Regular Practice With Wisdom Is Key To Succeed In Meditation

Don't wait for me,

I have a session right before,

So I'm just finishing it.

I know your answer.

So I know your answer.

So you see that we are entering into,

As I was saying,

Entering into a deeper phase of the sadhana or the practice.

Sam has also joined,

That is very good.

So it's a deeper,

Now these five sutras has to be understood,

Listened to it again and again,

Contemplate,

Send the email to me if you have any doubt or a query or if you did not understand.

You know my master used to say that when there is a fire in the woods,

In the forest,

Elephant simply enters into water.

They do not take the water from the river to quench the fire in the woods.

So his message is clear that every sadhana has one most important element.

It is going within,

Entering into the water here means the mind must go within.

You are hurt,

Go within.

You are in anxiety,

Go within.

First go within before you react.

Just go within.

So when there used to be a snowstorm,

I spent many weeks and the months with the master in the Himalayas at the height of 12,

000 feet.

So in those days,

Oh,

There is to be a snowstorm come inside the cave.

So we used to sit inside the cave in the front of the cave we had the fire.

Now because we are undergoing a serious session,

So remember ASU,

What is ASU?

Arizona State University so that you will remember all the time.

So there are three ways the master explains what it means by practice.

A means abhyasa Sanskrit word,

S means sadhana and U means upaya.

So when you remember ASU,

So you should also recall in your mind abhyasa,

Sadhana,

Upaya.

Abhyasa the word abhyasa is used by Patanjali.

Sadhana and upaya is very,

Very common.

Even in the Gita in the different text,

We use what?

Sadhana.

So first understand what exactly is sadhana.

Sadhana means intellect understands what is desired and what is not desired.

And then we drop what is not desired.

Anxiety is desired,

Duality is desired,

Stress is desired.

Then I gave a reference that whenever these thought enters into the mind,

First thing I should become aware that they are not desired.

Then only the meditation succeeds.

Then only the awakening takes place.

But if you start thinking constantly of the anger,

Of the anxiety,

Anxiety management,

Anger management,

Stress management,

We don't use this.

We say let us awaken to the peace,

Move inside first,

Discover the peace inside.

Again going to the master,

How can I forget him?

Which changed my entire life.

So a student went to the master and asked him to guide meditation.

The master realized that this guy seems to be obsessed with anxiety management,

Anger management.

So the mind is always no,

Now I'm living in stress,

You know,

I am in a hurry and worry.

So he said there is a tree,

Go under the tree,

Sit under the tree,

Close your eyes and there is only one condition.

What is that condition?

There should not be a thought of monkey,

You may have any thought of anger,

Anxiety,

Duality,

Comfort,

Anything,

But only one thing.

Promise me that you should not have a thought of monkey.

So he said,

Oh,

That's not a big deal.

I have never thought of a monkey.

Not a big deal.

You know,

This is the principle of what is desired and what is not desired.

So he closed his eyes,

Sat under the tree.

And after some time,

After a few minutes,

His mind asked,

No,

Everything is okay.

But why my master said that I should not have a thought of monkey,

Thought of monkey has come.

You see that thought of monkey.

Yes,

Another few minutes have passed.

Okay,

Because monkey is like a mind,

That is why my master told me that I should not have a thought of monkey.

Again,

The monkey thought has come.

This is what the lack of awareness is.

This is what we say in yoga is foolishness.

Anyhow,

So he continued for half an hour.

Again,

The monkey as an image appeared before him,

Even the eyes are closed.

A leaves fell from the tree and his mind thought it is the monkey who moved the branches.

And that's why the leaves fell.

After an hour when he opened his eyes and approached to the master,

He did not see the physical image of the master,

He saw the monkey is there.

This is what happens in our day to day life.

Have you never thought of it?

Just become aware.

Say,

You had some reaction against me,

The entire day your mind is thinking about this beard guy.

Have you noticed?

Think of it every day,

Every 24 hours,

Even when you are lying down on the bed,

I will teach that guy a lesson.

This is too much.

I should be aware.

When the thoughts are repetitive and these thoughts are taking me nowhere,

I must become aware.

This is not desired in thought,

Speech and action.

This is the first thing we should do in the practice.

Because if I'm not clear in the intellect about what exactly is the practice,

Then practice will not happen.

And remember ASU,

Sadhana,

All the practices includes ASU.

So abhyasa,

S means sadhana,

We have explained,

We have just understood and the second word we will understood.

Second,

U means upayo.

Upayo literally means tool,

Step,

Practice.

