•



















Review of book
“Meditation and other Spiritual disciplines ” authored by  Swami                                                 Swahananda  by
Avdhesh Kumar Mathur
on
Friday, 1st September 2017
at
ICC Senior Center Cupertino
Blog      Hinduism: Omkar

•:

•Ganesh Vandana

•

•MEDITATION AND OTHER SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
First edition 1983,printed in 1994 and reprinted in 1999

•Introduction

• By Gods grace and thanks to Kalayaniji and Dineshji, I am giving this review of book Meditation and other Spiritual disciplines.

•Why I choose this book for review

•1. This book appeared miraculously in  my  home Library one fine morning in absolutely new condition.

•2. It contains  all the matter regarding duality and non duality which I was searching for some weeks.

•3.The book was so interesting that my wife choose it to translate it into  Hindi.

• The book has nineteen chapters which are given in the subsequent slides

•About author of book

•Swami Swahananda (29 June 1921 – 19 October 2012), was a senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India,

•and the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of Southern California from 1976 to 2012.

 He joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1947

and received sannyasa, full monastic ordination, in 1956 from Swami Shankarananda

In 1962 he was made the “Swami Swahananda” who  authored a number of books and translations.

His translations into English include the Chandogya Upanishad and Panchadasi of Vidyaranya from Sanskrit, and Go Forward

•

•

•

•

•

•Style of writing

•Swami Swahananda has employed different type of style in dealing with each subject as he has summarized the thoughts of different persons in each chapter of the book.

•At times his English is very easy to understand at other times it is so difficult to understand and specially to translate.

•He is more involved in depicting his

• subject in the correct perspective than to concentrate in style of writing.

•Advaite Ashram  The Publishing house

•How to start Meditation

•Chapter 1. Types of Meditation

•.The Act of Meditation ; Specific poses enhance the meditative experience. 

  The most common pose is to sit cross legged with the hands face up on the knees. 

• Yet others find great meditation in just laying flat on the ground

• Others meditate on their knees. 

.  Some keep their eyes closed, some keep them open. 

• Some practice breathing in a specific pattern as they meditate, though focus on breathing is important in any meditation.

• These ,combined practice of withdrawing the mind and sense sex and focus gradually to  dharna , the state of using the attention gradually  leads to   dhyan, the state of meditation, when we are able to hold the mind in one chosen spiritual thought for more than2 minutes we go in Dhyan (Meditation)  and if it persist for more than 40 minutes we  go to Samadhi.

•

•

•

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

●

•

•

•Benefits of Meditation :

Medical researchers have discovered  the therapapetic value of meditation in treating hypertension, high blood pressure, civilisation.

Spiritual teachers acknowledge  the healing value of meditation

For Spiritual  seekers always consider the health benefits  a fringe  benefit, subordinate  to their primary goal, which is Self or God realisation.

Whether you believe or  not in God you can meditate  on 1 or 2 or anything to Gain.

●

•

•      Meditation in Lotus Pose

•There are no Photos or Videos in Book , I have introduced these to make presentation entertaining

•Meditating near a river at dawn

•Meditating near to stream

•Meditating at dusk

•MEDITATING ON A ROCK NEAR STREAM

•Meditating in lotus position sitting on Rock inside river stream

•A lady meditating in semi lotus position on a  on carpet

•Meditating in semi lotus position

•

•

•

•MEDITATE sitting on  ON TREE ROOTS

•

•

•

•

•MEDITATION IN PEACE

•Meditate on Onkar

•Chapter 2.
 Jap or repetition of Holy Words.

•While the Hindu Vedic astrology believes in the theory of fate, it also advocates that you must make efforts to improve your destiny..

•Japa or repetition of Holi words is the beginning.

•Chapter 2(a)
Japa

Japa means repeating the name of the Lord , sitting in a quiet place.

Repetition of holy words or syllables , either the name of God or a holy text, or Mantra  according to prescribed rules.

The Japa leads to self purification and realisation. Japa is to be performed  a prescribed number of times

•Chapter 2(b)
Japa

•Various methods of performing Jap

•1. Likhit Japa

•2.Abhanda Japa : Continuous Japa without a  break.

•3. Ajapa Japa :  Performed without moving lips, repeating name with every flow of breath.

