Meditation Begins With Viveka ( Discernment)

Talk & Practice.

Freedom and Happiness. Yoga Sutra-17 Meditation begins with Viveka ( discernment). Learning the principles - I do not know, let me know it. Clarity and conviction - I do not understand it; let me understand it.

Practice - I do not experience it; let me practice it.
Change in life- I do not change; let me share experience and find out how to correct if there is a problem.

Transcript

So Buddha,

You know,

When you say Buddha,

So that in Sanskrit it means old guy like me and the real word is Buddha.

So the Buddha,

So Buddha comes from awareness,

The word means awakened.

Anyhow,

Let me answer this and then I will start with our topic.

So Buddha wrote in his book that there was a master Kapila,

There is another master Kapila who lived a little more than 3000 years before Buddha was born.

He referred to that master.

He taught mindfulness.

So now you can easily understand that what Buddha taught is coming from the same Eastern wisdom.

A person is rich.

His real home is mentioned.

He mentioned few cars and find out a lot of stuff.

So now where his intellect lives.

That is the question.

That defines the wisdom.

For example,

A person is rich whose intellect always lives in anxiety,

Always running.

No doubt his body lives in mention.

His mind lives in his cars,

In his possessions,

In his power,

In his pleasure.

At the same time,

He is always scared of losing them.

So I have more wealth so I must take care.

I must be anxious.

No doubt about it.

He has more fear of losing them.

So I'm comparing.

The intellect of a meditator always lives and lives in and with the real self.

And what are the attributes of the real self?

Permanent happiness,

Love,

Truth,

Wisdom.

That is the key.

So the intellect must live.

That is one of,

I would say around 23 characteristics of a successful meditator.

It doesn't mean that I'm not working.

It doesn't mean that,

You know,

I'm not a professional.

I'm not a family man.

You do everything outside,

But still your intellect lives in and with the real self.

And that real self is constantly working behind with permanent peace and happiness,

Love and wisdom.

One example and then we'll directly come to the topic.

That guy is not dictated by either outer pleasures or outer pain.

Why?

Because intellect lives in real self.

So it does not mean that he is not receiving the pressure,

Pain,

Challenges from the world outside,

But he is not affected.

That is the key.

Why?

Why he is not affected?

Because his intellect shines with the wisdom.

What is that wisdom?

We are picking up step by step.

What is that wisdom?

So Eastern wisdom says that this world is undergoing a constant change and this world is like a crooked tail of the dog.

Even if you put a cable in the dog tail,

It will continue to give you pain,

Pleasure,

Profit,

Loss,

Victory,

Defeat.

That is the very nature of the world.

So he knows how to remain unaffected,

Unattached with the pain and the pleasure.

How many pleasures that you have experienced in your life until date,

Until today that you still preserve?

How many pains and suffering that you have had in the past life that you still preserve?

Because I preserve,

I remember.

Why?

Because of anxiety,

Because of fear.

So where my intellect is living?

My intellect is living outside in the world.

Even I know this world does not offer me permanent peace and happiness.

We are talking of meditation begins with discernment and dispassion in the intellect.

If you see that you have never heard about this,

This is even what the Buddha says.

This is what the tradition of Eastern wisdom is.

It is not,

No,

Let me close my eyes,

Focus on the breath.

I am focusing on the breath at the same time.

I have feeling of ill will against other people and those thoughts are continually coming.

It is attracting my mind to go outside,

Run outside,

Be in anxiety,

Be in fear.

No,

No,

I'm still focused on the breath.

Yes,

I'm focused on the breath,

But the mind is working somewhere else.

Isn't it?

What will happen in our day to day life?

That intellect must shine with wisdom.

Otherwise meditation will fail.

And normally it fails.

It looks very goody goody.

Oh,

Close your eyes.

Sitting in meditation.

We return from meditation and after a few hours we become the same person again.

Do you see?

That is why the master says two words,

Discernment and dispassion.

Before I take up these two words,

Let us understand the journey.