You use the car as a tool to reach your home,

Drive home,

Back home,

You use the smartphone as a tool to make a call,

Receive a call.

So tool means we have to use it for some time and then we have to leave it.

That gives us an understanding that meditation and mindfulness is natural,

Effortless.

We have to use these small tools and there are millions of tools in the eastern western.

Mantra is a tool,

Breath is a tool,

Mudra is a tool,

Imagination is a tool.

So based on our nature temperament,

We have to use different tools.

We are using the same tool,

You know,

Sarvesha,

Swasthir,

Hagatthu.

The tool upaya means a device and a tool,

We have to use it for some time but why we have to use?

Now understand it.

To enter into meditative state?

No.

To prepare the mind,

To purify the mind,

To remove the garbage from the mind so that we can reflect on meditative state.

Two things.

Remember sadhana upaya.

Now word,

The alphabet a means abhyasa.

So the Patanjali uses the word abhyasa.

That includes both,

Upaya and sadhana.

What is desired,

What is not desired?

Ask yourself what is desired at this moment?

Are you thinking of your asinda that you want to do after the meditation?

Is it desired?

So we need an extraordinary awareness.

So when that is not desired,

You drop in the mind,

Your body will not move,

The body will remain aware,

Calm,

Attentive,

The mind will remain attentive.

Coming to abhyasa,

Literal meaning of the abhyasa is practice.

But here,

Here the master says what is abhyasvairagyabhyam tanirodha abhyasa.

So he says,

If I translate into English,

Regular practice with wisdom,

With dispassion or wisdom,

He says wisdom must be there in any practice.

Wisdom is lost then what we do.

I gave you an example,

Beautiful women in Princeton,

I used to give sessions on meditation.

So normally I have written my profile that you know,

26 years with my master and 35,

36 years of experience.

So she told me I also have 26 years of experience.

I said I appreciate it.

Plus 26 years of experience plus three surgeries of the spine to settle into meditation.

Why to settle into,

How to settle into meditation?

Because I was doing all the difficult postures,

Which I say advanced yoga and that led me to three surgeries of the spine.

Is yoga like this?

But you cannot teach those people.

I also have 26 years of experience.

So that is why the wisdom is required.

So the very soul of this meaning of this word is explained by Patanjali in the next sutra that I will take up next week.

But here what he says the practice must be done under the wisdom,

Under the dispassion.

So when there is a dispassion,

Now what happens?

I have been doing all the difficult postures.

I'm not against anything.

I like you know,

Whatever you are doing,

Very good.

Why should I go against you?

But he says,

Now if I'm constantly obsessed with the body,

Then I'm doing all the difficult postures and that obsession will create a conflict in the mind,

Whether I should leave the body in meditation or I should not leave.

I should transcend the body.

I should not.

What will happen?

You will never succeed in meditation.

So the word he uses,

What the word he uses?

He says dispassion.

What is dispassion?

Dispession comes by discernment.

What is discernment?

Discernment makes the intellect clear what is real and what is unreal.

So how the discernment proceeds?

By self inquiry,

By thinking,

By contemplation,

By reflection.

If you do not think and your intellect does not accept what is real and what is not real,

Discussion will not succeed.

This is one way to explain the word Abhayasa.

So when we go deeper in the next session,

So we'll understand what exactly is the soul of this word.

Go back three words.

Just remember ASU,

Abhyasa,

Sadhana and Upaya.

Upaya,

Sadhana,

Be 100% clear what is desired and what is not desired.

In my life,

In meditation,

In day to day life,

You know,

Before the beginning of a session,

I think I was explaining,

Never be attached and don't encourage anyone to be attached.

Have you seen those events in your life at some point of time?

We become angry,

Then we cry,

Then we say sorry,

Then we hug each other.

I'm sorry.

I'm very sorry.

Have you seen that?

It might have happened in everybody's life.

There the Sadhana is required.

No I became angry because you know,

I love you.

What kind of love this is?

You made me upset.

Attachment.

Sadhana.

You will find that your mind becomes so light.

The body,

You feel the lightness in the body,

The throughout the day.

Totally carefree.

So the second thing,

You know,

I,

I,

All the sometime I play with my,

Not here,

But sometime I play silently with the,

Uh,

Some students.

I start appreciating them and then I give them a shock and then they start reacting against me.

But they don't realize that they have not been able to progress into the practice,

Into the practice.

Sadhana.

Understand clearly.

Every moment in your life,

What is desired?

What is not desired?

What is desired?

What is not desired?

Anxiety is desired?

No.

Reaction is desired?

No.

Should I encourage attachment?

No.