•

•These can be of three types rated as below

•1. Vachhika Japa

•.2. Mansa Japa

•3. Upamsu Jap

•The author  summarises ;

•Having received the  Name/ Mantra from  a preceptor, repetition of the same, slowly brings the mind under control; the mind becomes increasingly concentrated and ultimately merges in Lord.

• Chapter 3.
Japa in different traditions

•Almost all religions   perform Japa orally  with or without use of Rosary ( mala ) The Author  has given methods followed  or prescribed by different sects and preachers.

•Jap or chanting with beads

•Chapter 4.
The Divine Name

•1. The name of God is not merely a combination of letters; it is both the means and the goal of spiritual life.

•2.Every system of religious discipline recognises the efficacy of repetition of the name and prescribes this practice to its followers.

•3. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu

•“ The Names cleanses the mirror of the heart. It exterminates the great forest fire of worldly existence .......It is as it were , a soothing bath for all souls. Supreme glory be to the singing of the lords Name. “.

•

•

•Swami Prabhupad in Samadhi

•The Divine Name

•1 Swami RamKrishna said

•“ It does not matter if you do not know Him. You know his name. Just take his name..... and you will progress spiritually

•2 . In Hinduism, every where- in the beginning, middle, and end of the Veda’s, ramayana ,Puranas, and Mahabharat----the name of Hari  is sung.

•3 The AdiPurana states

•“There is no knowledge like the Name; no vow like the Name, no meditation like the Name, no fruit like the Name

•Ram se Bada Ram ka Nam

•

•Video of Gayetri Mantra

•

•Prayer in Christainity

•Chapter  5 .   Prayer

•1. Prayer is the deepest impulse of the soul of man. . Prayer presupposes faith.

     2.. Prayer relieves the mind of tension,

•3. Prayer   releases an extra amount of hope and

•4. Prayer frees man from anxiety and sustains him in moments of suffering.

•5. Prayer also helps us keep  up our spirits in high spirits and hopeful

•Thus the function of prayer  is to create a mental condition which frees mind from the dead weight of worldly life , helping it soar high to discover subtle and lofty truth.

•

1. P Prayer according to Christian  conception,

• “ The act of prayer, whether with words or without, is the act of putting ourselves more completely in the power of God’s  working so that some good   may  be attained or some evil escaped.”

•Types of Prayers

• In Christianity

•1. Preliminary Prayer: The usual prayer which individuals do or collectively do in groups in Churches.

•2. Intercessory Prayers: Advanced souls have the power  to redress the sufferings of others through prayer or through their strong ,purified will.

•3. Contemplation. The devotee surrenders his self interests and takes the attitude of“ Thy will be done”

•

            2. Prayer according to Vedanta

•“As vedanta believes that truth is a matter of personal experience a fact of internal revelation so vedanta  values prayer for its subjective efficacy.

• It emphasises  prayer  as a method of cleansing the mind & of suppressing egotism

•,and of searching our hidden desires in the mind which must be renounced

•and it does not advocate prayer arising from our  weakness or from calculating gratitude as us in some religions. “

•A lady Praying to God

•A couple praying to God

•Chapter 6.
Rituals.

•Ritual is in fact, concretized philosophy. Religious rituals form an important aspect of culture and combine almost all religions.

•There are

•1. Philosophy

•2.  mythology and

•3.  Rituals.

•

•  LADY GIVING Milk Abhishekh to Siva Ling

•Rituals

•Chapter 7.
Image-Worship

•Idolatry literally means the worship of an "idol", or in more neutral language a cult image, in the form of a physical image, such as a statue or icon.

• In many Indian religions, such as theistic and nontheistic forms of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, idols (murti) are considered as symbolism for the absolute but not the Absolute, ] They are a means to focus one's religious pursuits and worship

•A Christian praying to cross

•Hindus praying to Lord GANESHA

•Chapter 8
Self effort in spiritual life

•God is realized , purely by good deeds  and through grace.

•  One must have a real drive to find “truth.”

•Five seconds of His joys exceeds all the pleasures of this world for all time!

•Chapter 9
 Self – Negation or Self Expansion

•

•Self-expansion is the desire to enhance an individual's potential efficacy, which  is used instead as it only refers to obtaining resources that will make goal attainment possible.

•] According to the self-expansion model we increase potential efficacy by creating close relationships, which in turn, increases material and social resources, perspectives and identities. support, possible

• Lord Krishna says “Whoever offers Me with devotion and a pure mind (heart), a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water—I accept this as devotion.”.

