Chapter 6 The Yoga of Meditation

Introduction

Even though the title of this chapter is The Yoga of Meditation, Krishna starts out the chapter talking about action and duty.  Because one cannot remain in meditation constantly, the way one conducts one's life in daily action must go hand-in-hand with our contemplative practice. We need to hold right attitudes towards life; we need to know how to use our will so as to direct our attention towards action and attitudes that will help us along the spiritual path and direct our thoughts and actions away from things that will distract us from our spiritual goals. We also need an image of what we are striving to attain and instructions on how to meditate.  I am trying to summarize and discuss the points Krishna makes in this chapter:

Doing One's Duty

Krishna says:

He who does the task dictated by duty,

Caring nothing for fruit of the action,

He is a yogi,

A true sanyasin.

This sounds much easier to do than it is. In modern life, duties are not always so clear cut.  Gone are the days when one generation could follow in the footsteps of the previous generation either in lifestyle, profession or place. Gender roles are changing as are patterns of familial life.  The extended family is giving way to the nuclear family. People are migrating from farms, towns and villages to larger and larger urban centres. Immigration to other parts of the world is ongoing. In my particular case, our family roots were cut by war and there was displacement from place of origin of my family.  I grew up in a country where my parents were strangers. I knew little about the culture in which my parents grew up - although they tried to keep it alive in our home, the larger context of society differed from the place in which they grew up.  There was a sense of duty in early life to my parents, brother, family and to our community. I had duties to study, to learn how to conduct myself socially. When I reflect on my sense of duty, I realize that the very concept implies not caring about the fruits. Although human needs are fulfilled by duties, a feeling about the order of things is what my sense of duty was always about.

Giving up the Fruit of Action

As a young person in my home, there was a lot of pressure to achieve so there was no question of not wanting the fruits of action.  I had to do well in school and if I failed at something, I cried and before I took a test, I was very worried about the results.  I suffered a lot from anxiety, nervousness as from a young age, I was encouraged to perform and to meet expectations of parents, teachers etc. Although I was very attracted to this idea as a young teenage person, when I really got involved in worldly life later on, I realized why it is difficult for most people to act without concern for the fruits of work.  I think most modern young people have a carefree attitude and are often quite happy to do idealistic things without wanting reward.  They see the world with young eyes and they want it to become a better place and be able to contribute to such a cause. In that stage in life, I went to India, followed a guru, and served faithfully for 15 years by his side.

But when the struggle to establish oneself in the world, make a living, support a family takes over, so do the cares and worries begin and it is not so easy to be philosophical - there are very pragmatic things to be done.  One wants to do them well.  One needs to do them well for no one will pay you either for work that is poorly done. But is it about not doing something well? No of course not - it is about doing one's very best but not being concerned whether one is rewarded or criticized for what we have done- accepting either result with equanimity.

But he who follows
His vow to the letter
By mere refraining:
Lighting no fire
At the ritual offering,
Making excuse
For avoidance of labour,
He is no yogi,
No true sanyasin.

Following One's Vow to the Letter
Keeping up appearances, refers to doing one's duty but without heart, without offering our lives to God.  So we perform all the prescribed actions of our lives; we conform to the roles, "duties" in life.  We may be a "good" boy or girl, a "good" husband  or wife, or employee and even attend all prescribed rituals at temple or church or perform them in the home but "lighting no fire at the ritual offering" - because we are not sincere - our hearts may be resentful, our minds may be indulgent to our senses, our inner spiritual life may be in a shambles.  Our heart's inner desires may be to acquire for ourselves standing in the community, material gain, praise, fame, even at the expense of others.  Psychologically, we are entrapped by our own narcissm.  We make sure that outwardly we look like we are doing everything right. But inwardly, we are restless, hateful, angry, resentful, jealous  - or simply apathetic. But we keep up appearances at all costs maintaining our image for others.

