A Term Paper on Writing and Publishing

Take up one idea; make that one idea your life. Think of it, dream of it, live on that idea. Let the brain, muscles, nerves, every part of your body, be full of that idea, and just leave other ideas alone. Swami Vivekanand

Those who really want to be yogis must give up, once and for all, this nibbling at things.

Submitted To: Dr. Rabindranath Sarma

Sumitted by : Ratish Kumar Jha CUJ/AC2/086, CUJ/I/2010/ICS/02 6th Semester (2013) Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies

CENTRAL UNIVERSITY OF JHARKHAND, RANCHI

CERTIFICATE
This is to certify that the present work entitled Meditation: A Gift from Indian Sages to Universe is original piece of work by Ratish Kumar Jha under the Supervision of Dr. Rabindranath Sarma, Asst. Professor, Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies, Central University of Jharkhand, Brambe, Ranchi, Jharkhand. No part of work has been submitted to any other university or institute for award of any degree or diploma. Ratish Kumar Jha 6th Semester Centre for Indigenous Culture We recommend that this dissertation may be placed before the examiners for evaluation.

Dr. Rabindranath Sarma Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies Central University of Jharkhand

ACKOWLEDGEMENTS

I would like to thank Dr. Rabindranath Sarma, Asst Prof. from my heart as this write-up could not have been written without him who not only guided me as my supervisor but also encouraged and challenged me throughout my academic programme. Other faculties of the Centre for Indigenous Culture like Dr.Sucheta Sen Chaudhuri also supported throughout the dissertation process. I thank them all. I would like to give my utmost gratitude to my colleagues Tulika and Priyanaka for helping me where I failed to do the particular job. I would like not to forget Mr. Sushanto Chakraborty, my Yoga Coach for getting me close to meditation. At last I would like to thank my family and the omnipresent God for blessing me to complete my dissertation.

Ratish Kumar Jha 6th Semester Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies Central University of Jharkhand

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
While during completing the write-up, a kind of Research Method called as Mixed Method was used. When Should One Use Mixed Methods? When the research problem merits this approach, such as, when one data source is insufficient when a need exists to explain results when a need exists to explore first when a need exists to augment one database with another

Six Core Characteristics of Mixed Methods Research: The collection of both qualitative and quantitative data (open- and closedended) in response to research questions The analysis of both qualitative and quantitative data Persuasive and rigorous procedures for the qualitative and quantitative methods The integration of these two data sources (merging, connecting, embedding) The use of a specific mixed methods design that involves a concurrent or sequential integration (and equal or unequal emphases) An approach to research that has a philosophical foundation

MEDITATION A GIFT FROM INDIAN SAGES TO UNIVERSE

Ratish Kumar Jha CUJ/AC2/086, CUJ/I/2010/ICS/02 Centre for Indigenous Culture Studies ratishcuj@gmail.com ABSTRACT: The current writing is based upon the modern perspective of meditation. After reviewing several books on meditation and interacting with the spiritual persons, this write-up has been accomplished. A major drawback in studying the trends of meditation by various scholars is that they have not modified their thoughts and thus still present it as since it was discovered in archaeological sites in the Indus Valley in India datable to 3000 BC and found in hindu sacred scriptures like Veda. This paper flashes the light on the experiences of meditation by writer experimenting for a period of six years. KEYWORDS: meditation, yoga, soul, supernatural

Meditation is a method to make mind conscious from unconscious, realize some benefits and to sense end in oneself through thought process. This meditation focuses upon controlling the parts of human organ through Yoga. So here yoga plays a very important role in the process of meditation. In one statement, Meditation is a lock and Yoga is a key to it. Some of the standard definitions on Meditation are: "Meditation refers to a family of self-regulation practices that focus on training attention and awareness in order to bring mental processes under greater voluntary control and thereby foster general mental well-being and development and/or specific capacities such as calm, clarity, and concentration" -Walsh & Shapiro (2006) "Meditation is used to describe practices that self-regulate the body and mind, thereby affecting mental events by engaging a specific attentional set.... regulation of attention is the central commonality across the many divergent methods"-Cahn & Polich (2006) "We define meditation... as a stylized mental technique... repetitively practiced for the purpose of attaining a subjective experience that is frequently described as very restful, silent, and of heightened alertness, often characterized as blissful" Jevning et al. (1992) "the need for the meditator to retrain his attention, whether through concentration or mindfulness, is the single invariant ingredient in every meditation system"-Goleman (1988)

