Vedic And Yogic Meditation: Based On The Bhagavad Gita

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"Are you a physical self? Are you a physiological self? Are you a mental self? Are you an intellectual self? Are you no-self or void? You are none of the above selves. You are the spiritual single self. Discover your universal self of pure being, consciousness, and unlimited joy using meditation."

This enlightening book emphasizes that our physical well- being is deeply connected to our psychological well-being, which is, in turn, influenced by the discovery and acknowledgment of our spiritual nature.

This book is about what meditation is and how to meditate based on the Bhagavad Gita. This book tells us about the significance of the mind, its mastery, and various meditation methods. It is all about making meditation practical for everyone. It is about searching for the self in the heart. It discovers the pure, fulfilled, conscious existence behind the backdrop of the mind. Through the meditations offered in this book, individuals dedicated to the practice of meditation can embark on a journey to explore and connect with their spiritual essence. By delving into these meditations, practitioners can work towards integrating the various facets of their worldly experiences and ultimately achieve a non-dual spiritual unity within themselves. This book is a valuable resource for individuals in search of spiritual enlightenment and practical solutions to overcome human suffering and challenges.

Tushar Choksi has been a sincere seeker of the reality of human experience since his childhood days. Motivated by a profound spiritual calling and a deep yearning to enhance his humanity, he committed countless years to honing his meditation practice and delving into the profound wisdom encapsulated in the Vedantic scriptures. During his life, he studied in-depth and participated in various activities based on the Vedantic tradition. One significant activity he has been part of for most of his life is the activity of Swadhyay, inspired by Pujya Padurang Shastri Athavale. He was also engrossed in the teachings of Shri Ramakrishna and Vivekananda and the tradition of Arsha Vidya of Swami Dayananda Saraswati. Currently, Tushar is fully dedicated to practicing and writing about Vedanta and spirituality. He also leads classes on Vedanta and continues his study of Vedanta.

As human beings, we experience the external world, consisting of various living beings and inert things through our sense perceptions and actions. While experiencing the external world, we feel insecure and unsatisfied and constantly search for bites of security and happiness in the outer world. We feel that we are incomplete. We have lost something valuable, and we are in search of it. Let us recognize that we are looking for our own identity, and until we find it, we will remain insecure and unhappy. We know that we are slaves of outside circumstances. We feel tiny against the giant external world.

We become fathers, mothers, brothers, sisters, grandparents, priests, presidents of organizations or countries, prestigious leaders, doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, biologists, physicists, astronauts, businessmen, entrepreneurs, kings, dictators, etc. Still, we remain the same insecure and wanting human beings. These superficial identities fail to fulfill us, leading to a lack of purpose and direction in life. We feel strangled by living a life of selfishness. The narrow invisible bounds of "me and mine" never let us expand from humanness to Godliness. As we grow more and more, we feel like we are living in the prison of our own repeated mind and sense experiences.

We accept that a higher order of reality, the cause of the universe, God, is running our lives. We are tiny in knowledge and action, while God is all knowledge and action. Is the cause of the universe our true identity? Yes, and here's why: He is complete in knowledge and action. We start searching for God or our complete identity in the external world of being and things. We fail miserably and remain fearful and sad.

Our preceptors and scriptures emphatically declare that God, the very cause of the universe, and our entire identity can be found and realized within the depths of our hearts rather than sought externally in the world around us.

The God or human being's true essence can only be realized as the innermost self in the depth of the heart. The seed of our physical well-being lies in the welfare of our psychological well-being. The foundation of our psycho- logical well-being rests in discovering and recognizing our spiritual nature.

Most of us have heard about meditation. We may have glimpsed it in fleeting moments of quietude or even tried to learn it with curiosity and practice it. The word itself carries a sense of mystery - a promise of inner transformation. Yet, as we tread this ancient terrain, questions arise, and there is a general lack of clarity: What distinguishes concentration from meditation? How do Yogic and Vedantic approaches intersect or diverge? Is meditation the absence of thoughts, or does it lead us to a deeper understanding of our own self? Is the ultimate goal of meditation reaching a state of Samadhi, or is there some- thing even beyond and permanent?

Why meditation? This query echoes across millennia, resonating with seekers who have sat beneath ancient banyan trees or sought solace in mountain caves. There must be a reason, a profound benefit, that has sustained this practice through countless generations. As the world offers an abundance of meditation books and classes, we find ourselves navigating a labyrinth of techniques, philosophies, and promises.

This is more than just a book on meditation; it provides the light of knowledge illuminating the path. It covers the fundamentals of the mind and meditation, as well as the proper lifestyle required for a successful practice to reach the ultimate goal and transformation from meditation. It begins by addressing the fundamental question: Why meditate? Beyond the physical and mental well-being that meditation brings, there lies a more profound purpose: an invitation to spiritual growth. In these pages, we explore the transformative power of meditation, not merely as a tool for stress relief but as a gateway to self-realization. What changes and preparations are needed for meditation? The book makes important connections between Karma Yoga, Bhakti Yoga, and Dhyan Yoga, which are not commonly found elsewhere.

The book draws from the authentic wellspring of timeless wisdom: the Patanjali Yoga Sutra, the Bhagavad Gita, and the Upanishads. Like ancient compasses, these texts guide us toward understanding the mind, the nature of consciousness, and the art of meditation. The book delves into the essence of meditation, demystifying its layers and revealing its core.