Avoiding Labour or One's Duty
We can often pretend even to ourselves that we don't care about the outcome of actions but it might be apathy, laziness or depression that cause us not to care. We may avoid doing things because they seem too hard or we are afraid of failure - we may even avoid performing the most basic of duties because of psychological and emotional difficulties and avoid seeking help. We may avoid our duties out of preference for things we would rather indulge in that give us more pleasure.We may even pretend that our work or other preoccupations are more important, than, let's say, some of our basic family duties.  We lack genuine discernment about where our hearts and minds need to be.

The Yoga of Action
The yoga of action is actually very difficult.  It implies both performing prescribed duties as well as selectively choosing what one recognizes is the dharmic path even if it is a more difficult choice in some circumstances. The yoga of action is one of full-hearted sincerity, of disciplined mind, of mindful behaviour. There is no place for personal greed, jealousy, covetousness.  One needs to be able to examine one's motives, be very self-aware, learn to be skilled in performing action but be without selfishness and concern for one's own gain.  Often we think this is only for the heroic.  So we may miss the small voice within calling us to make fresh choices in our ordinary lives. They say everyone is called by God, but few choose to listen.

If we are in business, we are eager to serve our customers and know they are satisfied with our service.  If we are teachers, we work so that our students will be prepared with the knowledge they need in their lives. If we are farmers, we know that the world depends on our crops for food, for sustenance.  If we are social workers, we know that it is our place to assist those in need who cannot help themselves.  If we work for government, we know it is our place in the scheme of things to provide honest governance.  No matter what work we perform we do it as a service for others rather than for what we will gain from it - believing that God provides for us and for all as long as we play the role in life that is ours to do.  We are highly aware of our motives. Work becomes worship.

Let him who would climb

In meditation

To heights of the highest

Union with Brahman

Take for his path

The yoga of action:

Then when he nears 

That height of oneness

His acts will fall from him,

His path will be tranquil.

What do we mean his acts will fall from him? It is referring to the idea that all action binds us in some way because we are not perfect in our mental habits: by our actions  and thought we continue to create causes for which we suffer consequences, except when we offer up the fruits of everything we do, whether they are good or bad, to God.  Everything is energy and when energy is set in motion, it naturally continues to its fulfillment.Thus our thoughts reach out beyond ourselves to create an energetic field - as a result.  When we make concrete our thoughts into action, they set in motion reactions from others that extend the energy field.

We can instead release anxiousness for gain and fear of loss and defeat. We can release the many troubling emotions that cloud our perception of reality. Instead, through our regular practice of meditation, we begin to work with clarity of mind, with good intent to perform service.With regular introspection and mindfulness, we acknowledge our moods- we recognize when our minds are disturbed and we gradually learn, to correct those traits which hinder our understanding and replace them with positive constructive thought. Through meditation we erase the impressions that are stored in our subconscious minds.  As we continue to focus on God, strive for union with God, the impressions of our conditioned mind gradually fall away as we enter into higher states of consciousness.  Even here, we do not look for results.  We patiently surrender to a calm, steady and regular practice.

"For, when man loses attachment to sense-objects and to action, when he renounces lustful anxiety and anxious lust, then he is said to have climbed to the height of union with Brahman."

Losing Attachment to Sense Objects and Action
In this generation, I am almost concerned that people may not even understand this concept..  For many people life is about things - about sense objects - newer and more thrilling things - clothing, surroundings, a better house, a better car, the latest brand of sneakers or jeans, the latest electronic gadget or toy, the latest CDs, the latest movies, the best restaurants, the best delicacies, a new fashion look.  Granted there are things that come with living in the modern world but how much is necessary and how much is indulgence or greed?  How do we react when we don't get what we want? To what lengths will we go in using our life energy for acquiring things?  What percentage of our time is devoted to understanding life and its spiritual principles as compared to time spent playing with our things - or even just dreaming about having them?  What happens if life deals us some challenges and we lose the things we hold dear?  How many of us can sit still and be content with the simple things of life or how many of us have to be in constant motion, pre-occupied with busyness for its own sake? Our minds are restless and we get bored easily, needing to act just for the sake of it.  How will we know the nature of reality, or unite with Brahman?  All of today's modern world is lived externally.  But God, Brahman, our essence can be known through our inner life - the deep place within, beyond the turbulent mind and the senses.  At the very core of our being is joy, peace and bliss which is our essential nature.  But if we value only the external life, we do not even become familiar with the inner terrain.

