Have become regular in divine awareness meditation; Meditation affirmation-and-helper statements that I use now in March 2022 and that I used in the past (May 2019)
Post title updated in March 2022
Last updated on 29thMar. 2022
28th & 29th March 2022 update: I felt it appropriate to provide this update. Over the past month or so, I have been able to regularly do 'I am divine awareness' meditation.
I use 'I am divine awareness' as my key helper statement now.
At times, I use 'What is my reality?' as an initial helper statement whose answer is 'I am divine awareness' and so helps me more easily slide into 'I am divine awareness' helper statement and meditation state.
At times, I use 'I am not the body' and 'I want to rise above body consciousness' as additional helper statements (after using 'I am divine awareness' helper statement). [Note that it is implied that I want to temporarily rise above body consciousness and get back to body consciousness later.]
The other helper statements mentioned in post below helped me in the past but I don't use them much now.
Now I would like to get deeper into 'divine awareness' and based on some readings of mystics who have had intense meditation experiences, I hope that when I get into good depth of meditation then my body consciousness will significantly reduce.
In other words, I now have a desire to have the spiritual ability to reduce body consciousness significantly when needed/wanted, which is reflected in some of the helper statements mentioned above. Of course, being able to go into a trance and rise above body consciousness would be a great achievement but I don't know if I will achieve that.
To get deeper into 'divine awareness' meditation, I usually concentrate on the area in the forehead between the two eyebrows.
Readers may want to read my post: Jan 2021 note on my meditation approach and experience - no visions, just worship of great divine power, and experience of unchanging awareness, joy, peace and love, https://ravisiyer.blogspot.com/2022/03/jan-2021-note-on-my-meditation-approach.html , 9th March 2022.
========= end 28th & 29th March 2022 update ================
Prior to Sathya Sai mahasamadhi in April 2011, I was a regular divine awareness meditator. The trauma, chaos and confusion that the mahasamadhi brought in its wake, forced a lot of changes in my life.
I think I have done my fair bit to help stabilize the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram system over these past eight years.
Now in mid 2019, I hope to get back to divine awareness meditation on a regular basis.
Just in case this might be of assistance to some readers, here are the meditation affirmation-and-helper statements that I am currently using in my pure-awareness meditation sessions, which is based on my understanding of Vedanta (Upanishads) and which understanding has been clarified and reinforced in me by my beloved & revered Gurudev Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
[Update on 1st Jun. 19: At times, I also bring in the truth aspect. I have slightly modified the statements below to reflect that.]
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I created a pic of the above using my relatives' pic (link provided at bottom of post) as background with my relative(s) giving permission to me to use the pic:
[To open pic in larger resolution, right-click on pic followed by open link (NOT image) in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.]
Update on 1st June 2019
During my meditation sessions, I usually shorten the above to:
I created a pic of the above (using same background pic as above):
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In some part of 2009 and initial few weeks of 2010, I would additionally use these affirmation-and-helper statements in my meditation:
As I get, once again, into regular practice of divine awareness meditation, I do not plan to use the above additional statements for the near future at least, as I don't think I am ready for that, and I am afraid I might land into trouble again if I get into that practice.
==========================================================
Given below are comment(s) from my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2502993289917233, associated with this blog post:
In response to a comment asking about my meditation experience and any associated success, I wrote (slightly edited):
I am still very much in the sadhaka stage. But I have gained some insights from my meditation in combination with readings on Vedanta including Sathya Sai's comments/teachings on Vedanta.
I don't think I have directly written about these insights. But some of my public writings on Vedanta, almost all of which have been published on Internet after Swami Mahasamadhi but which includes some private writings of mine before Mahasamadhi, are informed by those insights. These are captured in my Who am I? I am I ... book, https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07K7M2963, and my iami1.wordpress.com blog.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
I have had the good fortune to live a "Vanaprastha" (person who moves from family life, (ideally) after finishing family duties, to ashram life (forest in the past) to focus on spiritual pursuit) like life right from Oct. 2002 even though I was also providing free service in the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram system from Oct. 2002 till March 2012. That has enabled me to rather comfortably explore meditation in divine awareness and contemplation of Vedanta and Sathya Sai explanations & teachings on Vedanta (as well as some other great spiritual masters' comments/interpretation of Vedanta). Regular darshans and hearing sambhashans of Sathya Sai live in Sai Kulwant Hall were vital factors helping me in these explorations.
