Summary:

Lesson 42 introduces Vedantic Meditation (Dhyana-Yoga). Meditation is (a) NOT meant for Liberation. (b) Not meant for gaining Knowledge. (c) Not meant for mystical/extraordinary experiences. And 6 means of knowledge.

Source: Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6 INTRODUCTION.

Quick Revision of Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 2-5

• Chapter 2 (Yoga of Knowledge: Sāṅkhya Yoga):

  1. The immortality of the Self (Atman): Self (atman) = eternal, unchanging. Distinct from body-mind. Not born, nor subject to death. 
  2. The nature of duty (dharma) and its performance without attachment: Dharma = ethical/moral obligations. Fulfill duties without attachment to specific outcomes. By focusing on the action itself rather than its fruits, we free ourselves from anxiety and disappointment. This approach to duty is akin to playing a musical instrument for the sheer joy of the music, rather than for applause.
  3. The concept of equanimity (samatvam) in pleasure and pain: Equanimity = mental balance in ups/downs. Treat success/failure, joy/sorrow equally. Not indifference, but understanding impermanence. Be like a mountain unmoved by weather. 
  4. The nature of the gunas (sattva, rajas, tamas) and their influence: Gunas = fundamental qualities in creation. Sattva (purity/harmony), rajas (passion/activity), tamas (inertia/ignorance). Constantly influence thoughts/emotions/actions.
  5. The importance of controlling the senses and the mind: Uncontrolled senses = wild horses. Mind becomes agitated/unfocused. Discipline brings clarity/peace.

• Chapter 3 (Path of Action: Karma Yoga):

  • Krishna emphasizes that action is unavoidable in this world. So you might as well make your actions intelligent. Intelligent actions is called Karma-Yoga.  It involves performing one's duties without attachment to specific results. 
  • Karma-Yoga involves…
    1. Understanding Svadharma (One's own duty): Karma Yoga begins with recognizing and accepting one's role and responsibilities in life. Taking accountability. Become a responsible, thoughtful human being. This could be professional duties, family responsibilities, or social obligations. The key is to see these as opportunities for spiritual growth rather than burdens.
       • EG: Rahul recognizes that his role as a software engineer is his current duty. He sees it as an opportunity to contribute to society and grow spiritually.
    2. Action without attachment: Perform actions to the best of your ability, but don't be overly concerned with the results. This doesn't mean being careless, but rather doing your best and then accepting whatever outcome arises.
       • EG: Rahul works diligently on his projects, putting in his best effort. However, he doesn't become anxious about whether his code will be praised or criticized. He does his best and leaves the rest.
    3. Offering actions to a higher ideal: Consider your actions as offerings to the divine or to the welfare of all beings. This helps break down the notion of individuality whose always thinking “me, me, me”.
       • EG: Before starting work, Rahul mentally dedicates his efforts to the well-being of all who will use the software he's developing.
    4. Maintaining equanimity: Strive to maintain a balanced mind in success and failure. This comes from the understanding that you're not fully in control of the results of your actions.
       • EG: When Rahul's code works perfectly, Rahul doesn't become elated. When he encounters bugs or criticism, he doesn't become dejected. 
    5. Continuous self-reflection: Regularly examine your motivations and attitudes. Are you acting out of desire, fear, or a sense of duty? This self-awareness is crucial for progress in Karma Yoga.

• Chapter 4: (Yoga of Renunciation of Action by Knowledge; Jñāna Karma Saṁnyāsa Yoga):

  1. The Nature of Action and Non-Action: Actions, regardless of their nobility, result in puṇya (merit) or pāpa (demerit). However, true renunciation is understanding that the Self is not the doer. 
  2. Renunciation through Wisdom: Renunciation is not the abandonment of action but the understanding that actions do not affect the Self. This wisdom allows one to act without much attachment, because “I” (self) have nothing to gain nor lose.
  3. Transformation through Knowledge: The story of Ratnakar, who became Sage Valmiki, illustrates how self-knowledge transforms a sinner into a sage.

• Chapter 5 (Yoga of Renunciation: Sannyāsa Yogaḥ):

  • Arjuna is confused and asks, which is better, CH3 (path of action) / CH4 9path of renunciation) for preparing mind for self-knowledge. Krishna says they both lead to same result, depends which one suits your temperament. 
  • Manage your desires/angers. Easiest way is to simplify life. The more things going on, the more chance of being pulled own.

