twenties will face difficulties.
A little movement of the body, bending it and making it do various things seems
quite difficult to many. And it is not unnatural or unexpected because we never paid
any attention to the body, never bothered to enquire about its condition. When we
were infants, we had a brand new heart, supple hands, bright and sharp eyes and a
beautiful face. As we have grew up, did we ever look at ourselves to find out what
happened to all these parts, to the body as a whole. Whenever we showed any care or
concern for the body, it was only to cleanse it from without with water and soap. We
never thought of cleansing it from within. In fact, we never knew how to do it. Then
how will we do the inner cleansing, inner purification of the body here in this camp?
Relationship of Body and Mind
This body of yours must not be taken as mere body alone, rather quite intimately
related to it is your mind. If there is restlessness of the body, mind cannot remain calm
and concentrated. If there is tension and disorder in the body, mind cannot remain
balanced and in order. See for yourself: when your foot is in pain, can you possibly sit
calm and composed? Can you concentrate in prayer? Or can it concentrate in
samÈyik? Obviously, no. It means, this body is not mere body alone, our mind is
intimately connected with it. You may say for the sake of saying what is inside? It is
just like a house on rent. However, you are still in the body and you are so closely
connected with it that whatever happens to the body immediately affects your total
being, including the mind. If a small thorn pierced into your foot, you remember the
pain the whole day. It is a small thorn, but it shakes your entire six feet tall body. And,
it happens because of a small thorn! Thus, we realize that the body has a deep effect
on the human mind. This implies that the purity of body is of utmost importance.
We have to work on our consciousness, on our mind, but for that it is imperative
that our body should be set right, cleansed and purified. Purity of body is the first step.
And, for this purity of body we shall perform different yogic exercises.
What is Yoga?
The yoga exercises are hundreds of years old. They have not been made or
introduced by me or anyone else. These have been taken from ancient texts. We shall
try different postures (Èsnas) for cleansing the body. The stiffness of the body, the
lethargy and all such evils will gradually be gone because the yogic postures are not
mere exercises. They are not just another physical activity. There is a lot of difference
between yogic postures and other physical exercises. Often people tend to confuse one
with the other. It is not that mere raising hands up and down, forward and backward is
a yogic activity. Yoga is not mere physical exercise. The latter is only for the body
whereas the former is for your consciousness. Of course, it will be the body which we
shall be using, but the effect will not be limited to the body, rather will go to your
inner most self, to your conscious self. Some yogic Èsnas are connected with the
feeling of anger and the other with the wavering of mind and its sensuous and sensual
inclinations. Therefore, when you perform some yoga Èsnas, this surely affects your
feelings. Gradually these feelings and emotions come under control. This is the first
step towards the purification of body, purification of Ètman.
Silence for SelfPurification
What is your second identification? How do the people identify you? The first
such identification is the body which includes your appearance, mien and face. What
is the next? Profession? No, profession cannot be the mark of identification. Your
voice? What and how you speak is the second mark of your identification. When a
phone call comes, the person on the other end may not give out his name, but from his
voice we can identify the caller. That is why when a regular caller, a person well
known to you makes a call, he just says hello and you respond by asking about his
well being and continue the conversation without asking the caller’s identity. Thus,
the second mark of your identification is your voice. And, therefore, the second step
towards selfpurification is that of the voice or speech. This purification is also of
great significance because we have been making use of our speech more or less
carelessly and recklessly, with the minor exception that we try to speak a little
respectfully in the presence of elders. It is on rare occasions that we observe silence
for a while, but we have never given the due attention to our speech. Then, how can it
be purified? What sort of purification it will be? For this purpose, we shall make use
of silence. We shall remain completely silent.
Observance of silence here means that we will not speak through the expression
of words. We shall not ‘speak’ even through gestures or by eyes. Absolutely no
gestures or words. Silence here implies as if you had cut off all relations with the
outside world. You should presume you have none in the world except yourself and
that you know nobody in the outside world. There are so many people here in the
camp, but each one of you must live and move about here as if he were alone. You
know so many people here, but you have to be here as if you know nobody.
Everybody is alien to you. If there is any problem with anybody here, it should not
bother you. All your attention be fixed and concentrated on yourself alone. Let it not
be that a person comes and stands behind you, all eyes get turned to him to find out
who has come to stand there. The person did not come to stand there for your sake!
There is no need to look back at him, but we are so habitual of it that we cannot
control ourselves. We are accustomed to look at what we need not. It is like the habit
of listening to what we need not and what we are not supposed to listen. We are also
habitual of speaking what we need not. Therefore, observance of silence here means
that we shall make absolutely no use of words; we shall not utter even a single word.
Absolute silence.
You might have a problem, you might have a question to ask, might have a
physical or mental problem, or you might have forgotten to bring along something.
You might just open your bag and find that you have forgotten to bring the soap or
some such thing. Do not try to borrow such a thing from anyone because it will
amount to speaking. Both the person borrowing and the person lending will be taken
as speaking to each other. For any sort of problem, a diary and pen will always be
available here. You have just to enter therein your name and the item you require. We
shall manage the required item for you. You may have problem in comprehending a
question, do not express your problem in words, but put that problem here in writing
and we shall solve your problem. You may have some other problem, for example a
severe headache. You must not ask anybody for help or advice. You should just enter
here your name and problem. Asking anybody else for anything whatsoever is
complete taboo. You should presume that around you sit not humans but just ghosts.
None of them has any acquaintance with you. All are aliens who have come from
foreign, unknown lands. You should live and move about here in this fashion.
Whenever you have a difficulty or a problem, you will put that in writing here in this
diary. In case it is something really urgent or emergent, you will inform me about it in
writing. But you will not talk at all among yourselves or with people from outside.
Many people known to you will be visiting heresome to listen to the discourse,
some to pay obeisance, but you will meet none of them. You must not meet anybody
whosoever from outside. You have come here and it is important for you that you
keep your belongings in a separate bag with you even if someone closely related to
you, maybe your wife or husband, son or daughter, might also be attending the camp
with you. Even if you had brought your belonging together in one bag, you should
now separate yours from the other person’s. If your belongings are kept in one bag,
observing silence is not possible. If you know someone, identify someone and he/she
sits beside you, you are sure to ask him/her for this or that item. Conversation will
naturally follow. One, you are not used to observing silence and then if there is beside
you a known face with whom you are used to converse daily, conversation here will
be a sure possibility. And, silence is the most significant part of this camp. You have
to be very, very careful in maintaining silence. Not only in the hall but wherever you
goin the room, in the bathroom or anywhere elseyou must not talk to anybody at any
place. You have to behave as if you do not know how to speak: you have become
dumb. You should dive into silence in this way.
What Sort of Silence?
Of course, we shall observe silence, but this never means that we shall become or
seem to be sad. Our silence must not be sadness oriented. It should be smile oriented.
We shall observe silence with a laughing face, laughing and smiling. And, this
laughter and smile is not for anyone else, it is by you for your own self. You will
smile because you have to smile. You would not do so because someone else is
looking at you or because some one acquainted with you is close by or is passing by
you. Your smile will not be for any reason, it will be without any reason whatsoever.
This is what is called Ènand or ecstasy. This ecstasy is not the outcome of this or that
reason. On the other hand, pleasure is the effect of a cause. You should always keep
laughing, you should always keep smiling and you will never at any cost lose this
smile and laughter. You should make the resolution with yourself that your smile will
remain whatever comes to happen. You may have headache, you might have a broken
foot, but smile should always remain spread on your lips. You may like the food or
you may have to get up half way without taking the required food, but you will keep
smiling. You will never lose this smile. This is silence. This is purification of speech.
During the observance of silence during this camp, some people think that since
they do not have to converse, it will be useful to take along a book and read it. Let it
be emphasized that silence here means absolutely no use of words. Nothing to read
and nothing to write. If there is anything important to be written, I shall tell you to
write. In case you feel that you have missed out something, there is nothing to worry
about. You may ask me, in writing, any question and any number of times. But you
will not write anything of your own. The prescription is not to write, read, speak or
make gestures.
There is office downstairs. A telephone is also available there. You may get the
temptation to go there so as to make at least a phone call at home to find out that all is
well. As it is, there may not be cordiality in relations at home, but when one goes out
to a village or some other place, one does remember home a few times. Maybe,
distance adds to the affection. In that case you might get the feeling to go down and
make a call at home. But do not go even near the office or the phone. This is for your
safety alone. In case you go to the office, you might meet someone not from the camp
and his waves, his feelings, his ideas might adversely affect you. The environment
from which he has come, the environment in which he has been living are all different
from yours. Why have you been asked to remain here during the tenure of the camp?
This is to give you a different kind of environment so that you could observe a deep,
very deep silence in that environment, an environment wherein you will be observing
both the inner and the outer silence. We are trying to build that kind of environment.
If you meet someone from outside, the preparation being made here will get hindered,
will go waste. So not going to the office and not meeting anyone from outside is for
your own welfare. It is not for the safety and welfare of anyone else. It will be your
safety and it will be to your benefit.
What is Prȇa?
We have so far discussed body and speech. What is the third one? This is our
prȇa, the lifeforce. We know a very little of it. This body of ours is made up of
bones, flesh and blood. Beneath it is a subtle body which is made up of prȇa. This is
called prȇa body. We shall also make endeavours at the purification of this body.
We shall do this partly through the medium of speech and partly through that of
prȇÈyÈma.
What is BhÈvanÈ?
We shall purify the bhÈvanÈ through amiability, friendship, love and
forgiveness. After that comes our consciousness. That consciousness will be purified
through meditation. Thus, we shall do five kinds of purificationof body, of speech, of
prȇa, of bhÈvanÈ and of consciousness. If we put together all the five kinds of
purification, it can well be called selfpurification. During these three days we shall
dive into selfpurification. We shall practice it. We shall pay full, complete attention
on our own self, because this is the time when we shall be working on ourselves. We
shall pay absolutely no attention to the otherseven if someone is having headache or
some other ailment or problem. You need not either think or speak about any one else.
You have come here for your own sake, and you will see to your own benefit. There
are so many volunteers here to look after others, to attend to their needs and alleviate
their difficulties and problems. You must not pay attention to others. There is no need
for you to speak for anyone. Silence, everybody to his own self, is the rule. If you
must say something, write it down to convey. If anyone else has to say, he will do it
himself. You must remember this, and follow this strictly. This will mean
selfpurification. There are certain rules, certain prescriptions for selfpurification, and
we have to follow them.
What are the Rules?
All of you might have read the rules while getting your name registered to attend
this camp. If some of you have not, I shall repeat the rules for their benefit and for that
of others. The first thing about the camp is that it will start at 12.00 noon today and
conclude at 4.00 in the evening of the fourth day from today. You will have to stay
put here for these four days. Whatever might happen to you or to the outside world,
you will live here for this duration. You make the resolution that you will live here
whatever might happen. Nobody of you will come to me with the request that such a
thing has happened and for this he will have to go back home. You will not be
allowed to go whatever might be your compulsions. This rule is like the one under
which a doctor takes a patient to the operation theatre. The doctor will first ask you if
you would wish to be operated upon. Once you answer in the affirmative, the doctor
takes you to the operation theatre, gives you the injection or anesthesia and the
operation starts, you cannot at that stage leave midway, saying that today half the
operation is all right and you will get the other half done some other day because
today you must go home for some urgent piece of work. Will the doctor let you go at
that stage? Such a decision is dangerous not only for you but also for the doctor. In
case such a patient dies, the blame will be unduly attributed to the doctor as well. So
either you will not go to the operation theatre or if you go you will come out only
after the doctor completes the operation. This camp is also a similar thing. It is a sort
of operation to be conducted by you on your self. You are your own doctor, your own
physician and your own surgeon. You cannot go away leaving the treatment half way.
And, once you start the treatment, there might come several problems which you will
have to face. If the wound has gone sour because of your earlier neglect, it will sure
pain now when you cleanse it and dress it.
Suppose there is a bit of trash and rubbish lying on the floor of your house. Dust
particles will sure go up when you try to sweep off the floor to remove this rubbish.
How can you expect a rose smell from there? It is therefore natural that body will
experience some pain when go in for its cleansing, its purification. If someone of you
develops some physical or psychological problem, if someone develops restlessness
or insomnia, it is no cause to worry or get frightened. Keep on renewing the resolution
that you will complete what you have begun and that during the duration of the camp
nothing is more important to you than the fulfillment of this resolve. Do not worry
about what might be happening at home or at shop or office. Spend your days here
unconcerned about the happenings of the outside world. Take it for this duration as if
you have no family, no home and that you are a recluse. It is just a threeday long
renunciation. If you are so very keen, you may go back after three days or you might
stay here for another day. This is the first rule of this camp.
Check up and confirm now if you have an urgent appointment tomorrow
morning or the day after. If it is so, let me know now. I shall relieve such a person just
now. But later on at night, I will not allow. If you have come with the mind to spend
here the first day and then decide whether or not to continue here the next day, it will
not do. Once we get started, your mind may or may not feel interested, you will have
to remain here till the conclusion of the camp. If there is such a person, please let me
know now. Later on it will not be possible for me to release anyone. It is just like a
plane taking off, you cannot get down until and unless it lands. When the plane is in
the sky, you cannot say that I must jump down now, at this very moment. It is not
possible. This is the first rule.
The second rule is the purification of food intake. Our body and mind are
affected by the kind of food we take. Here you will be provided with pure vegetarian
and healthy food. It will be a bit different from the kind of food you take at your
home. You sometimes get sweets, fried food and other eatables with a lot of pepper.
At home you take tea, coffee, etc., but you will get none of these things here. Some
among you might be habitual of smoking, tobacco or any other kind of intoxicant, but
you will get no such thing here. However, you will get healthy vegetarian food daily.
And, you will eat only what will be supplied here. You will not accept any eatable
from outside for your intake.
Purification of food is rather important. As we work on the body in different
ways and as we work on our mind, on our consciousness in varied manners, food
constitutes a significant part of the whole process. It plays a very important role in
this.
Third, you will not take any sort of intoxicant. Some of you may have the habit
of smoking or chewing tobacco, but you will not take any such during your camp. In
case, someone of you has brought along unknowinglyI am sure no one will have
brought such a thing knowingly and consciouslyany intoxicant, he should hand the
thing over to me. Please all of you check the pockets of your shirts and trousers
because some such thing might unwittingly have been put there. Any such thing now
handed over to me will be given back to you after the duration of the camp. However,
those who are chronic patients of diabetes, hypertension, liver or kidney and are
taking regular medicine for any of such ailments are advised to keep their medicine
with them and continue with their regular dose of it. However, you will not take that
medicine which has not been recommended by a physician as daily dose for a chronic
ailment. This includes the lighter medicines, say for mild headache, for pain in this or
that part of body or for not getting proper sleep. In case you feel you need some
medicine, please let us know and we shall make arrangements for your requirements.
But you will not take any medicine on your own. However, you may continue with
the medicines already prescribed by the physician. Still you will not make use of any
medicine for inducing sleep and for killing pain. You are advised to maximize the
intake of water. You should take a lot of water because when we meditate, a lot of
heat is produced within the body.
The most important among these rules is that you will remain in ecstasy in all
circumstances.
If you are restless, get calm down:
If you are calm, get happy;
If you are happy, get ecstatic,
And if you are ecstatic, get silent.
²SrÏ Ravisha×kar JÏ
We have to live through this camp in this wayin ecstasy and in silence. We shall
remain ecstatic come what may. If we sleep well, we shall be in ecstasy, but we shall
be in ecstasy even if we do not sleep well. We shall remain ecstatic if we are able to
concentrate or not able to concentrate on meditation. We shall enjoy the same ecstatic
position whether the mosquitoes bite us or not. We shall keep laughing throughout
these days. We shall laugh heartily, whether laughter comes or not. You will see that
in the beginning, it might sound like artificial, a sort of drama. But you will never
know when this drama will turn into truth. So we shall live here in complete ecstasy.
Bondage of Twentieth Century
What sort of bondage it is? This is the bondage of time. For example, you sit still
wrapt in some thought and someone comes and tells you that it is one o’clock, you
will automatically feel hungry. This is so because it is your lunch time. Another
person attuned to this lunchtime routine might say that it is still half an hour to go
before one o’clock, therefore he is not yet hungry and that he will have lunch half an
hour later. In other words, he is not hungry now, but will get hungry at one o’clock. It
also means that he does not feel the need for lunch because he is hungry but because it
is one o’clock. Similarly, one might ask for the time. Is it 11 o’clock. šO, it is 11
already; I feel sleepy’. This means sleep does not come when we feel sleepy, it comes
at particular time or we want to go to bed not because of sleep but because of time
factor. We have become bound by time. Our mind has become so slave to time that
such things have become our second nature. This is a gift of the twentieth century. We
have to get liberated from this habit. So you will not keep your watch with you, and
will hand it over to us. In case it is with you, you will now or then feel tempted to
look at it for time. And once our mind learns of the time, it will think of the work it is
supposed to do at that point of time, and thus it will start its chain. So please hand
over your watches to us. And if you have any money on your person, or cell phone or
mobile phone, please give over all such things to us. Please do not keep with you
anything which is costly or which can help establish your contact with anybody
outside here. It is only then that you will be able to fully concentrate and benefit
yourself with the purification of self.
CHAPTER II
MEDITATION : A BACKGROUND
DhyÈna or meditation is an important word. The given word has its own value
and significance. The word is like a point pregnant with deep meanings. In fact,
dhyÈna is the centralization of the scattered powers. And these powers are facing the
direction of the centre of the self.
DhyÈna also means silence of the inner self. ¶chÈrya Amit Gati says:
ÈnandrÊpam paramÈtmatattvam, samastasa×kalpavi
kalpamuktam;
swabhÈvalÏnÈ nivasanti nityam, jÈnÈti yogÏ swayameva tattvam.
Thus where there is no sa×kalpa or volition and no vikalpa or alternative, that
calm and silent stage is named dhyÈna. Looking at and listening to soham sound of
natural and spontaneous breathing in (inhalation) and breathing out (exhalation)
soothens and calms the thoughts. And when all thought stop, when they all calm down
and mind becomes thoughtfree, such a stage is called dhyÈna.
There are some similarities between sleep and dhyÈna. When one is in deep
sleep, his mind is at peace. That is why we call it deep slumber. Otherwise, different
sorts of dreams keep coming and going. Similarly, when mind becomes flawless and
calm, only then can one achieve dhyÈna or we can say that one gets immersed in
dhyÈna.
Difference Between DhyÈna and Sleep
In deep sleep, our mind is thoughtless and at peace, but it is peace associated
with unconsciousness. In dhyÈna, mind is at peace but associated with complete
consciousness. The second similarity between the two is that neither of them can be
attained through conscious effort, with force or power. Both of them happen
spontaneously. You cannot attain them through willing endeavour. Of course, it is
necessary to create internal and external background to let them happen. For example,
you choose a proper place so that you can have a good sleep at night. Then you spread
proper bedding to lie down on it and take on light or heavy/woolen sheet over your
body according to the weather at that time. You either switch off the light or put on
dim light. You lie down in a relaxed posture and close your eyes. Thereafter, if sleep
comes, well and good, but if it still does not come, you cannot use force for it. The
more you will use your mind to make efforts to get sleep, the farther it will go from
you and your mind will get equally restless.
But if you leave your mind free, you never know when suddenly sleep overtakes
you. Similarly, we create internal and external background for attaining dhyÈna to
happen.
External Background
At a proper place and in a proper posture, with your eyes lightly closed while
keeping your backbone straight, you should leave your body loose and relaxed and sit
still. This is the external background.
Internal Background
As we take our attention off the surrounding environ ment, we pay our entire
attention to look at and listen to the sound of soham of the natural and spontaneous
breathing in and breathing out. As we do so, our thoughts begin to calm down and
when the thoughts get completely calm down, dhyÈna is accomplished. We cannot
calm down the thoughts with force The harder we try to check our thoughts, the more
they continue to increase. Thus, dhyÈna is not an effort, but just a happening. Still it is
very important and imperative to create external background for it to happen.
Silence is Consciousness
This entire world is a game of consciousness. The inner silence and nothingness
is the basis of the creation of everything including sciences, mathematics, language,
art, poetry, music, metaphysics and so on. After entering into silence, the door opens
for innumerable possibilities. Thus, when a person enters silence, he undergoes multi
dimensional progress. His consciousness also develops.
CHAPTER III
DHY¶NA : PRACTICAL FORM
AND ACHIEVEMENT
[Dr. Shiv MunijÏ, ¶chÈrya of the ƒrama‡ Sa×gh, has been a very well known
scholar, orator, spiritually enlightened and a guiding spirit to many seekers of spiritual
knowledge. With the help of his deep study, experience and experiments he has led
many on the path to high spirituality. All including the old, the young and the small
children are benefiting from his teachings on methods of dhyÈna and its application.
In the following pages are published those discourses and addresses of the
¶chÈrya which he gave to the seekers of higher knowledge. The readers of these
pages can also benefit by understanding the practical form of dhyÈna.]
Even those who are absolutely ignorant of and unfamiliar with the practice of
dhyÈna often use the word in their daily life. For example, they quite often ask ‘read
with care (dhyÈna),’ ‘listen with care’ and ‘do the work with care’. This speaks for
the popularity of the word throughout the world. In the field of sÈdhnÈ, the word
dhyÈna is a concept. It implies making your mind reflect or concentrate on the soul
(Ètman) which is like the supreme Lord or turning the mind inwards from outward
world. Just as a fish ever remains deep inside the water, similarly when mind after
moving away from the ideas and rituals absorbs itself in the soul, it is dhyÈna or
meditation.
Meditation occupies the highest place in both the Vedic and „rama‡ic traditions.
In the preceding pages we have made only doctrinal analysis of it. It is necessary to
know the practical or experimental method of meditation along side its thorough
doctrinal knowledge. We either study or learn from others to understand a doctrine
and then after following it we try to transform our life. Thus, it is only after
meditating and realizing its accomplishment in practice that life can become pleasant
and joyous.
First of all we shall try to understand the content of meditation. Many of you
might have read somewhat or listened from others on the subject of meditation.
Maybe, a few amongst you might have practiced it as well. However, when you listen
now to the lectures on this topic, listen to them from a new perspective. In fact,
listening is also an art. Often, as we listen, we do so on the basis of our own history,
on the basis of our sa×skÈra. You have already formed a preconceived notion of
what meditation means, and you have formed this notion thinking it to be the right
one. If you listen to what I say with that preconceived notion already in mind, you
will agree with me if my ideas are identical with your earlier notion. However, if my
ideas are not identical with that notion, you will wonder as to why I speak as I have
been, and that meditation does not mean what I try to convey. In other words, you
have already made up your mind that meditation means this and this.You have come
to the meditation camp. Let it be an experiment for you. What is meant by the word
experiment? In experiment, you never know the final result to be arrived at, but still
you agree to give your cent per cent in making the experiment a success. Whatever
might be the final outcome, you always give your maximum in the experiment. This
meditation camp is a sort of journey into the unknown. Yes, since there have already
taken place so many camps, I can say with a certain degree of assurance that this and
this will happen during the camp. Even then the world of consciousness is the world
of the unknown. Who knows what might happen and how that might happen? Our
duty is to do, to perform but the result or the reward of that performance is not in our
power. You should go ahead with this camp with the presumption that this meditation
camp is a blessing. And, when a person is under the blessings, whatever happens is
for his well being. We have to go through this experiment with this kind of feeling in
mind.
What is meditation? How to define it? What do you think of it? If you are asked
to meditate, what do you understand of it? First of all, I will ask the audience here as
to what meditation means. You will tell me whatever you think of the word.
The various responses from the audience can be summed up as under:
Concentration
Control over mind
Mental journey from one world to the other
State of being liberated
Reflection on soul
Cessation of the course of cognition
Sit in a state of nothingness
End of Asssumptions
Feeling of being in Divine proximity
Removing the defilements
Onepointedness of mind
All these answers mean almost the same thing.
Of course, it is very difficult to define the word dhyÈna in a few words or
sentences. Kahlil Zibran has said that he used to write quite long and voluminous
poems on love until he had not been in love; the day he experienced love, he did not
know how to express or describe it. All the words seemed small. Similar is the case
with dhyÈna.
So what is dhyÈna? How to define it? According to the universally accepted and
known view, it means concentration of mind, to apply it to one point. That is why
people ask as to who or what should be concentrated upon?
I conducted a meditation camp at JalÈnÈ. Three days of the camp were over. On
the concluding day, it was time for asking questions. One from amongst the
participants asked me: ‘You repeatedly ask us to meditate, to concentrate, but what or
who should we concentrate upon?
I asked him what he has done during the last three days.
He said: ‘I had been thinking of this. Concentration on breathing and such other
things is all right, but concentra tion? What is to be concentrated upon?
From dhyÈna, we generally understand to concentrate on something or
somebody. Often people think of concen trating on a particular photograph, on
repeatedly reciting a given mantra, on some person, a spiritual preceptor, or some
such person. To concentrate the mind and apply to any of such things is generally
taken to mean dhyÈna. The general masses think that concentration is meditation. In
fact, majority of the people think so. I have met a large number of people who think
almost on the same lines, i.e. meditation means concentrating the mind on a given
point. Concentration of mind is the important thing.
If mere concentration of mind were dhyÈna or meditation, it would have been a
very easy thing to do. It would not have been difficult at all. Mind gets concentrated if
we do something in which we feel pleasure. For example, someone might be
interested in music and he might take pleasure listening to it. You daily find children
watching television, with their mind fully concentrated on the programme they are
watching and they get completely oblivious of the surroundings. They either will not
respond even to their mother’s call or at least will refuse to get away from the
television. They get deeply involved in what they watch. Their mind gets concentrated
on the television. When you count money, how is it that your mind gets concentrated
on the job. O course, the mind wavers often. Normally, it goes to what happened
yesterday or before that. But while counting the currency notes, it is concentrated on
the job so that counting does not go wrong. This is a human example. Take the
instance of a cat: it is all concen tration while preying on the rat. It looks intent, not a
single hair of its body moves.
