Crystallization of teachings of a Spiritual
traveler:
An Insight from RajaYoga Meditation.
-An Interview taken by Dr. Nitin Arora
28th July, Manama, Bahrain: Spirituality is a way advocated by
all, practiced by few and misunderstood by most. On this auspicious occasion of
Eid, I had conducted an interview in the domain of Spirituality for the benefit
of my readers. We are fortunate to have with us Sister(Sr.)
Ansuya, a meditation
teacher and Director of Bahrain Meditation Centre. Bahrain Meditation Centre is
located in Um Al Hassam in Bahrain,the centre is a non profit
organisation which provides seminars, lectures and experiential workshops in
meditation, positive values, stress free living and self management. The Centre
supports individuals in recognizing their own
inherent qualities and abilities
and in bringing out their inner most potential. Working at all levels of the
society the centre continues to inspire change and motivation to individuals
and organizations.All
sessions and activities are free of cost as a service to humanity, the centre
runs on voluntary donations. Today we will discuss with her the vision and the
journey of meditation, the motivations to be on this journey, the barriers and
many more relevant questions. I am sure the interview will generate many
incredible insights and experiential clues for seekers to implement and move
forward or start spiritual journey.
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| Sr. Ansuya Director, Bahrain Meditation Centre |
Arora: What is meditation?
B.K. Ansuya: By
far the deepest and most direct route to relaxation is meditation. It is no
accident that for over two thousand years almost every ‘wisdom path’ has
featured meditation as the core practice to achieve everything from relaxation
to inner peace to mystical states of enlightenment.
The purpose of helping you to learn to
meditate is not to turn you into a mystic but to introduce you to the practice
of meditation as a way to the deepest form of relaxation – the relaxation of
spirit. The most profound calm and serenity lie at the core of our own being;
we have simply lost awareness of its presence. Spirit is what we are, sometimes
referred to as soul, ruh, chi and atma. We each radiate energy in the form of
spiritual light. That light emanates from the core of our being, and is
entirely invisible. The quality of our thoughts and feelings will be according
to the quality of that light. The atmosphere in a room is the result of the
collective radiance of those in a room, a building, a community and even a
nation – what we sometimes call vibrations.
Meditation is the deepest and most
effective way to ‘let go’ of the attachments, fears and sorrows, which distort
our energy and heal the spiritual wounds of the past. Meditation is the easiest
way to see and transcend old patterns of behavior, gain a true insight into
eternal truths, and dissolve the blocks that have stopped us from experiencing
our inner peace. Meditation helps us to master our senses, maintain our focus
of inner attention and therefore remain undisturbed by external events.
However, practice and perseverance is required! Then we can truly begin living
as human beings and not human doing.
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| The point of Consciousness |
Ansuya: From the moment you are born, your attention
is directed outwards. Firstly towards your own body, as you learn how to see
and touch, how to move your arms and legs. Your attention is drawn outside
yourself as you learn about your family relationships. You begin to walk and
talk, and your attention is drawn to the world around you as you learn how it
all works and how you fit in.
Meditation reverses
the direction of your focus from outwards to inwards. You turn your focus away
from the world around you, back to yourself. Sometimes meditation is described
as taking an inner journey. As you journey within, you discover more about
yourself. You find answers to the age-old question, "Who am I?"
You begin to
understand that you are more than your physical and social identity. Although
these physical and social aspects are part of your life, they are not the keys
to understanding who you are. In fact, thinking of yourself as only a physical
body makes you value yourself according to all the external aspects, such as
physical appearance, age, gender, role, position and social grouping. All these
physical aspects are constantly changing, and can leave you feeling unsettled
and unhappy, if that’s all you think you are.
During meditation, you start to
understand that your value lies in who you are on the inside - a unique human
being. Meditation is the method to link deeply to this inner identity, where
your true qualities exist in abundance - peace, love, truth, happiness, freedom
and contentment.
In meditation, you will sense the
difference between the physical you and the non-physical you. The body is an
instrument for you, the soul. When you start meditating, you gently concentrate
on the soul and experience your true qualities. This empowers your daily life.
The true self is the
soul. You are a soul and you have a body.
The soul is subtle energy. The soul
is spiritual energy, entirely different from your physical body (the form in
which you dwell). You the soul are not black or white, young or old, healthy or
unwell, male or female. You, the soul, are the life force in your
body.
Everything about who you are is recorded in the soul; all your memories,
thoughts and feelings. All the things that are intangible are recorded within
the soul, such as beliefs and attitudes, hopes and dreams, memories and habits,
personality traits.
