Spiritual Practice and Meditation: Thoughts on Origins and Forms - Case Study Example

Spiritual Practice Spiritual Practice and Meditation: Thoughts on Origins and Forms and Section Spiritual Practice 2 Spiritual Practice and Meditation: Thoughts on Origins and Forms Yantra Yoga and How it Relates to Meditative Practice Yantra yoga has its origins in the Indian form of hatha yoga. This ancient Buddhist form of practice utilizes breathing, movement, and concentration in simultaneously to create the state of expending as little energy as possible to achieve specific mental and physical activity. “The core aim of a healthy practitioner is to be able to conserve as much energy as possible in the form of bodily heat, breath, and muscle use. By conserving these sources of energy, one’s lifespan is increased as well as channeled towards higher purposes such as spiritual practices.” (Rapgay, 1996) Yantra yoga is based on the concept of the trul-khor, which is translated into body (trul) and mandala (khor). In this, the body is a physical manifestation of the enlightened potential self that can be learned to see and attain. Yantra is designed as part of a system of knowledge that is learned by the Tibetan yogi that achieves an ability to be self-sustaining. Along with knowing how to deal with illness and to maintain internal health, it is important for the yogi to understand the needs of the physical body in movement. With this need for movement, however, the need for visualization and meditation is addressed and in this system the yogi has a complete science of well-being. Attaining a physical harmony enhances the potential of a reaching a harmony of enlightenment. To understand the meditative practices in involved, it is important to understand the physical aspect. There is symmetry to all aspects of yantra, as there is symmetry to the meditative disciplines that are used within the practice. The visual representation within the mandala are geometric and usually circular in nature. In this way, within the Spiritual Practice 3 mandala is a representation of the entire universe. The creation of the sand mandala is symbolic of the impermanence of life as the sand is swept away immediately after the painstaking creation of the sand painting that has taken several weeks to accomplish. In this discipline stands the foundation of the meditative practice. The importance of understanding that as the focus narrows and the energy tightens towards enlightenment, the ever changing universe, in its immense presence will humble the seeker until a place of purity is truly attained. In this meditation, a physical and a mental focal point is utilized to seek this understanding. The meditation upon death is one of the strongest types of meditation that is used in yantric tradition. To meditate on the ultimate human fear, the fear that keeps one motivated to seek survival, to seek procreation, and to seek to establish a permanent accomplishment to live out our impermanent life, is to face the fear that drives most aspects of life. However, by a deep contemplation of death, one can find the peace of a moment. Each moment in life is precious and in the act of always seeking the next moment, the moments are lost to tomorrow. In the contemplation of death, the purity that is the joy of a moment can be realized and can lead to inner peace as one learns to savor the completeness of each moment of life. To utilize the mandala is to give a representational focal point to the objective of the meditation. Using a visual device can increase the ability to utilize visualization and bring into consciousness an identification with the deity. As the mandala represents the symbolic seed of the universe, it can open the mind to enable the user to attain a state that leads toward the coveted enlightenment of the seeker. In these ways the use of the Spiritual Practice 4 mandala can open the mind to the greater sense of the Divine and blur the line between the world within and the outer world. In this way, spirituality is increased and becomes a light that is emanated outwardly because it has saturated within the soul. As one trains the physical body to its potential, the spiritual and mental aspects of the self are enhanced as the all aspects of the self are addressed and cleansed of those things that could block the potential for enlightenment. In the discipline of physical movement and breath, the body is prepared to accept the universal essence of the deity, and then the mind can be prepared to do so as well. Discipline of all aspects of the human experience allow for attaining a higher sense of self that will lead to an acceptance of the spiritual from outside of the self. As the body is prepared toward a sense of perfection, the imperfection of the human condition and the impermanence of life can be realized and accepted allowing for a sense of inner peace and tranquility. Rama and Sita in the Exemplification of Shringara Rasa. Shringara is most often defined as meaning ’love’, but can also mean ‘beauty‘. The Shringara Rasa is the enjoyment of a member of the opposite sex in a state of romance, and is extended to create a lovely atmosphere for friends and family in the way in which one behaves, dresses, decorates and shows them welcome. Love is the manner in which happiness can most extremely be expressed and it is expected that a man and a woman should treat each other as a god and