Padmasan: Meditation (Dhyaan)

Introduction Jeevanpran Swamibapa taught us and consistently encouraged us to do dhyaan. He Himself performed dhyaan on may occasions and in 1971, He sat in dhyaan for 61 days, where He was told by Lord Swaminarayan to establish Shree Swaminarayan Gadi. From this one event, we know that whilst doing dhyaan, the Lord will give you His divine lustrous darshan. When should dhyaan be done? The best time to do dhyaan is before sunrise or first thing in the morning but it can be done at anytime. It helps to relax the body before other yoga exercises. How long should you sit in dhyaan? Jeevanpran Swamibapa has asked us to do dhyaan everyday for at least 5 minutes. In His ashirvads, He said "You may not be able to continuously do dhyaan by focusing on the divine murti of Lord Swaminarayan, but one day, the Lord will shower His divine grace and you will visualise His divine lustrous murti." It is difficult but it will come with time and experience. Dhyaan taught by Jeevanpran Swamibapa Start by sitting in the Swastikasan position, Focus your mind on the tip of your nose. Think of yourself as Purushottamroop (Having the same qualities as the Lord), Give up your proudness. With every breathe, repeat the Swaminarayan Mantra. View the murti from Nakh to Shikh, forget that you are in your body. Enjoy the experience of being within the murti.

Exercise: Sit in a comfortable posture with an erect spine and close your eyes. Take steady breaths. First breathe in slowly and then breath out. Focus the mind internally on the divine murti of Lord Swaminarayan. Start from His nakh (toes), working up to His shika (head). Alternately, you can sit and remember your personal memories of experiences you have had at mahotsavs, etc. Try to just concentrate your mind, making sure it doesn't get distracted. Repeat our mantra ' OM SHREE SWAMINARAYAN BAPA SWAMIBAPA BHAGWATE NAMAH ' to increase positive thought power and keep the mind focused. (You could play the dhyaan music in the background). Benefits of Dhyaan: The greatest benefit of doing dhyaan is that you will please Swaminarayabapa Swamibapa. It will free you from the pressures of life and bring you closer to the Lord, which will bring you a positive attitude towards life. That's why we have always heard him says 'DHYAAN KARO DHYAAN BAPA NE ATISHHE VALU CHHE.'