The soul is amazing - it has the ability to store
everything about you, everything that makes you who you are. In the soul is
contained a record of everything you’ve seen and spoken, everything you’ve
done, and every thought you’ve created from the very beginning of your life.
Raja Yoga
meditation redefines the self as a soul and enables a direct connection and
relationship with the Supreme Source of purest energy and highest
consciousness. Raja Yoga can be translated as ‘supreme union’, or as ‘highest
connection’. Every soul has a right to experience this ultimate relationship.
Raja Yoga meditation helps you to be a self sovereign i.e being a master over
yourself.
Arora: Can you explain the connection of
meditation with religion?
B.K. Ansuya: You do not need to
belong to a religion to meditate. Meditation can be practiced by anyone of
any religion and also by those who do not belong to any religion. Everyone
can benefit from meditation.
Arora: Does Rajyoga focus a lot on the third eye? Could you tell
our readers on the importance of third eye?
B.K. Ansuya: In Rajayoga meditation third eye is
nothing but eye of enlightenment, the eye of knowledge with which you can
perceive spiritual reality and there is clarity in everything I think and do.
Arora: What are the barriers to meditation?
B.K. Ansuya: Past habits and the negative traits that have been tamed for a long
period of time are the real hindrances. But with power of positivity one can
overcome these barriers and move forward.
Arora: What is the minimum age of doing meditation?
B.K. Ansuya: Anyone can practice meditation
irrespective of age.
Arora: What is human mind and why it is labeled as flickering
entity? What is the importance of heart?
B.K. Ansuya: Every soul has three
separate faculties, which are inherent in all human beings irrespective of
place of birth. Just as electrical energy produces warmth, sound or light
depending on the device through which it passes, similarly, the energy of
consciousness functions through three different but closely connected
faculties, referred to respectively by the terms mind, intellect, and
personality.
The Mind: With
the power of the mind, one imagines, thinks and forms ideas. Thoughts are
created in the mind. The thought process is the basis of all emotions, desires
and sensations. It is through the minds that, in an instant, thoughts reach
anywhere, a memory can be relived and the feeling of happiness or sadness is
experienced. The metaphysical mind should not be confused with the heart, the
physical organ that maintains blood circulation.
The
Intellect: Thoughts
are processed and interpreted by the intellect. This is the faculty, which
understands. The capacity to understand is perhaps the single most crucial
ability of the soul. Clear understanding of anything is possible when the
intellect becomes broad, deep and farsighted through the regular study of
spiritual knowledge and the disciplined practice of meditation. The intellect
also reasons, memorizes, discriminates and makes decisions. The non–physical
intellect should not be confused with the physical brain, which is the physical
focus of the nervous system. The brain is the soul’s control panel; it provides
the facilities for the soul’s expression.
The Subconscious mind: Any action once
performed leaves an impression on the soul. Habits, temperaments and tendencies
are all embedded in the soul (as images, feelings, sounds, trains of thought,
etc.) as a result of every action performed. The most fundamental feature of
every soul, its personality, is determined by such stored impressions. These
impressions, formed in the past, are the reservoir, which we draw upon, often
sub–consciously, as our source of thoughts and actions in the present.
Arora:
What is the importance of Out of Body experiences (OBEs) in support of
realizing soul consciousness?
B.K.
Ansuya: It has been observed that some people have OBEs. In
Rajayoga meditation one practices the awareness of the inner being, so the
experience of being a spiritual being and experiencing the core values of the
self is a very natural and one does not need to have a OBE for that.
B.K.
Ansuya:Rajyogameditation is the practice of inner awareness and
connection with Higher source, those who excel in this practice are the true
Yogis who have the power of mind over matter and for them naturally all the
chakras are open and there is no conscious effort nor identity of chakras
involved.
Arora:
What is the meaning of Om Shanti?
B.K.
Ansuya:The full greeting is “OM Shanti”. OM means I’m a Soul,
the spiritual being and Shanti means Peace. OM Shanti means I’m soul and
embodiment of peace. Soul’s true nature is peace.
Arora:
What kind of seekers finds difficulties in following your instructions?
B.K.
Ansuya: The true difficulty is not in understanding but in
practice. Practice and practice and practice, Awareness and awareness and
awareness is the answer.
Arora:
Would you give some message to our readers who have potential to be seekers but
have yet not started their journey to discover their real self.
B.K.
Ansuya: The path of Rajyoga is an interesting path to
experience truth and I encourage everyone to try this journey of meditation to
bring true peace, happiness and love in life.