goddess in the core of their own universe. In this way, they can reach for the Divine. Reaching this state of shringara does not take great efforts. The small details are Spiritual Practice 5 what enhance the rasa. Between two people, the simple attentions can create the strongest rewards. A touch, a smile, a secret between the two, all of these are the mortar that create the bonds. As these bonds are built, the two aspects of shringara begin to emerge. The first aspect is that of union, and the second is that of separation. Because in all things that are enjoyed there is a sense of addiction, the concept of attachment also exists. The art of shringara is that of moderation and diversity. Tasting is the key to the concept. One should not devour the aspects of love, but should approach them with modesty and restraint. In this way, love is discovered for its nuances and subtleties. Becoming a spectator can give a larger reward as one is then able to love everyone and everything, able to sustain and always be in love. The sexual expressions of love should also be used in moderation, acting as a spice to enhance the emotion rather than overwhelm it. The story of Rama and Sita reflects the shringara rasa in ways that are related to how love is perceived by the culture. The concept of union is based on duty rather than desire. Falling in love was not the instigation for the wedding, but it was out of duty that Rama and Sita would marry. As an extension, it is often considered that the Ramayana is a story of how a family ought to be constructed and how they should behave toward one another. In a traditional Indian family, marriage is made by arrangement. Obligation is what holds the wife and husband together. Rama does not win his wife for the love of her, but for the glory of having conquered the bow of King Janaka. Aspects of respect are the glue of the concept of union. As Rama and Sita are Spiritual Practice 6 married, they respect the willingness to fulfill their obligations toward one another and begin a life with the idea that the other is worthy on the basis of the willingness to serve their individual roles. It is Rama’s responsibility to provide for and protect his wife. When he is sent into exile, he tells Sita that she should stay behind, but she insists that she will go with him, showing her bond to him. This faithfulness out of obligation and a union that is accepted and worked between the two is an aspect of shringara rasa. The arrangement is built of respect and is infused with love, rather than have a passionate love that blankets an entire affair. Another representation of shringara rasa is that when the union of Rama to Sita is created, her sisters are then given to his brothers. This idea the love can be spread and shared beyond the union of two is symbolic of an overall infusion of beauty into the lives of the families. It is just not the two main characters that will experience the essence of union, but the essence will be carried through the family in order to attain a higher sense of the essence. Again, however, it is not passion that is spread, but the benefits of the union and the sense of obligation that holds the union together. It is duty that forces Rama to obey the will of his father when he is sent into exile and it is duty that will require that Sita go with him. She chooses to adhere to her duty to her husband, she is not forced. In this way, by this example of a duty to her husband to share his fate, Sita shows an aspect of shringara. She says in one version that: With thee is heaven, where’re the spot; Each place is hell, where thou art not. (Guerber, 1913) With this she has shown that she will share his fate. Her union to him has created a bond Spiritual Practice 7 that is without reproach. Her future was tied to his during the act of marriage and she will not defy that promise. This examples the way in which an arranged marriage should be approached, that is ideally, in the Hindu tradition. The two are not lovers, primarily, but partners in fate. They will share what is to come, whatever that may be, and suffer the consequences together. The obligatory duty of union is one that is happily accepted and in that acceptance, honor is shared by the entire family. One of the aspects of Sita’s story is that she is blessed with eternal youth and beauty. In this way, a representation of how her husband will see her for the rest of their lives is brought forth. While in the story the blessing is real, the symbolism is that a husband must always look on his wife and see these things within her. To see these things is to encourage the continuation of harmony within a marriage. The separations that occur between Rama and Sita are forced upon them. As suggested, the option to stay united is always preferred and when the choice is available to choose to be together or apart, the choice is to remain as close as they can remain. When Sita is captured and taken from Rama, he must win her release - and in doing this he is also winning back his honor. The simple concepts of shringara rasa are not actually that simple. To live in a state of beauty and love is to wrap themselves in the willful acceptance of obligation and honor. In doing these things, Rama and Sita exemplify the hope of shringara rasa. Ayurveda Yoga: How it Relates to My Goals and Aspirations Spiritual Practice 8 --“Ayurveda teaches that man is a microcosm, a universe within