•

•

•

•Chapter11
The Holi mother and simple faith

•Divine Mother or Mother Divine may refer to:

•Adi Parashakti, a goddess in the Hindu mythology ,Bhagavathi, female goddesses in Hinduism,

•Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic), of Roman Catholicism religion

•

•

•Adi Shankracharya with disciples

•ADWAIT

•Some call it Kevala Advaite to distinguish from Shudha Advaita preponded by Vallabhacharya

•Here there is nothing else   except for one God

•All  Jeeva  or jevatma are  His  ansh but same as God but in bonded state. There is an element called Maya which is nothing but shakti of God, which keeps the jeevatma under veil of five sheaths or kosh which keeps Jeeva in ignorance.

•Jeevas  are just like Gold ornaments where as God is Gold or else Like different rays of one Sun.

•Chapter 13
Spiritual Discipline and Ramanuja

•
 THE PHILOSOPHY OF VIS'ISTlDVAITA  maintains its position in the history of Indian thought by establishing its own siddhanta by a criticism of rival systems.

•It has, at the same time, a synthetic insight into the essentials of other darshanas and accepts whatever in them is consistent with its own basic principles.

•It is a true philosophy of religion which reconciles the opposition between philosophy and religion and the conflict between monism and pluralism.

• If it is liberally interpreted in terms of contemporary philosophy and comparative religion without in any way sacrificing its foundational principles

•, it is capable of satisfying the demands of science and philosophy on the one hand, and of ethics on other hand

•Different views of the Upanishad " Thou art That " ; Synthesis, the chief merit of Vis'istadvaita ; the need for the reorientation of the system in the light of modern thought without impairing its integrity ; Vis'ishtadvaita as the mediating link between Dvaita and Advaita, a link of love;

•

•        Ramanujacharya

•VISHISHISHT Advaita

•It is qualified Advaite as below

•1. God is one and Chit (Living Being) and Achit (Universe) are many which constitute his body.

•2.Living being the Jeevatma is  in ignorance ,  has forgotten his true nature that he is Atma or Permatma

•3..Devotion to God with total surrender to God is means of achieving Salvation or Self  & God realisation.

•Chapter 14
Spiritual Discipline  and Madhava

•Dwaita or tattvavAda ,whose cardinal precepts are the supremacy of Sri Hari and surrender to Him and service to humanity as the sole means of liberation, was propounded by Acharya Madhwa

•Basic tenets of Sri Madhva philosophy are,

•The grace of God is the means of such redemption from the flesh and the cycle of births and deaths. This is obtained by bhakthi (devotion) which flows from love of God to the exclusion of everything else, with a deep sense of dependence of souls on him.

•The God ,The Jivatma  (individual soul) are independent from and subservient to God and  are trapped in the eternal cycle of birth and death ; can get moksh, liberation,  through the grace of God, which is obtained through virtuous deeds and pure devotion.

•

•Chapter15
Spiritual Discipline of Acharya Nimbarka

•Nimbarka is known for propagating the Vaishnava Theology of Dvaitadvaita (dvaita-advaita) or “dualistic non-dualism". It is also known as 'Bhedābheda

•According to his eponymous tradition, the Nimbārka Sampradāya, Śrī Nimbārkāchārya appeared in the year 3096 BCE, when the grandson of Arjuna was on the throne.

•Nimbarka speaks of Bhakti as means and goal. Sri Krishna bestows his grace on man who is endowed with humility and other good qualities, and through this grace devotion charged  with prema dawns.

•

•Sri Daya Ram Dev, Sri Hari Deva, Sri Ram Narayan Deva
Guru Bharta

•Chapter 16
 Siritual discipline and Vallabha

•Vallabhacharya (1479–1531 CE), also known as Vallabha, was a devotional philosopher, who founded d the philosophy of Shuddha advaita .

•Vallabha was born in a Telugu Brahmin family that had been living in Varanasi.

• The Vallabha rejected asceticism and monastic life, suggested that through loving devotion to God Krishna, any householder could achieve salvation .

•He authored many texts including the Anubhashya (a commentary on Brahm Sutra), Shodash Granth or sixteen 'stotras' (tracts) and several commentaries on the Bhagavata Purana. Vallabha's writings and kirtan compositions focus on baby Krishna .