DHY¶NA ² NOT CONCENTRATION OF MIND
If mere concentration of mind is taken to mean dhyÈna, then you should put your
mind on a thing you love to do, it will get concentrated on that. Had mental
concentration been the same thing as dhyÈna, I need not have asked you to look at the
breath. I could have easily procured a good movie for you to watch. Your mind would
have concentrated on the movie. None of you would have complained of the pain in
the foot or ache of the back. People sit for three long hours to watch a movie. There is
only a 10minutelong interval in between. At that time, nobody complains that
watching a movie for such a long time was quite painful to his foot or back. Here in
the camp, half an hourhalf an hour is too long a period, even 1015 minutes of
dhyÈna seems ages to them and they complain whether the organizers have no watch
with them!
Time, it seems, has stopped moving. And, watching a movie you sit for such a
long time and still say you never knew how the time flew past. If I say it might be
because of sitting crosslegged on the floor, I shall also suggest you sit in the chair
and see the result. If you feel it is hot out over here, I shall suggest you sit under the
fan. It will not make much difference to your feelings. As it is, there is a lot of
difference between your mental makeup as you watch a movie and that as you try to
meditate or concentrate on the breath. In the former situation, it is like adding fire to
the already burning fire of desires and temptations within you. I can give you an
illustration from our life of yester years. Those days people used to cook food on fire
in the hearth. After the food was cooked, people used to put the fire in the hearth off.
For this purpose, they would sprinkle water on the fire. Do you know what happens if
you sprinkle water on the fire? A sound of shnnnn comes. Why does this sound come?
The answer is simple: fire is hot and the water cold. If and when two opposites meet
together, there is bound to be some reaction. If a reaction occurs, there is bound to be
some sort of noise or sound. And, if you add some ghee or oil to the fire, there will be
no noise and the fire in the hearth will continue to burn. Why? In this case, we add
fire to the fire and that is why no reaction took place.
In the same way, within each one of us burns the fire of desires and feelings. A
sort of stimulation or excitement is there within us. This keeps the fire of desires and
feelings burning. This excitement or stimulation is ever within. What happens when
you watch a movie or indulge in some other entertainment? A little more fire gets
added to the already burning fire within us. Thus, nothing, no reaction takes place.
Time flies past. Three hours or even six hours. You just do not feel it. Some people
can go on watching movies throughout the night. Some parents share with us that their
children continue watch the television all through the night. As I said earlier, they do
not feel sleepy, because it is fire being added to the fire.
Look, what happens here? It is just half an hour before you started the
meditation, and you feel drowsy. This happens because here water is being sprinkled
on fire. When cold water falls on the fire of desires and feelings, reaction will be there
and there will be some sound. It is that very reaction which we sometimes call pain in
the feet, pain in the neck, back ache, restlessness, wavering of mind, the question of
when will this come to an end, etc.
All this is the result of water being added to the fire. If a housewife says, since a
reaction takes places and a sound comes, water need not be put on the fire in the
hearth. It would mean that fire in the hearth will continue to burn. Perhaps, it will
never be put off. But a wise housewife would say, ‘whatever the sound or reaction, I
must extinguish the hearth-fire since I do not need it after cooking the food.’ The
wisdom of the devotee lies in his determination not to be bothered by the sound or the
reaction, but keep firm on his resolve to extinguish the fire. This is the primary
difference between the spiritual endeavour and entertainment.
Yoga Discipline a Must
The famous PÈta¤jalÏ YogasÊtra begins with the words ‘atha
yogÈnushÈsanam’. A free rendering of these words into English would run asnow
begins the discipline of the yoga. May it be yoga or meditation, the path of the
devotee is marked by discipline. Why is discipline so important and necessary? The
answer is: this is the way on which first comes pain. Mind fails to stick to it. It
continues to waver. There is restlessness. To check the mind and to overcome all
other obstacles, you will have to follow certain do’s and don’ts. These stipulations are
a must. For example, you will have to keep your eyes closed. You will have to
observe silence. This implies discipline and regulations to be observed. These are
necessary because we all know that mind will not remain concentrated without all
these. Suppose there are no such stipulations and regulations and you are given the
freedom either to keep silence or continue with whatever conversation you want. How
many of you will prefer to observe silence? If you are given the option to meditate as
long as you wish and go to sleep when you wish and continue to sleep as long as you
wish. How long will you continue with meditation? We all know the answer!
It is difficult for man to meditate. We do not have much control over our body
and mind. We wish to, but we cannot because our body and mind do no cooperate.
Mind wavers. Discipline is necessary to keep both the body and mind to keep on the
right path.
A Little Suffering : Immense Joy
The path of yoga and meditation is such as brings pain and suffering, dilemmas
and restlessness in the beginning. However, those who go across willingly and
laughingly without bothering for the pain in the foot or aching back or restlessness of
mind ultimately achieve the ecstasy. This ecstasy is immense and immeasurable. How
is the path of entertainment? It looks rather fine to begin with, and mind gets easily
attracted to it. However, this is only for a brief while. Later on, pain and suffering in
mountainlike proportions await us. A little bit of pleasure and many times more
suffering. This is what is in store ahead if mind is given freedom to indulge in
entertainment and to run after the fulfillment of desires. On the way to spiritual
endeavour, there is a little suffering in the beginning, but later on it is followed by
many times more joy and ecstasy.
What is the pain or suffering? Just a little. What we now feel is either a bit of
pain in the foot or headache or backache or a little restlessness. Have you never felt
such a pain in life earlier? It might have happened many times before. You might
have fallen ill on several occasions. What was the result of that ailment? Nothing
much. But the way we are now endeavouring to tread is marked by a little pain in the
beginning, a little bit of dilemma and suffering. I appreciate that you might not have
sat in this posture earlier. Thus a little bit of pain is natural. However, if you go
through it joyously, you will then go steady further on the way.
Concentration of Mind : Result of DhyÈna
It is a generally accepted assumption that concentration of mind is meditation. If
meditation were just concentration of mind, it would have been quite an easier thing.
But meditation does not mean mere concentration of mind. Meditation is not mere
concentration. By meditating, mind gets concentrated: this is the effect of meditation.
But this is not meditation itself. Through meditation concentration can be achieved,
but concentration does not imply meditation.
Emptiness of Mind : Result of DhyÈna
The second assumption about meditation is that making mind empty, making
mind calm is meditation. The ability to empty mind of all ideas and feelings and to
make it calm is also said to imply meditation. It also implies that relaxation of mind is
meditation. If making mind empty of thoughts and ideas and feelings were meditation,
it would have been a very easy thing. In that case, there would have been no need
either to sit on the ground in a specific posture or to look and concentrate on the
breath. If one wants just a calm mind, an empty mind, one should just go and sleep
under a fan. Body might feel at ease. And, when you are in deep slumber, your mind
is generally empty, your mind with no ideas and feelings. In fact, such a mental state
is called deep slumber. Mind is not free of feelings and ideas until it keeps dreaming.
And, when there are no ideas and feelings in the mind, you go to deep slumber.
If emptying your mind of all thoughts and feelings were meditation, then both
sleep and meditation would have been synonymous. They would have been one and
the same thing. But, they are not one and the same thing; there is a lot of difference
between the two. What is that difference? Emptiness of mind is a state that comes
during the meditation. In a way, it is an effect of the meditation. It can also be called
an achievement of dhyÈna. However, you empty your mind of all thoughts and you
have meditated, it is not so.
DhyÈna : Return to Primordial State
Now the question arises: what is dhyÈna? How can we define it? Everything has
its own primordial state. For example, the inherent nature or original state of water is
coolness. If you want to heat it up, you will have to make some effort for it. It will
have to be placed on fire. Water will hot up only if we heat it either with the help of
electricity or solar energy. But if we leave the water to itself, it will soon go back to
its original state. And, the original nature of water, as we said earlier, is coolness.
What is the inherent nature of fire? Heat or warmth. Similarly, there is also an original
state of your being. To come back to that original state is called dhyÈna.
What will you have to do to return to the original state?
You will have to overpower your mind;
You will have to remain conscious;
Soul will have to be purified;
Resolution will have to be made;
Body will have to be given up;
Mind will have to concentrate;
Feeling of friendship will have to be developed;
Body and mind will have to be kept separate;
Pure vegetarian and sÈtvik (healthy) food will have to be taken;
Self will have to be tested;
Mind will have to be firm;
Thoughts will have to be centralized;
Become inactive and inert; and
Masks will have to be removed.
Now if I ask you a question, the answer to it will help you a lot. What will have
to be done to make hot water cool? Nothing at all, because coolness is the original
nature of water. Something will have to be done only if we have to warm or hot it up.
You will have to either put on fire or switch on the electric heater or put it in the sun.
But if you have to cool it, place it anywhere and do nothing. It will cool down of its
own.
Original State : Doing Nothing
Are you following what I say? If fire is to be extinguished (made cool),
something will have to be done. If the fire burns and you wish that it keeps burning,
just do nothing and let it burn. In other words, no conscious effort is required for a
thing to return to its original state of being. The original state implies the inherent
nature of the given thing or which is not the effect of an external cause. The original
state means the state in which a particular things remains of its own. If water is cold,
there is not external reason for it being so. Of course, it will heat up only because of
some reason, as an effect of a cause. No reason or cause is needed to make or let it
remain cool. Water is cold because its original, inherent nature is so. This is its nature.
Similarly, will you have to make an effort to return to your original state? Nothing,
absolutely nothing.
Difficulty of Doing Nothing
It is very easy to say ‘do nothing’, but it is equally difficult to put this into
practice, i.e. to do nothing. Apparently it seems the easiest of thing to do nothing.
After all, it asks you to do nothing. Just look at yourself for five minutes and you will
realize that our body does so many things during a brief spell of five minutes. It might
be quite difficult for the body to remain inactive, doing nothing for five minutes.
Mind is much more alert and active than body. Think of what your body did during
the past five minutes. Sometimes your hand went beneath the feet and many times
your foot was beneath the hand. Sometimes your finger went into your ear and at
other times it combed your hair. It was quite rare that you sat still. How many things
did your body do during the last five minutes?
First, you have to do nothing with your body. Then, your power of speech has
also to be made inactive. Now I have asked you to observe silence. I can see some of
you observe this only as long as they apprehend that I am near about and looking at
them, but as soon as they get an opportunity to go away from my sight and they are
sure that no one is looking at them, they begin conversation. Still, body and speech
are under our control at least to some extent, say five to ten per cent. But what is to be
done with the mind? OK, you are asked not to do anything with your mind. The more
you think of not doing anything, the more this mind will run hither and thither.
Yoga’s Inactivity and Original State
Bodymindspeech is yoga. When all these threebody, mind and speechare
made inactive, only then man can be called to be in his original state. Now you will do
nothing with your body. Be completely still and calm. You will not speak at all. And
when your mind will also become still, you will realize the transformation going
inside you. What will you feel? Peace or restlessness? Joy or sorrow? Ecstasy? What
is your original statewhether it is peaceful or restlessness or full of joy or sorrow or
full of ecstasy?
DhyÈna and Sleep
There is somewhat similarity between dhyÈna and sleep. When you are in
dhyÈna, you are in a position of inactivity, doing nothing. You are in the same
position when you are asleep. However, there is a major difference as well. During
sleep you are unaware of yourself because you are in a state of unconsciousness.
However, during meditation, you are fully aware of yourself because you are in a state
of consciousness. In other words, if consciousness is added to sleep, the latter will
become dhyÈna or medita tion. To put the same idea in different words, add some
unconsciousness with the meditation, and it will become sleep.
DhyÈna or meditation thus implies a state of nothing ness, of doing absolutely
nothing. Still, one remains fully aware, conscious during this state. Our mind is
habitual of often remaining in two states. One, it should do something think, reflect,
speak, listen, walk or any such other activity. You might have felt that as you get up
in the morning, mind starts functioning of its own. You look at this or that thing, you
read and write and you do various other things. If you have no important thing to do,
you will start watching television or listening to the radio or go out for a walk. And if
you still have nothing to do, you will ring up someone and just disturb him or her. But
you must do something because you cannot remain inactive. And, if you decide to do
nothing, no phone call or television or radio, you will just go to sleep. This implies
you will either be indulgent or just go to sleep. DhyÈna or meditation is a stage in
between these two, a sort of middle path. It is neither indulgence nor sleep. It is
complete detachment but full consciousness, state of alertness.
Inhaling and Exhaling
As we have seen above, dhyÈna means to return to one’s original state of peace,
ecstasy and consciousness. Neither body will be involved in doing anything nor power
of speech will be active nor mind will be active. All the threebody, speech and
mindwill become completely inactive and still, but your self will remain fully
conscious. This is called dhyÈna. Emptiness coupled with conscious ness. You are
fully conscious yet you are not in a position to do anything. If we want to reach this
state, our breathing can be of much help to us. It provides a lot of cooperation.
Breathe naturally, spontaneously. Let it come in and go out as it does in its own
natural way. Now some people will say that they have to look at the breathing but
their mind does not concentrate on this. Why not? You can also concen trate your
mind on anything else, any colour, any form, but you must make the mind concentrate
on something.
Someone also asked me a question that we try to concentrate our mind on breath
on my asking, but if it is to be concentrated, why not concentrate it on God, on the
Name Divine. Let me tell you that you can concentrate your mind on God or God’s
name or on some incantation instead of on breath, and I am sure you will succeed
because the former is a much easier task than the latter one. However, our aim is not
just to concentrate the mind. Our aim is to reach a state of complete inertia, absolute
inactivity and still remain fully conscious.
The form, colour, mantras, etc. cannot take you to the position where I wish you
to reach. On the other hand, the breath can easily take you there. That is why we take
the help of breathcontrol. In case you recite some given incantation, it will not be
meditation, it will be recitation. I agree, recitation, recitation of divine Name is not
bad. It is something commendable. But this is not meditation. And, we are here for
meditation. Therefore, you have to supplement breathcontrol with nothing, absolutely
nothing else. It should be a pure, spontaneous natural breathing.
Someone else had asked me that mind is difficult to focus, it wavers time and
again. He had asked for an answer: what should he do? Whatever you will do is sure
to help mind waver even more. Wavering of mind is an activity. How can we annul
this activity with another activity? The only way out is inactivity, complete inertia. If
the mind runs hither and thither, let it go. You should keep your body still. The more
you will keep the body still, the more it will be helpful to keep the mind focused. Our
body and mind are two only for saying, otherwise they are in essence one. They
cannot be separated, one from the other. It would be like try to separate water from
the steam. The latter is the product of the former and cool down the latter and it will
take the former shape. In other words, both are the two different states of one matter.
Unity of Body and Mind
SwÈmÏ SatyÈnand SaraswatÏ says that body is the gross form of mind which is
subtle. In other words, mind is the subtle form of body which is gross in nature.
Whatever happens in and to the body has an immediate effect on the mind. You might
have realized that whenever there is pain in any part of the body, the mind gets
disturbed and becomes restless. Similarly, if the mind is disturbed or upset, the body
will share the same feeling. All this goes to show that body and mind are one. If you
study a little deep, you will understand this sense of unity between the two. That is
why when your body is healthy, this helps to keep your mind stable and focused. I do
not mean here that you must not move your body or change a bit of your posture if
there is a lot of pain. In that case you are free to change your posture somewhat. But
be careful of what you have to do while changing the posture. Your attention, your
mind should remain focused on breath as you do this. In other words, change the
posture while still looking at the breath. Eyes should also remain closed. You will
realize this will help in providing peace to mind.
Second, if mind is disturbed, do not feel upset or restless because of this. If mind
is upset and does not concentrate, our undue consciousness of it will become another
reason for this restlessness. It will amount to the same if I say that I get highly
annoyed because I get annoyed repeatedly. Why do I feel angry with myself? This is
because I get angry quite often. Anger leading to anger! If your mind is upset, please
do not feel very upset or disturbed on this count. Do not bother for the moment
whether the mind is calm or upset. It should be all right with you in both situations.
Your primary, your sole duty now is to look at the breath. I shall also look at the
breath, whether my mind is calm or disturbed.
Consciousness/Alertness
Now look, what time approximately it should be. This is the time around which
most of you might normally be returning home from your shops. It is not very late
still. Some people might yet be taking their dinner. Still look at the faces of some of
the participants: they feel sleepy. Some can be seen yawning. Why this? The answer
is: whenever the mind gets a bit disturbed, it knows of only one thing and that is sleep.
Whenever you find yourselves in such a state, try to come out of it. Once you enter
that state of mind, you are gone. Some people ask me if they have only to meditate,
why sitting in a given posture and why not lying down?
My answer to them is that it is possible to meditate while lying down. But what
will happen then? You will not realize when you come out of that meditation or
dhyÈna. Two or three hours of meditation. And, you will not know what might have
been happening on your right or left. You feel sleepy even when you sit and sleep is
natural when you lie down. So meditation is possible while lying down, but at this
stage our mind is not so enlightened that we can do so in that state. So my advice is
that we should do it while sitting. Even in the sitting posture when you feel that it has
been quite long sitting or you feel sleepy while sitting, it is advisable to stand up.
Meditate standing on your place. You can meditate in a standing posture as well. It is
not obligatory for you to sit, you can meditate while standing. If you feel difficulty in
sitting without any support, you can take the support. If someone, for example, has a
knee problem, he can make use of a chair. The only precaution is to keep yourself
awake and alert/conscious.
Conclusion
I hope all of you have understood what I told you about dhyÈna. What is
dhyÈna? Become inert but remain alert and awake. To arrive at that stage, our breath
will help us a lot. How does it help? Why is it necessary to merely look at the
breathing. Why not anything else? We shall take up these questions tomorrow. This
will suffice for today. Now, once again, we will sit inert and in peace for five minutes
and meditate for a while.
Some Important Instructions
Along with dhyÈna (meditation) yoga, has also to be done regularly. For yoga
exercise, it will be better to wear loose clothes. Tight jeans trousers, necktie, etc. are
not helpful, rather they are hindrances. Put on loose dress. Similarly, ladies may also
wear the kind of loose dress that suits them. Then we shall start yoga exercises. The
regular yoga practice makes it easier to sit in a dhyÈna posture. Pure vegetarian and
sÈtvik (healthy) food is also necessary along with yoga. Nonvegetarian and spicy
(rajasÏ and tÈmasÏ) food is an obstacle on the way to meditation.
CHAPTER IV
DHY¶NA : ITS PRACTICAL FORM
AND ACHIEVEMENTII
Yesterday we has some reflections on dhyÈna (medita tion) and tried to explain
as to what is meant by dhyÈna. Today we have to understand how our breathing helps
us reach this stage. Why did we choose breath alone? We could have possibly chosen
something else as well, e.g., some incantation, some form, but we finally decided in
favour of breath. Why? What is so special in breath? What made us finally choose
breath?
Background of DhyÈna²Method
There are some special reasons for this choice of ours. In a way, we can also say
that there is no particular reason for this. Why is this method as it is? The answer is:
this method is as it is because it has reached us from our spiritual mentors; this
method has evolved as such. There is an old Jaina text called ¶chÈra×ga SÊtra.
¶chÈrya ¶tmÈ RÈm, who was the spiritual mentor of Dr. Shiv Muni who happens to
be the present ¶chÈrya and head of the ƒrama‡ic Sa×gh, has been the first Jaina
ÈchÈrya. He was a great savant : he was a great scholar and an enlightened being as
well. What is the characteristic of knowledge? One such characteristic is that a
knowledgeable, an enlightened person should never get involved in polemic.
Whenever he finds the possibility of polemic, he should take along dialogue.
¶chÈrya ¶tmÈ RÈm was known as a great scholar and an enlightened person. It
is said that when he was an old man of 83 years, he fell down on the floor and the
bone of one of his feet got broken at three places. His spontaneous reaction was that if
it had broken into three, let it be. He was beyond all pain and pleasure, joy and
sorrow, appreciation and denunciation. People around him advised that he must go in
for operation. When they insisted a lot, he agreed to go in for operation. But he put
forward a condition. He will get his foot operated but will not take anaesthesia. I
would like to see the doctor how he operates my foot.
There was those days a German doctor by the name of Virgin. He operated upon
the ¶chÈrya’s foot. The operation took about three and a half hours to complete. The
¶chÈrya sat calm and continued to watch how the doctor went with the operation. In
fact, to begin with, the doctor was not willing to operate without giving anaesthesia to
the patient: he was afraid lest some calamity should happen to him. However, the
¶chÈrya remained adamant, saying that he may go ahead with the operation if he
wants to do but it will have to be without anaesthesia. He even told the doctor that he
was not in need of any operation. At last the doctor gave in and operated upon his foot
without giving him any anaesthesia. The ¶chÈrya sat calm and watched through every
movement of the doctor. At last the operation was completed. The ¶chÈrya asked the
doctor to ring up his home as his wife seems to have forgotten to lock home. The
doctor wondered and asked how he knew this as he sat far away from the doctor’s
home. The ¶chÈrya again asked him to be quick and ring up his wife as she was about
to leave home. At the moment she stood in his bed room. He also told that their bed
room was in that particular direction in their home.
The doctor rang up his house. Whatever the ¶chÈrya had told was true.
This is what we call the third eye, the divine eye. This is the capability to see
what is not visible to the physical eye.
¶chÈrya ¶tmÈ RÈm in his exegesis of the SÊtras has described this method, but
nobody has been able to compre hend it. Several years have gone by since he passed
away, but nobody has since then taught this way to meditation. ¶chÈrya Shiv Muni,
the author of this book, went through this literature and discovered this method. When
Shiv Muni was working for his doctoral degree, he realized that all the TÏratha×kars
of Jainism did nothing except meditation. It is not the case only with Jainism, you
look at any religious tradition and you will find meditation discussed there. This made
him resolve to comprehend the view of ¶chÈrya ¶tmÈ RÈm and discover the method.
He did succeed, but he was not yet satisfied. The research continued and continued
and ultimately he found this method in the ¶chÈra×ga SÊtra. It is this method which
we are going to practice today.
Method of Inhalatation and Exhalation
To remain alert and conscious while still being inert and inactive is called
dhyÈna or meditation. What we mean here is that consciousness be rationed while
remaining inert and inactive. This is dhyÈna or meditation. The dhyÈna is a stage
midway between indulgence and sleep. Breath helps us reach the stage of complete
denial, inertia and inactivity. How does it help? In a way, breathing is an activity. It
seems as if we breathe in and breath out, and continue doing so repeatedly. However,
breathing while still being an activity is not an activity. How? Let me explain this.
Suppose a person gets unconscious. Will he in that state be able to take his food by
himself? Can he drink water? No, he cannot take food or water. Can he move about?
No, he cannot move about, either. In fact, he cannot perform any of the necessary
activities of body. Still that unconscious person breathes. This implies that you do not
make any effort to breathe. It may sound strange to say you breathe but still you do
not breathe, i.e., make no effort to breathe. Breathing goes no naturally. The activity
of breathing in and breathing out continues of its own. In case you were to take the
breath and sometime you forgot to breathe, this might have caused a serious problem.
It has been a favour by God that He did not leave this duty into you. In that case you
would have forgotten to breathe at same point of time and consequently this life might
have gone by now. Man forgets so many things and it is natural he might have
forgotten one day to breathe. And, this would not have given him an opportunity to
repent.
Breathing is a natural activity. If I say you breathe and If I say breathing comes
in and out of its own, both the statements can be accepted as true. Actually, you have
to make no conscious effort to breathe. When you are asleep, you cannot do anything,
but you breathe. You do not know of it, but breathing continues. This means, this is
not you who take the breathe, but breathing goes on of its own. This also implies that
breathing is both an activity and inactivity. It can be said to be an activity, but actually
it is an inactivity. It can be said that you do it, but actually it goes on of its own. So
long body is conscious, it will continue to breathe for its own sake and of its own.
What happens when you look at the breath? You move from the world of action
to the world of inaction. You do nothing with the body and the mind is made to
concentrate on the breath which means that your mind is also not doing anything.
Mind merely looks at the inhalation and exhalation of breath and does nothing
because the breathing goes of its own. Similarly, the body is also not doing anything
because breathing is a natural process for which body has to do nothing. Remaining
conscious, breathing, and being in the present means doing nothing. You should halt a
while here.
Breath is like a pathway, a bridge which leads us from indulgence to
nothingness, from action to inaction. That is why we have chosen the breath. What
would have happened had we chosen a mantra, an incantation? We should have
repeatedly recited that and that would have become an action, an activity in itself. Had
the choice been of a portrait, we could have imagined it time and again and tried to
concentrate our mind on that. That would also have become an activity. For this
reason, we have chosen the breath. There is another beautiful thing about breath. You
may or may not consciously wish it, but breathing must bring you in the present. Is it
possible for you to look at the breath you took say ten minutes earlier? You may wish
it very much, you cannot do it. Similarly, it you wish to look just now at the breath
that you intend taking say after ten minutes from now, you cannot do that either. Then
which breath can you see? You can look at the breath that you are just now breathing
in and breathing out. In other worlds, if you have to look at the breath, you will have
to bring yourself to the present. We can also say that whenever you are with the
breathing, you are in the present. You cannot be either in the past or the future.
Nobody ever asked you to discard either past or future, but looking at the breath made
you discard both and live and in the present.
Breath : A Complete Life
The first good thing about breathing, as we told you, has been that it bring you ²
quite spontaneously ² to the present. The second good thing about it is that the whole
life is linked with breathing. Whatever you might do in life, breathing is ever with
you. You may go anywhere in the world, you may be in India or America, you may be
awake or asleep, you may be having your food or walking about, you may be doing
anything, breath is there always with you.
You might have seen, whenever a child is born ² he may be born in a rich family
or a poor family, he may have born in India or anywhere else in the world ² he weeps
the first thing after coming into the world. As he weeps, everybody else laughs. In
case he does not weep, everybody else might have to weep. If he does not weep, the
doctor sure is to hit or pinch him lightly so as to make him weep. The doctor knows
that his failure to make the child weep is sure to cause grief to others. What I mean to
say here is that the first thing that the child does after his birth is weeping. And, he
weeps quite loudly. Why? What is the problem with him? Why does he weep?
What do you think? Why does the child weep?
šHis lungs expand.›
If the lungs expand, there is no need to weep; he can laugh also.
