Social and Spiritual Consciousness: Meditation for Wisdom

Wisdom comprises two steps – first, knowing the truth, and second, putting it into practice. This is the crux of the teaching of all great texts. Meditation can be used for self-improvement in material sense or for self-knowledge. Self-knowledge becomes wisdom when put into practice. The Gita and several other texts talk about meditation for wisdom.

Meditation on some chosen form for self-improvement was discussed in this column earlier. A higher meditation, for enlightenment, is also shown in the Gita (10-7,8, and 9). In many places Krishna gives tips for meditation. The focus shifts here from personal interest to the quest for Reality. The point to meditate is that there exists only one reality, one source, one cause from which the whole universe, continuously evolving its diverse forms, has emanated. Reality is the same everywhere. It cannot be one here and one in Australia. It cannot be one on earth and another on Mars. For all the different specks of dust in the universe there is only one cause and that cause is an impersonal entity which is of the nature of consciousness.

At the human level, the common man understands some magnificent forms which have shaped human society. They may be names and forms like Rama, Krishna, or Vivekananda. It may be mythological forms such as Vishnu, Shiva or any such form. They may be forms in any other parts of the world which people in those areas worship.

Krishna mentions several glorious forms in which Reality manifests. The devotee meditates on the inexhaustible ability of that one Reality to exist in so many names and forms and sees oneness in all. He does not see the difference between them. He does not hold one as superior and the other condemnable. He does not dismiss, or disrespect or condemn any form. He even enjoys knowing the glories of all forms without any hesitation. He loves reading about Krishna taming the serpent with several heads (our senses which are poisonous). He loves knowing the story of Shiva turning the god of desire into ashes or Hanuman handling the demons in Lanka or even Christ's sermon on the mount. He transcends all differences of names and forms.

Thus, Vedanta liberates us from narrowness, from all confusions, superstitions, and exclusions. The Gita uses the term avikampa yoga (10-7), the yoga of unperturbedness, or non-confusion. It means that the person is not confused about the names and forms but sees the Reality behind all. Thus, when knowledge shapes vision, it is the state of wisdom, in other words, enlightenment.

(Writer is former DGP, Andhra Pradesh)