Sage Vyasa Veda & Lord Ganesha
VICHARA / VICĀRA - conscious reflection or inquiry; subtle thought. Vichara is a yogic practice offered in Vedanta philosophy that involves stilling the fluctuations of the mind via a contemplative practice. Vichara practice teaches the yogi how to discern between the real and unreal; between the Brahman and Atman. Sometimes considered a form of Jnana Yoga, the path of knowledge, it is a practice that runs through out all styles and is at the heart of the yogic path - the path of self-realization!
Vichara, or self-enquiry, (also jnana-vichara or ātma-vichār), is the constant attention to the inner awareness of I / I AM / Who am I? Yoga teaches us that this is the most efficient and direct way of discovering the unreality of the ‘I’ thought and reconnecting with pure consciousness.
At the very start of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras we are introduced to the types of concentration available to us for self-enquiry. Sutras 1.17 and 1.18 describe the process of samadhi and the different dimensions and subtle layers of meditation practice.
YOGA SUTRA 1.17 - वितर्क विचारानन्दास्मिता रूपानुगमात् संप्रज्ञातः
vitarka vichara ananda asmita rupa anugamat samprajnatah
- “Samaadhi with consciousness happens in four forms: with reasoning, deliberation, bliss and self-consciousness.”
- “The deep absorption of attention on an object is of four kinds, 1) gross (vitarka), 2) subtle (vichara), 3) bliss accompanied (ananda), and 4) with I-ness (asmita), and is called samprajnata samadhi.” – translation by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
Vitarka means gross thought or reasoning. Vichara is subtle thought or inquiry. Ananda is even more subtle. Asmita means “I-ness” or sense of self. Rupa is appearance, nature, or form. Anugamat means resulting from or associated with. Samprajnatah means distinguishing or dicerning.
Samprajnaata Samaadhi means Samaadhi with consciousness and “is accompanied by reasoning, reflecting, rejoicing and pure I-am-ness.” - Swami Satchidananda
The four levels of concentration that Patanjali talks about are:
Savitarka/Gross: relates to concentration on any gross object while still accompanied with other activities of the mind, including meditation on sensory awareness, visualized objects, the gross level of breath, attitudes, syllables of mantra, or streams of conscious thought.
Savichara/Subtle: relates to subtle objects, after the gross have been left behind; the subtleties of matter, energy, senses, and the mind are, themselves, the objects of meditation, inquiry, and non-attachment.
Sananda/Bliss: emphasizes the still subtler state of bliss in meditation. In this state, the concentration is free from the gross and subtle impressions that were at the previous levels.
Sasmita/I-ness: focuses on I-ness, which is even subtler, as it relates to the I that is behind, or witness to all of the other experiences.
- Swami Jnaaneshvara Bharati
Vichara, subtle thought or self-inquiry, sometimes loosely translates as “discernment”. It is a systematic process offered by Vedanta that offers us a methodology for making the unconscious, conscious – enabling us to attain the ultimate goal of stilling the waters of the mind and to connect with Infinite, Divine, Pure Consciousness.
We may compare this to Jungian psychology which seeks to bring our subconscious processes, thoughts and symbolic content to our conscious awareness. The yogic practice of vichara guides us to more conscious awareness of our subconscious patterns and tendencies so they lose their power to control, seduce and trap us in unconscious patterns.
Swami Satchidananda describes the process as follows: “Samprajnāta samādhi is a process of going inward - not evolution, but involution. Originally, the world or Prakrti, was unmanifested, or avyakta. When it begins to manifest, the ego comes first, the the individuality and then the mind. Then, from the mind you get into the tanmātras, then the gross elements. That is the natural evolution.
In Yogic meditation we experience the involution. It could be called creation and destruction. But, actually, there is nothing created in you; nor is anything destroyed. As the Bhagavad Gitā explains, the unmanifest appears as manifest and then returns to the unmanifest. What we see outside is the manifested, the in-between. That is what we call the creation. That’s why, according to Yoga, we don’t say that God created anything. Yoga says God is just pure consciousness. And Prakrti is also there, its nature. Being to evolve and then dissolve….Unless you understand the Prakrti very well, you can’t get out of it. You can’t just ignore it or set it aside. That’s why the four stages of samprajnāta samādhi are to be practiced first, one after the other.”
YOGA SUTRA 1.18 - विराम प्रत्यया भ्यास पूर्वः संस्कार शेषो ऽन्यः
virāma pratyayābhyāsa pūrvah samskāraseso’nyah
- “By firmly convinced practice of the complete cessation of the mental modifications, the impressions only remain. This is the other samādhi - asamprajnāta samādhi.” - Swami Satchidananda
This is the part where the Purusa, so long entangled in Prakrti is free. Satchidananda explains: “In samprajnāta samādhi the buried seeds can still come into the conscious mind when the proper opportunity is given and pull you into worldly experience. That is why all these four stages should be passed and you should get into asamprajnāta samādhi where even the ego feeling is not there and the seeds of past impressions are rendered harmless. In that state, only the consciousness is there and nothing else. Once that is achieved, the individual is completely liberated and there is no more coming into the world and getting tossed….the world is just a shadow from which you are complete free.”