I think bro. --name-snipped--, you are currently in Grihastashrama (householder/family) life. I too was in somewhat-Grihastashrama life till my mother passed away in Feb. 1999, even though I was not married as, say from early 1990s, I had the responsibility of taking care of mother. While I have done some amount of meditation and contemplation in those days too, it was nowhere near as in-depth as I have been able to do after settling down in Puttaparthi from Oct. 2002, and especially after I moved into a small ownership flat in Puttaparthi in mid 2006.
What worked for me in my somewhat-Grihastashrama life (till Feb. 1999), in handling the challenges of that life, with some level of peace, joy and fortitude, were Namasmarna and other prayer on a regular basis and satsang with Sathya Sai samithi, Dombivli, Maharashtra persons. Dombivli then was a working-class town. The samithi members had their own share of financial and other problems. But many of them had this fortitude, this Shraddha and Saburi which Shirdi Sai advised his devotees to have, which I then lacked. Association with them in samithi activities like Bhajan, Study Circle and Seva (Medical camp Seva in a hutment colony, Narayan Seva mainly in a leper colony in Vithalwadi (if I recall correctly) etc.) activities helped me to acquire some of their fortitude and, Shraddha and Saburi qualities. This went a long, long way in giving me the mindset to handle challenges of my family life then (earning money to keep the family show going, taking care of mother, many doctor and hospital visits for mother, handling my own health issues etc.) with some level of equanimity, peace and even joy. Meditation (into awareness) was ***not*** a significant part of my life then (till Feb. 1999) even though I was very attracted to it. I just did not have the time and mental space to really get into meditation as a regular activity.
I don't know whether what worked for me then (till Feb. 1999), or even a modified version of that, may work for you now. But I thought I should share what worked for me then with you.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
All the best --name-snipped--! It has been my experience that there is a lot of wisdom in the saying, "Seek and you shall find". India is a very holy land, a Punya Bhoomi, a Tyaaga Bhoomi. I am confident that if you search, you will find some satsang that jells with you. ... I did explore quite a few satsangs before I got settled with Sathya Sai sangham. The other satsangs were also good and had some extraordinary positive aspects but what suited me most was Sathya Sai sangham. .... So you too may have to explore a few such satsangs in and around where you live before you feel really comfy with one of them. Note that by comfy I don't mean perfect. Just some spiritual group which despite some issues it may have (which group does not have issues?), jells with you.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
--Name-snipped-- - I too was plagued by doubts during my somewhat-Grihastashrama years. What I looked for then was some belief, practices and satsang-group that would work for me and which I may not comprehend fully and still have some doubts about, but not something major. Dombivli Sathya Sai samithi along with Sathya Sai literature and larger Indian Sathya Sai orgn. gave me that base and I was able to get some mental strength & balance. All my philosophical doubts were not resolved. But they were not so critical for me then, and I was able to be patient that they may get resolved some day in the future. ... Shraddha and Saburi are not easy to get. Perhaps for intellectuals and those with some reading exposure to philosophical parts of scripture, such Shraddha and Saburi are even more difficult to get than for others. ... In my case, association with beliefs, practices and satsang of the Dombivli Sathya Sai samithi gave me a lot of Shraddha & Saburi. But I went with an open mind and with a willingness to learn about Shraddha and Saburi and other spiritual virtues from others who perhaps were not as well-read as me. I think that's when I was able to see and appreciate and later imbibe some spiritual virtues that this satsang had, which I though perhaps more well read on some scripture and philosophy in general than them, was then lacking.
So I think you should not feel so negatively about this --snip-- thing. The six shadaripus of Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Maatsarya are part of the being of most, if not all, of us. Hindu scripture interpretation nowadays does not emphasize the negative aspects as --snip--ish (though I would not be surprised if in the past centuries, it did, using terms like asura, rakshasa and chandala instead of --snip--).
