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shameful confession. Dhyana (meditation) is the seventh in the series of steps, leading to the eighth, samadhi, or conquest of the mind. Unless you have secured a strong foothold on the six previous steps, you will slide back from dhyana (meditation), however many years you may try to stick to it.
The first step is the control of the senses. The second is the control of the emotions and impulses. The third is the mastery of balance and equipoise. Next is the regulation of breathing and movements of the vital airs. The fih is the prevention of outer influences from deviating the mind. The next is one- pointed aention on one’s own progress. Then we come to real dhyana, or meditation on one’s real reality, which easily leads to its realization in samadhi. Without the preliminary rungs, you cannot hop straight on to the seventh and then skip on to the eighth.3 (SSB)
It is interesting to note that we must prepare ourselves for the final stage of meditation where we actually merge into pure love. The first step that Swami mentions is sense control. The others, including control of the emotions, balance, and one-pointed aention of the mind on God, are covered in the nine elements presented throughout this book.
Releasing through the Sound of Mantras
As a psychiatrist I became disillusioned about finding ultimate meaning through the intellect. School-acquired intellectual and book knowledge had not brought me happiness. I was excited by the possibility of a practical exercise that could expand love. Aer meeting Swami I was fascinated by the possibility of finding meaning in non-intellectual approaches, which included centering myself in some aspect of Swami, such as saying his name, or the Om, Gayatri, or Soham (I am He) mantras. “So” means “He” (God), and “Ham”
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