Chapter II
PRACTICE
(Abhyasa)
1. What is the method of practice?
As the Self of a person who tries to attain Self-realization
is not different from him and as there is nothing other than or
superior to him to be attained by him, Self-realization being
only the realization of one's own nature, the seeker of
liberation realizes, without doubts or misconceptions, his real
nature by distinguishing the eternal from the transient, and
never swerves from his natural state. This is known as the
practice of knowledge. This is the enquiry leading to Self-
realization.
2. Can this path of enquiry be followed by all aspirants?
This is suitable only for ripe souls. The rest should follow
different methods according to the state of their minds.
3. What are the other methods?
They are (1) stuti, (2) japa, (3) dhyana [?], (4) yoga,
(5) jnana [?], etc.
(1) Stuti is singing the praises of the Lord with a great
feeling of devotion.
(2) Japa is uttering the names of the gods or sacred
mantras like Om either mentally or verbally. (While following
the methods of stuti and japa the mind will sometimes be
concentrated (lit., closed) and sometimes diffused (lit. open).
The vagaries of the mind will not be evident to those who
follow these methods).
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(3)
Dhyana [?]denotes the repetition of the names, etc.,
mentally (japa) with feelings of devotion. In this method the
state of the mind will be understood easily. For the mind does
not become concentrated and diffused simultaneously. When
one is in dhyana [?]it does not contact the objects of the senses,
and when it is in contact with the objects it is not in dhyana [?].
Therefore those who are in this state can observe the vagaries
of the mind then and there and by stopping the mind from
thinking other thoughts, fix it in dhyana [?]. Perfection in dhyana [?]
is the state of abiding in the Self (lit., abiding in the form of
`That' -- tadakaranilai) .
As meditation functions in an exceedingly subtle manner
at the source of the mind it is not difficult to perceive its rise
and subsidence.
(4)
Yoga: The source of the breath is the same as that of
the mind; therefore the subsidence of either leads effortlessly
to that of the other. The practice of stilling the mind through
breath control (pranayama [?]) is called yoga.
Fixing their minds on psychic centres such as the sahasrara
(lit., the thousand-petalled lotus) yogis remain for any length
of time without awareness of their bodies. As long as this
state continues they appear to be immersed in some kind of
joy. But when the mind which has become tranquil emerges
(becomes active again) it resumes its worldly thoughts. It is
therefore necessary to train it with the help of practices like
dhyana [?], whenever it becomes externalised. It will then attain
a state in which there is neither subsidence nor emergence.
(5)
Jnana [?]is the annihilation of the mind in which it is
made to assume the form of the Self through the constant
practice of dhyana [?]or enquiry (vichara [?]). The extinction of
the mind is the state in which there is a cessation of all efforts.
Those who are established in this state never swerve from
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their true state. The terms `silence' (mauna) and inaction refer
to this state alone.
Note: All practices are followed only with the object of
concentrating the mind. As all the mental activities like
remembering, forgetting, desiring, hating, attracting,
discarding, etc., are modifications of the mind, they cannot
be one's true state. Simple, changeless being is one's true
nature. Therefore to know the truth of one's being and to be
it, is known as release from bondage and the destruction of
the knot (granthi nasam). Until this state of tranquillity of
mind is firmly attained, the practice of unswerving abidance
in the Self and keeping the mind unsoiled by various thoughts
is essential for an aspirant.
Although the practices for achieving strength of mind are
numerous, all of them achieve the same end. For it can be
seen that whoever concentrates his mind on any object, will,
on the cessation of all mental concepts, ultimately remain
merely as that object. This is called successful meditation
(dhyana siddhi). Those who follow the path of enquiry realize
that the mind which remains at the end of the enquiry is
Brahman. Those who practise meditation realize that the mind
which remains at the end of the meditation is the object of
their meditation. As the result is the same in either case it is
the duty of aspirants to practise continuously either of these
methods till the goal is reached.
4. Is the state of `being still' a state involving effort or
effortlessness?
It is not an effortless state of indolence. All mundane
activities which are ordinarily called effort are performed with
the aid of a portion of the mind and with frequent breaks. But
the act of communion with the Self (atma vyavahara) or
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remaining still inwardly is intense activity which is performed
with the entire mind and without break.
