Yoga, Meditation and Japa Sadhana

This book by Swami Krishnananda can be found here. Swami Krishnananda introduces us to the concepts of yoga, meditation and japa sadhana starting from the basic concept of consciousness. I feel like this is an ideal read for someone starting along the spiritual practice (sadhana).

Summary Part I

Yoga and Meditation

Yoga is a system of harmony. Yoga is stability of personality, equilibrium of consciousness and harmony in all walks of life. Harmony is adjustment of oneself with ones external.

When you say 'I', you are not referring to your limbs, stomach or other parts of your body. You are referring to your conscious and spiritual being. You are essentially consciousness that animates this body. Similarly, the concept of Virat Purusha (Cosmic Being) as mentioned in Vedas, pertains to the consciousness of the cosmos itself. We, humans, are integral part of this cosmos, vitaly related. Thus, our actions affect the whole cosmos, just like any malfunctioning of any part of our body affects the whole body's function itself. Extending this consciousness to the whole world is what the apex of meditation is and this is what is Yogic Contemplation. God is just the name given to this "world-individual". This all-encompassing consciousness is what is termed by Vedas as Parama-Purusha (Supreme Being). Being vitaly related to this universe, this means that our salvation lies in being friendly with the universe as a whole.

Our mind jumps from one object to another. It is usually not trained to perceive Consciousness. Bringing our minds to be aware of the Consciousness that animates this universe is termed as meditation.

Practical Techniques

Harmony comes in various grades:

  1. You should be harmonious in your relationship with other people in the world.
  2. You must be harmonious within your own personality.
  3. You must have harmony of muscles and nervous system.
  4. Bring the breathing process (prana) into harmony.
  5. Control of the activity of the senses.

When the prana is calm (via pranayama), the mind is calm, our senses do not ask for tempting objects, one is ready for concentration and meditation. This is real yoga.

Concentration is of 3 forms:

  1. Concentration on external points - the aim here is to train the mind to think of only one external object by concentrating on it.
  2. Concentration on internal points - by concentrating on certain centers (chakras) of our body.
  3. Concentration on the universal - by meditating upon the consciousness prevailing this universe itself. For eg: by chanting OM.

Day-to-day practice

Sadhana has 3 prongs:

  1. A daily routine of practice - have a fixed routine and be disciplined at it. There should be 3 items in this: a. Japa - chanting a mantra to maintain the same consciousness b. Study - reading scriptures or texts c. Meditation - should be done at the same time, at the same place, in the same direction, by sitting in the same asana daily.
  2. An annual resolve - vow to give up one bad habit. If this resolution gets broken fast on that day.
  3. A spiritual diary - at the end of the day review what you have done today.

Summary Part II

Japa Sadhana

World of experience has 3 inter-connected factors: thought, name and form. Of the 8 known forms of yoga, Japa Yoga is considered to be the most efficacious approach to God. In Vedic system, name and form have tight relation wherein a particular name automatically projects a certain form in our minds (not so true in our modern societies!). They also are related to the thought behind the expression of them. Sadhana, in this sense, is to evoke a particular form in our minds which rouses in us a higher degree of truth than the one in which we are currently placed in, until we reach the ultimate truth, the Ishvara. Patanjali Maharshi terms Japa as the recitation of a particular name/mantra alongwhile contemplating on its meaning.

The recitation of a mantra/name-of-god, helps us reveal the sattva guna (quality) in us. Inertia, distraction and equilibrium are termed as tamas, rajas and sattva gunas, respectively.

Japa involves 3 important shaktis (powers):

  1. mantra-shakti - power hidden in the juxtaposition of the letters of the formula
  2. devata-shakti - power of inherence of a higher principle in the mantra
  3. sadhana-shakti - power within oneself

Prayers can work wonders in this manner too! The prayer we offer through mantra sadhana or japa are converted into impersonal force, which is the power of God, and the miracle is worked by God himself. Prayers are powers.

With japa sadhana we attune our inner pysche with the Ishvara-Shakti (Divine Will).