Avdhesh Mathur - Meditation Book Review

Review of book
“Meditation and other Spiritual
disciplines ” authored by
Swami
Swahananda by
Avdhesh Kumar Mathur
on
Friday, 1st September 2017
at
ICC Senior Center Cupertino
Blog Hinduism: Omkar

MEDITATION AND OTHER SPIRITUAL DISCIPLINES
First edition 1983,printed in 1994 and reprinted in 1999

Introduction
• By Gods grace and thanks to Kalayaniji and Dineshji, I
am giving this review of book Meditation and other
Spiritual disciplines.
• Why I choose this book for review
• 1. This book appeared miraculously in my home
Library one fine morning in absolutely new condition.
• 2. It contains all the matter regarding duality and non
duality which I was searching for some weeks.
• 3.The book was so interesting that my wife choose it to
translate it into Hindi.
• The book has nineteen chapters which are given in the
subsequent slides

About author of book
• Swami Swahananda (29 June 1921 – 19 October 2012), was a
senior monk of the Ramakrishna Order of India,
• and the minister and spiritual leader of the Vedanta Society of
Southern California from 1976 to 2012.
He joined the Ramakrishna Order in 1947
and received sannyasa, full monastic ordination, in 1956
from Swami Shankarananda
In 1962 he was made the “Swami Swahananda” who authored a
number of books and translations.
His translations into English include the Chandogya
Upanishad and Panchadasi of Vidyaranya from Sanskrit,
and Go Forward

Style of writing
• Swami Swahananda has employed different
type of style in dealing with each subject as he
has summarized the thoughts of different
persons in each chapter of the book.
• At times his English is very easy to understand at
other times it is so difficult to understand and
specially to translate.
• He is more involved in depicting his
• subject in the correct perspective than to
concentrate in style of writing.

Advaite Ashram The Publishing house

Chapter 1. Types of Meditation
• .The Act of Meditation ; Specific poses enhance the
meditative experience.
The most common pose is to sit cross legged with the
hands face up on the knees.
• Yet others find great meditation in just laying flat on the
ground
• Others meditate on their knees.
. Some keep their eyes closed, some keep them open.
• Some practice breathing in a specific pattern as they
meditate, though focus on breathing is important in any
meditation.
• These ,combined practice of withdrawing the mind and sense
sex and focus gradually to dharna , the state of using the
attention gradually leads to dhyan, the state of meditation,
when we are able to hold the mind in one chosen spiritual
thought for more than2 minutes we go in Dhyan (Meditation)
and if it persist for more than 40 minutes we go to Samadhi.

Find a Focus for meditation
Meditating is about some sort of focus. It can be
about finding a specific thing to meditate on, or
allowing yourself to eliminate everything and just be in
the Holy Spirit. some things you can focus on when
meditating.
1. Topic to meditate on and just focus only on that
specific topic as we meditate.
2. Focus on a specific scripture verse and or image
when meditating
3. Listening in Silence as a motivator for meditation
by emptying the mind and by opening to God’s
voice.

Types of meditations are as below
1. Meditation on transitariness of all worldly things.
Discriminate always between real and unreal things
(Vivek) and try to draw mind to God
2. Practice meditation on God with form and repetition of
of the Divine name or Specific Mantra . Think of God
as endowed with personal qualities such as love and
kindness but without form
3. .Meditate on the formless personal God by feeling
the living conscious presence of the Lord in the heart
4. By visualising a Being of limitless light, radiating
peace, love and joy.
5. Meditation on God should be imagined to be vast and
infinite. In Hinduism meditation on OM comes under
this.

Benefits of Meditation :
Medical researchers have discovered the therapapetic
value of meditation in treating hypertension, high
blood pressure, civilisation.
Spiritual teachers acknowledge the healing value of
meditation
For Spiritual seekers always consider the health
benefits a fringe benefit, subordinate to their
primary goal, which is Self or God realisation.
Whether you believe or not in God you can meditate
on 1 or 2 or anything to Gain.

