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This book was compiled from writings by Hari Prasad Shastri, who devoted his life to the study and propagation of the non-dual teachings and their application through the Yoga of Self-Knowledge, Adhyatma Yoga. After receiving instruction from illumined sages in Northern India and confirming the essential teachings of the Upanishads in his own experience, he travelled in Japan, China and Europe and studied the classics of the world's wisdom traditions. In 1933, in London, he founded Shanti Sadan as a traditional centre of non-duality and the way of Self-Knowledge. Meditation Its Theory and Practice was one of the first books published by Shanti Sadan. It contains a distillation of insights and guidance in meditation as it is understood and practised in the non-dual schools, with special relevance for those who wish to seriously practise meditation without having adopted discipleship under a particular teacher. In the current edition, the original content has been somewhat re-arranged and augmented by clearly structured sets of meditation exercises that may be taken up for regular daily practice.

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Philosophie et théologie

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Publié par	Distributed by eBookpartnership
Date de parution	28 novembre 2017
Nombre de lectures	0
EAN13	9780854240678
Langue	English
Poids de l'ouvrage	1 Mo

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MEDITATION
ITS THEORY AND PRACTICE
MEDITATION
ITS THEORY AND PRACTICE
HARI PRASAD SHASTRI
SHANTI SADAN, LONDON
First edition 1936 2nd edition 1938 3rd edition 1942 4th edition 1946 5th edition 1950 Reprinted 1958, 1968, 1971, 1974, 1981, 1987, 1999 6th edition 2017
ISBN 0-85424-006-3
ebook edition first published 2013 2nd eBook edition 2017 ISBN 978-0-85424-067-8
Shanti Sadan 2017 29 Chepstow Villas, London W11 3DR www.shantisadan.org
All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be translated, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means without the written permission of the publisher.
FOREWORD TO THE SIXTH EDITION
This book was compiled from writings by Hari Prasad Shastri, who devoted his life to the study and propagation of the non-dual teachings and their application through the Yoga of Self-Knowledge, Adhyatma Yoga . After receiving instruction from illumined sages in Northern India and confirming the essential teachings of the Upanishads in his own experience, he travelled in Japan, China and Europe and studied the classics of the world s wisdom traditions. In 1933, in London, he founded Shanti Sadan as a traditional centre of non-duality and the way of Self-Knowledge.
Meditation Its Theory and Practice was one of the first books published by Shanti Sadan. It contains a distillation of insights and guidance in meditation as it is understood and practised in the non-dual schools, with special relevance for those who wish to seriously practise meditation without having adopted discipleship under a particular teacher.
In the current edition, the original content has been somewhat re-arranged and augmented by clearly structured sets of meditation exercises that may be taken up for regular daily practice.
CONTENTS
How to use this book
I. THE THEORY OF MEDITATION
What Meditation Is
Foundations of Meditation
Beauty and Truth
Reason, Intuition, Vision
Physical, Mental and Spiritual Force
Characteristics and Nature of the Mind
Lightening the Mind
Restraint of the Senses
II. THE PRACTICE OF MEDITATION
Practice during the Meditation Period
Practice at other Times of the Day
Cultivating Calmness
Study
Self-examination
Love of Truth and Beauty
Protecting the Mind
Consciousness of the Goal
How to Meditate
Posture, Place and Time for Meditation
Subjects for Meditation
Deepening and Maturing Meditation
Devotion
Right Effort
Restraint and Absorption
Austerity
Study
Self-Surrender
Relaxation
Withdrawal
Concentration
Dhyana
Samadhi
Meditation on the Process of Thought
Meditation on Self
Supra-Conscious Samadhi
Meditation Practice Sets
Rhythm
Timing
Posture
How to Do the Practices
Opening and Closing the Meditation Session
Meditation Practice Sets for Daily Use
HOW TO USE THIS BOOK
If you would like to proceed with meditation practice, the structured meditation exercisespresented at the end of this book can be taken up at any time.
The other chapters may be read, and re-read, as study material to deepen one s understanding of the principles and goal of meditation as it is practised in the non-dual tradition.
I. THE THEORY OF MEDITATION
God-realisation is the purpose and goal of life; perfection, everlasting peace and freedom are its fruits. When God-realisation is once acquired, there is no fall from this exalted state of consciousness. There is no gain higher than this.
Shri Mangalnath
WHAT MEDITATION IS
To meditate means, in the preliminary and lower stages, to apply thought-force consciously; to produce harmony, both within and without; to obtain control over the mind and the emotions; and to open up the faculty of intuition or buddhi .
Our individual minds, conditioned by our bodies, are but small fractions of the divine or cosmic Mind, and possess the power of receiving from the cosmic Mind all that they require for their harmonious growth. Meditation, therefore, has a spiritual purpose. The real aim is to acquire a knowledge of truth and of that spiritual illumination which recognises no separateness, which fills the individual with peace and inspiration to bring the same light to others. It leads ultimately to the attainment of complete freedom from limitations, and the realisation of God as one s own Self or Atman . This God-realisation is the natural state of the self. The normal state of each individual or soul is perfection in God, and this is the goal of all evolution and progress.
Thus, meditation does not create perfection; it allows perfection to disclose itself, by removing the obstacles to its realisation. This is a very important point, which must never be forgotten.
FOUNDATIONS OF MEDITATION
In introducing the science of meditation-for it is a science-the foundations upon which it stands must first be explained. Meditation cannot be isolated from its place in the body of the higher Yoga, and the fundamental principles of Yoga must be grasped if they are to be successfully applied in daily life.
Growth and activity are the chief characteristics of life, both on the physical and the inner plane. The amoeba s pursuit of nourishment is fundamentally the same urge which causes man to seek truth, although turned to another account and functioning on a far lower level of consciousness. When the life force is directed outwards, it assumes the form of physical activity, but when the same faculty turns inward to its source, then life becomes an emotional, intellectual or spiritual activity. Even the most foolish act has its subtle, mental aspect, and a wise deed may appear foolish, because we live on these two planes of consciousness at once.
As human beings, therefore, we derive our inspiration and our values from the contemplative, introspective aspect of life, and give them a form of expression in the objective world. The correct attitude towards life is that everyone should be subjective for a part of the time. By going deeper and deeper into our own soul, we discover the real values of life, and on the basis of these values, create something tangible in the objective world.
In meditation, we try to go inward to the cause, even to that which is sometimes called the causeless cause . Just as a river is purer at its source than it is in the middle or at its mouth, so does the process of meditation become purer and purer as we go back towards the spiritual source. Meditation begins when the mind makes a courageous and determined effort to come into contact with the light of Truth latent within itself.
Our mind requires this regular inspiration of what is good, beautiful and true, infused transcendentally into the mind, and giving guidance to each individual according to our personal circumstances.
In order to know Truth, it is essential that we should practise self-restraint and self-abnegation in our daily life. We cannot ignore the ethical side of life and only practise reflection and meditation. If we did so, we should never acquire that inner peace and serenity which gives, not necessarily a life of joy, but joy in life: a joy which enables us to demonstrate the Truth, no matter what may befall us. If this ideal of spiritual peace ( shanti ) is worth achieving, then we must not neglect our ethical duties.
Concentration should be accompanied by a feeling of resignation or renunciation. Even in physical love, when a lover is really attuned to the object of his love, he not only acquires concentration, but also, if he is fortunate, gives the best in him spiritually to the object of his love. Much depends on the object of love. Romeo loved Juliet: he was concentrated on her and wanted to give up even his life to her.