Next few blogs on dhyan are translated from a book " Shree Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan " This book is a compilation of excerpts from letters written by Pujya Shree Mota to Sadhaks, and previously published in his various books like Jivan pagaran, Jivan prerana, Jivan pagathi, Jivan sansodhan etc.
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Dhyan is one of the tools to develop and keep alive the spirit of efforts for the advancement of life. Concentration on one thought process is also called dhyan. One purpose of dhyan is to silence ( નીરવતા ) the mind. The other purpose is to maintain this silence while performing our daily works, and eventually to develop such capability as to performing these works without any effort to maintain this silence.
Now a days everybody sits down for dhyan with closed eyes. Just as we need capital to start the business, it is essential to have some training of the mind to concentrate. Without this training of concentration, dhyan is not possible.
It is of utmost importance to have fixed time and place. Even more important is to have a fixed and continuous, concentrated mental attitude.
Whatever thought comes in your mind offer it to God with love and devotion. This continuous offering of thoughts is also a kind of dhyan. One can also concentrate and be centered on sat-guru's heart. Dhyan can also be on nothingness (શૂન્યત્વ) also. But this nothingness can not be dry and devoid of any purpose. Mysterious and deep purpose pervades this kind of dhyan.
If you have uncontrollable thoughts then you should not start dhyan. Make an effort to calm the mind. Try to concentrate first on your heart and then be centered. At the same time try to elevate consciousness by remembering Him while keeping joyous attitude ( aspiration for Him ).
While doing japa ( chanting-remember ) devotion and love sprouts in your mind and when this becomes continuous, you get completely absorbed in dhyan. Dhyan then reaches to its maximum height and in the end you experience various sides of ultimate truth.
Keep practicing even if you have lots of thoughts and may not experience complete concentration for a while. If you practice for a long time with patience, then one day divine will express itself in the practice and then you will have control over your thoughts. We should have complete faith and heart in the practice of any tool and there should be unbroken continuity in the practice. Concentrate on the center between your eyebrows to stop the thoughts. Concentrate on your heart center to increase love, devotion and good qualities. Instead of paying attention to stop the thoughts, let the thoughts pass by. Our attention and focus needs to be on increasing concentration and to be centered on the heart center.
( continued )
Pujya Shree Mota
Shree Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan ( શ્રીમોટાની ધ્યાનાવસ્થા અને ધ્યાન )
Edition 2; pages 21 - 24.
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Dhyan is one of the tools to develop and keep alive the spirit of efforts for the advancement of life. Concentration on one thought process is also called dhyan. One purpose of dhyan is to silence ( નીરવતા ) the mind. The other purpose is to maintain this silence while performing our daily works, and eventually to develop such capability as to performing these works without any effort to maintain this silence.
Now a days everybody sits down for dhyan with closed eyes. Just as we need capital to start the business, it is essential to have some training of the mind to concentrate. Without this training of concentration, dhyan is not possible.
It is of utmost importance to have fixed time and place. Even more important is to have a fixed and continuous, concentrated mental attitude.
Whatever thought comes in your mind offer it to God with love and devotion. This continuous offering of thoughts is also a kind of dhyan. One can also concentrate and be centered on sat-guru's heart. Dhyan can also be on nothingness (શૂન્યત્વ) also. But this nothingness can not be dry and devoid of any purpose. Mysterious and deep purpose pervades this kind of dhyan.
If you have uncontrollable thoughts then you should not start dhyan. Make an effort to calm the mind. Try to concentrate first on your heart and then be centered. At the same time try to elevate consciousness by remembering Him while keeping joyous attitude ( aspiration for Him ).
While doing japa ( chanting-remember ) devotion and love sprouts in your mind and when this becomes continuous, you get completely absorbed in dhyan. Dhyan then reaches to its maximum height and in the end you experience various sides of ultimate truth.
Keep practicing even if you have lots of thoughts and may not experience complete concentration for a while. If you practice for a long time with patience, then one day divine will express itself in the practice and then you will have control over your thoughts. We should have complete faith and heart in the practice of any tool and there should be unbroken continuity in the practice. Concentrate on the center between your eyebrows to stop the thoughts. Concentrate on your heart center to increase love, devotion and good qualities. Instead of paying attention to stop the thoughts, let the thoughts pass by. Our attention and focus needs to be on increasing concentration and to be centered on the heart center.
( continued )
Pujya Shree Mota
Shree Mota ni dhyan avastha and dhyan ( શ્રીમોટાની ધ્યાનાવસ્થા અને ધ્યાન )
Edition 2; pages 21 - 24.