šHe weeps because he enters into new environments.›
Enters into new environments. The poor little thing. Inside it is utter darkness
while outside it is light. This being better environment, he should laugh.
šHe weeps for coming into light from darkness.›
I think this fact of coming out of darkness into light should make him happy.
Then why does the poor thing weep?
šHe feels the pain.›
Does he feel pain? Does it pain to take birth?
šHe has now to breathe in through his nose. This is why he weeps.›
He has to breathe in through nose.... He does not know this. That is why he
breathes in and out through his mouth.
šThe reason is his separation from mother.›
Separation from mother... got away from mother. Suffers from pangs of
separation? I think, once away, he does not bother as to who gave him birth.
šHe weeps because now he has been burdened with worldly responsibilities.›
Worldly responsibilities, you say. Ok, once he is born into this world, he will
naturally grow up into youth. He will have to go to school, study and then ultimately
get married to someone. I think it is enough burden for him!!
šHe weeps and cries for his soul.›
What? He weeps and wails for his soul to come? It sounds ridiculous. Strange
that he weeps for his soul to come into his body as he has already taken birth!
The question still remains. Why does the child weep? All right, I shall myself
answer the question. Otherwise, I am sure varied and strange answers will keep
pouring, ranging from the expansion of lungs to crying out for the soul to the pangs of
separation. What is the reality behind this? In fact, the child seems to us to be
weeping, otherwise he does not weep at all. He sounds to be weeping, but actually he
does not weep. We presume he is weeping. So long as he is in his mother’s womb, it
is natural for him to do whatever his mother does. When his mother breathes, he also
takes breath. When his mother takes the meal, it reaches him automatically. Now he
has come out. So long as he remained in his mother’s womb, his lungs were
completely shrunk, absolutely non²functional. As he comes out of his mother’s body,
he cries loudly. In fact, it is no weeping or crying. It is the opening up of the lungs but
we seem to take as if he were weeping.
When the child is born, the thing that he does after coming out of his mother’s
body is to breathe in. And do you know what is the last thing that a person does before
he dies? He breathes out, but cannot breathe in. He stops breathing.
Birth and Death
We learn that life begins with breathing and it ends with the stopping of
breathing. In other words, breathing is life and end to breathing is death. In between
these two points lies our worldly existence. All joys and sorrows of life, all laughter
and weeping, all meetings and separations, all friendships and enmity, all good and
evil thoughts of mind are related to breath. This means when you look at the breath,
you look at the entire life.
Breathing is not just breath going in and out. Entire life of ours is related to
breath. Just the feelings of mind change, pace of breathing also changes. Breathing
and body, breathing and mind, breathing and prȇa, all these things are deeply and
intimately connected with each other. We can also say that breathing is a thread which
ties bodyspeechmind together. When you are with the breath, you are with you
entire self, your entire entity. The whole entity of your stops with you in the present.
You might have thus realized when you began the process of looking at the breathing,
what happened to your thoughts in a matter of moment. Did they come in abundance
or they got decreased. We have just to see if more or less thoughts come to us after
that.
The answer obviously is that they became less. Why did they get less? Did you
think of this? Whenever you happened to be with you breathing, whenever you looked
at your breathing, what happened to the thoughts? To begin with, they were quite a
many, but what started happening gradually? They got less and less Earliest, their
pace was quite fast. Then this pace became slow. Why this change ² in numbers and in
pace? The answer is simple : the mind got connected with breathing. When mind gets
connected with breathing, what change did you see in the number and pace of
thoughts? It happened so because mind got related with breathing.
Preparation Within and Without
First of all, we sit in any posture of our choice. We keep our back, waist and
neck straight. We close our eyes. We put our hands on our knees or just place them in
the lap. We take the spectacles off. This is the preparation without.
The second preparation is the preparation within. What is that? You put your
mind on the breathing in and out. On the basis of these two preparations, mind
spontaneously concentrates. Thus, meditation is called a happening, it is not an action.
It happens of its own. It cannot be done with forced effort. However, you have to
prepare a background for it to happen.
We discussed the similarity between meditation and sleep in the preceding pages.
Let me add here that there is one more similarity between the two. You cannot make
yourself sleep with any forced effort: sleep comes of its own. For example, you go to
sleep at night. Before that, you fix your bed, change your dress, take on the quilt or
something if the weather so demands or put the fan on if the weather is hot. Then you
lie down on the bed and close your eyes. Now it is for the sleep to come or not to
come. If you do not get sleep, you cannot force it. You cannot compel it. The harder
efforts you will make for getting sleep, the farther it will go. You just leave yourself
relaxed in the bed, you do not know when you are overtaken by sleep.
Similar is the case with meditation. You cannot let it happen by force. You
cannot force your mind to stop thinking. This is not possible. You can only prepare
the background. On the basis of that background meditation will happen when it has
to happen. Thus, meditation is a happening, and in making this happen, breathing has
a vital role to play.
Significance of Sound of Breathing
Then what did we do today? We have now added sound of breathing to the
process of concentrating on breathing. Now a question will crop up in the mind of
many as to why did we add only sound of breathing? On the one hand, we say that
there should be no incantation, no recitation, but we have added sound of breathing.
Why? What was the necessity of adding it? Was breathing alone no sufficient? Of
course, breathing alone was sufficient. The addition of sound of breathing to it adds
pace to your progress. We shall move faster on the way.
What is sound so²aham? Let us first try and understand its meaning? It is not a
word, it is a sound. There is, of course, difference between sound and word. What is
that difference? Sound is not a part of any language whereas any given word comes
from one or the other language. For example, the bell rings. The sound that comes
from the ringing of the bell is sound. However, if you want to put that sound in words,
you will have to answer how does the bell ring? The answer will be²tan..nn..nn. Now,
this tann....nn.. is a word. It is not a sound. There is difference between sound and
word. If you speak tann...nn..nn, it is not like the sound of the bell. Is it? No. Still, if
you want to express the sound of the bell in words, the word is tann...nn..nn. That is
the nearest possible word to convey the sound. That is why we have used this word.
You will not use in its place the word dam...dam simply because it does not match at
all with the sound of the bell. One thing is sure, there is difference between the sound
of the bell and the nearest possible word we use to express it.
SoahaŠ : Not a Word But Sound
SoahaŠ is not a word. It is a sound. But where did this sound come from? This
sound has come from nowhere. It is present within you. As and when you breathe in,
this sound šso› is already present within you. And as you breathe out, the sound of
šAhaŠ› is also within you. You may or may not do it, this is a continuous, eternal
sound. Ad and when the breath goes in, the sound of šso› happens and as and when
the breath goes out, the sound of šAhaŠ› happens. And this happens continuously.
Now you will say, if this is ever happening, why is it not audible to us? We have
not heard this until now. We did sit with eyes closed several times, but we never
realized this. The fact is that this sound is very subtle and we live in lot of hustle and
bustle. It is as if you stand in a busy market and someone from back gives you a soft
call. You will not hear this : it will not reach your ears. Then the same fellow cries
loudly. You look back and recognize the person standing behind calling you.
Noise Within and Without
If there is much noise outside, the soft, subtle voice will not be audible to you.
Similarly, this sound of šsoahaŠ› is happening within you, but we live amidst much of
a noise. There is a lot of noise in the outside world, but relatively this is not much. It
is rather small. Much more and in fact several times more noise is happening within ²
the noise of ideas and of desires. How can you listen to that soft voice in that
maddening noise? This is continuously happening inside but still we do not hear it.
That is why we have added it to the breath from outside: we shall pronounce šso›
while breathing in, but shall do so only in mind. And, we shall similarly say šahaŠ› as
we breathe out.
What is the use of adding the sound from without? It helps us attune ourselves
with the sound within. We get attuned to it. And gradually as you continue with our
practice, you will not then add the sound from without. You will get a spontaneous
feeling that as you breathe in, you listen to a sound of šso› and as you breathe out, a
sound of šahaŠ› is heard. This is all a matter of practice. With the passage of time and
gradually after some more practice, you will be able to listen to this sound from
within even when you stop breathing for a while. This sound within is eternal,
continuing for ever. That is why we have added this sound from without to the
breathing. We could have looked at the breath alone. Why this sound? Breath is subtle
and still it is gross. More subtle than breath is this sound. And in this camp, we have
to move from the gross world to the subtle one.
From Subtle to the Subtlest
Speech is more subtle than body. Mind as well as the ideas within is more subtle
than the speech more subtle is consciousness which is indicative of the stage of
complete silence. Very subtle. More subtle than the subtlest. We cannot call it even
subtle : it is subtle and still it is not so. Thus, if we want to go to the subtle world, this
sound helps us a lot. That is why we have added this sound of šsoahaŠ› with
breathing.
Now some people might ask that they could have meditated by placing an image
of a deity before us instead of concentrating on breathing and that sound. Now, see,
both breathing and sound of šsoahaŠ› are realities of the present moment. They are
not figment of imagination. In case, we had to concentrate on an image of God, what
we might have to do? We shall have to imagine. None of us, neither you nor me, have
seen God. What does God look like? Does God have two hands or four hands? Should
we have an image of standing God or sitting God? Should God have eyes closed or
open? This is real problematic. One of you might say that my god is of black
complexion. The other can possibly say that his god is of a fair complexion. If one
says that his god has eyes closed, the other might say that his deity has eyes open.
This will create a problem. But there is no problem in the case of breathing.
Breathing is the same in the case of everybody of us. One may belong to any
community, any background, one may be a Hindu or a Muslim or a Christian, there is
no difference at all in their breath : it is the same in the case of every one of them.
Breathing is a universal phenomenon. There is no controversy about it. And, it is a
reality of the present. One does not have to imagine it. We need not to suppose that
we are breathing in or out. There is no need for any imagination or supposition. This
is a fact, a reality. It is present now. We breathe in and we breathe out.
Similarly, one might say that there could have been another word in place of
šsoahaŠ›. In case we replace it by any other word, it would mean imposing it from
without. As for the word šsoahaŠ›, we can say that it is added from outside, but at the
same time we can also say that we do not add it from outside. In fact, this is
happening continuous ly for ever within you. That is why we have added this to
breath because this also makes us realize the present.
Conclusion
I Hope you have understood by now as to why did we take breath for this
purpose and why did we add to it the sound of šsoahaŠ›. You might have learnt that
we did so for a purpose. Now you are looking at the breath, you may please continue
doing so. As I have advised you, I shall request you please be careful of those things.
You may breathe in a natural, spontaneous way and with that add the sound of
šsoahaŠ›, but this sound is within your mind, a silent one.
Concluding Discussion
Now we shall take up one or two questions and find answers to them. Some
people say that the duration of the meditation should be lessened a bit. Now the fact of
the matter is that when you are fed up with something you do not like doing it the
time seems to pass of quits slow. On the other hand, when you are interested in the
thing you are doing, the time seems to pass of quickly. Take one example : you are
alone on a journey. How do you feel? How long the journey is. You have a jovial
company on the same journey. Jokes and light conversation goes on. Time flies as you
gossip about. Time seems to fly because your mind was interested in all that you were
doing, you were involved in. Now how many of you feel that it was enough for
meditation : please tell me with all seriousness and truth. Those who will say the truth
will ultimately learn something. Let me tell you that when it is the beginning of the
end or death of mana, the feeling that overtakes you first of all is that of sadness, of
despondency. If you feel like getting fed up, it implies that the process of the death of
your mana has started. It is a fact that when mana begins to die, sadness begins to take
over. As it is, mana or mind lives on novelty. What does mind like the most?
Something new. Take, for example, the food you like the most. Suppose you like the
vegetable of ladyfinger the most. As you had for the second time, you did like it a lot,
but not as much as the first time. When you had it for the third time, it was just ok. If
you are offered it once again, you might have it without much interest or taste. But if
it is offered once again, you will prefer to go away without taking food.
However tasty a dish might be, you will enjoy it the best the first time you take
it, but gradually your taste in it will not remain the same. It will become less with the
passage of time. This is what has been called by Marshal the law of utility. According
to this, your interest in a thing declines with the passage of time. You do not like for
ever either the ladyfinger or the sweetmeats or the ice cream. There is nothing which
appeals to mind for ever. Mind aspires for something new.
Take the example of a person you like a lot. You might feel like living with him
for ever. You will feel very good in his company for a day, for a few days, but after
some days you will feel that it is enough now. But it is not possible in our life to
change everything. There are limita tions in certain matters. But it is universal
characteristic of mind that it is ever interested in something new. It ever aspires for
something new. Now when you began meditating, there was nothing in it which
resembled with something new. You are breathing in and breathing out, and it is as it
has always been. It is the same breath, the same šsohaŠ›. That is why we feel that it is
enough. You feel fed up.
Mind Getting Fed Up : Mind’s Death
In a way mind’s getting fed up is a good sign. It implies that the process of the
death of mind has begun. First of all, mind gets fed up, and if it happens to pass
through this stage, it is sure to reach the stage of ecstasy.
Am I right or not? During meditation, you breathe in and breathe out through the
throat, is it proper or not?
No, you have to do nothing. As several of you had asked the question, how the
breath has to be taken in, where to concentrate on the breath ² when the breath is at
this or that place in the throat. No, you have to concentration all you attention on the
top of your nostrils. So you may do as you all have been asked to. You will not make
any changes of your own. Is it all right? Hope you all understand.
šEverything is all right, but it will be better if quantity of food provided is
increased a little. Look, we feel quite hungry at night. It makes us feel uncomfortable
during the night. Thus, we cannot have good sleep. Your most devoted disciple.› This
reads a slip written by one of the participants.
Now the fact of the matter is that when you have nothing else to do, first of all
the mind will go to food. This is something very natural. Still if someone of you has
quite serious problem, he or she is welcome to see me. However, it does not mean that
you come in a long queue for this very purpose. It will be no surprise if all of you
might get up to share the same problem.
The fact is that the food being provided to you is enough for you. We have
become habitual of eating much more than we need. Whatever you eat at home,
perhaps only twentyfive per cent of that is enough for the body. The body does not
need more than that, and we should not eat that. At times you might have felt, the
belly is full, but mind still needs a bit more. Mind craves for more and more and
more. Still anybody with some serious discomfort is welcome to see me.
šOne such camp should be organized in the jungle in our Rajasthan. And it
should last at least a fortnight. I shall feel delighted living in the forest.› So says
another slip.
Sure, if any of you wish that such camps should be organized at some particular
places, such people should get in touch with me. I shall tell them as to what needs to
be done and how to proceed further.
CHAPTER V
THE ¶GAMIC BASIS OF
DISCIPLINE FOR SELFPURIFICATION
The primary and basic discipline of „rama‡ic culture is the discovery of self, the
realization of self, to become jina while looking at the nija or self. The revered
TÏratha×karas of the „rama‡ic tradition made their lives meaningful by going through
this discipline.
History of DhyÈna-SÈdhnÈ
The fundamental characteristics of meditation available in the agama compiled
by the poets during the pontificate of the 24th TÏratha×kara, Lord MahÈvÏra. The
method of meditation continued to reach the masses through the ÈchÈrya tradition.
Numerous desirous souls, the liberated beings acquired this from the GurÊShishya
(Teacher Disciple) tradition. Having received answers to their basic questions, they
stepped forward for transforming their self into an enlightened being. In this tradition,
ÈchÈrya ¶tmÈ RÈm happened to be the first. He had been a highly enlightened person
and a great sÈdhaka and meditator. This attempt of ours is an humble endeavour to
take to the door steps of each person the mission started by ¶chÈrya ¶tma RÈm.
With the grace of the Lord and with the blessing of ¶chÈrya ¶tma RÈm, we
acquired this primary and fundamental method of meditation (dhyÈnasÈdhnÈ) while
making a selfstudy of the ¶chÈra×gaSÊtra.
¶gamic Basis of this Method
There is said in the ¶chÈra×gaSÊtra (1/1/2) that šthere are many souls, as has
been said in earlier SÊtras as well, who are absolutely unaware that their soul will
transmigrate in the form of some other being of some or the other species after leaving
this present body. Who was I before my present birth? What birth will I take after I
leave this body? What kind of being/specie will I be born into?
At another place, the ¶chÈra×gaSÊtra (1/1/3, 4) says hat such a soul šlearns
either through selfintuition or through the teachings of the TÏratha×karas or, from
some other enlightened being that he came after wandering in the previous births in
this or that particular direction. He also gets to know that he is the same soul that had
been wandering in that/those direction/s.
While making a special study of and reflection on this Sutra of the
¶chÈr×gaSÊtra, this mystery of the method of meditation got revealed to me. This
special mystery is credited to the Gurus.
On this issue, ¶chÈrya ¶tmÈ RÈm says that šthis soul has been wandering since
time immemorial in the darkness of ignorance because it lacks knowledge and is
loaded with j¤ÈnÈvar‡Ïya karma. It is suffering transmigration from one birth to the
other in this world. However, as the soul becomes saturated with noble thoughts, gets
involved in Right action, gives a new direction to its thinking and reflection and tries
through meditation to tear asunder the veil of ignorance, j¤ÈnÈvar‡Ïya karma gets
eradicated as a result of all this. It creates within the soul a desire, an anxiety to know
its true form and nature. Ultimately, a day comes when it succeeds in realizing its true
self. At that stage man comes to know answers to all the questions like who am I?
where have I come from? etc.›
The word sohaŠ literally means šI am He›. As already told, this knowledge can
be obtained only through three meansright knowledge or selfintuition (sanmati or
swama ti), explanation by others (parÈvyÈkara‡) and teachings of others
(paretraupdesh). As a result of these, the jÏva or being gets the knowledge that the
soul migrating through matter or spirit, through beings in this or that direction has
been me or my soul. The word ‘s’ gives the meaning of wandering into east or other
directions and the term ‘aham’ indicates the meaning of šI›. The word sohaŠ comes
into being only when we combine both the words, and it means that it is I who has
been wandering in different directions. This is the same feeling which the author of
the SÊtra tries to convey when he says that if these two words/terms interchange
places and become one word/term, it can once again migrate through the world.
However, he distinction between God (paramÈtmÈ) and the individual soul (jÏvÈtmÈ)
will exist for ever. This the belief of the Vedas.
The Jain philosophy has reflected on this notion indepen dently. The Jain
scholars have said emphatically that soul is neither a particle of the Divine nor is it
entirely different from the supreme One. The soul has its own independent entity. It
has the inherent potential to become the supreme One once it gets itself completely
freed from the bondage of karma. That is why the Jain scholars have said in a very
clear language: ‘O soul! Thou art not thou, Thou art He.’ In other words, you are not
merely a soul meant to transmigrate in this world. But you can also become God after
cutting off the bondage of karma. Thus, thou shouldst see thyself in that form. That is
the only way of becoming ‘s’ from ‘ahaŠ’, of the penance for transformation of
(individual) soul into the supreme soul. This can also be called a way to the thinking,
reflection and meditation on ‘sohaŠ’.
It is a belief in the Jain philosophy that every enlightened soul has the inherent
potential of becoming God. It can become God through right endeavour and proper
austerities. In the ¶gamic literature has been given a detailed description of meditation
for liberation.
Innumerable means have been described for this discipline/penance. Among
these means, the reflection on ‘sohaŠ’, its contemplation and meditation,
understanding and reflecting on its meaning and incantation of mantras have also
been described. The reflection and concentration on ‘sohaŠ’ is the most bright
lighthouse to show, to lightn for the seeker the path to self realization. In its light, the
seeker on his way to selfrealization can easily recognize what helps him and what
hinders him and what is to be adopted and what discarded. By virtue of this
knowledge, he gets rid of what is to be discarded and adopts what is helpful and thus
moves on the path to meditation and austerity. He ever moves further on by accepting
all those things which are helpful in leading an austere life. In this way, the seeker
reflecting on the special feeling of soham in a proper method moves ahead.
He continues to eradicate the jnÈnÈvara‡Ïya karmas (the karmas which serve as
a sort of layer on j¤Èna or knowledge) and ultimately one day he achieves the
jÈtismara‡j¤Èna or the knowledge that helps one know about one’s own previous
births, avadhij¤Èna (the
knowledge that helps one know about things that happened in the past, but for a
specific limited period only) or manaparyaj¤Èna or the knowledge that helps one
know about the feelings in the minds of others. Thus after fully eradicating all the
j¤ÈnÈvara‡Ïya karmas, he is able to attain the perfect knowledge, the kevalj¤Èna or
divine knowledge which has been inherent in his soul. With the help of
jÈtismara‡j¤Èna he can see the deeds constantly done in his previous innumerable
births through his five doors of senses, and with the help of avadhij¤Èna and
manaparya vj¤Èna, one can see the innumerable birhs and with the help of
kevalj¤Èna, one can see the innumerable births. He can also realize the new meaning.
Thus, the meaning of ‘aham’ is ‘I am’ and of ‘sa’ is ‘I am he’.
If we combine both the meanings, we reach the result that ‘He is what I am’ and
‘I am what he is.’ This result makes us aware of the identity between ÈtmÈ and
parmÈtmÈ, between the individual soul and the supreme Soul. In the given context,
‘sa’ stands for those spiritual personages who have freed themselves from the
bondage of all karma, those who have realized themselves and who have identified
themselves with the siddha. On the other hand, the word ‘aham’ indicates towards the
worldly soul in bondage of karma. In relation to other aspects, both the souls are the
same, possessing the same qualities. The only difference between them is that one
category comprises those who through the ideal meditation on right knowledge, right
faith and right conduct have discarded all karmas and thus freed themselves of the
transmigration. In the second category of householder beings, the being are still
bounds in the karma and they are busy doing things in ignorance.
In a word we can say that the siddhas are devoid of any karma. On the other
hand, the souls of worldly people are absorbed in karma. However, there is no
essential or spiritual difference between the siddhas and the karma engrossed beings
because it is their ÈtmÈ which develops into paramÈtmÈ. The latter is not something
different from the former. It has been the souls living their bodily existence in this
world who by being active on the path of special meditation could raise themselves to
the status and position of paramÈtmÈ. Each soul has the inherent capability to reach
this state. However, only that soul reaches the status of the Supreme Soul which sets
out on the path of meditation and discards the feelings of attachment and the bondage
of karma. Each soul has the inherent capability to reach the position of siddha by
reflecting on the right knowledge, right faith and right conduct.
Thus, we reach the conclusion that there is no essential and fundamental
difference between ‘sa’ and ‘ahaŠ’. Man becomes ‘sa’ only after growing from
‘ahaŠ’. We can also say that it is ÈtmÈ (individual self) which by developing its
qualities transforms itself into paramÈtmÈ (Supreme Soul). Therefore, it has been
said that I am not just me, rather I am he who is also He. In other words, essentially I
am not different from God.
SohaŠ Meditation
SohaŠ is the sound of our prȇas. This sound is ever occurring within our
prȇas. As and when we breathe in, the sound of ‘so’ takes place and when we
breathe out, the sound of ‘ahaŠ’ takes place.
There is a difference between sound and word. In practical life, we use the
nearest possible word to express that sound. Similarly, there is difference between the
sound of sohaŠ that occurs within our prȇas and the word sohaŠ. However, the word
soham is the nearest possible words to express that sound. Thus, we make use of it.
As we join the sound of sohaŠ with our breathing, our consciousness becomes
more subtle and we conveniently go beyond the ideas.
Another meaning of the word ‘soham’ is the realized self-s means that and ahaŠ
means I or me: thus, sohaŠ means I am that. There is no essential difference between
me and the realized selves. Another meaning that could be attributed to the word is
‘all the souls are identical with me. None is different from me. I am in all and all are
inherent within me. The day man realizes his own self he also realized at that time that
all beings are essentially like me. Of course, there is difference in body and sex which
is the result of our earlier karmas, but in spite of all these external differen ces, all
possess the same essence like me.
Fundamental Basis of this Theory to Live in the Present
The past is a memory whereas the future is just an imagination. Leaving aside
this past and future, our medita tion is to remain awake and conscious of the truth of
present of our life. This is the fundamental basis of our threeday meditation camp.
Through the different yogic activities and through the medium of meditation and
concentration and thus enriching this method, man sets out on the path of peace and
love.
When awareness of the present, the mental state of meditation, and love meet
together, the worshipper/camper feels blissful. To live that bliss every moment of
your life and to know that is the integral part of this meditation.
Meditation is Silence of Mind
If we make a free rendering into English of what Acharya Amitgati Ji has said in
the Sri ParmÈnandPa¤ca vi×shatikÈ, it would read as follows:
¶nandrÊp paramÈtmtattavam, samast sa×kalpavkal pmuktam svabhÈvalÏnÈ
nivsanti nityam jÈnÈti yogi svayameva tattvam
Those spiritualists and realized ones get absorbed in the self, discard all
allurements and attractions of the world and reside ever in that divine element which
is embodiment of bliss. The competent yogi perfectly and rightly knows this divine
element and experiences it with compassion, and they remain absorbed in their own
self. That divine element is free from all joys and sorrows, ups and downs, and is
blissincarnate.
Thus, the medium of meditation helps the desires, etc. of mind to calm down,
and as they calm down, internal silence takes over. This silence is meditation. This is
the basis of our meditation.
Another Jain scriptural text, Kayotsarg SÊtra, says:
—hȇe‡a× mo×e×an jhȇe‡a× appa‡an vosirami
—hȇe‡a× : stabilization of body
mo‡e‡a‡ : stable speech
jhȇe‡a× : to make mind/consciousness stable in meditation after taking it away
from all evil thoughts and then become stable in silence.
We can also call it the meditation of trigupti. To keep mind, speech and body in
complete check is trigupti which is the heart, the life force of a muni or a Jain ascetic.
Muni is one who live mauna or silence. Muni is one whose life is the practical
embodiment of mauna.
Right Faith (Samyak Dar„an)
The right faith is to know and feel something as it is, to possess spiritual vision
of every human being, everything and every situation. Generally, we know a thing
contrary to what it actually is: in other words, our knowledge of a thing is not clear.
This is called mithiÈ or untrue in Jain philosophy and in Vedic philosophy it has been
called mÈyÈ or consciousness affected by joy and sorrow, favour and bias. A vision
devoid of any flaw and a mind/consciousness given to silent meditation sees the world
as it is. We also call it right vision (samyak drish—i). In fact, silence and meditation
are experiencing right faith.
