Holistic Meditation – V

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In Holistic meditation one's focus is exclusively on the mind, in order to discover its nature. In that discovery is the key to freedom from the fragmentation of the mind, its endless fencing and identifications. The subject matter of the enquiry is the subject itself, the mind, and the instrument used is also the mind, the focussed mind.

Knowledge about the subject 'I':

Here one might pause to ponder how exactly knowledge about the subject is different from knowledge about objects. The latter is limited knowledge, limited to the area of one's expertise. Illustratively the field of knowledge of a cardiologist would be the heart and its problems. It would not include all matters connected with the heart. Cases calling for surgical intervention of the heart, like open-heart surgery would be a different field. Both cardiac specialists would be ignorant about the treatment for other parts of the body, say about Gastric – Ulcer. Knowledge of particular specialisation would necessarily imply ignorance of the rest, which is therefore vast. This knowledge is dualistic, part of a pair; knowledge – ignorance, rich – poor, educated – illiterate and so on.

In contrast, knowledge of the subject is total. For, ours is a mental world, everything being dependent on the perceiver. Therefore, once the true nature of the mind is discovered everything else is known. Hence Ramana emphasises the need for and the primacy of knowledge about the 'I'.

Understanding the mind - The Enquiry:

In this enquiry about the nature of one's mind, one begins at the beginning, the state when the mind as we know it is not there, when the thinker and his thoughts are not there. This happens each day in deep sleep. A fatigued mind reappears on waking, refreshed. From this the origin of the mind can be inferred to be from a rejuvenating source. This Ramana had discovered to be the spiritual heart.

What happens on waking? Is the link with the source broken or continued. It is as good as broken because the thinker is lost in his own thought hordes and forgets his association with his conscious source, the heart. In the rapid movement of successive thoughts the one to whom the thoughts relate, the central force is forgotten. The mind's attention is hijacked as it was by this non-stop thought movement away from where it should be on itself. This Ramana says is no wiser than to think that creeper can exist without tree and consequently paying attention only to it.

Thoughts are given an independent status, as if they can exist by themselves. Remedies are sought for control of thoughts through meditation. Will it free one from his thoughts? 'No'. At best there may be a lull during the period of meditation but thoughts will be back with a vengeance.

To be continued About the author

A.R.Natarajan

Sri A.R.Natarajan has had the opportunity of a long association of over 50 years with the Ramanashram. He was the editor of "Mountain Path" for two years. He was the secretary of Ramana Kendra, New Delhi for ten years. He founded the Ramana Maharshi centre for learning, a non profit institution. He has authored more than thirty six books and eleven pocket books on the life and teachings of Bhagavan Ramana.

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