The Synthesis of Yoga - The Sunlit Path - The Integral Yoga - The Mother with Letters - Words of the Mother - II - The Psychic Being - The Life Divine
LETTERS ON YOGA - II
PART ONE - THE PATH OF THE INTEGRAL YOGA
Section One - The Path and the Goal
Seeking the Divine: The True Object of Spiritual Seeking, Motives for Seeking the Divine, Dedication to the Spiritual Life
The Aim of the Integral Yoga
Section Two - Basic Requisites of the Path
The Call and the Capacity
Qualities Needed for Sadhana
Purity
Sincerity
Aspiration
Rejection
Surrender
Faith
Consecration and Offering
Opening
Patience
Vigilance
Section Three - The Foundation of the Sadhana
Peace - The Basis of the Sadhana
Equality - The Chief Support
Quiet and Calm
Peace
Silence
Section Four - The Divine Response
The Divine Grace and Guidance
The Divine Force
The Guru
PART TWO - THE SYNTHETIC METHOD OF THE INTEGRAL YOGA
Section One - A Yoga of Knowledge, Works, Bhakti and Self-Perfection
The Central Processes of the Sadhana
Combining Work, Meditation and Bhakti
Section Two - Sadhana through Work
Work and Yoga
Becoming Conscious in Work
The Divine Force in Work
Practical Concerns in Work
Creative Activity
Section Three - Sadhana through Concentration, Meditation and Japa - 296
Concentration and Meditation
Mantra and Japa
Section Four - Sadhana through Love and Devotion
Divine Love, Psychic Love and Human Love
Bhakti, Devotion, Worship
PART THREE - THE INTEGRAL YOGA AND OTHER SPIRITUAL PATHS
Section One - The Path and the Goal
Seeking the Divine: The True Object of Spiritual Seeking, Motives for Seeking the Divine, Dedication to the Spiritual Life
The Aim of the Integral Yoga
Section Two - Basic Requisites of the Path
The Call and the Capacity
Qualities Needed for Sadhana
Purity
Sincerity
Aspiration
Rejection
Surrender
Faith
Consecration and Offering
Opening
Patience
Vigilance
Section Three - The Foundation of the Sadhana
Peace - The Basis of the Sadhana
Equality - The Chief Support
Quiet and Calm
Peace
Silence
Section Four - The Divine Response
The Divine Grace and Guidance
The Divine Force
The Guru
PART TWO - THE SYNTHETIC METHOD OF THE INTEGRAL YOGA
Section One - A Yoga of Knowledge, Works, Bhakti and Self-Perfection
The Central Processes of the Sadhana
Combining Work, Meditation and Bhakti
Section Two - Sadhana through Work
Work and Yoga
Becoming Conscious in Work
The Divine Force in Work
Practical Concerns in Work
Creative Activity
Section Three - Sadhana through Concentration, Meditation and Japa - 296
Concentration and Meditation
Mantra and Japa
Section Four - Sadhana through Love and Devotion
Divine Love, Psychic Love and Human Love
Bhakti, Devotion, Worship
PART THREE - THE INTEGRAL YOGA AND OTHER SPIRITUAL PATHS
PART ONE - THE PATH OF THE INTEGRAL YOGA
Section One - The Path and the Goal
Seeking the Divine
The True Object of Spiritual Seeking
Motives for Seeking the Divine
Dedication to the Spiritual Life
The True Object of Spiritual Seeking
"To find the Divine is indeed the first reason for seeking the spiritual Truth and the spiritual life; it is the one thing indispensable and all the resit is nothing without it. The Divine once found, to manifest Him, - that is, first of all to transform one's own limited consciousness into the Divine Consciousness, to live in the infinite Peace, Light, Love, Strength, Bliss, to become that in one's essential nature and, as a consequence, to be its vessel, channel, instrument in one's active nature. To bring into activity the principle of oneness on the material plane or to work for humanity is a mental mistranslation of the Truth - these things cannot be the first true object of spiritual seeking. We must find the Self, the Divine, then only can we know what is the work the Self or the Divine demands from us. Until then our life and action can only be a help or a means towards finding the Divine and it ought not to have any other purpose. As we grow in inner consciousness, or as the spiritual Truth of the Divine grows in us, our life and action must indeed more and more flow from that, be one with that. But to decide beforehand by our limited mental conceptions what they must be is to hamper the growth of the spiritual Truth within. As that grows we shall feel the Divine Light and Truth, the Divine Power and Force, the Divine Purity and Peace working within us, dealing with our actions as well as our consciousness, making use of them to reshape us into the Divine Image, removing the dross, substituting the pure Gold of the Spirit. Only when the Divine Presence is there in us always and the consciousness transformed, can we have the right to say that we are ready to manifest the Divine on the material plane. To hold up a mental ideal or principle and impose that on the inner working brings the danger of limiting ourselves to a mental realisation or of impeding or even falsifying by a halfway formation the truth growth into the full communion and union with the Divine and the free and intimate outflowing of His will in our life. This is a mistake of orientation to which the mind of today is especially prone. It is far better to approach the Divine for the Peace or Light or Bliss that the realisation of Him gives than to bring in these minor things which can divert us from the one thing needful. The divinisation of the material life also as well as the inner life is part of what we see as the Divine Plan, but it can only be fulfilled by an ourflowing of the inner realisation, something that grows from within outwards, not by the working out of a mental principle
You have asked what is the discipline to be followed in order to convert the mental seeking into a living spiritual experience. The first necessity is the practice of concentration of your consciousness within yourself. The ordinary human mind has an activity on the surface which veils the real self. But there is another, a hidden consciousness within behind the surface one in which we can become aware of the real self and of a larger, deeper truth of nature, can realise the self and liberate and transform the nature. To quiet the surface mind and begin to live within is the object of this concentration. Of this true consciousness other than the superficial there are two main centres, one in the heart (not the physical heart, but the cardiac centre in the middle of the chest), one in the head. The concentration in the heart opens within and by following this inward opening and going deep one becomes aware of the soul or psychic being, the divine element in the individual. This being unveiled begins to come forward, to govern the nature, to turn it and all its movements towards the Truth, towards the Divine, and to call down into it all that is above. It brings the consciousness of the Presence, the dedication
of the being to theHighest and invites the descent into our nature of a greater Force and Consciousness which is waiting above us. To concentrate in the heart centre with the offering of oneself to the Divine and the aspiration for this inward opening and for the Presence in the heart is the first way and, if it can be done, the natural beginning; for its result once obtained makes the spiritual path far more easy and safe than if one begins the other way.
That other way is the concentration in the head, in the mental centre. This, if it brings about the silence of the surface mind, opens up an inner, larger, deeper mind within which is more capable of receiving spiritual experience and spiritual knowledge. But once concentrated here one must open the silent mental consciousness upward to all that is above mind. After a time one feels the consciousness rising upward and in the end it rises beyond the lid which has so long kept it tied in the body and finds a centre above the head where it is liberated into the Infinite. There it begins to come into contact with the universal Self, the Divine Peace, Light, Power, Knowledge, Bliss, to enter into that and become that, to feel the descent of these things into the nature. To concentrate in the head with the aspiration for quietude in the mind and the realisation of the Self and Divine above is the second way of concentration. It is important, however, to remember that the concentration of the consciousness in the head is only a preparation for its rising to the centre above; otherwise one may get shut up in one’s own mind and its experiences or at best attain only to a reflection of the Truth above instead of rising into the spiritual transcendence to live there. For some the mental concentration is easier, for some the concentration in the heart centre; some are capable of doingboth alternately—but to begin with the heart centre, if one can do it, is the more desirable.
The other side of discipline is with regard to the activities of the nature, of the mind, of the life-self or vital, of the physical being. Here the principle is to accord the nature with the inner realisation so that one may not be divided into two discordant parts. There are here several disciplines or processes possible. One is to offer all the activities to the Divine and call for the inner guidance and the taking up of one’s nature by a Higher Power. If there is the inward soul-opening, if the psychic being comes forward, then there is no great difficulty—there comes with it a psychic discrimination, a constant intimation, finally a governance which discloses and quietly and patiently removes all imperfections, brings the right mental and vital movements
and reshapes the physical consciousness also. Another method is to stand back detached from the movements of the mind, life, physical being, to regard their activities as only a habitual formation of general Nature in the individual imposed on us by past workings, not as any part of our real being; in proportion as one succeeds in this, becomes detached, sees mind and its activities as not oneself, life and its activities as not oneself, the
body and its activities as not oneself, one becomes aware of an inner Being within us—inner mental, inner vital, inner physical —silent, calm, unbound, unattached which reflects the true Self above and can be its direct representative; from this inner silent Being proceeds a rejection of all that is to be rejected, an acceptance only of what can be kept and transformed, an inmost Will to perfection or a call to the Divine Power to do at each step
what is necessary for the change of the Nature. It can also open mind, life and body to the inmost psychic entity and its guiding influence or its direct guidance. In most cases these two methods emerge and work together and finally fuse into one. But one can begin with either, the one that one feels most natural and easy to follow.
Finally, in all difficulties where personal effort is hampered, the help of the Teacher can intervene and bring about what is needed for the realisation or for the immediate step that is necessary.
"To find the Divine is indeed the first reason for seeking the spiritual Truth and the spiritual life; it is the one thing indispensable and all the resit is nothing without it. The Divine once found, to manifest Him, - that is, first of all to transform one's own limited consciousness into the Divine Consciousness, to live in the infinite Peace, Light, Love, Strength, Bliss, to become that in one's essential nature and, as a consequence, to be its vessel, channel, instrument in one's active nature. To bring into activity the principle of oneness on the material plane or to work for humanity is a mental mistranslation of the Truth - these things cannot be the first true object of spiritual seeking. We must find the Self, the Divine, then only can we know what is the work the Self or the Divine demands from us. Until then our life and action can only be a help or a means towards finding the Divine and it ought not to have any other purpose. As we grow in inner consciousness, or as the spiritual Truth of the Divine grows in us, our life and action must indeed more and more flow from that, be one with that. But to decide beforehand by our limited mental conceptions what they must be is to hamper the growth of the spiritual Truth within. As that grows we shall feel the Divine Light and Truth, the Divine Power and Force, the Divine Purity and Peace working within us, dealing with our actions as well as our consciousness, making use of them to reshape us into the Divine Image, removing the dross, substituting the pure Gold of the Spirit. Only when the Divine Presence is there in us always and the consciousness transformed, can we have the right to say that we are ready to manifest the Divine on the material plane. To hold up a mental ideal or principle and impose that on the inner working brings the danger of limiting ourselves to a mental realisation or of impeding or even falsifying by a halfway formation the truth growth into the full communion and union with the Divine and the free and intimate outflowing of His will in our life. This is a mistake of orientation to which the mind of today is especially prone. It is far better to approach the Divine for the Peace or Light or Bliss that the realisation of Him gives than to bring in these minor things which can divert us from the one thing needful. The divinisation of the material life also as well as the inner life is part of what we see as the Divine Plan, but it can only be fulfilled by an ourflowing of the inner realisation, something that grows from within outwards, not by the working out of a mental principle
You have asked what is the discipline to be followed in order to convert the mental seeking into a living spiritual experience. The first necessity is the practice of concentration of your consciousness within yourself. The ordinary human mind has an activity on the surface which veils the real self. But there is another, a hidden consciousness within behind the surface one in which we can become aware of the real self and of a larger, deeper truth of nature, can realise the self and liberate and transform the nature. To quiet the surface mind and begin to live within is the object of this concentration. Of this true consciousness other than the superficial there are two main centres, one in the heart (not the physical heart, but the cardiac centre in the middle of the chest), one in the head. The concentration in the heart opens within and by following this inward opening and going deep one becomes aware of the soul or psychic being, the divine element in the individual. This being unveiled begins to come forward, to govern the nature, to turn it and all its movements towards the Truth, towards the Divine, and to call down into it all that is above. It brings the consciousness of the Presence, the dedication
of the being to theHighest and invites the descent into our nature of a greater Force and Consciousness which is waiting above us. To concentrate in the heart centre with the offering of oneself to the Divine and the aspiration for this inward opening and for the Presence in the heart is the first way and, if it can be done, the natural beginning; for its result once obtained makes the spiritual path far more easy and safe than if one begins the other way.
