Main Kaun Hun #6

My beloved Atman!
Meditation is the name for becoming one with existence. We have limits; to break them and become one with the limitless is its name. We are like a small drop, and just as a drop falls into the ocean and becomes one.... Meditation is not an act; rather, call it non-action, non-doing. For in any act the doer will survive; only in non-action can one be erased. In a certain sense, meditation is the art of dying by one’s own hand. And the wonder is this: those who learn the art of dying are the only ones who attain the supreme meaning of life.
This morning, in this one hour, we shall lose ourselves and attempt to become one with that vastness which spreads all around us. In language it will sound like an effort, but deep within, no effort is possible. We shall not hold ourselves together; we shall let go.
Before I speak to you of the process of meditation, keep two or three small points in mind. There are only a few people, so it is very pleasant. That is why I made no announcement yesterday, so that only a few could come.
First, all of you sit at such a distance that if someone falls in between, they do not fall upon another. When you let go of yourselves completely, many times it will seem as if the body is falling; if you stop it, it will become a hindrance. If it falls, let it fall. Or sit with support somewhere. And those who are sitting above should come down, because there you will remain concerned the whole time with holding yourselves.
Sit at a distance; do not sit too close. No one should be touching anyone, and still keep such space that if someone wishes to lie down in the middle—because in the experiment I am going to lead, many will feel midway that they should lie down—they should lie down; they should not force themselves to sit. Let whatever feels right happen. And have no concern for anyone else’s presence; no one is present there. You are alone; the other is also alone.
In meditation breath has supreme importance. In life as well. While breath is moving, one is alive; when breath is lost, the person is lost.
Just now I went to a house. A woman has been unconscious for nine months; she lies in a coma. And the doctors say she will never regain consciousness—the nerves of her awareness are broken. But she can remain alive for at least three years. She will lie there unconscious. They give medicines by injection and arrange everything. She is almost dead. I went to see their home. I asked that woman’s mother, “Now she is dead, is she not?” She said, “No, where has she died yet? So long as there is breath, there is hope. Her breath is still moving. In every other way she has died, but breath is moving. So there remains one connection with life.” And that old woman said, “What reliance is there on doctors? The one they say will live, dies; so about the one they say must surely die in three years—nothing is certain, she might be saved.”
In life, breath is our connection. And perhaps you have never noticed that even a slight change in the mind is quickly reflected in the breath. If you are in anger, breath moves one way. If you are calm, it moves another way. If you are restless, it moves another way. If you are filled with sexual desire, breath moves yet another way. Breath keeps giving news of the mind all the time. Those who understand the entire process of breath can, by observing your breath, tell where you are within, what you must be doing. If a person’s breath can be understood, everything within that person can be understood.
In meditation, breath is very precious—the most precious. For as you become absorbed into the vast, the breath is transformed. The reverse is also true: if breath is transformed, you will begin to be absorbed into the vast. For example, if someone asks you to keep the breath quiet and be angry, you will be in great difficulty. To keep the breath quiet and be angry is impossible—utterly impossible. Transformation in the breath is inevitable.
So try a small experiment sometime. Whenever anger arises, do not bother about the anger; slow the breath—and you will suddenly find that anger has become impossible. If the breath is slow, anger will become impossible. And when anger becomes impossible, the breath will go on becoming slower still.
If you look at the statues of Buddha and Mahavira, it does not seem as if such people would be breathing. Their breath seems to have come to a standstill. It is not because of the statues. When the mind is utterly quiet, when all its inner turbulence is dissolved and the person is one with the vast, then the breath is transformed from the very roots.
We shall begin with breath. Understand two or three small points. Then, in between, I will give suggestions; keep receiving them.
First point: in meditation we shall sit with eyes closed. But not in such a way that there is any pressure on the eyes. Let the eyes be loose, and let the eyes close by themselves. So do not close the eyes; simply leave them, so that they close. There must be not even the slightest pressure on the eyes. Because the eyes are the most sensitive part of our brain. If there is even a little pressure on the eyes, it becomes very difficult for the inner brain to become silent.
So first gently release the eyelids and feel that the eyes are closing—you are not doing it. Release the eyelids, gently release them, and let the eyes close. Let the eyes close; do not close them. Just leave the eyelids loose, and let the eyes close. Leave them—let the eyes close. As soon as the eyes close...
And here not a single person will sit with open eyes. You have come here only to do this experiment; otherwise you should not come. No one will sit with open eyes.
Close the eyes quietly, leave them loose, and let them close. And then, in between, there is no need to open your eyes to look, because we are going to see within, and within there is no need for the eyes to be open. Close the eyes, leave them loose. And relax the body as well, so that the body does not hinder you in any way, so there is no strain. Whoever wishes to lie down may lie down right now. Leave the body loose as well. The eyes are closed; the body has been left loose. Whoever wants to lie down should lie down quietly. Now take your attention to the breath. Look within: breath is going in, coming out. Watch the breath. As soon as you begin to watch the breath, you will be standing at that place, at that door from which meditation opens.
Begin to watch the breath—this breath has gone in. It is a very subtle thing; if you watch within carefully, it will begin to be seen. To be seen means it will begin to be felt: breath is going in, breath is coming out. If someone is not experiencing it, not feeling it, then take slightly deeper breaths so that the feeling becomes clear. Take the breath a little slower and deeper, and see, so that it becomes evident: here is the breath—this breath is going in, the breath is coming out; breath is going in, breath is coming out.
Watch—feel within—breath is going in, breath is coming out. Take it a little deeper, so that it comes clearly into awareness. Take slightly deeper breaths. For about ten minutes keep taking deeper breaths and keep watching—breath is going in, breath is going out. Let only this one work remain in attention: that I am watching the breath; I will not let the breath go in unobserved, nor let it go out unobserved. I will keep knowing, recognizing, watching the breath. By watching the breath, the mind will begin to grow silent. For about ten minutes, keep watching the breath. I become silent....
Breathe deeply... When the breath goes in, feel that it is going in; when the breath goes out, feel that it is going out. Let only the breath remain. You remain like a witness who is watching the coming and going of the breath. Watching—breath coming in, breath going out; breath coming in, breath going out. Just keep watching, keep watching, keep watching—and the mind will go on becoming quiet... becoming quiet... becoming quiet....
I shall be silent for ten minutes. Keep watching the breath. If in the meantime anyone feels like lying down, lie down quietly. If the body begins to tremble, do not stop it—let it tremble. If tears begin to flow from the eyes, do not stop them—let them flow. Whatever is happening, let it happen. And you do only one thing: keep watching the breath. Then, after ten minutes, I will give the second instruction. For ten minutes now, become absorbed in watching the breath—this breath is coming, this breath is going; I am only, like a witness, watching the breath.