The Yoga of Meditation | Sri Krishna Teachings
What is the Yoga of Meditation
True Purpose of Yoga and Meditation
Today let us explore deep into what yoga is and specifically, what is the Yoga of Meditation. This term, the Yoga of Meditation, is actually from the teachings of Sri Krishna from the Bhagavad Gita, and below I will provide several excerpts that reveal what is the meaning and true purpose of this type of yoga.
Yoga of Meditation, is speaking towards the mental and meditative aspects of yoga and how to go about practicing this highest yoga to achieve the highest Truth.
For those unfamiliar with the Bhagavad Gita, these are the essential teaching of Sri Krishna, that were presented to Arjuna to help him understand the real meaning and purpose of life and yoga. The term Atman, used below, means eternal soul, and from the point of view of practice can be thought of as Pure Being or the Witnessing Consciousness. Bhrahman, meaning the Supreme Divinity or God.
Book: Bhagavad Gita
Translated By: Swami Prabhavananda and Christopher Isherwood
Chapter: The Yoga of Meditation (Pages 39-46)
Krishna Explains who is a Yogi and what the Yoga of Meditation is in the following excerpts:
He who does the task
Dictated by duty,
Caring nothing
For fruit of the action,
He is a Yogi.
If a yogi has perfect control over his mind, and struggles continually in this way to unite himself with Brahman, he will come at last to the crowning peace of Nirvana, the peace that is in me.
Yoga is not for the man who overeats, or for him who fasts excessively. It is not for him who sleeps too much, or for the keeper of exaggerated vigils. Let a man be moderate in his eating and his recreation, moderately active, moderate in sleep and in wakefulness. He will find that yoga takes away all his unhappiness.
When can a man be said to have achieved union with Brahman? When his mind is under perfect control and freed from all desires, so that he becomes absorbed in the Atman, and nothing else. “The light of a lamp does not flicker in a windless place”: that is the simile which describes a yogi of one-pointed mind, who meditates upon the Atman. When, through the practice of yoga, the mind ceases its restless movements, and becomes still, he realizes the Atman. It satisfies him entirely. Then he knows that infinite happiness which can be realized the the purified heart but is beyond the grasp of the senses. He stands firm in this realization. Because of it, he can never again wander from the innermost truth of his being.
He knows this treasure
Above all others:
Faith so certain
Shall never be shaken
By heaviest sorrow.
To achieve this certainly is to know the real meaning of the word yoga. It is the breaking of contact with pain. You must practice this yoga resolutely, without losing heart. Renounce all your desires, forever. They spring from willfulness. Use your discrimination to restrain the whole pack of the scattering senses.
Patiently, little by little, a man must free himself from all mental distractions, with the aid of the intelligent will. He must fix his mind upon the Atman, and never think of anything else. No matter where the restless and unquiet mind wanders, it must be drawn back and made to submit to the Atman only.
Made clean of passion,
The mind of the yogi
Knows that Brahman,
His bliss is the highest.
He later says, in response to Arjuna’s assertion that the mind is impossible to tame.
Yes, Arjuna, the mind is restless, no doubt, and hard to subdue. But it can be brought under control by constant practice, and by the exercise of dispassion. Certainly, if a man has no control of his ego, he with find this yoga difficult to master, But a self-controlled man can master it, if he struggles hard, and uses the right means.
Yoga of Meditation Analysis:
Here are the highlights from these teachings:
1. You Need Abiding Passion:
If there is one prerequisite for attaining enlightenment it is not just fleeting passion for Truth and meditation, but life-long passion. It is this life-long passion which will carry you to the final station. So as Krishna says above, don’t lose heart and make your motto to simply Keep Going!
2. The Purpose of the Yoga of Meditation is to Silence the Mind:
This is the true purpose of the Yoga of Meditation. To still the minds of thoughts so that the Atman or Infinite aspect of yourself can reveal itself. As long as the mind remains occupied there is no space for this inner light to shine through. You can constantly busy with the demands of the ego, and you will not able to establish yourself in the Witness Consciousness or Pure Being. So practice meditation and constant awareness so that the mind can quiet down and you can realize your true divine nature.
3. Yoga of Meditation is the Practice of Dispassion:
The way out of suffering is to distance yourself from results and focus on just what needs to be done in the moment. In fact, this is how Krishna describes a true Yogi. One who does what needs to be done and then leaves the results to God. Just do what is required, forget the rest.
You want to reach the stage where you can say, “I don’t mind what happens.” This is the great secret of the enlightened masters, they simply don’t mind what happens, they are always at ease with everything.
Find more teaching of Sri Krishna here:
Dear Noreen,
We are all One. There is not need to make categories and divisions. A Yogi is anyone, who is looking to merge with Divine Consciousness and who is working towards Self Realization.
Best,
Anmol
Anmol,
Are Yogi’s HINDU? Are yoga sutras separate from the Bhagahava Gita?
I don’t know the difference between a Yogi, a Jain, a Hindu. Can you be a yogi who is a Hindu or Jain? What does it all mean? thank you, noreen
Thanks for this informative and inspiring piece of great importance. I enjoyed the explanation of A YOGI, and Yoga of Meditation. Brahman may bless you.