MEDITATION AND BRAIN Like a computer our brain functions on small energy. This energy vibrates at different speed. When we are in awaken state our brain vibrates at 20 cycles per second which is called as beta state. While reading, the brain waves at beta level. The ideal state for learning is when the brain is relaxed i.e. when the brain vibrates at 8 to 12 cycles per second. This is called as alpha state. Theta is a level when the brain is at relaxed state or sleeping state. In this state the brain wave cycles at 4 to 7 cycles per second. In the deepest level of sleep, our brain frequency reduces to half a cycle per second, called as delta level. From a scientific perspective, the purpose of meditation is to bring our mind at alpha level where the mind is ready to accept the information. The section of the brain that lit up during meditation are in THREE STAGES OF MEDITATION There are three stages in meditation. The first is what is called dharana, concentrating the mind upon an object. For example, one tries to concentrate mind upon glass, excluding every other object from mind except this glass. But the mind is wavering. When it has become strong and does not waver so much, it is called dhyana, meditation. And there is a still higher state when the differentiation between the glass and oneself is lost- Samadhi or Absorption. The mind and the glass are identical. One does not see any differences. The entire senses stop and all powers that have been working through other channels of other senses are focused in the mind entirely. This is to be realized. It is a tremendous play played by the Yogis. There are so many advantages to the meditation. Here is the definitive list of benefits that meditation can provide us with: PHYSIOLOGICAL BENEFITS: Meditation lowers oxygen consumption, decreases respiratory rate, increases blood flow and slows the heart rate, increases exercise tolerance, leads to a deeper level of physical relaxation, good for people with high blood pressure, reduces anxiety attacks by lowering the levels of blood lactate, decreases muscle tension, helps in chronic diseases like allergies, arthritis etc, reduces Pre-menstrual Syndrome symptoms, helps in post-operative healing, enhances the immune system, reduces activity of viruses and emotional distress, enhances energy, strength and vigour, helps with weight loss, reduction of free radicals, less tissue damage, higher skin resistance, drop in cholesterol levels, lowers risk of cardiovascular disease, improved flow of air to the lungs resulting in easier breathing, decreases the aging process, higher levels of DHEAS (Dehydroepiandrosterone), prevents slowed or controlled pain of chronic diseases, makes you sweat less, cure headaches & migraines, greater Orderliness of Brain Functioning, reduces need for Medical Care, wastes less energy, more inclines to sports, activities, significant relief from asthma, improved performance in athletic events, normalizes to your ideal weight, harmonizes our endocrine system, relaxes our nervous system, produce lasting beneficial changes in brain electrical activity, cures infertility (the stresses of infertility can interfere with the release of hormones that regulate ovulation).

PSYCHOLOGICAL BENEFITS: Meditation builds self-confidence, increases serotonin level, influences mood and behavior, resolve phobias & fears, helps control own thoughts, helps with focus & concentration, increases creativity, increases brain wave coherence, improves learning ability and memory, increases feelings of vitality and rejuvenation, increases emotional stability, improves relationships, minds ages at slower rate, makes easier to remove bad habits, develops intuition, increases productivity improves relations at home & at work, able to see the larger picture in a given situation, helps ignore petty issues, increases ability to solve complex problems, purifies your character, develops will power, greater communication between the two brain hemispheres, react more quickly and more effectively to a stressful event, increases ones perceptual ability and motor performance, higher intelligence growth rate, increased job satisfaction, increase in the capacity for intimate contact with loved ones, decreases in potential mental illness, betters more sociable behavior, benefits to less aggressiveness, helps in quitting smoking and alcohol addiction, reduces need and dependency on drugs, pills & pharmaceuticals, need less sleep to recover from sleep deprivation, require less time to fall asleep, helps cure insomnia, increases sense of responsibility, reduces road rage, decreases in restless thinking, decreases tendency to worry, increases listening skills and empathy, helps make more accurate judgments, greater tolerance, gives composure to act in considered & constructive ways, grows a stable, more balanced personality, develops emotional maturity. SPIRITUAL BENEFITS: It helps keep things in perspective, provides peace of mind, helps you discover your purpose, increases self-actualization, increased compassion, growing wisdom, deeper understanding of yourself and others, brings body, mind, spirit in harmony, deeper level of spiritual relaxation, increased acceptance of oneself, helps learn forgiveness, changes attitude toward life, creates a deeper relationship with your god, attain enlightenment, greater inner-directedness, helps living in the present moment, creates a widening, deepening capacity for love, discovery of the power and consciousness beyond the ego, experience an inner sense of assurance or knowingness, experiences a sense of oneness, increases the synchronicity in your life. TRANSFORMATION THROUGH MEDITATION There was a young man that could not in any way support his family. He was strong and vigorous and finally became a highway robber. He attacked and robbed the persons in street and with that money he supported the family. This went on continually, until one day a great saint called Narada was passing by and the robber did the same. Narada asked the robber, why are you going to rob me?It is a great sin to rob human beings and kill them. What do you incur all sins for? The robber replied, why, I want to support my family with this money. Now the sage said, do you think that they take a share of your sin also? Certainly they do, replied the robber. very good, said the sage, make me safe by tying me up here, while you go home and ask your people whether they will share your sin in the same way as they share the money you make. The man accordingly went to his father, and asked, father, do you know how I support you? He answered, No, I do not. I am a robber, and I kill persons and rob them. What! You do that, my son? Get away! You outcast! He then went to mother, son and last to wife and asked the same but all replied they will not partake in his sin.

