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| VIPASANA | ||||||
| Human brain, the most complicated arrangement of matter in the universe, contains special cells and nerves but its workings are more on psychic planes rather than on physical. Scientists are still baffled on its mysteries. The Hindu sages, perhaps worked the best on human mind like in patanjali's yoga sutras. According to our view, human brain works on three psychic levels, the Chitta, Manas and Intelligence. CHITTA (may be called sub-conscious, yet an inappropriate translation but there is no other word in English which is so near to it). Chitta keeps the records of all our past lives from one cell life form to date?but it goes far beyond that too. It also has a memory of what lay behind the beginning of life. It is ,on that level connected to the Universal Chitta, containing information about everything. The past karma rest in Chitta, not as memory, but as Vrittis (small energy reminders of the result/effect). for example if someone was killed by Police in his last birth, he will have a Vritti of fear of police whenever he will see a policeman, without knowing the reasons for that. Chitta is continuously emmitting Vrittis to Manas who acts on them. | ||||||
| MANAS (Mind) is a part of our consciousness which is encircled by ten fine trigger points of our organs, called Sukshma Indriya. Our manas attaches itself to one of the sukshama Indriya and sends/receives message from /to gross organs. Manas can not attache to more than one Indriya at a time. This can be felt from the fact, that if we are so engrossed in reading a book, we may not listen to any sound. Manas accepts Vrittis from Chitta, work on them and sends the results back to Chitta in form of new vrittis.. | ||||||
| BUDDHI (Intelligence) is a tool which develops alongwith our evolution. Buddhi checks the work of Manas in the light of past experiences, social obligations and natural rules. It works within a small circle of logic drawn by it during evolution. | ||||||
| Manas is not always oblidged to be checked by Buddhi. If the incoming Vritti has great energy, Manas will perform its job, over-ruling Buddhi. For example a smoker who takes a vow not to smoke, sometimes unknowingly starts smoking. In this case, the vritti from Chitta to smoke, was so strong that Manas ordered the organs to start smoking, without listening to Buddhi who stops Manas in her logic. | ||||||
| The waves of Vrittis are continuous from Chitta. There is no time, be it waking state, or sleeping , when chitta is not sending vrittis to the mind. It is infact this flow of vrittis to and from Chitta which forces Manas to exist. Manas is a beautiful tool, as it has powers to attach itself to anything and find details about that. The waves of vrittis rise from Chitta mainly due to 1) The information coming from outer world 2-Past karmas coming up for giving fruit and 3- Prana coming into body. The Prana which come to body are mainly responsible to give energy to the Vrittis to surface up and reach Manas. Vrittis and Prana have dual relationship. Type of Prana coming to body will energise the same type of vrittis and a type of vrittis will attract same type of Prana to come to the body. For example, if a Sattvic Vritt arises in Chitta, it will attract Sattvic Prana to energise?.and if Sattvic Prana are coming to the body, they will only energise Sattvic Vrittis. | ||||||
| Now if No vritti is coming to manas, and it is not being affected by information coming from outside , Manas will start discovering itself and its source which is SOUL. This is what is achieved by our various Meditations, knowingly or unknowingly. Vipasana is a very effective Sadhna to achieve this goal. | ||||||
| Outside information can be stopped by closing the eyes, and by sitting in an Asna for long time. But how to control Vrittis from Chitta. No force in our present set up is so powerful that it can control Chitta. But we can do one thing?.make one Vritti so powerful and continuing, that chitta remains busy is handling that single Vritti and stops other vrittis to surface. Now we will see how this can be achieved practically. | ||||||
| For doing Vipasana, one should refrain from taking alcohol, heavy and spicy diets, and sexual activities. The reasons behind these restrictions are that by Vipasana, we open new energy channels and if these restrictions are not followed, the energy may be wasted or used in wrong channels, thus disturbing the physical and psychic balances. | ||||||