Should I move with attachment?

No.

Then how can I live my life?

There is a better way to live your life.

There is a much better way to live your life.

Do you see that?

Otherwise the same thing will happen,

The monkey,

Monkey,

Monkey,

Monkey.

Sadhana means clarity,

Awareness,

Understanding,

Conviction that this is what is not desired,

Either in thought,

In speech,

In action.

And upaya means we use different tools.

Patanjali says,

According to the commentator,

Vyasa,

There are six pastures the Vyasa has given to succeed in meditation.

We don't need more than six pastures.

And again,

The six pastures should be reduced to only one or two pastures.

Now I will give you one message from another master.

I don't remember the text,

But I remember the statement.

One asana,

Something like this,

One asana perfects pranayama,

One pranayama perfects one pratyahara,

One pratyahara perfects one dharna,

One pratyahara,

One dharna perfects one meditation.

A message,

A hidden message is there about the sadhana.

How can you measure?

You can measure one asana,

But how can you measure one pranayama?

There is a way that we will understand.

So remember ASU,

Abhyasa,

Sadhana and Upaya.

Last point,

From today,

Whenever you enter into anxiety,

Fear,

Duality,

Conflict,

Upaya is the most important tool to introduce at that moment.

The way I explained you,

Elephant enters into the water when there is a fire in the forest.

Anger is fire,

Anxiety is fire,

Duality is fire,

Conflict is fire,

Attachment is fire.

What should I do?

Om nam,

Mentally,

Om namah shiva,

Use the tool,

Om namah shiva,

Om namah shiva,

At that very moment.

Om shanti,

Om shanti,

Om shanti,

Om shanti,

Om shanti,

Or start counting the breath.

Don't allow that to be expressed.

Don't start fighting with the fire.

Go too far from the fire.

What does it mean?

What is not desired?

What is desired?

We are using this as a tool in the Upaya.

So both Sadhana and Upaya,

Now I are working together.

Then comes the Abhyasa that we will take up in our next session.

So start our journey.

Eyes are closed and eyes are closed.

Close your eyes gently.

Is it Upaya?

Now continue to maintain awareness.

After the meditation,

It is your intellect should think which tool I'm using,

When and where.

You see the clarity?

So eyes are closed gently.

You are aware of the body.

What is that awareness of the body?

Do you remember that awareness,

Feelings,

Sensation comes from the consciousness?

Mother cannot say,

I feel.

My phone cannot say,

I feel.

I know you,

But I feel the sensation in the body.

I'm aware of the body.

I see the body is as it is.

And that moment,

Look inside the heart.

Look inside the heart in the space.

You see this I am is behind there.

That I am is consciousness.

And that is looking inside the heart in the space.

And then you look at a point in the space.

Even if you contemplate one day only what the hell I am speaking in this Upaya,

When I'm saying looking into the space and then become aware of a point in the space.

It may be an information for you.

It will remain information if you do not translate by contemplation and reflection.

What is that?

That point in the space is the space itself.

The space is the point and the point is the space.

And the space is objectless.

And that objectless state is meditation.

The rest of the steps are just an explanation.

That is the nature of a seeker.

But anyhow,

We will go deeper.

In that state,

Start breathing deep,

Silent and slow.

I'm changing the position of different steps.

And you will see the change in your experience.

Not very deep,

Not very slow.

Why very slow?

Or I would say the habitual breathing makes your mind moving outward.

Very deep makes your mind anxious.

Oh,

I have to stretch.

No,

Make it clear.

Breath is deep,

Silent and slow.

Breath is your car.

Mind is the driver and the space inside the body.

Why we want to see this space?

To bypass,

To transcend the body.

So start the journey with your right arm as you inhale.

The mind inside the right arm from the shoulder to the fingertips as you exhale.

The mind moves inside the right arm from the finger tips to the shoulder in the space,

In that emptiness.

And that space and emptiness is made up of trillions of points,

Dot.

I'm triggering your intellect in a way so that it can go deeper.

So this nyasa means in upaya.

Upaya means you use for some time.

You cannot use it for 24 by seven.

Now moving the mind inside the left arm.

We are playing with the three gunas inside by this nyasa.

Beautiful.

Continue please.

Continue my friend.

And now inside the right leg,

Whether you do it from the toes to the right side of the waist or from the right side of the waist to the toes with inhalation or exhalation,

That is your choice.

You see that why I said so I'm dropping any conflict in the mind.

Upaya has to be done free from the conflict and the reaction.

If there is a continuous reaction inside,

Upaya will not work.

From today we are going entering into another phase.