The master says,

All of our masters says there are primary practices.

There are hidden practices.

There are secondary practices in the journey to succeed in meditation.

What are the primary practices?

This is what we are discussing,

Discernment and dispassion.

So there are discernment,

Dispassion,

Followed by six inner treasures of the mind.

What are those treasures?

First treasure is known as Sama.

Sanskrit word Sama means conscious relaxation,

Dhamma.

Are you focused on my beard?

We had a long walk in the afternoon.

Temperature is very good here.

So couple of people looked at me and they said Santa Claus.

I thanked them.

I said very good.

I said where is my gift?

So where their mind is,

They looked at a human being and their mind imagined Santa Claus.

That working of the mind will not work in meditation.

Whether you say Santa Claus or whether you say a crazy.

Are you understanding?

That means second treasure is to withdrawal of the sense organs from the objects.

Second treasure,

Third treasure is known as Samdham Uparati.

Uparati means carefree,

Totally carefree.

What comes from the world outside.

Your mind is living above the world,

Not at par with the world,

Not below the world.

When the mind is living below the world,

That is animal kingdom.

Means the world is living through me.

It will not work.

These are all practices should happen in the mind.

So there are primary practices that I should understand what the meditation is.

I should understand what the practice is.

I should understand how the intellect should work.

CN,

I never talk of religion,

Cult,

Dogma,

Belief.

In early days she asked me,

Is there a God?

I said,

Why to worry about God?

Let us worry about ourselves,

Take care of ourselves first.

Then we will see if the God is there.

So remember primary practices,

The right knowledge in a right way,

In a right manner should continue to live in my intellect.

Success is always there.

Then how to get that?

So there are three hidden practices.

One practice is you are doing.

That is known as Satsang.

What is Satsang?

If I translate,

Later translation is company of the real self.

How do you get the company of the real self?

Listening to the teacher,

Listening to these principles.

Hearing,

That also means the personalized teaching,

Customized practices by the teacher.

It is a hidden practice.

It is a hidden.

Second part is once I realize that these are the thoughts that is causing the problem,

So I understand it,

I make a list of it,

I ask the teacher and I want to know how to get rid of this.

These are known as voluntary practices for raising your level of endurance.

They are hidden practices.

We did not talk about it before.

So the teacher on the way guides you in the third hidden practice is the path of karma.

How to perform any action?

And he says,

Can you give me a cup of tea?

He is always asking tea.

No,

I must change my attitude inside.

I must change.

What is that?

You see John is taking tea.

Tea or coffee?

I don't remember.

You see that?

So every karma,

Every action,

Thought,

Speech and action in my personal,

Professional and social life should be fine tuned with the knowledge in the intellect.

Are you getting it?

They are known as the hidden practices.

And what are the secondary practices that we already know?

Close your eyes,

Focus on the breath,

Chant some mantra,

Sitting steady.

Now you see the primary practice,

Hidden practice,

Secondary practices.

So these are the secondary practices which we do it because we have to do it.

That is also important.

You know pranayama,

There are a lot of practices,

Some guides you focus on the breath,

Other guides you do some with practice with the mantra.

Thar says,

No,

First you have to sit in and ask.

They are secondary practices.

But if the first two group of practices are not clear,

We don't follow it.

Success is not there.

What is that success in meditation?

Where I awaken to my real self one and my intellect lives in and with the real self all the time.

24 by 7.

Are you getting it?

I'm just making it very simple.

With this reference,

Patanjali,

Our master speaks regular practice with wisdom,

Regular practice to wisdom,

I'm using the word for discernment.

So what is discernment?

I will talk for a while.

Okay Google,

Stop it.

So discernment.

Sorry,

I don't understand.

The discernment.

Simple meaning.

To separate real from unreal.

To separate ignorance from wisdom.

To separate false from real.

To separate the alternative facts and the reality from the absolute truth.

We have heard a lot about during the last four years alternative reality,

Alternative facts.

We live with alternative facts in our life.

Forget about those who used it.

Discernment.

