Concentration & Revelations
Meditative correspondence between Gautama Buddha and Mahirishi Patanjali
S.Pucelle -
If we explore the different aspects of meditation that we find in both the Hindu Yoga and Buddhist traditions, we can see that there has always been an interdependent dynamic and polarity in meditation. The best known in the Hindu system of yoga are Dharana and Dhyana (concentration and meditation) which are also found in Maharishi Patanjali 's 8 limb system(ashtanga).
Often Dharana Dhyana is combined with Samadhi (Absorption) to form Samyama :(Samyama is a Sanskrit term that describes the three upper limbs of Patanjali's sequential system: Dharana: concentration, Dhyana: meditation, Samadhi: absorption.
Meditation or the fruit of concentration
Dharana, in yoga, refers to the concentration of the mind. The practice of Dharana is to fix the mind on a particular object without distraction.
Dharana gives one the ability to extricate oneself from the conventional way of relating to the mind, one begins to cultivate a neutral state of mind where the Citta-vrittis are weakened (Citta vritti is a term for thoughts that clutter the mind in the context of Yoga or simply movements of the mind). If the intention is afflicted by doubts and discursive thoughts, this breaks down and diffuses the energy of concentration.
But when the Citta-vrittis become less disturbing, the witness/observer can settle into some stability. This perspective gives rise to a new vantage point where our identification with a thought can be revealed, or the discernment of the formation/origin of a thought as well as the volition of the mind, at that moment.
This steadiness of the mind leads to a form of absorption, also called Eka-Grata, or concentration on a single focal point .
Yoga as a psycho/spiritual practice really begins with Ekagrata and culminates in Nirodha, a consciousness free of all movement .
Hence Maharishi Patanjali 's famous aphorism as a definition of yoga:"1.2 Yogas citta-vrtti-nirodhah" - Yoga is the control of mental fluctuations.
The different Sanskrit terms define different types of thought modalities, which always involves nuances in identifying the functioning itself. So the agency could be as follows, Dharana includes Ekagrata, and then when this state is maintained long enough, it becomes Dhyana: which is the ability to remain focused on an object continuously, for a long period of time, without willful effort, but rather by a play of equilibrium, this term is often translated as Meditation.
In his approach the Buddha mentions Vittaka & Vicara as two modalities of expression of the mind, translated as applying and sustaining, this is the dynamic technique applied to the mind when we enter into the discipline of thought control . Like the Dharana and Dhyana of Yoga, Buddhism proposes 2 aspects of meditation as Samatha and Vipasana literally translated as Calm Abiding and Insight.
Samatha, by its very nature, helps to keep the mind fixed and calm. This is very similar to Ekagrata, Samatha is often translated as"pacification of the mind" or "calm abiding". The aim of Samatha meditation is to stabilise the mind by cultivating a constant concentration on the object of meditation. As with Dharana, traditional Samatha practice uses different types of supports to anchors and develop concentration. Sustaining a concentrated mind inevitably leads to a pacification of mental activities, and a sense of tranquillity and calmness pervades the practitioner.
Vipassana is often defined as a practice that seeks "deep insight into the nature of reality", defined by Anicca "impermanence", Dukkha "suffering, dissatisfaction" and Anatta "non-self".
These two approaches are linked and dependent on each other, they are also different and totally autonomous in their applications.
Concentration, an energy for meditation.
In the Buddhist approach, Vittaka & Vicara are the two interdependent aspects of concentration of the mind.
In the Hindu Yoga approach, we rather speak of Dharana and Eka-Grata, (mentioned earlier).
Both approaches require a willful effort to channel the Citta-vrittis (mind fluctuations) in one direction to the exclusion of all others. This approach to concentration meditation is more Yang (active) in nature, and the practitioner's intentional ability to return to the object of his or her attention will be equal to his or her ability to neutralise the proliferation of the Citta Vrittis. This definition is very similar to the definition of Samatha practice in Buddhism.
The meditative experience progresses towards a heightened awareness of what is, without intention to modify our perception or the experience taking place. This approach is called Dhyana, the stable nature of Dhyana allows one to attain a deeper insight into things by gradually weakening the subject, i.e. the identification of being the meditator and the act of meditating. In a way, it can also be said that Dhyana is the result of Dharana.
Dhyana means contemplation, reflection, inducing acute awareness without directed effort of concentration. For the control generated by accumulated concentration is enough to stabilise the mind in this new space, once the mental fluctuations of the mind become calmer and more stable, we enter the realm of meditation.
Similar to this process, Buddhists practice the Vipassana approach. In Vipassana meditation, the meditator uses his or her concentration as a tool to allow his or her consciousness to pierce the world of phenomenal reality, and thus deconstruct the material world around us, which may come as a surprise, but it also includes the physical body and the psyche. It is a gradual journey and a work of self-denial which, paradoxically, makes us discover a much more inclusive reality between the relative and the absolute.
Towards a more passive and decidedly more Yin approach
Like the interdependence of Yin and Yang, the rise of one gives rise to the other.
Thus, the quality of concentration manifests itself in a broader awareness of the disposition of the mind. The effort changes in a subtle way from a directed and continuous effort in one direction to a sustained effort of this new mental space to preserve its balance. This is a more passive approach to mental apprehension, which becomes more Yin in nature and quality.
This usually leads to revelations about the nature of the mind or discernment about the psychological configuration of the practitioner.
Dhyana is passive contemplation, reflecting the object of Dharana. Thus the concentration cultivated in Dharana will greatly influence the disposition of the meditator, the energy of the mind channelled in one direction, for a time, will begin to radiate at a much slower frequency, which may be one of the first signs of the concentration of the mind, the slowing down of all rhythms: breathing, heartbeat and mental activity, giving way to a calm and piercing sense of observation. This was previously unattainable while caught up in the Citta-vrittis.
Meditation in general refers to direct experiential perception. Only when we can consciously experience the nature of mind, even for a little time, it will change the propensity of the mind towards meditative qualities. This will develop through the new Samskaras (mental impressions) left by the meditation practice, a process that requires patience and endurance.
As the Tao Te Ching (Book of the Way and Virtue. Classical Chinese work) mentions in the approach to right effort, Verse 29 - "Nature does not hurry, yet everything is accomplished".
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