Self Awareness Through Meditation

Author(s): Ranjitsingh Kumat
Publisher: Ranjitsingh Kumat

Page 96

VIPASSANA MEDITATION THE WAY TO SUBLIMATION
observation of truth about self. This technique of meditation tries to reach the depths of mind. No words, syllables or mantras or devotional objects are used as a subject of meditation. In this system we start with observing the breath (the incoming and outgoing breath) as it is coming naturally to us. We just observe the coming and going of the breath and no attempt is made to restrain it, shorten it or lengthen it. One has to observe it as it is coming and going in the natural way. Once the mind has been sharpened, the sensations arising on our body are observed with equanimity. No sensation is evaluated as good or bad. The sensations of the body the itching, throbbing, pulsation, lightness, heaviness, heat, cold, perspiration, fatigue, numbness etc. caused by any factor, external or internal, are just observed. No evaluation about pleasantness or otherwise is to be made nor any craving or aversion is to be developed. These are to be observed as they appear or disappear in a natural way and no attempt is to be made to imagine, retain or repel them.
Realization
Many things happen once we go through this meditation. In the first place, we become aware of subtle sensation of the body of which we were just not aware earlier. Secondly mind is trained not to react but to just observe. Thirdly, we realize the impermanence and ephemeral nature of the universe and the matter around us. The realization is now at an existential level and not merely at intellectual level.
When the mind is concentrated within, its nature is changed and it is prevented from looking without. It is stopped from running about at a breakneck speed from one object to another. As the ravings of the mind are stopped we reach the depths of our mind (the subconscious mind) and the stored impressions (mental sankharas) get chance to come up and appear as sensation on the body. We do not react to these sensations and in the process they pass away. The stored impressions also pass away without creating new impression or sankhara.
Next we start observing the mind. We start becoming aware of its working and the feelings. We do so not at the intellectual level but at the experiential level. We begin to realize that whenever we lose our temper, we become agitated and unpleasant sensations arise in our body. Whenver we do wholesome work or have good thoughts, pleasant sensations arise on our body bringing peace and tranquility. Sensations arise of their own accord on the basis of our mental activity. Mind only observes and realizes at the experiential level that whenever bad thoughts arise it becomes tense or