The Basis of Concentration / Meditation with Reference to Kundalini Yoga

Mother earth is known to be fertile and a womb ofmeditation.
jewels. We all know that skies give us life-giving waterAhead of this are high leveled benefits of meditation.
in the form of rains. There is no limit to the vault ofFor that a psyche full of intense faith in God and
valuable objects in the ocean. Yet human beings havesacred sentiments is required. As a result one can
infinitely more wealth than all this put together. If themerge one's individual consciousness with cosmic
veils of our inner character are uncovered, we willconsciousness or God. Attracting and imbibing one's
visualize demigods and incarnations of God in this smallGuru (preceptor) and icon's Divine Powers is possible
body made of flesh and blood. Only on the basis ofonly with the help of these high statured meditation
enterprise and hard work can one earn wealth.methods. Only then can the individual soul (microcosm)
Every unit of our body is amazing. We will be amazedmerge into the cosmic soul (macrocosm i.e. God). No
to see great mysteries if we dive deeper within it.doubt man is an infinite storehouse of Divine Powers
Amongst all bodily organs the brain predominates.and that he can activate them with his own efforts.
When one sees its conscious, unconscious and higherHence one carries out primary and medium leveled
conscious activities one will realize how great is a livingmeditation techniques. But it is only with the help of high
being that directs its movements. Everyone is awareleveled spiritual practices that one can contact great
of how one earns money, fame, comforts viadivine souls and thus merge our individual soul with
education, art skills and other profession. As a resultcosmic consciousness or God. The goal of high leveled
every individual tries to augment his own intellectualconcentration/meditation is attainment of God,
skills and that of his family members. The bodies of allattainment of the goal of life and union of a living being
individuals are strikingly similar. The mind is very special.with God.
He who evolves his mind attains lot of success in life.Just as due to augmentation of bodily, intellectual and
Those who fail to do so tend to live a life of povertyfinancial wealth the association of our contact area
and hardships. Man's downfall or upliftment is mainlyand means of public welfare augment, in the same
dependent on his intellectual state.way purification of individual psyche benefits both the
This so far has been related to the conscious mind.individual and the entire world. Via the gross world we
The inner movement of bodily organs is dependent onattain a lot of benefits due to hard work. The glories of
the subconscious mind. Good or bad habits arethe subtle world are that much more infinite. Meditation
gathered in this area. Depending on our hopes andis a very powerful tool which helps one build that
aspirations, the motor of our life moves in either awill-power which can imbibe/attract these innumerable
good or bad direction. It is the subconscious mind thatDivine Powers. Wild beasts of the forest are very
decides the nature of our body, its attraction, itsdangerous, but when they are trained, we can make
strength and skill. It is unknown powers that decide ourapt use of them. In the same way once we master
destiny. The creator of this mysterious unknownthe art of controlling and making apt use of our mental
personality is the subconscious mind, which directs allpotential, our character and personality will became
movements of a living being with the help of thebrilliant. The greatest achievement of human life is to
intellect. Brain research scientists say that a very smallattain inner/soul progress without any external help. As
area of the mysteries of the mind has beena result one can attain innumerable Divine Powers.
discovered. In comparison to the conscious mindThus it is most required that we master the art of
(known), the subconscious mind (unknown) is moremeditation i.e. Dhyan Yoga.
pervasive. Only a very small area of the brain is madeWith the help of meditation we can attain God and get
use of by us. If only its latent state is awakened andthe superconscious experience of God realization.
made apt use of, one can see gigantic energyFurther one becomes healthy, strong and one can
manifest in a tiny human body. If only we master ourattain secret Divine Powers. All sacred scriptures
subconscious mind, we can become authors of ourmaintain that only man can attain Divine Powers and
destiny.glories. This is a fact. Our consciousness is omnipotent.
Beyond the conscious and sub-conscious mind lies theYet the reason why we fail to attain them is that we
superconscious state. It is inseparably bound to cosmiclack the art of mental control. He who masters this art
consciousness and a lot of give and take takes placeof self-control gains victory over the entire cosmos.
between them. In comparison to the gross materialVia concentration/meditation of the 5 sheaths the 5
world, the objects and energy flow of the subtle worldVital Forces of our consciousness and the 5 elements
are extremely more high statured. If a give and takeof our body became so radiant that one becomes a
relationship is set up with it, man can understand thoseleading personality of the world. The 5 faced images
divine mysteries, which are otherwise unknown. Oneof Mother Gayatri symbolize the energies of the 5
can attain divine help, which is otherwise unavailable.demigods of the inner world. If concentration/meditation
With the help of gross powers we attain merely ais executed methodically, one masters the subtle
few gross comforts that are transitory in nature. Butcosmos and thus one establishes an important
with the help of subtle powers we attain those divinerelationship of give and take with it.
