| Essence Of Hinduism |
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HINDU THEISM |
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| Dharmna is
concentration. It is the fixing of the mind on any particular chosen object, say, a point
of light or the form of one's Ista-devata Prolonged exercises in dharana will result in the perfect control of the mind so as to turn Win whatever direction one likes. The mind thus controlled and directed can easily pan on to dhyana or meditation, which is defined as an uninterrupted flow of thought towards the object of devotion. Dhyana finally leads to samadhi in which two degrees are recognized the conscious samadhi and the super-conscious samadhi. Both of them require the highest power of concentration. But the first is a state in which the mind continues to function, though it is wholly absorbed in the contemplation of the object, whereas the second is a state in which the distinction between the contemplating subject and the contemplated object disappears and the mind ceases to function. An Indian writer employs the following figure to make the distinction clear. If we compare our normal mental state to tile ruffled surface of water in a pond which gives a distorted image of a tree on the bank, conscious samadhi is like the calm surface which gives a steady and faithful image, and the super conscious samadhi is like the dried up pond which gives no image at all, but makes us see the tree itself. We are told that in the state of conscious samadhi, the yogin attains marvellous supernormal powers (siddhis) of clairvoyance, clairaudience, of thought reading and thought-transmission and of knowing the past and the future. |
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| About Hindu Theism |
