Guru Pūrṇimā is a special day in the life of spiritual seekers as we express gratitude to our Acharyas and Guru for teaching and sharing knowledge and wisdom. It falls on the full moon day usually when the Sun is in Gemini and Moon is in Sagittarius in the sidereal calendar in the lunar month of Āṣāḍha.
6 years ago, on this same occasion I started writing on the topic of the importance of practising “Sādhanacatuṣṭaya” or the four-fold qualification prescribed for students that facilitates para vidya – spiritual learning. https://vijayajyoti.com/guru-purnima/. Being aware of these requirements is a preliminary step in the path of spiritual progress. The more qualifications we gain, the better will be the assimilation of knowledge and the in the practice of it. When there is a conflict in theory and practice, then it is advised that one must re-visit these qualifications to see what is being not followed.
While it is said that three qualities of the four – Viveka (discrimination between the real and unreal), Vairāgya (spirit of renunciation) and Mumukṣutva (deep desire to be liberated) may actually cause obstacles in the path of a material and mundane life with attachments; the fourth one, śaṭ sampatti – the six-fold qualification or discipline (Śama, dama, titiksha, uprati, Śraddhā and samādhāna) is very helpful even to succeed in daily life. This article explores last of the six – the quality of Samādhāna – absorption as my offering for the day.
What is samādhāna and why is it important?
The literal meaning of samādhāna is concentration or absorption from words “sam” – which means together, entirely, wholly, perfectly, absolutely, or thoroughly and “ādhāna” – is placing receiving or putting. At the more basic level, it involves directing the intellect to be focused on the objective after consciously relieving oneself from all distractions of a wandering mind earlier described by the practice of śama (equanimity) https://vijayajyoti.com/guru-purnima-2/ and dama (austerity in the use of senses) https://vijayajyoti.com/dama-austerity-in-use-of-the-senses/.
Tattva Bodha, an introductory text of Vedanta written by Adi Śaṅkarācārya defines Samādhāna in Verse 6.1 as “chitta-ekagratha”, the one-pointedness of the mind that is needed for any pursuit whether material or spiritual.
Single pointedness is the ability to have the goal in one’s sights. A successful bowman has to have his eye only for the target. To recount a story from the epic Mahābhārata, Droṇācārya the royal preceptor wanted to test his students the Kaurava and Pāṇḍavā princes under his tutelage. He placed a wooden bird on top of a high tree and asked each of his students to take aim at its eye. As the princes came forward to shoot, he asked each of them what they saw. The responses varied as some described the bird, the surrounding trees and sky. Disappointed, he asked them to step back. Only Arjuna his favourite student with an unwavering focus on the object and the goal replied “I see only the eye of the bird.” He was allowed to shoot and declared the winner.
Knowing how to focus and concentrate all our efforts on a single task, goal or process can be life-changing. The common saying is where you place your attention is where your energy goes – “Neurons that fire together, wire together”. Modern Neuroscience offers a scientific lens to examine the spiritual practices of the Upanishad and Yoga sutras. The nervous system is made up of individual, discrete nerve cells, not a continuous network and when a neural pathway is used repeatedly, the connection between neurons strengthens, making it easier for signals to travel along that pathway allowing the brain to re-wire itself with new information, knowledge, skill and habits.
Śrī Kṛṣṇa too in Bhagavadgītā praises the steady intellect of a spiritual aspirant over the ones that have dissipated minds are multi-tasking involved in multifarious activities in the world.
व्यवसायात्मिका बुद्धिरेकेह कुरुनन्दन |
बहुशाखा ह्यनन्ताश्च बुद्धयोऽव्यवसायिनाम् || 41||
O descendent of the Kurus, the intellect of those who are on this path is resolute, and their aim is one-pointed. But the intellect of those who are irresolute is many-branched.
For those whose goal is liberation, the advanced Vedanta texts such as Viveka Cūḍāmaṇī describe Samādhāna as the consistently directing the intellect towards the ultimate encompassing reality – the Brahman with steadfastness and detachment from the mind’s vagaries.
सर्वदा स्थापनं बुद्धेः शुद्धे ब्रह्मणि सर्वदा ।
तत्समाधानमित्युक् चित्तस्य लालनम् ॥ २६ ॥
Always establish the intellect in pure Brahman, that is called Samādhāna (meditative absorption), not the pampering of the mind.
The Muṇḍakopaniṣad also uses the metaphor of archery to illustrate the spiritual pursuit. The seeker is instructed to arm themselves with the bow – the knowledge of the Upaniṣads. The arrow is the seeker himself who has been sharpened by absorption of the knowledge while constantly directing his intellect to be focused on Brahman, must aim to strike, and when he does will be inseparable from Brahman like the arrow with its target when hit.
प्रणवो धनुः शारो ह्यात्मा ब्रह्म तल्लक्ष्यमुच्यते ।
अप्रमत्तेन वेद्धव्यं शरवत्तन्मयो भवेत् ॥ ४ ॥
The Pranava is the bow, the Atman is the arrow and the Brahman is said to be its mark. It should he hit by one who is self-collected and that which hits becomes, like the arrow, one with the mark, i.e.. Brahman.
