..续本文上一页 from my own experience and from the experience of many others that if one adds any word to the incoming and outgoing breath and recites it repeatedly, the mind will quickly become concentrated. One may add the name of a saint or a god or goddess or a brahma in whom one has devotion. One is observing respiration and also mentally reciting the name. Or one may add any shape or form: the image of a saint or a god or goddess or a brahma in whom one has devotion. If one visualises that image with closed eyes and observes respiration at the same time, the mind gets concentrated very easily. There will be very little difficulty in concentrating the mind.
But if one wants to progress on the path of Vipassana, no name or image or form should be added to the breath. Otherwise one will not be able to reach the goal of full liberation. If the ultimate goal is merely to concentrate the mind on some object, one should certainly add a word or shape or image. One can attain this goal easily and quickly.
But concentration of the mind is not the ultimate goal of Vipassana meditation; it is to free the mind from all negativities. If the mind becomes concentrated without eradication of its negativities, it is not of much benefit. To eradicate negativities, one must go to the depth of the mind where they originate and multiply and overpower the mind. When the mind is overpowered by negativities one performs unwholesome actions. By developing and sharpening awareness at the depth of the mind, one can stop their generation and multiplication and uproot the stock of old accumulated negativities.
Concentration of the mind is helpful in this work. But it is the means, not the end. Let us not get perted from the goal of meditation, which is to know the truth about oneself. When one adds any word to the breath, one finds that gradually the breath is forgotten and the word becomes predominant. By repeating that word again and again the mind becomes totally concentrated, totally immersed in it. Or the mind may become concentrated by visualising an image and becoming immersed in it. One attains samādhi (concentration of the mind) but the work of observing the body and mind has stopped, the work of uprooting negativities has stopped.
One has to understand the truth about the body and mind at the experiential level. For this, one observes whatever is happening at the present moment and progresses on the strength of this observation. The echo of Vipassana is sometimes heard in the words of the saints of India. A saint of India says-
"Thāpiā na jāi, kītā na hoi, āpe āpi niranjanu soi."
"Thāpiā na jāi, kītā na hoi."-do not impose any belief, word, or shape. Whatever is happening, just observe it. Do not add any self-created artificial truth, any imposed truth of your own.
"Āpe āpi"-Whatever truth is revealed by itself, accept only that as the truth. "Anjana mānhi niranjana dekho"-One has to experience the niranjana (purity) within the physical body, which is without shape or form. One should not impose anything. When the breath is coming in, one just realises that it is coming in. When the breath is going out, one just realises that it is going out. Whether the breath is passing through the left nostril or the right nostril or both nostrils, whether it is shallow or deep, just observe it objectively. Yathābhūta-as it is, not as you would like it to be. Just observe the natural breath, as it is. The only object of meditation is the breath. One should not add any other object, word, shape or form. The mind will wander. It will wander again and again and one has to bring it back to respiration again and again. This is difficult but it is highly beneficial to pass through this difficulty.
Another reason why no name or form or shape should be added is becaus…
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