The eyes of the robber were opened. That is the way of the world- even my nearest relatives, for whom I have been robbing, will not share in my destiny. He came back to that place where he had bound the stage, unfastened his bonds, fell at his feet, recounted everything and said, save me! What can I do? The sage said, Give up your present course of life. You see that none of your family really loves you, so give up all these delusions. They will share your prosperity; but moment you have nothing they will desert you. There is none who will share in your evil, but they will all share in your good. Therefore, worship him who alone stands by us whether we are doing good or evil. He never leaves us, for love never drags down, knows no barter, no selfishness. Then the sage taught him how to worship. And he went on praying and meditating until he forgot himself so entirely that ants came and built ant-hills around him, and he was quite unconscious of it. After many years had passed, a voice came saying, Arise, O sage! Thus aroused he exclaimed, Sage? I am a robber! No more robber, answered the voice, a purified sage art you. Your old time is gone. But now, since your meditation was so deep and great that you did not even remark even the ant-hills which surrounded you, henceforth, your name should be Valmiki -he that was born in the ant-hill. So, he became a sage. RESEARCH ON MEDITATION Research on the processes and effects of meditation is a growing subfield of neurological research. Modern scientific techniques and instruments, such as fMRI and EEG, have been used to see what happens in the body of people when they meditate, and how their bodies and brain change after meditating regularly. These studies have shown substantial bodily changes as a consequence of regular meditative practice. For instance, one study by Richard Davidson and Jon Kabat-Zinn showed that eight weeks of mindfulness-based meditation produced significant increases in left-sided anterior brain activity, which is associated with positive emotional states. It seems that we are able to think of positive emotion as a skill which can be achieved with training similar to learning to ride a bike or play the piano. Since the 1950s hundreds of studies on meditation have been conducted, though many of the early studies were flawed and thus yielded unreliable results. More recent reviews have pointed out many of these flaws with the hope of guiding current research into a more fruitful path. More reports assessed that further research needs to be directed towards the theoretical grounding and definition of meditation. Meditation has been practiced within religious traditions since ancient times, especially within monastic centers. These days there also exist many secular programs in the West including mindfulness-based programs. Today mindfulness-based meditative practices have become popular within the Western medical and psychological community, due mainly to the observable, positive impact such processes have on patients suffering from stress-related health conditions. Meditation has entered the mainstream of health care as a method of stress and pain reduction. As a method of stress reduction, meditation has been used in hospitals in cases of chronic or terminal illness to reduce complications associated with increased stress that include depressed immune systems. There is growing agreement in the medical community that mental

factors such as stress significantly contribute to a lack of physical health, and there is a growing movement in mainstream science to fund research in this area. There are now several mainstream health care programs which aid those, both sick and healthy, in promoting their inner well-being, especially mindfulness-based programs such as Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction (MBSR). A 2003 meta-analysis found that mindfulness-based stress reduction (MBSR), which involves continuous awareness of consciousness, without seeking to censor thoughts, concluded that the form of meditation may be broadly useful for individuals attempting to cope with clinical and nonclinical problems. Diagnoses for which MBSR was found to be helpful included chronic pain, fibromyalgia, cancer patients and coronary artery disease. Improvements were noted for both physical and mental health measures.