glories, which stay with us eternally. We have seenIn the meditation practice of Kundalini Shakti or Divine
and heard of miraculous personalities who possessSerpent Power awakening the doors of manifestation
Extra Sensory Powers (ESP). Over here the specialand utilization of infinite Divine Powers albeit in seed
qualities of the superconscious mind manifest amazingform are opened up. Kundalini is our bodily energy. With
skills and personalities.its help one attracts infinite energies of the material
It is very difficult to control the brain. No doubt our soulworld and this one becomes powerful both materially
is powerful yet it lives a life of lack, poverty andand spiritually. During the uncovering of the 5 sheaths
hardships. The reason for this is that there is no(Panchakoshas) the mysterious layers of conscious
self-control. Our activities akin to an unruly horseenergy are unfolded. Soul power is made more radiant
create agitation. If we fail to control our mind, how canvia the 5 sheaths and the body via Kundalini Shakti. In
we control external circumstances? We all want toorder to achieve this 2 fold aim, concentration
change our circumstances but we never first controlmeditation predominates over all other spiritual
our psyche. Thus peace and joy run miles away frompractices.
us. Great Seers/Saints of the world proclaim "ControlOrdinarily people think that meditation means placing an
your mind and you will gain victory over the world".image in front of our mind and trying to continuously
This is a fact because the moment you master yourimagine that form. This is only partially true. No doubt
mind, it is easy to master external circumstances.one makes use of this method, yet only those with a
Self-control means mastering thought waves andpowerful mental resolve see this image blurred at first
hence our very thinking. We must direct our thinking inand later very clearly on the slate of their minds. Not
an apt direction. This is achieved via Dhyan Yoga oreveryone has this power of resolve (Sankalpa) and it
meditation. A particular form or thought is introduced inis possible only for people with special mental
the slate of our mind. It is pressurized into moving alongcapabilities. Only those people who combine their
a very small focused periphery. It is forced to stop itssacred emotions, imagination power, faith in God and
jumping nature like that of a monkey. No doubt thisfocused mind so as to mentally visualize God's image
task is very difficult, yet a powerful resolve (Sankalpa)very clearly, are capable enough of executing such a
and unswerving perseverance helps us make this taskmethod of meditation.
easy and successful. We have never controlled ourAs soon as an aspirant sits for meditation with eyes
mind in a regular manner. Our character is nothing butclosed, he immediately thinks of things/people very
a symbol of our mind. Our mind is used to following thedear to him. As though seated in a movie theatre they
path of lowliness and thus we imbibe bad thoughts. Ifrevel in this mental video of theirs. True meditation
only we had tried controlling the mind, we would havemeans trying to paint an image on our mental slate
made it cultured and sacred. Only then can we bewith the help of sacred sentiments. First one sees the
revered as a great personality. One could then avail ofimage with eyes open and then one tries to visualize it
cooperation and respect from all directions. It is thementally. This is called Trataka. Only then very slowly
demeaning mind that makes us execute lowlyand steadily the mental image becomes clearer and
activities. Thus we live a sorry life of poverty and pain.thus our meditation keeps progressing.
On the other hand if one wishes to raise one's lowlyNot every human brain is aptly designed to augment
state, one will have to purify the mind by overcomingsacred sentiments or visualizing sacred images during
all taints within it. We will have to learn the art of selfmeditation. Hence in order to focus our meditation,
mind control in order to purify our psyche. Dhyan YogaDrishya Yoga or Bindu Yoga is not recommended.
or meditation is a powerful method that helps us attainThe fundamental aim is to stop scattering of thought
mind control.waves and instead focus them at a point. This can be
Meditation has many aimsachieved variedly with the help of 5 sense organs of
1. Controlling one's monkey like mind that runs hitherknowledge. These are methods like Naad Yoga, via
and tither.one's ears, Gandha Yoga via our nose, Rasna Yoga
2. Utilizing the power of self-control for apt tasks.via our tongue, Sparsha Yoga via our skin. Over here
3. Augmenting our intellectual potential via concentrationone sees forms with the help of subtle eyes.
of the mind.For seekers of a preliminary stage, it is best that their
4. Focussing our mind at a single point via a powerfulminds follow one thought flow which is sacred. The
resolve (or Sankalpa) so as to create miraculousconcentration/meditation of scientists, artists, musicians
movements.etc. is of this variety wherein their minds revolve
5. Discovering the mysterious layers of consciousnessaround one particular type of thought flow. Thus they
with our own will power.perform extraordinary feats. The same tenet is used
6. Discarding all mental taints.in concentration/meditation techniques with reference
7. Augmenting sacred activities.to 5 sheaths and Kundalini activation. Over here the
8. Maintaining a serene mind even amidst chaoticthought flow is predominant. It is akin to seeing a movie
conditions.on one particular topic. It is not necessary that one will
9. Experiencing bliss and peace under anyget the holy vision (Darshan) of the particular God's
circumstance.image that one meditates on. In certain special types
10. Influencing those areas of contact with our thoughtof mental reflection, infinite images appear every
electricity and augmenting elements that bring joy andmoment and then they disappear. Yet this is not true
peace in the world.meditation. The following nature of concentration
All these are worldly/intellectual applications ofmeditation too is of this type. If importance is given to
concentration/meditation. Even a so-called atheist canthe directions laid down and one thinks deeply about
get benefits with a little bit of alertness and zeal. Thisthem, know for sure that the true goal of
method of meditation is of a general and mediumconcentration/meditation is about to be achieved. It is
stature. Ever so today's highly intellectual human beingsbeyond doubt that one will benefit immensely from
too will have to accept its great utility. Even a man oftheir sacred results.
ordinary faith and sensitivity can benefit from