That other way is the concentration in the head, in the mental centre. This, if it brings about the silence of the surface mind, opens up an inner, larger, deeper mind within which is more capable of receiving spiritual experience and spiritual knowledge. But once concentrated here one must open the silent mental consciousness upward to all that is above mind. After a time one feels the consciousness rising upward and in the end it rises beyond the lid which has so long kept it tied in the body and finds a centre above the head where it is liberated into the Infinite. There it begins to come into contact with the universal Self, the Divine Peace, Light, Power, Knowledge, Bliss, to enter into that and become that, to feel the descent of these things into the nature. To concentrate in the head with the aspiration for quietude in the mind and the realisation of the Self and Divine above is the second way of concentration. It is important, however, to remember that the concentration of the consciousness in the head is only a preparation for its rising to the centre above; otherwise one may get shut up in one’s own mind and its experiences or at best attain only to a reflection of the Truth above instead of rising into the spiritual transcendence to live there. For some the mental concentration is easier, for some the concentration in the heart centre; some are capable of doingboth alternately—but to begin with the heart centre, if one can do it, is the more desirable.
The other side of discipline is with regard to the activities of the nature, of the mind, of the life-self or vital, of the physical being. Here the principle is to accord the nature with the inner realisation so that one may not be divided into two discordant parts. There are here several disciplines or processes possible. One is to offer all the activities to the Divine and call for the inner guidance and the taking up of one’s nature by a Higher Power. If there is the inward soul-opening, if the psychic being comes forward, then there is no great difficulty—there comes with it a psychic discrimination, a constant intimation, finally a governance which discloses and quietly and patiently removes all imperfections, brings the right mental and vital movements
and reshapes the physical consciousness also. Another method is to stand back detached from the movements of the mind, life, physical being, to regard their activities as only a habitual formation of general Nature in the individual imposed on us by past workings, not as any part of our real being; in proportion as one succeeds in this, becomes detached, sees mind and its activities as not oneself, life and its activities as not oneself, the
body and its activities as not oneself, one becomes aware of an inner Being within us—inner mental, inner vital, inner physical —silent, calm, unbound, unattached which reflects the true Self above and can be its direct representative; from this inner silent Being proceeds a rejection of all that is to be rejected, an acceptance only of what can be kept and transformed, an inmost Will to perfection or a call to the Divine Power to do at each step
what is necessary for the change of the Nature. It can also open mind, life and body to the inmost psychic entity and its guiding influence or its direct guidance. In most cases these two methods emerge and work together and finally fuse into one. But one can begin with either, the one that one feels most natural and easy to follow.
Finally, in all difficulties where personal effort is hampered, the help of the Teacher can intervene and bring about what is needed for the realisation or for the immediate step that is necessary.
Section Two - Basic Requisites of the Path - 26
Conditions of the Yoga
I have never said that this Yoga was a safe one—no Yoga is. Each has its dangers as has every great attempt in human life. But it can be carried through if one has a central sincerity and a fidelity to the Divine. These are the two necessary conditions.
The first conditions of this Yoga are:
(1) A complete sincerity and surrender in the being. The divine life and the transformation of the lower human into the higher divine nature must be made the sole aim of all the life. No attachments, desires or habits of the mind, heart, vital being or body should be clung to which come in the way of this one aspiration and one object of the life. One must be ready to renounce all these completely as soon as the demand comes from above and from the divine Shakti.
(2) A fundamental calm, peace and purity in the mind, vital being and all the nature. The hours of meditation should be devoted to the formation
of these two conditions in you, by aspiration and by self observation and rejection of all that disturbs the nature or keeps it troubled, confused and impure. Aspiration if rightly done, quietly, earnestly and sincerely, brings the divine help from above to effect this object.
As to the hours devoted to work, needs, family, etc., they can be made an aid only on the following conditions.
(1) To regard all these things as not belonging to yourself, your inner being, but as things external, work to be done so long as it remains on your shoulders to the best of your ability without desire or attachment of any kind.
(2) To do all work as a sacrifice without any egoistic motive.
(3) To establish and deepen the inner calm and quiet. If that is done, all these things will be felt more and more as external and the falling off of desire and attachment will become possible. For getting rid of passion the same condition. If you separate yourself from these movements and establish calm and peace inside, the passions may still rise on the surface, but they will be felt to be external movements and you can deal with them or call down the divine aid to get rid of them. So long as the mind does not fall quiet, it is not possible to deal finally with the vital being from which these forces rise.
The way to realise is through a quiet mind and a vital free from desires. To reject the desires and demands of the vital and to quiet the excessive activity of the mind, so that a true consciousness and spiritual perception and knowledge may take the place ofthe mind’s activity, are the requisite conditions of the Yoga. The further method is,—(1) To concentrate in the heart and aspire and (2) to call to the divine Mother to enter there and purify the mind and vital and unveil the psychic being so that her constant guidance and presence in it may be felt always and (3) to concentrate in the quiet mind and (in the head) open
oneself first to the divine force and light which is always above the mind and call to it to descend into the body and the whole being—either of these or both, according to the capacity of the sadhaka. Yoga must be done not for oneself or what one can get but for the sake of the Divine and to be united with the Divine. If he can do any of these things (not minding how long it takes) in this spirit, then let him do Yoga; if he cannot, then there is no use in doing it.
I have never said that this Yoga was a safe one—no Yoga is. Each has its dangers as has every great attempt in human life. But it can be carried through if one has a central sincerity and a fidelity to the Divine. These are the two necessary conditions.
The first conditions of this Yoga are:
(1) A complete sincerity and surrender in the being. The divine life and the transformation of the lower human into the higher divine nature must be made the sole aim of all the life. No attachments, desires or habits of the mind, heart, vital being or body should be clung to which come in the way of this one aspiration and one object of the life. One must be ready to renounce all these completely as soon as the demand comes from above and from the divine Shakti.
(2) A fundamental calm, peace and purity in the mind, vital being and all the nature. The hours of meditation should be devoted to the formation
of these two conditions in you, by aspiration and by self observation and rejection of all that disturbs the nature or keeps it troubled, confused and impure. Aspiration if rightly done, quietly, earnestly and sincerely, brings the divine help from above to effect this object.
As to the hours devoted to work, needs, family, etc., they can be made an aid only on the following conditions.
(1) To regard all these things as not belonging to yourself, your inner being, but as things external, work to be done so long as it remains on your shoulders to the best of your ability without desire or attachment of any kind.
(2) To do all work as a sacrifice without any egoistic motive.
(3) To establish and deepen the inner calm and quiet. If that is done, all these things will be felt more and more as external and the falling off of desire and attachment will become possible. For getting rid of passion the same condition. If you separate yourself from these movements and establish calm and peace inside, the passions may still rise on the surface, but they will be felt to be external movements and you can deal with them or call down the divine aid to get rid of them. So long as the mind does not fall quiet, it is not possible to deal finally with the vital being from which these forces rise.
The way to realise is through a quiet mind and a vital free from desires. To reject the desires and demands of the vital and to quiet the excessive activity of the mind, so that a true consciousness and spiritual perception and knowledge may take the place ofthe mind’s activity, are the requisite conditions of the Yoga. The further method is,—(1) To concentrate in the heart and aspire and (2) to call to the divine Mother to enter there and purify the mind and vital and unveil the psychic being so that her constant guidance and presence in it may be felt always and (3) to concentrate in the quiet mind and (in the head) open
oneself first to the divine force and light which is always above the mind and call to it to descend into the body and the whole being—either of these or both, according to the capacity of the sadhaka. Yoga must be done not for oneself or what one can get but for the sake of the Divine and to be united with the Divine. If he can do any of these things (not minding how long it takes) in this spirit, then let him do Yoga; if he cannot, then there is no use in doing it.
Section Three - Sadhana through Concentration, Meditation and Japa - 296
Chapter One - Concentration and Meditation
The Meaning of Concentration and Meditation:
Concentration, for our Yoga, means when the consciousness is
fixed in a particular state (e.g. peace) or movement (e.g. aspiration,
will, coming into contact with the Mother, taking the
Mother’s name); meditation is when the inner mind is looking
at things to get the right knowledge.
*
Concentration means fixing the consciousness in one place or
on one object and in a single condition. Meditation can be diffusive,
e.g. thinking about the Divine, receiving impressions and
discriminating, watching what goes on in the nature and acting
upon it etc.
*
Concentration is a gathering together of the consciousness and
either centralising at one point or turning on a single object, e.g.
the Divine—there can also be a gathered condition throughout
the whole being, not at a point. In meditation it is not indispensable
to gather like this, one can simply remain with a quiet
mind thinking of one subject or observing what comes in the
consciousness and dealing with it.
*
Meditation means thinking on one subject in a concentrated
way. In concentration proper there is not a series of thoughts,
but the mind is silently fixed on one object, name, idea, place etc.
There are other kinds of concentration, e.g. concentrating
the whole consciousness in one place, as between the eyebrows,
in the heart, etc. One can also concentrate to get rid of thought
altogether and remain in a complete silence.
The Role of Concentration and Meditation (Dhyana) in Sadhana
In the beginning for a long time concentration is necessary even
by effort because the nature, the consciousness are not ready.
Even then the more quiet and natural the concentration, the
better. But when the consciousness and nature are ready, then
concentration must become spontaneous and easily possible
without effort at all times. Even at last it becomes the natural
and permanent condition of the being—it is then no longer
concentration, but the settled poise of the soul in the Divine.
It is true that to be concentrated and do an outward action
at the same time is not at first possible. But that too becomes
possible. Either the consciousness divides into two parts, one the
inner poised in the Divine, the other the outer doing the outer
work—or else the whole is so poised and the force does the
work through the passive instrument.