Sudeva: A deva or god who is free from all joy and sorrow, favour and bias. He
is also called devadhidev or vÏtrÈgdev (which literally stand for the one beyond all
feelings and passions, but these are the epithets generally used for the tÏratha×kar).
Sadguru: One who transcends all passions and feelings, who is the competent
guide to show the right path.
Saddharma : As manifested by those great mentors who have themselves
transcended all kinds of feelings and passions and which tells us how the karmic
effects serve as bondage and how that bondage of karmic effects can be broken.
Only a man with the right vision can develop in his life a feeling of faith towards
these three. Therefore, the primary thing is to feel and experience the right faith which
is both the basis and achievement of this threeday meditation camp we have been
organizing.
SelfStudy and Meditation
Lord Mahavira has taught us the ideal way of selfstudy and meditation for our
spiritual growth and for soul or selfrealization.
The meaning of the word selfstudy should not be limited to our study of the
SÊtras, rather we should through internal practices experience the essence of what has
been said in these Sutras and thus attain true knowledge of them. Selfstudy means the
right kind of study, through the medium of browsing, of the contents of the ƒÈstras
including all the five kinds of medium. The right study, reflection, etc. of soul is also
called selfstudy.
The Jain ¶gamas indicate towards the way to moksha or salvation through
innumerable conceptual words like Samayak, Prayer, Equipoise, Fast, Silence,
Control over body, mind and speech, Forgiveness, Friendship, anekÈnt vÈda, giving
up dinner, lessening of evils like wrath, lust, greeed, etc. Various theories of
meditation have also been discussed. We experience all of them through the medium
of meditation.
Purification of Soul
The purification of soul implies purification of the self. The following aspects are
included in the purification of the self:
1. Purification of Body: The body is purified with the help of various different
ancient yogic practices.
2. Purification of Speech: The speech is purified with the practice of observing
silence and controlling the speech.
3. Diet Purification: Your mind becomes the kind of food you eat. Purification of
diet is taught through teaching and experiencing vegetarian sÈtvik food.
4. Purification of Prȇa: The prȇa is purified through the pranayama and
different sounds.
5. Purification of Mind: The mind is purified of various flaws and evils through
meditation and concentration; thus, mind experiences pure consciousness.
Thus, it has been a complete, a perfect meditation. This involves overall
purification of the soul.
Introduction
Bliss is our nature. Peace is within us and we are the knowledge.
Still why is man caught in the whirlpool of pain and evil? Still why has he been
overtaken by restlessness and violence? Still why has he been wandering in the
darkness of ignorance? The answer to all these questions is one and the samedistance
from self.
It is introduction with the self which brings the feeling of internal bliss, peace of
mind and health of body. For an introduction with the self, purification of the soul is
necessary. The purification of soul means the purification of body, speech and
thought. During these meditation camps, we work on all these three levels.
Thus, this meditation is beyond body and mind.
What is Meditation?
The root of this meditation is inaction. What is the meditation of inaction? This is
the meditation of getting filled with joy even when doing nothing. This happens
through the purification of soul. This is the meditation of the ancient yogis. We
experience and make others experience this in a brief and subtle form through these
threeday meditation camps. These camps are like filling ocean in an urn.
Meditation and Life
I have been doing research in the field of meditation and concentration for the
last about twenty or twentyfive years. I have, with the grace of Lord Mahavira and
with the blessings of the Acharya and my spiritual mentor, made use of my experience
and started holding meditation camps and also started giving training for such
meditation camps to help mankind realize true religion and to meditate. In these
camps, the participants experience the way of living life in a smooth, simple,
tensionfree way and to make life full of bliss. They also get rid of many incurable
diseases which are increasing by the day in modern times. The camp participation
adds to their work efficiency and brings cordiality in mutual relations. This helps the
heart to be bigger by enabling man rise above rational considerations of mind, and the
participants experience the feeling of sivamastu sarvajagat (the entire world is the
form of Siva) or jÏvo ma×galam (welfare may come to each being). This brings about
welfare of the individual, of family and of the world at large. This helps man in his
overall growth and makes the world happy. One experiences the feeling of a universal
human religion.
CHAPTER VI
PRIMODRIAL FORM OF DHARMA
It is very difficult to be unanimous on the issue of what dharma means. If I say
that water gets boiling hot at 100 degrees, everybody will agree with me. And, if I ask
if the sun gives light, all of you will reply in the affirmative. There will, of course, be
dissenting voices if I try to define what religion means: there will be no unanimity. It
is difficult for all to agree on this. Why? Because many points of religion cannot be
proved empirically. You cannot possibly give a concrete example of what religion is
like. However, if you are willing to understand it, you can certainly do so. This can
also be experienced. However, it cannot be shown or proved in the empirical sense.
This is so because religion is a matter of one’s inner world.
Generally speaking, what is meant by religion for all of us? What do you think?
What is religion, let me ask? First, you give your answers. The answers the campers
gave were broadly as follows :
² religion is being merciful.
² religion is being firm in one’s commitment.
² religion is observing one’s duties conscientiously.
² religion is remembering the name of God.
² religion is not to harass anybody.
² religion is siding with truth.
² religion is purifying your mind.
² religion is love and mercy put together.
² religion means not to cause any pain to anybody.
² religion is helping the others.
Where these answers are coming from? You may have read or heard all this. For
example, you said that religion is having mercy, but on whom should this mercy be
shown? We are going our way on a particular path. There come the beggars. Small
children, perhaps two or three or four children came begging. What does religion say
on this? Religion advises us to be merciful and give something in charity to the
beggar. On one such occasion, I was accompanied by a lay householder. He said to
the child-beggars : šAll right, you need money. Come with me. You will get work to
do. If you do some work, you will get money and food and clothes.› They replied :
šNo, we cannot go with you because we have to go elsewhere.› The fact is that they
are not interested in work, rather they are interested in begging, in getting money
without having to do anything. Will you call it mercy? It is very difficult to say with
certainty as to which act of ours is really merciful. It may seem mercy to you, but this
act of yours can also put the entire life of someone else on the wrong track. In this
case, this will amount to spoiling the life of these young children. Their habits are
being spoilt. What is mercy, then? It is quite difficult to define it precisely.
What will you call religion? In fact, where all these answers come from. From
discourses heard, from books read and from the knowledge acquired from the elderly
and the wise. The answers given by most of the people are either heard or read from
anywhere. This is what our parents taught us in our childhood. Give clothes to the
naked. Give food to the hungry. Serve the others. Now whatever we learnt in our
formative years is religion to us. Do not kill anybody, rather try to save everybody
from any danger to life. Now someone learnt that the nature of a given thing is its
religion. If we ask such a person as to which thing he referred to. What did he mean
by nature? He does not know all this. This means you have heard all these answer
from somewhere or someone.
In fact, what is religion? What should we call religion? For example, a person
said that whatever saves us from going to sin is religion. Everybody has his own
definition. Someone might say ‘not to commit evil, not to kill anyone is religion.
Saving someone is religion...’
Once upon a time there were two persons. A polemic started between the two.
Both of them were great scholars. Discussion and discourse on the given issue
continued. What was the subject matter of discussion? There stood a cow in front of
them. That was about to die. The question at issue was to save it or not. One of them
said, ‘If there is someone going to embrace death, he should be saved.’ The second
held, ‘If we save the cow, it will need fodder; it might give birth to a small calf and so
on. Who will take care of all that? So the cow should not be saved.’ The other is in
favour of killing it, his ideas are bioethically closer to enthenasia. Now it is a fit
question for polemic, and there is no end to it.
We can also say that where there is a polemic, there is no religion. One who got
involved in polemic and went on insisting that ‘only saving the core is a religion,’
this is no religion. The other fellow joined the polemic saying that religion comprised
only in not saving the cow. This is also not religion. When we say this or that
comprises religion, we are wrong. My brothers, if you feel like saving the cow, save
it. If you do not feel like doing it, do not save it. There is nothing polemic about it.
There was once an ¶chÈrya in the Jain tradition and his name was ¶chÈrya Atma
Ram. Once two persons reached him. Both of them were great scholars and
knowledgeable about the ¶gam literature. One of them said, šSee, brother, once a man
achieves liberation, he never again gets into the process of transmigration. The second
one was a Hindu. He said, šWhy won’t he? yadÈ yadÈ hÏ dharmasaya glÈnirbhavatÏ
bhÈrata : he will have to come back into this process of birthdeathrebirth, otherwise
who will save the world? As and when evil begins to dominate in the world, god takes
birth. In other words, the liberated souls also come back into the world. The first one
disagreed saying that this is not possible. No soul ever comes back after it got saved.
The second held the first wrong. The polemic ensued. Examples were given from big,
voluminous religious texts. One gave an instance. The matter reached such
seriousness that only physical fight remained. At last they agreed to call on the
¶chÈrya because they knew the ¶chÈrya to be genuine spiritual teached, an
enlightened being. They agreed that they would go to him and accept his verdict
whatsoever. Both of them reached him.
One of them said, šLook, ¶chÈrya, once a sold gets liberated, it never comes
back to this world, an I right?›
The second said, šThe should will have to come. If it does not come, who will
save the world?›
The ¶chÈrya replied, šSee, what you should do is to go the moksha or salvation.
If you liked it, you could remain there and if you did not like it, you could come beck.
Let us first attain salvation, the rest could be considered later. The matter ends there.
There is no scope for any polemic.
The enlightened persons always behave this way. They replace polemic with
dialogue. šLet us first go to moksha. If you liked it, you could remain there, and if you
did not like it, you could come back. First, you should attain moksha. People do not
know how to attain moksha but they simply argue for polemic. This is the
characteristic of an enlightened person and of religion.
First, people think that religion implies rules and regulations for daily life, some
customs and rituals. He who observes those rules and regulations of daily life and
abides by those customes and rituals is a religious person. This is a general feeling
among the masses.
Now, every community has its own rules and regula tions for daily life, its own
code of social conduct and its own customs and rituals. Take for example those who
follow the Jain faith. As the paryusha‡ days (they comprise eight days and begin with
BhÈdo× sudÏ 5) come, they must fast a lot, listen to the discourses by holy men and
do various such holy things, but as these days pass by, such activities will become
more and more less. Almost similar is the case with those who follow the Hindu faith.
They behave almost the same way when the month of Shravan (JulyAugust) comes.
In the case of the Muslims, the month of RamzÈn has special religious significance.
The Christmas is of vital importance for the Christians. Thus, people belonging to
each different tradition have their days and months considered auspicious and set
about for religious practices and other rituals.
If you ask a Jain the definition of religion, he might say that religion means
fasting observance of certain vows, performing SÈmÈyik (a king of worship a
believing Jain performs daily for some time) observing pratikrama‡ (to make an
analysis of past wrongs and feell repentent for them) etc. If the same question is put to
a Hindu, he will limit religion to paying a daily visit to a temple and worshipping
God, worshipping this god on Monday and that god on Tuesday and so on. You ask
the same question to a Muslim and he will confine it to saying namÈz daily, going on
gaj to Mecca/Medina, etc. For a Christian, religion means visiting the Church, praying
and serving mankind.
Now look at the intra²community situation. You can again take the example of
the Jains. Some of them are called Mandir Margis, and to them religion means visiting
the mandir or temple daily and worship there. He who daily worships the deity is
religious. Among the Jains, there are sathÈnakvÈsÏs, and to them religion is limited
only to visiting a sathÈnak, performing sÈmÈyik and listening to the discourses by
some holy men. Similarly, a person generally follows the same rules and code of
conduct prescribed by the community in which he happens to take birth. Let me ask
you a question as to why have you become Jain and what might have been the
primary reason for your becoming Jain. I do not think you have any answer to such
questions. The reasons simply is that our religion in later life is determined by our
birth. There has been a negligible number of people who, on becoming else. If I ask a
Hindu as to how he happened to become a Hindu and if I ask a BrÈhmi‡ among the
Hindus as to how he happened to become a brahmin, the answer remains the same. It
is our birth in a particular family and the teachings of parents during our formative
years which determine our future faith. During our childhood we accepted as right
whatever we were taught by our parents. We had no sources to check whether they
were actually right or not. Maybe, they were and maybe, they were not. But did you
ever try to find out the veracity of what they had said? This is a very subtle point.
You feel that whatever you have been doing is the right thing. You feel so
because you have been doing the same since childhood. Take the case of certain
families in the south of India which believe in offering sacrifice. For those born in
these families, religion means visiting the temple and offer a chicken or goat for
sacrifice once a week. But you will not accept this as something religious. But why? If
religion constitutes of what you have been doing since your childhood days, then what
they in the south have been doing is also religious. Now we will have to think as to on
what basis we call ourselves religious. Are we religious only on the basis of what we
learnt in our childhood days? Or, have we, through our understanding, reason and by
seeing into our inner self, tried to see as to what religion is. This is a matter of
research. Ponder over this issue a little.
Religion is a matter of research. Religion is not so simple and cheap that you
inherit it as some property from your ancestors. Religion is one’s own discovery. All
the TÏratha×kars of Jain faith were born in Kshatri families, and those days it was not
the religious obligation of the Kshatris to perform penance or austerities. Their duty
was to protect the kingdom, to expand the kingdom and to fight in the battle field.
Had they also done what their forefather had been doing, they could never have
become TÏratha×karas. They did something different from what their forefathers had
done. Do you realize this? Have you ever tried to discover for yourself as to what
religion is? He who discovers becomes religious. He who does not discover cannot
become religious.
In case one happens to meet in childhood itself the true Guru and through his
grace knowledge of the true religion, it is the result of the supreme pu‡ya. However,
even in such cases, awakening of our own inner knowledge is a must. Everybody has
to discover it.
Why did you become a Jain? Did you become a Jain when you were fifteen and
you got some inner enlightenment from within. Or, was it a matter of choice before
you at the age of twenty whether or not to become a Jain? Did some similar thing
happen? Then how did you happen to become a Jain? Naturally you are a born Jain.
You are a Jain because you were born in a Jain family. You parents were Jain, and
whatever your parents taught you was inherited and learnt by you. You might have
been a Hindu had you been born in a Hindu family. Similarly, had you been born in
some other family, you might have belonged to another tradition. Whatever you were
taught, whatever lesson you were given when small, you followed those and you
shaped yourself as such. So generally speaking religion for a common man means
rules and regulations covering daily life and other rites and customs. He who follows
them is religious and he who does not follow them is irreligious.
As I have said earlier, a person who visit a temple daily will say that only a
person who visits the temple daily is religious. And if one does not go to temple, he
will be called an atheist and irreligious. The latter might be a true person and
following all ethical standards, but since he does not visit the temple, he is an atheist.
It will be said of him that he is ever condemned. Similarly, some people fell that
telling the beads, undergoing fast is true religion. To such a person, he who tells the
beads and keeps fasts will seem quite religious. He be taken as following religious
practices very scrupulously. But a person who does not follow these things will be
taken as irreligious. He will be labelled as an atheist, one who never remembers God.
He will, it will be so declared, sure go to hell. Such condemna tion will be
proclaimed for him because he does not follow those things which to some seem what
constitutes religion. What is our measure of declaring one a theist or atheist? A person
who follows the daily prescribed rituals is a theist and he who does not follow them is
an atheist. Now everybody has the different set of norms to be followed. All humans,
belonging to different religious traditions, do not have the same set of norms and
practices to be followed. They have different sorts of practices and norms. Every
human being is born in a different social environment, in a different home and in a
different family. He has his own parents. His home is as are his parents; similarly, his
practices were also determined by the kind of society, community he has been born in.
We lay a lot of emphasis on these traditions and these practices and consider one who
follows them as theist. All others are far away from religion.
You will come across quite a sizeable number of people who follow these
prescribed codes and rituals but still they are atheists. They strictly follow the
prescribed practices. They remember God daily. They regularly undertake fasts,
follow other vows participate in religious dialogue and perform samÈyik daily. Still
you will find a lot of wrath, falsehood and pride in them and in their social
intercourse. You will daily come across many such people. I do not say here that
codes and daily practices are not good, rather they are right in their own place.
However, it will not be right to say that a man who daily perform the prescribed
practices is a really religious person. We cannot be cent percent sure that a person
becomes theist or atheist, religious or irreligious by perform or not performing these
practices and rituals. I have seen many such people as have never remembered the
Name Divine nor have they ever performed the prescribed daily rituals and practices
but they are quite at peace with themselves, they are in ecstasy, they have a smiling
face and they have a lot of inner strength to pass through any period of pain and
suffering. What would you call such people? What category would you like to put
them in? Certainly you cannot say for sure that a person following the prescribed
rituals will be religious/theist. Similarly, you cannot say with certainty that the ones
not following these daily rituals are irreligious/atheist.
Prescribed daily rituals and practices are all right in their own place. However,
they cannot be made to serve as the measure to declare one theist or atheist. It can be
the other way round also. One can be a religious or theist person and still not follow
the given daily rituals and practices and one following these can still be irreligious or
atheist. You cannot be sure. Let us understand this here that the daily rituals and
practices are not wrong, rather they are right in their own place, but they cannot be
taken as the testing ground.
Now we come to the second universal assumption. Generally we take religion to
mean to have faith in a certain god and a certain guru and to wear a specific kind of
robes. You think that if a person has faith in the same god you believe in, only then he
is religious. In case the object of his faith is a different deity, he is irreligious or
atheist. If we put it in the Jain idiom, such a person is defiled or lacking in faith. He
who has absolutely no faith in religion or god is called defiled. I shall share with you a
recent incident. Two gentlemen came to me and began the discussion. They asked me
that it is generally said that one must not bow to any other god or deity except this one
(Lord Mahavira). Even if one stands before another god/ deity with folded hands, he
is a fallen man, a false one. There had been another fellow from Nepal wanting to see
me. But he remained outside and did not meet me for several days. When I asked for
the reason, he replied that he was hesitant because I was putting up in a jain Sathanak
(a place where the Jain ascetics, both male and female, come and stay at intervals).
What was bad in my staying there, I asked. He admitted that his parents had taught
him that if he ever went to a Jain temple or Sathanak, he would have no place other
than hell. He was a Hindu by faith and he had come from Nepal. And, his parents had
taught him that hell will be his destiny if he ever went to a Jain temple or SathÈnak. It
is almost the same as the jains are taught that they will be affected by different or lack
of faith. If they ever visited a Hindu temple or other holy place. Such a person will
never be able to cross the world ocean, it is said. Both the sides think as if the passage
to hell goes beneath the religious place of the other side! You can see how people are
bound. You ask a Muslim to go to a Hindu temple. It would seem as if a calamity had
befallen him. People are bound to their respective traditional as goats or sheep are in
their enclosure. Such a pity that a person is taken as fallen if he merely visits a
religious place belonging to another tradition. He who commits such blasphemy, he is
eternally fallen with absolutely no chances of his ever getting saved. Yet each
tradition has faith in a god or deity and each has its own Guru. But the impression
created is that only my religion and my Guru are genuine , none else. The Christians
say that Christ is the only Saviour. Only he can save man. Do you find anything
wrong in it? I think we cannot call it wrong because people of different traditions say
almost the same thing. It is not just Christians, the Hindus and the Jains also behave
the same way. The followers of each tradition boast that their religion is the best of all
and all other are inferior to it.
Not to speak of Hindus and Jains or of any two different religious traditions, let
us see what is happening within jainism. They have faith in the same lord Mahavira.
When a child takes birth in a family belonging to the SthÈnakavÈsÏ sect within
jainism, that child, as he grows up, will be advised against going to a Jain temple and
performing worship there because that will be a great sin. Even if he happens to visit
such a temple and stands with folded hands before the image of Lord mahavira, he
will be fallen person! When I was sojourning through Chennai, a lady came to me.
She used to visit me daily for a few days. Then she did not turn up for same days. I
asked the others the reason for the absence. I was told that she did not come because I
was in that particular place which is a SathÈnaka and she belongs to the mandirmÈrgÏ
sect within jainism. The fellow told me: šWe are mandirmÈrgÏs and we have since
birth been taught that if we ever visit a SathÈnaka, we shall suffer bondage. So we do
not go to a SathÈnaka.› Now you will laugh at this, but look within what do you do?
Everyone behaves almost the same way. This, of course, is a childish thought. An
outsider will laugh at the Jains and wonder if they are the followers of Lord Mahavira.
Maybe, if lord Mahavira himself happens to visit this each now, he might ask whether
we would like to escort him to a SathÈnaka or a Mandir! And, if he visits a
SathÈnaka, how should he sit there? Should he put on the covering on the mouth or
not, if yes, of bigger or smaller size? Lord Mahavira will be in a real dilemma. At last
he might ask that he should like to depart leaving us as we are and that we might go
on our different paths. What an interesting situation!
The heart of the matter is that after the departure of Lord Mahavira, religion had
gradually become secondary and that sect or tradition has become primary and that
there is nothing wrong in it. There is nothing wrong if you say that your sect or
tradition is right, but you do not stop at this. You go on to say that only your sect or
tradition is right. This causes polemic. If one wants to go to temple and worship, it is
well and good that he should do so. If he does not want to, he may not. It you sit with
a coverlet on you mouth, it is well and good, but if you want to do sÈmÈyak without
putting a coverlet on you mouth, even then it is all right. The only thing you have to
see is how your mind concentrates in meditation. Concentration of mind for
meditation is the primary thing. How you transcend all jealousies and enmities and
friendships and develop a felling of fellowship for all is the primary thing. You should
see only how you can achieve the primary thing. You may achieve this either by
bowing your head before a god or by telling the beads, either through meditation or
prayer. This is what you must understand. This is for you to see how your mind
reaches equipoise. Then you may remember god either by the name of mahavir or by
any other name. Yes, you must give up anger and pride and greed. Whether you give
it up by remembering Lord Siva or any other deity. But you must give them up. What
is in a name, as they say. You will come across tens of person by the name of
Mahavira. It is not necessary that each one of them is the same kind of person. A
person by the name of Mahavira can be a thief; he can be evil²incarnate. What will
you gain by remembering his name? There may be numerous persons by the name of
Sive. It is not necessary that the person will be as good as his name signifies. A person
named Garibdas can possess a huge mansion, and another person named harsukhlal
can possibly be residing in a hut. Similarly, a person by the name of Nayansukh can
be blind of eye and another by the name of Surdas can have bright eyes. Once again, I
shall say there is nothing in the name. You may remember any god, any deity and by
any name, but you must concentrate your mind in meditation. This is the primary
thing.
A young girl one day came to me and in a tone of confession said šI happened to
commit a cardinal sin today ass I visit ƒiva temple. I know it is sinful on my part.› I
pitied her and her parents who taught her so. A Hindu says that a visit to a Jain temple
paves way to hell, and a Jain would say visiting a Hindu temple paves the way to
hell. If you do son, the only way left for you is the one leading to hell.
One may still understand this between Hindus and jain a they belong to two
different religious traditions, though I do not agree with this. Just have a look at the
intra²community situation in Jain tradition. What will you say if the SathÈnakvÈsÏ
Jains say that visiting a Jain temple is sinful and if a MandirmÈrgÏ says that visiting a
SathÈnaka is sinful. Where will lord Mahavira go to if he happens to come to this
earth again to a Sathanak or a Mandir? If he goes to a SathÈnak, the mandirmÈrgÏ
Jains will declare he is not Lord Mahavira because he went to the SathÈnaka. And, if
he goes to the Mandir, the SathÈnakavÈsÏ Jains will wonder how can Lord MahÈvÏra
go to a temple? The situation will be highly problematic for Lord Mahavira. Where
will it be advisable for him to go? He may ultimately have to decide against going to
the either place and instead going back to heaven.
We have been playing ridiculous games in the name of religious. It is like the
game of tip cat. If the stick fails to hit, you are out, and if it succeeds in hitting then
you are in the game. So has become the case with religion. Had it been so easy a
thing, or had it been confined to a particular place, then it would have been desirable
to take all the mankind to a single place of peity. This way all of us will become
religious. But it is not so. One is advised to visit all religious places and you will find
that you come across both religious and irreligious people, the atheists and theists.
You will find religious as well as irreligious people among the Hindus. Similarly,
among the Jains also you will come across both kinds of people. You cannot say with
certainty that faith in a particular god will make man religious. It may happen and it
may not happen. Both the possibilities are there.
The number of conflicts and controversies that have arisen in the name of god
and Guru in India have been much more than anywhere else in the world. The
question that haunts us is whether my god is superior or yours? All this while we
never bother to remember or worship god. We may not experience in our life the
peace and love experienced by god, but we must create conflicts. This is my god, that
is your god. The final destination is the same, but you have made divisions of that
also. This is mine and that is yours. If, ultimately, the court of law intervenes and
decrees that it is neither this man’s, but it is of the court. If the court puts its locks to
the doors of the temple, what will you then do? We have become conservative to the
extent of foolishness in the matters of religion. Only God can save us! Each one is
firm in his resolve that only this is right and all else is wrong. Look at just only the
Sathanakvasi Jains. They are also divided into small sects.
I once visited a small village. There were about twenty²five houses in that
village. Among them five are on one side and the other twenty on the other. The five
families have faith in that sadhu who does not make use of the mike while giving his
discourse. Imagine just twenty²five houses and they too divided into five on one side
and the twenty on the other. Suppose another saints happens to be there, I am sure
another five families will adopt him as their patron. Where will we stop at the end?
This is the ridiculous game we are playing in the name of religion. It is a tip cat game
in the name of religion. We are divided into my group and your group. Division
among political parties like the B.J.P. and the Congress is all right because their
followers openly say so. Now we find groupism even in religion. There should be no
discrimination or prejudices in religion, but we find them there. Division is where
love should prevail. Groupism prevails where co²existence and co²operation should
have been.
Now what is the meaning of the word ‘religion’. When language changes, the
meanings of words also change. What would have been the connotation of the word
‘religion’ when it was first used about 2500²3000 years ago. In PrÈkrit language, the
word is dhamma and in Hindi it became dharma (it is only in its modern usage that
we translate the word into English as religion). In the original, it is dhamma. As I told
you a little earlier, the primordial nature of water is coolness and the nature of sun is
to provide light. The original nature of earth is to cultivate, to imbibe. In other words,
the nature of a thing implies its primordial state. Now in modern times the usage of
the word nature has changed. What meanings we impute to the word nature today?