That is known as the intellect must penetrate into every thought,

Speech and action whether I'm speaking with reference to the real self or I'm speaking with reference to the false self.

This is what the discernment.

Simple meaning of discernment,

You separate.

Like in old days they used to give us an example,

The sesame seed and rice they got mixed up,

Separate them.

What it means to meditation?

Wrong notions are mixed with the right notions.

I have to separate them.

Am I the body?

But for all practical purposes I use I am the body.

But can my intellect lives in the real self at the same time for a matter of convenience I use yes,

Here I am,

Here I am sitting,

I'm referring to the body.

How this discernment develops in our intellect by listening to the teacher follows by contemplation and reflection on the real and the unreal.

How do we know what is unreal?

Just ask the intellect.

Find out any object in the world outside that is not changing.

That is that keeps on changing.

So first property of being real is it never changes.

It is not influenced and dictated by the time,

Location,

Event,

Condition.

It does not need the mind to express in the world outside.

I gave one example you go into the dark room and I ask you go into that room and find out who is there.

So you go there in the dark room there is no one.

You come back and you report to me there is no one.

Now my next question is who is reporting to me that there is no one?

I am.

So it means I was there in the room.

Do you see that?

The mind is so much exposed and attracted and obsessed with the world outside that it forgets oneself.

Are you getting it?

So there is a constant awareness of the real and the unreal.

So what happens by that?

I ask my intellect to stick with the real.

Then what happens?

You see that you did not listen to me.

Ego sins.

So I was thinking that my expectation must be met by you that will give me the pleasure.

Now the mind,

This mind and intellect has a very complex,

Complex group of the thoughts that it developed the ego sense and that ego sense is asking why don't you listen to me and I get upset inside.

Every process is unreal.

I'm looking for peace and happiness outside.

That is totally unreal.

So what happens when I discern,

Constantly contemplate and reflect my life every moment,

My thought,

My speech and actions.

So what happens?

Leave it.

There is no worry about this ego.

You don't listen to me.

That's good.

Thank you.

What happens?

There comes an inner calmness.

The mind is not subjected to pleasure seeking in the world outside.

That withdraws the mind inside.

So that state comes through the discernment is dispassion.

Without discernment and dispassion nothing can be achieved in any meditation whether you say it is Buddha meditation or whether you say it is taught by many great masters in Eastern wisdom.

Are you getting it?

I started with an example where your intellect lives.

Ask Warren Buffett where your intellect lives?

In the stocks,

In the shares.

Just see,

See simple thing.

Where those people who are obsessed with the sex where their intellect lives when they go into the store in the mall.

Ask so simple to know it.

You like pasta.

So now you see the pasta where your intellect is living.

So I live into that awareness.

The seeker lives in that awareness.

Yes in the beginning it will happen.

In the beginning you are going outside mind by virtue of the habit by the instinct by obsession will go there through your awareness bring it back.

Are you getting it?

Through your awareness bring it back.

That is the inner practice we should do.

We should always ask where my intellect is living.

Last point why?

If my intellect is constantly living in the real self which I have yet to discover but the intellect maintains that awareness of the real self after understanding these principles what will happen when you start the practice?

Your mind will drop everything from the world outside.

You will be settled in meditation.

Are you getting it?

You park your car in the garage then your body lives in the home.

You don't care the car.

You have parked it.

You have the keys and everything is there.

Same way when this intellect lives with a clarity and conviction about the real self which is yet to be discovered then you when you close your eyes then what happens the mind says now please move within I have nothing to do with any thought feeling objects which I like or dislike in the world outside.

Then comes the secondary practice.

Do you get it?

But if we do not follow this you know that's why I started this series if we do not follow the primary practices which is purely the practice that is going to happen in your mind and the intellect through your contemplation and reflection that raises your awareness about the goal of life.

I come to you and then you say okay let us go out you sit in the car so where you want to go?

Do not just take anywhere you want.

You sit in a train and the conductor asks you where are you want to go?

Forget about it.