Satsang with the pious (sadhujana) is the great cure for combating our negative impulses, though we need to go in with humility and be willing to learn and imbibe positive spiritual virtues from those who may be intellectually less capable than us.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
All the best bro. --name-snipped--. I will pray for you.
----
I think I have done my fair bit to help stabilize the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram system over these past eight years.
Now in mid 2019, I hope to get back to divine awareness meditation on a regular basis.
Just in case this might be of assistance to some readers, here are the meditation affirmation-and-helper statements that I am currently using in my pure-awareness meditation sessions, which is based on my understanding of Vedanta (Upanishads) and which understanding has been clarified and reinforced in me by my beloved & revered Gurudev Bhagavan Sri Sathya Sai Baba:
[Update on 1st Jun. 19: At times, I also bring in the truth aspect. I have slightly modified the statements below to reflect that.]
I am the unchanging, eternal and divine awareness-I in me.Note: I use the term awareness-I (which is unchanging over time) to distinguish it from the mind-and-body-complex-I which is the I that we refer to in worldly life and which changes with time.
This divine awareness-I is my truth and reality. All else is passing show.
Stay centered in this divine awareness-I.
--------
I created a pic of the above using my relatives' pic (link provided at bottom of post) as background with my relative(s) giving permission to me to use the pic:
[To open pic in larger resolution, right-click on pic followed by open link (NOT image) in new tab/window. In new tab/window you may have to click on pic to zoom in.]
--------------------
Update on 1st June 2019
During my meditation sessions, I usually shorten the above to:
I am the unchanging, eternal and divine awareness.But I do use parts of the earlier fuller affirmation-and-helper statements at times to reinforce aspects like my unchanging awareness is my eternal truth and reality whereas the material world is a changing and passing show.
Stay centered in this divine awareness.
I created a pic of the above (using same background pic as above):
-----
In some part of 2009 and initial few weeks of 2010, I would additionally use these affirmation-and-helper statements in my meditation:
I am in all. All are in me.But as I was not spiritually mature to handle that sort of (intense) meditation, I landed into some trouble. So I stopped using those affirmation-and-helper statements.
I am divine love.
As I get, once again, into regular practice of divine awareness meditation, I do not plan to use the above additional statements for the near future at least, as I don't think I am ready for that, and I am afraid I might land into trouble again if I get into that practice.
==========================================================
Given below are comment(s) from my Facebook post, https://www.facebook.com/ravi.s.iyer.7/posts/2502993289917233, associated with this blog post:
In response to a comment asking about my meditation experience and any associated success, I wrote (slightly edited):
I am still very much in the sadhaka stage. But I have gained some insights from my meditation in combination with readings on Vedanta including Sathya Sai's comments/teachings on Vedanta.
I don't think I have directly written about these insights. But some of my public writings on Vedanta, almost all of which have been published on Internet after Swami Mahasamadhi but which includes some private writings of mine before Mahasamadhi, are informed by those insights. These are captured in my Who am I? I am I ... book, https://www.amazon.in/dp/B07K7M2963, and my iami1.wordpress.com blog.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
I have had the good fortune to live a "Vanaprastha" (person who moves from family life, (ideally) after finishing family duties, to ashram life (forest in the past) to focus on spiritual pursuit) like life right from Oct. 2002 even though I was also providing free service in the Prasanthi Nilayam ashram system from Oct. 2002 till March 2012. That has enabled me to rather comfortably explore meditation in divine awareness and contemplation of Vedanta and Sathya Sai explanations & teachings on Vedanta (as well as some other great spiritual masters' comments/interpretation of Vedanta). Regular darshans and hearing sambhashans of Sathya Sai live in Sai Kulwant Hall were vital factors helping me in these explorations.
I think bro. --name-snipped--, you are currently in Grihastashrama (householder/family) life. I too was in somewhat-Grihastashrama life till my mother passed away in Feb. 1999, even though I was not married as, say from early 1990s, I had the responsibility of taking care of mother. While I have done some amount of meditation and contemplation in those days too, it was nowhere near as in-depth as I have been able to do after settling down in Puttaparthi from Oct. 2002, and especially after I moved into a small ownership flat in Puttaparthi in mid 2006.
