Karachi,
February 26, 1940.
Dear Brother,
Do not insist in your mind that dhyan (meditation) has to be done in a certain way. Keep watching whatever happens in meditation and use the resulting bhava and bhavna in the sadhana (spiritual development). Do not keep any kind of insistence that meditation is best only if there is certain kind of feelings or anything else in particular happens. Meaning of dhyan is to go above thoughts, feelings, reactions to outside world, impressions from senses, mind, chitta and even the pranas. All these need to stop naturally and almost vanish. Then only we begin to hear and understand our inner voice. It leads to understanding of the true nature of bhava of the heart, its effect, its sphere of influence and its all pervasiveness.
There are many reasons and ways for the dhyan. One reason is for inner search, second is to develop the intensity in surrender, third is to develop blankness and thoughtlessness of the mind, fourth is to merge with divine consciousness and fifth being to stay in the bhava of prayers. There is no rigidity in the results; since it happened one time may not mean it has to happen next time. Just watch whatever happens. Whatever is gained or inspired, use it for increasing the speed and enthusiasm in the spirit of sadhana. In all kind of meditations the most important requirement is the bhava of concentration and its presence is a must for it to be successful and its absence means that there was not much of dhyan. When dhyan is done with concentration, it leads to absorption in it. That in turn makes it interesting and it is possible to go deeper and deeper. Stability develops at this level. This stability is not with inertia and it leads to experience of the consciousness.
Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Pagaran
Edition 3; Pages 45 - 46.
My two cents - It is difficult to explain meaning of bhava. It can be understood as the characteristics of the divine consciousness (like bliss, all pervasiveness etc) as experienced by human beings.
February 26, 1940.
Dear Brother,
Do not insist in your mind that dhyan (meditation) has to be done in a certain way. Keep watching whatever happens in meditation and use the resulting bhava and bhavna in the sadhana (spiritual development). Do not keep any kind of insistence that meditation is best only if there is certain kind of feelings or anything else in particular happens. Meaning of dhyan is to go above thoughts, feelings, reactions to outside world, impressions from senses, mind, chitta and even the pranas. All these need to stop naturally and almost vanish. Then only we begin to hear and understand our inner voice. It leads to understanding of the true nature of bhava of the heart, its effect, its sphere of influence and its all pervasiveness.
There are many reasons and ways for the dhyan. One reason is for inner search, second is to develop the intensity in surrender, third is to develop blankness and thoughtlessness of the mind, fourth is to merge with divine consciousness and fifth being to stay in the bhava of prayers. There is no rigidity in the results; since it happened one time may not mean it has to happen next time. Just watch whatever happens. Whatever is gained or inspired, use it for increasing the speed and enthusiasm in the spirit of sadhana. In all kind of meditations the most important requirement is the bhava of concentration and its presence is a must for it to be successful and its absence means that there was not much of dhyan. When dhyan is done with concentration, it leads to absorption in it. That in turn makes it interesting and it is possible to go deeper and deeper. Stability develops at this level. This stability is not with inertia and it leads to experience of the consciousness.
Pujya Shree Mota
Jivan Pagaran
Edition 3; Pages 45 - 46.
My two cents - It is difficult to explain meaning of bhava. It can be understood as the characteristics of the divine consciousness (like bliss, all pervasiveness etc) as experienced by human beings.
