Meditation diaries

I had received a book written in Tamil by my Guru and it has been quite an interesting journey.

For one, it is not a book which can be read at one go. To say the least, it is a book which should only be read a couple of pages a time. This is because of the fact that the book is about experiential learnings which cannot be be experienced at any predictable rate. This puts me in a quandry as I had set out to jot down notes on my interpretation of the book.

It seems to me that to literally translate it will not be the best things to do. Instead I will need to write my own bits and pieces.

Let me start with the most recent one.

Generally I sit in ‘Padmasana‘ and meditate for a decent amount of time. It so happens that due to pressure differences in the internal blood vessels of each individual leg, the blood supply is significantly compromised in one leg as compared to another. This is because the pressure is greater on one leg as compared to another.

Now when I come out of meditation and try to relax my legs, one leg is blue due to anoxia and the other leg is more or less reddish in colour. I am immediately reminded of the fact that some represenations of ‘Shiva‘ in India are done with Shiva representing one half and ‘Parvathi‘, his consort,

Arthanari

representing  the other half. ‘Shiva’ is depicted in blue and ‘Parvathi’ is depicted in red. The theme behind this sort of a depiction seems to be that ‘Shiva’ and ‘Parvathi’ are not male and female in the traditional sense, but represent some dual nature within the human body. This seems to be at the physical plane as well as a the spiritual plane.

Will continue in my next piece.

Quick bites on meditation

I have also noticed that a lot of people do not start off with any pro-active process, like let’s say exercise or for that matter things related to their diet for the reason that there is no immediate need for it.

But some to think of it,…by the time you realise the need for it, it could be well past redemption and all you can do is take things lying down.

The issue becomes more difficult in the case of meditation as an activity because the results take time and the results are not necessarily evident on the physical plane.

Thinking about it.

Meditation diaries

I have noticed many a time that I would like to express myself, but it turns out that the subject has already been broached by a different author in a different medium. This is particularly true for reflections in the spiritual space.

Just to give an example, I have heard of a Tamil song, one portion of which goes on like this

‘ Thathuva kuappaiyai marandhuda cheyvai nee..’

To explain word by word,

‘Thathuvam’ means meaning or moral attached to a story or preaching

‘Kuppai’ meand garbage

‘Marandhidu’ means to forget

‘Cheyvai’ means to make something happen

‘Nee’ means you

This song is part of a devotional hymn sung during prayer in Tamil households, particularly devotees of Lord Murugan.

I have found this thought flashing through my mind many a time. This particularly comes to the fore when life in general is being dissected on the logical plane.

I can come up with a few arguments in support of my opinion that life cannot be dissected on the logical plane. But I would be contradicting myself.

Then the question is about how to go about this subject. The fact remains that some questions are never going to be answered by dissections on the logical plane and to move ahead in this search of this ethereal knowledge, faith helps a lot.

I do not why, but I have faith.

Faith that there are some unanswered questions in life and that I need not search externally, but I can get all the answers from within. One simple reason for this faith was the fact that I could see within myself, every grain of emotion that I had seen or heard of. I could just go through all these emotions at my whim and fancy.

I could feel like a sinner and saint. I could feel them all. When I went through this, I knew that the mind is the panoply of a lot of things that I need to explore and learn.

This same faith brought me in touch with my Guru. I never have a logical explanation of why I have spent about 5 years in meditative practices and a bit of yoga thrown in. From an outsiders point of view there are a few things which seem interesting like my ability to exert immense control over my habits, but they seem irrelevant to me. I can observe that my decision making abilities have improved immensely, but they again seem irrelevant to me. This puts me in a situation very similar to that of some of my colleagues. This does not help me answer the simple question, why am I they way I am?

Now I would like to agree with the Tamil adage that I started this write-up with. And I want to write about it. But some intellectual had realized it eons back and had written a poem about it. Here I am trying to expand the essence only to realize that there is nothing new in it.

Come to think of it, have ( Humanity) we really changed the way we think we have? It is a very interesting question. Think about it.

@Ashok

I was asked a question on this forum a couple of weeks back and I had always wanted to write about it. This is probably the first time that I have taken notice of him in the time that I have known him. This reflects more on my relationship with him rather than on him in singularity.

His questions goes as thus.

“…..is exercising control over mind and making urself a better person comes only through internal concentration? Or is it internalizing the external world?”

To star with, the question needs a context. The context is that of me telling him once in a while that he might want to spend more time in collecting his thoughts through meditation.

In response he more or less responds that he needs to do it and probably will, but the question is when?

And probably the more important questions is about how much he wants it? And also the kind of questions that he had to internalise, in this process.

On one fine day he popped this question. And I feel there is a nice point to be brought out here.

Let us look at the typical day when I get up. Now let me fast forward to the point when I am about to sleep. Now let me look at the sheer number of people I meet. It goes without saying that I have very little control over the number of people I meet, the kind of circumstances in which I will meet them, the kind of interacions which happen between us and the outcomes.

Let me put it in a simpler fashion. I eat rice on day x. Let us look at the sheer number of people who are involved in getting rice to my table. Farmer, thresher, transporter, wholesaler, retailer and mother to me. This is simplistic, but it brings across the point about the sheer number of people involved. Again very little predictability.

If this is being a bit simplistic, let me try to cpature the point in a differet fashion. If I get up today, I cannot control what my mother will tell me.

I set out to think. I cannot control what others will say/ do in my day to day life. Then I look around and sit down.

What can I do in this world of apparent turbulence and chaos?

What do I do?

Ah! Yes…I can control my mind. I cannot control others actions, but I can control my reaction to it. That is what I can do and it will make a hell lot of difference to me.

Now it is my world.

To get back to the question, I am not answering the question about making oneself through a better person as I am of the opinion that the objective if meditation is not to make oneself a better person. Rather I am quirked by the second portion of the question which talked about internalizing the world.

And I think that collecting one thoughts in trying to handle one’s life involves internalization of the world. It is about taking a global view of the world. It is quite close to the philosophy of trying to find that ‘one’ which explains everything else.

It is about internalizing the world.

Hope that my Royal Enfield will be it.

Hope is all I have. Someday…soon!