INTRODUCTION TO VEDANTIC MEDITATION 3
The purpose of Meditation 3 is to give the mind experiences it never had nor understands and so help the mind to expand, like ‘massaging’ the mind! Note, it is the mind which expands, not Consciousness. The word ‘I’ will be used during the meditation. Personalise it to yourself. It is a simple pronoun, yet is the doorway to the infinite you are, here and now.
To help keep the focus on ‘I’, keep the attention at the confluence of the three energy lines in the head: from the top of the head, from between the eyebrows and from above the ear. This confluence point can be called the ‘nidi point’. I introvert and focus the attention at that point. Like a pivot, it is from the nidi point that the outward observation of objects begins and also the inward recognition of ‘I’, Consciousness proceeds deeper inwards.
An instruction to open and close your eyes will be made. With open eyes, the benefit is that I can apply the knowledge in a direct and pragmatic way to myself. The disadvantage is that I can get distracted by things around and the attention can wander. With closed eyes, the benefit is that I can internalise the knowledge effectively, moving it from the intellect, through the heart, into the subconsciousness. The disadvantage is that I can be distracted by memories and other thoughts arising and the attention can wander. I use the advantage of both open and closed eyes and take care not to let the attention wander. If it does, I bring it back to the nidi point.
The word ‘feel’ will be used. It is not emotionality nor restricted to just sensations. The different layers of personality are all involved. In the intellect layer, there is a thought, eg. “I am immortal”. The emotional layer or heart feels the joy of such knowing. The physical body may have physical sensations, like tingling. The features of Consciousness are deepened from the intellect, through the heart, into the subconscious. It is in the subconscious that the knowledge does its transformative work of removing ignorance and misconceptions and of establishing myself as Consciousness so that it is firm, automatic and natural. In brief, ‘feel’ means using the intellect and heart.
The word ‘feel’ is one of many methods of integrating and assimilating the cognitive recognition of Consciousness. ‘Feel’ is experience being guided by the knowledge of Consciousness. By directly experiencing these features of Consciousness, I integrate and internalise the recognition of Consciousness and own it, am it: “I am Consciousness which is immortal, eternal, etc”. When I ‘feel’ a feature of Consciousness, I automatically abide as Consciousness, Myself, my true nature.
Please note that what one ‘feels’ are features of Consciousness, like immortal, eternal, etc. but not Consciousness itself. It is futile to try to experience Consciousness because I already am and always experiencing Consciousness. Just that I do not know this fact (cf. the ‘insect-man’). I overlook Consciousness through ignorance. To repeat this important distinction: what I ‘feel’ are the features of Consciousness and not Consciousness as such. By ‘feeling’ the features of Consciousness, I reinforceand assimilate the recognition of and abidance as Consciousness, ‘I’.
Caveat: Vedantic meditation, nididhyasanam, should be done only after much shravanam and mananam. Shravanam is the systematic and consistent study of Vedantic scripture, for a length of time, under guidance. Any questions or doubts are cleared through mananam. This means that if one is not ready to internalise the knowledge gained through shravanam and mananam, the seeker should NOT do nididhyasanam. It will be meaningless, even confuse the seeker and may lead to antagonism towards Vedanta. Also note that no new knowledge is gained during nididhyasanam. Whatever knowledge was gained through shravanam-mananam will be reviewed, reinforced and assimilated. First, shravanam-mananam, only then nididhyasanam, Vedantic meditation.
III I AM NOT …. I AM ….
3.1 I, PURE CONSCIOUSNESS … am not mortal.
The body is mortal … it was born … it must die.
But I am not the body.
I am the Witness … the un-witnessed Witness … of the body …
I am the Knower … the unknown Knower … of the body.
I am the Source … from which the body appears.
The body is an object I have … an object in My Presence …
… made from Me … appearing from Me … appearing different from Me …
… conditioned … inert … lifeless … dead in itself.
I am not mortal, like this body.
I, Consciousness … am IMMORTAL …
… close eyes … nidi point, deeper inwards … as Consciousness, (not person) … feel being immortal …
… rest … let this feeling move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am immortal … I, Consciousness am immortal … always immortal.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading this mortal body …
… pervading all mortal bodies …
… and this body and all bodies … are in Me, Consciousness.
3.2 I, Consciousness … am not temporary.
I do not come and go.
This mind-body is temporary … it comes and it goes …
… that is its nature … what it is supposed to do … come and go, be temporary.
But I am not the mind-body personality.
I am the Observer … the unobserved Observer … of the mind-body personality.
I am the Recogniser … the unrecognised Recogniser of the mind-body.
I am the Matrix … from which the mind-body appears.
The mind-body is an object I have … an object in My Presence …
… made from Me … appearing from Me … appearing different from Me …
… conditioned … inert … lifeless … dead in itself.
I am not temporary; I do not come and go, like this mind-body personality.
I am always present … eternal.
I, Consciousness … am ETERNAL …
… close eyes … nidi point, deeper inwards … as Consciousness, (not person) … feel being eternal …
… rest … let this realisation move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am eternal … I, Consciousness am eternal … always eternal.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading this temporary mind-body …
… pervading all temporary mind-bodies …
… and this mind-body and all mind-bodies … … are in Me, Consciousness.
