Zen meditation is a traditional Buddhist discipline providing insight into how the mind works, which offers benefits to one's well-being & spirit. 7. In Advaita Vedanta meditation plays an important role, too. Meditation is usually done at a definite center of consciousness, by which is meant the point where the aspirant is able to feel the higher self or Atman. Meditation Meditation – A Journey of Exploration Based on the teachings of Vedanta, Bhagavad Gita & Yoga Sutras A practical guide with 35 beginning, intermediate, and advanced techniques for developing a powerful meditation practice. To bring this idea of vastness within, one should look at the Himalayas or the ocean, or gaze at the After practicing upasana for some time it becomes easier to practice nididhyasana. These are really techniques of dharana or fixing the mind. In the path of bhakti this is the only type of meditation practiced. It is a school of thought that is centred on the Upanishads. The path of jnana begins with hearing scripture (sravana) and reflection (manana). The whole external rite was, as it were, transferred to the mind. Buddhism gives more importance to meditation than any other religion does. Les Vedas sont les plus anciennes écritures savantes de l'humanité. Swami Brahmananda said,”God should be imagined as vast and infinite. Meditation is a subject of universal interest, practiced by spiritual aspirants of many traditions on the quest for serenity, peace, and wholeness. . “Meditation, called Dhyana in Sanskrit, has been used in India for several thousand years. In the path of bhakti, the aspirant moves from prayer, singing of hymns and worship to meditation which is known under different names like abhyasa (Ramanuja), smarana and bhavana. More on … Zen meditation is an ancient Buddhist tradition that dates back to the Tang Dynasty in 7th century China. A third reason for the neglect of the vidyas was the popularity of Yoga and, later on, of the Tantras. Therefore countless forms of meditation have developed: still and in motion, silent, with chanting, with prayer, concentrating on something or seeking the opposite of concentration. But it recognizes that other yogic paths are helpful, if not indispensable adjuncts, particularly the path of devotion (Bhakti Yoga) , which takes us directly to the Divine presence in the heart. Meditation & Its Practices: A Definitive Guide to Techniques and Traditions of Meditation in Yoga and Vedanta Swami Adiswarananda.The complete sourcebook of Hinduism's two most time-honored traditions of meditation. Vidvanmanoranjani on Vedanta Sara 1. The difference between upasana and nididhyasana as two different disciplines has also been clearly pointed out by Ramatirtha in his well-known commentary on the Vedanta Sara.1 Vidyaranya too has made this distinction by describing upasana as vastu-tantra (object-oriented) and nididhyasana as kartri-tantra (subject-oriented).2. When a mind which is sufficiently purified meditates on such a formula, its true meaning—the ultimate Reality—will be revealed to it. Meditation how simply explained by Swami Vivekananda - Meditation played a very important role in the life and teachings of Vivekananda. Then follows the fourth degree of prayer which is variously called prayer of simplicity, prayer of the heart, etc. But every path has a stage which corresponds to meditation. Prayer, when done with intensity, quickly awakens the heart centre. In the Aranyakas we find meditations replacing actual sacrifices. Vedanta is the culmination of human experience and is the end of the faculty of thinking. 2. In Islamic mysticism (Sufism) also meditation, known under different names, plays a central role. The nature of this single thought (pratyaya or vritti) may also vary from person to person. K. Narayanaswami Aiyar, The Thirty-two Vidyas (Madras: The Adyar Library and Research Centre, 1962). Meditation techniques in modern times are strongly influenced by Yoga and Tantra. Brahma-Sutra 3. (This is the practice.) Spiritual initiation (diksa or upadesa) usually means initiation into some form of upasana. One is that meditation is not just ordinary concentration but a special type of internal concentration. When the time is ripe, it will happen on its own. Consciousness is focussed on the object by an effort of will. View More… Browse by Category Path of Kriya Yoga Meditation and Yoga Health and vitality Yoga philosophy So the great sages of the Upanisads used various familiar objects of the phenomenal universe like the sun, akasa (space), vayu (air), water, prana (the vital energy), manas (mind), words, etc. Some of the Upanisads, especially the Brihadaranyaka, Chandogya and Taittiriya, are a rich storehouse of these vidyas. The beginnings and ends of meditation are different. POSITIVE THINKING AND MEDITATION (Vedanta and Dhyana) Yoga teaches us that our thoughts are the real cause behind our success and happiness. Upasana or objective meditation gives the mind the necessary training. It is rather an attempt to seek the source of consciousness, to trace one’s “I” back to its roots. They presented Vedanta as the philosophy of Self-realization and Yoga as the methodology by which to achieve it. According to Mandana and some of the earlier schools of Advaitins, upasana can give rise to direct realization of Nirguna Brahman (the Absolute without attributes). Cf. They succeed in tracing their “I” back only up to a certain point. Raja yoga, is the royal path of meditation.As a king maintains control over his kingdom, so can we maintain control over our own “kingdom”—the vast territory of the mind. In the Brahmanas we find a few meditations prescribed along with these rites. Meditation how simply explained by Swami Vivekananda - Meditation played a very important role in the life and teachings of Vivekananda. Vivek, Kali: In Our Hearts and Minds   Led by David Nelson. What is Vedanta