Here is the money.

Give me a ticket.

Don't ask me where I'm going.

That does not become clear if we do not follow the discernment and the dispassion in our life.

Not only it helps you in meditation but it helps you in your personal life in your professional life in your social life.

Because now you are living with wisdom.

I had a wonderful friend in Eastern Europe.

So as you know that I always used to go every year twice a year.

So I've been there for the last 15 years every time but due to the COVID I could not go this time.

So five years ago that guy is very wise and intelligent very wealthy millionaire.

Wife and two kids.

Then one day he told me that now I'm in love with another beautiful woman.

So I asked him that the way you are applying your intellect.

Why don't you apply your intellect?

That where lies the pleasure.

You live with your first wife.

You have two kids.

Why don't you see and understand?

He did not.

He left first married to the second.

Now he's a regular student of mine.

He went into the entire journey.

He felt totally frustrated for the last two years.

He is my regular student.

He said now I have realized and now I'm in commitment.

So what happens?

You can save yourself from many blunders in your life in your professional life in your social life.

I used to go to New York upstate.

It used to take me two and a half hours to go to the mental health clinic and return with a very little money.

I did it for a month and I realized I can spend five hours sitting at my home in New Jersey will do something better.

Just for the sake of little more money.

My body becomes used to get fatigued.

So this discernment and dispassion helps you to understand this entire life that is outside and it helps you to meditate deeply,

Clearly.

So every time you succeed in meditation.

I have touched these two things in a very,

Very primary level.

So listen to it again and again and see,

Contemplate and reflect.

If you have any issue you can ask me.

So let us start our journey of meditation.

Eyes are closed.

Eyes are closed.

Is intellect aware that the home of the intellect is the real self?

See that.

But still I say that look at the body from the top of the head to the toes.

Become aware of the body.

Whatever the position you want to adopt for the body is good.

Meditation is a state of consciousness.

Whether you are doing lying down,

Sitting,

Standing,

Everything works.

Depending on your temperament,

Your level of awareness.

Now look inside the heart and the space.

So when you look inside the heart and the space or emptiness or blankness or darkness,

What we are doing?

We are asking the intellect go away too far from the word outside.

We have lived it with all the pain,

Pleasure,

Duality,

Anxiety,

Conflict,

Reaction,

Pain,

Pleasure.

It has to be done by the intellect with awareness.

What is that awareness?

What is discernment here?

What is not desired?

Any thought means the mind wants the word.

So I said no that is not desired.

I am looking at the space.

Awareness of the space and becoming aware of the point in the space.

Now you see until now you did not know what is discernment but I am applying it.

I have been applying in almost every practice.

Remember I make the masters,

I don't make students,

Master of yourself and I will see the second step being comfortable.

So you look at the neck joint.

Looking means you are aware,

You feel,

You know,

You are attentive of the neck joint that is consciousness.

Awareness,

Looking,

Feeling,

Knowing,

Sensation and then when you make the mind subtle it goes within.

So how to make the mind subtle?

You look at the neck joint and experience sensation being comfortable and steadiness.

I am going to modify and customize these practices in future.

So look at the now you have understood the discernment and the dispersion.

What is that dispersion?

See that?

You look at the shoulder joints.

Are you attached to it?

No.

Discernment,

Feel,

Sensation being comfortable and steadiness.

So when you experience the mind is subtle it is experiencing sensation being comfortable and steadiness.

It leads to a kind of a dispersion with the shoulder joints.

Unattached.

Pay attention.

That is why even the Buddha has mentioned the six principles before he starts the mindfulness practice as the seventh of the eightfold noble path.

Everyone has to follow the same.

Expressions are different.

Follow the mind and the entire body all the joints of the body,

Neck,

Shoulders,

Elbows.

You are looking feeling in a way.

Rest,

Fingers,

Hip,

Knees,

Ankles,

Toes and you experience sensation being comfortable and steadiness.

I know I'm aware a couple of the teachers they talk about scan your body.

So when you scan the body the discernment and the dispersion are missing.