*
Concentration is necessary. By dhyana you awake the inner being;
by concentration in life, in work, in the outer consciousness
you make the outer being also fit to receive the Divine Light and
Force.
*
It is in the waking consciousness that all has to be realised. But
that cannot be done without a full preparation in the inner being
and it is this preparation that is being done for you in dhy¯ana.
*
You have not to remain in dhyana all the time, but to bring into
the waking state the consciousness you get there and you have
to live in that all the time.
*
It is very good, and by regular meditation you are sure to make
much progress. But I do not think to spend all the night in
meditation would be good. The body needs sleep also. One
hour meditation daily is already a very good result and it can be
increased slowly to two.
*
Certainly, if all one’s life one did nothing but meditate, it would
be a one-sided affair. But at times to give the first place or a
lion’s share to meditation may be necessary. It is especially when
things are coming down and have to be fixed.
*
The ease and peace are felt very deep and far within because they
are in the psychic and the psychic is very deep within us, covered
over by the mind and vital. When you meditate you open to
the psychic, become aware of your psychic consciousness deep
within and feel these things. In order that this ease and peace
and happiness may become strong and stable and felt in all the
being and in the body, you have to go still deeper within and
bring out the full force of the psychic into the physical. This can
most easily be done by regular concentration and meditation
with the aspiration for this true consciousness. It can be done by
work also, by dedication, by doing the work for the Divine only
without thought of self and keeping the idea of consecration
to the Mother always in the heart. But this is not easy to do
perfectly.
*
Sir, is the Presence [of the Divine] of a physical nature or a
spiritual fact? And is the physical sense accustomed or able to
see or feel spiritual things—a spiritual Presence, a non-material
Form? To see the Brahman everywhere is not possible unless
you develop the inner vision—so to do that you have to concentrate.
To see non-material forms is indeed possible for a few,
because they have the gift by nature, but most can’t do it without
developing the subtle sight. It is absurd to expect the Divine to
manifest his Presence without your taking any trouble to see it,
—you have to concentrate.
The Object of Meditation
What do you call meditation? Shutting the eyes and concentrating?
It is only one method for calling down the true consciousness.
To join with the true consciousness or feel its descent is
the only thing important and if it comes without the orthodox
method, as it always did withme, so much the better. Meditation
is only a means or device, the true movement is when even
walking, working or speaking one is still in sadhana.
*
What is most important [in meditation] is the change of consciousness
of which this feeling of oneness is a part. The going
deep in meditation is only a means and it is not always necessary
if the great experiences come easily without it.
*
The best help for concentration is to receive the Mother’s calm
and peace into your mind. It is there above you—only the mind
and its centres have to open to it. It is what theMother is pushing
upon you in the evening meditation.
*
The object of meditation is to open to the Mother and grow
through many progressive experiences into a higher consciousness
in union with the Divine.
*
To enter into a deeper or higher consciousness or for that deeper
or higher consciousness to descend into you—that is the true
success of meditation.
Meditation Not Necessary for All
One can have no fixed hours of meditation and yet be doing
sadhana.
*
Meditation is not indispensable. There are some who do not
meditate and yet progress.
*
Then how is it [meditation] necessary for all, if some are asked
not to do it? Much meditation is for those who can meditate
much. It does not follow that because such meditation is good,
therefore nobody should do anything else.
Methods of Meditation and Concentration
The attitude of spiritual meditation is to concentrate so as to
receive or attain the spiritual truth—what means one takes
depends upon the way, the path, the person.
*
If the difficulty in meditation is that thoughts of all kinds come
in, that is not due to hostile forces but to the ordinary nature of
the human mind. All sadhaks have this difficulty and with many
it lasts for a very long time. There are several ways of getting
rid of it. One of them is to look at the thoughts and observe
what is the nature of the human mind as they show it but not to
give any sanction and to let them run down till they come to a
standstill—this is a way recommended by Vivekananda in his
Rajayoga. Another is to look at the thoughts as not one’s own,
to stand back as the witness Purusha and refuse the sanction--
the thoughts are regarded as things coming from outside, from
Prakriti, and they must be felt as if they were passers-by crossing
the mind-space with whom one has no connection and in whom
one takes no interest. In this way it usually happens that after
a time the mind divides into two, a part which is the mental
witness watching and perfectly undisturbed and quiet and a part
which is the object of observation, the Prakriti part in which the
thoughts cross or wander. Afterwards one can proceed to silence
or quiet the Prakriti part also. There is a third, an active method
by which one looks to see where the thoughts come from and
finds they come not from oneself, but from outside the head as
it were; if one can detect them coming, then, before they enter,
they have to be thrown away altogether. This is perhaps themost
difficult way and not all can do it, but if it can be done it is the
shortest and most powerful road to silence.
*
If you try to apply everything you read, there will be no end
to your new beginnings. One can stop thinking by rejecting the
thoughts and in the silence discover oneself. One can do it by
letting the thoughts run down while one detaches oneself from
them. There are a number of other ways. This one related in
Brunton’s book seems to me the Adwaita-jnani method of separating
oneself from body, vital, mind, by viveka, discrimination,
“I am not the body, I am not the life, I am not the mind” till
he gets to the self, separate from mind, life and body. That also
is one way of doing it. There is also the separation of Purusha
from Prakriti till one becomes the witness only and feels separate
from all the activities as the Witness Consciousness. There are
other methods also.
*
The method of gathering of the mind is not an easy one. It is
better to watch and separate oneself from the thoughts till one
becomes aware of a quiet space within into which they come
from outside.
*
All thoughts really come from outside, but one is not conscious
of their coming. You have become conscious of this movement.
There are different ways of getting rid of them; one is to reject
them one by one before they can come in; another is to look at
them with detachment till they fade away.
*
It is of course because of the old habit of the mental consciousness
that it goes on receiving the thoughts from outside in spite
of its being a fatigue—not that it wants them, but that they
are accustomed to come and the mind mechanically lets them in
and attends to them by force of habit. This is always one of the
chief difficulties in Yoga when the experiences have begun and
the mind wants to be always either concentrated or quiet. Some
do what you propose [direct rejection of thoughts] and after
a time succeed in quieting the mind altogether or the silence
comes down from above and does it. But often when one tries
this, the thoughts become very active and resist the silencing
process and that is very troublesome. Therefore many prefer
to go on slowly letting the mind quiet down little by little, the
quietness spreading and remaining for longer periods until the
unwanted thoughts fall away or recede and the mind is left free
for knowledge from within and above.
What you might do is to try and see what results—if the
thoughts attack too much and trouble, you could stop—if the
mind quiets down quickly or more and more, then continue.
*
The mind is always in activity, but we do not observe fully what
it is doing, but allow ourselves to be carried away in the stream
of continual thinking. When we try to concentrate, this stream
of self-moved mechanical thinking becomes prominent to our
observation. It is the first normal obstacle (the other is sleep
during meditation) to the effort towards Yoga.
The first thing to do is to realise that this thought-flow is
not yourself, it is not you who are thinking, but thought that
is going on in the mind. It is Prakriti with its thought-energy
that is raising all this whirl of thought in you, imposing it on
the Purusha. You as the Purusha must stand back as the witness
observing the action, but refusing to identify yourself with it.
The next thing is to exercise a control and reject the thoughts--
though sometimes by the very act of detachment the thoughthabit
falls away or diminishes during the meditation and there is
a sufficient silence or at any rate a quietude which makes it easy
to reject the thoughts that come and fix oneself on the object
of meditation. If one becomes aware of the thoughts as coming
from outside, from the universal Nature, then one can throw
them away before they reach the mind; in that way the mind
finally falls silent. If neither of these things happens, a persistent
practice of rejection becomes necessary—there should be no
struggle or wrestling with the thoughts, but only a quiet selfseparation
and refusal. Success does not come at first, but if
consent is constantly withheld, the mechanical whirl eventually
lessens and begins to die away and one can then have at will an
inner quietude or silence.
It should be noted that the result of the Yogic processes is
not, except in rare cases, immediate and one must apply them
with patience till they give a result which is sometimes long in
coming if there is much resistance in the outer nature.
How can you fix the mind on the higher Self so long as
you have no consciousness or experience of it? You can only
concentrate on the idea of the Self. Or else one can concentrate
on the idea of the Divine or the DivineMother or on an image or
on the feeling of devotion, calling the presence in the heart or the
Force to work in the mind and heart and body and liberate the
consciousness and give the self-realisation. If you concentrate
on the idea of the Self, it must be with the conception of the Self
as something different from mind and its thoughts, the vital and
its feelings, the body and its actions—something standing back
from all these, something that you can come to feel concretely as
an Existence or Consciousness, separate from all that yet freely
pervading all without being involved in these things.
*
You have to separate yourself from the mind also. You have to
feel yourself even in the mental, vital, physical levels (not only
above) a consciousness that is neither mind, life, nor body.
*
For the buzz of the physical mind, reject it quietly, without
getting disturbed, till it feels discouraged and retires shaking
its head and saying, “This fellow is too calm and strong for
me.” There are always two things that can rise up and assail
the silence,—vital suggestions, the physical mind’s mechanical
recurrences. Calm rejection for both is the cure. There is a Purusha
within who can dictate to the nature what it shall admit or
exclude, but its will is a strong, quiet will; if one gets perturbed
or agitated over the difficulties, then the will of the Purusha
cannot act effectively as it would otherwise.
The dynamic realisation will probably take place when the
higher consciousness comes fully down into the vital. When it
comes into the mental it brings the peace of the Purusha and
liberation and it may bring also knowledge. It is when it comes
into the vital that the dynamic realisation becomes present and
living.
Concentration on the Idea
If one concentrates on a thought or a word, one has to dwell on
the essential idea contained in the word with the aspiration to
feel the thing which it expresses.
*
I have not the original chapter before me just now; but from the
sentences quoted1 it seems to be the essential mental Idea. As for
instance in the method of Vedantic knowledge one concentrates
on the idea of Brahman omnipresent—one looks at a tree or
other surrounding objects with the idea that Brahman is there
and the tree or object is only a form. After a time if the concentration
is of the right kind, one begins to become aware of
a presence, an existence, the physical tree form becomes a shell
and that presence or existence is felt to be the only reality. The
idea then drops, it is a direct vision of the thing that takes its
place—there is no longer any necessity of concentrating on the
idea, one sees with a deeper consciousness, sa pa´syati. It should
be noted that this concentration on the idea is not mere thinking,
mananam—it is an inner dwelling on the essence of the Idea.
1 The correspondent sent to Sri Aurobindo a passage from The Synthesis of Yoga:
“This concentration proceeds by the Idea . . . ; for it is through the Idea that the mental
being rises beyond all expression to that which is expressed, to that of which the Idea
itself is only the instrument. By concentration upon the Idea the mental existence which
at present we are breaks open the barrier of our mentality and arrives at the state of
consciousness, the state of being, the state of power of conscious-being and bliss of
conscious-being to which the Idea corresponds and of which it is the symbol, movement
and rhythm.”