Maya [?](delusion or ignorance) which cannot be destroyed
by any other act is completely destroyed by this intense activity
which is called `silence' (mauna).
5. What is the nature of maya?
Maya [?] is that which makes us regard as nonexistent the Self,
the Reality, which is always and everywhere present, all-
pervasive and Self-luminous, and as existent the individual soul
(jiva [?]), the world (jagat), and God (para) which have been
conclusively proved to be nonexistent at all times and places.
6. As the Self shines fully of its own accord why is it not
generally recognised like the other objects of the world
by all persons?
Wherever particular objects are known it is the Self which
has known itself in the form of those objects. For what is
known as knowledge or awareness is only the potency of the
Self (atma shakti). The Self is the only sentient object. There
is nothing apart from the Self. If there are such objects they
are all insentient and therefore cannot either know themselves
or mutually know one another. It is because the Self does not
know its true nature in this manner that it seems to be immersed
and struggling in the ocean of birth (and death) in the form of
the individual soul.
7. Although the Lord is all-pervasive it appears, from
passages like `adoring him through His grace', that He
can be known only through His grace. How then can the
individual soul by its own efforts attain Self-realization
in the absence of the Lord's grace?
As the Lord denotes the Self and as grace means the Lord's
presence or revelation, there is no time when the Lord remains
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unknown. If the light of the sun is invisible to the owl it is
only the fault of that bird and not of the sun. Similarly, can
the unawareness of the Self -- which is always of the nature
of awareness -- by the ignorant, be other than their own fault?
How can it be the fault of the Self? It is because grace is of
the very nature of the Lord that He is well known as `the
blessed grace'. Therefore the Lord, whose nature itself is grace,
does not have to bestow His grace. Nor is there any particular
time for bestowing His grace.
8. What part of the body is the abode of the Self?
The Heart on the right side of the chest is generally
indicated. This is because we usually point to the right side of
the chest when we refer to ourselves. Some say that the
sahasrara (the thousand-petalled lotus) is the abode of the
Self. But if that were true the head should not fall forward
when we go to sleep or faint.
9. What is the nature of the Heart?
The sacred texts describing it say:
Between the two breasts, below the chest and above the
abdomen, there are six organs of different colours1. One of
them resembling the bud of a water lily and situated two digits
to the right is the Heart. It is inverted and within it is a tiny
orifice which is the seat of dense darkness (ignorance) full of
desires. All the psychic nerves (nadis) depend upon it. It is
the abode of the vital forces, the mind and the light (of
consciousness).2
But, although it is described thus, the meaning of the word
Heart (hridayam [?]) is the Self (Atman). As it is denoted by the
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terms existence, consciousness, bliss, eternal and plenum (sat,
chit, anandam, nityam, purnam) it has no differences such as
exterior and interior or up and down. That tranquil state in
which all thoughts come to an end is called the state of the
Self. When it is realized as it is, there is no scope for
discussions about its location inside the body or outside.
10. Why do thoughts of many objects arise in the mind even
when there is no contact with external objects?
All such thoughts are due to latent tendencies (purva
samskaras). They appear only to the individual consciousness
(jiva [?]) which has forgotten its real nature and become
externalised. Whenever particular things are perceived, the
enquiry `Who is it that sees them?' should be made; they will
then disappear at once.
11. How do the triple factors (i.e., knower, known and
knowledge), which are absent in deep sleep, samadhi,
etc., manifest themselves in the Self (in the states of waking
and dreaming)?
From the Self there arise in succession:
(i) Chidabhasa (reflected consciousness) which is a kind
of luminosity.
(ii) Jiva [?](the individual consciousness) or the seer or the
first concept.
(iii) Phenomena, that is the world.
12. Since the Self is free from the notions of knowledge
and ignorance how can it be said to pervade the entire
body in the shape of sentience or to impart sentience to
the senses?
Wise men say that there is a connection between the source
of the various psychic nerves and the Self, that this is the knot
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of the Heart, that the connection between the sentient and the
insentient will exist until this is cut asunder with the aid of
true knowledge, that just as the subtle and invisible force of
electricity travels through wires and does many wonderful
things, so the force of the Self also travels through the psychic
nerves and, pervading the entire body, imparts sentience to
the senses, and that if this knot is cut, the Self will remain as
it always is, without any attributes.