| Sit in a comfortable posture close your eyes and do any relaxing exercise. When the body is felt relaxed and mind a little peaceful, bring the focus of your consciousness to your nostrils and start feeling the respiration. Feel how the air going through nostrils is cold and it is hot while coming out. Feel how the air passing through nostrils is touching the inner skin of the nose and creating a sensation. No other thought no other acticivity. Just breathe?breathe consciously?.feel each atom of air coming and going. In the beginning the mind will take lot of interest in this new exercise, but soon it will be bored and will try to distract yr attention by other thoughts. If this happens, do not fight with it to cool down, go with it see what it wants to show and come back watching your breathing. Do not shorten or lengthen your breath. Just watch it as it is. One may feel tired of sitting for longer periods?but the time of asna will increase slowly. those who can not sit for so long, may sit for some time and then lie down in the bed ,without using a pillow for further meditation . But Vipasana in the bed is little risky, as one may go to sleep in between thinking he is still doing meditation?though this condition too improves later on. To avoid sleep during meditation one should use Khechri Mudra (Touching roof of yr mouth with the tongue, by folding the tongue backwards- this mudra can be learnt from any Hathh yoga book). Khechri Mudra is a beautiful way to stop sleeping during Vipasan as if one sleeps, the Khechri will automatically open and will disturb the sleep, while in deep concentration, Khechri remains intact and in Samadhi tongue automatically reaches the point where it should be. | ||||||
| In the beginning one may feel conscious of the breathing?and suddenly diving into an ocean of thoughts and suddenly coming back to vipasana?..slowly the time in vipasana will increase and time in other thoughts will decrease. Then a stage will come when other thoughts will come to you in vivid visions. You will feel as if you are dreaming?.rather u r watching a dream to happen. This is a sign of progress?but do not induldge in dreaming?and come back to Vipasana as and when remembered. | ||||||
| Another sure sign of progess of Vipasana is sudden jerks. You will, during yr vipasana , suddenly break concentration due to sudden jerk. this jerk may be felt in hands, legs, head, or in the whole body. When you first get this jerk, congratulate yourself and your Ishta, that you have reached the first stage of progress. why we get these jerks (These may be experienced by other sadhaka too doing TM, or Raj Yoga, or Mantra chanting). When we start concentrating on our breathing, our chitta becomes busy in sending this Vritti of holding consciousness on the nostrils and stops other Vrittis?..When this concentration deepens it disturbs the Guna balance of incoming Prana. Now prana coming in should be either in Sat, Raj or Tam but our concentration is balancing all the Gunas (imbalance of guna is main cause of our very existance). The Prana thus balanced for a fraction of a second?become so pure that they can not remain in a body full of imbalance of gunas?.the prana thus try to reach their source, the Soul and route for prana to reach its source is to pass through Sushmna Nadi in the spine. Thus Prana from legs, or hands or from whole body rush towards Sushumana?.leaving the particular limb without Prana for a fraction of a second. this process causes a sudden jerk in the limbs and our concentration is broken. Though one may not notice but the breathing also stops during this short interval. | ||||||
| At this stage, one is in deep concentration and prior arrangement should be made so that nobody disturbs you during meditation, as sudden sound or disturbance during this period may be fatal for some. Also you will notice that your ears have become so sensitive during this period that you start picking up distant sounds very clearly. A fall of a needle near you may produce such a sound that it may disturb your concentration. all these sign denote progress. | ||||||
| Slowly you will feel peace prevailing in the mind and in the body. Your voice will change?you will feel particulary some time after Vipasana that your voice is strange?.it is deep, sweet and resonating. Slowly the fatigue lines on the face will start fading. The eyes will become smiling. Hate and anger will start cooling down. Blood Pressure will come to the best possible mark. Hours of sleep will reduce and hunger will be moderate. Bad odours from the body will no more be there. | ||||||
| Till you get above signs, you should continue Vipasana. Further signs can not be discussed here?.if you have reached upto here, the Universal system will make sure you find a teacher to guide you further because the next stage is more disturbing (and rewarding too) and can not be performed without proper guidance. | ||||||
| Hari Om | ||||||
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