Our usage, for example, is: He has a nice tempera ment or he has a quarrelsome
temperament or nature. So what meanings we input to the word nature? Behaviour,
the manner of social intercourse. That is what we call nature or temperament.
However, in olden times, nature or temperament implied primordial state. This latter
was called nature. When we have to convey that the original state of water is coolness,
we shall now say that the primordial nature of water is coolness. When we have to say
that the primordial state of fire is hot, we say that the original nature of fire is heat. If
we have to say that the original state of the sun is to get illuminated and to provide
light, we say that the nature of sun is to get illumined and to give light, Now the other
name for this nature had been religion. Nature and religion were almost synonymous
words. In other words, in olden times if we had to say that the nature of water is
coolness, this could be conveyed by saying that the water’s dharma is coolness. If we
had to say that the nature of sun is to get illumined and to illumine, this could be
expressed by saying that the sun’s dharma is also as such. Both the words, nature
and dharma, were synonymous. However, with the changes in the language, the
meanings have also changed; now dharma or religion stands for a separate religious
tradition, and nature has become synonymous with behaviour. Meanings of both
dharma and nature have undergone a change. However, both these stood for
primordial nature. In a way, the primordial state of your consciousness is your
religion. Now what is the primordial nature of your consciousness? The original or
primordial nature means that nature for which no external or conscious effort is
required.
For example, we have to heat up water. For this we will have to make an effort.
If we make absolutely no effort, the water will be cold, Similarly, if you give up all
efforts ² efforts of body, mind and speech ² what would you feel within? Peace or
non²peace (restlessness/conflict)? Obviously, peace. What do you feel³happiness or
sadness? Obviously, happiness. So this peace, happiness and consciousness is the
nature, the religion. You take the case of any tradition. Everybody will agree with
this. No religious tradition would say that man should not be at peace or happy. The
Hindus, the Jains, the SathÈnakvÈsÏ, the MandirmÈrgÏ all say that man must
experience peace within. None of them says that man should be sad. All of them say
that man should be happy and that he should be conscious. None talks of man’s
remaining unconscious. So peace, happiness and consciousness is satchitanand and
this is religion. To arrive at this is a characteristic of a religious man.
Now which path do you choose to arrive at this destination is your choice. Some
prefer the path of worship. Let them worship. If another favour telling the beads to
worship, let him tell the beads. Another might prefer praying, let him pray. If
someone wants to meditate, let him meditate. Arrive at this destination through the
path you like. Reach the state of satchitanand. I have told you the path that I knew,
i.e., which I learnt from my spiritual gurÊs. We know the path and are aware that
meditation is the way. Of course, meditation is not the only way, rather there are
many more paths as well. Meditation is one of those paths. As we have seen
meditation is a very simple and easy way. It has no complications. If you worship,
there will be several complications. What way to do it? Should it be done this way or
that way? There is no such complication in meditation. You have to do nothing. Just
sit still and relaxed. Close the eyes. Shut the mouth. Keep the body still. Thus, your
mind is there. Look, for how many years you have been doing all that you have done.
What did you achieve? Now you have to discipline the mind and meditate only for
three days. Look, what have you achieved? Do you feel the difference? Now the
choice is in your hands.
Now I have shown you the way that was known to me. And I know, if you move
on this path, you will sure feel the change in your life. Go on practising for six months
what I have taught you here. There will certainly be a change. Let it be anybody, from
any tradition. Do it for six months what you have failed to get in the last fifty years. I
can say with certainty that this has happened with millions of people. I do not say this
from any bookish knowledge. I have experienced it myself. It really happens. I have
known many people around me and the kind of life they led. I also know the change
in their life and how they live now. It is not a very long period. Not that you have to
perform austerities for say fifteen or twelve years. Just two or four or a the most six
months. And you will find the change in life. Of course, this does not mean that you
will do it only for six month and then give it up. It is not to be that way. It will have to
be continued, but you will feel the change within six months. Even the period of six
months is also a bit too much. You will feel within just a fortnight that the life has
changed a lot. And during all this, there has been no discussion either on God or on
the religious preceptor. You may have faith in the deity you want to, you may have
faith in the preceptor you want to, but you must meditate. You may first pay respect to
your preceptor because all the spiritual preceptors of the world are really great
persons. None of them is smaller or inferior to the other. All of them are equally great.
All deities are also supreme.
CHAPTER VII
PRIMORDIAL FORM OF DHARMA (II)
The incantation of a mantra is good, but the mere incantation of a mantra will
necessarily make man religious is not sure. You cannot say this with hundred per cent
certainty. A person who does not recite a mantra cannot be religious, you cannot even
say this. There is nothing bad in a mantra, but religion is not confined to a mantra;
similarly, it is not that a person reciting a mantra became religious and not reciting a
mantra became irreligious or atheist.
People feel that religion means a particular kind of robes, a given set of rites and
rituals and the observance of certain other prescribed things. Of course, every kind of
dress has its own significance. Each has its own effect. However, it is not necessary
that you will become religious just by changing your robes. There are quite a many
people who have failed to become religious even after changing their garb. At the
same time there are many who have become religious even without changing their
dress.
Thus, there are different conceptions about religion. As I said earlier, some
people hold that religion means a set of rituals and ceremonies. The second
conception is that religion implies belief in a particular deity and a certain spiritual
preceptor. The third conception is that religion means incantation of a particular
mantra. The fourth conception is that religion comprises a particular dress or
following a given tradition. All these things are right in their own place, but none of
them in itself constitutes the whole religion. They all are small parts of religion. They
are like the seed sown in the earth, which is then watered, provided fertilizer, and then
given sunlight and air. The seed will sprout and grow only after getting all these and
then transform itself into a plant. Gradually that plant will blossom and these
blossoms will give out fragrance. Religion is like that fragrance. All the things like
sowing the seed, watering, providing fertilizer, and giving sunlight and wind, etc. are
like the rules and regulations, rituals and practices, remembering God, recitation, faith
in the spiritual preceptor and a prescribed kind of robes.
All these are small things. They can and cannot be meaningful. You may take it
as if you had sown the seed in the earth. Now it is not necessary that it will develop
through all the stages to bloom and give out fragrance. It is just possible that the seed
is dead or defective or it may not bloom. On your part, you watered it all right, but it
is not sure that it will blossom into flowers. After all your efforts, the seed may sprout
into a plant or it may not. The same is with religion. It is not necessary for one to
become religious even after performing all the rites and rituals. At the same time,
there is no such condition that one cannot become religious.
Religion is the fragrance of that flower in bloom. It is just possible that you may
or may not get the fragrance even after doing all this because the seed has to go
through a long journey to reach the stage of fragrance.
What is religion? Just a little while ago, someone had given a very beautiful
answer that the nature of a thing is its religion. This has been, no doubt, a classical
answer. However, I feel that even he who gave this answer does not fully know the
meaning of his answer. He seems to have either heard of this and read about this
answer.
The meaning of the word dharma was entirely different about 25003000 years
ago. The language of that era was entirely different. PrÈkrit was the language of
common usage. Sanskrit was also popular. However, these days Hindi and English are
popular languages. What difference does it make? We have absorbed as such the
words of Sanskrit and Prakrit in Hindi and Gujarati languages. It meant that although
the words remained the same, the meanings changed.
I was in Rajasthan. One day a lady asked the other: šWhat is the tame [time]?› I
felt wonder struck listening to the word ‘tame’ coming from her lips. It was a little
later that I could follow that she was asking for time. The word ‘time’ got adapted into
‘tame’. Maybe after say fifty years from now, this word will become classical in
Marwari language. Then, tame would mean time. People by then might forget that the
word tame is the corrupt from of time.
Somewhat same thing has happened with our PrÈkrit and Sanskrit words. We
have adopted them in Hindi as such. One such word is dharma. The word actually
was dhamma. The word dhamma gradually got adapted into dharma. At that time, the
word dhamma meant dharma.
A Jain SÊtra saysdharma is what the swabhÈv is. What is the meaning of the
word swabhÈv? These days we give the word a meaning which was not given in
earlier times. Today we imply nature by this word. For example, we say that he is a
man of quarrelsome nature or of a very sweet or amiable nature. Thus, in the
modernday idiom the meaning of the word swabhÈv has been taken as one’s
behaviour or character. However, about 25003000 years ago during the age of Lord
MahÈvÏra and Gautama Buddha, when the word swabhÈv was used, it was used as a
synonym of dharma. Wherever the word dharma was to be used, they used the word
swabhÈv. For example, if they had to say that the ‘nature’ of water is cold, they would
say the dharma of water is cold.
Thus, during those days the meaning of swabhÈv was bhÈv of swa. In other
words, this meant the primordial state, or that state to bring about which we have to
make no external or conscious effort. For example, if the water is to be heated, we
shall have to burn fire for the purpose or will have to make some other endeavour. But
if the water is to be cooled down, what shall we have to do? Of course, we shall have
to do nothing. Why? It is so because the cooleth is the nature of water. This is his
primordial nature. To take it to its original or primordial state, we need not make any
effort.
We can also say that the word swabhÈv means primordial nature. This is the
nature which is present of its own. We need not make any conscious effort to bring it
about. For example, the nature of sun is to give light. It has to make no conscious
endeavour to do so. In other words, the meaning of the word swabhÈv is that state to
bring about which we shall have to make no external effort. Thus, the swabhÈv is
what is bhÈv of swa.
We can also define the word swabhÈv in another different way. SwabhÈv is what
is ever existent. If you heat up water, it will not remain hot for ever. It will remain hot
only so long as it is nearer to fire. As soon as the fire dies out or is taken away, it will
start cooling down and soon it will come to its primordial statecool. And, if we have
to keep the water cool, we shall have to do nothing for this. It will remain cool for
ever. So the word means the original or primordial state to bring which no conscious
effort is required and which is inherent and which remains for ever.
Dharma implies swabhÈv. At that time about 2500 3000 years ago, both these
words were synonymous. However, gradually, meanings of both these words got
changed. Religion came to mean a particular tradition, rituals and practices, code of
conduct, etc., and swabhÈv came to mean behaviour or character. Look, how the
change has taken place with the passage of time. Thus, it is very difficult for us to
fully comprehend what the Lord said because the Lord had given discourses in the
language of those days. Nowadays we have with us the words used in those days but
their context and meaning have changed. We lack the insight and context in which the
Lord had used these words. We try to explain the word from the Agams with our own
insight and that is why sometimes the meaning is completely distorted.
What is our Nature?
Now we shall see as to what is our nature like. And, what is our original state?
When your body is completely and absolutely inactive and inert, when your speech is
silent and when even your mind is in a state of contemplation or, in other words, when
all the three yogas of yours are in order, what do you then feel? Is it a feeling of peace
or restlessness, of joy or sorrow? No doubt, you will experience a feeling of joy and
peace because that is your innate nature. That joy and peace has been born from your
inner self. At such a moment you are in accordance with your nature, your religion.
On the contrary, whenever you are restless or sad, you are against your nature, away
from your nature.
Universal Religion
Now let it be any human being, he may have been born in a Jain or Hindu family,
in a family having faith in the Sthanakvasi or Mandirvasi sect among the Jain ascetics,
he may have been born in Surat or in Bombay, in India or in the United States of
America. Can any or all of these factors bring about a change in his nature? Can the
nature of water be changed with the change in environment. It is not possible that the
nature of water in America is cool and that in India it is hot. Is such a thing possible?
The nature of water will be the same throughout the different parts of the world.
Similarly, man may go anywhere, to any part of the world, his nature will be the
same. And, the nature of man is peace and bliss and consciousness. When all these
three factors are together, it is nature. Whenever you possess these three, you are in
peace, you are in bliss and you are perfectly conscious. And at that time you are in
dharma. As soon as one of these three goes missing, you will find that either you are
in peace but you are not fully conscious or if you are fully conscious, you are not in
peace. In such a situation, you will go to adharma.
Sometimes it so happens that you are in peace and conscious, but you are not
blissful. In that case, that peace and consciousness will be full of sadness. Dharma
means where all these three are presentpeace, bliss and conscious ness.
Take the example of any great personage, of any holy man, of any spiritual
preceptor. You will find these three things ever present in them. Such people will be
in peace, in bliss and in consciousness. As these three increase in one’s life, dharma
will increase in the same proportion. Similarly, as they decrease, dharma will decrease
in the same proportion. Thus, peace, bliss and consciousness is your swabhÈv or
nature. Satchitanand is your swabhÈv and this is your dharma.
You have done and you have still been doing sÈdhnÈ or meditation on peace,
bliss and consciousness. In fact, this is the real meditation on dharma, meditation to
go back to dharma. On the face of it, it seems there is no Divine name involved in it,
there is no prayer in it, there is no mantra for incantation, there is no worship of an
idol or deity. What kind of dharma is it? We shall not ask you to repeat or recite the
name of God or look at an image of the Divine. On the other hand, we shall ask you to
become like God because God is not anywhere outside, rather you are yourself God.
But you have forgotten the God inside because you have been made unconscious by
the feelings of wrath, ego, desire, etc. When you will give up these three feelings of
wrath, ego and desire, you will go back to your nature of peace, bliss and
consciousness. As such, you will meet God within.
Lord Mahavira during long austerities of twelveand ahalf years did only two
thingsdhyÈna or disciplining the mind and KÈyotsarga. Just now someone had put a
question: did Lord Mahavira also go through the practice of blowing the conch? I had
said: Brother, the Lord did not have the need to do that. Think of the difference
between your body and that of the Lord. In the opening „loka of the BhaktÈmar
Stotra a eulogy has been sung of the body of the Lord. Even the gods bow before
Lord MahÈvÏra to pay him obeisance. The effulgence of the nails of MahÈvÏra’s feet
is more than that of the gems studded in the crowns of these gods. If the nails of feet
of one are so shining that the shine of even the gems in the crowns of gods gets fades
in comparison, how beautiful his remaining body will be. You can easily imagine this.
A person so beautiful and so pious need not perform all these rituals. His diet and
behaviour were completely balanced.
Now both your diet and behaviour are imbalanced. You have never reflected
upon the questions as to what you should eat, when you should eat and at what
intervals you should eat. You live only in two conditionseither you are eating or you
are getting ready to eat. It is not proper at all to compare your own body with the body
of Lord MahÈvÏra. The age of MahÈvÏra was different. And the modern age is
entirely different. You can take the times just sixty or seventy years back. The age of
your father or of grandfather was different from what you live in. There has been a lot
of difference between the dietary habits and environment of these two ages. In the
times sixty or seventy years ago, food was taken only two times a day. How many
times do you eat these days? You take food at least three times a daybreakfast in the
morning, lunch at noon time and dinner in the evening. This is the normal dietary
practice. One never knows how much one eats during the day apart from these three
meals.
Once a lady came to see me. She said, šMahÈrÈj! I do not feel the hunger. I eat
very little, but still I never feel the urge to eat.›
I listened to her. What should have I told her? As the lady had left, a person who
had been her guest the previous day told me about the reason for her not feeling the
hunger. He threw light on her dietary habits. He told me that the lady takes her
breakfast soon after getting up in the morning. And this breakfast comprises at least
two to four hot, steaming parȇ—hÈs, with a little of jalebÏ and a glass full of milk. It
is still morning and it is just a small breakfast. As they say, it is necessary that your
belly is full once you get started for the day’s work. At around ten, she would take her
food including some bananas, apples, etc. Then she would busy herself in preparing
lunch. Her lunch consists of just 34 loaves of bread with 23 wellcooked vegetables,
a bit of rice and a glass of lassÏ to go with at the end. In fact, before getting up from
the dining table, it is obligatory to take some sweet dish. Otherwise, how will the
throat be clear? Anyway, she finishes her lunch with this much only. Of course, she
never has the urge to eat and in this situation how can one eat more than that. After a
brief siesta or some little work, it is afternoon and it is not the time to eat much. But
you cannot make your body work until it is fed with something. Keeping this mind,
the lady has to take her afternoon snacks around this time. These snacks do not
include muchjust a glass of milk, a little bit of fruit, one or two kachaurÏs, or some
such thing. It is evening time when she must visit the market to purchase fresh
vegetables or other provisions. Now when you are in the market place, it is not much
if you take a glass of juice or such other thing. In fact, juice is said to increase your
appetite. Thus, a glass of juice is a must for this lady. Walking down the market, you
may come across some old or current friends of yours. There is no harm if you stop
with your friend have a refreshing drink or snacks with him. The other friend
otherwise might feel bad. Two friends can sit together for a while and eat a bit. How
can one eat more, especially the persons like the lady who have the ailment of bad
appetite. Then one must have dinner in the evening because it is meal time. How long
can one survive if you do not take anything for dinner. How will you go to sleep? So
the dinner comprises a few loaves, with some vegetables and rice. And when the
whole family sits for gossip or some such thing together at night, generally a glass of
milk for everyone is usual. Still we do not eat much, but take only a little because we
suffer from bad appetite.
Now I could understand the reason for the lady’s bad appetite. You can only
laugh at her. But I shall suggest that everyone gives a look back at his/her own day’s
routine. Was your routine not somewhat like that? Most of the rich people go through
almost the same kind of routine. Then I shall have to say that you must have another
glass of water and must undergo another set of exercises. Nobody knows how many
times you eat and what you eat!
You can well imagine the consequence if diesel is put in a motor meant to run on
petrol. And what will be the consequence if kerosene oil is added in an engine meant
to run on diesel? Will the engine/motor start? Will it move? No, only the engine will
get stuck. And, put dirty water in a motor which otherwise runs on kerosene oil. It will
stop altogether. However, if the motor starts running even on dirty water, what will
you do? Will you call it a miracle? In fact, we all are one such miracle. How are we
alive so far is perhaps the greatest miracle. The way we eat we should have died much
earlier by nowthe way you eat, the amount of food you take, the number of times you
eat may it be day or night. No restrictions, no rules are there to check you. It is, say, 2
o’clock at night and you have to recite the Nava×kÈr mantra at night. You must have
something to drink and eat before that. Otherwise, how will you recite? The kitchen
continues to function throughout the night since it is the continuous recitation of the
mantra. If you do not have a cup of tea, you may feel sleepy. This is the situation you
are in. You are living in extreme need of food, perhaps you live for food. You never
think of what you are devouring in the name of food and in what quantity. Still you
are alive. I see this as a great miracle.
Whatever we do here is to take the body and the mind to its primordial nature.
This camp has been so designed as to bring back our body and mind to their balanced
state from the way we live, the kind of life we live in this modern age.
Today you might think of four or five thousand years earlier when no such
camps were organized. This is right. Possibly, no such camps were then held. That
was a different age. The traditions and expectations were different then. During those
days if you had to learn how to discipline mind and how to meditate, you had to go to
a spiritual mentor. You had to live under his guidance for an year or two or even for
twelve years. Then they taught such things. Times have changed now. Modern man is
short of time. If I say that you put up with me for an year and only then I will teach
you how to meditate and how to discipline the mind, there will be only one or two
persons who might opt for this during a period of thirty years. Therefore, we have
designed the camp in keeping with the requirements of the age. No such camps were
held earlier. Perhaps they were not required then.
Two Forms of Religion
There are two forms of religiondeterministic and behavioural. The former is
ever unchangeable: it had the same form in the past, it is the same in the present and
shall remain so even in future. The deterministic form of religion is returning to the
inherent nature and become stable in bliss, peace and consciousness. On the other
hand, the behavioural form of religion is always subject to change. The behavioural
form implies the outer form. This is constantly changing. Its form is as is the form of
the society.
Imagine, you have a guest at your home. Let us suppose the guest is a rich
businessman. You offer him a seat on the sofa to sit in so as to converse with him,
listen to him and you are always anxious to put forward your opinion before him. On
the contrary, if some poor person happens to visit you, you listen to what he has come
to say while he stands on the threshold. You behave with the person as per his social
status. It does not indicate that your enmity with or prejudice against such a person.
You know that if you make the rich man sit outside on the bench, he might get
annoyed and go back without listening to whatever you might try to say. It is
necessary to make him sit on a cushioned seat so as to put your ideas to his ears. Your
behaviour, your words coincide with the kind of visitor. Your behaviour differs in the
context of two such persons. You change your behaviour in keeping with the
situation. This is behavioural truth. It is surely not that you want to honour the rich
man and insult or humiliate the poor. On the contrary, it is just possible that you have
more affection in your heart for the poor. But in keeping with the demands of the
behavioural efficiency, you behave differently with two different persons.
Let me illustrate a little more the idea of the behavioural form. Your grandfather
was used to wearing dhotÏ and turban. But what do you wear today? If the modern
youth goes to the market wearing a dhotÏ and turban, people will look at him as a
strange fellow. Or they might take him to be a BrÈhmi‡ going for some ceremonial
worship. Just as human dress changes with the changing times, the behavioural form
of religion also changes with the passage of time. But its essential form always
remains the same. Nonviolence, contentment, austeritiesthey are all there. But how
to adopt these values in life? We shall have to change the method of adopting them.
Only then will you understand that, otherwise you may not.
If I say that since Sanskrit is the best language, therefore, I shall speak only in
Sanskrit, but how many among the audience will understand the ideas that I might
convey? I will have to use the language which everybody among the audience can
understand. If I insist that there must at least be five to ten thousand listeners to my
speech and at the same time I also insist that while addressing them I shall not make
use of the mike. This will be improper behaviour on my part. How many of them will
be able to listen to my voice? If I say that even if the number of my audience is fifty
or hundred it is all right with me. Then my insistence on not using the mike is
understandable. In fact, there is no need of mike for an audience of say fifty, but if
you have an audience of five to fifteen thousand, you must make use of the mike. If
you must not make use of the mike, then give up the expectation that your audience
should swell into thousands. In that case your attitude should be that any number of
audience is acceptable.
To make or not to make use of mike to address an audience is the behavioural
form of religion. It is not that you will become irreligious if you make use of the mike
or that you will become more religious if you do not make use of it. As I said,
behavioural form of religion is subject to change. It continues to change. On the other
hand, deterministic form of religion is static in all times, past present and future. One
who observes this form is certainly a religious person and one who does not is
certainly an irreligious or defiled person.
Religion and Meditation Camps
In this camp, we tried to reach religion through different ways. First of all, we
exercised to sit still. One may ask why sitting still is so important. If you continue to
stir or move, can we not concentrate or meditate? Of course, yes, we can concentrate
and meditate while we are not still. Think of those who have never meditated earlier
in life. For such people, it will be quite difficult to reach a state of actionlessness
while still active. As you might have experienced, our body and mind are quite
closely inter connected. Whenever there takes place a change in the body, it leaves its
effect on the mind as well. Similarly, whenever a change occurs in mind, it has its
effects on the body as well. When you have headache, or pain in the foot, can your
mind be in peace? No, that cannot be. When we are carrying a burden on the mind or
when we are mentally restless, can body feel the peace? No, certainly no. Body and
mind are closely connected with each other. Therefore, when you keep the body still,
it helps in keeping the mind also still and stable. Thus, the first stage of meditation is
to sit with a still body.
Somebody had questioned if you cannot meditate while lying down. Of course,
one can meditate this way as well. Sitting is not a mandatory posture for meditating.
You can meditate even while standing. You can meditate even while lying down.
However, the point worth consideration here is that you feel drowsy even while sitting
and it will be quite easy for sleep to overtake you while you are lying down. Your
onehour meditation will get extended to 45 hours. You will never know in which
meditation you were lost for these hours. You will easily fall asleep. In fact, there is
every possibility of your falling asleep if you try to meditate lying down. Sleep and
meditation are two opposite extremes. You will enjoy sleep while trying to live
consciousness. All our plans will go topsy turvy.
There is no doubt that one can meditate while lying down. But so far the
consciousness of your mind is not that strong and deep. You are not yet so prepared as
to keep your mind conscious while still lying down. Thus, it is necessary to sit as you
meditate.
Benefits of Sitting Straight
The second thing that I said was that you back and neck should be straight. There
are numerous benefits of sitting straight. At the same time, there are as many
drawbacks of sitting in a bending posture. When you continue to sit bent down, you
begin to feel tired and sleepy. On the contrary, if you sit straight, you keep fresh. You
must remember that half of the maladies our bodies suffer from are caused by this
defective sitting posturebending down. The freshness and youthfulness of your body
will last long if you continue to sit straight. However, if you continue to sit in a bent
down posture, you will get old earlier than usual. Getting old means early loss of
freshness and alertness.
Generally, people find it very difficult to sit straight. Why is it so? Simply
because people have become habitual of sitting in a bent down posture. Thus, sitting
straight seems difficult and painful to them. However, it is more natural, very natural
to sit straight.
It is also necessary to keep the eyes closed while meditating because the eyes
connect us with the outside world. As soon as we close our eyes, our connection with
the empirical world is broken.
Importance of Breathing
In meditation, we fix our mind/consciousness on the pace of breathing. As we
did during the meditation, breathe in deeply and then breathe out and repeat it twice or
thrice. What does deep breathing do? In fact, deep breathing acts like the speed
breaker. Just as a motor moving at a fast speed on a road will have to slow down as
the speed breaker approaches. Slowing down means lowering the speed. Similarly, a
deep breath lowers the pace of your mind.
Thereafter we began to look at the natural breathing. What happens when we
look at the natural breathing? Why did we choose breathing for this? We could have
replaced breathing with some mantra or the painting of a god or some other deity. We
chose breathing because it connects us with the present moment. Another beautiful
thing about breathing is that whatever you might do you cannot look at the breath
gone by ten minutes ago. Similarly, you cannot look at the breath you will take ten
minutes hence. You can see only the breath which is present.
Breathing connects you with the present. When you began seeing the breathing,
your thoughts automatically got lessened. I did not ask you to put a check on your
thoughts. I had directed you only to look at the breathing. You began seeing it and
your thoughts calmed down automatically. There are two doors for the thoughts to
sprout. Either they come from the past or from the future, but breathing is in the
present moment. Connecting with the present closes the doors to past and future and
your mind moves towards thoughtlessness.