•Chaitanya Maha Prabhu

•Chapter  17
Spiritual Disciple and Chaitanya

•Lord Caitanya started the sankirtan movement which continues to this day. He established the congregational chanting of the holy names of Krishna, with the Maha-Mantra:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,Hare Hare.

•Lord Caitanya appeared in Mayapur, West Bengal, more than 500 years ago.

• He is regarded as an incarnation of Krishna who descended to this material world for two purposes and is the ocean of feelings. The individual souls , who are his parts, are under the spell of prakriti., His illusory power.

•Followers believe Hare is distortion of Hara which is another name of God but I feel Hare is Verb meaning Take away (Absolve) our Pap karma as in Ram CharitManas.

•

•

•Divine Mantra of Hare Krishna Movement

•

• Video showing Sankirtan
ISCON

•

•Chapter 18
Spiritual Discipline of Srikantha

•Shivacharya  Shrikantha is  the Philosopher of the shaive sect He considered Veda’s and Shaivagama as same.

•He is well known among the philosphers of Shaiva Siddhanta because of his commentary on Brahmasutra in Sanskrit language.

•According to Dr. Romil Bose there is an essential difference between  the Lord, the individual soul (Chit) ,and inert matter ( achit).

•Shiva is director, Lord of entire universe, the object of worship and the Goal, while chit , the soul, is the worshipper, the atainer, and dependent. It is inteleligent  but posses limited knowledge. Both chit and achit are His effects. That does not not mean that there is both difference and nondifference  between Brahman and the Universe.

•

•Chapter 19
In the Scriptures

•In the scriptures Bhagwat , Bhagwat Geeta, The Upanishads ,the following is given

•The goal of life is to realise one’s spiritual nature or, in the devotional language to get eternal Anand

•Brahman has neither name or form; it  transcends merit and demerits; it is beyond time, space and the objects of sense , experience Such  is Brahmn and that is thou.

•There is nothing beyond it.

•Critical Appreciation &Review

•Swami Swahanandji has dealt all forms of worship of God in this book in  brief but quite exhaustively. Though he has summarised the thoughts of other great saints but has refrained from criticising any of the great saints and have tried his best to retain the true sense and meaning  in the texts  as their disciples maintain.

•He has maintained the view that if God is loved and worshiped in any of the ways with good intention to achieve the desired objective of self and God realisation ,then the person will automatically go in deep meditation and ecstasy to achieve the desired goal that is liberation from all pleasure and pain, cycle of birth and rebirth and all forms of duality leading to eternal Anand.

•Conclusion

•This book  is a collection of essays on spiritual disciplines according to the different Archaryas of various Indian philosophical schools. Included are articles on specific spiritual practices such as meditation, repetition of the holy name (Japa), prayer, etc.

• Teachers discussed include: Sri Shankara, Sri Ramanuja, Sri Madhava, Sri Nimbarka, Sri Vallabha, Sri Chaitanya and Sri Shrikantha.

•A comparative knowledge of the various disciplines envisaged in these teachings is sure to benefit the serious student.

•

•The End

• I am thankful to the chair person Smt.  Kalyani Subramanian  and Khatriji  for conducting the programme successfully and finally to you august audience to have listened to me  so peacefully , with your full attention.

• Over to Chairperson , for question  Answer session.

•The end

•followed by Video of a  devotional song( if time permits)

•Video of Divine Song

•

•About Publisher

•Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, is a branch of the Ramakrishna Math, founded on 19 March 1899 at the behest of Vivekananda, by his disciples James Henry Sevier, and Charlotte Sevier.

•Among its important publications are 

•The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda in English and as well as a Hindi translation, published from Calcutta a

•and the Life of Swami Vivekananda, and English translations of important Hindu scriptures

•

•Contents of book
It has nineteen Chapters

•Part !

•Chapter 1.Types  of meditation

• 2.  Jap or repetition of holy word

• 3.Jap in different Traditions

• 4.  TheDivine Name

• 5  Prayer

•6.    Ritual

•7.   Image Worship

• 8.    Self effort in spiritual life

•9.  Self-negation or self explanation?

•10.    Nine means of Devotion

•11.    The Holy Mother and simple faith

•Part 2

•12. .  Spiritual Disciple and Shankara

•13.  S.D.&  Ramanuja

•14.  S.D.&  Madhava

•15.  S.D.7& Nimbalrka

•16.  S.D.& Vallabha

•17.  S.D.& Chaittanya

•18.   S.D.& SriKantha

•19.  In the Scriptures

•