the abc's of spiritual success

7/27/2019 The ABC's of Spiritual Success

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Two Divine manifestations guiding us

Through Whispers within our Higher Minds and Hearts

Telling us that success lies within the attainment of

A- Awareness

B- Blessing (Grace)

C- Concentration

Sri Anandamayi Ma Sri Ramana Maharshi

QUESTION: It has been said that the Name invokes the Named, and His home

is within the heart. In my meditation I lose the thread of awareness of Gods

Name. How does one remedy the loss of awareness of the actual sound

(aksara) of the Name of God while performing mantra japa, though still

retaining awareness of the breath?

If proper concentration on the MOVEMENT and LENGTH of the breath isfocused, the absence of awareness of the Name of God, or purely Om, will be

acutely felt and remembrance will ensue. Concentration on the length of the breath

entails awareness of the beginning, middle and end of each inhalation and exhalation.Nama japa, which most commonly includes an even number of sylables, is most

effectively linked to the breath evenly. If this maxim is properly applied, the middlepoint of each breath actually marks the point of shifting from one syllable to the next.

For instance, with the proper intonation of Om, equal matric value (length of

intonation) is given to the ooo sound as well as the mmm sound. The exact

middle of the incoming or outgoing breath marks the point where the change fromthe first to the second sound occurs. This same practice applies to any of the various

Namas (Divine Names) used within meditation, i.e. Rama, Siva, Krishna, Jesus,


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Allah or Buddha (Buddho in Pali). There are various two-syllable Namas used

within Jewish meditation, but according their tradition they are not written down.Respecting that ancient custom, they are not written herein. Though this harmonized

movement of sound and breath takes time to develop until it becomes a habit, when

this stage does occur, the practice also becomes natural. Thus, when forgetfulness ofthe aksara (sound) of Om does happen, we feel an acute unnatural feeling while

crossing over the middle point of each breath. This should create a sense of dis-ease,

which will cause remembrance of Om to again activate within our mentalmovement. The positive aspect of this process is that upon recognition of the

absence of the Nama or Om, some degree of desperation will be experienced

even possibly a feeling of being out of touch with the Divine Presence being

invoked. This could also be experienced as being out of breath. This desperation is

the beginning of the needful intensity of longing for God - Iswarapranadana. As in

human relationships, the deepest sincerity of love is developed most profoundlythrough the despair of temporary separation. This is an active movement of the

grace of God. God pushes us through our remembrance; God pulls us through our

forgetfulness.

FOLLOW YOUR INSTINCT!

The process of spiritual transformation, once activated, works through the

instinctual aspect of our personality. Habits, especially derived from vasanas are

extremely difficult to change merely by an act of will. But on the instinctual level,

habits can and must be dismantled. There are two main areas to concentrate on andwork within. First is to break the instinctual urge to procrastinate, to delay, or even to

do two or more things at once! This habit fosters leaving things undone, which seeps

right into our spiritual practice. Here, though we have begun to adopt a routine of

spiritual practice that fosters and promotes a continuous flow of thoughts towards

completeness, through the procrastinating habit in external worldly affairs, we infect

the potential achievements of our higher mind and heart with a negative directionalflow of a discontinuouscharacter. The most significant obstacle man faces within the

practice of religious life is a discontinuous mind. For most, especially without proper

guidance, this is an insurmountable obstacle.

Regardless of this obstacle, vanquishing this enemy from within heralds in asupremely important level of advancement. Prayer and meditation are the key

factors. For when we pray; we speak and God listens. When we meditate; God

speaks and we listen.

God speaks to us, in a diffused way, through our instincts. This is Gods

response to our prayers. We have become sunk within the restraining confinements

of the base intellectual mind; separated from the intuitional realm (vijnanamayakosha) where God converses freely with us. Thus, the only way, the only avenue that


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is open for our real Self to positively influence a mind in which sufficient

meditation, reflection or enquiry is absent, is through our instincts.

If we meditate with constant regularity and deeply enough, we can in time

perceive God speaking to us even outside of our meditation.

The counter forces to this are the vasanas that manifest as habits and character

traits. They cannot speak, but only vibrate; doing so with enormous power! They donot entice us, we fall victim to them only through mutual vibratory attraction. If our

minds are tuned through unskillful (discontinuous) awareness, then we pick up

on the bad vibration and initiate action towards satisfying the desire that is at the

heart of the vasana. If we are skillfully tuned, through right attention, i.e. meditation,

reflection or enquiry, japa, prayers, breath awareness, worship and specifically the

Practice of the Presence of God, the vasanas vibratory rate (power) is slowlydiminished to the eventual point of destruction.

If we are properly tuned through our activesadhana, then the intuitional mind

perceives Gods guiding advice from within. His voice becomes audible. We have

all, at one time or another experienced the surety and possibly the thrill of thisconcrete human contact that the Divine is making with us. The lower aspect of our

mind immediately attempts to trivialize, and thus minimize, the wonder and supreme

significance of these revelations by suggestions that they are merely hunches.

Gods voice, though emanating from within the highest levels of our mind, resonates

within the heart. The age-old enemy, the ego, makes further attempts to blind us tothe reality of these mystical movements through both distracting thoughts and even

actual bodily feelings that cover the truth. Though when in truth God is actually

guiding our way through life, the mind diverts our perception of this by suggesting

that it is only a gut feeling; I know in my gut that such and such is right! There

is a fragment of truth to this lie from the lower mind. But as always, our mind, by its

very nature, goes too far and too fast! Being in a state of panic, the ego knows thatwe will not believe that such advents of Grace emanate from the mind, and the last

thing it wants is for us to perceive that these are, in truth, movements of the heart. So

our ego throws out the idea that we are having a gut feeling. This is a safe place forthe ego to deposit this intuitional guiding Hand of God. Safe indeed, for the human

gut is a veritable fortress for the ego.

