CONTROL OF BODY AND MIND ARE DIFFERENT

Now let us endeavor to enter the domain of mind, examine the reality of soul and experience its existence with the help of paranormal powers inherent in the depths of the mind. All seekers throughout the world have been adopting the same methodology. For understanding elementary facts about any subject, there is no alternative to application of penetrating intelligence inherent in the discovery of the reality of self world also require the aid of illumined intelligence. The science of spirituality calls this process as Yoga.

There are many disciplines of Yoga. Some amongst these are meant for health and physical fitness. Others are for spiritual Sadhana. However, good health is an essential prerequisite for entering the path of this Sadhana. The higher disciplines of Yoga comprise Pratyahar (Inward withdrawal of mind and senses from their objects), Dharana (concentration), Dhyan (meditation) and Samadhi (state of Trance) successively. Spiritual seekers also follow many other disciplines - like, Yam, Niyam, Asan, Pranayama etc. The Hath Yogis carry out procedures of Neti, Dhoti, Vasti, Vajroli and other exercise for physical fitness and control. Other have their own specific methods for physical fitness. All of these are basically meant to keep the body healthy so that problems of the body do not create obstacles in course of mind control exercises. The seekers are advised to maintain good health with simple exercises. In today's environment, it is neither advisable nor necessary to follow the traditional ancient physical exercises of Yoga, involving intricate postures.

It would be unfair to ask a person living in a polluted environment of a city to carry out intense Pranayama practices. Such difficult exercises were prescribed for those seekers of yore who lived in the unpolluted environment of the hills, took only fresh fruits for meals, and used unpolluted water from the mountain springs or streams and observed continence. There is no logic in asking a frog to wear a horseshoe. It would kill the frog. Today there is general awareness about the norms for healthy living and these should be strictly adhered to. If there is some disease, an expert medical practitioner of the discipline may be consulted. For our present objective, however, no such physical standards of health are necessary for which one may require prolonged treatment or prior training. Normal health and a relaxed, happy attitude are the only two prerequisites.

Preparation for meditation

 Choose a quite place. It is advisable to find a place from of things which may provoke fear or distraction. Since it is not always possible to find an ideal, totally noiseless place, as far as possible, a place having least noise may be chosen. It is preferable to have a fixed place for daily meditation. If it is not possible to find an ideal place, that is, in a forest, on a hill or bank of a river, select a small chamber, where mind is not likely to be distracted. Be seated comfortably, keeping the back straight. It is not necessary to stiffen the neck and chest or to cross the legs, since it might induce discomfort in parts of the body, which will repeatedly send signals to the mind, disturbing its equanimity. Let the body be totally loosened, so that all muscles become relaxed. Let each part of the body feel tension-free, peaceful and at complete rest. A comfortable chair is best suited for this posture. Lying flat on the bed, face upwards, would also serve the purpose, but the head has to be raised a little. Alternatively, one may sit with the back resting against a wall, with a cushion behind the back. Whatever be the sitting posture, the bodu should be loosened like a ball of cotton, so that there does not arise any need for changing positions or adjusting the support for comfort. However, care should be taken to adopt a posture in which, on reaching the state of deep meditation, there is no likelihood of topping.

Keep sitting in this way for some time. Let the body feel restful and mind at peace. In the initial stages, it would require somewhat greater effort but later, with practice, the seeker finds it easy to relax irrespective of the place and environment. A word of caution! This exercise is not meant for simply creating a state of relaxation, in which one generally reaches a state of drowsiness, begins to daydream or flies high on the wings of imagination. Remember! This preparation for meditation has a specific purpose. It is required to be practiced as directed, since it has been created deliberately for a specific objective.

Later, with practice, this state of mind in meditation would become a state of natural awareness (consciousness) and would not require any conscious effort to attain. In difficult situations, of life giving rise to fear, misery, pain, apprehension or stress, such as equanimity of mind would become activated without any conscious effort and the seeker would pass through the crisis in an attitude of calm confidence and peace.

Soul is the nucleus of your world

Now in the above state of meditation collect all your thoughts on the nature of "I". Think absolutely nothing about any external person, place, thing or event. Conceptualize, that factually your soul (the real self, 'I') is an independent entity; that it is infinitely powerful, indestructible and indivisible. That it is the central star around which your personal world, ie. Everything related to you, is continuously revolving (is in perpetual cyclic motion) like the planets of the solar system orbiting around the sun. Conceptualize the inner-self as the nucleus of your world, brightly illuminated like The Sun. Resolutely creative such imagery in your mind with the help of the creative nature of your mind. In your mental horizon, establish your soul as a centrally located stationary central star, around which everything related to you is perpetually revolving. Assure yourself that these things around you are dependent on you but that you are not dependent on them and that, though you are providing them energy for their movement; nevertheless they have their separate existence and in no way belong to you. After persistently practicing in this way, in a few days, such awareness will become deep-rooted.

Do not think the picture you are conceptualizing is fallacious or fanciful. It is an exercise to let you appreciate that laws of motion in nature are universally applicabl3e, as much to the living beings as to inert matter. As a matter of fact, each cell/particle, living as well non-living is perpetually in a state of rotation around some nucleus. In the solar system, there are planets revolving around the sun, and the latter too is circumambulating some other invisible nucleus of energy in the universe. The nucleus of energy in our heart makes the blood circulate around the body. It is the natural property of everything tangible or intangible to follow its particular law of cyclic motion. Sound, natural forces, ideologies and atoms of various elements are always moving forward following their particular rotational trajectories. The natural law of motion governing periodical cyclic changes is working everywhere - all around us. (life and activities of followers of particular ideologies revolve around the protagonists of these ideologies) As mentioned above, the soul of an individual being is a nucleus of energy and elements of all natural systems living or non-living, which are related to the individual, move around this central force. In other words, their actions and reactions are indirectly influenced by this nucleus (soul) within a time-space paradigm. On becoming thoroughly convinced about the reality and universality of these natural phenomena, you will notice an unusual transformation in your outlook. You will clearly perceive yourself existing as a nucleus of energy acting on everything related to you. You will find that your world and all material objects related to you such as your house, your car, garment, ornaments, money and property are not an integral part of you; that these have separate existence of their own; that though you are living amongst these, these are alien to you.

(Note: This concept may be further understood in this way. Whatever be the dynamism of interactions between the various animate and inanimate systems related to a person, the driving force behind it is his mind. It is the mind of the individual which created and shapes his world. Further, the mind, as we have discussed earlier is only a tool of the Inner-Self i.e. soul. Hence the soul has been referred to as the central star of the personal world. Besides, as, in spite of being the source of energy to the entire solar system, the sun itself remains unaffected by the dynamics in its system, the soul of a person (not his body) remains an independent entity, uninfluenced by the activities in one's personal world. In this way, the real Self and the associated world, though related, exist independently. An off-quoted classic analogy is the lotus leaf floating on water being in water yet not submerged in it).