We are understanding the very soul of what we mean by practice.

Inside the left leg now.

Anyways to say this upaya,

This nyasa purifies the mind like an elephant who knows the mind is moving outside.

It takes the mind deeper inside and then we do the mantra.

It makes a big difference.

We will see.

You will testify yourself.

Now inside the spine.

From the crown of the head to the tailbone,

From the tailbone to the crown of the head.

And now leave this deep silence in slow breath.

Check the state of your mind.

Is the mind living within?

Does the mind say no issue I'm relaxed and calm and steady.

You see so we need that quality of the mind in the sadhana.

Upaya and another upaya will take us deeper.

So singing and listening now you'll be more attentive to singing and listening.

The first one.

Mentally singing and listening.

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu,

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu.

Singing listening meaning.

What is the meaning?

Well-being.

Antidote to attachment to ego sense to ignorance.

Sing listening and meaning.

You are listening.

Sing sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu,

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu,

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu,

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu.

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu,

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu.

Six times we will be doing singing,

Listening,

Meaning and the wisdom.

You see a bhayasa regular practice with wisdom.

So what is the wisdom in the state of the well-being?

Well if you do not live unconsciously habitually with attachment with the passion,

Do you need to work on the well-being?

It is already there.

So we discover that state.

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu,

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu,

Sarvesham swasthir bhavatthu.

Sarvesham Swasturbhavatuh Sarvesham Swasturbhavatuh Sarvesham Swasturbhavatuh Second line,

Singing and listening Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Simple meaning,

Sarvesha means for everyone bhavtu means should happen and in the middle we have the four words shanti means peace so peace is everywhere when it is everywhere it is in my friends it is in my foes with whom I am attached,

With whom I am detached with every being on this earth Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Now go a little deeper,

Shanti so we say shanti is a sukha and the sukha is a good space good space means the infinite space is the picturization of the shanti so allow the mind to move to be absorbed into that infinite space with a simultaneous awareness of the people around you your own body,

Your own self Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvesham Shanturbhavatuh Sarvi Sham Shanti Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Shanti Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Shanti Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Shanti Bhavatu Third line,

Purnam,

Singing and listening Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Now six times,

Meaning,

Meaning of Purnam completeness,

Wholeness you know wholeness holy etc.

Etc.

A lot of words come from there So it means I am complete in myself so everyone is complete in oneself Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Now six times,

What is that completeness?

Who is that?

The whole,

The complete,

The real self our true nature cannot be divided What I am at the time of the birth I am still the same I am and whatever has changed is not me body,

Mind,

Intellect,

Ego,

Thoughts Even anxiety comes and goes Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Let the mind see it clearly that I am the whole Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu with emotion Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Purnam Bhavatu You know that mind says drop everything in that state of wholeness drop my anxiety I don't need this,

I don't want everything is okay That mind we need with a conviction And now the fourth line singing and listening Mangalam Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Six times with a meaning So here I gave you one meaning Well-being plus peace plus wholeness Wholeness awakens that auspiciousness Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Do you feel some inner power in the force has taken over you which does not want the body to move the mind to be distracted the intellect to fall do not fall into any kind of foolishness some power that fire is the fire of prana we'll understand later Six times Now when all the three merges together there is an auspicious moment when every time every moment is an auspicious moment can I work live think in that moment You are already in this state Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvi Sham Mangalam Bhavatu Sarvesham Mangalam Bhavatu A couple of times,

Say in your mind by yourself Aum Shanti Shanti Shanti A few times you say singing and listening A few times you say with a meaning And the meaning is Shanti peace And then with wisdom,

Applied wisdom Applied knowledge is the wisdom What?

This peace is an expression,

Is a manifestation of my true nature Coming from deep inside First Shanti,

Second Shanti Then that Shanti expresses in the body,

Breath,

Mind,

Intellect,

Thought,

Everything individual consciousness And the third Shanti is everywhere You see it Does the mind say,

I have done it?

Mind wants to go out You continue Who doesn't want to live into that peace?

Do you see?

That is how we pick up Sadhana What is desire?

What is not desire?

Along with the Upaya,

The tool And we continue that is Abhayasa I'll use the three words ASU Not Arizona State University but Three points of the Sadhana And now simply walking casually The mind goes to the crown of the head,

From there you walk down to the belly button With the singing,

With the emotion,

With the feeling Om Shanti,

And then return again to The crown of the head,

Reaching,

Walking down in this infinite space inside In that state of auspicious moment Om Shanti One master beautifully explains,

When the mind lives within,

Body is totally still naturally As if you are frozen,

Numbness,

Tingling is there And the mind is fully aware of the auspicious moment When you draw Om Shanti from the crown of the head to the belly button Your experience at a higher level would be a fluid mass Of energy descends down from the crown of the head And when it goes to the belly button it spreads into every cell of the body And now,

And we become more aware of that peace consciousness when we do it Now from crown of the head to the heart within Om Shanti,

Om Shanti,

Om Shanti A master used to say,

Why we are crying for peace?

