some thoughts on meditation...
hariḥ oṁ
~~~~~~
namasté
This post is in the uttara folder due to the advanced nature of the subject that will be offered. The purpose of the material is to allow one to ruminate a bit longer, to consider , ponder the various methods of setting-up and framing meditation to yield results . It is not instruction.
For those that may not wish to do this and find it un-easing, or outside of your comfort zone please save your mental peace or established way of doing, and not venture beyond this first paragraph.
There are multiple techniques to meditate, of this there is no doubt. The vijñāna bhairava kārikā-s call out no less then 112 dhāraṇa-s¹ .
Yet in all the years of my study and practice it comes down to setting up the conditions ( or as the wise say, making one fit) to experience viśvottirṇa avasthā:
- viśvottirṇa = viśva +uttiraṇa = all-pervading or all-containing , omnipresent + landed , crossed , traversed
- avasthā - to abide in a state or condition
Hence viśvottirṇa avasthā is that condition or 'state' which one resides or lands-in (uttiraṇa), which is all pervading, all containing. In brief many call it the transcendental state , the 4th, turīya.
Now this avasthā is within us already, no different then a tall oak tree that resides in a seed ; all that is needed is the proper conditions for that seed to manifest as the oak tree.
This is the purpose of various methods or as we have established dhāraṇa-s¹; to make one 'fit' to experience this avasthā that resides within us and without us.
So, with the next few posts I wish to offer a few ideas that help frame some of the fundamentals and some advanced ideas that are based upon these fundamentals. The knowledge will be from various śaivāgama-s, upaniṣads, tantric writings and relevent śāstra-s that may bring value to this conversation.
praṇām
words
- dhāraṇa - for our use in this post lets define it as methods; yet this word ( for the purest)means the act of holding , bearing , wearing , supporting , maintaining ; concentration of the mind (joined with the retention of breath);
- From this root √dhṛ it means to exercise concentration and we can say dhāraṇāṃ gataḥ , having composed one's self; hence that or those methods ( practiced) that composes oneself, makes one fit.
Last edited by yajvan; 15 September 2012 at 03:07 PM.
यतसà¥à¤¤à¥à¤µà¤‚ शिवसमोऽसि
yatastvaṠśivasamo'si
because you are identical with śiva
_
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