RESEARCH BY THE STYLE OF MEDITATION Insight Meditation A study done by Yale, Harvard, Massachusetts General Hospital have shown that meditation increases gray matter in specific regions of the brain and may slow the deterioration of the brain as a part of the natural aging process. The experiment included 20 individuals with intensive Buddhist "insight meditation" training and 15 who did not meditate. The brain scan revealed that those who meditated have an increased thickness of gray matter in parts of the brain that are responsible for attention and processing sensory input. Some of the participants meditated for 40 minutes a day while others had been doing it for years. The results showed that the change in brain thickness depended upon the amount of time spent in meditation. The increase in thickness ranged between .004 and .008 inches (0.1016mm 0.2032mm). Kundalini Yoga Meditation There have been some preliminary studies done on some of the many types of meditation found within the branch of Yoga known as Kundalini. One study showed the cooling of meditators hands as they practiced Sahaja Yoga meditation and another study showed some relaxation while meditators paid attention to their breathing. A study comparing practitioners of Sahaja Yoga meditation with a group of non meditators doing a simple relaxation exercise, measured a drop in skin temperature in the meditators compared to a rise in skin temperature in the non meditators as they relaxed. The researchers noted that all other meditation studies that have observed skin temperature have recorded increases and none have recorded a decrease in skin temperature. This suggests that Sahaja Yoga meditation, being a mental silence approach, may differ both experientially and physiologically from simple relaxation. Integrative Body-Mind Training A study involving the participation of a group of colleges students, who were asked to use a meditation technique called integrative body-mind training (IBMT involves body relaxation, mental imagery, and mindfulness training), concluded that "meditating may improve the integrity and efficiency of certain connections in the brain" through an increase in their number and robustness. Brain scans showed strong white matter changes in the anterior cingulate cortex. Zazen Dr. James Austin, a neurophysiologist at the University of Colorado, reported that meditation in Zen "rewires the circuitry" of the brain in his book Zen and the Brain (Austin, 1999). This has been confirmed using functional MRI imaging, a brain scanning technique that measures blood flow in the brain. Theoria Fifteen Carmelite nuns came from the monastery to the laboratory to enter a fMRI machine whilst meditating, allowing scientists there to scan their brains using fMRI while they were in a state known as Unio Mystica (and also Theoria). The results showed that far-flung parts of the brain were recruited in the sustaining of this mystical union with God. The documentary film Mystical Brain by Isabelle Raynauld examined this study. Non-Referential Compassion Meditation

Electroencephalograph (EEG) recordings of skilled meditators showed a significant rise in gamma wave activity during meditation, somewhere in the 80 to 120 Hz range. There was also a rise in the range of 25 to 42 Hz. These meditators had 10 to 40 years of training in compassion meditation training and were engaging in non-referential compassion meditation during the study. The experienced meditators also showed increased gamma activity while at rest and not meditating. Several controls who hadn't practiced meditation before were compared to the highly-trained monks and showed significantly less rise in gamma activity during meditation. Mental Silence Prior to 2006, the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine defined meditation as a conscious mental process that induces a set of integrated physiological changes termed the relaxation response. The NCCAM reviewed its definition of meditation to include a new central feature: In meditation, a person learns to focus his attention and suspend the stream of thoughts that normally occupy the mind. This definition is more in line with the traditional eastern understanding of meditation as inner silence. Some recent studies have used this definition of meditation to compare the experience of mental silence with simple relaxation and found some significant physiological differences between the two. Transcendental Meditation Research reviews published in 2012 reported that Transcendental Meditation reduces common anxiety. A 2012 meta-analysis also reported that Transcendental Meditation reduces negative emotions and neuroticism, as well as assisting learning and memory and promoting selfrealization. Research reviews also suggest that Transcendental Meditation may reduce cardiovascular disease. In 2013, the American Heart Association issued a scientific statement that reviewed existing research of the effects of alternate treatments, including various meditation and relaxation techniques, on hypertension, and concluded that the overall evidence supports that TM modestly lowers blood pressure. The statement went on to say that TM may be considered in clinical practice to lower BP while due to "many negative studies or mixed results and a paucity of available trials, all other meditation techniques (including MBSR) received a Class III, no benefit, Level of Evidence C recommendation Thus, other meditation techniques are not recommended in clinical practice to lower BP" at the time of the report. AIM OF MEDITATION: BECOMING WISE AND COMPASSIONATE SOCIETY Human evolution and achieving our full potential has been a passion of mine for many years now. Recently during my research I had a flow of thought that seemed very clear about the direction we are headed and I thought Id put it on paper to share with you. Below is a bit of a deep read compared to my other articles, it provides an exploration on why I feel a wise and compassionate society will be the next step in human evolution. I feel that we can view this emerging evolutionary step by exploring human nature. What is inherent and clear, is humanitys ambition to tackle the impossible, to challenge our own potential and to surpass that which we think are our limits, which has led us to reaching epic heights in comfort, security and connection. What has allowed us to do this are emotional abilities and cognitive abilities. Supported by many years of experience based research there seem to be four emotional abilities

