Meditation: Silent Teaching
From 1963 to 1987, Shivabalayogi traveled extensively throughout India, then Sri Lanka. From 1987 to 1991, he traveled to the U.K., U.S.A., and Italy. Everywhere he gave public programs consisting of initiation into meditation (dhyana diksha), giving darshan in samadhi, evoking bhava samadhi (sometimes referred to as spiritual ecstasy), particularly during bhajans (kirtan, spiritual music), and distributing vibhuti and prasad as a form of blessing. He taught in silence through the power of his mere presence. He valued knowledge through direct experience far more than words. On one occasion, Shivabalayogi encapsulated his entire teaching in a simple phrase, "Do sadhana."
Shivabalayogi Maharaj encouraged people to meditate for one hour each day. His message was often summarized with the following words: "Know truth through meditation, then you yourself will know who you are, your religion, your purpose in life, and your nature. Do not believe what others say and become a slave to religious prejudices. Meditation is your religion. Meditation is your purpose. Meditation is your path."
Swamiji emphasized that it is not simply by closing one’s eyes that one meditates – the mind has to become quiet. On one occasion, he advised Srinivasa Dikshitar (one of his close disciples who later became Shri Shivarudra Balayogi) "If you surrender mentally to your Guru through service, then automatically your mind gets controlled." Later when the same disciple translated to another devotee the word "sadhana" (spiritual practice) as meditation, Shri Shivabalayogi corrected him:
"When I said 'sadhana', why are you using the word 'meditation'? "Meditation means that a person will be sitting and closing the eyes. But sadhana can happen through dhyana (meditation), through bhakti (devotion) and through seva (service) and in so many ways when one is able to surrender to the Guru."
The dhyana meditation technique taught by Shri Shivabalayogi (which he referred to as the jangama dhyana meditation technique to Shri Shivarudra Balayogi) is as follows:
Sit, closing the eyes.
Concentrate the mind and sight in between eyebrows.
Do not move your eyeballs or eyelids.
Keep watching there by focusing the attention.
Do not repeat any mantra or name.
Do not imagine anything.
Do not open eyes until the duration of meditation is over.
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