A Hindu’s Practice: Education, Meditation and Self-Realization – Patheos (blog)
Posted: February 10, 2017 at 11:42 pm
The recent vote by the Senate to confirm Betsy Devos as Secretary of Education bothered me and not just because I felt she is grossly unqualified for the job. It reminded me that we are in a state of polarization, in partisan or left/right silos, where social media enables us to hear only voices that amplify our feelings. Fear of the other side is festered, along with an inability to achieve balance or promote pluralism. To find that equanimity, I realized that I needed not only to unplug from technology and the world, but to withdraw into myself, and to practice meditation.
Hindus are not the first or only people of faith to encourage meditation and reflection; but it is the Hindu concept of self-realization, with the goal of merging ones self into the [Divine] Self, that I am most familiar with. Whether identified through Greek words id, ego and superego, or Sanskrit words jivatma, atma and paramatma, human consciousness has multiple layers that we must penetrate to get to the Divine as part of our spiritual growth. The mind can be considered dual in nature with one lower and one higher, which are sometimes at odds with one another. Through mindfulness, we can merge the wisdom of the higher mind with the rationality of the lower mind, to reach enlightenment.
Paramahansa Yogananda
As Paramahansa Yogananda, a great Hindu monk, said, Self-realization is yoga, or oneness with truth the direct perception or experience of truth by the all-knowing intuitive faculty of the soul. Paramahansa Yogananda, founder of the Self Realization Fellowship, was born Mukunda Lal Ghosh in 1893, to an affluent Indian family. He became a monk in 1915, gave many lectures and taught people how to attain direct personal experience of God and eventually wrote his life story, The Autobiography of a Yogi. According to American Veda author Phil Goldberg, Published just after World War II, this book remains the most influential memoir of a genuine master of the Vedic tradition ever written. It still inspires tens of thousands of new readers every year. But Yoganandas legacy extends beyond that iconic book. He arrived in 1920 and made America his home, establishing the world headquarters of his Self-Realization Fellowship (SRF) in Los Angeles, the Benares of America. For the next 32 years, his universal spiritual teachings and his Kriya Yoga practices reached millions.
Paramahansa Yoganandas description of Kriya Yoga is in his autobiography. According to the Self Realization Fellowship website:
The actual technique is given to students of the Self-Realization Fellowship Lessons after a preliminary period of study and practice of the three preparatory techniques taught by Paramahansa Yogananda.
Taken together as a comprehensive system, these meditation techniques enable the practitioner to achieve the highest benefits and divine goal of the ancient yoga science.
Decades later, another Hindu guru, Maharishi Mahesh Yogi, also came to the West, and brought with him another path to enlightenment: Transcendental Meditation, or its popular short form TM. Mahesh Yogi, who arrived in America right before the cultural and political revolution of the 1960s, said:
The goal of the Transcendental Meditation technique is the state of enlightenment. This means we experience that inner calmness, that quiet state of least excitation, even when we are dynamically busy. we have a natural and effective means to dissolve even deeply rooted fatigue and stress. This is the way to unfold full value of life.
Even in the first days of meditation we find that our eyes seem to be a little more open, our mind seems a bit more clear. Our feeling towards our friends seems to be more harmonious.
And then, as the practice continues every day, a time will come when we will start living life free from all stresses. We cleanse the awareness of all stresses and strains, leaving the conscious mind completely free in its pure value.
However, I found my path to meditation through the Bhagavad Gita: Chapter 6 is fully focused on Krishnas explanation of Dhyana Yoga, or the yoga of meditation. And so I turned to the translation of the Gita that my father gave me when I started college, by Swami Swarupananda of the Advaita Ashrama. In Chapter 6 The Way of Meditation, verses 20-23 provided the essence of what I need to practice.
When the mind, absolutely restrained by the practice of concentration, attains quietude, and when seeing the Self by the self, one is satisfied in his own Self; when he feels that infinite bliss which is perceived by the (purified) intellect and which transcends the senses, and established wherein he never departs from his real state; and having obtained which, regards no other acquisition superior to that, and where established, he is not moved even by heavy sorrow; let that be known as the state, called by the name of Yoga estate of severance from the contact of pain. This Yoga should be practiced with perseverance undisturbed by depression of heart.
Just as a good nights sleep, a nutritious meal or a good workout can benefit your mind and body, a good meditation practice can also provide a good foundation to counter lifes daily challenges. It is something I have had to practice sitting down and emptying your mind of all the days stressors does not happen at the flip of a switch. Rather, it is something that happens over time, with persistance and sometimes it takes a little longer to get to that space where you are free from pressure. The benefit? Being able to come back to deal with the news of the day, however depressing, and react and respond from that place of equanimity. And through a more sustained, deeper meditation practice? The hope is to reach a state of bliss, of self-realization.
