Meditation as non-effort

Dhyaan Part II: What meditation isn't, and a mental "trick" to go from concentration to meditation

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Kunal

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Om Sri Gurubhyo Namah. Salutations to all the teachers.

P: I get the theory so far, but how do I actually meditate? What should I do once I sit down on the cushion?

The seated practice can begin with a mental recollection of the Yamas (यम) and the Niyamas (नियम), and how you did in the hours since your last session. Then, gently closing your eyes or keeping an unfocused gaze, notice the placement of the physical body in space, adjusting until your seat is stable and comfortable. This stable and comfortable seat is the third limb - Aasana (आसन).¹ Any posture works well, as long as the body is still and relaxed, and the head, neck, and torso are in alignment. Seated postures generally work better than lying down, because when lying down, the mind tends towards sleep (ie. tamas). Sitting also works better than walking around, because when moving, the mind is drawn out towards the external world (ie. rajas), and is thus not free to move inwards with complete surrender.

Next, you can practice Praanaayaam (प्राणायाम). There are a number of techniques within this limb, all stemming from the same basic principles. Experiment with the techniques at first. Then, pick the two or three techniques that work best for your own constitution, and practice those every time you sit down for meditation. These techniques are practised to calm and settle the mind, using the breath as a sort of lever.

After this comes Pratyaahaar (प्रत्याहार). Here, simply become aware of the five types of sensations, paying close attention to them as they arise, sustain, and pass away. If simple observation is not structured enough for you, practice the technique that best facilitates the withdrawal of your senses from their objects. After some time, once the attention withdraws, like a turtle pulls its limbs into its shell, introduce your aalambanaa (आलंबना, ie. support). This could be anything at all - the breath, a mantra, a flame, a deity, an image, an emotion, and so on. Avoid falling into the trap of moving between different aalambanaas. This will hinder progress. Pick one, and stick to it for life. They all end up at the same place, so it really doesn’t matter what you choose.

It is here that Samyam (संयम) begins.

Samyam is the technical term for the combined practice of the last three limbs of Yoga - Dhaaranaa (धारणा), Dhyaan (ध्यान), and Samaadhi (समाधि). It can be compared to a microscope - a tool through which the Yogi can examine reality closely. The practice of the eight limbs is like tuning the microscope.

Samyam begins with Dhaaranaa, or concentration, where the mind is repeatedly brought back to the aalambanaa - the object of focus. The mind will wander, and when it does, gently bring it back to the aalambanaa. Repeat this until your timer runs out.

The goal of Dhaaranaa is not to focus the mind, but rather to extend the flash of sattva. This flash of sattva is experienced as the moment you realise the mind has wandered. With practice, the length of these flashes of sattva will extend, until eventually, sattva will become the normal state of mind. When this happens, you will notice that one day, your attention will appear to automatically and effortlessly “stick” to the aalambanaa in a steady, unbroken flow. This steady flow of attention is Dhyaan, or meditation.

Dhaaranaa transitions into Dhyaan as the initial “flash” of sattva increases in length, eventually taking over completely. At this point, focusing on the aalambanaa feels effortless.

Last week, we began our discussion on Dhyaan with the basics of its psychology. This week, we will go over some common misconceptions about meditation, as well as a sort of mental trick to induce the state, and next week we will discuss how to use Dhyaan as a method to weaken kleshas.

The Eight-limbed (Ashtaanga) Yoga: This week we are continuing the discussion on Dhyaan, or meditation - the seventh limb of Yoga.

What meditation isn’t

P: I’ve heard about all kinds of different meditation - walking meditation, chakra meditation, candle flame meditation, mindfulness meditation, breath focus meditation, witnessing sensations, metta (loving kindness) meditation, compassion meditation, and also just mindfulness in day-to-day life as meditation. These sound pretty different from what you’re describing here as dhyaan. Are those not meditation?

From a Yogic perspective, meditation, or Dhyaan, has a very clear definition - when the attention remains on the same object for an extended period of time.