Sage Pātānjali in his yoga sutras (Verses 3.12 and 3.13) introduced another subtle point in the discussion. He described one-pointedness as one of the five states of mind and advocated that one has to raise awareness and maintain the one-pointedness or stillness of the mind that emerges between rising and falling thoughts in meditation.
From the philosophy of Vedanta that prescribes the path of Jñāna yoga, the practice of samādhāna includes the long terms goal of commitment and staying on the path and simultaneously following the short-term process of assimilation and absorption of the knowledge while listening to the scriptural texts. One should be able to categorise the topic appropriately while assimilating during the process of Śravaṇa. Here, it may be necessary to distinguish the difference between Śraddhā https://vijayajyoti.com/sraddha-faith-or-confidence/ which also involves staying on the path with unwavering alertness and samādhāna which involves making the mind stable while being absorbed with knowledge.
The prakaraṇagrantha text Sarva Vedānta Siddantha Sāra Sangrah written by Adi Shankaracharya describes the importance of samādhāna during the process of “Śravaṇa” – listening to the Vedantic texts.
श्रुत्युक्तार्थावगाहाय विदुषा ज्ञेयवस्तुनि।
चित्तस्य सम्यगाधानं समाधानमितीर्यते।।२१८
One should dive deep into what the Śruti says. One should be completely absorbed in it, in order to attain the knowledge of the ultimate Reality. It is such total absorption that is called concentration.
Thus, the focused mind endowed with knowledge from Śravaṇa allows for deep contemplation and introspection, making it a powerful tool for self-realization and spiritual growth. At the very highest level from the point of Vedanta, the samādhāna of a jñānī is the total absorption of mind equalling samādhi, nevertheless still a tool getting him closer to ultimate realisation.
Obstacles to Samādhāna
Samādhāna is not only dedication and commitment to any goal but the process allows for absorption of the knowledge so that it becomes continuous and spontaneous. The nature of mind is that it continuously expands and wanders to satisfy its curiosity in the manifold external objects that are available to us. I find difficult to recall last time I read something without needing to go back to reread the contents. For those who watch TV, when was the last time you watched something on the TV or computer without needing to look at your phone? Similarly, very few of us are really aware of where our mind is travelling while we are listening. The modern-day skill of multi-tasking and also endless distractions of social media leads to scattering and dissipation of the mind.
The brain has the ability to reorganize itself by forming new neural connections throughout life. Modern day requirement of multitasking, while often perceived as efficient, can negatively impact neuroplasticity. When constantly switching between tasks the brain strengthens neural pathways associated with switching and distraction and superficial thinking and make it harder to focus on one task for extended periods. It has been found that a brain rewired for multi-tasking makes memory poor.
Further, there is a gap between the knowledge that we hear/learn and our practice as we are often limited by our inherent tendencies (vāsana) that we are born with that which colours our narrative of life. Led by the vāsana, we employ defence patterns (such as denial, repression, displacement and projection) to enact our script and support our agenda which creates blocks in realising any goal.
Without a steady mind capable of sustained reflection upon the teaching, self-knowledge will remain nothing but an abstract concept. The committed seeker has single-pointedness of mind and a clear goal in sight.
Essential conditions for Samādhāna
An essential condition for samādhāna is paying attention to the quality of listening. Deep and focused listening or Śravaṇa is the first step in learning and assimilation of any knowledge. The quality of the presence of mind, directly affects the quality of listening and the quality of absorption. That is why these days corporate organisations invest in coaching their executives and star performers in the art of listening and to being completely present while being aware thoughts and efficiently separating their observation from judgement.
Further, we always focus, commit and give energy to what we value, appreciate and are devoted to. That is why in many traditions a pleasing visual object or a word is used to start in the initial process of focussing or meditation. This later leads to for a spiritual seeker into the path saguna Ishwara dhyana- meditation of a deity of our choice before settling into the path of Nirguna formless Brahman.
To conclude, when there is Samādhāna, the mind is steady and stable in an absorbed state as an unflickering lamp attached to the highest path.
यथा दीपो निवातस्थो नेङ्गते सोपमा स्मृता |
योगिनो यतचित्तस्य युञ्जतो योगमात्मन: ||BG 6.19||
Just as a lamp in a windless place does not flicker, so the disciplined mind of a yogi remains steady in meditation on the Supreme.
ॐ तत् सत्
References
- Svāmi Paramārthānanda’s teachings on Tattva Bodha, Bhagavad Gītā , Muṇḍakopaniṣad, Viveka Cūḍāmaṇī, and Sarva Vedānta Siddantha Sāra Sangrah
- Light on the Yoga sutras of Pātānjali by BKS Iyengar
- The Holy Gīta – Commentary by Swami Chinmayanada
- The Brain That Changes Itself by Norman Doidge