Mental wellbeing is an escalating global challenge having serious impact on the quality of life, productivity in workplace etc. Our approach to wellbeing fundamentally depends on our perspective of ourselves. Are we just human beings, not much different from animals or something more? Over thousands of years the Vedic spiritual seekers dived deep within themselves to explore the inner space and they repeatedly verified that we all, without exception, are in essence really spiritual beings having human experiences. Their discoveries form Vedanta philosophy - the 'science of human excellences" - which explain in detail and with much clarity how we have multidimensional physical, mental, emotional and ethical layers of personality covering the fundamental Pure and eternal spiritual being. Along with this, the Vedic seekers developed systematic Yoga techniques to purify our minds and "dis-cover" our true Self.
The Vedantic conception of ourselves and Yogic mind-management techniques offer an alternative approach to address the mental wellbeing challenges. Ramakrishna Vedanta Centre, Auckland has taken up a project to make available these Vedanta-Yoga teachings to empower individuals with the knowledge and skill-sets to better manage their minds, emotions, values etc. to live meaningful, peaceful and productive lives.
Ritam is the Vedic principle responsible for maintaining order, harmony and rhythm both in the macrocosm and the microcosm. Stress, tension, dis-ease etc arise when we lose this balance at different levels of our being and around us. We have limited capacity to influence change outside us but we can definitely integrate our mind to our inner Self to gain greater poise, balance and rhythm in life. Meditation is the art of turning the mind inwards and anchoring it to our eternal, omniscient, blissful and pure Self. The more we are integrated with our inner Self, the greater will be the influence we can cast around us. This is the spiritual way to freedom from the slavery to the eternal world and internal body, senses and mind.
Ritam - Being in Balance is our series of conversations with Swami Tadananda wherein we explore the Vedanta-Yoga teachings and practices to promote our wellbeing.
We all are waves in the ocean of divine consciousness. Through meditation we strive to establish and strengthen the connection of our human self with our spiritual self. The whole being is constantly nourished from within with strength, peace, bliss, knowledge, inner beauty, etc. Remember the three P's necessary for success purity, patience and perseverance. We will first steady our body and calm our mind. Then we will pray for the welfare of all beings. Next we will purify our physical, mental and spiritual bodies by merging them successively in the highest pure consciousness within us. Next, from the pure consciousness, we will reproduce the renewed spiritual, mental and physical bodies and invoke the presence of the Divine in our hearts. Then we will commune with the Divine with the support of a mantra or any divine form and feel His loving, gracious presence. You will start meditation for at least 10 minutes and gradually increase the duration to at least half an hour. At the end of each meditation, lovingly offer the results of the meditation to the divine presence within you. This should be done daily, early in the morning and in the evening, at least During the day. Try to maintain an inner awareness of the divine presence in the heart as our constant companion, guide and protector in all our activities.
Speaker 1:
Let us now meditate on our own inner divine self In a quiet place. Sit in a comfortable and steady posture. Keep your back, neck and head upright. Visualize that the body is strong, healthy and pure. Now focus on your breath. Inhale and exhale slowly and deeply in a rhythmic manner. Visualize that you are breathing in a pure light which fills your lungs and spreads throughout your body and mind, illuminating every cell and every thought with its effulgence. Exhale slowly. Visualize that this pure light spreads out in all directions In this way, breathe in and out deeply, in a rhythmic manner, till the mind becomes calm and alert.
Speaker 1:
Now let's pray for the welfare of all. May that infinite ocean of pure consciousness, who is of the nature of infinite existence, knowledge and bliss, purity, beauty and peace, from whom this whole universe and all beings have come by, whom they are all sustained every moment, to whom they will all return, always resides in the heart of all beings as their inner consciousness. May the Divine be gracious to us all and attract our minds from the external world to itself, the abode of all divine excellences. May all beings be peaceful, joyful and seek the highest truth within themselves. Send out your prayers to your right. Visualize waves of pure energy, spreading out and lifting all they come across. Similarly, send out your prayers to your left, to the front, behind and in all directions.
Speaker 1:
Now focus the attention to yourself. Visualize that permeating and surrounding the physical body is a finer, luminous mental body made up of noble thoughts and beautiful emotions. Visualize that even finer than these two bodies is the effulgent spiritual body which nourishes them both with its energy, controls them through the willpower and guides them with its intelligence. Beyond these three bodies is the infinite ocean of consciousness, the common substratum of all beings. I am a wave in that infinite ocean which supports me, empowers me, guides me every moment. Really, I am an eternal and pure spiritual being. Having a temporary human experience, I now wish to empower myself by strengthening my connection with my own higher, divine self. Just as ice melts into water, which vaporizes into water vapor, visualize that the physical body merges into the subtle mental body, which then merges into the intelligent spiritual body. Ultimately, they all merge into that limitless ocean of divine consciousness. I am one with the light of that infinite existence, consciousness and bliss, peace, purity and beauty, strength, freedom and all excellences. I visualize that out of the infinite ocean of consciousness re-emerges the pure, effulgent spiritual body and from that re-emerges the pure, luminous mental body and finally the pure physical body materializes.
Speaker 1:
Focus the mind in the center of the heart and visualize a beautiful lotus therein. It is fully bloomed, fresh and fragrant. Visualize a flame in the center of the lotus, perfectly still spreading its serene radiance in all directions, illuminating every corner of the mind, every cell of the body. If you wish, you may replace the inner light with any divine form of your choice. Feel the living presence of the divine in your heart, vibrant with compassion, grace and love. Visualize as follows the light radiating from the Divine Presence is the light of spiritual knowledge, which dispels the darkness of ignorance. It is the light of supreme bliss, filling we with inner joy and contentment. It is the light of absolute purity, which purifies my whole being. It is the light of peace, filling me with serenity and tranquility. It is a light of absolute beauty, attracting my mind from the external world to itself. It is the light of strength that infuses me with power. Spiritually, morally, emotionally, intellectually and physically, I am surrounded and permeated by the warmth, love and spiritual energy of my higher self. Now focus on the divine light of whom in the center of the heart and keep the mind anchored on the divine presence.
Speaker 1:
Communicate with the divine by repeating the mantra, knowing that the mantra and the divine are one and the same. Or you may repeat the universal sound, om, which represents the highest reality. Or you may repeat the Gayatri Mantra With deep concentration. Resonate your whole being with the spiritual power of the Mantra. Visualize that with each repetition of the Mantra, the divine form becomes more vibrant and living. Its radiance becomes stronger and brighter. Feel that the divine is the infinite light of pure consciousness and I am its radiance, inseparable from it. Maintain one-pointedness of the mind by keeping it in the loop of the repetition of the mantra, with deep concentration and love, surrender and openness to receive Divine Grace. Keep a watchful eye that other thoughts do not intervene in the continuous rhythm of the mantra. Should the mind wander away, gently bring it back to the divine presence and the repetition of the mantra. Let's meditate in this way for at least 10 minutes, preferably half an hour. Thank you for watching no-transcript.