There are no Photos or Videos in
Book , I have introduced these to
make presentation entertaining

Meditating near a river at dawn

MEDITATING ON A ROCK NEAR STREAM

Meditating in lotus position sitting
on Rock inside river stream

A lady meditating in semi lotus
position on a on carpet

Meditating in semi lotus position

MEDITATE sitting on ON TREE ROOTS

Progress in Progress in Meditation

Chapter 2.
Jap or repetition of Holy Words.
• While the Hindu Vedic astrology believes in
the theory of fate, it also advocates that you
must make efforts to improve your destiny..
• Japa or repetition of Holi words is the
beginning.

Chapter 2(a)
Japa
Japa means repeating the name of the Lord ,
sitting in a quiet place.
Repetition of holy words or syllables , either the
name of God or a holy text, or Mantra
according to prescribed rules.
The Japa leads to self purification and
realisation. Japa is to be performed a
prescribed number of times

Chapter 2(b)
Japa
• Various methods of performing Jap
• 1. Likhit Japa
• 2.Abhanda Japa : Continuous Japa without a break.
• 3. Ajapa Japa : Performed without moving lips, repeating name
with every flow of breath.
• These can be of three types rated as below
• 1. Vachhika Japa
• .2. Mansa Japa
• 3. Upamsu Jap
• The author summarises ;
• Having received the Name/ Mantra from a
preceptor, repetition of the same, slowly brings the
mind under control; the mind becomes increasingly
concentrated and ultimately merges in Lord.

Chapter 3.
Japa in different traditions
• Almost all religions perform Japa orally with
or without use of Rosary ( mala ) The Author
has given methods followed or prescribed by
different sects and preachers.

Chapter 4.
The Divine Name
• 1. The name of God is not merely a combination of
letters; it is both the means and the goal of spiritual
life.
• 2.Every system of religious discipline recognises the
efficacy of repetition of the name and prescribes this
practice to its followers.
• 3. Chaitanya Mahaprabhu
• “ The Names cleanses the mirror of the heart. It
exterminates the great forest fire of worldly existence
.......It is as it were , a soothing bath for all souls.
Supreme glory be to the singing of the lords Name. “.

The Divine Name
• 1 Swami RamKrishna said
• “ It does not matter if you do not know Him. You know
his name. Just take his name..... and you will progress
spiritually
• 2 . In Hinduism, every where- in the beginning, middle,
and end of the Veda’s, ramayana ,Puranas, and
Mahabharat----the name of Hari is sung.
• 3 The AdiPurana states
• “There is no knowledge like the Name; no vow like the
Name, no meditation like the Name, no fruit like the
Name
• Ram se Bada Ram ka Nam

Chapter 5 . Prayer
• 1. Prayer is the deepest impulse of the soul of man. . Prayer
presupposes faith.
2.. Prayer relieves the mind of tension,
• 3. Prayer releases an extra amount of hope and
• 4. Prayer frees man from anxiety and sustains him in moments
of suffering.
• 5. Prayer also helps us keep up our spirits in high spirits and
hopeful
• Thus the function of prayer is to create a mental condition
which frees mind from the dead weight of worldly life ,
helping it soar high to discover subtle and lofty truth.

1.P Prayer according to Christian conception,
• “ The act of prayer, whether with words or without,
is the act of putting ourselves more completely in the
power of God’s working so that some good may be
attained or some evil escaped.”
• Types of Prayers
• In Christianity
• 1. Preliminary Prayer: The usual prayer which
individuals do or collectively do in groups in
Churches.
• 2. Intercessory Prayers: Advanced souls have the
power to redress the sufferings of others through
prayer or through their strong ,purified will.
• 3. Contemplation. The devotee surrenders his self
interests and takes the attitude of“ Thy will be done”

2. Prayer according to Vedanta
• “As vedanta believes that truth is a matter of
personal experience a fact of internal
revelation so vedanta values prayer for its
subjective efficacy.
• It emphasises prayer as a method of
cleansing the mind & of suppressing egotism
• ,and of searching our hidden desires in the
mind which must be renounced
• and it does not advocate prayer arising from
our weakness or from calculating gratitude as
us in some religions. “

Chapter 6.
Rituals.
• Ritual is in fact, concretized philosophy.
Religious rituals form an important aspect of
culture and combine almost all religions.
• There are
• 1. Philosophy
• 2. mythology and
• 3. Rituals.