Centres for Concentration
The nature of the meditation depends on the part of the being
in which one is centred at the time. In the body (rather
the subtle body than the physical, but connected with the corresponding
parts in the gross physical body also) there are
centres proper to each level of the being. There is a centre at
the top of the head and above it which is that of the abovemind
or higher consciousness; a centre in the forehead between
the eyebrows which is that of the thinking mind, mental will,
mental vision; a centre in the throat which is that of the expressive
or externalising mind: these are the mental centres.
Below comes the vital—the heart (emotional), the navel (the
dynamic life-centre), another below the navel in the abdomen
which is the lower or sensational vital centre. Finally, at the
bottom of the spine is the Muladhara or physical centre. Behind
the heart is the psychic centre. If one concentrates in the
head as many do it is a mental-spiritual meditation one seeks
for, if in the heart it is a psychic meditation; these are the
usual places where one concentrates. But what rises up first
or opens first may not be the mental or psychic, but the emotional
or the vital; that depends on the nature—for whatever
is easiest to open in it, is likely to open first. If it is in the
vital, then the meditation tends to project the consciousness
into the vital plane and its experiences. But from that one
can get to the psychic by drawing more and more inwards,
not getting absorbed into the vital experiences but separating
oneself and looking at them with detachment as if one
were deep inside and observing things outside oneself. Similarly
one can get the mental experiences by concentrating in the
thought and by it bringing a corresponding experience, e.g. the
thought of all being the Brahman, or one can draw back from
the thought also and observe one’s own thoughts as outside
Concentration and Meditation 307
things until one enters into the silence and the pure spiritual
experience.
*
One can concentrate in any of the three centres which is easiest to
the sadhak or gives most result. The power of the concentration
in the heart-centre is to open that centre and by the power of
aspiration, love, bhakti, surrender remove the veil which covers
and conceals the soul and bring forward the soul or psychic
being to govern the mind, life and body and turn and open them
all—fully—to the Divine, removing all that is opposed to that
turning and opening.
This is what is called in this Yoga the psychic transformation.
The power of concentration above the head is to bring
peace, silence, liberation from the body sense, the identification
with mind and life and open the way for the lower (mentalvital-
physical) consciousness to rise up to meet the higher Consciousness
above and for the powers of the higher (spiritual or
divine) Consciousness to descend into mind, life and body. This
is what is called in this Yoga the spiritual transformation. If one
begins with this movement, then the Power from above has in
its descent to open all the centres (including the lowest centre)
and to bring out the psychic being; for until that is done there is
likely to be much difficulty and struggle of the lower consciousness
obstructing, mixing with or even refusing the Divine Action
from above. If the psychic being is once active this struggle and
these difficulties can be greatly minimised.
The power of concentration in the eyebrows is to open the
centre there, liberate the inner mind and vision and the inner or
Yogic consciousness and its experiences and powers. From here
also one can open upwards and act also in the lower centres;
but the danger of this process is that one may get shut up in
one’s mental spiritual formations and not come out of them into
the free and integral spiritual experience and knowledge and
integral change of the being and nature.
*
308 Letters on Yoga—II
I was very glad to get your letter and especially to know that
you are more at peace. That is what is first needed, the settling
down of a natural peace and quiet in the nature—the spiritual
peace is a bigger thing that can come afterwards.
Then as to concentration. Ordinarily the consciousness is
spread out everywhere, dispersed, running in this or that direction,
after this subject and that object in multitude. When
anything has to be done of a sustained nature, the first thing one
does is to draw back all this dispersed consciousness and concentrate.
It is then, if one looks closely, found to be concentrated
in one place and on one occupation, subject or object—as when
you are composing a poem or a botanist is studying a flower.
The place is usually somewhere in the brain, if it is the thought,
in the heart if it is the feeling in which one is concentrated. The
Yogic concentration is simply an extension and intensification of
the same thing. It may be on an object as when one does tratak
on a shining point—then one has to concentrate so that one
sees only that point and has no other thought but that. It may
be on an idea or a word or a name, the idea of the Divine, the
word OM, the name Krishna, or a combination of idea and word
or idea and name. But, farther, in Yoga one also concentrates
in a particular place. There is the famous rule of concentrating
between the eyebrows—the centre of the inner mind, of occult
vision, of the will is there. What you do is to think firmly from
there on whatever you make the object of your concentration
or else try to see the image of it from there. If you succeed in
this, then after a time you feel that your whole consciousness is
centred there in that place—of course for the time being. After
doing it for some time and often, it becomes easy and normal.
I hope this is clear. Well, in this Yoga, you do the same,
not necessarily at that particular spot between the eyebrows,
but anywhere in the head or at the centre of the chest where
the physiologists have fixed the cardiac centre. Instead of concentrating
on an object, you concentrate in the head in a will,
a call for the descent of the peace from above or, as some do,
an opening of the unseen lid and an ascent of the consciousness
above. In the heart-centre one concentrates in an aspiration, for
Concentration and Meditation 309
an opening, for the presence or living image of the Divine there
or whatever else is the object. There may be japa of a name but,
if so, there must also be a concentration on it and the name must
repeat itself there in the heart-centre.
It may be asked what becomes of the rest of the consciousness
when there is this local concentration? Well, it either falls
silent as in any concentration or, if it does not, then thoughts
or other things may move about, as if outside, but the concentrated
part does not attend to them or notice. That is when the
concentration is reasonably successful.
One has not to fatigue oneself at first by long concentration
if one is not accustomed, for then in a jaded mind it loses its
power or value. One can “relax” and meditate instead of concentrating.
It is only as the concentration becomes normal that
one can go on for a longer and longer time.
*
There is no harm in concentrating sometimes in the heart and
sometimes above the head. But concentration in either place
does not mean keeping the attention fixed on a particular spot;
you have to take your station of consciousness in either place
and concentrate there not on the place, but on the Divine. This
can be done with eyes shut or with eyes open, according as it
best suits you.
You can concentrate on the sun, but to concentrate on the
Divine is better than to concentrate on the sun.
*
You can concentrate the consciousness anywhere in any centre.
You have only to think of yourself as centrally there and try to
fix and keep that. A strain or any effort to do so is not necessary
but a quiet and steady dwelling in the idea.
Most people associate consciousness with the brain or mind
because that is the centre for intellectual thought and mental
vision, but consciousness is not limited to that kind of thought
or vision. It is everywhere in the system and there are several
centres of it, e.g., the centre for inner concentration is not in the
310 Letters on Yoga—II
brain but in the heart,—the originating centre of vital desire is
still lower down.
The two main places where one can centre the consciousness
for Yoga are in the head and in the heart—the mind-centre and
the soul-centre.
*
One has to open through concentration in the heart centre or
above the head, in the former case to the psychic, in the latter to
the higher Truth. But without the psychic preparation or at least
a thorough purification of the being, the latter course is not safe.
*
It may be better to concentrate in the heart rather than in the
mind, offer yourself from there and call the Mother into the
heart leaving the thoughts to fall silent of themselves. Otherwise
with the present method you have simply to persevere till the
present brief and imperfect stillings of the mind become longer
and deeper.
*
The concentration in the heart is what brings about the opening
of the psychic which is your principal need. If the concentration
has brought about a feeling which makes you judge clearly all
the other movements and see their nature, then the psychic is
already in action. For this is the psychic feeling which brings
with it a clear insight into the nature of all movements that
come and makes it easy to reject what has to be rejected and
keep the right attitude and perception. It does not matter about
the image of the Mother. It is her presence whether in form or
not that has to be felt always and this the psychic opening will
surely bring.
*
It [concentration in the heart] is the best to “start with”—but
as you have already started with success on the two higher centres,
there is no reason why you should discontinue that. The
Concentration and Meditation 311
other you may try from time to time when you find a sufficient
quietude. Concentration there leads—or should lead—to the
psychic opening.
*
Concentration in the heart is best aided if possible by the power
and light descending from above the head.
*
At the top of the head or above it is the right place for Yogic
concentration in reading or thinking.
*
Brain concentration is always a tapasya and necessarily brings a
strain. It is only if one is lifted out of the brain mind altogether
that the strain of mental concentration disappears.
Postures for Concentration or Meditation
The sitting motionless posture is the natural posture for concentrated
meditation—walking and standing are active conditions
suited for the dispense of energy and the activity of the mind. It
is only when one has gained the enduring rest and passivity of
the consciousness that it is easy to concentrate and receive when
walking or doing anything. A fundamental passive condition
of the consciousness gathered into itself is the proper poise for
concentration and a seated gathered immobility in the body is
the best for that. It can be done also lying down, but that position
is too passive, tending to be inert rather than gathered. This is
the reason why Yogis always sit in an asana. One can accustom
oneself to meditate walking, standing, lying, but sitting is the
first natural position.
*
One can meditate very well when walking.
*
312 Letters on Yoga—II
It is as each finds convenient. Some meditate better walking,
some sitting.
*
The rigidity [of the body during meditation] comes very often
when there is the descent of the higher consciousness into the
body.
Regularity, Length and Other Conditions
If it is possible to keep a fixed period for meditation and stick
to it, it would certainly be desirable.
*
To keep the consciousness awake you must set apart a certain
time every day for concentration and remembering the Mother
and keeping yourself in contact with us. What is gained is not
lost by interruption, but it goes behind and may take time to
come out again—so the thread should not be cut.
*
It is not the length of the meditations that makes the difference
[in making one vitally and physically strong]. It is a concentration
of the will that is needed.
*
It is better to make the deeper concentration when you are alone
or quiet. Outward sounds ought not to disturb you.
*
In external things all men of action have to do that [shift their
concentration quickly from one thing to another]—otherwise
they would not be able to cope with their work. In respect to
inner concentration, it is not so easy because people bring other
vibrations which interfere with the poise of the consciousness--
a mere mental interruption ought not to be difficult to recover
from; but if the consciousness itself gets invaded or else drawn
out, it takes time to get back. In the end a condition develops
in which the inner consciousness is always concentrated and in
a poise, sam¯ ahitah. , and outside things take place only on the
outermost surface. Then it becomes easy.
*
It is quite natural that at first there should be the condition of
calm and peace only when you sit for concentration. What is
important is that there should be this condition whenever you
sit and the pressure for it always there. But at other times the
result is at first only a certain mental quiet and freedom from
thoughts. Afterwards when the condition of peace is quite settled
in the inner being—for it is the inner into which you enter
whenever you concentrate—then it begins to come out and
control the outer, so that the calm and peace remain even when
working, mixing with others, talking or other occupations. For
then whatever the outer consciousness is doing, one feels the
inner being calm within—indeed one feels the inner being as
one’s real self while the outer is something superficial through
which the inner acts on life.
*
The gaze should not be fixed for a long time as it overstrains the
eyes (unless one has a long practice in Tratak). The fixing of the
eyes is not necessary—a natural gaze is sufficient and it should
be varied by meditation with closed eyes.
*
When the meditation is done with the photo, it is better done
with open eyes.
