Question: I have always have heard about the benefits of meditation. The calm and absolutely quiet meditation, where people try to stop any type of thought, has been life-changing for many of my friends. Today I feel really good doing my 16 rounds a day of the Hare Krishna Mantra, but I still have some questions. How would you compare the benefits for Self-Realization between these two forms of meditation?
Answer by Romapada Swami: Meditation, when rightly done, is a valid and effective practice — both for calming the turbulent mind, as well as for aiding in self-realization.
But the impersonal, vacant type of meditation that you have referred to is:
(1) unauthorized and (2) unnatural to the Soul.
Actual meditation, as prescribed in Vedic texts and by ancient sages, involves concentrating the mind either upon the Transcendental Form of Vishnu, or upon a Transcendental Sound Vibration (a Mantra, such as the Hare Krishna Mahamantra.)
Meditation on void is unnatural as it is based on artificial repression. The mind is never meant to be blank. The Spirit Soul is always active as stated in the Bhagavad-gita: “The Soul cannot refrain from doing something, not even for a moment.” (BG 3.5)
The soul’s activities are at present expressed through the thinking, feeling, desiring, willing processes of the conditioned mind, which is then translated to the activities of the gross senses. The aim of true meditation is not to stop all thoughts, but to purify the quality of our present thoughts, emotions etc. Right now our thinking, feeling, and desires are all absorbed in matter, and they have to be restored it to the natural thoughts, feelings and desires. The impersonal ideal of making all thoughts zero, like a stone, is not the original nature of the Self. How can a practice that is unnatural to the Self lead to Self-Realization?
It may yield some temporary benefits, such as a calming of the mind for the time being, and the resultant improvement in health, wellness, alertness etc. It might be conducive – to some extent – for developing the mode-of-goodness (sattva guna), where there is a subsiding of intense hankering, mental agitation, stress etc. But this is not the recommended process, at least according to the Vedic texts and sages. It may help some people, but it is impractical and/or ineffective for most people, particularly in this age. There are more universal processes that can benefit anyone from any stage in life.
Impersonal and voidistic schools are generally born out of frustration or fear [see BG 4.10 purport]; since material activities and relationships are always full of trouble, some seek relief from this frustration by blanking out all activities, thoughts, relationships, etc — either permanently or at least every now and then. Srila Prabhupada would compare this to making a naughty child “sit quietly”. It cannot last without giving a better, more fulfilling engagement for the child. The real solution to the anxieties born of material contact is to transfer our activities to spiritual activities. Some modern spiritual groups also advocate meditation upon a particular object such as a spot of light, or some symbolic representation – but this is just as ineffective because it is still a material object/sound. Even some Vedic mantras entirely pertain to material science and have nothing to do with self-realization, such as the subtle science of chanting hymns to cure diseases or even to discharge weapons!
In the Vedic process of Eightfold Meditation (Astanga Yoga) also, there is a stage where one withdraws the subtle senses and mind from all external engagements and thoughts – this is called “pratyahara”. The other steps include breathing exercises (pranayama), sitting postures (asana), prescriptions to regulate one’s daily activities (yama, niyama), leading ultimately to meditation upon the form of Supersoul (dhyana). This entire method is described in detail in BG Chapter 6. It is a valid scientific process. But adopting just one convenient part of it, without emphasizing the other 7 steps, particularly the essential component of giving the mind a tangible Transcendental Subject (Visnu) to focus upon, it will not yield the desired result.
Furthermore, although it is an approved process, still Arjuna declares that it is unendurable and impractical for him, even 5000 years ago!
The process for self-realization recommended for this age is meditation upon Transcendental Sound Vibration, specifically the Hare Krishna Maha-mantra, along with following the recommended regulative principles. It is easy, practical and factually effective. It is not an artificial imposition on the mind. This sound vibration, when heard and chanted purely, can actually purge the mind of all the dirt accumulated over many births, not just temporarily block them. It can actually counteract the effects of past karmic actions! All man-made processes only add to karmic reactions, albeit in a slightly subdued way as opposed to grossly passionate activities. Meditation on a transcendental sound vibration of Hare Krishna mahamantra awakens the dormant awareness of the Soul to its original nature of loving relationship with God. And it is a joyful process that purifies all the intellectual, emotional, volitional and loving propensities of the soul, rather than artificially suspending them.
