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By Sankirtana Das<\/strong><\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m making a failed attempt at mindful dishwashing,\u201d exclaims an exasperated Ruth Whippman in an Op-Ed in the New York Times: <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2016\/11\/26\/opinion\/sunday\/actually-lets-not-be-in-the-moment.html?emc=edit_th_20161127&nl=todaysheadlines&nlid=70036624<\/a><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n What\u2019s this world coming to when we\u2019re having a \u2018mindful moment\u2019 and we still feel miserable, not having found the happiness we think we deserve? What\u2019s the value of meditation if it only makes us all the more aware of our mundane reality? <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Is it any wonder that we would want to retreat from a world that offers news of constant strife? What have we to look forward to? A world of uncertainty, a lackluster economy, a people divided, everyone talking past one another, hurtling slogans and accusations, and never connecting nor really listening to one another. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n With these burdens weighing upon us, meditation doesn\u2019t seem to be enough. Maybe it\u2019s downright ineffective! At the end of her article, Ms. Whippman evokes some studies which conclude that the results of meditation are \u201cunderwhelming\u201d and that it might only \u201cbring some small benefits. . . . compared with pretty much any general relaxation technique at all, including exercise. . . .\u201d <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n Uh-oh! I can see millions of folks bailing. Is the multibillion-dollar meditation industry about to implode? Haven\u2019t we already had enough game-changing moments this year. Maybe we\u2019ve forgotten what meditation is for. Or perhaps we never fully understood it\u2019s purpose to begin with. This is a opportunity to take a closer look at what meditation is all about. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cMindfulness,\u201d explains Ms Whippman, \u201cis supposed to be a defense against the pressures of modern life.\u201d Well don\u2019t tell Arjuna that. His mindful meditation took place on a battlefield. The Bhagavad Gita<\/i>, which was spoken by Sri Krishna to the warrior prince Arjuna, is the original and superlative guide to meditation. A few points: <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n * Firstly, the Bhagavad Gita helps us understand that our existence is beyond the temporal body and mind. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cNever was there a time when I did not exist, nor you, nor all these kings; nor in the future shall any of us cease to be. As the embodied soul continually passes, in this body, from boyhood to youth to old age, the soul similarly passes into another body at death. The self-realized soul is not bewildered by such a change.\u201d Gita 2:12-13<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n * At Arjuna\u2019s inquiry, Krishna goes on to describe the qualities of those who live the spiritual life, so that we may ourselves understand what to strive for. <\/p>\n One who is not disturbed in spite of the threefold miseries, who is not elated when there is happiness, and who is free from attachment, fear and anger, is called a sage of steady mind. Gita 2:56<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cOne who can control his senses by practicing the regulated principles of freedom can obtain the complete mercy of the Lord and thus become free from all attachment and aversion. For one who is so situated in the Divine consciousness, the threefold miseries of material existence exist no longer; in such a happy state, one’s intelligence soon becomes steady.\u201d Gita 2:64-65<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n * Meditation helps us to regulate our senses and mind to attain inner peace. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cA person who is not disturbed by the incessant flow of desires\u2014that enter like rivers into the ocean which is ever being filled but is always still\u2014can alone achieve peace, and not the man who strives to satisfy such desires.\u201d Gita 2:70<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cFor one who has conquered the mind, the Supersoul is already reached, for he has attained tranquility. To such a man happiness and distress, heat and cold, honor and dishonor are all the same.\u201d Gita 6:7<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cHe who is temperate in his habits of eating, sleeping, working and recreation can mitigate all material pains by practicing the yoga system.\u201d Gita 6:17<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n * The Gita gives us a true understanding of detachment from worldly affairs and provides insight on how to rise above the dualities of life. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cThe intricacies of action are very hard to understand. Therefore one should know properly what action is, what forbidden action is, and what inaction is.\u201d Gita 4:17<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cHe who is satisfied with gain which comes of its own accord, who is free from duality and does not envy, who is steady both in success and failure, is never entangled, although performing actions.\u201d Gita 4:22<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cThe Blessed Lord said: One who is unattached to the fruits of his work and who works as he is obligated is in the renounced order of life, and he is the true mystic: not he who lights no fire and performs no work.\u201d Gita 6:1<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n * Meditation helps us to see God working in our lives and to reawaken our relationship with that Supreme Transcendent Personality. <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cThat very ancient science of the relationship with the Supreme is today told by Me to you because you are My devotee as well as My friend; therefore you can understand the transcendental mystery of this science.\u201d Gita 4:2<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cFor one who sees Me everywhere and sees everything in Me, I am never lost, nor is he ever lost to Me.\u201d Gita 6:30 <\/i> <\/p>\n \u201cI am the source of all spiritual and material worlds. Everything emanates from Me. The wise who know this perfectly engage in My devotional service and worship Me with all their hearts.\u201d Gita 10:8<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n My article is not meant to criticize Ms. Whippman. Her general assessment is correct. Ultimately, most meditational techniques will leave us unfulfilled. But there is one form of meditation that is meant for us at this time. Krishna puts it quite succinctly to Arjuna:<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n \u201cAlways chanting My glories, endeavoring with great determination, bowing down before Me, these great souls perpetually worship Me with devotion.\u201d Gita 9:14<\/i><\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n In our times, the kali-yuga (the age of rampant quarrel, greed, cheating and hypocrisy), the most potent and satisfying meditation is meditation on God\u2019s holy names. God\u2019s names are abundantly found in traditions all over the world. Especially recommended is the maha-mantra, the great mantra of peace: Hare K\u1e5bi\u1e63h\u1e47a, Hare K\u1e5bishna, K\u1e5bishna K\u1e5bishna, Hare Hare\/ Hare R\u0101ma, Hare R\u0101ma, R\u0101ma R\u0101ma, Hare Hare. It\u2019s freely given. It can be sung, chanted softly on pray beads or it can even enhance one\u2019s silent meditation by saying the mantra in the mind. The meditation is most effective when performed with humility and gratitude, and complimented with works of devotion.** <\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n All quotes from Bhagavad Gita As It Is<\/i> by A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada.<\/p>\n \n<\/p>\n <\/a>Sankirtana Das (ACBSP) is an award-winning author and storyteller. For more about his book Mahabharata: The Eternal Quest<\/i>, a \u2018cinematic\u2019 rendition of the ancient epic, see www.Mahabharata-Project.com<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Is it any wonder that we would want to retreat from a world that offers news of constant strife? What have we to look forward to? A world of uncertainty, a lackluster economy, a people divided, everyone talking past one another, hurtling slogans and accusations, and never connecting nor really listening to one another. With these burdens weighing upon us, meditation doesn\u2019t seem to be enough. Maybe it\u2019s downright ineffective! At the end of her article, Ms. Whippman evokes some studies which conclude that the results of meditation are \u201cunderwhelming\u201d and that it might only \u201cbring some small benefits. . . . compared with pretty much any general relaxation technique at all, including exercise. . . .\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-33822","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-articles"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33822","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=33822"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33822\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":33826,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/33822\/revisions\/33826"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=33822"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=33822"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.dandavats.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=33822"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Hare](\"http:\/\/i.imgur.com\/gLPrFvE.jpg\")
By Sankirtana Das<\/strong><\/p>\n