Coming out of Concentration or Meditation
You enter into a condition of deep inwardness and quiet. But if
one comes too suddenly out of it into the ordinary consciousness,
then theremay be a slight nervous shock or a beating of the heart
such as you describe, for a short time. It is always best to remain
314 Letters on Yoga—II
quiet for a few moments before opening the eyes and coming
out of this inwardness.
*
It is certainly much better to remain silent and collected for a
time after the meditation. It is a mistake to take the meditation
lightly—by doing that one fails to receive or spills what is
received or most of it.
*
Your meditation is all right, as Mother saw—but when you
came out of it, you fell into the ordinary consciousness, that
is the difficulty. You must try to keep the true consciousness
always, even in activity—then the sadhana will begin to be
there all the time and your difficulty will disappear.
The Difficulty of the Mechanical Mind
That [the constant recurrence of trivial thoughts] is the nature
of the mechanical mind—it is not due to any sensitiveness in
it. Only as the other parts of the mind are more silent and
under control, this activity looks more prominent and takes
more space. It usually wears itself out, if one goes on rejecting
it.
*
It was rather that the active mind became more quiet so that
the movements of the mechanical mind became more evident
—that is what often happens. What has to be done in that
case is to detach oneself from these movements and concentrate
without farther attention to them. They are then likely to sink
into quietude or fall away.
*
To be able to detach oneself from the action of the mechanical
mind is the first necessity so that it may be like a noise in the
street which passes and which one can ignore. It is easier then
Concentration and Meditation 315
for the quiet and peace of the mind to remain undisturbed by
this action even if it occurs.
If the peace and silence continue to come down, they usually
become so intense as to seize the physical mind also after a time.
*
You are probably paying too much attention to them [mechanical
thoughts]. It is quite possible to concentrate and let the
mechanical activity pass unnoticed.
*
The more the psychic spreads in the outer being, the more all
these things [the mechanical activities of the subconscious mind]
fall quiet. That is the best way. Direct efforts to still the mind
are a difficult method.
Surface Thoughts and Imaginations
That [a state in which the outer being responds to surface
thoughts while the inner being is “engrossed in meditation”] is
not called meditation—it is a divided state of consciousness.
Unless the consciousness is really engrossed and the surface
thoughts are only things that come across and touch and pass,
it can hardly be called meditation (dhyana). I don’t see how the
inner being can be “engrossed” while thoughts and imaginations
of another kind are rampaging about in the consciousness.
One can remain separate and see the thoughts and imaginations
pass without being affected, but that is not being plunged or
engrossed in meditation.
Straining and Concentration
Straining and concentration are not the same thing. Straining
implies an over-eagerness and violence of effort, while concentration
is in its nature quiet and steady. If there is restlessness or
over-eagerness, then that is not concentration.
*
Effort means straining endeavour. There can be an action with
a will in it in which there is no strain of effort.
*
It was by your personal efforts without guidance that you got
into difficulties and into a heated condition in which you could
not meditate etc. I asked you to drop the effort and remain
quiet and you did so. My intention was that by your remaining
quiet, it would be possible for the Mother’s Force to work in
you and establish a better starting-point and a course of initial
experiences. It was what was beginning to come; but if your
mind again becomes active and tries to arrange the sadhana for
itself, then disturbances are likely to come. The Divine Guidance
works best when the psychic is open and in front (yours was
beginning to open), but it can also work even when the sadhak
is either not conscious of it or else knows it only by its results.
As for Nirvikalpa Samadhi, even if one wants it, it is only the
result of a long sadhana in a consciousness prepared for it—it
is no use thinking of it when the inner consciousness is only just
beginning to open to Yogic experience.
Relaxation and Concentration
There are two different states, thatwhich the consciousness takes
in concentration and that which it takes in relaxation—the
latter is the ordinary consciousness (ordinary for the sadhak,
though not perhaps the ordinary consciousness of the average
man), the former is what he is attaining to by tapas of concentration
in sadhana. To go into the Akshara and witness experiences
from there is easy for the sadhak who has got so far. He can also
concentrate and maintain the unification of the main aspects of
his being, although with more difficulty—but a relaxation there
brings him back to the relaxed “ordinary” consciousness. It is
only when what is gained by sadhana becomes normal to the
ordinary consciousness that this can be avoided. In proportion
as this is done, it becomes possible not only to experience the
truth subjectively, but make it manifest in action.
Passive Meditation and Concentration
What happened in the beginning of his sadhana must have been
that he made the mistake of entering into a passive meditation
instead of into a concentration proper. This kind of passive meditation
can bring a great peace and quiet and joy. The Light also
may come and other spiritual experiences. But it leaves the vital
and body passive and without defence against inertia, illness
etc. instead of bringing it either a dynamic force or a strong
self-contained peace. The consciousness instead of being concentrated
gets widely diffused and loosely extended. From the
passivity came the weakness and disinclination for the worldly
duties; from the diffusion the play of activity in the mind which
prevented sleep and could not be controlled in a tendency also
for the subtle being to go out of the body in the waking condition
instead of through sleep as it ordinarily does, whence the beating
of the heart and the cold feet. Concentration must in the earlier
stages be active and dynamic with the consciousness gathered
and capable of turning the will in any direction.
The concentration in this Yoga must be in the head or in the
heart-centre, not in the centre at the base of the spinal cord--
that can only come afterwards when all the other centres have
been opened.
It is sometimes a little difficult to correct the effects of a
wrong start. At any rate he may try the effects of an active
concentration in either the head (forehead centre) or heart. The
latter may be safer so as to avoid the return of the heating of the
head which came from that first concentration. If there are any
disturbing results, the concentration should not be continued
and all should be turned towards a purification of the being
such as he speaks of having practised and only when this is
sufficiently advanced, should the concentration be resumed.
Inertia, Laziness, Tiredness in Meditation
It is not a fact that when there is obscurity or inertia, one cannot
concentrate or meditate. If one has in the inner being the steady
will to do it, it can be done.
*
It is quite natural to want to meditate while reading Yogic
literature—that is not the laziness.
The laziness of the mind consists in not meditating when
the consciousness wants to do so.
*
Ego, I suppose, or inertia [hinders the feeling of satisfied peace
or quiet release in meditation]. If higher meditation or being
above keeps you dull and without any kind of satisfaction or
peace in sadhana, these are the only two reasons I can think
of.
*
If the mind gets tired, naturally it is difficult to concentrate--
unless you have become separated from the mind.
*
Naturally one does not get tired if the meditation has become
natural. But if the capacity is not there yet, then many cannot
go on without a strain which brings fatigue.
*
Concentration is very helpful and necessary—the more one concentrates
(of course in the limits of the body’s capacity without
straining it), the more the force of the Yoga grows. But you must
be prepared for the meditation being sometimes not successful
and not get upset by it—for that variability of the meditations
happens to everybody. There are different causes for it. But it is
mostly something physical that interferes, either the need of the
body to take time to assimilate what has come or been done or
sometimes inertia or dullness due to causes such as those you
mention or others. The best thing is to remain quiet and not get
nervous or dejected—till the force acts again.
Meditation, Sleep and Samadhi
When one tries to meditate, there is a pressure to go inside,
lose the waking consciousness and wake inside, in a deep inner
consciousness. But at first the mind takes it for a pressure to go
to sleep, since sleep is the only kind of inner consciousness to
which it has been accustomed. In Yoga by meditation sleep is
therefore often the first difficulty—but if one perseveres then
gradually the sleep changes to an inner conscious state.
*
I think the sleepiness is a stage which everybody goes through
—a sort of mechanical reaction of the physical to the pressure
for including it in the concentration of the sadhana. It is best
not to mind it; it will go of itself as the consciousness increases
and takes the physical into its poise. It is better to let us know
about any physical troubles.
*
The sleep does come like that when one tries to meditate. It
has to be dealt with, where that is possible, by turning it into a
conscious inner and indrawn state and, where not, by remaining
in a quietly concentrated wakefulness open (without effort) to
receive.
*
This tendency to sit and be perfectly quiet and this pressure of
sleep are not at all due to laziness. You must put that idea out of
your head. It is due to the tendency to quiet, peace, going inside;
when the sadhana begins with some intensity, it is most often like
that for a time. Afterwards there is a more even balance between
the inner and the outer consciousness or rather the outer begins
to change and become of one piece with the inner. So do not let
this trouble you.
*
When the pressure gives a tendency to insideness (samadhi), the
physical being, not being accustomed to go inside except in the
way of sleep, translates this into a sense of sleepiness.
*
It [the tendency to fall asleep during meditation] is a common
obstacle with all who practise Yoga at the beginning. This sleep
disappears gradually in two ways—(1) by the intensifying of
the force of concentration—(2) by the sleep itself becoming
a kind of swapna samadhi in which one is conscious of inner
experiences that are not dreams (i.e. the waking consciousness is
lost for the time, but it is replaced not by sleep but by an inward
conscious state in which one moves in the supraphysical of the
mental or vital being).
*
The Yogic sleep is good only when it is Yogic enough to contain
something, to be an inner consciousness or an experience of
other planes. The j ¯ agarti is important—to be conscious in the
sleep, an inner waking. But when the mind is not accustomed, it
tends to respond to the impulse towards this “going inside” into
an inner consciousness caused by meditation by simply falling
into the usual sleep to which it is accustomed. Nidr¯a is one of
the recognised difficulties of Yoga—nidr ¯a refusing to turn into
samadhi, whether svapna-sam¯adhi or sus.upti. So the force is
necessary and I will try to send it. I only wish people would give
me more time for this inner work both for myself and them! but
that seems past hoping for.
*
It is probably that [in meditation] you go inside into a sort of
samadhi but are not yet conscious there (hence the idea of sleep).
X is not asleep, but he has when he goes inside no control of
his body. Many Yogis have this difficulty and use a contrivance
which is put under the chin to hold up the head and with it the
body during this inward-going concentration.
*
There is no harm in the deep sleep that comes—as I have told
you, it is the tendency to go deep inside that brings it and
it is necessary to go deep inside in order to establish the full
connection between the psychic and the rest of the nature.
Concentration, for our Yoga, means when the consciousness is
fixed in a particular state (e.g. peace) or movement (e.g. aspiration,
will, coming into contact with the Mother, taking the
Mother’s name); meditation is when the inner mind is looking
at things to get the right knowledge.
*
Concentration means fixing the consciousness in one place or
on one object and in a single condition. Meditation can be diffusive,
e.g. thinking about the Divine, receiving impressions and
discriminating, watching what goes on in the nature and acting
upon it etc.
*
Concentration is a gathering together of the consciousness and
either centralising at one point or turning on a single object, e.g.
the Divine—there can also be a gathered condition throughout
the whole being, not at a point. In meditation it is not indispensable
to gather like this, one can simply remain with a quiet
mind thinking of one subject or observing what comes in the
consciousness and dealing with it.
*
Meditation means thinking on one subject in a concentrated
way. In concentration proper there is not a series of thoughts,
but the mind is silently fixed on one object, name, idea, place etc.