Ultimately, vichara is the practice of maintaining continuous conscious awareness on the higher Self, the Paramatman - the untainted Purusha, or Supreme Soul. However, in the initial stages of practice, vichara brings us in touch with the higher aspects of our mind - the Buddhi, or wise, intuitive intellect – differentiating it from the lower functions of the mind, known as manas - desires of the mind, citta - the mind “stuff”, and ahamkara - ego identity. The Buddhi mind brings us closer to that which is beyond the mind - Purusha/ Soul/ Source.
From Chapter III - The Chapter of Powers / Vibhūti Pāda (accomplishments / Siddhis)
Yoga Sutra 3.56 - सत्त्वऩरुु षमो् शणु द्धसाम्य े कै वल्यभ इ् णत ॥५६॥
sattva purusayoh suddhi samye kaivalyam iti
“with the attainment of equality between the purest aspect of sattvic buddhi and the pure consciousness of purusha, there comes absolute liberation, and that is the end.” - translation by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
From Chapter IV - The Chapter of Absoluteness / Kaivalya Pāda (The root of Kaivalya is kevala, or without qualities or conditions, that which is cosmic.)
Yoga Sutra 4.25 - विशेषदर्शिन आत्मभावभावनाविनिवृत्तिः॥२५॥
vishesa darshinah atma bhava bhavana vinivrittih
“for one who has experienced this distinction between seer and this subtlest mind (cleared of all the colorings), the false identities and even the curiosity about the nature of one’s own self come to an end.” - translation by Swami Jnaneshvara Bharati
“For the knower of the difference, (there is) cessation of all thought of the nature of Self.” - Yoga Darshana
“To one who sees the distinction between the mind and the Ātman, thoughts of mind as the Ātman cease forever.” - Swami Satchidananda
So how do we do it?
Dharana is the binding of the mind to one place, object or idea. Dhyana is the continuous flow of cognition toward that object. Therefore, meditation and contemplation are the most powerful tools for using the fire of self-knowledge (jatavedas agni) to increase our conscious awareness and dis-identify with the lower mind. We may use Patanjali’s breakdown of the different subtle layers and dimensions as a way to discern.
Vyasa, in his commentary of the Sutras, suggests contemplating on the infinite Self/Purusha so that our awareness of it burns so bright that it dissolves the avidya (the conditioning of the impermanent as real). We may then let go of attachment to outcomes (vairagya) and surrender to the Divine.
Yoga gives us many tools and techniques to liberate ourselves from the chaos of an untamed mind - daily meditation, pranayama, asanas, kiryas, mantras and much more offer us tools for self-discovery and self-realization.
The Yoga Vasishtha, one of the foremost Vedantic texts, is full of illustrated examples of vichara, recommending self-inquiry as the highest and most direct path to Self-Realization.
The following excerpt is from the book, Kriyā-Yoga: The Science of Life-Force by Giri Swami Nityananda:
“In the Srimad Bhagavadgita (3.42) Lord Krishna says, ‘indriyani paranyahurindriyebhyah param manah, manasastu para buddhiryo buddeh paratastu sah’.
Our organs, indriyani, meaning our sense-organs and organs of action, are said to be greater, paranyaha ( than our body) , mind is greater than the organs, indriyebhyah param manah, intellect is greater than the mind, manasastu para buddhi, and one who, yah, is greater than the intellect is He, buddeh paratastu sah, the Self.
In this saying lies the solution to our problems. We have to bring our mind under the control of our discriminating intellect and the intellect under the control of the Self. Such a situation will bring only happiness. According to the sayings of Lord Buddha, "From right understanding proceeds right thought; from right thought proceeds right speech ; from right speech proceeds right action and from right action proceeds right livelihood." So we have to make noble our thinking, belief-system and thought processes, we have to purify our internal organ mind.”
The Breath, pranavayu, strengthens the Discriminating Intellect: How will discriminating intellect develop? How will mind be cleaned? For this we need faith and devotion, we should read the scriptures and control the senses. However, all these precautions are only mental based. We therefore need something to absorb the mind and that is our vital force, prāna. It was said in Yogic scriptures, “indriyānām mano nāthah manonāthastu mārutah" mind is the master of the sense organs and air (the breath) is master of the mind (GS, 4.29)”
Interested in the practice of Vichāra?
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Many blessing on your yogic path!
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