13. How can there be a connection between the Self which
is pure knowledge and the triple factors which are
relative knowledge?
This is, in a way, like the working of a cinema (see next page).
Just as the pictures appear on the screen as long as the
film throws the shadows through the lens, so the phenomenal
world will continue to appear to the individual in the waking
and dream states as long as there are latent mental
impressions. Just as the lens magnifies the tiny specks on
the film to a huge size and as a number of pictures are shown
in a second, so the mind enlarges the sprout-like tendencies
into treelike thoughts and shows in a second innumerable
worlds. Again, just as there is only the light of the lamp
visible when there is no film, so the Self alone shines without
the triple factors when the mental concepts in the form of
tendencies are absent in the states of deep sleep, swoon and
samadhi. Just as the lamp illumines the lens, etc., while
remaining unaffected, the Self illumines the ego
(Chidabhasa), etc., while remaining unaffected.
14. What is dhyana (meditation)?
It is abiding as one's Self without swerving in any way
from one's real nature and without feeling that one is
meditating. As one is not in the least conscious of the different
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| CINEMA SHOW | SELF |
| 1) The lamp inside (the | The Self. |
| apparatus). | ... |
| 2) The lens in front of | The pure (sattvic) mind |
| the lamp. | close to the Self. |
| 3) The film which is a | The stream of latent |
| long series of separate | tendencies consisting |
| photos. | of subtle thoughts. |
| 4) The lens, the light | The mind, the illumina- |
| passing through it and | -tion of it and the Self, |
| the lamp, which together | which together form the |
| form the focused light. | seer or the jiva [?]. |
| 5) The light passing through | The light of the Self |
| the lens and falling on | emerging from the mind |
| the screen. | through the senses, and falling on the world. |
| 6) The various kinds of | The various forms and |
| pictures appearing in the | names appearing as the |
| light of the screen. | objects perceived in the light of the world. |
| 7) The mechanism which | The divine law mani- |
| sets the film in motion. | festing the latent tendencies of the mind. |
states (waking, dreaming, etc.) in this condition, the sleep
(noticeable) here is also regarded as dhyana [?].
15. What is the difference between dhyana and samadhi?
Dhyana [?]is achieved through deliberate mental effort; in
samadhi there is no such effort.
16. What are the factors to be kept in view in dhyana?
It is important for one who is established in his Self (atma
nishta) to see that he does not swerve in the least from this
absorption. By swerving from his true nature he may see
before him bright effulgences, etc., or hear (unusual) sounds
or regard as real the visions of gods appearing within or
outside himself. He should not be deceived by these and
forget himself.
Note: If the moments that are wasted in thinking of the
objects which are not the Self, are spent on enquiry into the
Self, Self-realization will be attained in a very short time.
Until the mind becomes established in itself some kind of
bhavana (contemplation of a personified god or goddess with
deep emotion and religious feeling) is essential. Otherwise the
mind will be frequently assailed by wayward thoughts or sleep.
Without spending all the time in practising bhavanas like
`I am Siva' or `I am Brahman', which are regarded as
nirgunopasana (contemplation of the attributeless Brahman),
the method of enquiry into oneself should be practised as soon
as the mental strength which is the result of such upasana,
(contemplation) is attained.
The excellence of the practice (sadhana) lies in not giving
room for even a single mental concept (vritti).
17. What are the rules of conduct which an aspirant (sadhaka)
should follow?
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Moderation in food, moderation in sleep and moderation
in speech.
18. How long should one practise?
Until the mind attains effortlessly its natural state of
freedom from concepts, that is till the sense of `I' and `mine'
exists no longer.
19. What is the meaning of dwelling in solitude (ekantavasa)?
As the Self is all-pervasive it has no particular place for
solitude. The state of being free from mental concepts is called
`dwelling in solitude'.
20. What is the sign of wisdom (viveka)?
Its beauty lies in remaining free from delusion after
realising the truth once. There is fear only for one who sees
even a slight difference in the Supreme Brahman [?]. So long as
there is the idea that the body is the Self one cannot be a
realizer of truth whoever he might be.
21. If everything happens according to karma (prarabdha,
the result of one's acts in the past) how is one to overcome
the obstacles to meditation (dhyana)?
Prarabdha concerns only the out-turned, not the in-turned
mind. One who seeks his real Self will not be afraid of
any obstacle.