There are other kinds of concentration, e.g. concentrating
the whole consciousness in one place, as between the eyebrows,
in the heart, etc. One can also concentrate to get rid of thought
altogether and remain in a complete silence.
The Role of Concentration and Meditation (Dhyana) in Sadhana
In the beginning for a long time concentration is necessary even
by effort because the nature, the consciousness are not ready.
Even then the more quiet and natural the concentration, the
better. But when the consciousness and nature are ready, then
concentration must become spontaneous and easily possible
without effort at all times. Even at last it becomes the natural
and permanent condition of the being—it is then no longer
concentration, but the settled poise of the soul in the Divine.
It is true that to be concentrated and do an outward action
at the same time is not at first possible. But that too becomes
possible. Either the consciousness divides into two parts, one the
inner poised in the Divine, the other the outer doing the outer
work—or else the whole is so poised and the force does the
work through the passive instrument.
*
Concentration is necessary. By dhyana you awake the inner being;
by concentration in life, in work, in the outer consciousness
you make the outer being also fit to receive the Divine Light and
Force.
*
It is in the waking consciousness that all has to be realised. But
that cannot be done without a full preparation in the inner being
and it is this preparation that is being done for you in dhy¯ana.
*
You have not to remain in dhyana all the time, but to bring into
the waking state the consciousness you get there and you have
to live in that all the time.
*
It is very good, and by regular meditation you are sure to make
much progress. But I do not think to spend all the night in
meditation would be good. The body needs sleep also. One
hour meditation daily is already a very good result and it can be
increased slowly to two.
*
Certainly, if all one’s life one did nothing but meditate, it would
be a one-sided affair. But at times to give the first place or a
lion’s share to meditation may be necessary. It is especially when
things are coming down and have to be fixed.
*
The ease and peace are felt very deep and far within because they
are in the psychic and the psychic is very deep within us, covered
over by the mind and vital. When you meditate you open to
the psychic, become aware of your psychic consciousness deep
within and feel these things. In order that this ease and peace
and happiness may become strong and stable and felt in all the
being and in the body, you have to go still deeper within and
bring out the full force of the psychic into the physical. This can
most easily be done by regular concentration and meditation
with the aspiration for this true consciousness. It can be done by
work also, by dedication, by doing the work for the Divine only
without thought of self and keeping the idea of consecration
to the Mother always in the heart. But this is not easy to do
perfectly.
*
Sir, is the Presence [of the Divine] of a physical nature or a
spiritual fact? And is the physical sense accustomed or able to
see or feel spiritual things—a spiritual Presence, a non-material
Form? To see the Brahman everywhere is not possible unless
you develop the inner vision—so to do that you have to concentrate.
To see non-material forms is indeed possible for a few,
because they have the gift by nature, but most can’t do it without
developing the subtle sight. It is absurd to expect the Divine to
manifest his Presence without your taking any trouble to see it,
—you have to concentrate.
The Object of Meditation
What do you call meditation? Shutting the eyes and concentrating?
It is only one method for calling down the true consciousness.
To join with the true consciousness or feel its descent is
the only thing important and if it comes without the orthodox
method, as it always did withme, so much the better. Meditation
is only a means or device, the true movement is when even
walking, working or speaking one is still in sadhana.
*
What is most important [in meditation] is the change of consciousness
of which this feeling of oneness is a part. The going
deep in meditation is only a means and it is not always necessary
if the great experiences come easily without it.
*
The best help for concentration is to receive the Mother’s calm
and peace into your mind. It is there above you—only the mind
and its centres have to open to it. It is what theMother is pushing
upon you in the evening meditation.
*
The object of meditation is to open to the Mother and grow
through many progressive experiences into a higher consciousness
in union with the Divine.
*
To enter into a deeper or higher consciousness or for that deeper
or higher consciousness to descend into you—that is the true
success of meditation.
Meditation Not Necessary for All
One can have no fixed hours of meditation and yet be doing
sadhana.
*
Meditation is not indispensable. There are some who do not
meditate and yet progress.
*
Then how is it [meditation] necessary for all, if some are asked
not to do it? Much meditation is for those who can meditate
much. It does not follow that because such meditation is good,
therefore nobody should do anything else.
Methods of Meditation and Concentration
The attitude of spiritual meditation is to concentrate so as to
receive or attain the spiritual truth—what means one takes
depends upon the way, the path, the person.
*
If the difficulty in meditation is that thoughts of all kinds come
in, that is not due to hostile forces but to the ordinary nature of
the human mind. All sadhaks have this difficulty and with many
it lasts for a very long time. There are several ways of getting
rid of it. One of them is to look at the thoughts and observe
what is the nature of the human mind as they show it but not to
give any sanction and to let them run down till they come to a
standstill—this is a way recommended by Vivekananda in his
Rajayoga. Another is to look at the thoughts as not one’s own,
to stand back as the witness Purusha and refuse the sanction--
the thoughts are regarded as things coming from outside, from
Prakriti, and they must be felt as if they were passers-by crossing
the mind-space with whom one has no connection and in whom
one takes no interest. In this way it usually happens that after
a time the mind divides into two, a part which is the mental
witness watching and perfectly undisturbed and quiet and a part
which is the object of observation, the Prakriti part in which the
thoughts cross or wander. Afterwards one can proceed to silence
or quiet the Prakriti part also. There is a third, an active method
by which one looks to see where the thoughts come from and
finds they come not from oneself, but from outside the head as
it were; if one can detect them coming, then, before they enter,
they have to be thrown away altogether. This is perhaps themost
difficult way and not all can do it, but if it can be done it is the
shortest and most powerful road to silence.
*
If you try to apply everything you read, there will be no end
to your new beginnings. One can stop thinking by rejecting the
thoughts and in the silence discover oneself. One can do it by
letting the thoughts run down while one detaches oneself from
them. There are a number of other ways. This one related in
Brunton’s book seems to me the Adwaita-jnani method of separating
oneself from body, vital, mind, by viveka, discrimination,
“I am not the body, I am not the life, I am not the mind” till
he gets to the self, separate from mind, life and body. That also
is one way of doing it. There is also the separation of Purusha
from Prakriti till one becomes the witness only and feels separate
from all the activities as the Witness Consciousness. There are
other methods also.
*
The method of gathering of the mind is not an easy one. It is
better to watch and separate oneself from the thoughts till one
becomes aware of a quiet space within into which they come
from outside.
*
All thoughts really come from outside, but one is not conscious
of their coming. You have become conscious of this movement.
There are different ways of getting rid of them; one is to reject
them one by one before they can come in; another is to look at
them with detachment till they fade away.
*
It is of course because of the old habit of the mental consciousness
that it goes on receiving the thoughts from outside in spite
of its being a fatigue—not that it wants them, but that they
are accustomed to come and the mind mechanically lets them in
and attends to them by force of habit. This is always one of the
chief difficulties in Yoga when the experiences have begun and
the mind wants to be always either concentrated or quiet. Some
do what you propose [direct rejection of thoughts] and after
a time succeed in quieting the mind altogether or the silence
comes down from above and does it. But often when one tries
this, the thoughts become very active and resist the silencing
process and that is very troublesome. Therefore many prefer
to go on slowly letting the mind quiet down little by little, the
quietness spreading and remaining for longer periods until the
unwanted thoughts fall away or recede and the mind is left free
for knowledge from within and above.
What you might do is to try and see what results—if the
thoughts attack too much and trouble, you could stop—if the
mind quiets down quickly or more and more, then continue.
*
The mind is always in activity, but we do not observe fully what
it is doing, but allow ourselves to be carried away in the stream
of continual thinking. When we try to concentrate, this stream
of self-moved mechanical thinking becomes prominent to our
observation. It is the first normal obstacle (the other is sleep
during meditation) to the effort towards Yoga.
The first thing to do is to realise that this thought-flow is
not yourself, it is not you who are thinking, but thought that
is going on in the mind. It is Prakriti with its thought-energy
that is raising all this whirl of thought in you, imposing it on
the Purusha. You as the Purusha must stand back as the witness
observing the action, but refusing to identify yourself with it.
The next thing is to exercise a control and reject the thoughts--
though sometimes by the very act of detachment the thoughthabit
falls away or diminishes during the meditation and there is
a sufficient silence or at any rate a quietude which makes it easy
to reject the thoughts that come and fix oneself on the object
of meditation. If one becomes aware of the thoughts as coming
from outside, from the universal Nature, then one can throw
them away before they reach the mind; in that way the mind
finally falls silent. If neither of these things happens, a persistent
practice of rejection becomes necessary—there should be no
struggle or wrestling with the thoughts, but only a quiet selfseparation
and refusal. Success does not come at first, but if
consent is constantly withheld, the mechanical whirl eventually
lessens and begins to die away and one can then have at will an
inner quietude or silence.
It should be noted that the result of the Yogic processes is
not, except in rare cases, immediate and one must apply them
with patience till they give a result which is sometimes long in
coming if there is much resistance in the outer nature.
How can you fix the mind on the higher Self so long as
you have no consciousness or experience of it? You can only
concentrate on the idea of the Self. Or else one can concentrate
on the idea of the Divine or the DivineMother or on an image or
on the feeling of devotion, calling the presence in the heart or the
Force to work in the mind and heart and body and liberate the
consciousness and give the self-realisation. If you concentrate
on the idea of the Self, it must be with the conception of the Self
as something different from mind and its thoughts, the vital and
its feelings, the body and its actions—something standing back
from all these, something that you can come to feel concretely as
an Existence or Consciousness, separate from all that yet freely
pervading all without being involved in these things.
*
You have to separate yourself from the mind also. You have to
feel yourself even in the mental, vital, physical levels (not only
above) a consciousness that is neither mind, life, nor body.
*
For the buzz of the physical mind, reject it quietly, without
getting disturbed, till it feels discouraged and retires shaking
its head and saying, “This fellow is too calm and strong for
me.” There are always two things that can rise up and assail
the silence,—vital suggestions, the physical mind’s mechanical
recurrences. Calm rejection for both is the cure. There is a Purusha
within who can dictate to the nature what it shall admit or
exclude, but its will is a strong, quiet will; if one gets perturbed
or agitated over the difficulties, then the will of the Purusha
cannot act effectively as it would otherwise.
The dynamic realisation will probably take place when the
higher consciousness comes fully down into the vital. When it
comes into the mental it brings the peace of the Purusha and
liberation and it may bring also knowledge. It is when it comes
into the vital that the dynamic realisation becomes present and
living.
Concentration on the Idea
If one concentrates on a thought or a word, one has to dwell on
the essential idea contained in the word with the aspiration to
feel the thing which it expresses.
