Chapter 8

Calming the mind

The Indian sages used a method called yoga, (meaning to yoke), and meditated on a light in the heart or used a hypnotic mantra. Mantra is a word or sound which is supposed to have real and direct junction with its sacred meaning. In all religions we find that there is some symbol or word usage that is used for the purpose of concentrating the mind, channelling it towards Divinity. Verbal formulae however is used also in witchcraft, primitive ritual and even the repetitive lines that we used to get as children in school when we got detention. It is not so much a question of the word sound or sentence itself, but rather the repetition that is intended to concentrate the mind.

Repetition is a rather negative way to go about achieving some degree of one pointed concentration, as it then becomes a matter of blocking thoughts. When we study or watch a good film or some sport, we have focused the mind and blocked the world and its problems outside. When we come out of the film into the cold night air, for all the distraction that the film engendered we return to the same world.

That is not to say that the value of mantra as repetitive practice is a negative means to achieving either mental tranquillity or happiness. The point is that the real permanent and changed happiness (with a capital H), is something else – a separate entity. It is a natural achievable entity but unfortunately sometimes seems to lie at the heart of a maze. Just as a person with a map can find a route through a strange city, so if we are equipped with a map of the workings and ways of the subtle mental forces behind a world existence, we can plot our way to the heart of reality. We need to know what the mind is, what it does and how it functions. We need to know the effect of our mind on our lives, our personalities, and most importantly on happiness. We need to know how other minds affect ours, and understand national minds, and culture.

If the information that we need for our map is beginning to sound a bit complex don’t worry. Even in a big city like London if we wish to reach the centre we only need to approach from one direction, as we only need one route in order to reach a goal.  Similarly if we wish to weave our way through the minds maze and hit the centre, we only need some fairly simple instructions of and knowledge of what we are likely to encounter on the way – the landmarks as it were.

It is easier if you have a space in which to think and reflect in peace and quiet. You therefore set aside time for your purpose in this matter, leaving family friends and business to wait a while, making the spiritual journey a very important part of your life. Unlike money in the bank this is practice that you can take with you to the beyond, so, sit on your own and reflect or meditate, whether it be every day week or month. Without these recharging interludes, our human spiritual batteries run flat, and sometimes we even become incapable of resolving simple ordinary life conflicts, let alone deep meaning full ones. Taking out your own time and space is not antisocial; it allows you to develop into a better person all round.

Many perceive that withdrawal from social activities is only negative, but “non-activities” are not destructive. It is the very nature of the world that it throws up to each individual “waiting periods”.  It is a natural protective phenomenon even when nothing seems to be happening and even if we feel frustrated, agitated, or bored when we cannot be getting on with something. If we can imitate nature’s own method, and create our own quite uneventful periods, we control better our destiny and future. (Instead of being like a leaf that is blown hither and thither by events and people around us). There are a variety of phenomena that are sometimes placed upon us by circumstance, and free seemingly empty time may not be an easily acceptable space, simply because of how we may perceive it.

It is also something of a shock that having sat down, having cleared a space, and started meditating, that agitation, boredom etc. may arise and dominate the mind. This meditative space can be a wonderful and necessary refuge, but may also stir a variety of unwelcome thoughts that had not been in the plan. This may be why we don’t hear much public eulogy about the benefit of meditation, because it is a common experience that sitting down even to 5 or 10 minutes in absolute stillness can be akin to herding cats! The mind is a wild untamed creature for many, which leads rather than is lead. When you decide to do something about this and have a disciplined state of affairs, the mind (or perhaps rather the ego), can become most upset and tries to resist attempts at any form of mental introspection. Meditation can be difficult and even “depressing” – that is just the first obstacle!

To overcome the fickle mind is not easy and it may seem impossible to get to a state of perfect yoga.  A perfect yogi is not one who can sit in a cave motionless in months at a time. If one controls his or her mental environment wherever that may be, the setting is not so important. However environment can play a large part in any yogic practice as suitable surroundings, access to guides, and spiritual information, may help aid the mental processes. We can only do so much and only afford so much of our time getting into mental shape, but we cannot mend perfectly a pot that is broken and from which there are a few pieces permanently missing. We do what we can in this respect, just like bringing an older car up to a state of road-worthiness by fine tuning and renovation.

