subject: The 11th Element Of Mediation -- Dyhana Meditation Benefits! [print this page] Most people do eventually get some meditation benefits from Western taught meditation. A little peace and serenity if nothing more, this is most of the great benefit for us. But this is like eating the peel of a banana and throwing the delicious inside, the banana itself, away! We take a little peace and serenity and then throw away the real meditation benefits.
This is because the great meditation benefits lie embedded in the most important aspect of medication -- Dyhana.
What is Dyhana?
Dyhana is a simple Sanskrit word for which there is no English equivalent. It means something like insight, focus, concentration, attention, and many more. But in order to understand the word Dyhana, its necessary to experience the actual meaning.
Only by actually experiencing the meaning of this word, Dyhana, is it possibly understood. Otherwise no one can understand it. And since we naturally look only for dictionary meaning, most people will never understand it. The following few poems metaphorically point to a personal experience of this word.
By concentrating on the following poems -- gently but steadily -- a deeper meaning will emerge. Actually experiencing the deeper meaning is Dyhana. When the reader is suddenly and abruptly presented with the experience of deeper meaning, this is the meaning of the word, Dyhana. Then and only then is the word, Dyhana, understood!
And until then, the real reason for meditation is obscured.
Zen Poem:
Our body is the bodhi tee
And our mind a mirror bright,
Carefully we wipe them hour by hour,
And let no dust alight.
(Shen-hsiu)
Zen Poem:
There is no bodhi tree,
No stand or a mirror bright,
Since all is without intrinsic reality,
Where can any dust alight?
(Hui-neng)
By a psychic and mystical writer:
Loneliness is something,
We must all undergo,
Until the soul is so complete,
Its just something we outgrow.
(Gladys Jones)
By a Poet:
The word falls like rain on a sturdy mind
Slowly cleaned like a dusty street
Such is the way of God
The poppies are blissful
But doubt is not
I come out to darkness
The lamp illumes
My Beautiful Love is on the other line
The truth hurts
But like rain on a dusty street
A lie must erode
Truth prevails
Such is the way of God
(Posted October 21st, 2010 by kevinruhland08)
The subtle exercise might be to spend at least 5 minutes each day gently concentrating on each poem. Dyhana takes time. The patience of Jobe is required. Why do so many people expend this kind of effort? Well, some do and some dont. Obviously, the ones who do, have an understanding of Dyhana and want to continue experiencing deeper and deeper insights into reality.
Once Dyhana is understood, the person seeks formal and traditional methods which were established long ago. These are tried and proven methods that bring insight each day: that is ever new, ever encouraging and uplifting insight arises daily. And each new discovery banishes the daily dull-drums and emotional pain that accomplishes every day life.
Continuing with meditation is like continuing with jogging. Only a few will ever do it regularly. This is because some days for the beginning jogger, and some days for the begging meditator, are a trudge up the murky road of happy destiny. Its no fun at all. The cost for meditation and the cost for jogging are the same. Very little if any financial cost is required.
The cost involves those murky days of trudging. And believe me, this is a very high price. But the trudge of becoming a self-made millionaire, a jogger, or a meditator is well worth it. Ask any if the cost was too high. None of them will tell you, The cost wasnt worth it.
Happiness comes at a very high price. No one gets there without paying the price.
The meditator finally reaches a stage of permanent, and infallible peace -- experiencing deep insight into the nature of Ultimate Truth, which brings a peace surpassing all understanding.
Therefore a short explanation should be added to most dictionary definition of Dyhana is: thats its also a personal accomplishment of focusing the mind with gentle effort until it focuses normally, naturally and spontaneously into the object of meditation -- steadily -- like a steady stream of oil poured from one body of oil into another. The ancient Hindu scriptures define Dyhana this way.
The Tibetans describe Dyhana also as a blending of the mind into its object, like water poured into water.
Only when I achieved some success with Dyhana, did I reap the benefits of meditation. Until Dyhana happened, I was just playing around.
The subject of Dyhana is also quite extensively described in most, mystical, classical books on ancient, Raja (Royal) Yoga.
The single thing that aids the experience of Dyhana is the practice of virtue. This also dissolves most emotional pain into the middle path known as Sattva in Sanskrit, which is a humility like state of mind that is void of all emotional pain.
Once all emotional pain is out of the way, the meditator is able to follow the instructions of the classical meditations. He or she is not continually wasting their time in meditation just to end emotional pain. Consequently a direct experience of God is more easily accomplished.