See the original post:
A Hindu's Practice: Education, Meditation and Self-Realization - Patheos (blog)
- ChangeYourEnergy.com Inspires Deep Relaxation and Empowerment through Nature Meditation [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- MONTGOMERY: Garden available to the public [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- How to calm your brain and find peace during a busy day [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Some patients turn to meditation when medication fails [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Flowing on the River of Peace Meditation [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Meditation Techniques For People Who Hate Meditation [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Learning Meditation at LearningMeditation.com [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- How to Meditate - Guided Meditation Techniques - Buddhist ... [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Meditation: Take a stress-reduction break wherever you are ... [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Meditation - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Guided Meditation for Sleep - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Psalm 19 - May the Words of my Mouth, the Meditation of my Heart, Be Acceptable To You - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Practical Two Stage SIGFA Healing Meditation (Withdrawal and Initiation process) - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Yoga For Stress Relief : Meditation Techniques & Benefits | The World Of Yoga - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Deepak Chopra Meditation-Course4 The Mind Body Connection-Timeless You Series with Bonus - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Meditation by Thais, "Kaunis String Quartet" - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- 5 Minute Quick Break Meditation: A Heart Chakra, Guided Spoken Visualization - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- 9/29/14 Meditation Class - Ways to increase presence - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- 17 Seconds to Freedom Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Dynamic Manifestation Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Day 30 - Warrior Meditation - Beautiful By Nadia 40 Days and 40 Nights Spiritual Detox Challenge - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- 8 Hour Deep Sleep: Music Sleep Relax, Sleep Relaxation, Meditation Sleep, Sleep Song 422 - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- A mini meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Guild Wars 2: Meditation Guardian Vs. Power Ranger #1 HD - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- The Secret Of Meditation Revealed - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Conversation 46 The Meditation Hall - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Omindfulness.com guided meditation / aloneness vs connection - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Deepak Chopra Meditation-Reversing Your Age-Timeless You 6 Course Series with Bonus - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Bright Path Ishayas Ascension meditation - Freedom From Suffering - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Change your life with Deep Meditation: Binaural beats - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Reconnect with your divine source with Sonia Choquette - Monday Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Dzogchen Meditation Community Learning Center Lesson 2: the Mind and the Time-Machine - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Welcome to Basara (Guided Meditation) - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- September 28, 2014 - 11:11 celebration meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Sun Sept 28, 2014 "Affirmation, Mantra & Meditation" with Dr. Edward Viljoen - 2nd service - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Day 27 - Meditation spot - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Become Bruce Lee | Subliminal Meditation | Binaural Beats - Video [Last Updated On: October 1st, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 1st, 2014]
- Can a Mind-Reading Headset Teach You To Deal With Stress? [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Walking Meditation ( VSV Samaneras) - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Meditation at the Shore - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Guild Wars 2: Meditation Guardian Vs. Shatter Burst Mesmer #3 HD - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Morning meditation walking - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Meditation Techniques for Beginners - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Buddha & Yeshua: Meaning of Life in Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Buddha: Meaning of Life in Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- ASMR Resort Visualization for Sleep - Soft Spoken Female Voice - Relaxation Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- The Alchemist's Meditation for Manifestation - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- CAMBODIA MEDITATION PREAS THOR 24 - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- CAMBODIA MEDITATION PREAS THOR 23 - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- KRI - Message & Meditation of the Month from Nirvair October 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Meditation by sis Vero - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Gift of Healing TV ~ Vibration Raising Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Short Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Guided Meditation To Heal Hidden Agreements, Entanglements, Family Secrets, And Non Beneficial Loy - Video [Last Updated On: October 2nd, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 2nd, 2014]
- Lindsay Lohan needs meditation [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- Recorded Online Guided Meditation by Rajee :: Saturday 4th October 2014 - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- 30 Day Meditation Oasis - Explanation Part Two video - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- A New Day with Ronnie Bassem in the Name of Meditation Music - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- First Contact Radio 10/3/14 - Esoteric Science, UFOs, Jesus - Lost Sheep Parables, Daily Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- Gong Musik Meditation Entspannung - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- Waking Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- Meditation, prayer or Karma, what do you believe in? - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- KRISHNAGIRI- SPIRITUAL AND ALPHA STATE / SCIENTIFIC MEDITATION- DIFFERENCES - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- Dzogchen Meditation Community Learning Center Lesson 4: Exploring Spiritual Experience - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- Daily Meditation - You Are Exactly Who You Want to Be - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- What are the Benefits of Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 4th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 4th, 2014]
- New Research Shows Yoga and Meditation Boost Brain Power [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- 8 Hour Meditation Sleep Music: Deep Sleep Music, Meditation For Sleep, Calming Music 426 - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Ocean Waves Sounds for Meditation and Relaxation - 30 minutes - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Osho dinamic active meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Full Hunter's Moon Meditation Based on Third Chakra of Power - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- TOP OF CHART - Best Meditation Song - HUM Udd Ke Chale Jayein - With SubTitles - BK Meditation. - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Spirit Guide Meditation by Teal Swan - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- RELAXING INSTRUMENTAL MUSIC -- MOUNTAIN RIVER -- SLEEP, MEDITATION, STUDY, SPA - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- YOGA MEDITATION - Guided Meditation Music - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Guild Wars 2: Meditation Guardian Solo tPvP #12 HD - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Lam Rim Guided Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Zen Music ~ Native American Flute + Ocean Waves = Relaxation / Meditation - Video [Last Updated On: October 5th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 5th, 2014]
- Lindsay Lohan: 'Meditation has changed my life' [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2014]
- Dzogchen Meditation Community Learning Center Lesson 3: Death in a Flash (Existential Physics) - Video [Last Updated On: October 6th, 2014] [Originally Added On: October 6th, 2014]