तत्र प्रत्ययैकतानता ध्यानम्॥

Tatra pratyayaEkataanataa dhyaanam

There [ie. in Dhaaranaa], Dhyaan is when [attention is continuously] fixed on the same pratyaya.

- Yoga Sutra, 3.2

However, each of these other practices is extremely powerful, and while they are not Dhyaan, they certainly play an important part within the Yogic framework. Here are some examples:

1. Eka-tattva-abhyaas: Walking meditation, and mindfulness in day-to-day life fall into this preliminary practice.

2. Bhaavanaa: Metta, Compassion, Gladness and Equanimity fall into the four attitudes, aka Brahmavihaaras discussed in Sutra 1.33. This is also a preliminary technique that can be practiced on or off the cushion.

3. Pratipaksha-bhaavanaa: Mindfulness of thoughts, words, and actions, specifically how they relate to the Yamas and Niyamas, as well as the technique to counteract these thoughts falls under this category

4. Svaadhyaay: The contemplation of soteriological teachings (ie. teachings which lead to liberation) from any tradition falls into this category. This also includes the verbal or mental repetition of verses and mantras, as well as the reptition of Om.

5. Praanaayaam: Any breathing technique falls into this category. The breath can be used as a support for meditation, but breathing techniques without this added mental aspect of focus are Praanaayaam, and not Dhyaan.

6. Pratyaahaar: Witnessing sensations falls into this category - the fifth limb of Yoga, where the goal is to eventually disconnect the senses from their respective objects.

7. Dhaaranaa: Focusing on the breath, a flame, the chakras, or any other object while seated falls into the sixth limb of Yoga. These are not different techniques, just different aalambanaas, or supports. The actual object doesn’t matter, and they all lead to the same place.²

In Yoga, Dhyaan, or meditation, is a deepening of Dhaaranaa and is not a separate practice. Given this, only the final category above is considered to be meditation within the Yogic framework, and is referred to as Samyam in the image below.

An approximation of how some techniques commonly known as “meditation” map onto the Yogic framework. The last category in this image - Samyam - is considered meditation within Yoga, and contains the last three limbs - Dhaaranaa, Dhyaan, and Samaadhi. Even though the other techniques are not classified as meditation, they are extremely useful, and in fact necessary in order to deepen a meditation practice.

Inducing Dhyaan: Leaning in and letting go.

P: I’ve been practising Dhaaranaa for a long time. Yet, no matter how hard I try, my mind keeps on wavering. I bring my attention to the breath, and it wanders, I bring it back to the breath, and it wanders again. This feels like a hopeless task. How do I get into a state of Dhyaan?

The question posed by our friend P is a common experience amongst meditators. The mind is restless and seemingly impossible to control. We try to hold our attention to an object, but the amount of effort doesn’t seem to make a difference.

In order to get past this hurdle, it is important to remember that the goal of Dhaaranaa is not to focus the mind.

P: Wait a second - in Dhyaan, the seventh limb, the mind is continuously focused on the object, right?

Jogi: Yes.

P: So then how can you say that focusing the mind is not the goal of Dhaaranaa?

Jogi: A focused mind is the outcome of Dhaaranaa, but it is not the goal.

P: What’s the difference?

Jogi: A focused mind does not arise by an act of effort, but rather by a sustained practice that builds up sattva. In this way, the goal of Dhaaranaa is to increase sattva, and the outcome of increased sattva is a focused mind. Dharanaa does not directly focus the mind, but increases sattvic tendencies over time, and this increased sattva allows the mind to settle on an object for an extended period. In this way, meditation is not an act, but a way of being, formed by continuous practice and habit. In technical terms, it is a result of samskaaras, not a pratyaya.

We often fall into the trap of trying very hard to focus the mind on an object, only ending up feeling frustrated at our lack of success. This frustration is itself detrimental to the goal, since it is the result of kleshas, and generates further klishta-vrittis (coloured mental movements). This in turn leaves impressions in the mind which will bear fruit at a later time, creating an apparently endless cycle of frustration.

