Arun Jandial
Life is the time period between birth and death and is a result of union of perishable gross body, sense organs, organs of action with mind and spirit. Wastage of time is the wastage of life itself and utilising it to attain the goal for which it is meant, is the utility of life. Where do most of us spend our life-time? It is to achieve our goals which we set for ourselves in the hope of attaining happiness. These goals are fixed as per our taste, temperament, education, environment, knowledge, understanding, interests, inclination, background, training, upbringing, desires, priorities etc. When the spirit along with subtle body enters the gross body being formed in mother’s womb, it carries the impressions of previous births which determine the further course of life as per the above mentioned factors. It is said man is born in the world created by him. He gets the family, environment, condition, form what he has created for himself through his thoughts and actions in the previous birth.
The wishes one pursues are mostly related to money, health, beauty, education, employment, family, power, position, recognition, status, peace of mind, contentment, excellence, praise or other material or psychic achievements. A poor person thinks if he gets enough money, he will be happy. A rich person wants to acquire more money. A sick person thinks if he is relieved of his suffering, he will become happy. An unemployed person thinks that by getting employment, he will be happy. A childless couple think they will be happy if they are blessed with an issue. A single person expects to be happy on getting married. All persons in the world are trapped in the vicious cycle of desires that they will become happy if the particular wish of their is fulfilled and once that is fulfilled, the other one raises its head and this unending cycle of wishes goes on indefinitely, birth after birth and happiness remains a distant dream.
Through careful analysis of the happenings around us, we may conclude that happiness can’t be attained by external means – fulfilment of desires because external things, circumstances and even our mental conditions are variable and are always changing. The mind and matter phenomenon is always changing as change is the law of nature and nothing is permanent in this world. If one learns to withdraw from external conditions, get detached and tries to find wherein lies the real peace and happiness, he may find the real purpose of life. We have been seeking them in the wrong place, in the external world, where they don’t exist. We can only get transitory and temporary pleasures in the outside world by gratification of senses which is only conditional and dependent. One needs to understand the functioning of human mind. Wishes are a play of our mind which is highly unstable and always wandering. It is only through practice of right meditation and detachment from the transitory sensual pleasures that one can regulate mind. Regulation of mind is essential for lasting peace and happiness. This doesn’t mean that we should leave our homes and move to forests to find happiness. It has to be found within our self, in our hearts as it very much exists there and we shall have to interiorise our self to experience it. Where ever we go, our mind shall always be with us and this mind, our thoughts are in fact cause of our bondage or liberation, suffering or happiness.
Meditation (Dhyan) is the seventh step in Mahrishi Patanjali’s Yog Darshan. Yog is Union with the Ultimate reality, Truth, God, Cosmic Consciousness or whatever we may name it. It is the state of unconditional happiness. In fact, ignorance is the cause of our suffering and experiential knowledge is the path of liberation, freedom, happiness as one who is a slave to his desires, habits can never be happy. Meditation purifies our mind, all our negativities are removed. We gain self-control and learn to accept things as they are. It increases concentration and we are able to put our cent percent in the performance of our work. We start living in present and stop brooding over past mistakes nor unduly worried over future. With reduction in stress, psycho-somatic diseases are gone and one enjoys good health and sound sleep. The benefits of meditation are innumerable and a lot of scientific research in different institutes have verified the claims made in the ancient literature. Therefore we all should learn to meditate to understand how we can enjoy unconditional happiness by practice of right meditation.
Buddha was asked: “What have you gained from meditation?’ He replied: “Nothing” “However, Buddha said, “Let me tell you what I lost – Anger, anxiety, depression, insecurity, fear of old age and death.” In fact Buddha concerned himself more with directing the seeker to realise bliss here and now than with academic discussions about God etc. All saints of the past who attained enlightenment was because of their practice of regular, prolonged and deep meditation. The world is said to be a house of miseries and it was to find a solution to the sufferings of mankind that they found out the panacea of meditation which brings attitudinal change in the practicant and makes him to face all situations equanimously, remaining calm and composed under all conditions. The repeated cycle of birth and death because of our action and thoughts is said to be the cause of our suffering. Meditation transforms our life, removes past impressions and one starts receiving guidance from the inner self. It expands our consciousness and makes us to feel divinity in our hearts when we meditate on divine light in our hearts and leads us to the source of that divine light in due course of time. All that is needed is the will to meditate, relaxed mind, comfortable posture, regularity in practice and guidance of a Master who has mastered his mind and is established in self and pure awareness. It is recommended that the duration of one sitting should not be more than one hour and the heart should be full of love and devotion. May we overcome all negativities and come out of suffering and attain real happiness by practice of meditation.
