PATANJALI (RAJA YOGA)

1. DHARANA ( CONCENTRATION ) , IS CONFINING THE MIND TO THE OBJECT BEING MEDITATED UPON.

The object, the subject, and the beyond -- these three have to be remembered. You look at me I am the object; the one who is looking at me is the subject. And if you become a little more perceptive, you can see yourself looking at me that is the beyond. You can see yourself looking at me. Just try. I am the object, you are looking at me. You are the subject who is looking at me. You can stand by the side within yourself. You can see that you are looking at me. That is the beyond.

First, one has to concentrate on the object. Concentration means narrowing of the mind.

Have you ever concentrated on anything? Concentration means your whole mind is focused on one thing.

Concentration reveals to you things which are not ordinarily revealed. Ordinarily, you live in a very indifferent, mood. You simply go on living as if half asleep -- looking, and not looking at all; seeing and not seeing at all; hearing, and not hearing at all. Concentration brings energy to your eyes. If you look at a thing with a concentrated mind, everything excluded, suddenly that small thing reveals much that was always there waiting.

DHYAN ( CONTEMPLATION ), IS THE UNINTERRUPTED FLOW OF THE MIND TO THE OBJECT.

First, concentration dropping the crowd of objects and choosing one object. Once you have chosen one object and you can retain one object in your consciousness, concentration is achieved.

Now the second step uninterrupted Row of consciousness towards the object. As if light is falling from a torch, uninterrupted. Or, have you seen? You pour water from one pot to another pot the flow will be interrupted; it will not be uninterrupted. You pour oil from one pot to another pot: the flow will be uninterrupted, continuous; the thread will not be broken.

Dhyan, contemplation, means your consciousness falling on the object in continuity, with no break -- because each break means you are distracted, you have gone somewhere else. If you can attain the first, the second is not difficult. If you cannot attain the first, the second is impossible. Once you drop objects, you choose one object, then you drop all loopholes in your consciousness, all distractions in your consciousness, you simply pour yourself on one object.

An uninterrupted flow of consciousness towards any object.... In that uninterrupted flow, in that unfrozen flow, just in that flow... you are simply flowing like a river, with no interruption, with no distraction... suddenly you become for the first time aware about the subjectivity that you have been carrying all along who you are.

In an uninterrupted flow of consciousness ego disappears. You become the self, egoless self, selfless self.

The second, contemplation if you choose some object which you love. You can choose your beloved, you can choose your child, you can choose a flower -- anything that you love -- because in love it becomes easier to fall uninterruptedly on the object of love. Look in the eyes of your beloved.

First forget the whole world; let your beloved be the world. Then look into the eyes and become a continuous Row, uninterrupted, falling into her -- oil being poured from one pot into another. No distraction. Suddenly, you will be able to see who you are; you will be able to see your subjectivity for the first time.

But remember, this is not the end. Object and subject, both are two parts of one whole. Day and night: both are two parts of one whole.

That third state is samadhi.

SAMADHI IS WHEN THE MIND BECOMES ONE WITH THE OBJECT.

When the subject disappears in the object, when the object disappears in the subject, when there is nothing to look at and there is no looker-on, when simply the duality is not there, a tremendously potential silence prevails. You cannot say what exists, because there is nobody to say. You cannot make any statement about samadhi,

"Samadhi is when the mind becomes one with the object." When the mind becomes one with the object, there is no one who is a knower and there is none who is known.

And unless you come to know this -- this knowing which is beyond the known and the knower -- you have missed your life. You may have been chasing butterflies, dreams, maybe attaining a little pleasure here and there, but you have missed the ultimate benediction.

Remember, this is the possibility for you also. You may get loaded with your small pleasures so much that you forget all about the ultimate bliss, which was always yours just for the asking. In collecting pebbles and shells on the seashore you may miss the utterly blissful treasure of your being.

Remember this. This is happening. Only rarely somebody becomes aware enough not to be caught in this ordinary imprisonment of life. And remember, wherever you pay your attention, that becomes your reality of life. If you pay your attention to pebbles, they become diamonds -- because wherever is your attention, there is your treasure.