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Sadhaka :
Will you please explain the concepts of dharana (concentration) and dhyana(meditation)?
Gurudev :
Dharana is fixing the mind on an idea or a point or an object, either
internal or external. You will have only one vritti or wave in the mind-lake;
all other operations are suspended or stopped. Concentration is steadfastness
of mind (when) you remove all causes of distraction. Dhyana or meditation
is the keeping of the flow of one idea with continuity as unbroken as
the flow of oil. Meditation is the keeping up of an unceasing flow of
God-consciousness.
Swamiji: Dharana means holding
the mind fixed at one point and keeping it held for sufficient length
of time. If you can fix it upon a fixed point within for period of 12
matras (roughly 12 seconds), it is counted as one dharana. It is a mental
training. For successful concentration:
1) The mind should be subtle;
2) It should be sattvic (pure);
3) You should have dispassion;
4) You should have a persistent endeavour;
5) You should take sattvic diet.
The authentic pure meditation process is a communion between the individual
and the Universal Being - an inner linking with God, the flow of human
consciousness towards the eternal Consciousness, your overall self-unfoldment.
Meditation is the highest and noblest exercise of the supreme prerogative
and blessedness of human birth, a continuous process of rejecting the
call of the non-eternal, and a resolute, a persistent and an insistent
opening of ourselves to the Atman, to turn away from the unreal and move
towards the Real. Meditation is intensified living in the Spirit.
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