Looking at the breathing calms down your thoughts automatically. Had you
instead looked at the painting of a deity or performed the incantation of a mantra,
your mind might have got absorbed in that as well. However, incanta tion of a
mantra or remembrance of Divine name is also a thought in itself. And, we have to
move from thought to thoughtlessness, from idea to nonidea, from desire to
desirelessness, from action to action lessness and from activity to nonactivity. For
that we shall have to look at something which takes us to actionlessness, inactivity,
thoughtlessness.
Meditation on Thoughtlessness/Inaction
If you are repeating the name of God or reciting a mantra, this is also an action.
This is an activity to be done by mind. If you are performing an activity, how can you
move towards inactivity? A cursory glance shows breathing to be an activity, but it is
not activity. For example, a man gets unconscious. Can he take his food? Of course,
not. He cannot drink water even. However, an unconscious person breathes in and out.
Breathing is an activity that goes on of its own. It goes on without any conscious
effort on our part. Breathing continues even if we are conscious and in deep slumber.
As we bind our mind with breathing, the mind becomes throughfree,
consciousness becomes void. The state of mind and consciousness turning thoughtless
and void is the highest attainment of meditation. It is the highest state of pure or
highest form of meditation.
CHAPTER VIII
RECOGNIZING THE TRUE GURÉ
The realization that we all humans are essentially the same provides a sense of
fearlessness to innumerable beings. And, the enlightenment of one soul can become
the cause of lighting innumerable other souls. How does a man get free from the
desires of life? Does meditation or reflection or selfstudy make any difference? But
the primary things are: 1. company of the true GurÊ, the enlightened one, the
selfillumined one; 2. and the major reason is the deep or inner meditation.
Who is the GurÊ? GurÊ is he who knows how and with what method can the
mind of the disciple continue to roam about in conscience. The basic idea is that it
should be able to experience joy and happiness in meditation, and roam about the
inner feelings joyously. And, only a holy man, a spiritual mentor can see this who
himself is one with the inner feelings. Otherwise, it is not possible. The most difficult
work in the world is to keep a check on the mind, but once one reaches under the
patronage of the GurÊ, this happens quite easily. This is the significance of the
patronage and protection of the True GurÊ.
What is the necessity of the GurÊ? The GurÊ suggests us the way out and tells us
what is important at a particular given time — whether it is meditation or prayer or
devotion or recitation or indulgence in work, etc. Even meditation undergoes change
in keeping with the region, time and feeling. It is as if the medicine were the same but
had to be taken in different forms. The essence is the same as to how can roaming
among inner thoughts be possible.
What is the criterion of a true GurÊ? In a way, no criterion in this respect can
work, but still it is the intense will of man which can recognize an enlightened person.
Among the chief characteristics of an enlightened person are equipoise and discarding
bodily attractions. Is complete detachment possible through discarding physical
attraction? What we call disembodied state is perfect in proportion to where we stand
today but is incomplete in proportion to the state of kevalj¤ÈnÏ.
deh chhatÈ jenÏ dashÈ varte dehÈtÏt
Similarly, ShrÏmad RÈjchand in his ¶tamsiddhi has given other characteristics
also. There we can see
The GurÊs are always farsighted. They possess that farsightedness which helps
them know today what the disciple will come to know tomorrow. They get the
knowledge of what is the fundamental reason of the inclinations and attitude of the
disciple and what will be their consequence. They know the malady within the
disciple, the malady which is fundamental and which encompasses all maladies like
sorrow, anguish, birth, death, etc. Only the GurÊ can provide remedy for such a
malady because the GurÊ knows the reason behind that. There are some reasons
which are apparent to all, but the basic reason behind is something else. When can a
physician provide remedial medicine? Obviously, he can do so only after he
understands the basic reason and provides the malady. That is why the knowledgeable
and the enlightened people say: šYou may make any number of attempts using your
brain, but you will not achieve the desired result, but success is yours as soon as you
reach under the patronage of the GurÊ. This is so because as you reach the GurÊ’s
protection, he gets hold of the basic reason and gives out the remedy. That is why this
has also been said that one should always have immense faith in the GurÊ. For
example, you go to a physician and accept whatever medicine he gives you. You
never question him as to why he gave you this and not that medicine. Similarly,
whatever wayout is suggested by the GurÊ should be faithfully followed. Thus, the
second meaning of farsightedness is he who knows the reason and consequences,
cause and the effect.
CHAPTER IX
FEELING OF SHELTER
There is no one competent enough to provide you safety and security and
similarly you are not competent enough to give safety and security to anyone. Still
man is ever searching for comfort and security. He holds that security lies in the
children, in home and in various material things of usage. He is under the impression
that he is secure if he has a family, a house, wealth, etc. He is also apprehensive that
nobody will protect him if he does not have all these things. That is why he earns
money, constructs a house, raises a family, etc. and maintains cordial relations with
friends and relatives. He does all this for the sake of comfort and security. He wants
that somehow his comfort remains intact. However, the more efforts he makes for his
comfort and security, the more unsafe he finds himself. Earlier, he was concerned
with his own security alone, but now he is equally concerned with the safety of the
wealth he has earned. Now he has to endeavour for the safety and security of his
family. Thus, concern for the security of all those things which he had raised for his
own security becomes his liability, his concern now.
Thus, all the efforts made for comfort and security become the cause of his
sorrow and insecurity. The house was constructed for safety, but who will now take
care of the safety and security of the house? The more secure a man wants to become,
the feeling of more insecurity take over. That is why the religious text repeat time and
again that none except religion can provide protection or shelter to you.
What is Religion?
The nature of religion is to conceptually seek and get the shelter of swabhÈv, and
in its practical form it implies seeking shelter.
Man is unable to understand this and then in ignorance he himself gets confused
and in consequence makes the people around also confused. It is in that confusion that
many maladies are born. Diseases of mind and body and worry and concern for family
and home are also born. When you get this knowledge, when you understand that
nobody can provide you protection and that only religion is the protection, meditation
is the protection, it is only then that you attain samÈdhi or meditation.
As one takes to the protection of wealth, position, reputation, home, family,
society, etc., one becomes a victim of varied maladies; and as one takes to the shelter
of religion, one attains meditation.
Meaning of Meditation
Meditation or samÈdhi does not mean the end of maladies but to remain
internally in meditation in the midst of all these. Can we call it equipoise? Actually, it
is equipoise, but it will be better to call it meditation. Meditation means resolution
attained, and no problem remains. In fact, the circumstances are the problems. But
sometimes a particular circumstance makes us confounded and agitated, then under
that agitation and confusion an ordinary circumstance also takes the form of a
problem.
What is the characteristic of one engaged in spiritual achievement? He should
discard the very idea of seeking shelter with anyone except religion, and rather he
must seek protection with religion. This is the characteristic of one engaged in
spiritual achievement, may be he a householder or an ascetic. Of course, there are two
pathsone of the worldly life and the other of the meditation. When does meditation
begin? When does one jump into the stage of meditation from that of worldly life? It
happens when man comes to understand that religion is the only protection. Of course,
everybody says so for the sake of saying that he is in the protection of religion, but in
their heart of hearts they think that nothing can move on without money and that none
will serve or look after me except my family and children. Who will bother for me if I
do not have a social status?
The SÈdhÊ SamÈj
Even some ascetics also say that none will bother for them if they do not have
reputation. Sometimes an idea also comes to mind as to who will provide me food.
How can I meditate without the devotees, without society, without status. That is why
there is so much of absurdity among the sadhus. They have no faith in meditation.
They also say for the sake of saying that the Arihants are great, and religion is a part
of life. Their life shows that ‘my status, my reputation, my society, my devotees are
my patron; only they will protect me. In this ignorance, innumerable maladies are
born. In the name of religion, they bring up absurdity and misconception, and on
many an occasion they risk their meditation for the fulfillment of their familial
desires.
Such people cannot be called ones endeavouring for spiritual achievement, rather
they are going the downhill. This causes damage to religion and society.
Ways of Seeking Shelter
What are the ways to bring man to the protection of religion, to make him
understand that only religion can protect. First of all, man must introspect and become
authentic. If he does not have any faith in the Arihant and that he in his heart of hearts
believes that wealth, position, etc. can provide shelter, then he should say clearly that
he does not have he faith because the mind says that his protection lies in material
things rather than in religion. It is mÈyÈ, if he just says for the sake of saying that he
is in the protection of religion.
Man’s inner faculties awaken as he does meditation and as a result of that inner
knowledge man, actually, goes to the protection of religion. One cannot get this
understand ing without meditation. And without this understanding, man does not go
to the protection of religion. Ignorance remains as a result of the samskÈras of earlier
lives.
Resolution will automatically come as you meditate and from that resolution is
awakened the understanding and this latter induces man to seek religion’s shelter. The
deep effects of the samskÈras of previous births do not go without this understanding.
Kinds of Understanding
Understanding is of two kindsthe external understand ing and internal
understanding. The mediums through which external understanding is possible are
company of the holy, discourses given by the saintly, etc. But inner understanding is
awakened only through meditation. Both of them are necessary for man. The external
understanding alone cannot bring about the change.
A Jump from the World
This occurs when man gives up the idea of seeking shelter with material things
like wealth, status and family and instead seeks the shelter with religion, with Arihant,
Siddha, with sadhu and with religion. This occurs when he develops the inner
understanding and that is the only way, that is the only shelter and that is the only
basis of my life.
It has been said in the Uttradhayan SÊtra:
jarÈ mara‡ vege‡a× bujjh mȇȇa pȇi‡a×
dhammo dÏvo pa——hÈ ya, gaÏ sara‡muttama×
In this way, when man comes under the protection or shelter of religion, he
becomes a sÈdhak or one endeavouring for spiritual achievement. He is either an
ascetic or a householder. Real understanding follows meditation. Even if the feeling
for shelter does not change even after taking the a‡uvrat or minor vow or the
mahÈvrat or the major vow, man might be intellectually understanding the issue but
at heart he still feels inclined towards material things. Everybody knows that wealth
does not provide shelter but still man cannot give up his temptation for it.
The intellectual or external understanding can become an inspiration which helps
prepare ground for the inner understanding.
Why Shelter of Religion only
Only religion is the shelter. This, however, does not mean that wealth, status,
reputation, etc. are not of any use. You come under the shelter of religion, thereafter
religion will provide you what is necessary for you.
If you required wealth for your development, you would have it; if you required
status, you would get it. You will get what you need for your meditation and
development, and not what you wish for. In this way, shelter is of religion and
thereafter whatever is needed will be provided to you. It can be wealth or poverty,
honour or ignominy, anything. Whatever is required for meditation you will get.
Essence of Religion
If a man always continues to get good things of life, he can possibly go astray.
So it is necessary to give him a jolt. Religion is like the mother who takes every care
of the child. She does everything that is to the betterment of the child. However, if the
child is a wanderer, mother cannot do anything even if she wants to help the child; she
can help him only if the child gives up his wandering and comes under her shelter.
Everybody cannot understand this. Therefore, everybody cannot understand the
essence of religion because they ask for comfort and facilities and not the means. So
they observe religion so long as they continue to get comfort and facilities, otherwise
they give it up.
Acceptance with Resolution
What does one working for spiritual achievement feelthat he has now come to
the shelter of religion. Then he feels that whatever is happening in his life is for the
betterment and development of his life. Thus, he accepts this resolution knowingly. If
he accepts the situation willingly, meditation will follow; The sadhak himself has no
desire or expectation.
Test of the Feeling for Shelter
When a fellow comes under the shelter of religion, he has no apekshÈ or desire
of his own. The word apekshÈ means what is being received is not right. When you
are under the shelter of religion and you still feel that whatever you are getting is not
good, it means you have a sense of doubt in religion. However, when this is
shelterseeking and dedication, it would mean whatever you get is right. Then you
have neither any expectations from nor any complaints against life. So long as you
have a complaint, a demand, you are not in the shelter, you have not completely
dedicated yourself to religion. It is an old human habit to repeatedly doubt or
repeatedly complain. To overcome such diehard habits and such samskÈra is
meditation. Shelter is more appropriate than dedication. One can dedicate with love as
well. In fact, that is not dedication. Dedication (samarpa‡a) means offering (arpa‡a)
in the right way. Arpa‡ or offering means to give in completely, not with love but
with rational and right intelligence seeking shelter with arhant, sadhus or religion.
Religion opposes none.neither wealth, nor status nor reputation. Whatever is
desired for your development will be given to you. It is just possible that as a rich man
reaches the shelter of religion, he gets poor. What will you say in relation to this? That
poverty might be essential for him. In this way, whatever is necessary for you will be
provided. That can be honour and this can also be dishonourit can be anything.
CHAPTER X
OAÕK¶R : A REFLECTION
Om is a sound. There is a difference between a sound and a word. Sound is not
part of any language whereas words belong to language. For example, there is
difference between the sound of a bell and the word ’—an..—an’. In other words, the
sound and the word that gives expression to that sound are two different things.
Sound is also of two kindsÈhat and anÈhat. A sound produced by the striking of
two material things is ahat and the sound that is produced of its own without the
striking of any two things is called anÈhat.
Om is an anÈhat sound. Just as there is difference between the sound of the bell
and the word ‘—an...—an’, similarly the sound of om and the word om are different.
Just as ‘—an...—an’ is the nearest word that represents the sound produced by the
bell, similarly om is the nearest possible word to give expression to the anÈhat sound
of om or oam.
The entire world is prone to extinction. There is nothing concrete in this world.
There is vibration of motion everywhere. And the sound of this vibration is oam.
None has created this sound; it is selfexistent and allpervasive.
In the sound of om, three kinds of sound is found-a + u + m. When ‘a’ and ‘u’
combine together, the sound ‘o’ is formed. Thus it becomes o + m = om.
Way to Pronounce O×kÈr
The word o×kÈr should be pronounced properly: it is obligatory. First, take a
deep breath in and then breathing out pronounce ‘o’ and pronounce ‘m’ at the end.
Divide the total length of your breath into three parts and spend two parts of it in the
pronunciation of ‘o’ and one part of it in the pronunciation of ‘m’. For example, if you
take say ten seconds breathing out, you should spend about seven seconds
pronouncing ‘o’ and the last three seconds be given to the pronunciation of ‘m’. There
should be a gap of minimum of 10 to 15 seconds in between the pronunciation of
‘om’ each time: you should remain completely silent during this gap. During that
silence, you will feel something within and you should continue having a feel of those
waves. In this way, you can pronounce ‘om’ thrice, five times, eleven times,
twentyone times or one hundred and eight times. It is, however, obligatory to keep
silent for a while after each pronunciation of it.
The methodical pronunciation of om removes all remains of impurity within the
body. You feel a sort of balance between body and consciousness. It is always useful
to pronounce om thrice or five times before beginning meditation.
As we told you, the sound of om is selfexistent and allpervasive. It has been
happening continuously at every place, but we fail to listen to it because of the flow of
thoughts and feelings in mind. When the holy men through their meditation or silence
entered this peaceful within, they then felt this sound in that environs of peace. When
we pronounce om from outside, our body and consciousness tend to gradually identify
themselves with the intonation of the sound of om.
Breath is a universally common part. One may belong to any religious tradition
or denomination, everyone breathes and breathing in each case is the same. Just as
breathing is not related to any particular person or thing, similarly om is also a
universal sound. It is not related to any specific religious tradition or denomination.
Still every tradition and civilization has pronounced it in its own way. For example, in
the Hindu and Jain culture, it is pronounced as om and in the Christian and Muslim
civilizations, they call it amen.
¶chÈrya ¶tma RÈm, in his exegesis of the ¶chÈra×ga SÊtra (p. 276) throws
light on the form om of in the Jain tradition and says:
¶yatchakkhÊ logvipassÏ logassa ahobhÈga× ja‡ai uÇÇh bhÈga× jȇai, tiriya×
bhÈga× jÈ×ai
In the above quoted sentence is contained a clear definition of the sound of om.
A being who knows well the form of the three worlds and who has been completely
detached from the worldly desires and temptations, has already attained the
indescribable bliss can be called farsighted. And it is only such a being as can show
the way to liberation to people caught in the web of worldliness. In other words, one
who knows fully well about the three worlds is allknowing and allseeing. He can
also be expressed through the word of om.
In the SÊtra referred to, the opening letter of each of the three
wordsahobhÈga×, uÇÇhbhÈga× and tiriya× or madhya bhÈga×used there has
been taken to form the word om-a + u + m. In other words, when ‘a’ is added to ‘u’
and then ‘m’, the word aum or om will come to us. Thus, it makes clear that the word
om is synonym of one who knows well the three worlds, is allknowing and
allseeing. In the yoga dar„an also, this meaning of the word has been emphasized.
Of course, no exegete or commentator of the given Sutra has ever imagined the
word om while explaining the above discussed words. However, so far my
understanding goes, the author who composed the Sutra might have had this very idea
in his mind while composing it. The basis of this assumption is that the order in which
these three wordsadho, tiryak and udharvhave been placed do not indicate the three
worlds. Thus, one can imagine from this that the author of the Sutra manifesting the
word om through these terms might have remained dear to the author..
Apart from this, the Panch Parmesha—hÏ mantra of Jainism has also been
acknowledged as symbolic of om. ‘Arihant’ (lit. the killer (hant) of the enemies (ari)
like evil), the asharÏrÏ (embodied) siddhas and ‘ayariya’ (the enlightened ones) are
three Jain terms. If we add the three letters of the above given termsa + a + aawe
shall find aa with elongation If we add to this ‘aa’ to ‘u’ of Upadhyaya and ‘m’ of
Muni, it will mean aa + u + m. In this way, some of the ancient Jain scholars have
proved the presence of om in the NamokÈr Mantra of Jainism. This also makes clear
that the soul which has all the qualities like immense knowledge, philosophy, bliss
and prowess represented by the word om is allpervasive and allknowing.
This is of course a historical fact that the word om has been in use in the Vedic
tradition. It has not been used in the Jain scriptural literature in the form of meditation.
But in the Jain tradition the Jain Acharyas have accepted it. They have thus adapted
the word om in accordance with their own culture and thought. Since then the word
has gained a significant place in the Jain culture as well.
Method of O×kÈr Meditation
The method of o×kÈr meditation is²
First of all breathe in deeply; then speak out two words-‘o’ and ‘m’. First speak
‘o’ for some time and then say ‘m’.
The word ‘o’ should be spoken in two parts and ‘m’ in one part. If a person
cannot do anything else, he should else pronounce the word while breathing in and out
deeply.
How many times is the word om to be uttered?
One must utter at least five to ten times. Take the deep breath in and utter the
word. After this utterance, remain still for a while and concentrate on o×kÈr.
Method of O×kÈr Meditation
You can meditate while uttering the word o×kÈr or you can also do so after the
utterances.
It is easy to concentrate on o×kÈr in the ÈgiÈ charka. But it will be better if you
begin it from the heart charka. When you are able to concentrate your mind here, then
go to the former. And when you succeed in concentrating on that as well, then take
another step and try to concentrate on sahasra chakra. Concentration here means
installation there of the o×kÈr and then being with it. One should learn to get
completely immersed in doing so. He should forget everything else, instead he should
get immersed in that. This would mean concentration of mind.
O×kÈr NÈda Yoga
One may sit in any posture of one’s like. For example, one should sit in
giÈnÈsan or j¤ÈnÈsan. In this posture, one’s neck, hind part of the head and
backbone should be straight in one line. Arm should be bent a bit from the elbows.
Eyes should be lightly closed. There should be smile on your face.
MethodFor the first few moments, calm down your breathing and bring it to its
normal state. Concentrate your mind and heart. Breathe in deeply and take it from
sahasra chakra to mÊlÈdhÈr chakra.
The utterance of the word om is to be divided into two parts. In both the parts,
cadence/modulation should remain the same. Your mind should be completely
concentrated on the sound. Now making your sound sweet, the first part comprising
‘o’ should be taken on the imaginary route from mÊlÈdhÈr chakra through su–umana
nÈ‚Ï and then the anÈht charka. As you reach there, close your lips and utter out ‘m’
and taking this sound till sahasra chakra give up the breath. Try to make this latter
utterance of ‘m’ as long as possible.
Benefit
This is nÈda (sound) yoga which calms down the system of intestines in human
body. This helps man concentrate and this also affects the su–umana nÈÇÏ. This Nad
yoga is of crucial help in awakening the ÈgiÈ chakra.
CHAPTER XI
WHAT IS S¶M¶YIK?
One day in the morning at an ambrosial hour I was engrossed in meditation in a
peaceful and lonely place. As I got free from my meditation, I began to ponder upon
the six essentials. In these essentials, sÈmÈyik is of primary importance. Among the
five conducts, the first one is on sÈmÈyik and among the twelve vows of a believing
Jain, sÈmÈyik is the ninth. From the perspective of vows, essentials and conduct,
sÈmÈyik is of special significance. But what is sÈmÈyik? When my reflection on this
question went deeper and deeper, I happened to remember in my mind this text of the
BhagavadÏsÊtraaya samaie which implies that the soul is sÈmÈyik and sÈmÈyik is
the soul. Both soul and the sÈmÈyik are not two different entities, rather they are one.
For a believing Jain, it is imperative that he should practice sÈmÈyik for at least
two ghaÇÏs or few moments. Here we have several expectations from the sÈmÈyik.
Pure sÈmÈyik means living as per one’s nature, but then nature has numerous states.
The first and the best of all is to discard all worldly attractions and temptations and
live in a pure state of detachment. If one remains in this mental state for two ghaÇÏs,
one can sure attain the divine knowledge (kevalj¤Èna). Apart from this, nature the
state of indifference has so many states. All these differences and states are based on
the basis of worldly attractions and temptations. Meditation is also a practice of the
state of indifference. To explain this, we can say that it is like water that halts and
becomes quiet and calm. Human mind cannot concentrate and meditate on any object
for more than two gharis. In this way, the sÈmÈyik for a believing Jain is the samayik
for each moment. The SÈmÈyik done by a „rÈvaka is like practising sainthood. For
an ascetic, each moment is manogupti and if he has ever to practice essentials, he
should practice them carefully.
Duties of a ƒrÈvaka in SÈmÈyik
Selfstudy : He should make a selfstudy of an outline of Jain thought, Jain
TattvaprakÈsh, UpÈsakdashÈ×g SÊtra, Anta gaÇadsȇga J¤ÈtÈdharmakathÈ×ga
SÊtra, lifestories of great men from Jain history, etc.
Looking at the breath and meditation;
Utterance of OamkÈr and meditation;
Remembrance of God (recitation of NamokÈr Mantra);
Singing eulogies, prayers and devotional songs, etc.
With the help of selfstudy, meditation and manogupti be done. The meaning of
sÈmÈyiks is staying in a state of equilibrium or concentration with a feeling of
equilibrium. The most important of all these is meditation. Through this medium,
mind can be easily stabilized and its pace is checked. Sometimes we feel that our find
does not remain stable in meditation, but it gets absorbed in prayer or selfstudy. The
reason behind this is that during prayer and selfstudy, the states of mind continue to
change and as a result we do not become aware of mind’s wavering. On the other
hand, in meditation we have the support only of one state and consequently we
become instantly aware of mind’s wavering. In a way, recitation is also a good thing
and we call it padastha meditation, i.e., concentrating on any given text.
CHAPTER XII
WHO IS A MUNI?
Who is a muni? One need not remain silent in answer to this question and its
answer is also very simple and obvioushe who observes maun or silence is a muni.
There is nothing heterogeneous between maun and maunÏ. The field of maun is not
very wide. We can say that maun is of three kinds:
1. Silence of body;
2. Silence of speech; and
3. Silence of mind.
The silence of body and speech is observed by us. And the silence of the mind
happens of its own. And as the silence of mind takes place, the silence of body and
speech happens quite easily.
What is Silence of Body?
To sit still in one posture and let what is happening inside the body happen.
What is Silence of Speech?
Not to utter any words.
What is Silence of Mind?
1. Silence of mind happens when we are in a position of complete inertia. If the
ideas do come, let them come; if some ideas go, let them go.
2. You do not have to either stop an idea or go after another idea. Thus, you
should remove all the restriction on mind. Consequently, it becomes calm of its
own.
3. By controlling the mind, mind gets more nourishment.
4. To become effortless thus and let what happens happen. This state of SamÈdhi
and this state of inertia is called silence of mind.
You should not have any expectations from concentration. The silence of mind is
possible only if we do not have any expectations.
If you have any expectations, your mind will remain on the result. Thus, you
should sit still and calm with no expectations, especially with no expectations from
meditation. Let what happens happen.
The silence of body and mind helps in observing the silence of mind.
CHAPTER XIII
SELFCONFESSION AND REPENTANCE
Violation (atikrama‡a, in PrÈkrit) of the prescribed code and selfconfession and
repentance (pratikrama‡a, in Prakrit) are two important words. In the former PrÈkrit
word, ati is the prefix and in the latter prati is the prefix. In the formation of both
these words, kramu is the main verb (dhÈtu). When one violates or goes against the
prescribed rules or code, it is called atikrama‡a and as one shows genuine repentance
after a sort of selfintrospection or selfconfession to come back to the code, it is
pratikrama‡a.
Even when one is conscious in his meditation, one may sometimes stray into
passions or sentiments. To remain conscious of that straying daily in the morning and
evening is called the pratikrama‡a. One should look back at one’s own life as
objectively as if one were looking at someone else’s life. Vow in itself is being aware.
And pratikrama‡a or repentance/confession makes us conscious of that
consciousness. Daily practice of it both in the morning and evening is necessary
because passion dominates in the fifth ÈrÈ. Therefore, the practice of this
consciousness helps us remain aloof of passions. Repentance/confession is a cons
cious attempt of reiterating our awareness. It implies looking back time and again at
our daily life in a conscious way.
All the different forms of violation of the vows taken by the Jain ascetics and the
laity are variously the result of delusion. It may be the delusion of body of or anything
else, the person concerned does not know as to what he is doing but still he goes on
doing something. That is why the deed done by such a person is called false, i.e. in the
form of unnatural condition. The person has his existence, but he is not in accordance
with his nature. It is just like a dream but in fact not a dream. Each deed done by an
deluded person is false because that is done in a state of delusion. Perhaps even the
doer does not know what he is doing. Since it happened in a state of delusion, it
cannot be called action, rather it is a reaction. Such reactions are called evil deeds.
