The Meditation Sutras: How To Create and Maintain A Daily Meditation Practice

Copyright © 2021 by Rucha Tadwalkar

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without prior written permission from the author, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in reviews and certain other non-commercial uses permitted by copyright law.

ISBN: 978-1-7358793-0-7 (paperback)

ISBN: 978-1-7358793-1-4 (e-book)

Edited by Cathy Suter

Book cover and interior design by Jasmine Hromjak

First edition published 2021.

Published by Shanti Path

www.theshantipath.com

Table of Contents

Dedication

Blessings

Preface

Introduction

CHAPTER 1: Purpose of Meditation, Foundational Understanding, and Clarifying Misconceptions

SUTRA 1.1 Now, to create a daily meditation practice.

SUTRA 1.2 The goal of meditation is self-realization.

SUTRA 1.3 All human beings have the right to self-realization.

SUTRA 1.4 Confirm your experiences as you meditate.

SUTRA 1.5 Practice the same meditation technique.

SUTRA 1.6 If you do not understand your chosen meditation technique, do not practice it.

SUTRA 1.7 If your chosen meditation technique causes chronic pain and discomfort, do not practice it.

SUTRA 1.8 Clear questions and doubts.

SUTRA 1.9 Meditation is a conscious process that requires patience and persistence.

SUTRA 1.10 Goes beyond relaxation.

SUTRA 1.11 Not an intellectual pursuit.

SUTRA 1.12 Not reflection and contemplation.

SUTRA 1.13 Does not prevent or solve all problems.

SUTRA 1.14 Does not mean depriving yourself.

SUTRA 1.15 Not selfish.

SUTRA 1.16 Material knowledge is not spiritual knowledge.

SUTRA 1.17 Spiritual knowledge must not only be studied, but also lived.

SUTRA 1.18 Real spiritual progress can only be observed from within.

CHAPTER 2: Preparing the Mind

SUTRA 2.1 Basic needs must be met.

SUTRA 2.2 Duties and obligations should continue to be performed.

SUTRA 2.3 Keep the same routine.

SUTRA 2.4 Environment has to intentionally be created.

SUTRA 2.5 Create a meditation altar.

SUTRA 2.6 Use your meditation altar.

SUTRA 2.7 Environment extends beyond physical space.

SUTRA 2.8 Real happiness means peace of mind.

SUTRA 2.9 Peace of mind is realized by purifying the mind.

SUTRA 2.10 Purify the mind by removing doubts and developing faith.

SUTRA 2.11 Purify the mind by regulating the senses.

SUTRA 2.12 Purify the mind by developing a balanced and steady mind.

SUTRA 2.13 Purify the mind by removing likes and dislikes.

SUTRA 2.14 Purify the mind by removing ego and selfishness.

SUTRA 2.15 Purify the mind by reducing and eventually, eliminating desires.

SUTRA 2.16 Purify the mind by decreasing outside stimulation.

SUTRA 2.17 Purify the mind by reducing thoughts and developing one-pointed focus.

SUTRA 2.18 Purifying the mind is an ongoing and continuous process.

SUTRA 2.19 The mind must be purified to realize the goal of meditation.

SUTRA 2.20 When the mind has been purified, the goal of meditation will be realized.

CHAPTER 3: Developing a Practice and Overcoming Challenges During Meditation

SUTRA 3.1 Maintain an individual silent meditation practice.

SUTRA 3.2 Maintain the same place, time, and duration for meditation.

SUTRA 3.3 Make time for thinking.

SUTRA 3.4 Make time for reflection and self-inquiry.

SUTRA 3.5 Concentration is only a step in meditation: not the final goal.

SUTRA 3.6 Accept support.

SUTRA 3.7 Maintain health of the physical body.

SUTRA 3.8 Conserve energy and direct it towards elevating the mind.

SUTRA 3.9 Experiences leave lasting impressions in the subconscious mind.

SUTRA 3.10 Replace negative thoughts with positive thoughts.

SUTRA 3.11 Meditation necessitates external changes.

SUTRA 3.12 Expectation and attachment to results deters progress.

SUTRA 3.13 Desires caused by identification with the ego-self will be the biggest obstacle during meditation.

SUTRA 3.14 Challenges can be overcome through self-discipline.

SUTRA 3.15 Desire naturally turns to devotion for the higher self.

SUTRA 3.16 Do not share the experiences of your meditation practice.

SUTRA 3.17 You will regress, but each time the effect will lessen.

CHAPTER 4: Changes and Realizations Evolving from a Daily Meditation Practice

SUTRA 4.1 Your meditation practice naturally evolves.

SUTRA 4.2 Self-development gradually happens.

SUTRA 4.3 Self-awareness grows.

SUTRA 4.4 You realize the effects of meditation when tested.

SUTRA 4.5 You become a living example.

SUTRA 4.6 You treat everyone equally.

SUTRA 4.7 Focus changes from external satisfaction to inner surrender.

SUTRA 4.8 Living a happy life means living a moral life.

SUTRA 4.9 Recognize a guru.

SUTRA 4.10 Mind becomes quiet.

SUTRA 4.11 Realization of the real from the unreal.

SUTRA 4.12 When the material world becomes unfulfilling, you have begun your true spiritual journey.