*
I have not the original chapter before me just now; but from the
sentences quoted1 it seems to be the essential mental Idea. As for
instance in the method of Vedantic knowledge one concentrates
on the idea of Brahman omnipresent—one looks at a tree or
other surrounding objects with the idea that Brahman is there
and the tree or object is only a form. After a time if the concentration
is of the right kind, one begins to become aware of
a presence, an existence, the physical tree form becomes a shell
and that presence or existence is felt to be the only reality. The
idea then drops, it is a direct vision of the thing that takes its
place—there is no longer any necessity of concentrating on the
idea, one sees with a deeper consciousness, sa pa´syati. It should
be noted that this concentration on the idea is not mere thinking,
mananam—it is an inner dwelling on the essence of the Idea.
1 The correspondent sent to Sri Aurobindo a passage from The Synthesis of Yoga:
“This concentration proceeds by the Idea . . . ; for it is through the Idea that the mental
being rises beyond all expression to that which is expressed, to that of which the Idea
itself is only the instrument. By concentration upon the Idea the mental existence which
at present we are breaks open the barrier of our mentality and arrives at the state of
consciousness, the state of being, the state of power of conscious-being and bliss of
conscious-being to which the Idea corresponds and of which it is the symbol, movement
and rhythm.”
Centres for Concentration
The nature of the meditation depends on the part of the being
in which one is centred at the time. In the body (rather
the subtle body than the physical, but connected with the corresponding
parts in the gross physical body also) there are
centres proper to each level of the being. There is a centre at
the top of the head and above it which is that of the abovemind
or higher consciousness; a centre in the forehead between
the eyebrows which is that of the thinking mind, mental will,
mental vision; a centre in the throat which is that of the expressive
or externalising mind: these are the mental centres.
Below comes the vital—the heart (emotional), the navel (the
dynamic life-centre), another below the navel in the abdomen
which is the lower or sensational vital centre. Finally, at the
bottom of the spine is the Muladhara or physical centre. Behind
the heart is the psychic centre. If one concentrates in the
head as many do it is a mental-spiritual meditation one seeks
for, if in the heart it is a psychic meditation; these are the
usual places where one concentrates. But what rises up first
or opens first may not be the mental or psychic, but the emotional
or the vital; that depends on the nature—for whatever
is easiest to open in it, is likely to open first. If it is in the
vital, then the meditation tends to project the consciousness
into the vital plane and its experiences. But from that one
can get to the psychic by drawing more and more inwards,
not getting absorbed into the vital experiences but separating
oneself and looking at them with detachment as if one
were deep inside and observing things outside oneself. Similarly
one can get the mental experiences by concentrating in the
thought and by it bringing a corresponding experience, e.g. the
thought of all being the Brahman, or one can draw back from
the thought also and observe one’s own thoughts as outside
Concentration and Meditation 307
things until one enters into the silence and the pure spiritual
experience.
*
One can concentrate in any of the three centres which is easiest to
the sadhak or gives most result. The power of the concentration
in the heart-centre is to open that centre and by the power of
aspiration, love, bhakti, surrender remove the veil which covers
and conceals the soul and bring forward the soul or psychic
being to govern the mind, life and body and turn and open them
all—fully—to the Divine, removing all that is opposed to that
turning and opening.
This is what is called in this Yoga the psychic transformation.
The power of concentration above the head is to bring
peace, silence, liberation from the body sense, the identification
with mind and life and open the way for the lower (mentalvital-
physical) consciousness to rise up to meet the higher Consciousness
above and for the powers of the higher (spiritual or
divine) Consciousness to descend into mind, life and body. This
is what is called in this Yoga the spiritual transformation. If one
begins with this movement, then the Power from above has in
its descent to open all the centres (including the lowest centre)
and to bring out the psychic being; for until that is done there is
likely to be much difficulty and struggle of the lower consciousness
obstructing, mixing with or even refusing the Divine Action
from above. If the psychic being is once active this struggle and
these difficulties can be greatly minimised.
The power of concentration in the eyebrows is to open the
centre there, liberate the inner mind and vision and the inner or
Yogic consciousness and its experiences and powers. From here
also one can open upwards and act also in the lower centres;
but the danger of this process is that one may get shut up in
one’s mental spiritual formations and not come out of them into
the free and integral spiritual experience and knowledge and
integral change of the being and nature.
*
308 Letters on Yoga—II
I was very glad to get your letter and especially to know that
you are more at peace. That is what is first needed, the settling
down of a natural peace and quiet in the nature—the spiritual
peace is a bigger thing that can come afterwards.
Then as to concentration. Ordinarily the consciousness is
spread out everywhere, dispersed, running in this or that direction,
after this subject and that object in multitude. When
anything has to be done of a sustained nature, the first thing one
does is to draw back all this dispersed consciousness and concentrate.
It is then, if one looks closely, found to be concentrated
in one place and on one occupation, subject or object—as when
you are composing a poem or a botanist is studying a flower.
The place is usually somewhere in the brain, if it is the thought,
in the heart if it is the feeling in which one is concentrated. The
Yogic concentration is simply an extension and intensification of
the same thing. It may be on an object as when one does tratak
on a shining point—then one has to concentrate so that one
sees only that point and has no other thought but that. It may
be on an idea or a word or a name, the idea of the Divine, the
word OM, the name Krishna, or a combination of idea and word
or idea and name. But, farther, in Yoga one also concentrates
in a particular place. There is the famous rule of concentrating
between the eyebrows—the centre of the inner mind, of occult
vision, of the will is there. What you do is to think firmly from
there on whatever you make the object of your concentration
or else try to see the image of it from there. If you succeed in
this, then after a time you feel that your whole consciousness is
centred there in that place—of course for the time being. After
doing it for some time and often, it becomes easy and normal.
I hope this is clear. Well, in this Yoga, you do the same,
not necessarily at that particular spot between the eyebrows,
but anywhere in the head or at the centre of the chest where
the physiologists have fixed the cardiac centre. Instead of concentrating
on an object, you concentrate in the head in a will,
a call for the descent of the peace from above or, as some do,
an opening of the unseen lid and an ascent of the consciousness
above. In the heart-centre one concentrates in an aspiration, for
Concentration and Meditation 309
an opening, for the presence or living image of the Divine there
or whatever else is the object. There may be japa of a name but,
if so, there must also be a concentration on it and the name must
repeat itself there in the heart-centre.
It may be asked what becomes of the rest of the consciousness
when there is this local concentration? Well, it either falls
silent as in any concentration or, if it does not, then thoughts
or other things may move about, as if outside, but the concentrated
part does not attend to them or notice. That is when the
concentration is reasonably successful.
One has not to fatigue oneself at first by long concentration
if one is not accustomed, for then in a jaded mind it loses its
power or value. One can “relax” and meditate instead of concentrating.
It is only as the concentration becomes normal that
one can go on for a longer and longer time.
*
There is no harm in concentrating sometimes in the heart and
sometimes above the head. But concentration in either place
does not mean keeping the attention fixed on a particular spot;
you have to take your station of consciousness in either place
and concentrate there not on the place, but on the Divine. This
can be done with eyes shut or with eyes open, according as it
best suits you.
You can concentrate on the sun, but to concentrate on the
Divine is better than to concentrate on the sun.
*
You can concentrate the consciousness anywhere in any centre.
You have only to think of yourself as centrally there and try to
fix and keep that. A strain or any effort to do so is not necessary
but a quiet and steady dwelling in the idea.
Most people associate consciousness with the brain or mind
because that is the centre for intellectual thought and mental
vision, but consciousness is not limited to that kind of thought
or vision. It is everywhere in the system and there are several
centres of it, e.g., the centre for inner concentration is not in the
310 Letters on Yoga—II
brain but in the heart,—the originating centre of vital desire is
still lower down.
The two main places where one can centre the consciousness
for Yoga are in the head and in the heart—the mind-centre and
the soul-centre.
*
One has to open through concentration in the heart centre or
above the head, in the former case to the psychic, in the latter to
the higher Truth. But without the psychic preparation or at least
a thorough purification of the being, the latter course is not safe.
*
It may be better to concentrate in the heart rather than in the
mind, offer yourself from there and call the Mother into the
heart leaving the thoughts to fall silent of themselves. Otherwise
with the present method you have simply to persevere till the
present brief and imperfect stillings of the mind become longer
and deeper.
*
The concentration in the heart is what brings about the opening
of the psychic which is your principal need. If the concentration
has brought about a feeling which makes you judge clearly all
the other movements and see their nature, then the psychic is
already in action. For this is the psychic feeling which brings
with it a clear insight into the nature of all movements that
come and makes it easy to reject what has to be rejected and
keep the right attitude and perception. It does not matter about
the image of the Mother. It is her presence whether in form or
not that has to be felt always and this the psychic opening will
surely bring.
*
It [concentration in the heart] is the best to “start with”—but
as you have already started with success on the two higher centres,
there is no reason why you should discontinue that. The
Concentration and Meditation 311
other you may try from time to time when you find a sufficient
quietude. Concentration there leads—or should lead—to the
psychic opening.
*
Concentration in the heart is best aided if possible by the power
and light descending from above the head.
*
At the top of the head or above it is the right place for Yogic
concentration in reading or thinking.
*
Brain concentration is always a tapasya and necessarily brings a
strain. It is only if one is lifted out of the brain mind altogether
that the strain of mental concentration disappears.
Postures for Concentration or Meditation
The sitting motionless posture is the natural posture for concentrated
meditation—walking and standing are active conditions
suited for the dispense of energy and the activity of the mind. It
is only when one has gained the enduring rest and passivity of
the consciousness that it is easy to concentrate and receive when
walking or doing anything. A fundamental passive condition
of the consciousness gathered into itself is the proper poise for
concentration and a seated gathered immobility in the body is
the best for that. It can be done also lying down, but that position
is too passive, tending to be inert rather than gathered. This is
the reason why Yogis always sit in an asana. One can accustom
oneself to meditate walking, standing, lying, but sitting is the
first natural position.
*
One can meditate very well when walking.
*
312 Letters on Yoga—II
It is as each finds convenient. Some meditate better walking,
some sitting.
*
The rigidity [of the body during meditation] comes very often
when there is the descent of the higher consciousness into the
body.
Regularity, Length and Other Conditions
If it is possible to keep a fixed period for meditation and stick
to it, it would certainly be desirable.
*
To keep the consciousness awake you must set apart a certain
time every day for concentration and remembering the Mother
and keeping yourself in contact with us. What is gained is not
lost by interruption, but it goes behind and may take time to
come out again—so the thread should not be cut.
*
It is not the length of the meditations that makes the difference
[in making one vitally and physically strong]. It is a concentration
of the will that is needed.
*
It is better to make the deeper concentration when you are alone
or quiet. Outward sounds ought not to disturb you.
*
In external things all men of action have to do that [shift their
concentration quickly from one thing to another]—otherwise
they would not be able to cope with their work. In respect to
inner concentration, it is not so easy because people bring other
vibrations which interfere with the poise of the consciousness--
a mere mental interruption ought not to be difficult to recover
from; but if the consciousness itself gets invaded or else drawn
out, it takes time to get back. In the end a condition develops
in which the inner consciousness is always concentrated and in
a poise, sam¯ ahitah. , and outside things take place only on the
outermost surface. Then it becomes easy.
