Raja Yoga the Yoga of Meditation: The Pathway to Transformation

By Dr. Kandasamy Arunachalam

Yoga falls into four categories. The first, being the yoga of devotion, is termed bhakti yoga. The second, being yoga of service, is termed karma-yoga. The third, being yoga of wisdom, is termed jnana-yoga. And the fourth, being yoga of meditation, is termed raja-yoga. There are, of course, other forms of yoga that are accessories to the four main categories. What we are concerned with here is raja-yoga.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris AU
• Release date: Dec 19, 2017
• ISBN: 9781543405934

Dr. Kandasamy Arunachalam

Kandasamy Arunachalam is a Sri Lankan General Medical Practitioner who migrated to Australia with his wife and children in 1983. He joined the Brisbane Theosophical Society in 1984 of which he is a Past President. He and his wife were awarded Life Membership of the society. He conducted Study Groups relating to Theosophy and Religions over a period of over two decades. The group was introduced to the Bhagavad Gita using the translation and comments By S.Radhkrishnan and Sankarachariar. This, in particular, took a period of two years to complete.. He conducted weekly Guided Meditation Sessions for members and the public during that period and organised and conducted bi- annual retreats on silent meditation at the education centre at Springbrook Queensland Australia.

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Copyright © 2017 by Dr Kandasamy Arunachalam.

Cover illustration by Christine Gwin.

ISBN:                Softcover              978-1-5434-0594-1

                           eBook                   978-1-5434-0593-4

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Rev. date: 03/15/2018

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CONTENTS

Introduction

Chapter One:   Meditation And After

Chapter Two

Chapter Three

Chapter Four

Chapter Five

Chapter Six

Chapter Seven

This book is dedicated to

my wife

Astrid

Astrid was my constant companion and support throughout all study groups and guided meditations

INTRODUCTION

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Beyond the senses are the objects; beyond objects is the mind;

beyond the mind the intellect; beyond the intellect, the Great Atman; beyond the beyond the Great Atman, the Unmanifest;

beyond the Unmanifest, the Purusha.

Beyond the Purusha there is nothing:

this is the end, the Supreme Goal.

Katha Upanishad (I. Iii 10/11)

"Long, long ago, in a hermitage located in the remote forest of ancient India, lived Rishi Uddalaka Aruneyi, with his wife and their son Svetaketu. Rishi Uddalaka Arunneyi was not just a learned scholar and teacher; he was also a wise man.

"Coming from a Brahmin family where knowledge of the Vedas (Hindu Spiritual Scriptures) was considered to be sacrosanct, Uddalaka dreamed of the day when Svetaketu would pursue the study of the scriptures. But more importantly, he hoped that his son would have the wisdom to go beyond the scriptural words and imbibe their true essence.

"Time passed. When Svetaketu became twelve years of age, Uddalaka felt that it was opportune time to begin his son’s formal education. Therefore, following the tradition of those times, he sent Svetaketu to a gurukula (another hermitage) to live, study and serve.

"At the gurukula, Svetaketu studied the arts, sciences, philosophies, under the able guidance of his guru and several other teachers for the next twelve years. After completing his education at the age of twenty four returned home with an exalted opinion of himself—proud of his knowledge and high attainments.

"Before long, Uddalaka, the wise father that he was, detected his son’s arrogance. With a sorrowful heart, he recognized that such arrogance could stem only from bookish knowledge and an ignorance of the true nature of existence. So one afternoon, while both were resting under the shade of the old peepal tree at the hermitage, Uddalaka said: Svetaketu! My dear son! Tell me what you have learnt so far.

O Father! responded Svetaketu, with outstretched palms and puffed chest. Not only have I learned everything that knowledge can possibly teach, but I have mastered all arts, science and philosophies.

Is that so my son? asked Uddalaka. "Then tell me! How you sought the knowledge through which the unheard become known?’

"Listening to that question, Svetaketu’s arrogance was completely uprooted. Ruefully, he recognized the severe limitations of his acquired knowledge; falling at his father’s feet, he pleaded for further instructions. Satisfied Svetaketu’s curiosity for true knowledge had finally been awakened, Uddalaka raised him up gently, and with a warm embrace, accepted him as his disciple.

Next morning they left the hermitage for a long walk through the nearby village. Gazing at the village children who were playing with their earthen toys at the mango grove, Uddalaka said,Sevatketu, look at those toys. Let us go to the pottery and see how they are made. So they went to the potter’s cottage and watched him at work at the wheel. Looking around, they saw the place filled with various kinds of pots toys and dishes—each one of them unique in its own way. Uddalaka picked up a small lump of clay, showed it to Svetaketu, and said, It is through this lump of clay that all these different objects have come into being. No matter what shape, size or name, the reality is that that are all made of clay. They went to the goldsmith’s shop, then to the blacksmith, and noticed the same thing: all objects were gold and iron respectively.

"Returning to the hermitage, Uddalaka repeated their observation:

All things made of clay can be known by knowing a lump of clay,

All things made of gold can be known by knowing a lump of gold,

All things made of iron can be known by knowing a lump of iron,

So one should seek that Reality, that essence, which pervades the whole universe.

Please teach me about that Reality, Father, Svetaketu requested.

Uddalaka pointed to a huge Nyagrodha tree near to their cottage and said, Very well. Go fetch me a fruit from that tree, Svetaketu went to the tree, plucked a fruit and brought it.

Now break it open and tell me what you see. Said Uddalaka.

Breaking it open Svetaketu replied, Numerous seeds.

Uddalaka responded, Now break open one seed and tell me what is hidden within. So Svetaketu broke it open, looked into it and said, Nothing.

Nothing? Questioned Uddalaka.

Yes Father, replied Setaketu. There is nothing inside the seed.

Hmm! There is nothing inside the seed! repeated Udalaka. Yet it is from this nothing that this mighty Nyagrodha tree has come into being. So you see, Svetaketu! It is this very nothingness, this invisible and subtle essence, which pervade the whole universe. Tat Tvam Asi, (thou art that), my dear son. And that is Reality."

Chandogya Upanishad. Part VI Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

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Meditation and After

The term Meditation and After’ needs to be clarified. It is customary to believe that the End of the spiritual journey is Meditation. Participants have an understanding that meditation is the end of the road to Self-Realization. It is only the beginning. Meditation takes one up to the door which opens to Self-Realization Knock and the door shall be open unto you but it is imperative that one should reach the door to knock. The path to reach the door is uphill and has many pitfalls. It calls for Conviction, Commitment and Courge to negotiate the path. The reality is, that which comes After, is the End. What then is that End which comes After meditation? That which comes after is an entirely different state of Being or Consciousness which is an independent sensory and mental state of observation, listening and knowing. There is a transformation in awareness and understanding. It is above that of intellection and logic, resulting, as Patanjalee would say in Science of Yoga I. K. Taimini through the inhibition of the modification of the mind". The whole purpose of meditation is integration of this transformation in daily living. In this transformation the mind is silent and the body is filled with a new enthusiasm for living. This state cannot be realized deliberately but only by creating the state of consciousness so that the mind and body can experience the NOW.

One steps into the inner world where intellect and logic do not apply and there