Vedic Dictionary

Vedic Dictionary Sources

Dedication

I invoke the blessings of God, my guru, and my parents. I humbly bow down to your unconditional love. I will never be able to repay you for the blessings you have showered me in this lifetime. I dedicate this book to you.

My immense gratitude to the support of my friends who I consider to be family. I would not have had the strength and perseverance to write this book without your encouragement. I am lucky to have you all in my life.

Blessings

May everyone’s paths be guided by the light of auspicious virtues and noble deeds. May you understand your life as an opportunity to release yourself from the bondage of mental suffering. May everyone realize the divine bliss that already exists within.

Om Tat Sat

Preface

I started meditating when I was ten years old. My father taught me Japa Mala Meditation, a technique used to concentrate the mind by utilizing the beads of a necklace to repeat a mantra (sacred syllables or words). He showed me the proper way to hold the mala (necklace) and explained how to use the beads to chant. He helped me to pronounce the mantra correctly and shared its significance. It was actually my dad’s own meditation practice that helped to guide mine. He told me to sit every day in front of our home altar and that this practice would help me throughout my life.

I began meditating every night. But, like many people, my practice became inconsistent over time. If I missed a day, I told myself I would do it tomorrow. There were phases when I would meditate every day for a few weeks, before again my practice faded away. Sometimes, months or even years passed before I meditated again.

As I grew older, I began to observe that on the days I did not meditate, emotional reactions and conditioned thinking easily overcame me. I felt imbalanced and quickly agitated. My mind would be everywhere else but in the present moment. I realized that, unlike any other activity, meditation always helped me feel centered and peaceful in my life. So, I made a commitment to myself to not only continue meditating, but to stick with a daily practice.

At the time of writing this book I have not a missed a day of meditation for over six years. It is due to this consistency that I have been able to handle unexpected circumstances with calmness and remove certain emotions like jealousy from my mind. It is by doing the internal work every day that I have been able to notice the oneness in all and transcend many selfish desires. It is because of meditating each day that I have become more creative, insightful, and self-aware. It is through the gradual reconditioning of my mind that I have learned to not take things personally and discover my true nature as not this individual ego. It is because of my daily practice that I was able to recognize my guru as a genuine spiritual guide and receive his blessings through diksha (initiation) on this path. Through my experience, I can confidently say that turning the mind inward every day is the key to inner happiness.

In The Meditation Sutras I share the exact methods I have discovered, learned, and adopted in keeping a daily meditation practice. Anyone who regularly implements these techniques will not only be able to sustain an everyday meditation habit, but also move toward uncovering lasting inner peace.

Introduction

What is a sutra?

A sutra is a thread of knowledge that can be elaborated on. In ancient India, the guru-shishya (teacher-student) relationship was based on this traditional method of teaching in the gurukuls (schools). Since spiritual and religious knowledge was transmitted to students orally, a sutra made it easier for a disciple to not only commit to memory what was taught, but also for it to become deeply entrenched in the mind. For this reason, a sutra could be defined as a simple sentence that can easily be recalled. The intention being that if the sutra (statement) can be remembered, then the knowledge expanding on it would also be thought of immediately.

The Meditation Sutras is not only meant as a guide, but also to help affirm and reinforce what you are already realizing through your own daily meditation practice. It is strongly advised that you not just merely open the book up, read its contents, and satisfyingly tell yourself that you have now learned how to create and maintain a daily meditation practice. Rather, the knowledge in this book should go from being abstract to instinctual through your direct realization of it.

If at any time you read something that does not make sense to you, come across some new concept, or have any doubt about what has been written, then I encourage you to continue with your meditations. Find out for yourself whether you can answer your own questions, satisfy your curiosities, and remove uncertainties.

Initially, not everything written here will be easy to comprehend. We can only make sense of something from our own level of understanding. And, there is no greater place where that stands true than when it comes to religion and spirituality. It requires personal experience and an intimate understanding.

Similar to how the experience of enlightenment can never be wholly conveyed with words and descriptions because it needs to be experienced, the process of meditation can only be fully understood through practice. I can tell you about the benefits of meditation and how it will transform your life until my face turns blue and I run out of air. But, will that bring you any closer to experiencing it for yourself? Will that help you to understand the different ways in which meditation can create an internal change? You have to willingly participate and realize it for yourself.

Daily meditation steadily guides us in examining every aspect of our lives with honesty and clarity. Silence is necessary in order for us to gain insight and perspective into ourselves. We must have self-awareness before we can begin to create any inner changes. Conscious living requires constant internal inquiry and solitude.

The Meditation Sutras provides a detailed system on how a person needs to utilize and direct their energy, time, and efforts in order to maintain a daily meditation practice. Through the consistent application of these comprehensive methods, one will not only sustain a meditation practice, but also steadily get closer to reaching inner happiness.

What has been written in this book comes from my direct experience of Vedanta. The Vedas are known to be the oldest religious texts in the world. In Sanskrit, Veda means knowledge, anta means end. Vedanta signifies both the end of the Vedas, as well as that portion of knowledge that contains the universal principles and practical methods to uncovering one’s blissful nature, known specifically as the Upanishads. Due to their timeless wisdom and application, Vedanta has come to form the basis of Sanatana Dharma, eternal way of living or eternal principles. Today, this path to self-realization is known as the Hindu religion.

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