What worked for me in my somewhat-Grihastashrama life (till Feb. 1999), in handling the challenges of that life, with some level of peace, joy and fortitude, were Namasmarna and other prayer on a regular basis and satsang with Sathya Sai samithi, Dombivli, Maharashtra persons. Dombivli then was a working-class town. The samithi members had their own share of financial and other problems. But many of them had this fortitude, this Shraddha and Saburi which Shirdi Sai advised his devotees to have, which I then lacked. Association with them in samithi activities like Bhajan, Study Circle and Seva (Medical camp Seva in a hutment colony, Narayan Seva mainly in a leper colony in Vithalwadi (if I recall correctly) etc.) activities helped me to acquire some of their fortitude and, Shraddha and Saburi qualities. This went a long, long way in giving me the mindset to handle challenges of my family life then (earning money to keep the family show going, taking care of mother, many doctor and hospital visits for mother, handling my own health issues etc.) with some level of equanimity, peace and even joy. Meditation (into awareness) was ***not*** a significant part of my life then (till Feb. 1999) even though I was very attracted to it. I just did not have the time and mental space to really get into meditation as a regular activity.
I don't know whether what worked for me then (till Feb. 1999), or even a modified version of that, may work for you now. But I thought I should share what worked for me then with you.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
All the best --name-snipped--! It has been my experience that there is a lot of wisdom in the saying, "Seek and you shall find". India is a very holy land, a Punya Bhoomi, a Tyaaga Bhoomi. I am confident that if you search, you will find some satsang that jells with you. ... I did explore quite a few satsangs before I got settled with Sathya Sai sangham. The other satsangs were also good and had some extraordinary positive aspects but what suited me most was Sathya Sai sangham. .... So you too may have to explore a few such satsangs in and around where you live before you feel really comfy with one of them. Note that by comfy I don't mean perfect. Just some spiritual group which despite some issues it may have (which group does not have issues?), jells with you.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
--Name-snipped-- - I too was plagued by doubts during my somewhat-Grihastashrama years. What I looked for then was some belief, practices and satsang-group that would work for me and which I may not comprehend fully and still have some doubts about, but not something major. Dombivli Sathya Sai samithi along with Sathya Sai literature and larger Indian Sathya Sai orgn. gave me that base and I was able to get some mental strength & balance. All my philosophical doubts were not resolved. But they were not so critical for me then, and I was able to be patient that they may get resolved some day in the future. ... Shraddha and Saburi are not easy to get. Perhaps for intellectuals and those with some reading exposure to philosophical parts of scripture, such Shraddha and Saburi are even more difficult to get than for others. ... In my case, association with beliefs, practices and satsang of the Dombivli Sathya Sai samithi gave me a lot of Shraddha & Saburi. But I went with an open mind and with a willingness to learn about Shraddha and Saburi and other spiritual virtues from others who perhaps were not as well-read as me. I think that's when I was able to see and appreciate and later imbibe some spiritual virtues that this satsang had, which I though perhaps more well read on some scripture and philosophy in general than them, was then lacking.
So I think you should not feel so negatively about this --snip-- thing. The six shadaripus of Kama, Krodha, Lobha, Moha, Mada and Maatsarya are part of the being of most, if not all, of us. Hindu scripture interpretation nowadays does not emphasize the negative aspects as --snip--ish (though I would not be surprised if in the past centuries, it did, using terms like asura, rakshasa and chandala instead of --snip--).
Satsang with the pious (sadhujana) is the great cure for combating our negative impulses, though we need to go in with humility and be willing to learn and imbibe positive spiritual virtues from those who may be intellectually less capable than us.
----
In response to a comment, I wrote (slightly edited):
All the best bro. --name-snipped--. I will pray for you.
----
No Permission for free reuse of pics in this post
The photo used as the background for above pics is NOT MY CONTENT (not mine) but of relatives of mine who permitted me to use it. This background photo is available here:
https://photos.app.goo.gl/iKvwTCvzterKjPvM7 . It is part of an album of my relatives' visit to Tanzania. The album can be viewed here: https://photos.app.goo.gl/D37xGikprarrjzNv6 .
As the meditation affirmation pics above use the above background pic, they are no longer MY CONTENT and so the permission for free reuse does not apply to them (above pics).
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