The Amrita Bindu Upanishad among many other texts of Vedanta gives a beautiful technique for meditation. After the seeker has worked considerably on the mind by cleansing it of impurities of desire, anger, greed, jealousy, delusion and arrogance, he may sit down quietly.
The mind has to be first purified by external practices of yoga and devotion. Then the pure mind should be led to the source of thought within—that is pure consciousness. Once this is done, the seeker has to inhale deeply and exhale completely. After the inhalation, there is a point of breath beyond which there is downward movement of inhalation.
When the breath makes an about turn to exhale, the outgoing breath may be combined with the chant of Om in equal measure. If the proportion of the sound is four counts, then the O which is a combination of two letters—A and U—will be chanted for eight counts and the last letter, Mmm, for four counts followed by four counts of silence. When this is repeated in the same manner a couple of times, the mind will become still. This is called Yoga with the Swara or union with the sound.
Once the mind is united with the sound vibration of Om, there is an experience of stillness. After that experience is reached, the sadhaka may experience the state of soundless silence which is in and through, before, beyond and around the sound. When this silence is meditated upon, the experience of I Am is dissolved and the individual, limited entity, is lost in the oneness with the supreme presence of consciousness.
When the mind is absorbed within the supreme self, it is called yoga. When it is engaged completely in an object of experience, it is called Bhoga. It is sometimes like the windscreen of a car when there is a mild drizzle. The drizzle almost wets the car which has been on a dusty road all day. So, there is the impurity of dust. Even the pure rain water is not completely falling. There are patches of wetness and dry area.
Looking through such a screen, there is no clarity of vision. Once the water is sprayed from the windscreen wiper jet and the windscreen wiper switch is also put on, it completely removes the dust and the water.
Om is like the windscreen wiper on the screen of our mind which is cluttered often with many thoughts. When Om is chanted with reverence and love, all thoughts are absorbed in Om and the Om also fades away into silence.
The author is Acharya, Chinmaya Mission, Tiruchi (www.sharanyachaitanya. blogspot.in)