Four states of cognition (Upanishads...)

In the previous post, we were talking about how we can ascertain the truths enunciated by the Upanishads. As we said, the only way is either to accept whatever the Upanishads say or ‘realize’ it ourselves. How do we do the latter?

How are we sure that Upanishadic concept of God is valid? (Upanishads...)

In the previous posts we saw how the Upanishads ‘define’ God or Ätma.  And also, how this ‘definition’ does not lead to endless regress. But how are we sure that such a definition is valid and it is not just some clever play of words?

Does the concept of God lead to endless regress? (Upanishads...)

Many modern intellectuals opine that since the concept of God as the prime cause leads to endless regress, God does not exist! They ask what caused God... and so on.

Some questions just can’t be answered by direct perception or reasoning (Upanishads...)

Many people quote their religious scriptures to answer fundamental questions, God being one of them. In most religions, it is the God who revealed these scriptures.

God!... What is that? (Upanishads...)

Different religions have different definitions for God. Each one claims its definition to be the right one and all others to be wrong.

Upanishads – A journey into the unknown, nay, unknowable

Upanishads are ancient Indian texts that are supposed to be visions of sages when they were in a deep state of meditation, well preserved for more than 3000 years.

A unified view of various forms of practices

In the last several weeks we discussed 3 different types of practices – Patanjali Yoga, Buddhist Meditation as well as Hata yoga. Can we unify all these three practices? This is something I always wondered.

HATA YOGA MEDITATION – Nadopäsana

This technique is supposedly by Gorakshanath – a prominent Hatayoga Guru (believed to belong to sometime between 11^th  to 14^th century). Basically, it is back to Hata yoga’s usual concept of Kundalini and its awakening.

HATA YOGA MEDITATION – Shämbhavi Mudra

Shämbhavi mudra or a name with some variation is the hot stuff propagated by some modern Gurus. I have read about some Gurus suing their ex-disciples just because these disciples dared to disclose this ‘technique’ to others without their consent.

Actually, it is a well known Hata Yoga technique, which I am going to explain.

BUDDHIST MEDITATION – How does it actually work?

It is very common that a young girl or a boy gets physically attracted to another person of the opposite sex. Most of this attraction could have been developed due to environmental factors – what they read, what they see, what they hear and so on. But surely there is something that is inherent in our brains that puts one in that state, no matter how much one may try to avoid.

BUDDHIST MEDITATION – The way to go about

All of us know how difficult it is to free ourselves from craving. But to attain the goal of Nirvana, Buddhists say that one has to put an end to all craving. How does one do that?

BUDDHIST MEDITATION - Its goal

Meditation is the main tool of Buddhism. It is so elaborate a process, that it will not be possible for me to go into its details in short blog posts. I will defer it to my book to be published. Here, I will only touch upon some salient aspects.

Patanjali’s goal for meditation was ‘self’ realization. But the Buddhists reject the very idea of ‘self’ or soul. So, why do they meditate?

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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!

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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.