22. Is asceticism (sannyasa) one of the essential requisites for
a person to become established in the Self (atmanishta)?
The effort that is made to get rid of attachment to one's
body is really towards abiding in the Self. Maturity of thought
and enquiry alone removes attachment to the body, not the
stations of life (ashramas), such as student (brahmachari),
etc. For the attachment is in the mind while the stations pertain
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to the body. How can bodily stations remove the attachment
in the mind? As maturity of thought and enquiry pertain to
the mind, these alone can, by enquiry on the part of the same
mind, remove the attachments which have crept into it through
thoughtlessness. But, as the discipline of asceticism
(sannyasashrama) is the means for attaining dispassion
(vairagya [?]), and as dispassion is the means for enquiry, joining
an order of ascetics may be regarded, in a way, as a means of
enquiry through dispassion. Instead of wasting one's life
by entering the order of ascetics before one is fit for it, it is
better to live the householder's life. In order to fix the mind in
the Self which is its true nature it is necessary to separate it
from the family of fancies (sankalpas) and doubts (vikalpas),
that is to renounce the family (samsara) in the mind. This is
real asceticism.
23. It is an established rule that so long as there is the least
idea of `I-am-the-doer,' Self-knowledge cannot be attained,
but is it possible for an aspirant who is a householder to
discharge his duties properly without this sense?
As there is no rule that action should depend upon a sense
of being the doer it is unnecessary to doubt whether any action
will take place without a doer or an act of doing. Although
the officer of a government treasury may appear, in the eyes
of others, to be doing his duty attentively and responsibly all
day long, he will be discharging his duties without attachment,
thinking `I have no real connection with all this money' and
without a sense of involvement in his mind. In the same manner
a wise householder may also discharge without attachment the
various household duties which fall to his lot according to his
past karma [?], like a tool in the hands of another. Action and
knowledge are not obstacles to each other.
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24. Of what use to his family is a wise householder who is
unmindful of his bodily comforts and of what use is his
family to him?
Although he is entirely unmindful of his bodily comforts,
if, owing to his past karma [?], his family has to subsist by his
efforts, he may be regarded as doing service to others. If it
is asked whether the wise man derives any benefit from the
discharge of domestic duties, it may be answered that, as he
has already attained the state of complete satisfaction which
is the sum total of all benefits and the highest good of all, he
does not stand to gain anything more by discharging family
duties.
25. How can cessation of activity (nivritti) and peace of mind
be attained in the midst of household duties which are of
the nature of constant activity?
As the activities of the wise man exist only in the eyes
of others and not in his own, although he may be
accomplishing immense tasks, he really does nothing.
Therefore his activities do not stand in the way of inaction
and peace of mind. For he knows the truth that all activities
take place in his mere presence and that he does nothing.
Hence he will remain as the silent witness of all the
activities taking place.
26. Just as the sage's past karma is the cause of his present
activities will not the impressions (vasanas) caused by
his present activities adhere to him in future?
Only one who is free from all the latent tendencies
(vasanas [?]) is a sage. That being so how can the tendencies of
karma affect him who is entirely unattached to activity?
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27. What is the meaning of brahmacharya?
Only enquiry into Brahman [?] should be called
brahmacharya.
28. Will the practice of brahmacharya which is followed in
conformity with the (four) orders of life (ashramas) be a
means of knowledge?
As the various means of knowledge, such as control of
senses, etc., are included in brahmacharya, the virtuous
practices duly followed by those who belong to the order of
students (brahmacharins) are very helpful for their
improvement.
29. Can one enter the order of ascetics (sannyasa) directly
from the order of students (brahmacharya)?
Those who are competent need not formally enter the orders
of brahmacharya, etc., in the order laid down. One who has
realized his Self does not distinguish between the various
orders of life. Therefore no order of life either helps or hinders
him.
30. Does an aspirant (sadhaka) lose anything by not observing
the rules of caste and orders of life?
As the attainment (anusthana, lit., practice) of knowledge
is the supreme end of all other practices, there is no rule that
one who remains in any one order of life and constantly
acquires knowledge is bound to follow the rules laid down
for that order of life. If he follows the rules of caste and orders
of life he does so for the good of the world. He does not
derive any benefit by observing the rules. Nor does he lose
anything by not observing them.
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