Bhagavad Gita, Chapter 6: Dhyana-Yoga (Vedantic Meditation) Overview

Introduction to Meditation (Dhyāna Yoga)

• Dhyana Yoga means Meditation.
• Meditation is a spiritual practice (sadhana) prescribed for the assimilation and internalization of Vedanta.
• The goal is to transfer knowledge from the intellectual mind to the unconscious mind.
  • 95% of reactions and true intentions come from the unconscious mind, while only 5% are conscious.
  • Similarly, only 5% of the Gita is typically used, while the rest is influenced by habitual patterns from childhood.

The Purpose of Meditation

• Meditation helps integrate knowledge with one's personality, similar to how sugar must be stirred into tea to mix properly.
• Before delving into the text, it's important to understand the role of meditation.

What Meditation is NOT Meant For

1. Meditation is NOT a Means of Liberation:
   • According to the Upaniṣads, meditation is not a goal to be accomplished. It is a means to the goal. Goal is moksha (liberation). Meditation is a way of helping your mind see that what you're seeking (total freedom), you already are.
     • Example: Just as gravity exists whether you believe in it or not, Awareful being (you) is already free of the person called your name, whether you believe it or not.  
   • Knowledge alone is the means of liberation, as it reveals that liberation is already accomplished.
     • Pursuit of moksha is praptasya prapti (attaining that which is already attained). You're not producing the unchanging Self, only coming to recognize that. And when you do, there's no doubt about it. No book, no teacher can reassure you any more from that moment on.  
     • Scriptures say: “tam evam vidvān amṛta iha bhavati jñānādeva tu kaivalyam” (Liberation is through knowledge).
     • Nowhere in the Upaniṣads is it said that liberation is through meditation.
2. Meditation is NOT a Means of Gaining Knowledge (Material or Spiritual):
   • Meditation is not considered a means of knowledge.
   • In Vedanta, there are six means of knowledge (sat pramana), none of which include meditation.

Six Means of Knowledge (ṣaṭ pramāṇam)

1. Pratyakṣa (Direct Perception by Sense Contact):
   • Knowledge gained through the immediate contact of the sense organs with their corresponding objects.
   • Example: Seeing, hearing, smelling, tasting, and feeling.
2. Anumāna (Inference by Previous Experience):
   • Think of Anumāna as filling in blanks. You don't see the cause, only the effect. Through logic and past experience, you deduce the cause.
   • There are generally two types of Anumāna:
     1. Pūrvavat Anumāna: Inference based on a past cause.  Example: Seeing dark clouds and inferring that it will rain, based on past experience of clouds preceding rain.
     2. Śeṣavat Anumāna: Inference based on an effect.  Example: Seeing a swollen river (effect) and inferring that it must have rained (cause) heavily upstream.  Or seeing smoke on a hill (effect) and inferring that there is fire (cause). Or you touch a warm bread (effect), and conclude it must have been in the oven recently (cause).
3. Śabda (Verbal Testimony of the Vedas):
   • Knowledge of supernatural or divine things comes from the words of sages, compiled in the Vedas.
   • The Vedas are considered infallible.
4. Upamāna (Knowing by Example or Comparison):
   • Knowledge of an unknown object by comparing it to a known object.
   • Example: Explaining Mars by comparing it to Earth.
5. Arthāpatti (Logical Assumption from Observed Facts):
   • Knowledge derived from postulation when a known fact cannot be explained without assuming an unknown fact.
   • Example:
     • Inferring that a person who claims to fast during the day but remains overweight must be eating at night.
     • You observe that a house is wet, but it hasn't rained. You logically assume that someone must have watered the garden or washed the house, as the wetness cannot be explained without this assumption.
     • A person is known to be alive and well, but you haven't seen them leave their house for days. You logically assume that they must be getting food delivered or eating inside, as their continued well-being cannot be explained without this assumption.
6. Anupalabdhi (Knowing Through Absence):
   • Anupalabdhi is knowing through absence. It's like opening an empty fridge and concluding, “There's no milk.” You know there's no milk not by seeing it, but by not seeing it where it should be if it were present.
   • Example:
     • In deep sleep, there is absence of mind (experience). This produces an understanding, “Mind is not I, else if it were, I'd be afraid to go to sleep, as I (mind) would go out of existence”.
     • You go to friends house, knock on door and noone answers. Looking through windows, see house is empty. From this information (absence of friend), you come to understand, “Friend is not home”.
     • You enter a classroom and notice that there is no teacher present. You conclude that the teacher is absent based on the non-perception of the teacher in the classroom.

