WHAT TAKES PLACE IN meditational practice is being covered in this chapter. The subtlety of the meditation process is described. We get some idea of the “resistance” offered by the mind against the whole process of transformation. The mind resists because it senses that its end is in sight. How can it allow itself to be destroyed?
Freedom From Thought:
1-2 This first half of the verse contains the word Chintyam, “thinking” four times.
Interestingly, each time it is used with a different connotation!
i) Chintyam 1: “thinking of favourable things”.
ii) Chintyam 2: “thinking of unfavourable things”.
iii) Chintyam 3: “objectified thinking”.
iv) Chintyam 4: “unobjectified thinking”, i.e. pure contemplation on Self.
1 The mind, when examined carefully, is seen to be a bundle of thoughts at any given
moment. We are being advised not to dwell on the habitual thinking patterns which the
mind is prone to. In habitual thinking, the mind cannot help being influenced by likes and
dislikes, things that are favourable or unfavourable to it. It either thinks of what it likes, or
thinks of what it wants to avoid. Both these thought patterns have to be avoided.
2 Another point of caution is to draw our attention away from thinking altogether.
Thinking is always associated with an object; this is “objectified thinking”. Contemplation is
not a thought process at all; it is freedom from all thought! So, meditation is not about
thinking but about abandoning thinking, and simply being the witness of thoughts.
We saw this very clearly in Upadesh Sara (Text 7). The same explanation that we
have come across in that text is repeated here with a slight addition. We are here seeing not
just one moment or ‘photograph’ of the mind, but a ‘video’ of the mind that is functioning
continuously on a scale of Time.
An Illustrative Story by Acharyaji
Acharyaji gave us this story to illustrate how difficult it is to give up objects in the
mind:
There was a King who was faced with the problem of premature falling of his hair. He
was rapidly balding. He was desperately in search of a remedy. So he announced a huge
reward to anyone who could guarantee a cure for his falling hair. To prevent fakes coming in
with suggestions, he added that if the remedy did not work within a month, the person
would be killed.
One of the king’s subjects, who was known for his wisdom, came up boldly to the
king’s court and announced himself. The king repeated the conditions; the subject accepted
them, and made his own condition that the king should follow the instructions very strictly.
The king was given an oil which he had to apply daily at a fixed time. At the same time he
was told that he should not think of a red-faced monkey when he applies the oil. If he does,
he would have to postpone the oil treatment for the next day.
The king happily agreed. But when he was ready to apply the oil the thought of a
red-faced monkey came up without fail. This happened day after day. The oil was never
applied! The time limit came and the subject had to be given his due reward!
Mind Devoid of Partiality
3 Acharyaji gave us a “mathematical” analogy to help us understand the deeper
workings of the whole thought process:
When we add time to the events of the mind, we see them as a FLOW of thoughts,
i.e. thought A + thought B + thought C, and so on.
If there were no further input of information, thought A will continue as thought B
and then as thought C. But there is an input into the mind – memory is stirred up by thought
A. The memory could be any feeling or fact stored in the mind-stuff about thought A. When
that enters the mind, thought A becomes thought B. Then another item from the memory
enters the mind-scene and changes thought B into thought C. In this way, a complex chain
of thoughts is set up.
The above verse describes this process as the influence of “likes and dislikes”, or
simply as Partiality. Partiality is stored in our memory and when it enters the equation, it
begins to set up unpredictable changes. The result is a dynamic thought environment within
which our thoughts keep fluctuating. Partiality is deeply ego-based. It has an unpredictable
nature. No one can say for certain which way the thoughts in the mind are going to swing.
The whole picture becomes very complex. Therefore, the Rishi says to the seeker that he
has to free himself from all partiality.
4 The dynamic thought environment has to be replaced by a more stable thought
environment. Stability of mind is the first stage from which proper contemplation on the
Self can be done, which leads eventually to the attainment of Brahman.
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