*
It is quite natural that at first there should be the condition of
calm and peace only when you sit for concentration. What is
important is that there should be this condition whenever you
sit and the pressure for it always there. But at other times the
result is at first only a certain mental quiet and freedom from
thoughts. Afterwards when the condition of peace is quite settled
in the inner being—for it is the inner into which you enter
whenever you concentrate—then it begins to come out and
control the outer, so that the calm and peace remain even when
working, mixing with others, talking or other occupations. For
then whatever the outer consciousness is doing, one feels the
inner being calm within—indeed one feels the inner being as
one’s real self while the outer is something superficial through
which the inner acts on life.
*
The gaze should not be fixed for a long time as it overstrains the
eyes (unless one has a long practice in Tratak). The fixing of the
eyes is not necessary—a natural gaze is sufficient and it should
be varied by meditation with closed eyes.
*
When the meditation is done with the photo, it is better done
with open eyes.
Coming out of Concentration or Meditation
You enter into a condition of deep inwardness and quiet. But if
one comes too suddenly out of it into the ordinary consciousness,
then theremay be a slight nervous shock or a beating of the heart
such as you describe, for a short time. It is always best to remain
314 Letters on Yoga—II
quiet for a few moments before opening the eyes and coming
out of this inwardness.
*
It is certainly much better to remain silent and collected for a
time after the meditation. It is a mistake to take the meditation
lightly—by doing that one fails to receive or spills what is
received or most of it.
*
Your meditation is all right, as Mother saw—but when you
came out of it, you fell into the ordinary consciousness, that
is the difficulty. You must try to keep the true consciousness
always, even in activity—then the sadhana will begin to be
there all the time and your difficulty will disappear.
The Difficulty of the Mechanical Mind
That [the constant recurrence of trivial thoughts] is the nature
of the mechanical mind—it is not due to any sensitiveness in
it. Only as the other parts of the mind are more silent and
under control, this activity looks more prominent and takes
more space. It usually wears itself out, if one goes on rejecting
it.
*
It was rather that the active mind became more quiet so that
the movements of the mechanical mind became more evident
—that is what often happens. What has to be done in that
case is to detach oneself from these movements and concentrate
without farther attention to them. They are then likely to sink
into quietude or fall away.
*
To be able to detach oneself from the action of the mechanical
mind is the first necessity so that it may be like a noise in the
street which passes and which one can ignore. It is easier then
Concentration and Meditation 315
for the quiet and peace of the mind to remain undisturbed by
this action even if it occurs.
If the peace and silence continue to come down, they usually
become so intense as to seize the physical mind also after a time.
*
You are probably paying too much attention to them [mechanical
thoughts]. It is quite possible to concentrate and let the
mechanical activity pass unnoticed.
*
The more the psychic spreads in the outer being, the more all
these things [the mechanical activities of the subconscious mind]
fall quiet. That is the best way. Direct efforts to still the mind
are a difficult method.
Surface Thoughts and Imaginations
That [a state in which the outer being responds to surface
thoughts while the inner being is “engrossed in meditation”] is
not called meditation—it is a divided state of consciousness.
Unless the consciousness is really engrossed and the surface
thoughts are only things that come across and touch and pass,
it can hardly be called meditation (dhyana). I don’t see how the
inner being can be “engrossed” while thoughts and imaginations
of another kind are rampaging about in the consciousness.
One can remain separate and see the thoughts and imaginations
pass without being affected, but that is not being plunged or
engrossed in meditation.
Straining and Concentration
Straining and concentration are not the same thing. Straining
implies an over-eagerness and violence of effort, while concentration
is in its nature quiet and steady. If there is restlessness or
over-eagerness, then that is not concentration.
*
Effort means straining endeavour. There can be an action with
a will in it in which there is no strain of effort.
*
It was by your personal efforts without guidance that you got
into difficulties and into a heated condition in which you could
not meditate etc. I asked you to drop the effort and remain
quiet and you did so. My intention was that by your remaining
quiet, it would be possible for the Mother’s Force to work in
you and establish a better starting-point and a course of initial
experiences. It was what was beginning to come; but if your
mind again becomes active and tries to arrange the sadhana for
itself, then disturbances are likely to come. The Divine Guidance
works best when the psychic is open and in front (yours was
beginning to open), but it can also work even when the sadhak
is either not conscious of it or else knows it only by its results.
As for Nirvikalpa Samadhi, even if one wants it, it is only the
result of a long sadhana in a consciousness prepared for it—it
is no use thinking of it when the inner consciousness is only just
beginning to open to Yogic experience.
Relaxation and Concentration
There are two different states, thatwhich the consciousness takes
in concentration and that which it takes in relaxation—the
latter is the ordinary consciousness (ordinary for the sadhak,
though not perhaps the ordinary consciousness of the average
man), the former is what he is attaining to by tapas of concentration
in sadhana. To go into the Akshara and witness experiences
from there is easy for the sadhak who has got so far. He can also
concentrate and maintain the unification of the main aspects of
his being, although with more difficulty—but a relaxation there
brings him back to the relaxed “ordinary” consciousness. It is
only when what is gained by sadhana becomes normal to the
ordinary consciousness that this can be avoided. In proportion
as this is done, it becomes possible not only to experience the
truth subjectively, but make it manifest in action.
Passive Meditation and Concentration
What happened in the beginning of his sadhana must have been
that he made the mistake of entering into a passive meditation
instead of into a concentration proper. This kind of passive meditation
can bring a great peace and quiet and joy. The Light also
may come and other spiritual experiences. But it leaves the vital
and body passive and without defence against inertia, illness
etc. instead of bringing it either a dynamic force or a strong
self-contained peace. The consciousness instead of being concentrated
gets widely diffused and loosely extended. From the
passivity came the weakness and disinclination for the worldly
duties; from the diffusion the play of activity in the mind which
prevented sleep and could not be controlled in a tendency also
for the subtle being to go out of the body in the waking condition
instead of through sleep as it ordinarily does, whence the beating
of the heart and the cold feet. Concentration must in the earlier
stages be active and dynamic with the consciousness gathered
and capable of turning the will in any direction.
The concentration in this Yoga must be in the head or in the
heart-centre, not in the centre at the base of the spinal cord--
that can only come afterwards when all the other centres have
been opened.
It is sometimes a little difficult to correct the effects of a
wrong start. At any rate he may try the effects of an active
concentration in either the head (forehead centre) or heart. The
latter may be safer so as to avoid the return of the heating of the
head which came from that first concentration. If there are any
disturbing results, the concentration should not be continued
and all should be turned towards a purification of the being
such as he speaks of having practised and only when this is
sufficiently advanced, should the concentration be resumed.
Inertia, Laziness, Tiredness in Meditation
It is not a fact that when there is obscurity or inertia, one cannot
concentrate or meditate. If one has in the inner being the steady
will to do it, it can be done.
*
It is quite natural to want to meditate while reading Yogic
literature—that is not the laziness.
The laziness of the mind consists in not meditating when
the consciousness wants to do so.
*
Ego, I suppose, or inertia [hinders the feeling of satisfied peace
or quiet release in meditation]. If higher meditation or being
above keeps you dull and without any kind of satisfaction or
peace in sadhana, these are the only two reasons I can think
of.
*
If the mind gets tired, naturally it is difficult to concentrate--
unless you have become separated from the mind.
*
Naturally one does not get tired if the meditation has become
natural. But if the capacity is not there yet, then many cannot
go on without a strain which brings fatigue.
*
Concentration is very helpful and necessary—the more one concentrates
(of course in the limits of the body’s capacity without
straining it), the more the force of the Yoga grows. But you must
be prepared for the meditation being sometimes not successful
and not get upset by it—for that variability of the meditations
happens to everybody. There are different causes for it. But it is
mostly something physical that interferes, either the need of the
body to take time to assimilate what has come or been done or
sometimes inertia or dullness due to causes such as those you
mention or others. The best thing is to remain quiet and not get
nervous or dejected—till the force acts again.
Meditation, Sleep and Samadhi
When one tries to meditate, there is a pressure to go inside,
lose the waking consciousness and wake inside, in a deep inner
consciousness. But at first the mind takes it for a pressure to go
to sleep, since sleep is the only kind of inner consciousness to
which it has been accustomed. In Yoga by meditation sleep is
therefore often the first difficulty—but if one perseveres then
gradually the sleep changes to an inner conscious state.
*
I think the sleepiness is a stage which everybody goes through
—a sort of mechanical reaction of the physical to the pressure
for including it in the concentration of the sadhana. It is best
not to mind it; it will go of itself as the consciousness increases
and takes the physical into its poise. It is better to let us know
about any physical troubles.
*
The sleep does come like that when one tries to meditate. It
has to be dealt with, where that is possible, by turning it into a
conscious inner and indrawn state and, where not, by remaining
in a quietly concentrated wakefulness open (without effort) to
receive.
*
This tendency to sit and be perfectly quiet and this pressure of
sleep are not at all due to laziness. You must put that idea out of
your head. It is due to the tendency to quiet, peace, going inside;
when the sadhana begins with some intensity, it is most often like
that for a time. Afterwards there is a more even balance between
the inner and the outer consciousness or rather the outer begins
to change and become of one piece with the inner. So do not let
this trouble you.
*
When the pressure gives a tendency to insideness (samadhi), the
physical being, not being accustomed to go inside except in the
way of sleep, translates this into a sense of sleepiness.
*
It [the tendency to fall asleep during meditation] is a common
obstacle with all who practise Yoga at the beginning. This sleep
disappears gradually in two ways—(1) by the intensifying of
the force of concentration—(2) by the sleep itself becoming
a kind of swapna samadhi in which one is conscious of inner
experiences that are not dreams (i.e. the waking consciousness is
lost for the time, but it is replaced not by sleep but by an inward
conscious state in which one moves in the supraphysical of the
mental or vital being).
*
The Yogic sleep is good only when it is Yogic enough to contain
something, to be an inner consciousness or an experience of
other planes. The j ¯ agarti is important—to be conscious in the
sleep, an inner waking. But when the mind is not accustomed, it
tends to respond to the impulse towards this “going inside” into
an inner consciousness caused by meditation by simply falling
into the usual sleep to which it is accustomed. Nidr¯a is one of
the recognised difficulties of Yoga—nidr ¯a refusing to turn into
samadhi, whether svapna-sam¯adhi or sus.upti. So the force is
necessary and I will try to send it. I only wish people would give
me more time for this inner work both for myself and them! but
that seems past hoping for.
*
It is probably that [in meditation] you go inside into a sort of
samadhi but are not yet conscious there (hence the idea of sleep).
X is not asleep, but he has when he goes inside no control of
his body. Many Yogis have this difficulty and use a contrivance
which is put under the chin to hold up the head and with it the
body during this inward-going concentration.
*
There is no harm in the deep sleep that comes—as I have told
you, it is the tendency to go deep inside that brings it and
it is necessary to go deep inside in order to establish the full
connection between the psychic and the rest of the nature.