When we practice yoga for our physical well-being it is called hattha yoga. This is a system of exercise, not just to make a fit and healthy body, but to assist in purifying our mind. Purification of the body means that even the subtle and microscopic parts of the nervous system are cleansed, paving the way for higher mental-based exercises. Such exercises lead then from action or Kriya yoga to Raja or “Kingly” yoga path, where we move on then to meditation via specific exercises and perhaps use of mantras. Sounds or words associated with inward spiritual states require time to practice to achieve perfection or attainment, called Siddhi, in sufficient depth. This may seem difficult as most of us cannot aspire to the heights of ascetics who live in caves and meditate all their waking hours. However mantra meditation, once set into solid rhythm and practice, can be made into an effortless aspect, as then it can be done whilst doing other activities at any time. We need something that doesn’t need us to dip into our precious time, and enables us to boost mood to something better than bearable. We need to be able to transcend our daily problems at times without having to put ourselves into a trance like state of mind.

Advaita Vedanta, or “without duality” is not the pathway of devotion to a Personal God. The very form or substance of life is Sat-Chit-Ananda, or Existence-Consciousness- Bliss. All that Vedanta treatises teach can seem a far cry from the world of organised religion, messiahs, bishops and infallible preachers. Advaita Vedanta is almost a “godless” philosophy, almost an atheistic philosophy in some ways. It is a way to realisation as understanding of ourselves and the world as it really is, free from any supernatural power or need for religious belief. Broadly speaking it is not even a Hindu only philosophy, as it is a universal creed that owes allegiance to no religious persuasion.

Many books have been written about the subject in depth and all the Vedantic scripture has been the subject of exhaustive and numerous commentaries by a variety of learned scholars, both Eastern and Western, both ancient and present. You can obtain enough books and information about the subject to last you a lifetime’s reading. The problem though, is the application of this concept of being God, or even Godlike, or even of the same substance as God. It is difficult especially when we are tied up with work, marriage and business. When we are tied up with the world of Maya (illusory nature), it can be difficult to really believe that we as individuals are nothing but pure consciousness which has taken various transient human forms within this mire of externalised experience.

When we struggle with depression or addictions or other issues is can seem “mission impossible” to even get a foothold in the spiritual dimension.

To repeat the mantra Soham we are saying “I am identical with all the pervasive external and internal life force”, and we are practicing a philosophy that says don’t identify yourself with body or mind, or with your role in the day ahead. It’s a simple deep breathing, with mantra in tune with the essence of self, which will help you to float through the day in serenity. It is useful to wake up 5 to 10 minutes before you need to do anything, and use that short space of time in vital introspection. You need to make your day goes smoothly, so give yourself time to reflect, and try to visualise the individual power of being merged into the big wide Universe.

Breathe Soham to surrender your day into the Divine aspect of the forces which control the circumstances you are to encounter. You cannot avoid some trying circumstances ahead of you, although you plan or program to do this, and try to have a large say in the proceedings. Worrying will not necessarily change things for the better, but learning to relax and be meditative allows you to flow with events that you’re unable to control, and you may find yourself doing things more easily and more smoothly than you’ve even planned! A clear mind is always beneficial in any circumstance, and will often help you to come up with the right answer to problems.

The external world – the natural world – can be called seen as energy or Shakti, which is the goddess or feminine form of Creation. Creation as in contrast to the transcendental form of “masculine” energy, but it doesn’t have to be seen as separate, nor Atman as separate from Shakti. Taking this further all the processes of life can be seen as being part and parcel of our soul work, and we can then also look at meditating a Trinity of Brahman, Shakti, and Atman. The knowledge of our world, and being able to manage work, money and relationships will also enable us to have a stronger hold on spiritual practice. When we are moving more towards or “expanding” our practice to overtly manage our world for both material and spiritual benefit, we are practicing Tantra, as Tantra means “to expand out”. (Nothing to do with sex!).

Work for most of us is a perfectly natural function as we are guided by a natural qualities and abilities into doing tasks for which we are most suited. It may seem that we often find ourselves doing something we neither wish to do nor are suited to do, but if we can allow our natural destiny and intrinsic divine nature to predominate, we can move into different spaces of allowing ourselves to find our natural work position. Seen in this light a soldier who fights because he born a warrior type personality, is simply fulfilling his destiny, even though his work may involve killing other humans! He is complying with a subtle set of universal laws that govern all out work.

Such ideas may not appeal to a pacifist and those who seek to stop war. A lot of us say we believe in an ideally peaceful world. The historical reality however is that this has not happened and is not happening tomorrow. An individual can change society to a degree, but the essential nature of humankind, (and the universe), cannot be changed. Scientists working on genes may say that in theory we could build a non-violent selfless person in the future. However in reality we will probably want to build something that is more akin to a Hollywood film star, rather than seeking tolerance and love for all! What we can do as individuals and collectively is develop our self-awareness and internal happiness to a point where the problems of our own making and our own human nature can be transcended or accepted as part of our divine journey.