This deed is done by one in the state of delusion which is born of either slumber or
intoxication and sometimes as a result of some physical ailment. There is also internal
delusion which is born of the deluding karma. Any deed done even in the state of
delusion or carelessness is also not an action, rather a reaction and that is why this is
also called false. False here implies that it has an existence, but actually it is not as it
appears to be. Thus, repentance/confession of all these violations is contained in these
four words:
tassa michchhÈmi dukkÇa×
me = my
tassa = that
dukkaÇ + a× = evil deed
michchhÈmi = be false
This is not a kind of direction, commitment or proclamation. This is a feeling.
When a person in his cons ciousness looks back at his daily routine, the deeds that
have happened as a result of carelessness, promptness, he finds them good as well as
bad. In the worldly vocabulary, this can be charity given or even theft committed.
However, whatever happened it happened in delusion. It happened as a result of
anger, pride, illusion or greed. When man looks at all this as an observer, all this
seems like a dream to him. That is what is called tassa michchhÈmi dukkaÇa×. This
implies that this deed has been done by me in a state of delusion and thus it is a bad
deed and such a deed can only be false. It in no way can be true. Only a good deed
can be true. And a good deed means that our natural merits become sound and
demerits become smeager. As we again look back at our daily routine vigilantly, the
experience we have after knowing and observing later on the deed done in delusion is
called tassa michchhÈmi dukkaÇa×.
Thus pratikrama‡a is a kind of selfintrospection. It is not an activity, neither in
words nor in thought. However, our selfintrospection will be as deep as our thoughts
will be calm. Obviously, peace of mind will allow us to see with the same proportion
of clarity, certainty and depth.
Tassa michchhÈmi dukkÇa×. It is not a commitment or a proclamation, rather it
is the result of pratikrama‡a or selfconfession/repentance. It indicates whether
pratikrama‡a in fact took place or not. In other words, if it had really taken place, you
will realize that all the deeds or misdeeds that took place during your deluding state
would seem to be unreal to you.
There are different means for increasing this awareness such as company of the
holy, prayer, selfstudy, meditation, etc. All of these means help in our renaissance. A
saint will never rejoice in slander because slander of a person having delusion will
lead to nothing, rather the saint will endeavour for the removal of his delusion.
CHAPTER XIV
BASIS OF SOCIAL STRUCTURE
Here one glimpses the idea that philanthropy is the basis of life. First, a person
works for the nourishment of his family which helps in the progress and development
of that family. Thus, all members of the family enjoy the comforts and pleasures of
life. And when a member falls ill, the remaining members of the family look after
him.
Live and let live is the essence of corporate life. Mutual cooperation can increase
pÈpa or evil and it can also cause increase of dharma or righteousness. Just as a
householder has his family, a saint has his ga‡a. The householders help one another in
the acquisition of wealth, property and means of comfort. They also cooperate with
one another in the enjoyment of physical comforts and enjoyments. The saints try to
increase restraint, meditation and dharma or righteous ness and they cooperate with
one another for the observance of their disciplined and austere lifestyle.
This sÊtra is an indicator of love and friendship. Generally speaking, this
proclaims that all beings are somehow or the other related to one another. They are
obliged to one another. In this way this can also be called a social sÊtra.
This sÊtra becomes metaphysically significant only when it gets transformed into
the field of religion or meditation. It will give out the same kind of meaning as we
shall try to understand.
Pilgrimage Centre
The pilgrimage of the Lord is also based on mutual cooperation. The idea that
altruism is the basis of life combines the pilgrimage. The ascetics cooperate with the
householders and viceversa. Still they are not dependent on each other. They seek
each other’s cooperation, but do not depend on each other.
Who is the Mothre of Pain?
When does a man become dependent? One becomes dependent on the other
when one desires or expects something from the other, the desire that the other person
will cooperate with me and the expectation that he will cooperate with me. However,
this feeling that if cooperation comes it is good but if it does not come, it is all the
same. If the inner self is unbiased, hope will be there, and if hope is there,
disappointment is bound to be there. Then all pains and pleasures, joys and sorrows
are born. Thus, a sadhu must not have any expectation of anybody. Expectation is the
mother of pain and it causes furtherance of the world.
Causes of Desire for Pleasure
Why does a man have any expectation? He does so because he is under delusion
that he can achieve something from someone or that someone can give me some joy
or comfort. He has not yet been able to understand that he himself is effulgent light of
blissincarnate. Nobody can give me either pain or pleasure. So long as we do not
become aware of the bliss inside, we keep on expecting joy and pleasure from outside.
Why Expectation?
Desire or expectation is born of spiritual ignorance. Desire/expectation is an
embodiment of ignorance; it is a delusion. Man is accustomed to think that if
hope/expectation is there, protection will also be there. However, in the end this
proves to be an illusion.
What is Liberation?
Then should we have no expectation for liberation as well? This is an unnatural
question because expectation or desire is a feeling that originates from cessation from
inflows whereas desire/expectation is a feeling born of karma and indicates the
wantonness of mind. Liberation is also an indicator of the stability of mind. We came
across a little earlier a word duga¤chha‡dye which means natural getting rid of sins.
In this way, the natural efforts to know the true nature of soul, detachment from
illusion, steadiness in yoga are called wish to get emancipation or liberation.
Just as a pig has the natural tendency to eat excreta, similarly the body has
natural tendency for lust in the presence of knowledge and conduct deluding karma.
Apart from this, after cessation of the deluding karma and having the knowledge of
the soul, all the habits of sins are eliminated and natural pleasure of the soul takes
place.
CHAPTER XV
THE REAL STRENGTH
Who are we and what is our real strength? A clear understanding of it is not only
important but obligatory for us. When man does not know this, he in a state of
ignorance considers himself different from what he actually is. This misunderstanding
caused by his ignorance becomes the primary cause of his pain and suffering. That is
why man thinks that the strength of his caste, wealth, friends, etc. is his real strength.
He forgets that this is not his real strength. In fact, the spiritual strength of man is his
real strength. However, in delusion he becomes responsible for many evil deeds with
a view to further empower those external strengths. In the process, he happens to
commit some ignoble deeds which actually weaken his spiritual strength. We know
man remains worried and even fearful after adding much to his caste, friend, physical
and wealth strength. He is worried and afraid of losing the strength he has acquired.
This fear of his is indicative of the fact that the strength he has acquired is not his real
strength.
The real strength brings along fearlessness. The more is the spiritual strength, the
more fearless is the man. All other strengths add to the fear, only spiritual strength
overcomes it. The more fearful a man is, the more protection he will require. Fear
increases in the same proportion in which our external strength increases. He also
feels the need of security to fend against that fear. In this way, the more externally
strong a man is, the more fearful he is and he will require more security. Lord
MahÈvÏra meditated for the fearlessness and spiritual strength. Had he so desired, he
might have sought someone’s support, but he did not seek either support or security
from anyone. He knew well that spiritual strength does not increase with the increase
in external strength, and spiritual strength does not grow with the help coming from
others, and without spiritual strength, knowledge does not grow. Therefore, he gave
up all supports, and he became dependent on his spiritual strength or let us say he
became selfdependent. It is said that an ascetic („rma‡ic) is selfdependent. He does
not stand on the strength of anybody else, on the strength of some other person, thing
or situation, rather he stands on his own strength. He who stands on the strength of
others is constantly trying to please the others. To this end, he even goes to the extent
of committing various evil deeds . Truth, nonviolence and meditation is the only way
for adding to the spiritual strength. The way to God is the way taken by the brave and
the brave is one who depends on his own spiritual strength. Majority of the people
live under the delusion that their strength will increase with the increase in their
external strength. Sometimes some saints also do the same feeling that their strength
will increase with the increase of their following among the laity. This is ignorance.
The reality is that increasing the external strength and by remaining dependent
on it does not add to the spiritual strength, rather it weakens it. If you empower your
spiritual strength, all other kinds of strength will increase automati cally. Thus, a true
saint is he who leaving aside the support of the external strength remains firm on his
dependence on spiritual strength. So, we should all try to empower our spiritual
strength.
Your spiritual strength will increase in the same proportion in which you have
the firmness of mind and meditation. And it is with the spiritual strength that the
strength of society, of followers, etc. will go with you. Without spiritual strength, no
other strength remains constant with you.
ƒrama‡aSrÈvaka Relationship
The relationship of an ascetic („rama‡a) with the laity („rÈvaka) is limited to
giving discourses, teaching religion and the value of becoming pure vegetarian in diet
and taking clothes in charity, etc. Our relationship with the laity is limited to giving
religious discourses for religious renaissance wherever possible; it is limited to search
out for the sake of our religious rituals pure (vegetarian) food in charity wherever we
can find. This is the extreme limit to our relationship with the laity. If we have more
intimate and closer relationship, the influence of company is bound to occur on you.
CHAPTER XVI
RESTRAINT AND NONRESTRAINT
The more we shall be attracted to physical senses, the more we shall be attracted
towards the means (such as wealth, woman, reputation, etc.) for the fulfillment of
those desires of senses. It is because of the attraction towards those means that man
cons tantly endeavours towards them, tries to acquire them. This endeavour is
indiscipline, antithetical to restraint and austere life.
What is discipline or restraint? The endeavour made to overcome or negate the
senses is called discipline or restraint: it is austere life. On the contrary, the
endeavours made to acquire those means and to own them is called nonrestraint.
The basic issue here relates to mind. If mind is attached or is attracted to the
body, then it is or nonrestraint even while observing all the other rules and
regulations. In that case, the observance of rules and regulations is a mere sham
because a mind attracted towards body is always chasing the fulfillment of senses.
Thus, outwardly observing the rules and regulations and thus observing restraint, all
internal efforts of such a man are for the fulfillment of desires of senses. Such a man
is not restrained, not austere.
Who is a Pa‡Çit?
He who knows the present ksha‡ or moment and recognizes it is the pa‡Çit. The
word ksha‡ means the proper opportunity that came our way for religious meditation.
Since here it has been used in the field of religion, therefore it implies the proper
opportunity for religious meditation. At one place Lord Mahavira asks Gautama,
šsamayaŠ goyam mÈ pamÈyae›, i.e. O Gautama, do not be careless for a moment
because the TÏratha×kar is now himself present. After the TÏratha×kar is gone from
this world, it will become difficult to recognize true religion. Therefore, so long as
you have the proper opportunity, meditate, yet remain vigilant.
Pa‡Çit means the one who has pȇÇÈ inherent in him. The word pȇÇÈ again
means praj¤È, i.e. rational knowledge. He who has this is a pa‡Çit. Addressing such a
pa‡Çit, it has been said that you know your moment through your pȇÇÈ (pa‡Çit).
For the accomplishment of any work, it is necessary that matter, region (space),
time and feeling all five should be uniformally appropriate. It is only then that
something is accomplished. The meaning of appropriate time is time for religious
meditation; nature means the sprouting of the earlier karma; and intention. In other
words, matter, space, time and feeling all four are obligatory, are appropriate for
religious meditation, only a special and useful effort by man is required. Many people
interpret it in another way. Neither remember the past nor imagine the future, but
remain firm in the present. This sutra could also mean that pa‡Çit is he who does not
get lost in the memories of the past or in the fancies of the future, but meditates in the
present. To forget the past does not mean that you should also forget observing
selfconfession and repentance. The latter is very important. The point is that such a
pandit does not feel sad at the memories of the past. In other words, he does not been
happy or sad about either the past or the future. It is also necessary to look far into the
future and be on the look out for an opportunity. The meaning inherent here is that
merely feeling sad or disappointed looking at some events in he past is a futile
exercise. Therefore, instead of getting involved in such an exercise, one should make
proper use of and meditate in the present moment which is with him.
Dynamism in Meditation
Arai au——e se mehÈvÏ kha‡aŠsi mukke.
Renunciation of home and family is necessary to bring about dynamism in
meditation. How is the family and home made? It is made of relations. An ascetic
must not have relations with anybody. Whenever he gets involved in relations, he
begins to waiver in meditation.
As man gradually furthers in meditation, people begin to surround him. Most of
the people come because of their selfish motives and gradually they begin to become
obstacles in the way to meditation. Therefore, the best way to meditation is loneliness
or aloofness. Wherever you find the proper matter, space and time, you should go on
doing meditation. Do not get deeply involved in any situation or individual. Give your
blessings to all and go on with your work. Wherever and whenever there is an
attraction towards things of the senses, that is the time and place for extending
invitation to pain and obstacles.
CHAPTRE XVII
FAST TO ERADICATE
BODYATTRACTION
What is the root cause of the attraction for the body? It is diet. That is why stress
has been laid on fasting. Man can tolerate anything except hunger. You may give one
however beautiful means of comfort, clothes, house, etc., but nothing appeals to mind
unless and until one has taken his food. A hungry man will remain restless. In this
way, the root cause of the attraction for body is food/diet. Man considers the hunger
of body as his own. Fasting has been given so much of importance because through its
medium you can see that hunger belongs to body, not to you. In a way, fasting is a test
of your attraction for body.
To remain in a state of enforced hunger is a different question. Someone is
capable of buying and eating food but still he remains hungry, it is quite a different
thing. To merely remain hungry is not everything. Eradication of the attraction for
body is also necessary. And this happens only when you make a selfanalysis along
with keeping fast. That is why at many places, eating of one thing once a day has been
given more importance than fasting because these and such other things are very
helpful in eradicating the attachment for body. But it is also necessary to see as to how
to go about fasting. During fasting you have to see whether the hunger is felt by you
or by your body. Such an analysis is possible only through the discipline and control
of mind. Therefore, along with fasting, practice of mindcontrol and bodycontrol is
also necessary. To check the mind, it is necessary to take your self to the Self, i.e.
selfrealization. For example, we discipline and control mind through concentration
and meditation. Then one’s mind gets absorbed in self. And in that observation thus,
attachment with body is broken as we make selfanalysis during fasting. Here,
selfanalysis is more important than giving up food. Mere giving up of food is not
enough, but it must be accompanied by practice of meditation and relaxation.
Disciplining and controlling mind implies the practice of meditation and
relaxation of body. Thus meditating, one will automatically feel the breaking off of
attachment with body. Fasting makes control over mind firmer. But no ritual, no effort
can bear fruition without the practice of self controlling, may it be fasting, devotion,
prayer, worship or remembrance of Divine Name. Come what may, along with this,
practice of selfcontrolling is necessary.
The term samiti means actions performed in the right manner. Right manners
means by protecting the living beings consciously and rationally. The savants have
divided them into five sothat everybody can comprehend them fully. So by doing
deeds in the right manner is called samiti.
Can a householder also try to control physical and mental actions? Yes, a
householder can do so. It is good to control and discipline mind as much as possible,
and whatever he does along with this should be done in a rational way.
The word gupti means control over mind, word and body. The more we are able
to control our mind, word and body, the more disciplined and restrained our life will
be: all else is indiscipline and unrestraint. Gupti is a kind of negation.
—hȇe‡a× mo‡e‡a× jha‡e‡a×
The basis or root of discipline is inner perspective. Of course, external ethic is
also important. If the inner perspective is of acquiring comfort for the body, then all
external ethic is indiscipline and of no use. If the inner perspective is of going beyond
body, then this is in keeping with discipline. If this perspective is to go beyond body,
then man while still living amidst all comforts thinks of ways and means of getting
himself liberated of all these comforts. Thus, the right perspective implies inclination
towards restraint. In fact, such an interest is aroused with the acquisition of right faith
or samyak dar„an. The term samyak dar„an in Jain metaphysics implies seeking
protection with and having faith in the arihant, ascetics and religion. As one seeks
shelter with them, there takes place a change in his inner perspective. Here attachment
with body includes attachment with money, position, reputation, family and such
other things. Thus, he who has attraction for or attachment with position and
reputation is indiscipli ned and unrestrained. Attraction for position and status is also
a form of attachment with body. He who is fully inclined towards or attached with
body, his implicit and explicit efforts will be towards the means of fulfillment of
bodily requirements and comforts.
Comfort of body does not merely mean providing for its food and sexual needs.
Wealth, position, reputation, family and such things are also related with this.
Whenever somebody comes to search you out with your name on his lips, whom will
he find out? Of course, he will find out your body because the name, etc. have been
given to your body. In this way, the desire to acquire position or status has actually
been considered the basis of indiscipline. Such a person will ever be on the look out as
to how his status or honour increases in society. That is why an ascetic has been
advised to give up all kinds of desires.
CHAPTER XVIII
VOWS FOR LAYMEN
AND ASCETICS
The a‡uvrat (a‡u = small; vrat = vows; in Jain tradition they are vows for
laymen) and mahÈvrat (mahÈgreat; vows = vrat; in Jain tradition they are vows for
ascetics) repeatedly remind us of our nature because all the five mahÈvrat constitute
our nature. It is like when we remember someone, our mind instantly goes to him. As
we remember a particular place or an event, our mind instantly goes to that place or to
that event. Likewise these five great vows constitute our nature. As we time and again
become aware of these, we each time return to our nature.
What is Vrat?
First of all, it must be understood that vrat is not a compulsion. Observing vrat is
not like following the rules and regulations prescribed by society or nation. It is also
not a tradition which we must follow blindfolded. It is also not something
selfimposed on our own selves. It is also not a check on mind. Then what is it?
The word vrat implies awareness. It is a kind of practice of remaining in a state
of awareness and consciousness each moment, all the time. This is the central point of
all vrats, and it is this feeling which we have expressed in different ways and forms.
The first vrat or vow is ahimsÈ or non violence. Jain scriptural literature
saysÈtmavrat sarvbhÊ teshu, i.e. all contain the form like mine. That is not someone
different, but that is my form. The sense of friendship or fraternity that is born of such
realization is my nature. Thus, the observance of the vow of ahimsÈ means remaining
aware of the violence being committed in our life in the form of mind, word and body.
It implies being conscious or aware about that and to look at that with the sense of
knower and observer only. In the light of awareness, violence will automatically get
weak and thus become harmless. Our nature is nonviolence, and it will come out of
its own. For example, ahimsÈ also means a realization of nondifferentiation. It would
mean all are like me, and that I am within all. On the contrary, himsa or violence
means feeling of differentiation. He is different from me. In this way, the vow of
ahimsÈ would mean to remain awake or aware of violence being committed all the
time, every moment in our life through thought, word and deed. These external vows
and commitments repeatedly make us aware of our nature. To remain idle and in
attachment has become our second nature since generations. Thus, it is necessary to
wake us up time and again, and this job is done for us by these vows and
commitments. For example, a thought just occurred to a man or someone by the way
asked him that he had to take care of that garden. That fellow will take care of the
garden, but even if he becomes negligent and does not care about it, it is all right with
him because taking care of the garden is not his own idea, his commitment. It is just
possible that one day he gets more attached/involved in something else and in that
state of unawareness he forgets about the garden. However, if that fellow takes a vow
or makes a commitment, he will try to ever remain awake to take good care of the
garden. Even if at some given moment he becomes lethargic or becomes attached to
something else, his commitment will make him aware of his duty.
Memory of commitment makes man conscious again. Thus, these external
commitments help us remain aware and also make this awareness constant and
continuous. It is a sort of endeavour for constant meditation.
What is important here is awareness and the sense of witnessing. Whenever we,
under the influence of our old karmas, are attracted towards violence, we must not
look at our karmas with hatred and repulsion. Are hatred and enmitymay they be
towards one’s own self or towards others-not a form of violence?
If we adopt an attitude of violence towards violence, it adds to violence. Thus,
we must not adopt a feeling of hatred or enmity towards it, rather we should, without
taking any decision with our mind, just remain awake. We have to become knowers.
This is also what we call forgiveness. Forgiveness means getting free from our old
karmas and coming back to nature. Forgiveness is not a theoretical give and take. It is
the natural self consequence of being careful not to show anger, enmity and violence.
The same is true of truth. Truth means accepting what is and as it is. In simple
words, my utterance are in confor mity with my experience. To maintain uniformity
among mind, speech and action is truth. This is also called yathÈkh yÈta. This is our
nature, but generally man strays away from his nature. Anger, fear, laughter, sensuous
pleasure and wonder all are the different effects of untruth. As and when man enters
truth, he becomes aware of all these.
The same can be said about usurpation, i.e. the desire to possess another’s
possession without the latter’s consent or permission. Brahmcharya or celibacy is the
fourth vow: here brahm means pure consciousness. The attraction through love and
lust for something beyond this pure consciousness is an antonymn of brahmcharya.
Giving up sensuous attraction and loving acceptance of pure consciousness is
brahmcharya.
Everything has its own identity. Try to assert your own right over that identity, to
assert your own ownership of that identity, to consider that thing your own is an
untrue feeling and is called parigrahi. In this way, the root of our all nonvows is our
attachment, falsehood and attraction. In simple words, we can call it unconsciousness
or unawareness. On the other hand, the root of all vows is awareness, witnessing and
knowledge. Five great vows and five small vows are the name of our awareness
towards these five aftereffects. And, in these five consequences are inherent all the
trends and effects, both subtle and gross, external and internal, of entire life.
CHAPTER XIX
FAST AND DIET
Fast, called vrat in Hindi, is the other name of one’s constant awareness of one’s
commitment. Constant cons ciousness, awareness without any lethargic lapse. In
case, there is a moment of lethargy, one must remain fully conscious of it as well. To
maintain such an awareness, the body requires food which does not produce
excitement, evil thoughts, unequanimity and dullness.
1. Excitement: It means flow of impulses and passions, a great tumult or agitation
in the body, fast pace of thoughts in mind. One must not take that kind of diet
which produces this sort of excitement.
2. Evil thoughts: The kind of food which produces evil thoughts in body just as
taking together a milk product with pulses. One can take mÊ×gi or mÊ×g but
not the horse bean.
3. Unequanimity: Every person has his own nature. Each one must be mindful of
his nature. It is according to this nature that body and mind are bound. Thus, if
the diet is taken in accordance with the nature, it absorbs in the body and mind
quite easily. If food is taken contrary to the nature, unequanimity will in
consequence will be produced.
4. Dullness/Laziness. The diet which produces lethargy or laziness, which adds to
the weight of body and mind and which makes concentration difficult. Such a
diet must be avoided.
Apart from this all, the diet which provides truth to body, which is devoid of all
evil thoughts and which is in keeping with the nature and which ever provides
inspiration to body and mind should always be taken. These are some common
thoughts about diet.
CHAPTER XX
IMPORTANT INFORMATION ABOUT MEDITATION
[ProcessThe way to meditation is Guruoriented. In the threeday meditation
camp complete training is given, in collective form. Thus, all those desirous of
attending are welcome to take part in the camp.]
Duration of Meditation
For each novitiate, it is necessary that he meditates at least twice daily. Each
sitting should be of one hour. In the beginning, for five minutes utter the word om
with deep breathing. For the following fifty minutes, he should concen trate and
meditate . The last five minutes should be given to pious friendship. In this way,
meditation should be done twice daily, both in the morning and in the evening.
Question: If one fails to meditate twice, can one sitting do? If one fails to
meditate for one hour in one sitting, can a duration of less than one hour do?
Answer: As you are told, you must meditate twice daily. If you still fail to
develop this much dedication and commitment for meditation or if you find it difficult
to make time for meditating twice, then in rare circumstances you must meditate at
least once daily or for as much time as you can possibly devote to it. As they say, it is
always better to do something than doing nothing.
When to Meditate?
There is no set or fixed time for meditation. Whenever you have the time and
what time suits your daily routine is good for meditation. Still it will be far better, if a
time is fixed for this purpose. If it is the same time daily, it helps in concentrating.
However, if you are unable to meditate daily at a fixed time, it is good to meditate any
time that suits your convenience.
Whether meditation should be done before taking food or after twothree hours
of taking food. The time before sunrise and after sunset is the best for this.
Place for Meditation
Meditation can be done at any place, but it will be better if it is a lonely place,
devoid of all kinds of insects, is clean and airy , and is free from any kind of obstacles.
This helps one in concentrating. If you sit at one fixed place daily for meditation, it is
still better. If you fail to find a lonely place for meditation, it is still possible to
meditate.
Why to Meditate?
We meditate because we have to. If you have any expectations in mind during
meditation, you will not be able to concentrate. Mind will remain stuck in that
expectation. For example, I have to meditate because I need peace of mind. In that
case, your mi nd will ever be waiting for peace and you will not be able to
concentrate. Thus, we should meditate hoping for no expectations or results.
Meditation and Diet
As we had told you certain specific things about diet during the camp and you
had also experience that kind of diet, you should now, when you are back at home, try
to avoid rÈjsik and tÈmsik food and instead go in for satvik food. this will help you in
your meditation. During the camp we had also done some yogic exercises. Now as
you go home, you must not, at least for a week, take peppers, fried food , sweets or
that kind of rich diet. If you do not abide by this, it might have an adverse effect on
your health. It will be especially useful for your health if after that you remain on fast
at least once in a week. In case you fail to remain on fast for a day, then you should at
least eat very simple food only once . If you could remain silent and aloof for that day,
it will be very useful.
Collective Meditation
Whenever you have the time, you must involve yourself in collective meditation.
In the collective meditation, an individual gets the moral support and encouragement
from other participants. Inspiration and determination to meditate increases. If there
are more than one persons in a family wanting to meditate and they all daily sit
together for meditation at one time and if it is not possible daily then at least once a
week they should sit together to meditate, this will increase the peace and happiness in
the family and bring added concentration in meditation. Mutual problems get easily
resolved. Try your best to arrange for a threeday or twoandahalf day meditation
camp like this every six months.
Meditation and Service
There are two aspects of life. One is personal meditation and the second is
impersonal, that is service unto others. Both the aspects enjoy equal importance. As
Pt. Ravi Shankar has said, šMeditation increases the feeling of love which provides
encouragement and inspiration for service. Through service one earns pu‡ya which
adds to the depth of meditation.› Therefore, as and when it is possible, you must come
to render service in such meditation camps. To persuade and encourage someone to
come and attend such a camp is also a kind of service. As we provide food in charity
to someone, it fills the belly of someone; as we give clothes in charity to someone, it
resolves the clothing problem for a few days of someone. The alms of food and
clothes is something good, but the best and the noblest is the alms of dharma because
this shows him the way to absolve himself of all of his pain and suffering. Thus, every
camper here must take the credit of persuading others for such camps and thus earn
the highest merit. In this way, you can also arrange such a camp in your area. If you
think you cannot arrange independently a meditation camp, then you can at least help
in the arrangement of such camps.