himself….His individual existence is indivisible from the total cosmic manifestation.” (V. Lad) It is important to realize how the physical body relates to the whole health of the body in terms of mental and spiritual awakenings. As a higher state of consciousness is sought, the state of the body can intrude upon this goal by inhibiting the seeker to reach higher states by virtue of limitations that the physical body can bring into the practice. As the positional demands of the physical aspects of yoga practice create physical demands on the body, a sense of proper physical well-being is essential in attaining proper form and reaching higher goals. The diet, in particular, is important as the body must seek to be detoxified in order to relinquish any impurities that will create an obstacle between the present state and a higher state of consciousness. According to Lad, Throughout life, there is a ceaseless interaction between the internal and external environment. The external environment comprises the cosmic forces (macrocosm), while the internal forces(microcosm) are governed by the principle of the three elements. A basic principle of healing in Ayurveda holds that one may create balance in the internal forces working in the individual by altering diet and habits of living to counteract changes in his external environment. (Lad, 1984) This highly relevant connection between the internal and external must be addressed in order to attain a higher spiritual existence. --“In the spiritual evolution of a man, Ayurveda is the foundation, Yoga is the body and Tantra is the head.” (V. Lad) Good internal health is essential to the overall well-being of an individual. Ayurveda is the foundation in that a sense of the healed body, free from toxic influences Spiritual Practice 9 that are substantial in ill health. Healing the internal creates a basis on which yoga can be practiced with purity of movement and breath. Meditation fulfills the mental spiritual needs as the body embraces the movement and the breath. Combining the three aspects create a sense of overall well-being which increases the potential and the quality of the aspirations of the individual. --“though dukkha can be found everywhere, we do not always perceive it.” (Desikachar) In the essence of the presence of dukkha is the temptation to allow its presence to impact the continuation of a peaceful life. While the acceptance of suffering as a constant within the human experience must be attained in order to understand the nature of truth, the impermanence of happiness must also be accepted in order to alleviate the insinuation of suffering upon life. Happiness is associated most often with an object of a person and when that object of person is lost, suffering is present. Suffering is always present because happiness is not always present and in the absence of happiness lives suffering. Yes, we do not always perceive dukkha. The cloak of happiness can shroud the essence of suffering and promote well-being. However, when that cloak is lifted, if suffering has not been processed and acknowledged, the despair can be overwhelming, denying any sense of inner calm or peace. In the understanding of impermanence, or anicca, one can alleviate the stress of the absence of happiness and move forward into a new sense of joy, while grieving the loss of the object of bliss. To deny the presence of dukkha is to deny the relief of happiness and to set oneself on a course that can be irrevocable in its sorrow. To not Spiritual Practice 10 perceive the possibility of one’s own suffering is to not be prepared for its inevitable eventuality because nothing remains the same forever. As well, the act of ignoring the suffering of others taints the essence of the state of happiness that one might have attained for oneself. To walk in abundance amidst a crowd of sorrow is to walk as a miser, unwilling to give unto others what they are in need of receiving, and therefore, this will taint the happiness that has been personally attained. To truly experience joy, one must seek to alleviate the source of suffering that is within one’s power to impact. --“We are both the observer and what is observed at the same time.” (Desikachar) This relates to the object of the lesson above. An individual who does not seek to alleviate the suffering of others will be seen for as one who does not understand the world. To turn from the needs of others in order to satisfy one’s own journey is to decay the essence of a spiritual life. As a seeker of enlightenment searches for answers, he or she must be aware that the conduct they portray is viewed and judged. This can taint any path that is followed if attention is not given to perceived intentions and actions. Within a life that seeks a spiritual and physical attainment of purity, how one acts and reacts to the outer world is as important as how one views the inner world. Selfishly following a path toward enlightenment that does nothing to enhance the outer world around oneself is to have entirely missed the path from its beginning. This would not be a journey that I would want to undertake. Spiritual Practice 11 Works Cited Gerber, Helene Adeline (1913) The Book of the Epic. Philadelphia: J. P. Lippencott Company. Lad, Dr Vasant, (1984) Ayurveda: The Science of Self-Healing. Twin Lakes: Lotus Press. Rapgay, Lopsang (1996) The Tibetan Book of Healing. Twin Lakes: Lotus Press. Read More