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Aptavani-2
Dhyan – Meditation
Yama, niyam, asana, pranayam, pratyahaar, dharna,
dhyan and samadhi are eight parts of the Yoga. When you
attain knowledge of the Self through Akram Vignan, you have
already surpassed all these eight stages. Beyond these eight
steps, you have even attained the awareness of the Soul (your
own Self). Here you have to keep both the body and the soul
sahaj (natural and spontaneous). For you the experience
(anubhav), the awareness (laksha) and the conviction (pratiti)
of the Soul has already been established. Here in the Akram
Path, you will never fall below this stage of conviction (pratiti).
People sit to meditate, but do they have a goal in mind?
They haven’t even visualized the goal, so what can they meditate
on, a buffalo? To meditate without a goal is called updhyan.
God has not instructed anyone to meditate on the Soul in the
form of words. What is the definition of ultimate meditation? It
is when you have the awareness of all the characteristics (guna)
of the soul at a time. The attributes of the Soul is called dhyeya
(aim or goal) and when you yourself become dhyata (the one
who has the attributes), only then can your meditation be called
dhyan. All this cannot remain in your awareness at the same
time. These people cannot attain samadhi (a state free of all
effects from the non-self) when they are in adhi (mental agony)
by day, vyadhi (physical suffering) by night and during a
wedding, in upadhi (problems brought on by others)?
Questioner : They tell us to focus our attention on our
breathing, exhalation and inhalation. What is the benefit?
Dadashri : What do they tell you to do? They tell you to