Meditation is a mental practice to change your mind (notes from Andrey Safronov's lecture)

Definition of Meditation

These notes are a brief report on a presentation by Andrey Safronov (AS in the following), which can be found at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A-pC55RLyLQ (unfortunately only in Russian). They provide a useful classification of meditation practices (a topic I struggled with for a long time!).

The origin of the word 'meditation' is from 'meditari' (Latin), which means 'to think over.' One of the first instances of 'meditations' as practices was related to medieval monks and involved praying with full understanding and analysis of the prayer, including all terms and references used in prayers.

The next notable use of this word is in Rene Descartes' book, 'Meditations.' Descartes used this word to describe a process of philosophical logical sequencing, starting from difficult questions. For example: 'Do I exist?' This inquiry resulted in his famous aphorism 'Cogito Ergo Sum' (I think, therefore I am).

The first time 'meditation,' in a sense closer to what we understand now and relating to practices stemming from Yoga, was introduced by Helena Blavatsky. She blended concepts from Plotinus, Plato, and Yoga but did state that the goal of meditation is Samadhi.

Andrey is a well-known specialist on Yoga, Vedanta and Buddhism and according to him, meditation in these traditions is a mental practice/training, performed with effort and aimed at acquiring new mental qualities. The act of engaging in a mental practice implies that we divide our cognitive processes into at least three streams: the process related to the practice's goal (for example, concentration on a particular sensation or following a set of logical steps to solve a problem); the regular default activity (random thoughts, sensations, memories, images, etc.); and the process which observes the other two and redirects attention from random activities to the goal-oriented process.

Any mental activity not done purposefully, without effort, and not resulting in new qualities is NOT meditation! Thus, meditation does not merely mean stopping your thoughts or relaxation. Stopping your thoughts is not that useful. And relaxation is just too simple of a goal for such sophisticated practice as yoga.

Therefore, meditation is a subset of Sadhana practices. According to AS, Sadhana means an activity done deliberately, with applied effort. Mental Sadnaha with the goal of gaining new qualities is meditation.

Note that one of the problems we have when we start studying meditation practices is that they are so many of them and they use different terms for the same things and the same term but with different meanings. Moreover, there are different spellings and pronounciations in Prakrit, Pali and Sanskrit. So in my text here I will define every foreign term, so that we know what we mean regardless, of other possible definitions found elsewhere. For example, look at the complex and multiple definitions of Sadhana at https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/S%C4%81dhan%C4%81. But this definition from there: "constant efforts to achieve maximum level of perfection in all streams of day-to-day life" is consistent with out definition above.

The conclusion so far: meditation is a persistent mental effort with the goal to become better in whatever is being practiced AND acquire new mental qualities. For example, if you practice remembering what happened to you yesterday, you will have two effects: you will remember more and more every time and also you will develop more bright awareness of the present moment, because your brain will try to make remembering better.

Categories of Meditation

Concentration of attention (Dharana)

Dharana, the sixth limb of Ashtanga Yoga, signifies mental control and the concentration of attention on an object. Common objects of Dharana, known as Indriyas, include the five sensory perceptions: sight, hearing, taste, smell, and touch, along with the emotions they immediately evoke. Additionally, one can concentrate on internal signals: understanding and analyzing pain and emotion. Even focusing on and understanding true desires can constitute Dharana practice. Dharana leads to Ekagrata, a state of singular focus.

Other intellectual practices also fall under Dharana:

• Vitarka: Applying attention to a problem from a fixed angle, maintaining a clearly defined position without shifting paradigms.

• Vichara: Examining a problem from opposite perspectives, both closely and from a distance.

• Vipassana (in its original meaning): Seeing things as they are (this is somewhat vague, but it reflects AS's views).

• Paradrishti: Viewing a problem from all possible perspectives.

The goal of Dharana is to achieve complete concentration on both large and small objects or ideas.

Remembering (or awareness) practices

This set of practices, referred to as Smarana by AS, relates to recalling past events or being mindful of the present. Examples include:

• Satipatthana: A practice of maintaining awareness by observing the body, feelings, mind, and teachings (dhammas). AS categorizes this under remembering practices, though the Satipatthana Sutta encompasses much more.

• Anapanasati: Awareness of breathing.

• Random practices to recall specific details (e.g., how many people wearing red I saw today).

The aim of these practices is to enhance awareness and perception.

Bhavana (self-development) practices

If you seek different outcomes, you must act differently. To change your actions, first change yourself. Change occurs naturally under altered circumstances (e.g., losing a house in a fire). However, you can also visualize changed circumstances, akin to an actor's approach. Carlos Castaneda suggests contemplating death: "Death is our eternal companion. It is always to our left, an arm's length behind us. Death is the only wise adviser that a warrior has. Whenever he feels that everything is going wrong and he's about to be annihilated, he can turn to his death and ask if that is so. His death will tell him that he is wrong, that nothing really matters outside its touch. His death will tell him, I haven't touched you yet."

This concept is the foundation of Bhavana. The classic goals of Bhavana are to cultivate the Four Boundless Qualities:

• Loving-Kindness (Metta)

• Compassion (Karuna)

• Sympathetic Joy (Mudita)

• Equanimity (Upekksha), which develops as a result of the first three qualities.

One can focus on different desired new complex qualities promoting large aspect self-development and practice to develop them.

Dhyana (the highest) practice

It is important to note that this definition of Dhyana differs significantly from its interpretation in Ashtanga Yoga and Buddhism. AS uses this term to describe the highest practice of the disciplined mind, akin to intellectual discovery or enlightenment. This practice aims at solve complex intellectual puzzles, eliminate Samskaras (negative mental and behavioral patterns) and work with Karma.