MEDITATION - Summary

In the previous posts we discussed several aspects of meditation. Let me summarize these discussions as below.

MEDITATION - Does it really happen in the brain?

Many of you may be wondering whether ‘mind’ and ‘brain’ are one and the same. For one thing, most modern scientists believe that to be so. But that raises other questions, some of which I have discussed in my book “Important Missing dimensions in our current understanding of the Mind”.

MEDITATION - Does it cause harm?

If you look around on the net or read some research papers, it seems that some forms of meditation can be harmful. Some of my doctor friends have confirmed the harmful effects of some meditative practices. Is that really the case?

MEDITATION - Do I get psychic powers?

I sometimes get irritated when people ask me whether I have attained any psychic powers since I write books on Yoga and Meditation ;-) In my view, that is the most stupid question to ask.

MEDITATION - What is the role of God if any?

Nowadays it has become fashionable to declare ourselves as a non believer. Many people think that that is the same as saying that they are rational. I have commented on this misconception in some of my posts.

MEDITATION – What is the best time?

Ancient Indians always emphasized on the need to meditate during early morning hours just before sunrise. Not just the Hindus, even Muslims start their day’s Namäz, at that time. Apart from religious reasons, are there any scientific reasons for choosing this time for meditation? 

MEDITATION – Are all forms same?

In the previous post I discussed some forms of meditation. Do all these lead one to the same destination? The answer is both yes, and no. Why? 

MEDITATION - The real act

By definition, meditation is ‘keeping the focus on some chosen object for a prolonged duration’. This is a too general definition. I have played with this loose definition in one of my blog posts “Do you meditate?”

MEDITATION - Why is regularity essential?

Let me once again go back to learning to drive a vehicle. You probably remember how you had to practice it every day over a period of time before you could drive almost unconsciously. Since meditation too starts with training your attention system, regularity is a must – at least in the beginning. 

MEDITATION - You need to practice before

Whether it is driving a car or learning to play a musical instrument, you need to practice before you do the actual act. Any learning is a cyclical process of successive corrections till you achieve perfection. 

MEDITATION - The science behind it

I have always strived to explain Yoga or Meditation in a scientific manner rather than cloak it in mystical terms. In many ways, it is important that we know the science behind meditation not only to avoid confusion but also to practice it in a more effective manner. 

Do you want to be a God?

The word God means different things to different people. In this post I am referring to the word God as an ultimate destination in our evolutionary journey. 

Commonsense is not so common!

Many of us make the mistake of accepting things while being fully aware of what common sense dictates. It is as if our intellect and faith are two disjoint domains!

Paperback edition of "Think and be Enlightened" is now available

Inspirational, informative thoughts on Yoga, Spirituality and Indian Philosophy.

 

ISBN : 978-1974384303

Pages 132

For details click

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1974384306

Son of a barren woman!

Quite an oxymoron, isn’t it? If a woman is barren, how come she has a son? And if she has a son then she cannot be barren!

Don’t’ talk when you are alone!

I have an elderly friend who says that after several years of meditative practice, he has attained the realization that “world does not exist!” 

Faith and Science can coexist!

There are these so called ‘rationalists’ who say that science is the only way and faith should always be rejected. And there are those majority who thrive on faith alone with utter disregard to scientific approach. 

Paperback edition of Hata Yoga – Myths shattered is now available

I just released the paperback international edition of the book “Hata Yoga – Myths shattered”. This book will soon be available through most online book retailers as well as some brick and mortar book stores such as Amazon, Barnes and Noble and so on.

You can 'audio preview' my books now

You can now do an Audio preview of my books. For example click the link below the book cover

Audio preview

This is an audio preview for my recent book "Hata Yoga - Myths shattered".

When you visit my page "Some of my recent books" on the right column of this blog, look for "Audio preview" below the book description.

New book: Hata Yoga – Myths shattered

This is my new book that busts some of the ‘myths in’ and ‘myths about’ Hata Yoga – the popular Yoga that is practiced and propagated widely today. There are some startling observations that may shake the very base of commonly held  beliefs.

Mind modulation – Modern open ended techniques

Mind modulation is not deplorable per se, as long as - one knows what one is doing, and there are no commercial motives behind them. But unfortunately, both these criteria are lacking in some of today’s open ended mind modulation techniques that are widely being propagated.

Mind modulation – The Mystic way

I have no intention to denigrate anyone. My use of the word ‘mystic’ is only to emphasize the departure these techniques have taken from the path of logic and reasoning that has all along been the hallmark of various ancient mind modulation techniques, whether it  is in the Upanishads, Sänkhya, Buddhists or even Patanjali. 

Mind modulation – The Yogic style

When I talk of Yogis, I am implying people like Patanjali and other Upanishadic sages. I am not talking about modern Yogis, about whom I will talk later.

Mind modulation – The Buddhist kind

Mind modulation has been there in subtle form in almost every religion, in every part of the world, and for ages. But, probably it is in India that one finds recorded forms of direct, explicit, and well thought of modulation techniques that are being practiced for thousands of years.

Mind modulation – Know before you Do

Once, someone asked me an interesting question. The question pertained to death rituals observed in various religious faiths. Each religion claims that its death ritual is the only one that guarantees the departed soul a ‘rest in peace’. Does that mean that the souls in other religions roam around restlessly? ;-)

Does soul exist? <---- That is the question that can liberate you

Though there were disagreements among Indian philosophers about the ‘real’ nature of the soul and whether it is one or many, they seem to be unanimous on one issue.

Does soul exist? <---- Only the soul exists and nothing else!

The Upanishads declare that it was only the soul that existed in the very beginning. And this soul ‘became many’.

Does soul exist? <---- Of course it does.

The ancient Sänkhya philosophers adopted a purely dialectical approach to everything. They even went to the extent of rejecting the idea of God since,(according to them) the concept of God is not essential to explain the world as it exists. But they were very firm on the existence of soul.

Does soul exist? <---- Useless question to ask!

Buddhists, while they believe firmly in re-birth, at the same time insist that the soul does not exist – anatta* (no atta – no soul) as they declare!

Does soul exist? <---- There is no proof that it does

That is what a true scientist would say. He won’t say – “soul does not exist” since he does not have a proof for that either.