A Million Thoughts: Learn All About Meditation from a Himalayan Mystic

The primary difference between simple blissful awareness (third state) and this one is fluctuation of the consciousness. At the third state, even though you experience bliss, it’s easily disturbed by other thoughts and emotions. In the current state, however, you’ve already gone past subjugation of desire, you’ve already mastered cessation of mental activity. You remain undisturbed.

8. Skillful Awareness

This is called upāya prajñā. In Yajurveda and various Upanishads, upāya means approaching, accompanying, craft, or that by which one reaches one’s aim. But, I like B.K.S Iyengar’s definition of upāya the most, he calls it ‘skilful’. It is insightful to note that skilful awareness has been placed even after blissful and natural awareness. There is a pretty good reason for that. In the first seven states, while the meditator continues to progress, his or her contribution to the world at large is still quite limited.

They are still working towards their own bliss and peace. In the present state, however, it’s not just about them. Skilful awareness means they are able to retain their natural awareness of light and love, yet operate in the world forever helping others. The lives of many great masters, across many cultures, demonstrate exactly that. There are meditators who don’t stop here, they keep going.

They are called ‘supremely intense’. The next state is witnessed by such practitioners.

9. Supreme Awareness

The supremely intense meditator experiences the final state of awareness called para vairagya. It means supreme detachment. If not having desires is better than subjugation of desire then maintaining equanimity in fulfilment or non-fulfilment of desire is the ultimate state. Because, even though desires may well be the primary cause of most suffering, we can’t deny that they have also been at the root of human progress. At a practical level, their value can’t be underestimated. Somewhere someone desired a solution to a certain problem. And they came up with fire, tools, wheel, electricity, phone, airplane, computer and so on. An adept at this stage develops altruistic consciousness remaining unaffected by his or her desires. Firmly established in samadhi or shamata (calm abiding) they go on to dedicate their lives for the welfare of all sentient beings.

Is it necessary that you go through the rigours of meditation to experience supreme detachment? Not really. I chose meditation because its scientific basis appealed to me. There’s another way as Patanajali put it:

Īśvarapranidhānātavā 72

Fluctuations of the consciousness may be restrained by meditating on God and total surrender to him.

If you believe in God, you may still reach a state of supreme detachment by developing a personal relationship with your god and by surrendering to His will. This does raise an important question though: what about an atheist or an agnostic? Well, they have just as much chance, if not more, to live with supreme detachment. Ultimately, it’s not about meditation or belief in some scripture or religion, it’s about flowing with the river of life, it’s about living it with compassion and gratitude. The more elevated you are, the more compassionate you are naturally. A spiritual being, regardless of their religious orientation, automatically develops a selfless concern for the welfare of everyone in our beautiful creation. Such temperament leads to the final state of emancipation – complete liberation.

Knowing what you now know about meditation, there’s only one thing I would like to spell out further. If I can effectively communicate the only practice that matters in meditation, you will overcome all hurdles like a fine stallion jumping across a low barrier. Let me get to the crux of the meditation in as few words as possible.

Mental Exertion and Relaxation

Nobel Prize-winning economist Milton Friedman served as an advisor to the late Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin. He once addressed the Knesset, the unicameral parliament of Israel. Soon after his speech was over, a Knesset member approached him and said, “In the Talmud, Hillel summarized Judaism in one sentence, ‘What is hateful to you, do not do so to your neighbour: this is the whole Torah. The rest is commentary.’ Could you summarize economics in one sentence?”

“Yes,” replied Friedman. “There is no such thing as a free lunch.” Similarly, if I were to sum up the art of meditation in one sentence, it would be, “Exert when relaxed and relax when exerted.”