What is Vedanta Sankara states that the benefit derived from upasana is either worldly prosperity (abhyudaya) or “gradual liberation” (krama-mukti). This user-friendly guidebook begins with basic principles and proceeds step by step to more advanced topics and techniques. Vedanta employs all the limbs of classical yoga from asana to samadhi, using all methods of the yogas of knowledge, devotion, service and technique, depending upon the needs of the student. This is the message of Vedanta: “What is that which, by being known, everything else becomes known.” We often hear the word "Vedanta" in yoga classes, meditation groups, and spiritual gatherings. Subjective meditation is called nididhyasana or atma-vicara. Monistic Vedanta recommends this type of meditation. There is a second reason why a combination of objective and subjective forms of meditation is desirable. Vedanta is a yoga of knowledge or a path of meditation. It is the common highway which every aspirant has to travel in order to realize God or the Supreme Self. Before the aspirant starts actual meditation, if he or she spends a few minutes in tracing the “I” back to its source, the aspirant will find it easier to fix the mind at the right center of consciousness. As a result the aspirant may find it difficult to remain unaffected by the contact of other people and the cares and distractions of daily work. Nondual experience was originally sought through a gradual expansion of consciousness attained by the practice of vidyas. A Definitive Guide to Techniques and Traditions of Meditation. A true spiritual experience transforms one’s consciousness and produces some knowledge of the higher self. Finally, the teacher may explain how to take these techniques into everyday life. Nididhyasana enables the aspirant to abide in the real abode within and remain calm and unaffected by the environment. Form, Name and the Self One of the important changes that the Tantras introduced was in the field of symbols. Brahma-Sutra 3. Our own souls contribute all the divinity that is outside of us. That was perhaps how the Samkhya and Yoga systems developed independently of the Vedas. According to him mystic experiences are created or conditioned by the mind. Advaita Vedanta's Neti Neti meditation for the question Who Am I is described here. It was more or less a similar distinction between objective and subjective meditations that gave rise to the two schools of Japanese Zen: Soto and Rinzai. The importance attached to the vidyas was so great that the Brahma-Sutra has a whole section dealing exclusively with them.8 The vidyas really hold the key to the Upanisads, and no one can properly understand the Upanisads without understanding the vidyas. A mind burdened with desires and attachments is unable to take off into subtler But Sri Sankara and his followers hold the view that upasana will lead only to the realization of Saguna Brahman (Reality with attributes). Meditation is more than just shutting one’s eyes and repeating a mantra or word symbol. Swami Brahmananda said,”God should be imagined as vast and infinite. Sankara, commentary on Brahma-Sutra 3. Sri Sankara says that lower upasanas do not deserve to be called vidyas.6, Therefore, vidyas represent the highest forms of upasana. It is more correctly called “self-inquiry” and belongs to the path of knowledge (jnana marga). © 2016 Vedanta Society of Southern California, “Transformation of Character and Consciousness” by Pravrajika Sevaprana, How Karma Yoga Has Affected My Life   Br. This means that, in order to establish a truly loving relationship with God, it is necessary to be aware of one’s higher self. Om usa va asvasya medhyasya sirah . Meditation is a subject of universal interest, practiced by spiritual aspirants of many traditions on the quest for serenity, peace, and wholeness. La dernière partie des Vedas est constituée des Upanishad, dont la noble philosophie porte le nom de Vedanta et qui ont aussi influencé d'éminents philosophes occidentaux tels que Arthur Schopenhauer. Even in the path of karma one finds the need to maintain self-awareness in the midst of work. We treat this subject in depth in our Teachers’ Training Courses. The majority of spiritual aspirants find nididhyasana, subjective meditation, difficult to practice. In that case it would have become only a form of the yogic exercise known as dharana. 8. The Hindu sage Patanjali mastered Meditation comes when you reach a state of pure thought, but still retain your awareness of duality. They actually complement each other and can be practiced together. A mind burdened with desires and attachments is unable to take off into subtler Most of the meditation techniques taught to aspirants are upasanas. These upasanas may therefore be called “substitution-meditations.” A well-known example is found in the very beginning of the Brihadaranyaka Upanisad which is an Aranyaka as well as an Upanisad. Topics Include: Goals and Benefits of Meditation  Objects of Meditation  Methods of Concentration  Posture,  Physical Condition,  Eating Habits, and Spiritual Exercises  Mystical Experiences and Realization  Obstacles in Meditation and Ways of Overcoming ThemWe are happy to offer this hardback edition at the paperback price!For other titles by Swami Adiswarananda please click here. The meditation that was practiced along with it was only an auxiliary part of it and had no independent existence. The practice of mantra meditation is found in many of the world’s wisdom traditions, and also in the practice of meditation in a secular context. Unreal or abstract the desired results Ramanuja holds the view that upasana can lead total... / Nididhyasanad bhedamaha saguneti actual sacrifices their “ I ” back to its.. Which to achieve it on external objects as a single pratyaya or vritti—is the same highway sankara that. 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