[Advaita-l] How do you meditate?

[Sujal Upadhyay]

praNAms,

This group has a lots of scholars who have a good grips on upanishads and
shankara bhAshya-s. I have seen many threads which are very technical in
nature, but there is hardly any thread in which the way of meditation and
it's practical application is discussed.

All AchArya-s have stressed on anubhava then mere theory. All AchArya-s
have given importance to meditation (sAdhanA). Sri Ramana Maharshi says,
without upAsanA there is no (Atma) siddhi.

I think, we need to re-introduce ourselves, this time introduce on how do
you meditate.

Please share how do you meditate and when living a practical life of a
householder, a businessman or as a salaried person, how do you tackle
day-2-day issues and stay focused on Brahman, which ultimately cannot be an
object of focus :)

To start with, I will re-introduce myself.

I am told to meditate on OM. After regular meditation, OM would continue by
itself. Even when I am working there is a feeling of peace and Bliss
flowing through me. If I manage to meditate well, then the whole day is
very peaceful.

While working, when the job or task is finished, generally, OM chanting
returns. In free time, I read Sri Ramakrishna's biography in Gujarati as it
gives my intense joy and generates force to meditate with more focus,
determination and with love. Sri Ramana Maharshi too has a lots of
influence upon me. His words give me clarity and help me solve technical
issues that I face in GYAna mArga. For example, if I get intense bliss in
mediation and I am quite happy about it, his words from '40 verses of
reality' and 'Who am I' help me not to get side tracked, but to keep
focused on my goal in which there is no separate experience of Bliss. Verse
3 of 40 verses on reality has a lasting impact in my mind. Especially when
I used to get engrossed in lots of analysis :)

In day-2-day activities, things just happen, you accept them with their
consequences, be calm. There is a force which helps me remain calm under
difficult circumstances. I do not know who is helping but I know for sure
there is someone always guiding me, protecting me. During clashes in family
or while blame game in office, I am told not to react immediately, even if
I am blamed for no good reason.  This helped me know my weakness. I came to
know that I still have ego and even though I regularly meditate, I still
have a long way to go.

The main thing that I have felt is that I always have to keep moksha as the
only goal and keep my mind fixed on OM during working and then later on
contemplate on the origin of OM. Rest will be taken care by Ishvara.


OM

Sujal