Meditation, Part 2 — Swami Bhaskarananda

Recorded at the Vedanta Society of Western Washington on June 11, 2017.In this second lecture on meditation, Swami Bhaskarananda continues his discussion of meditation as a means of concentrating and purifying the mind so that the divinity within can be directly experienced. Drawing on Sri Ramakrishna, the Upanishads, and the teachings of Jesus Christ, he emphasizes that the ultimate goal of human life is the realization of God and that the same divinity is present in everyone, though manifested to differing degrees. Because the mind is the instrument through which human beings know and experience, he explains, an ordinary scattered mind must gradually be developed into a concentrated and purified one. He then turns to four obstacles to meditation described in the Vedantasara: laya, or sleep; vikshyapa, the wandering of the mind; kashaya, dryness or reluctance to meditate arising from accumulated mental impressions; and rasasvada, attachment to intermediate spiritual experiences. For each, he offers practical remedies, including meditating when the body and mind are fresh, patiently observing a restless mind, using devotional music or inspirational spiritual reading, practicing lila dhyana, and continuing toward the highest realization rather than becoming satisfied with experiences encountered along the way.The second half of the lecture examines subtler obstacles described in Patanjali's Yoga Sutras. Swami Bhaskarananda discusses five kleshas: avidya, ignorance of one's divine nature; asmita, identification with the ego; raga, attachment to pleasurable experiences; dvesha, aversion to what is painful or unpleasant; and abhinivesha, clinging to life and the body. He explains that ignorance of one's true nature gives rise to identification with the body, senses, vital energy, mind, and ego, while attachment and aversion keep the mind bound to worldly experience. Compassion, friendliness, freedom from fault-finding, and recognition that one's true Self is beyond the body and mind help counter these tendencies. Through stories and examples, he illustrates how deeply the instinct to preserve bodily existence can persist even when death is near. The lecture concludes by noting that Patanjali identifies additional obstacles that remain to be discussed, leaving the subject open for a further lecture on meditation and the means of overcoming the impediments to spiritual realization.