3.3 I, Consciousness … am not changing.
The mind-body changes.
The mind … a flux … of constantly fluctuating and rapidly changing …
… thoughts, ideas, beliefs, emotions, desires, moods.
The body … constantly ageing, degenerating, decaying …
… undergoing the six modifications … six phases of life …
… gestation, birth, growth, maturity, degeneration, finally death.
But I am not the mind-body personality.
I am the Watcher, the un-watched Watcher … of the mind-body.
I am the Seer … the unseen Seer … of the mind-body.
I am the Substrate … from which the mind-body personality arises.
The mind-body is an object I have … an object in My Presence …
… made from Me … appearing from Me … appearing different from Me …
… conditioned … inert … lifeless … dead in itself.
I am not changing, like this mind-body personality.
I, Consciousness … am CHANGELESS …
… close eyes … nidi point, deeper inwards … as Consciousness, (not person) … feel being changeless …
… rest … let this recognition move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am changeless … I, Consciousness am changeless … always changeless.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading this changing mind-body …
… pervading all changing mind-bodies …
… and this mind-body and all mind-bodies … are in Me, Consciousness.
3.4 I, Consciousness … am not limited.
This mind-body is limited.
The mind … limited in intelligence, knowledge, faculties, powers, memory.
The body … limited in physical strength, endurance, flexibility, capability, health.
But I am not the mind-body personality.
I am the Witness … the un-witnessed Witness … of the mind-body personality.
I am the Knower … the unknown Knower of the mind-body personality.
I am the Source … from which the mind-body appears.
The mind-body is an object I have … an object in My Presence …
… made from Me … appearing from Me … appearing different from Me …
… conditioned … inert … lifeless … dead in itself.
I am not limited, like this mind-body personality.
I, Consciousness … am LIMITLESS …
… close eyes … nidi point, deeper inwards … as Consciousness, (not person) … feel being limitless …
… rest … let this knowledge move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am limitless … I, Consciousness am limitless … always limitless.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading this limited mind-body …
… pervading all limited mind-bodies …
… and this mind-body and all mind-bodies … are in Me, Consciousness.
3.5 I, Consciousness … am not finite
This mind-body is finite.
But I am not the mind-body.
I, pure Consciousness am INFINITE …
… close eyes … nidi point, deeper inwards … as Consciousness (not person) … feel being infinite …
… rest … let this feeling move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am infinite … I, Consciousness am infinite … always infinite.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading this finite mind-body …
… pervading all finite mind-bodies …
… and this mind-body and all mind-bodies … are in Me, Consciousness.
3.6 I, Consciousness … am not lacking.
This mind-body lacks.
It needs objects for … survival, sustenance, comfort, pleasure, security.
But I am not the mind-body personality.
I am the Observer … the unobserved Observer … of the mind-body.
I am the Recogniser … the unrecognised Recogniser … of the mind-body.
I am the Matrix … from which the mind-body personality appears.
The mind-body is an object I have … an object in My Presence …
… made from Me … appearing from Me … appearing different from Me …
… conditioned … inert … lifeless … dead in itself.
I, Consciousness am complete … completely satisfied in Myself … as Consciousness …
… close eyes … nidi point, deeper inwards … as Consciousness (not person) … feel being complete …
… rest … let this realisation move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am complete … I, Consciousness am complete … always complete.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading this incomplete mind-body …
… pervading all incomplete mind-bodies …
… and this mind-body and all mind-bodies … are in Me, Consciousness.
3.7 I, Consciousness … am not unfulfilled.
This mind-body is unfulfilling.
But I am not this mind-body.
I, Consciousness am fulfilled … completely fulfilled in Myself … as Consciousness …
… close eyes … nidi point … as Consciousness (not person) … feel being fulfilled …
… rest … let this recognition move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am fulfilled … I, Consciousness am fulfilled … always fulfilled.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading this unfulfilling mind-body …
… pervading all unfulfilling mind-bodies …
… and this mind-body and all mind-bodies … are in Me, Consciousness.
3.8 I, Consciousness … am not bound by space and time.
The mind-body is … bound by space … trapped in time.
But I am not the mind-body personality.
I am the Watcher … unwatched Watcher … of this mind-body.
I am the Seer … unseen Seer … of this mind-body.
I am the Substrate … from which the mind-body … and space … and time … appear.
The mind-body … and space … and time … are objects in My Presence …
… appearing from Me… appearing different from Me …
… conditioned … and therefore bound … inert matter.
I, Consciousness, am not bound by space and time, like this mind-body personality.
I, Consciousness, am always … BEYOND space-time … FREE from space-time…
DISTINCT from space-time … OTHER than space-time …
… close eyes … nidi point, deeper inwards … as Consciousness (not person) feel being beyond …
… rest … let this knowledge move from the intellect-heart into the subconscious … be convinced …
… I am beyond … I am free … I, Consciousness am beyond, free … always.
… open eyes … here and now … pervading the mind-body, all mind-bodies …
… and this mind-body, all mind-bodies, space and time … are in Me, Consciousness.
I am Consciousness … pure … unconditioned … unassociated … unattached …
Presence … Awareness … Fulfilled. OM.
