28 Aug 2021 HYN Himalayan Yoga Academy
Meditation is necessary because it opens up the way to realize the potential of human consciousness. What is consciousness? What is the mind? We talk of the body, and we talk of the brain. But yoga speaks of minds, and yoga speaks of consciousness as well. Human Consciousness is the all-encompassing awareness, without any boundaries and distinctions. Mind is the manifest aspect of Consciousness, which relates to the world, the environment, at present. Although modern psychology has divided the mind up into different categories- the conscious, the subconscious, and the unconscious. Yogis have described the mind as an attribute of consciousness and the consciousness as having four different stages of expressions and experience:
- Jagrat, the awakened state, the wakeful state
- Swapna, the dreaming state, a stage where you are neither awake nor asleep
- Nindra, sleep, the unconscious
- Turiya, the state of inner effulgence in which you realize your being
These are the four attributes of consciousness. Jagrat has been compared to the conscious, swapna to the subconscious, and nindra to the unconscious. However, I believe English does not have the proper words to define the actual states of consciousness, and these four states are only broad categories .
The great author Abhinav Gupta, who wrote two beautiful treatises on tantra, Tantra Loka and Tantra Sara, has described twenty-one states of consciousness. Each stage is different from the previous one. What does this indicate? That our knowledge, our perception, our understanding of human consciousness, of human personality, of the human mind is very limited. It is a feat of analysis, logic, and understanding if somebody, through years of study and research, can define twenty-one states of consciousness. This is the only example of how deep you can go into the study of human nature.
We are talking of consciousness, and you can give a shape to the consciousness in the formative years. You can shape the awakened state of consciousness, which connects to the outer world through the senses and mind. You can also shape the dreaming state, which exists between the awakened and dormant states, giving it form and identity. This happens through the processes of pratyahara, dharana, and dhyana. A beginning has to be made. Begin with the tools that you have, and practice what you know with sincerity, dedication, and commitment to transform your attitude and outlook. Practice with sincerity to develop an understanding of your nature and your child’s nature.
Human Consciousness For Children
In ancient civilizations, there used to be a method of knowing the nature of the child. At the age of eight, before being taught the practices of asanas, pranayama, and mudra, the child was put in a room in which different objects had been placed. People would watch to see which object the child was attracted to. When a child picks up the first object, the parents would get an idea of how the child is going to develop in the course of his life.
There is a story about it. A rich person placed four items in the room: money, a gun, a rosary, and a bottle of wine. He thought, ”If the child goes to pick the money, he will become a big businessman; if the child picks up the bottle of wine, I know he will become a sensual drunkard.” An eight–year–old child went into the room, looked around, picked up the money and put it into his pocket, picked up the gun and put it in another pocket, picked up the bottle and drank it, picked up the rosary and walked out the door. The father said, “My God, he’s going to be a politician. “ Do not let this happen to your child. Give your child the opportunity to grow in life with proper support and encouragement. Parents have to become the support group for the child. Parents have to provide the child with the opportunity to express his or her creativity. If we can do that, we will see a new sun shine over this world.