It has been through the cooperation and inspiration of such numerous persons
who came for the meditation camps that the Sri Sarswati Vidya Kendra was
established in the holy city of Nasik. There is a dire need of such centres throughout
India. You all should dedicate yourselves with your body, mind and wealth for the
establishment of such centres.
Meditation for Self
Here we have experienced and practiced omkÈr, yogÈsanas, yogic practices,
meditation and pious friendship. As you go back home from this camp, you should
practice on these as you have been directed during the camp. Never practice the
samkhya prakshalan on your own. This can prove harmful.
You have learnt all these practices for yourself. Never try to teach any of these to
someone else as this will prove harmful to both of you. We wish you to preach this
knowledge, but for this purpose it is necessary that you take proper training, show
proper commitment and give enough time.
Meditation and Yogic Postures
Any yogÈsanas should be done either before taking food or three or
threeandahalf hours after taking food. During these practices, you should have
loose clothes and you should have cushioned seat.
How to do yogÈsanas?
1. slowly and determinedly;
2. consciously;
3. with a feeling of piety;
It is good if you are able to do the yogÈsanas daily. Otherwise, you must do so at
least twice or thrice a week. It is useful to do yogÈsanas before meditation, but it is
not a fixed rule. One can also do yogÈsanas after the meditation.
After you go home from this camp and you have any physical or mental problem
or if you have any kind of problem in regard to meditation or yoga, you should
consult only your guide. Never try to find a solution from a book. Also, if you try to
find a solution to you problem through the help of some other fellow camper, the
chances are that the problem will get complicated instead of getting solved. Therefore,
it is always best to get in touch with your guide. In case it is not possible to meet the
guide, you can also get in touch with him through correspondence.
CHAPTER XXI
SOME ALLIED CAMPS
Along with the meditation camps, camps for selfstudy (selfstudy camps) and
camps for children’s training are the dire need of modern times; in fact, modern world
expects this of us. Therefore, we arrange such camps also off and on. In fact, both the
self-study camp and the children’s training camp are allied with the meditation camps.
Through the medium of these camps, one becomes eligible to go for the meditation
camp.
Selfstudy Camp
This is the first allied camp of the Meditation Camp. Lord Mahavira has shown
us the ideal of way of self-study and meditation for man’s spiritual development.
Selfstudy here is not limited to the study of scriptures alone, rather it implies that
along with the study of the sayings of the tÏratha×karas as they are found included in
various Ègams, we should also experience it through internal practice and acquire
right knowledge in this behalf. In other words, it implies the study of self through the
sayings included in the scriptural literature and the right knowledge of what is
included in the scriptures comprising the five parts of it, i.e. vÈcana, etc. The right
study of soul is also a kind of selfstudy.
Format of Selfstudy Camp
1. Duration: A selfstudy camp is of ten days and it involves three hours daily at
any time of the day.
2. Every novitiate wanting to attend the camp is required to come daily for this
purpose.
3. A minimum of fifty people must attend the camp for it to be viable.
Subject
Pronunciation of the Namokar mantra, form and understan ding of the Maha
mantra;
Form and understanding of prayer/eulogy;
Form of religion and its understanding;
Form of the religion of an ascetic and its understanding;
The nine tatvas and their understanding;
Concept of Samayak and Pratikraman and their understanding;
Concept of internal and external austerities and their understanding;
The twelve vows and their understanding;
Practical form of meditation; and
Practice, Inspiration and Criticism.
The abovementioned topics are especially taught in these camps.
Children’s Education Camps
The childlife should develop into a beautiful, compe tent and strong
personality. Such a camp is aimed at providing an atmosphere which is conducive for
the above development. During this camp, the children are made to practice especially
the following things. Besides they are so taught about these things that in future these
become an integral part of their life.
1. Prayer: Concept and significance
2. YogÈsanas: Concept, practice and significance
3. PrȇÈyÈma: Concept, practice and importance
4. Right diet: Form and importance
5. Meditation: Form, Practice and Importance
6. Understanding of the responsibility towards parents, teacher, family, society,
nation and the world, under standing of relations with them and understanding
of right behaviour with them.
7. Oratory: Practice and Experiment
8. Importance of nature and understanding of its beauty
9. Knowledge of the theory to make life more organized.
Age Factor
From 7 years to 13 years.
Duration: Three hours daily for the first eight days and the entire day, with
residence, during the last two days.
Place
The hall should be peaceful and airy; there should be arrangements/space for
lodging during the last two days; and arrangements for food.
CHAPTER XXII
EXPERIENCES OF THE CAMPERS
Every human being is restless either in body or in mind. Respected ¶chÈrya Shiv
MunijÏ has found a resolution of this problem through the medium of this meditation.
In this camp, I could understand the form of meditation and the practical methodology
of actionlessness. Listening to the form of prȇa, I could understand further the very
concept of soul. For the glory and development of the ƒrama‡ Sa×gh, this attempt of
the ¶chÈrya will always be written in golden letters. Our ¶chÈrya tradition began with
¶tmÈ RÈm and going on through Anand Muni and Devendra Muni has now reached
us presently in the person of Shiv Muni. The present ¶chÈrya is the very embodiment
of ƒiva and will sure ameliorate our condition. With auspicious sense I heartily thank
Sri Sirish Muni, who actively assisted him in this meditation camp. ²Dr Rajendra
Muni
Journey to NonWord
This was the first opportunity for me to meditate as per the original practice of
meditation of Lord Mahavira. As a result of this meditation camp, several of my
inflows got decreased and I found the way to selfrealization. As I went deeper and
deeper inside, the feeling of joy went on increasing. In fact, I do not have the words to
express this experience that was beyond imagination. This was a journey to the
nonword.
²Sri Tarik Rishi Maharaj
Let it go on and on
I had been listening of the meditation camp for the last several years. But this
was my first opportunity to be a part of this camp. This helped me concentrate. This
provided so much peace to my mind and body as I had never experienced before. It
was my heartfelt wish that this camp goes on and on for ever.
²Sri Dinesh Muni Maharaj
Joy Filled the Heart
This camp proved to be of great use to me. The physical activities here made me
feel very light. I had pain in my heel for the last ten years, and this pain was now gone
completely. The meditation filled the heart with bliss. For the first time the practical
knowledge of separation between body and soul dawned on me. Mind felt fully at
peace.
²Sri Naresh Muni Maharaj
Beyond Expression
The meditation camp made me feel endless bliss which it is not possible for me
to put in words.
²Sri Surendra Muni
Essence of Meditation
Bliss giving moment appeared as a palyopam. In the posture of KÈyotsarga I felt
some pain in sitting with no attachment to the body on the very first day of
meditation. To concentrate your attention on breathing was irksome. During the
student life I had read that human mind is playful and fickle, but clearly experienced
the same during this camp. However, Sri Sirish Muni, who is an embodiment of
affection and who lectured on meditation, gave us the right method to make body and
mind stable. Soon mind was full of thoughtlessness. With a mysterious sound
surrounding me I felt the presence of a ringshaped protective chakra. The discourse
given by the Acharya set at rest all the questions relating to meditation. I feel that I
have achieved the essence of meditation. ²Sri Suyogya Rishi
Golden Moments of Life
I find myself incapable of putting into words the feelings I experienced during
useful camp. Will a deaf man be able to explain the taste of sugarcandy if we ask him
for it after putting a piece of it in his mouth? I find myself in a similar situation. The
feeling of friendliness that I experienced was better than even what I might have felt
on the day forgiveness. These three days were the golden period of my life. I cannot
say anything more than this.
²Sri Manibhadra Muni ji
Invaluable Achievements
During these three days of the camp, I achieved five invaluable things:
(i) physical stability; (ii) mental stability; (iii) disease less body; (iv) tensionless
mind; (v) priceless discourses given by the Acharya.
I wish I could spend each remaining moment of my life in the company of the
Acharya and continue diving deep in the depths of meditation. ²Sri Rupendra
Muni
Unique Experience
This meditation camp proved to be very useful for the purification of body and
mind. Purity of diet affected our body and mind. One thing that I realized was that
taste lies not in food but in the hunger you feel. I could also understand the
significance of the discipline of meditation for the mental peace and purification. The
problems of acidity and backache also subsided. I understood the importance of the
meditation of Lord Mahavira. I had this feeling only when I developed loving attitude
towards all. I also realized that ‘peace is my nature’. During the friendly atmosphere I
felt a strange sensation running through my body. Tears of bliss flowed down my
eyes. My selfconfidence which had for some reason been shattered was once again
got stabilized. If I put in straightforward language I came here against my wishes, but
now I go back home against my wishes. From this one could imagine how attractive
and attracting this camp is.
²Mahasati Sadhvi Sri Archna Kunwar ‘Mira’
Nectar of Panacea
After attending the meditation camp I realized that meditation is necessary not
only for physical and mental purification but it is also a nectar which works as
panacea for all diseases of body. My blood pressure remained normal without any
medicine. I could also feel a sound sleep. I am healthy and I feel satisfied.
²Mahasati Shiva ji (a 70yearold lady)
On the first day of the camp, I was wondering why have I come here, but the
very next day I got so engrossed that I began wondering why was the camp limited
only to three days. It would have been much better had it been of ten days duration. I
achieved the art of disciplining mind (thought), word and deed. All evil and lethargy
was gone. Consciousness of nonevil grew. The yogÈsanas were quite useful to the
body. I used to have a lot of pain in the waist early in the morning. During the days of
the camp, it was quite negligible. I achieved the art of making every moment of life
relevant and useful. I did not feel like going away from the camp. Now my confidence
had become stronger that we also could meditate and concentrate. The credit for all
these experiences and achievements goes to my spiritual preceptor, the Acharya,
because it was due to his inspiration that I could attend the camp.
²Mahasati Aradhana Kunwar ji
This meditation and meditation camp is the best way for bringing about
orderliness of time, importance of meditation and increasing concentration. During
the camp I felt that we were approaching Lord Mahavira and his meditation. I could
feel within the constant flow of meditation and physical purity. I came to know of the
primordial form of soul and experienced the art of living life. ²Mahasati
Sri Kanchan Kunwar
I felt mental peace, subdued evils and the unity of within and without. I could
experience the unique experience of meditation through the discourses of the
Acharya. I cannot explain this experience in words. Some of my physical ailments
were also partly cured. ²Mahasati Ratanjyoti
We were wandering out for the achievement of comfort, peace, bliss and health.
The treasure of this immense and unbreakable power is inherent within us. During this
camp I got the key to that treasure.
²Mahasati Sri Sanyamprabha
The ¶chÈrya Deserves TÏratha×kar Gotra
I got the method and manner of how to live life. The feelings of wrath, pride,
mÈyÈ and greed got considerably subdued, and I hope they will get further subdued. I
had a feeling of sending my entire family to attend the meditation camp. At the same
time I also felt that this knowledge, comfort and joy should reach all mankind. With
the help of pranayama and pure diet automatically eradicate numerous physical
ailments. I feel a special kind of agility and my mind is at peace. Attachment towards
worldly things and allurements has lessened. My mind is overjoyed at the friendly
environment created by the Acharya. The feelings of jealousy and fun and frolic have
died down. In their place, the feeling of love originated as a result of which Èrtra and
raudra dhyÈna got lessened. The practice and method of meditation which the
Acharya has developed after deep exploration and constant concentration of fifteen
long years will go a long way in helping the world. The feelings of cordiality and
friendliness will develop throughout the world. The Acharya has certainly determined
to attain tÏrathankar gotra by creating a feeling of love in each human heart. This is
what at least I feel.
²Hastimal Munot (Chairman, Jain Conference)
My LifeStyle Got Changed
It was for the first time in my life that I took part in a meditation camp based on
Jain tenets. During this camp, we were made to do some yogÈsanas which are
necessary for physical welfare. During these three days, I lived as an observer.
My entire life style got changed. What I had failed to get during the last fifty years, I
got during these three days. Maximum number of such camps should be organized so
that maximum number of people can get the benefit and learn to live the life in the
right manner.
²Radheshyam Jain
(Chairman, Jain Mahasabha, Haryana)
Greetings
I know Acharya Shiv Muni for several years. Several years before he rose to the
position of the Yuva Acharya and then the Acharya, when I met him for the first time
I developed a feeling of faith in him. I had had the glimpses of a true yogi and true
saint in the Acharya during my very first meeting with him. My mind was made at
that very moment Shiv Muni is the only saint who can successfully show the path to
the Jain ascetics and lay believing Jains. At the Pune Jain Conference I saw my
convictions taking real shape. I felt overjoyed. Even as he continued to rise in status
and reputation, he also continued to constantly delve deeper into his studies. He would
carry out the Sangh responsibilities successfully and efficiently and at the same time
continued to carry out the preaching and spread of meditation. Constant meditation
has made the Acharya innocent like a child. As says a Jain scriptural text, it is in a
heart purified by simplicity and innocent that religion/dharma resides. The Acharya
has become an embodiment of this idea. Simplicity and truth constitute his life and
breath. I have got several opportunities to take part in meditation camps organized
under the care of the AchÈrya. I can proclaim with full confidence that all
complexities of my life are gone. I have learnt through the art of meditation to remain
peaceful and calm even in adverse circumstances. I has been with this right inspiration
of the Acharya to take this message of meditation, this art of remaining calm and
peaceful in adverse situations to each home that a meditation centre has been set up at
Nasik. Thousands of brothers and sisters participate in meditation camps here and
become witness to their souls and also learn the art of living life.
I consider this great contribution of the Acharya as the greatest property of my
life. I wish and pray that this wealth of meditation should become the property of each
being.
²Shantilal Indrachand Duggar
(Nasik)
This camp has been something unforgettable for me. During this camp I learnt
the art of living life. During my stay in the camp I never felt the lack of affection. In a
way, everybody else in the camp was stranger to me but during these threeandahalf
days we got so attached to one another as if I had been related to them very closely
and for long. The help and cooperation given by Sri Sailesh and Sri Sadhna was of
great help and value. I consider my life a success because of this camp. ²Deepak
Goyal, Delhi
I felt peace of body, mind and soul after my heartily participation in the
meditation camp. I got the inspiration to spread love among mankind. I realized the
importance of meditation and austerities in life. My mind got purified after I sought
forgiveness from all beings. I got the encouragement to smilingly face any sort of
situation. I was shown the right path in life as I listened to the phrase ‘My welfare lies
in the welfare of all’ from the lips of the Gurus who have been an epitome of truth.
²Sameer Jain, Rohini
The kind of peace and concentration that I experienced in this environment
during these threeandahalf days was never experienced by me before in my life. It
might have been my good luck or the result of some past good karmas that I had the
opportunity to participate in this camp. Mind experienced concentration during the
camp, and I felt a beautiful sense of peace. ²Atul Jain, Delhi
My experience of the meditation camp has been somewhat strange and different,
and it does not seem possible to put that in words. Through this I achieved immense
spiritual knowledge which I had not got during my past so many years. I had achieved
this neither from my parents nor from my school or college. This experience can be
felt only by one who had been to such a camp. I enjoyed each and every moment of
the camp. Each moment was filled with different kind of knowledge such as
discipline, about diet, daily routine, etc. This wonderful feeling will ever remain with
me till my end.
²Smt. Bhanu Jain, Delhi
I felt the realization of my identity and got introduced with my self. I also got
relieved from small mental disturbances. I got the key to make human life a success.
After participating in the sevenday camp, I never feel lonely . Whenever I am alone,
my mind is with me. I realized this practical form the reality of meditation. I also
realized the importance of complete surrender to the Guru. Now the long journey has
started and I know the way.
²Ritu Jain, Trinagar
I had wished to know how to meditate for the last several years, but
unfortunately never came across an opportunity for the fulfillment of this wish. Once
Mahasati Anupama Ji happened to visit us for the chÈturmÈsa (four months of the
rainy season). I asked here about meditation and concentration, she advised me to
attend the camp. As I came to the camp, I here had a glimpse of my late Guru. It
seems as if I had purified my body, mind and word.
²Manu Jain, Arihant Nagar
I felt great joy during the camp. I had some knowledge about meditation, but
now I learnt as to where I was wrong. I realized that to remain awake and conscious
even while being inactive and inert in body, mind and speech is real meditation. I
could now understand our faults with regard to diet. I got the inspiration for spiritual
peace, silence and austerities. I express my feelings of great debt and gratitude
towards Sri Sailesh and Sri Sadhna that they made me what I am today. ²Sushma
Jain, Arihant Nagar
APPENDICES
Appendix I
SOME ORDINARY RULES FOR
YOG¶SANAS
1. It is necessary to put a blanket or some other heavy cloth on the floor for yoga
practice. To perform yogic practice without any such cloth beneath can prove to
be harmful.
2. The dress should be light and loose.
3. Yoga should be done about three and a half hours after taking food, and after
about one and a half or two hours if the food taken is light. After completion of
the yogÈsanas, one must relax for about five to ten minutes before taking food.
4. Yogic practice can be done any time in the morning or in the evening.
5. YogÈsanas should be done when mind and body are one. If body is quite tired
or mind is quite upset, then shavÈsana should be done first of all for about five
to ten minutes. Thereafter should follow the normal practice.
6. If you feel very tired or if you experience a lot of pain in any part of body while
doing yogic exercises, relax for a while before you go for the completion of the
remaining part.
7. Never go for yogic exercise after only reading about it in a book and without
the consent of your teacher.
FIVE IMPORTANT RULES FOR YOG¶SANAS
1. While doing yoga, each activity of body should be slow and stable. Each yogic
posture should be slow just like the slow-moving tortoise-slow and steady wins
the race. There is always a possibility of harm when rashness comes in any
bodily activity.
2. Remain fully conscious while doing yoga just like a snake. Like the snake
again, during the yogÈsana, remain fully conscious of feelings being
experienced from the bodily activities and from breathing in and out. Where
your attention goes, energy follows. Thus, more conscious you remain, the
more useful it will be for you.
3. You should be inactive and inert during yoga just as an elephant even when it
walks it retains its natural poise. Do not give any jerk or jolt. Each activity
should be native and innate. Perform the Èsanas but in an effortless manner, in
a tensionless state.
4. Perform the yogÈsanas gracefully just as there is grace, a kind of richness in the
gait of a lion. Our yogic exercises should similarly be graceful.
5. The yogÈsanas should be done in piety. As you perform this, there should be
the piety of a saint within.
(Courtesy : The discourse delivered by SrÏ Ravi Sha×kar)
Appendix II
ACHARYA SAMRAT
DR. SHIV MUNI JI MAHARAJ
A Brief Profile
¶chÈrya SamrÈt Dr. Shiv Muni Ji MahÈrÈj now heads and leads the Jain
„rama‡ sa×gh. Detachment, austerity, enlightenment and meditation are the four
pillars of his pious life lived in equanimity. His mind is ever in quest of knowledge
and engrossed in meditation. There are numerous responsibilities of the „rama‡
sa×gh which he as being at the helm of affairs in the hierarchy carries out in a quiet,
natural and proficient manner, but along side this he is ever on the move upward on
the path to spiritual progression.
Shiv Muni was born in a very affluent and respectable Oswal family of a small
town called Malout in the Malwa region of the Punjab. By the time he entered the
university for higher education, he came to be known for his sharp intellect and his
power of comprehension. He passed each of his examination, from the primary to the
university, in the first division.
He had nurtured an intense desire to know and realize truth ever since his
childhood. His education in the colleges and the university could not satiate his
hunger for truth, rather the acquisition of higher academic knowledge further
intensified his desire for higher spiritual knowledge, During his student life he
travelled far and wide throughout America, Canada, England and several other
countries. The wealth and material comforts of wordly life failed to tempt and bind
him. Then he turned towards studying the faith of his family, the Jainism. He made a
thorough study of the life, utterances and teachings of Lord MahÈvÏra. This stirred his
inner self and he made a firm resolve to renounce this worldly life and take to the life
of an ascetic.
Of course, there were many emotional pressures from the family and friends, but
nothing could dissuade him from his resolve. And, as it happens in the case of all
great men, his resolve was not uncalled for. It was this resolve, which was in future to
give to the „rama‡ sa‡gh a dynamic and enlighted spiritual leader. He entered the
„rama‡ sa×gh as a disciple of Gain Muni Ji, well known Jain scholar and exegete and
himself a disciple of Acharya¶tmÈ RÈm Ji.
Shiv Muni Ji made an intensive study of Jain philoso phy and theology. He got
his doctorate from the Punjabi University, Patiala, on the topic of šDoctrine of
Liberation in Indian Religions, with special reference to Jainism›. A study of this
disseration, since available in book form, would reveal to any reader the authors depth
of understanding as well as his insatiable thirst for more and more knowledge.
After a few years of his initiation into the „rama‡ sa‡gh, Shiv Muni Ji planned,
as per the directives of his Guru, to travel throughout India preaching Jain tenets. Shiv
Muni sojourned through the interiors of Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh,
Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Orissa, Tamil
Nadu, Gujarat and other states. Wherever he visited, people welcomed him and liked
his personal piety and simplicity of life. It was during this sojourn that in 1990 the
„rama‡ sa‡gh selected him as its first YuvÈ ¶chÈrya.
One could see him apparently travelling from village to village in different parts
of the country, but in reality he was constantly on the upward move of his spiritual
journey. Through the medium of meditation, he went deeper and deeper. During the
course of this inward sojourn, he had wonderful experiences of truth and he seems to
have proved that even in this era one could realize the truth and live the truth.
Presently, Shiv Muni Ji has been busy preaching and spreading the higher
knowledge through meditation: it is through this medium that he has himself lived the
truth. Thousands of people have benefited from this endeavour of ¶rchÈrya. Demands
have constantly been pouring in from all over the country for holding meditation
camps.
The Jain world considers itself fortunate to have as its spiritual leader a person
who is so entlighted, so austere and simple and so given to meditation.
A Brief Resume of Acharya Shiv Muni Ji
Place of Birth : Malout, District Muktsar, Punjab
Date of Birth : 18 September, 1942
BhÈdo× sudÏ seven
Mother : Mrs. Vidya Devi Jain
Father : Mr. Chiranji Lal Jain
Caste/Varna : Vai–ya, OswÈl
Family : Bhaba‚e
Initiation : 17 May, 1972
Place of Initiation : Malout, Punjab
Religious Teacher : Shri GiÈn Muni Ji Maharaj
Disciples : Shri Shirish Muni Ji, Shri Shubham Muni Ji, Shri Shiyas
Muni Ji, Shri Suvrat Muni Ji, Shri Shalin Muni Ji, Shri
Shamit Muni Ji.
YuvÈ ¶chÈrya : 13 May, 1987 at Pune Maharashtra ƒrama‡ Sa×gh Acharya
Appointment : 9 June, 1999 Ahmadnagar, Maharashtra
ChÈdar Mahotsva : 7 May 2002, New Delhi.
Academic : M.A. in Philosophy and English
Achievements Literature, Ph.D., D. Litt.; Deep and thorough study of Jain
scriptural literature; ?Distinct research work in Dhyan-Yoga
Meditation.
ShrÏ ShirÏsh Muni Ji MahÈrÈj :
A Brief Introduction
Shri ShirÏsh Muni Ji MahÈrÈj is one the prominent disciples of Acharya Dr. Shiv
Muni Ji MahÈrÈj. He for the first time came in contact with the Acharya during his
stay in Bombay (Khar) for the rainy days (chÈturmÈsa) of .1987. Sitting at the feet of
¶chÈrya Shiv Muni Ji, he realized the importance of spiritual discipline and
meditation and took his teaching to heart, In fact, Shri Shirish Muni had then been on
a business trip to Bombay from Udaipur : those were the days when he was settling
down well in his business. However, reaching the pious presence of the ¶chÈrya he
felt that spirituality was the best trade he could carry out. There is no end, no apex of
the wordly business whereas spirituality itself was the highest state. Thus he dedicated
himself in the feet of the revered ¶chÈrya.
After receiving the consent of his parents, ShrÏ ShirÏsh received initiation into the
„rama‡ sa×gh on 7 May 1990 at Yadgiri in Karnataka. Prior to that, he remained for
three years as an apprentice disciple (vairÈgÏ) with the Acharya and learnt to tread the
path of spirituality under his guidance. After initiation, he went deeper and deeper in
meditation. Simultaneously, he continued to acquire academic knowledge and
acquired proficiency in HindÏ, English, Sanskrit and PrÈkrit languages. The way he
gives discourses attracts huge congregations. He is strongly in favour of socio-
religious reformation and ever continues to persude people to work in this direction.
Shri Shirish Muni Ji is a saint blessed with the qualities of humility, simplicity
and service. He is very active in furthering the noble mission of meditation and self-
study as initiated by the Acharya. He has been justifying his sainthood by working
selflessly for the amelioration of mankind.
ShrÏ ShirÏsh Muni Ji MahÈrÈj : A Brief Biodata
Place of Birth : Nai, Udaipur Rajasthan
Date of Birth : 19 February 1964
Mother : Mrs. Sohanbai
Father : Mr. Khyali Lal Kothari
Caste/gotra : OswÈl, Ko—hÈrÏ
Initiation Date : 7 May, 1990
Place of initiation : Yadgiri, Karnataka
Religious Guru : ¶chÈrya Dr. Shiv Muni Ji MahÈrÈj
Inspiration for Initiation : Grandmother Mohanbai Kothari
Academic Qualification : M.A. in Hindi literature
Religious Study : Deep study of Jain scriptural literature; Study of Jain
philo sophy and thought; Proficiency in Hindi, Sanskrit,
English, PrÈ krit, MarÈ—hÏ, GujarÈtÏ langua ges.
Projects of Note : Organizing meditation camps; Efficient organization of
self-study camps and of educating the children; Helping the ¶chÈrya in all other
projects/missions.