Continue to scan your body for years.

We do it every day.

So here even the expression outside is the same but the practice is different.

So now let's go deeper.

When the body is in the state of sensation being comfortable and steadiness the mind can easily look deeply.

But it can look deeply the thoughts,

The feeling,

The sensation,

The images from where they are coming from outside.

So through the discernment I see them separate from me.

A lot of other steps also enters.

That is what I say being carefree.

Now see that there are 100 challenges that enters into the mind because of the five subjective states and the five objective states of the mind.

One of them is sleepiness,

Laziness,

Letharginess.

The mind wants to fall into ignorance.

That is why what we have been doing.

Look inside the forehead at any point and start breathing.

Quick shorten the gentle breath from both the nostrils.

Continue.

Quick short breath from both the nostrils.

Playful breath.

You see now we come to the secondary practice and just stop it and do nothing.

Experience the change.

What experience the change?

What that change is,

They are subtle.

We may find a little bit of freshness and relaxation far from being sleepy.

You see that we have to check it at every moment in meditation.

Let us do it again.

Short,

Quick and gentle breath.

Tighten it up again.

And stop this.

Do nothing,

Remain as you are and start deep,

Silent and slow breaths.

Inhalation should be deep,

Silent and slow.

Keep your awareness or attention inside the heart or the head and start doing humming sound as deep,

As long as possible.

Continue.

Long,

Deep,

Silent breathing inside and while breathing out,

While breathing out,

Doing the humming sound louder,

Deeper,

Longer.

Let it out.

Again take your time inhaling deep silent and slow breath.

Mm.

M.

Hmmmm.

.

.

Here we go.

Mmmmmmmm Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

Mm.

And now stop this,

Do nothing.

Let us do one more step.

You already know.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

So,

First few times you have to sing mentally and listen to it what is what you are singing.

So,

You are singing mentally and you are listening to your own sound while keeping your awareness inside the head.

We did talk about the discernment.

So,

Just do it mentally.

I will do it loudly for your own sake.

Mm.

Shanti.

Shanti,

Shanti.

Mentally.

Mm.

Shanti.

Shanti.

Shanti.

Two points of awareness,

Singing and listening to what you are singing.

Mm.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

First phase of this step.

Second phase,

Now we see what is the meaning.

So,

Singing,

Listening with the meaning that is how this intellect remains within.

So,

What is the meaning of Om?

The symbol Om simply means pure consciousness,

Real self.

So,

Let the mind keep looking and searching the real self when you say Om,

Sing Om.

First shanti is an expression of the real self.

Second shanti,

It is all present inside the body,

Breath,

Mind,

Intellect,

Thought,

Ego,

Anxiety,

Stress.

It is present everywhere.

Third shanti,

It is present in the world.

So,

Move the mind with that singing,

Listening and meaning.

Mm.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

You are doing it mentally,

Hence you don't need to change your rate and the rhythm of the breath.

You need not to move your lips and the tongue.

Mm.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

You are singing,

Listening and meaning.

Mm.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

Now,

The third phase,

Singing,

Listening,

Meaning and wisdom.

What is that wisdom?

To be aware of the water and at the same time aware of these waves,

Flood and anything,

Any shape this water takes is the false nature.

What is the essence of the water?

Similarly,

Peace like the infinite space is an essence.

The rest are opinions like the waves including the body,

Breath,

Mind,

Intellect,

People,

Object.

So,

What we are doing,

We are educating the mind,

Follow this so that the intellect drops its clinging.

Let us do it,

Singing,

Listening,

Meaning and knowledge,

Applied wisdom,

Applied knowledge.

Mm.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

Any thought comes into the mind behind peace.

Any image appears in the mind behind this peace.

Any wave,

Small wave,

Low wave,

Behind water or inside water.

Mm.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

Mm.

Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

Doing nothing,

Remain as you are in that state.

Well,

If any thought enters into the mind,

Remind the mind through the intellect.

What you remind?

Om Shanti is the nature of the real self.