The modern person may say that this kind of life is reserved for the sanyasis, those who have retreated from the world and do not have to face the many distractions and responsibilities of worldly life - with such excuses as "I am no saint". But this is a cop out.  Granted, some who have chosen the brahmchari way of life, may have better opportunities for delving into the inner life.  My Guru used to tell a story about a hermit who spent 40 years in a cave meditating and when he thought he had reached enlightenment, he came down into the world and within a short time, he was enmeshed in worldly things and unable to meditate properly.  My Guru used to have a saying "Having everything but attached to nothing."  By living within the world and yet practicing the mental disciplines, mastery is gained gradually over the moods and desires and through meditation, stability comes from the Higher Self so the mind has equanimity and the heart is open to inner guidance.

What is man's will and how should he use it?

Let him put forth its power to uncover the Atman

Not hide the Atman:  man's will is the only friend of the Atman.

His will is also the Atman\s enemy. For when a man is self-controlled, his will is the Atman's friend. 

But the will of an uncontrolled man is hostile to the Atman, like an enemy.

How to Use One's Will
In some way this is one of the central points of the Bhagavad Gita.  Ultimately, our life is about choice.  Many of us may feel we are at the mercy of our fate, that life happens to us and we have little choice over its events. But that is only a perception and a false one for we have not been taught how to use our will.  Every human being is endowed with free will and the will of a person when fully exercised is a powerful force.  The will can be used for good and for ill.  Even not to use it at all but to drift aimlessly is a choice. 

That serene one

Absorbed in the Atman

Masters his will,

He knows no disquiet

In heat or in cold,

In pain or pleasure,

In honour, dishonour.

To unpack this teaching, we need to recognize that mastery of the will comes about through absorption in the Atman.  When our identity is linked to the body, senses, and outer things, events, we are not absorbed in the Atman but rather in the material manifestation of the creation instead of its Source.  

The image of Krishna steering the chariot drawn by the five horses is a teaching device, illustrating the main principles of this sacred teaching.  The five horses represent the five senses.  Krishna, is the Paramatma - All That Is.  Arjuna is the embodied Atma, a human being, representing what we are.  Atma and Paramatma are One - there is never any separation.  Paramatma is Source.  The chariot is the human life.  If Arjuna identifies with Krishna, he identifies with the Atma.  In this state, he masters the will because the Divine takes control of the five horses, the senses, which, if left on their own, would scatter and wildly pull the chariot in every which way - giving us the illusory experience of separation from Source. In the state of separation, we feel subject to the vagaries of duality, hence our lives seem out of our control, and we feel powerless, at the mercy of all the forces around us. 

On the other hand, if we recognize our true nature, the Atma, we become absorbed in it and experience its oneness with the Paramatma, All That Is, thus allowing the Divine to take control, mastering the will that controls the senses so we are not thrown off course by experiences of duality. - heat and cold, pain and pleasure, honour, dishonour. 

Self Control
In the Gita, we are advised to use our will in such a way that we will discover our essential Being - the Atma, by exercising self-control.  It also explains to us that when we have no self-control, we will miss the mark - we will not come to realize the source of our being, the Atma. We will wander after innumerable aims.

Knowledge and Personal Experience of Brahman

Instructions for Meditation

Moderation

Union

When can a man be said to have achieved union with Brahman? When his mind is under perfect control and freed from all desiresm so that he becomes absorbed in the Atman, and nothing else. 'The light of a lamp does not flicker in a windless place': that is the simile which describes a yogi of one-pointed mind, who meditates upon the Atman.  It satisfies him entirely.  Then he knows that infinite happiness which can be realized by the purified heart but is beyond the grasp of the senses.  He stands firm in this realization.  Because of it, he can never again wander from the inmost truth of his being.

