Yoga Sagar

SR No.: 014011
Original Sutra Author: N/A
Author: Paramhamsa Satyananda
Publisher: Bihar School of Yoga Munger
Publication Year: 1994
Total Pages: 436
Language: English
Classification: Seminar & Articles
File Size: 24 MB

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SUMMARY
Paramahamsa Niranjanananda
Dhyana (meditation) is a subject about which nothing can be said in a summarized manner, since meditation is related to inner consciousness and the awakening of the power within. We normally assume meditation to be a method of concentration, but the aim of meditation is awareness and realization of inner consciousness, through awakening the powers within. This is why it is taught in the various practices of meditation to control the thoughts, desires, obsessions and emotions arising within, because unless and until these are controlled, there can be no advancement in meditation.
Meditation is not merely a process of closing the eyes and thinking of God, which results in self-realization. Meditation encompasses three stages. The first stage in meditation is trait, the second stage in meditation is dvait, the third stage in meditation is advait. These three stages have been explained by Maharishi Patanjali as pratyahara, dharana and dhyana.
Pratyahara is the stage of trait where I, my ishta and the medium being used by me to approach the ishta, are known. In the state of dharana only the knowledge of me and my ishta remains: I have centered myself and begun to experience my ishta. In the state of dhyana, only the ishta is known, experienced and seen. So these are the three stages of meditation.
Now we have to see how far our personality traits allow us to go. Closing the eyes, chanting mantras, thinking of God while struggling with the mind and also accommodating various thoughts, is not the process of meditation. We can call this the first step towards awakening of self-consciousness, because in meditation there is no state of distraction, there is no agitation.
Meditation is a peaceful state when all the agitations and distractions come to an end. To move forward into meditation, there are certain methods or techniques which can be adopted.
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