Summary of the Six Means of Knowledge

1. Pratyakṣa (perception. What we see. EG: Cloud)
2. Anumāna (inference by logic. “Knowing after __”. EG: Smoke thus fire!)
3. Upamāna (comparison and analogy. EG: Brahman is like the Sun. Always shining independently of Earth's body or existence)
4. Arthāpatti (postulation, derivation from circumstances, presumption of a fact. EG: Fat person says he doesn't eat in day. We postulate he eats at night, else his observed fatness can't be explained any other way).
5. Anupalabdhi (non-perception, negative/cognitive proof. Means “Non-apprehension”. Non-existence of a thing is perceived by its non-perception. EG: ‘There is no teacher in the class-room’, There is no sound here’, ‘This flower has no fragrance’ etc.)
6. Śāstram/Śabda (word, testimony of past or present reliable experts. EG: Upaniṣad)

Why Meditation is NOT a Means of Knowledge

• Meditation is not listed among the six pramanas (means of knowledge).
• Meditation is NOT prescribed for extraordinary or mystical experiences:
  • All experiences, whether ordinary or extraordinary, belong to the finite field (bound by time) and the objective universe (vyāvahārika).
  • The experiencer (subject) can never become the object of experience.
  • Extraordinary experiences are part of the objective field (Mithya) and cannot touch the Subject (Self).
  • Experiences can only provide objective/material knowledge and cannot lead to Self-knowledge or spiritual knowledge.
  • Since experiences deal with the objective world, they are incapable of giving liberation.

The Role of Meditation in Vedānta

• Vedantic Meditation involves thinking (saguna brahma visaya manasa vyaparah: Engaging the mind on how Ishvara relates in your life). It is not thoughtlessness (as in world of Yoga). 
• Meaning Vedantic mediation first requires an educated mind. You should have first heard of the teachings in class/guru. Then use meditation (closed eyes) to think about the teachings and how they relate to your life.

Conclusion: The Subject and the Object

• The Self (Subject) is the eternal observer behind all experiences, whether ordinary, mystical, or extraordinary.
• The Seeker of Liberation should not chase extraordinary experiences, as they belong to the finite, objective world (samsara).
• Even if extraordinary experiences arise, they should be rejected as objects (anatma), having nothing to do with the Self (atma).
  • Just as an adult naturally rejects childhood toys, a mature spiritual aspirant should reject experiences as anatma.
  • The problem is that many seekers' minds are still in a childhood mode, where experiences are seen as validating one's existence.

Vedantic Meditation is a lot about Removing Doubts

While you're listening to these classes, your old patterns will still dominate. These patterns negate the effectiveness of the teaching. They manifest as your mind thinking about world the same way it was before Vedanta came into your life. But also as mini-doubts. 

Analogy: Consider an exposed wire. If told it's 99% safe to touch, the 1% doubt prevents action. Similarly, even a tiny doubt can prevent true knowledge from becoming conviction.

Story: The story below of the worm illustrates how a misapprehension of one's nature can create fear, and how such fear can persist even after the truth is revealed. Once again reinforcing the need for meditation before and after moksha…

A man believed he was a worm, and this false identity led to a genuine fear of birds, preventing him from going outside. He was taken to therapy, where the therapist brought a worm and asked, “Do you look like this?” The man replied, “No!” The doctor then explained, “You are not a worm. You are a human being.” Upon realizing his true nature through listening (shravanam), the man no longer thought of himself as a worm and was discharged.

However, when he went outside and saw a bird, he became scared and returned indoors. The doctor asked, “Why are you afraid? Don't you know you're a human?” The patient responded, “I know I am a human (Brahman), but you haven't treated the WORM (remnants of false notions about one's identify) in me.”

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• After class questions

Credit for help in Bhagavad Gita teaching is given to Swami Paramarthananda

Recorded 26 March, 2019