LADY GIVING Milk Abhishekh to Siva Ling

Chapter 7.
Image-Worship
• Idolatry literally means the worship of an
"idol", or in more neutral language a cult
image, in the form of a physical image, such as
a statue or icon.
• In many Indian religions, such as theistic and
nontheistic forms
of Hinduism, Buddhism and Jainism, idols
(murti) are considered as symbolism for the
absolute but not the Absolute, ] They are a
means to focus one's religious pursuits and
worship

Hindus praying to Lord GANESHA

Chapter 8
Self effort in spiritual life
• God is realized , purely by good deeds and
through grace.
• One must have a real drive to find “truth.”
• Five seconds of His joys exceeds all the
pleasures of this world for all time!

Chapter 9
Self – Negation or Self Expansion
• Self-expansion is the desire to enhance an individual's
potential efficacy, which is used instead as it only refers to
obtaining resources that will make goal attainment possible.
• ] According to the self-expansion model we increase potential
efficacy by creating close relationships, which in turn,
increases material and social resources, perspectives and
identities. support, possible
• Lord Krishna says “Whoever offers Me with devotion and a
pure mind (heart), a leaf, a flower, a fruit or a little water—I
accept this as devotion.”.

The nine forms of devotion are:
1.Shravanam – Hearing the names and glories of the Lord
2.Keertanam – Chanting His glories
3.Smaranam – Remembering the Lord
4.Paada sevanam – Serving the Lord’s feet
5.Archanam – Worshiping the Lord
6.Vandanam – Offering obeisance unto the Lord
7.Daasyam – Serving the Lord as His servant
8.Sakhyam – Developing friendship with the Lord
9.Aatma Nivedanam – Total surrender of oneself to the Lord
A devotee can practice any of these nine forms
of bhakti, whichever suits him.
Chapter 10
Nine means of Devotion
Lord Shri Krishna makes a beautiful statement about the
significance of bhakti “By devotion he knows Me in truth, what and
who I am; and knowing Me in truth, he forthwith enters into the
Supreme

Devotee surrenders everything unto the
lord and becomes free of ego.

Chapter11
The Holi mother and simple faith
• Divine Mother or Mother Divine may refer to:
• Adi Parashakti, a goddess in the Hindu
mythology ,Bhagavathi, female goddesses
in Hinduism,
• Blessed Virgin Mary (Roman Catholic),
of Roman Catholicism religion

Our Divine
Mother
Shakti or Energy is everlasting,
imperishable. It cannot be created. Nor
can it be destroyed .It only changes
form. It is always there.
During the festival of Navaratri the
universal Mother energy is invoked as
they worship the goddess as the
feminine face of God . . . as 'Durga', the
remover of the impurities and the
miseries of life. She is also called "Devi"
(goddess) and "Shakti" (energy or
power).

t
Chapter 12 Spiritual Discipline and Shankara
Adi Shankara early 8th century CE was a philosopher and
theologian of Advaita Vedanta.
He is credited with unifying and establishing the main
currents of thought in Hinduism.
His works in Sanskrit discuss the unity of
the ātman and Nirguna Brahman "brahman without
attributes".
He wrote copious commentaries on the Vedic canon (Brahma
Sutras, Principal Upanishads and Bhagavad Gita) in support
of his thesis. His works elaborate on ideas found in the
Upanishads.
with other thinkers. He is reputed to have founded
four mathas ("monasteries)

Adi Shankracharya with disciples

ADWAIT
• Some call it Kevala Advaite to distinguish from
Shudha Advaita preponded by Vallabhacharya
• Here there is nothing else except for one God
• All Jeeva or jevatma are His ansh but same as
God but in bonded state. There is an element
called Maya which is nothing but shakti of God,
which keeps the jeevatma under veil of five
sheaths or kosh which keeps Jeeva in ignorance.
• Jeevas are just like Gold ornaments where as
God is Gold or else Like different rays of one Sun.