that we have cultivated as survival mechanisms that have allowed us to achieve what we have achieved in today age; compassion, loving-kindness, empathy and equanimity these are qualities distinctly vivid within humans. The reason that I deem these emotional abilities as survival mechanisms is because, without these community and family would have not formed, collaboration would not have manifested and society as we know it would not exist. The emotional management centers of the brain constitute the most evolved parts of the brain, or the parts of the brain that have had the most time to develop; moving from the stem to the amygdala and interconnected throughout the central wiring system of the brain. The cognitive abilities that have helped us along are attention, self-awareness, memory and decision making very powerful and important qualities though much less vividly distinct than other animals. These abilities are housed primarily within our frontal cortex, the front part of the brain and the least evolved or most recently developed part of the brain. It is important to know these two dimensions of abilities that human beings have, as they comprise wisdom (cognitive abilities) and compassion (emotional abilities). Conversely, I feel what is not inherent in human nature is to act in a self-obsessed manner; selfishly killing, steeling, acting with illintent, etc. as portrayed so explicitly in todays media mostly with an intent to instill fear and anxiety. By taking into consideration the inherent nature of humanity as one of in perpetual search of mastery over ones own environment as we explored in the opening lines of this call to theory I feel it is inevitable for humanity to surpass self-obsession, as in its nature, selfobsession is too easy; a weak and simple reaction to outside pressures and a limiting agent in our ability to continue to evolve. What is a challenge, one that requires effort, skillful means and courage is to embody and act with wisdom and compassion i.e. we can kill animals for food in a compassionate way, being mindful of the conditions we impose on them and setting precedence on sustainability for future generations. This, I feel will be the next evolution of humanity. Weve mastered the outer world, now it seems that the logical next step is to master our inner world. I feel those that do not take this challenge and take the easy route will slowly dwindle in numbers, as we become more and more connected we need to become more wise and compassionate, otherwise well lose out on the opportunity to have others trust us and to have trust in others, to collaborate, to have the support network to grow. CONLUSION I have discussed sufficiently as far as my reading of Nature allowed me. I may now add a few lines for the seekers, to reveal to them the secret of success. Meditation is the foundation of spirituality. If you meditate having your real goal before you, you are sure to arrive at the destination. There are ways and ways converging towards the real goal and they are discussed in various scriptures sufficiently. There are external forces too, helping us to the destination if properly guided. The Eastern thinkers have taken special regard of the question of food. It should be cooked neatly and cleanly in a proper manner. That is the hygienic point. But if it is sattvik and is cooked in constant remembrance of God, its effect will be surprising. And if it is taken

meditating all the while on God it will cure all kinds of spiritual diseases and remove things which hinder our progress. I have not to say much about it as it has already been dealt with sufficiently in our books. But neglecting altogether the really essential hygienic and spiritual basis of food, we must not be whimsical, thinking that it is defiled if merely touched by one other than of a particular sect, even though he be more innocent, pious and spiritually elevated. Hindus have experienced sufficiently and ought now to realize that the present day policy of food is neither social nor spiritual. In support of my views I quote below the words of Svami Vivekanandaji who is an authority on spiritual subjects, "The extravagant meaningless fanaticism which has driven religion entirely to kitchens as may be noticed in many of our sects, without any hope of noble truth of that religion ever coming out to the sunlight of spirituality, is a peculiar sort of pure and simple materialism. It is neither jnana, nor karma nor bhakti. It is a special kind of lunacy and those who pin their souls to it are more likely to go to the lunatic asylum than to brahma-loka". Come with faith and confidence in the spiritual field and be prepared for the practice, throwing off the self-conceited ideas. I do not want you to dwell in an imagination that if you repeatedly read the scriptures you will become the master of spirituality. By so doing you can become a philosopher or learned man, but you cannot be a yogi without actual practice with love and devotion. It is very difficult to put a practical thing in words, just as you cannot describe the taste of wheat although you have eaten it many a time.

REFERENCES:

Chetananada, swami(ed.) Meditation and Its Methods: According to Swami Vivekananda, Vedanta Press, 1976. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Research_on_meditation, 5:01AM, 17-May-13 http://www.modernmeditation.ca/human-evolution/, 5:21 AM, 17-May-13