Mind,

Just be aware of it.

So,

How do you say it by Om Shanti and then you remain silent.

Follow the revelation of that knowledge.

Mm.

Doing nothing,

Remain as you are.

Mm.

It's a beautiful practice and now we will return and share our experiences.

Om Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

Om Shanti,

Shanti,

Shanti.

Bring your mind on the right hand,

Your mind on the left hand.

Lift your both the palms,

Place it on your eyes,

Open the eyes inside.

Know your experiences,

Bring the hands down.

Now we will share our experiences.

How are you Sophie?

I'm good,

Thank you,

Thank you for doing the breathing exercises again because I was dozing off but then that brought me completely back in.

Yeah,

That is how I customise,

That is how I say I want to see every student to whom I am giving the practice.

So I was aware you were dozing off and that's why I said no,

Let us do the practice two times.

But it also helps others.

No doubt,

It also helps others.

Very good,

Very good.

So how are you and?

Yes,

At the beginning I didn't feel quiet yet but the second half I felt much better and much more peaceful.

Much more peaceful.

Now check what we discussed today.

If the intellect lays with awareness of the real self then we simply say goodbye to all the thoughts.

Okay.

You see?

We are going deeper,

Step every week we are going a little deeper and once we are aware simply,

Okay,

Where are you going?

I'm going to my home,

You see that?

The intellect chooses,

Who is this?

Oh,

She is my honey.

See this,

Clarity,

Clarity.

Do I have the same clarity where I'm going in meditation?

So what I will say to the mind?

Goodbye mind,

Wait,

I'll talk to you later.

So from the very beginning you go deeper.

That is the power of discernment.

Do you see that?

Where are you going?

To New York.

Then why are you moving in another direction?

You know that takes you to Philadelphia.

Oh,

You see?

The power of discernment.

You separated.

No,

This is false notion,

This is right notion.

How it happened?

I have to maintain my awareness in my life.

How are you John?

I'm good and I appreciated the discussion at the beginning about discernment.

I have a much better understanding of it now,

So thank you for that.

Beautiful,

Beautiful.

That is how my profession continues.

Even one out of many understands my job is done.

But you all have understood.

Yes,

John that is very important that many people have the idea.

The first idea that many people have,

Let us close our eyes,

Focus on the Virat,

Or say,

Is this mindfulness coming from Buddha?

Yes.

What I'm doing?

What my mind and intellect is doing?

My mind and intellect is creating a cult,

A dogma,

A belief that is not meditation.

Be very clear about it.

When I follow a typical habitual practice without any change,

My mind is changing,

My intellect is changing.

We need a discernment.

So the master of the Eastern wisdom always sees that there is no following around him.

You are not creating a cult,

A dogma,

A belief.

Why?

Follow the discernment.

What is the goal of mindfulness?

Freedom.

So why you are following someone?

Why don't you understand instead of being a follower?

Why don't you become a seeker instead of a follower?

How simple it is.

So as a teacher,

If I don't give you the answer of your right question,

Find another teacher.

But stick to the principles like a physics teacher who sticks to the Newton,

Einstein,

Archimedes.

I studied physics.

That is why I remember a couple of names.

So I should stick to the principles of Eastern wisdom.

That is how I can learn.

So some people say,

Oh,

What is the fun of having a teacher?

So did you go to the school?

Yes.

Why you go to school?

You should have studied at home.

You should have studied at home.

Close all the universities.

Now see the way the masters explain that if you are doing,

Say,

For example,

A landscaping business,

You want to get knowledge from an expert,

An experienced landscaper,

Isn't it?

How simple.

So the same way those who have experience,

Those who know the principles,

Those who can express,

You say,

Damn teacher or a crazy guy,

Whatever you say,

Label is not important.

What is important?

That knowledge must enter into my intellect.

Sophie,

Any questions?

I think I will have to say this is what you said.

So that is good.

That is good.

And thank you very much.

I will be sending you the file within a few minutes.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Bye-bye.

Bye-bye.