Chapter 13
Spiritual Discipline and Ramanuja
•
THE PHILOSOPHY OF VIS'ISTlDVAITA maintains its position in the history of
Indian thought by establishing its own siddhanta by a criticism of rival systems.
• It has, at the same time, a synthetic insight into the essentials of other
darshanas and accepts whatever in them is consistent with its own basic
principles.
• It is a true philosophy of religion which reconciles the opposition between
philosophy and religion and the conflict between monism and pluralism.
• If it is liberally interpreted in terms of contemporary philosophy and
comparative religion without in any way sacrificing its foundational principles
• , it is capable of satisfying the demands of science and philosophy on the one
hand, and of ethics on other hand
• Different views of the Upanishad " Thou art That " ;
Synthesis, the chief merit of Vis'istadvaita ; the need for
the reorientation of the system in the light of modern
thought without impairing its integrity ; Vis'ishtadvaita as
the mediating link between Dvaita and Advaita, a link of
love;

VISHISHISHT Advaita
• It is qualified Advaite as below
• 1. God is one and Chit (Living Being) and Achit (Universe) are
many which constitute his body.
• 2.Living being the Jeevatma is in ignorance , has forgotten his
true nature that he is Atma or Permatma
• 3..Devotion to God with total surrender to God is means of
achieving Salvation or Self & God realisation.

Chapter 14
Spiritual Discipline and Madhava• Dwaita or tattvavAda ,whose cardinal precepts are the
supremacy of Sri Hari and surrender to Him and service to
humanity as the sole means of liberation, was propounded by
Acharya Madhwa
• Basic tenets of Sri Madhva philosophy are,
• The grace of God is the means of such redemption from the
flesh and the cycle of births and deaths. This is obtained by
bhakthi (devotion) which flows from love of God to the
exclusion of everything else, with a deep sense of
dependence of souls on him.
• The God ,The Jivatma (individual soul) are independent from
and subservient to God and are trapped in the eternal cycle
of birth and death ; can get moksh, liberation, through the
grace of God, which is obtained through virtuous deeds and
pure devotion.

Chapter15
Spiritual Discipline of Acharya Nimbarka
• Nimbarka is known for propagating the Vaishnava Theology
of Dvaitadvaita (dvaita-advaita) or “dualistic non-dualism". It
is also known as 'Bhedābheda
• According to his eponymous tradition, the Nimbārka
Sampradāya, Śrī Nimbārkāchārya appeared in the year 3096
BCE, when the grandson of Arjuna was on the throne.
• Nimbarka speaks of Bhakti as means and goal. Sri Krishna
bestows his grace on man who is endowed with humility and
other good qualities, and through this grace devotion charged
with prema dawns.

Sri Daya Ram Dev, Sri Hari Deva, Sri Ram Narayan Deva
Guru Bharta

Chapter 16
Siritual discipline and Vallabha
• Vallabhacharya (1479–1531 CE), also known as Vallabha, was
a devotional philosopher, who founded d the philosophy
of Shuddha advaita .
• Vallabha was born in a Telugu Brahmin family that had been
living in Varanasi.
• The Vallabha rejected asceticism and monastic life, suggested
that through loving devotion to God Krishna, any householder
could achieve salvation .
• He authored many texts including the Anubhashya (a
commentary on Brahm Sutra), Shodash Granth or sixteen
'stotras' (tracts) and several commentaries on the Bhagavata
Purana. Vallabha's writings and kirtan compositions focus on
baby Krishna .

Chaitanya Maha Prabhu
Chaitanya
Maha
Prabhu

Chapter 17
Spiritual Disciple and Chaitanya
• Lord Caitanya started the sankirtan movement which continues
to this day. He established the congregational chanting of the
holy names of Krishna, with the Maha-Mantra:
Hare Krishna, Hare Krishna, Krishna Krishna, Hare Hare/
Hare Rama, Hare Rama, Rama Rama,Hare Hare.
• Lord Caitanya appeared in Mayapur, West Bengal, more than
500 years ago.
• He is regarded as an incarnation of Krishna who descended to
this material world for two purposes and is the ocean of
feelings. The individual souls , who are his parts, are under the
spell of prakriti., His illusory power.
• Followers believe Hare is distortion of Hara which is another
name of God but I feel Hare is Verb meaning
Take away (Absolve) our Pap karma as in

Divine Mantra of Hare Krishna Movement

Chapter 18
Spiritual Discipline of Srikantha
• Shivacharya Shrikantha is the Philosopher of the shaive sect
He considered Veda’s and Shaivagama as same.
• He is well known among the philosphers of Shaiva Siddhanta
because of his commentary on Brahmasutra in Sanskrit
language.
• According to Dr. Romil Bose there is an essential difference
between the Lord, the individual soul (Chit) ,and inert matter
( achit).
• Shiva is director, Lord of entire universe, the object of worship
and the Goal, while chit , the soul, is the worshipper, the
atainer, and dependent. It is inteleligent but posses limited
knowledge. Both chit and achit are His effects. That does not
not mean that there is both difference and nondifference
between Brahman and the Universe.

