Hear, Concentrate, Meditate, Dissolve

The following is an excerpt from a samvaad (dialogue) session with Acharya Prashant.

Acharya Prashant: Verse one, I am simplifying as I read these out, says ‘listening is to pursue by means of sentences their import’. Listening has been defined. Listening is to pursue by means of sentences their import.

Then thinking has been defined. ‘Thinking consists in perceiving the consistency of sentences with reason’. Then meditation has been talked of. ‘Meditation is indeed the exclusive attention of the mind fixed on (the import) rendered indubitable through listening and thinking’. So, listening has happened, thinking has happened. Now, that which has become indubitable, credible, certain through listening and thinking has to be attended to. So, meditation is the exclusive attention of the mind on that which has been proven through listening and thinking.

Then, concentration. It has been defined this way; ‘concentration is said to be the mind which outgrowing the dualism between the meditator and meditation, gradually dwells exclusively on the object of meditation and is like a flame in the windless spot.’ And, then he has quoted me. ‘Intelligence is that which enables you to simply see, intelligence is that which reduces the whole clutter and wipes away the dirt, intelligence is your fundamental nature, intelligence is the settlements of the mind, live in intelligence’. And, then he says, ‘Explain everything. How do these activities of mind lead to its settlement? How does intelligence take over?’

First of all, Abhilash (Questioner) the translation is not quite accurate. That, which is been talked of as concentration here is not really concentration. If the topic of the course is Advaita Vedānta, I don’t know how the readings have been decided and which particular books are been referred to. In fact, why only Adhyatma Upanishad is there? I don’t know how the readings have been selected. If the topic is Advaita Vedānta, go to the principal Upanishads- Katha, Kena, Isha, Chāndogya, Bṛhadāraṇyaka. I am not sure why these particular readings are being dealt with.

Now, what are you asking, ‘Please help me understand all these better. How do these activities lead to your own settlement, and how intelligence can take over?’ In the verses from the Upanishads that you…