It is already within us,

It is within our reach It is here and now my friends That is the power of the Eastern wisdom And now from the crown of the head,

You see the mind perceives this inside the forehead Any point in the forehead Don't worry only,

Don't become habitual to focus only on the middle of the eyebrows There are more than 300 points of wisdom inside the forehead You can do it at any point Crown of the head,

Mind has very little to move Om Shanti,

You simply draw as if Om Shanti You need not to see even but you are aware of it And there light,

Vision instantly takes over Fluid mass to the belly As if you have become very soft and plastic moving to the heart And here the light continues Now do nothing,

Remain in that state of doing nothing Why doing nothing?

What I am searching is already within me That is the summit peak of Abhyasa Only at that moment we understand what it means by effortlessness Om Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti Shanti Shanti Shanti Shanti What a beautiful way to conclude the meditation Bring your mind to the right hand,

To the left hand Lift your both the palms,

Place it on your eyes Open the eyes inside,

Know your experiences and bring the hands down And share our experiences To go deeper,

How are you Stephen?

I'm good,

I think I'm a little out of it I don't have much to say because I was in this place of just silence and effortlessness And quietness and peacefulness and what I remember is being in my heart center Most of the time in this warmth that came from it while the rest of my body was really cold That's beautiful And then it was over That's beautiful,

We need not to say anything How are you Terry?

How are you Terry?

Need not to tell,

Need not to tell,

Remain calm,

Remain calm Good,

How are you Lara?

There was an echo from Terry,

It's okay.

Lara how are you?

I am good,

It was also a very deep experience,

I was very quiet and then every once in a while I'd get like a weird thought that would come in and then I'd just come back to the breath And I'd be like oh we're chanting now Weird thought which Not a weird thought but like I thought it all of a sudden a person but I haven't thought about 25 years came into my head I know I don't know where they came from,

I don't even know if she's still alive Just think of ASU Yeah and then I went back Which one?

Then I got,

It was just for a second she flipped into my head and then I was like okay and then back to the meditation Yeah so ASU of our journey not Arizona State Anyway oh thought is desired not desired,

Give a break instantly Yeah there's two That's wonderful,

Wonderful How are you Sangeeta?

It's a very peaceful time,

But I just experienced a very open up for that Yeah deeper experience of calmness You see the role of intellect is paramount once we have a clarity understanding doubt free mind is there and then you do the practice So that is what the Patanjali is saying,

Regular practice with dispassion So I use the word regular practice with wisdom because that wisdom contains discernment and dispassion Very good,

How are you Sam?

I'm good,

I describe this one as quiet and a lot about expanding space So usually when you have us do our checks around the body and you say go to your right arm I just go there I just feel it Today I noticed I was moving my my sight inside my head so when we go down to the heart I would look almost look down and then look up and then that just kept expanding and I was just in this kind of balanced space between the two breathing in and out and yeah that was it and that's all Okay,

Beautiful calm peace aware that is what we need in meditation and how are you David and Jerry?

Um very very uh peaceful it was for me um I just felt going through the chance I just excuse me I just started to melt was the only way I can describe it and I lost all boundaries of thought and all boundaries of place beautiful so much so that when you did the head to the belly button and the head to the tailbone I could imagine a start and a finish but I the journey in between was just a blend of meltedness that's the only way I can describe it yeah yeah that's a deeper that's a deeper experience how are you Jerry?

Sir it was effortless too as Stephen said it's um deep effortless and um the Aum Shanti from crown to belly crown to heart and then forehead was almost like a bathing um of a fluid that just Yeah yeah that's a beautiful experience so remember ASU it just came to my mind in the morning so you will Arizonians never will never forget Abhyasa so we'll take up this Abhyasa in little higher level based on the next Sutra what exactly just contemplate and think if you can derive some conclusion what exactly is practice explained by this master Patanjali we use I think practice hundreds of times every day but what is that practice?

You go to the gym that is also a practice you practice asana that is also a practice so just think of it contemplate and reflect when you go to the kitchen and preparing a tea is that a practice just ask yourself just ask and then we can correlate it with the practice of meditation that is all for today that is all for today thank you very much thank you very much thank you thank you