Chapter 19
In the Scriptures
• In the scriptures Bhagwat , Bhagwat Geeta, The
Upanishads ,the following is given
• The goal of life is to realise one’s spiritual nature
or, in the devotional language to get eternal
Anand
• Brahman has neither name or form; it
transcends merit and demerits; it is beyond time,
space and the objects of sense , experience Such
is Brahmn and that is thou.
• There is nothing beyond it.

Critical Appreciation &Review
• Swami Swahanandji has dealt all forms of worship of God in
this book in brief but quite exhaustively. Though he has
summarised the thoughts of other great saints but has
refrained from criticising any of the great saints and have
tried his best to retain the true sense and meaning in the
texts as their disciples maintain.
• He has maintained the view that if God is loved and
worshiped in any of the ways with good intention to
achieve the desired objective of self and God realisation
,then the person will automatically go in deep meditation
and ecstasy to achieve the desired goal that is liberation
from all pleasure and pain, cycle of birth and rebirth and all
forms of duality leading to eternal Anand.

Conclusion
• This book is a collection of essays on spiritual
disciplines according to the different Archaryas of
various Indian philosophical schools. Included are
articles on specific spiritual practices such as
meditation, repetition of the holy name (Japa),
prayer, etc.
• Teachers discussed include: Sri Shankara, Sri
Ramanuja, Sri Madhava, Sri Nimbarka, Sri Vallabha,
Sri Chaitanya and Sri Shrikantha.
• A comparative knowledge of the various disciplines
envisaged in these teachings is sure to benefit the
serious student.

Whether one believes in God with or without form, as
personal or impersonal, or whether or not one believes in God
at all, one can practice some form of meditation .
Of all spiritual disciplines prescribed for the attainment
of self or god realization, meditation forms the core, the
common, underlying the science of meditation, raja-yoga,
includes a comprehensive psychology both theoretical and
practical designed to diagnose one’s state of mind and
prescribe an appropriate technique to make the mind fit for
deeper states of concentration.
Even from the point of view of maintaining one’s
physical and mental health in our modern world, one should
consider practicing meditation.
Perhaps the root meaning, to heal, most accurately
describes the value of meditation; meditation can cure our ills
be they physical, mental or spiritual.

The End
• I am thankful to the chair person Smt. Kalyani
Subramanian and Khatriji for conducting the
programme successfully and finally to you
august audience to have listened to me so
peacefully , with your full attention.
• Over to Chairperson , for question Answer
session.
• The end
• followed by Video of a devotional song( if
time permits)

About Publisher
• Advaita Ashrama, Mayavati, is a branch of
the Ramakrishna Math, founded on 19 March 1899
at the behest of Vivekananda, by his disciples James
Henry Sevier, and Charlotte Sevier.
• Among its important publications are
• The Complete Works of Swami Vivekananda in
English and as well as a Hindi translation, published
from Calcutta a
• and the Life of Swami Vivekananda, and English
translations of important Hindu scriptures
•

Contents of book
It has nineteen Chapters
• Part !
• Chapter 1.Types of meditation
• 2. Jap or repetition of holy word
• 3.Jap in different Traditions
• 4. TheDivine Name
• 5 Prayer
• 6. Ritual
• 7. Image Worship
• 8. Self effort in spiritual life
• 9. Self-negation or self
explanation?
• 10. Nine means of Devotion
• 11. The Holy Mother and simple
faith
• Part 2
• 12. . Spiritual Disciple and
Shankara
• 13. S.D.& Ramanuja
• 14. S.D.& Madhava
• 15. S.D.7& Nimbalrka
• 16. S.D.& Vallabha
• 17. S.D.& Chaittanya
• 18. S.D.& SriKantha
• 19. In the Scriptures

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