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Page 1 of 11912 · PDF PAGE 96
80 with.” Ari/22' means “Lord,” and a reasonable translation of the whole word would be “Union with God,” the exact term used by Christian mystics to describe their attainment. Now there is great confusion, because the Buddhists use the word Samadhi to mean something entirely different, the mere faculty of attention. Thus, with them, to think of a cat is to “ make Samadhi ” on that cat. They use the word Jhana to describe mystic states. This is excessively misleading, for as we saw in the last section, Dhyana is a preliminary to Samadhi, and of…
1912 · PDF PAGE 79
CHAPTER VI DHYANA HIS word has two quite distinct and mutually exclusive meanings. The first refers to the result itself. Dhyana is the same word as the Pali “Jhana.” The Buddha counted eight Jha'nas, which are evidently different degrees and kinds of trance. The Hindu also speaks of Dhyana as a lesser form of Samadhi. Others, however, treat it as if it were merely an intensification of Dharana. Patanjali says: “Dharana is holding the mind on to some particular object. An unbroken flow of knowledge in that subject is Dhyana. When that, giving up a…
1912 · PDF PAGE 63
… Niyama, are all acts of the body, while the mantra is connected with speech: Praty- ahara1s purely mental. And what is Pratyahara? This word is used by different authors in different senses. The same word is employed to designate both the practice and the result. It means for our present purpose a process rather strategical than practical; it is introspection, a sort of general examination of the contents of the mind which we wish to control: Asana having been mastered, all immediate exciting causes have been removed, and we are free to think …
1912 · PDF PAGE 37
…scratch, sneeze. This nuisance is so persistent that the Hindus (in their scientific way) devised a special practice for quieting it. The word Asana means [505126763 but, as with all words which have caused debate, its exact meaning has altered, and it is used in several distinct senses by various authors. The greatest authority on “ Yoga ” ᾽“ is Patanjali. He says, “Asana is that which is firm and pleasant.” This may be taken as meaning the result of success in the practice. 1 Yoga is the general name for that form of meditation which aims at th…
1912 · PDF PAGE 12
Χ So like a flame straight and unstirred Burn up thy being in one word! Next, still that ecstasy, prolong Thy meditation steep and strong, Slaying even God, should He distract Thy attention from the chosen act! Last, all these things in one o’erpowered, Time that the midnight blossom flowered! The oneness is. Yet even in this, My son, thou shalt not do amiss If thou restrain the expression, shoot Thy glance to rapture’s darkling root, Discarding name, form, sight, and stress Even of this high consciousness; Pierce to the heart! I leave thee here:…
1912 · PDF PAGE 49
…form. Occasion- ally a mantra may be “given,” i.e., heard in some unexplained manner during a meditation. One man, for example, used the words: “And strive to see in everything the will of God; ” to another, while engaged ’ apparently referring to the action of the inhibitory centres which he was using. By in killing thoughts, came the words “and push it down,’ keeping on with this he got his “ result.” The ideal mantra should be rhythmical, one might even say musical; but there should be sufficient emphasis on some syllable to assist the facult…
1912 · PDF PAGE 41
…pness; the muscles are not to be strained; and yet they are not allowed to be altogether slack. It is difficult to find a good descriptive word. Braced is perhaps the best. A sense of physical alertness is desirable. Think of the tiger about to spring, or of the oarsman waiting for the gun. After a little there will be cramp and fatigue. The student must now set his teeth, and go through with it. The minor sensations of itching, etc., will be found to pass away, if they are resolutely neglected, but the cramp and fatigue may be expected to increa…
1912 · PDF PAGE 98
…et into that state without preliminary practice; and, looking at it from this point, one seems able to reconcile the two meanings of the word which we debated in the last section. From below Dhyana seems like a trance, an experience so tremendous that one cannot think of anything bigger, while from above it seems merely a state of mind as natural as any other. Frater P., before he had Samadhi, wrote of Dhyana: “ Perhaps as a result of the intense control a nervous storm breaks: this we call Dhyana. Samadhi is but an expansion of this, so far as…