P: Ok, but if trying hard doesn’t work, what should I do instead?

Rather than forcing the attention to stick to the aalambanaa, let go, leaning into the aalambanaa as one might lean into a wall, releasing their weight rather than forcing it. When leaning on a wall, you don’t push into the wall with the force of your muscles, you simply lean in and relax. Additionally, leaning into a wall requires you to reduce the amount of weight held by your feet.

In the same way, moving from Dhaaranaa to Dhyaan requires you to let go of any attention you are placing on other thoughts, and then lean into the aalambanaa with the entire weight of your mind.

Remembering this mental image is an upaay (उपाय) - a method, or a mental “trick” that can be helpful to move from Dhaaranaa to Dhyaan.

The method is to let go of control, surrendering to the alambanaa completely. It is a loosening of mental effort - similar to how we dealt with sankocha, or physical clenching, in the third limb, Aasana.

Often, letting go of other thoughts can result in a feeling of anxiety, and if the kleshas are strong, it can also result in feelings of fear. If this happens, notice the particular thoughts that you have a hard time letting go of.

At this point, there are a few options:

1. Allow yourself to feel the fear completely, letting it wash over you.

2. If this is too much, notice the thoughts as they arise, and allow them to fall away, bringing the mind back to the aalambanaa. Then, later on, see how you can use the Yamas, Niyamas (particularly Pratipakshabhaavanaa) and the Brahmavihaaras to intelligently counteract these thoughts. You can also use Kriya Yoga to weaken the kleshas systematically until you no longer feel a fear of letting these thoughts go.

3. If you are theistically inclined: Surrender the feeling of “I” (which is at the root of all fear) to Ishvar.

Dhyaan is the indirect result of effort, but the direct result of non-effort.

P: Huh?

To make this clear, let us use another example:

Try pronouncing the following word out loud, in a single breath - pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis.

(If you read it mentally, or by mouthing the sounds rather than saying the word, try again by reading it out loud such that you can hear yourself.)

Notice where you tripped up, and try a second time.

Now repeat, and try a third time.

Notice how it got a bit easier each time you tried it. More importantly, notice the quality of effort. What does it feel like, mentally, to make an effort? Did you unconsciously furrow your eyebrows, or create a physical strain (aka sankocha) somewhere else in your body? In addition, did you feel a sort of mental strain? Remember this sensation of “trying.”

Now sit for a few seconds without speaking.

Compare the feeling of “trying” to pronounce “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis” out loud, to the feeling of not speaking. Most likely, with the latter, there is nothing to “try” to do. For most people, sitting silently does not take any special effort.

A third example. Consider going to sleep. One can try very hard to go to sleep, but the harder you try, the harder it gets to actually fall asleep. Sleep spontaneously happens, without any effort. It is more of a “letting go” than a “trying.” In Yogic terms, it is more vairaagya than abhyaas.

Going from Dhaaranaa to Dhyaan is much like this. It is more a letting go than it is an effortful action. The harder you try, the harder it becomes. The less you try, the more naturally it flows.

“When you swim, you don’t grab a hold of the water, because if you do, you will sink and drown. Instead, you relax and float.”

- Alan Watts

Until next time:

1. Continue your practice of Dhaaranaa, increasing the length of your sit by five minutes.

2. Notice the sensation of trying, and see if you can lean into the aalambanaa rather than using mental force.

3. Notice the thoughts that you feel afraid to let go of, and see if you find any patterns that repeat regularly.

4. Take notes!

Next time: Dhyaan Part III: Weakening intrusive thoughts

1. The practice of postural Yoga (aka Hatha Yoga) is helpful to increase awareness of the body, and to build strength and flexibility so that you can sit in meditation for longer periods of time without being overwhelmed by discomfort.

2. This is true in all cases unless the object causes a klesha to rear its head. In this case, it is better to choose an object which gives you a sense of expansiveness and calm.