Page 141 - Wisdom Unfurled

mind at one point. It is the experience of the sadhaka that when the mind thinks about worldly objects it is always agitated. On the other hand when it is presented with the idea of the divine to meditate upon it starts calming down. That is the alternate food or pratyahara for the mind in the place of sense objects as noted earlier. The Master has pointed out elsewhere that we find the darker aspect i.e., prakriti and the brighter aspect, namely purusha in all things created. Meditating upon the darker aspect leads to bondage whereas meditating upon the brighter aspect leads to freedom. It is only after the dawn of discriminative knowledge that one learns to fix his attention on the brighter aspect of all creation and proceed further on the path of evolution.
On other centres of meditation
The Master talks about the effect of meditating on other centers such as Trikuti or between the eye brows and the navel point. Meditation on the center between eyebrows also known asajna chakra is difficult as it is the distribution center for the power coming down from above. There is always agitation at this center; a gentle throbbing sensation is felt here which is pleasant. The center has actually three discernible layers and it is difficult to penetrate. Even if one succeeded in doing meditation at this point there is a strong chance for the person to develop ahankar and his further progress becomes almost impossible. This is the point of highest approach for the hatha yogis. The person who arrives here by arduous sadhana and self control feels that he is the master of everything and feels no need of yielding to the higher power. The Master states clearly that approach up to this point has the only benefit that the person need not once again assume the earthly form and there are very many stages to be crossed before one can say that he has arrived at the destination. The sense of self is still there and the influence of Maya is yet to be fully overcome. This is just the beginning of the kingdom of God. The Master is emphatic in His declaration that it is only through Rajayoga and the effective and practical guidance of a master of caliber endowed with the power of Pranahuti that the sincere seeker can move beyond this center and reach the destination safely. The effect of meditating on the naval center produces a tickling sensation making a person laugh uncontrollably. Sometimes the base passions may be triggered leading to the sadhaka’s downfall. Thus the Master establishes the superiority of the heart center as a choice for basing the meditation if one aims at the highest approach. Further heart alone is the center of all emotions and feelings, relationships, love and concern for all beings. We call only those persons saints whose heart is filled to the brim with loving concern for all motivating them to serve their fellow beings in a spirit of sacrifice. It is only the heart of the teacher which is used for directing the divine grace towards the aspirant’s heart facilitating the aspirant’s movement towards the goal.