Meditation is the buzzword these days. The current global society seeks various types of remedies to rid itself of stress and achieve inner peace. Meditation is one of them. But few know the scientific basis of meditation and its correct techniques.
The systematic and scientific exposition of meditation finds place in Rishi Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras, which prescribes an eightfold regimen of yogic practice. The seventh step in this is dhyaan or meditation. The real, scientific meditation is that which is based on the knowledge of the human being in the holistic sense, which means an understanding of the human being as a conglomeration of the physical body, mind, intellect, ego and the soul. Therefore, to perform true meditation, one has to perform the rigorous practice of classical eightfold yoga.
Meditation, however, in the contemporary world has assumed different meanings and equally different techniques, often due to its commercialisation, which has stripped it of its intrinsic value. Shorn of its classical eightfold content, it is frequently dished out to naïve customers by sellers of packaged capsule courses claiming shortcuts to peace, and even salvation. It leads to many people losing faith in the potent practice because of its experienced ineffectiveness.
Meditation is the focusing of the mind on a sustained basis. But, the mind is erratic and fickle. It typically behaves like the monkey in your backyard—never still, and jumping around constantly. The mind’s constitution makes it so. It is carved out from a primordial substance called manastatva. Rishi Patanjali has described meditation as the state when the mind is cleared of stray, fleeting thoughts and becomes ‘thought-free’. But, meditation is much more than merely attaining a thought-free state of the mind. When the mind is still, it is required to be focused on the attributes of Ishwar, so that it gets connected with the supreme spiritual entity from which flows divine nectar to his human subjects. This divine nectar has the property of purifying the four human elements—mind (mana), intellect (buddhi), subconscious mind (chitta) and the ego (ahankar). It purges these entities of their impurities caused by wrong living habits and impressions coming from vicious actions of the past.
In the present times, meditation is largely taught and conveyed as a technique of reaching a thought-free state without going through the classical six preceding steps. The results then can only be partial and poor. The role played by the four primal human elements of mind and finally the soul, and supersoul God, has to be understood to appreciate the significance of meditation of the classical school. It has to be clearly understood that the supreme spiritual entity, God, is pervading all space in the vast universe, and even beyond it. He is omnipotent and omniscient, besides being omnipresent.
Humans are his children whom he is constantly nurturing and refining. Connection with him is of paramount importance. Meditation without a conscious connection with God can only be of limited benefit. His 20 attributes gleaned from the primeval and eternal scriptures called Vedas need to be known to each one of us, and we need to focus our attention on one or more of these attributes in the state of meditation. These are: embodiment of bliss, formless, omnipotent, just, compassionate, never-born, infinite, blemish-less, beginning-less, matchless, basis of all, supreme, omnipresent, immanent, ageless, immortal, fearless, eternal, pure and creator of the universe.
When we practise yoga of the body, and after that attempt to reach a thought-free mental state in today’s short-cut yogic regimens, we must then think of any or more of the 20 attributes, imagining how a particular attribute is called into action in the process of regulation of the universe by God.
Meditation in this manner will give the practitioner deeper and lasting benefits like mental peace and equanimity.
After all, we are God's creation, and He alone knows what is best for us. Then, why not follow his injunctions brought to us through sages like Patanjali?
(Atul Sehgal is the author of Guide to Inner Wellness and The Essence of Bhagwadgita—70 Verses at its Core. He can be contacted at atul4956@gmail.com)