Now that he holds it

He knows this treasure

Above all others:

Faith so certain

Shall never be shaken

By heaviest sorrow.

Certainty

Compassion

The Restless Mind

 Arjuna says to Krishna:

Krishna, you describe this yoga as a life of union with Brahman.  But I do not see how this can be permanent. The mind is so very restless.

Restless man's mind is,

So strongly shaken by the grip of the senses:

Gross and grown hard

With stubborn desire

For what is worldly.

How shall he tame it?

Truly I think 

The wind is no wilder.

Krishna answers Arjuna:

Yes, Arjuna, the mind is restless, no doubt, and hard to subdue.  But it can be brought under control by constant practice, and the exercise of dispassion.  Certainly, if a man has no control over his ego, he will find this yoga difficult to master.  But a self-controlled man can master it, if he struggles hard, and uses the right means.

Wow! Think of this in the context of fast-paced modern life in a wired world!  TV, the internet, advertising on every billboard, every newspaper, news broadcasts on radio, TV, the internet, Facebook, Twitter and all the other social media, e-mails, mobile phones, malls full of every consumer item imaginable, our jobs and the many pressures that are part of the work world, our need to balance work life with family life, pressures of family life, peer relationships, meeting our expectations and those of others.  Is there a way to control the mind in this kind of environment? Do we have to run away from the world to attain this control? Can we be "in the world but not of it?" For those of us who were born into this environment, if we want to take the Bhagavad Gita seriously as a guide for modern living, what should we do?

For me, it has been helpful that Krishna lets us know of the possibilities.  It is possible, as was the case in my youth, to be very enthusiastic about these possibilities of spiritual attainment and then, in later life to be discouraged by the lack thereof.  A very big learning for me, having traversed many up and down cycles in life, has been to come to terms with the fact that this is not only a lifetime pursuit but one of many lives.(You do not remember - I remember... chapter x.)

Another point that Krishna makes that is helpful in getting perspective is in Chapter 2:the Yoga of Knowledge, where he says:

"In this yoga, even the abortive attempt is not wasted.  Nor can it produce a contrary result.  Even a little practice of this yoga will save you from the terrible wheel of rebirth and death."

So this lets me know it is a gradual process.  One has to start somewhere and do whatever one can within the context of one's circumstances.  And in my experience, this is often one step forward, two steps back and then maybe tens steps forward and falling back to the beginning.  It is a spiraling process rather than a climb to the top.  We circle around our Centre - the Reality that is our core Being, circumambulating life, each time around the circle, coming to another awareness.

Krishna goes on to say in the same chapter:

"In this yoga, the will is directed singly toward one ideal.  When a man lacks discrimination, his will wanders in all directions, after innumerable aims."   The image of Arjuna as an archer supreme is symbolic of that single-minded aim that is needed.  An archer can only hit the bull's eye by being completely focused on the target.  A person whose aim wanders here and there will not be able to hit the target at all, never mind piercing its centre.

That is the state of affairs today - innumerable aims and we are encouraged to want more and more.  But I have found it is possible, with a lot of effort, to live within the framework of modern life and curtail the desire for more and more by being grateful for whatever we have.  Gratitude fills one up.  Gratitude makes one content. Gratitude is not passive and it is not contradictory to ambition.  On the contrary, it gives an appreciative mind set that sees the potential within everything and rather than needing more, we see that quality within less supports success. 


Great is that yogi who seeks to be with Brahman,
Greater than those who mortify the body,
Greater than the learned,
Greater than the doer of good works:
Therefore, Arjuna, become a yogi.
He gives me all his heart,
He worships me in faith and love:
That yogi above every other, I call my very own.