QUESTION: Is it true that through my mediation my mind is developing

clarity?

Without doubt, correct meditation, effectively (repeatedly) applied, does

accentuate focus. By definition, clear and unobstructed focus does instill clarity of

mind. Within the preliminary stages of a spiritual adepts practice, utilizing theancient methods of Sanatana Dharma (the Eternal Religion), the most effective

means of this mental development is achieved though the recitation of the Gayatri


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mantra. The final phrase of this mantra is the heart of our prayer, for it is essentially

our supplication for God to grant us eyes to see and ears to hear. Gayatri mantrajapa grants us not only clarity to discern right from wrong, but also most importantly

attainment of vairagya (dispassion) towards the perishable and love towards the

Eternal.

Om Bhoor Bhuvas Swah //Tat Savitur Varenyam

Bhargo Devasya Dhimahi //

Dhiyo Yo Nah Prachodayat

DHIYO YO NAH PRACHODAYAT! (The final concluding phrase of the

Gayatri mantra)

DHI-YO - Sanskrit for "intellect", this is the essence of this part of the

Gayatri Mantra. Having firmly set God in our hearts, we now must try to

emphasize His presence and influence on our mind and intellect.

Material prosperity holds no true meaning for the person who is truly devoted

to God. Pain and suffering are of no consequence to him as, touched by God,he is imbued with God's own Divine Bliss, and all worldly sorrows pale to

nothingness in comparison. However, still the individual must live in theworld. Thus, it is important that the person's intellect remains focused on

serving God, and that it is able, through the medium of the body, to serve God

to the best of its ability.

Physical objects can be obtained very easily, if one is intelligent enough to

know how to go about it. Intellect however cannot be obtained, but must be

there from the very first. It is by use of this intellect, in fact, that one is able tocultivate all other qualities (building of wealth, "success" in life (in material

terms), physical fitness, etc.) Thus, intellect is the key to all else in life, and assuch, it is the most important possession. We ask God in the Gayatri Mantra

to gift us with the highest intellect, and to help us by showing us the way to

use that intellect.

YO - Meaning "Who" or "That", Yo signifies yet again that it is not to

anyone else that we direct these prayers, but to God alone. Only God isworthy of the highest adoration, only God is perfect and free from all defects.

It is That God to whom we offer these prayers.

NAH - Nah means "Ours", and signifies the selflessness of the request we

make of God in this part of the Gayatri Mantra. We offer this prayer, and


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make the request of God, not simply for ourselves, but for the whole of

humanity. We seek the uplift of the whole of society. Hindu philosophy hassince the beginning recognized the concept of "Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam" -

"The whole world is one big family". Thus, we pray not only for ourselves,

but also for each and every member of that great family, that we may allbenefit from the greatness and generosity of the All-loving God.

PRA-CHO-DA-YAT - Prachodayat, the final word of the Gayatri Mantra,rounds off the whole mantra, and completes the request we make of God in

this final part. This word is a request of God, in which we ask Him for

Guidance, and Inspiration. We ask that, by showing us His Divine and

Glorious Light (cf. BHARGO), He remove the darkness of Maya from our

paths, that we are able to see the way, and in this manner, we ask Him to

direct our energies in the right way, guiding us through the chaos of thisworld, to find sanctuary in the tranquility and peace of God Himself, the root

of all Happiness, and the source of true Bliss.1

Mantra japa of the Savitri (Goddess) Gayatri is much more than a prayer. Theability to see and be guided by the Divine Light (Bhargo) is woven within the

Sanskrit matric sounds themselves. The vibration invoked by repetition of these

sylables literally inebriates our consciousness with very special super sensual

perception. Therefore, we have not at all developed clarity of thought; rather we have

been gifted with special faculties of perception (Indriyas).

We are now truly human! The word for Human Being within the religious

context of the language used in Eastern Europe, especially Czechoslovakia, is

Chelovek. It is translated to mean: One who has their third eye open! Thus, a

human is one who perceives the light of God! But alas, we are human. Therefore,

though we see the Light, and hear the still small voice of God, it is a matter of ourchoice as to whether we obey!

Our obedience lies in ourabhyasa (repeated spiritual practice). Within ourabhyasa sounds the triple knock upon the door to the heart. Having attuned our

minds to the Voice of God through right awareness and right concentration, andhaving been guided by That, the Blessing of Grace comes unto us. God hears our

knock and responds. The door to the heart opens from the inside!

1 The word by word description of the Gayatri mantra is derived from:

www.eaglespace.com/spirit/gayatribywords


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The purport of prescribing meditation on the pranava (OM) is this.

The Pranava is Omkarathe advaita-mantra which is the essence of

all mantras such as Panchakshara. In order to get at this true

significance, one should meditate on the Pranava. This is meditation

which is of the nature of devotion consisting in reflection on the truthof the Self. The fruition of this process is samadhi which yields release

[moksha], which is the state of unsurpassable bliss.

(Collected Works of Ramana Maharshi, 6th edition, Self Enquiry #28 p. 23-24)

the abc's of spiritual success

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