Is sleep a meditation?

Is sleep a meditation?

"Sleep is the best meditation" - Dalai Lama.

Our body is made of millions of cells. Everyday we breathe, drink and eat and keep the machine alive. But it is run by the Chaitanya, life energy of the universal cosmos. The Jada/body survives through the materials of air, water and food and the life energy (individual) continue with its unions with the Samasti (universal) energy. Each one of us are living in an Ocean of air by connecting out nostrils to breathe in and breathe out the life and death respectively. 

What happens, when we go into the deep sleep. The jada/body rests on the bed and the chetan/soul rests with the universal soul (samasti chetana). Therefore, we don't remember anything except the feeling of a better sleep. We live the sleep without dash and kaal. Guru Geeta mantra says:

Brahmsnandam, param sukhadam, kevalam jyanamurtim; dvandvateetam, gagan sadrudam, tatvamasyadi lakshyam; ekam, nityam, vimal machalam, sarvadheesakshibhutam, bhavateetam, trigun rahitam, Sadgurum tam namami. 

(I salute to that Sadguru who is the source of eternal bliss, supreme happiness, who has true wisdom, who is beyond dualities, who is infinite, whose attention is always on the divine, who is unique, eternal, pure, steady, and who sees with the eyes of wisdom, who is beyond thoughts and beyond three gunas.)

Eternal bliss, supreme happiness, personification of wisdom, beyond duality, as infinite as sky, attention on the Devine, one, eternal, pure, stead, witness, beyond emotions, beyond three Gunas (satva, rajas, tamas), are the characters of our soul. 

During sleep, we attain this stage of consciousness where all gunas, karmas, duality, ends and all of us good or bad, rest in peace, rest in the Universal Soul. 

But Patanjali didn't say that Sleep is a meditation. If sleep is a meditation than all the creatures on earth sleep everyday, therefore they are to be called the Yogis. Patanjali called meditation a Dhyana. It is a process of self knowledge, unifying process of I, You and Thee. In normal living our body live as per the moves of our mind. Mind (minister) governs and the inner sound (anteratna ki awaaz) is suppressed. But in spiritual path, the Soul (the King) governs and the mind follows. The inner sounds become the torch light of our path of life. And therefore, dhyana is done in the consciousness of our chetana. The body rests but the mind alive. Self realisation than Parmatma realisation. The memory of deep sound sleep can just tell us, how best our life will be if all of us live in that stage of mind (peace, happiness....) 24x7.

Anato ahiyan (smaller than the smallest) mahato mahiyan (greater than the greatest). The individual soul is small and the universal soul is big. But the individual soul is part of the universal soul, therefore carry all the characteristics of the universal soul. Therefore, it can attain the stage of Anato ahiyan and mahato mahiyan. It can achieve the Astha siddhi of Anima (smaller that the smallest), Mahima (larger than the largest), garima (heavy), laghima (light), prapti (obtain), prakamya (fulfill desire), isitva (power of God), vasitva (ability to control 5 elements of nature). 

We all carry such abilities in smaller form. They are different in all individuals. Therefore, though the body parts and the make is the same, but we carry different capacities in terms of physical and mental abilities as well as our thoughts that become our karma and character. Our scientists are Param Dhyanis. Their research is their meditation. They need the ability to think the smaller than the smallest and bigger than the biggest. Therefore, every moment they are inventing and discovering the secretes of the Nature. While working, when we concentrate on our subject, all of us are in meditation. And whenever we work for the Sanasti goods, we receive peace and happiness. And whenever we work for self interest and samasti bads, we receive pains. 

Do meditate. Life is for meditation 24x7. The unification process with the Thee. 

Punamchand 

5 July 2016