Now I shall speak to you about the conquest of Internal Posture.
This is to get established at the junction—the middle or the meeting point of the two breaths. This is called the Pause.
मध्यमं प्राणमाश्रित्य प्राणापानपथान्तरम् ।
आलम्ब्य ज्ञानशक्तिं च तत्स्थं चैवासनं लभेत् ॥
—Netra Tantra VI.1ff.
Meaning:
Resting in the middle path at the junction–point of the inhaling and exhaling breaths with full awareness, constitutes the seat asana—of the yogi.
“मध्यमं प्राणमाश्रित्य” (Madhyamaṁ praṇamāśritya) — Means that you should be aware at the juncture. You must be able to sit or pause at the middle path—the point where the two breaths meet; i.e. the point where the out-going breath exhausts and the in-coming breath takes strength. This is the junction of the middle point. You have to pause there. This is the centre of the two breaths. This is the important point which you can mark just after the stoppage of the out-going breath and just before the start of the in-coming breath and vice-versa. This point is at the end of the external measure of twelve units and at the end of the internal measure of twelve units of breath respectively. You have to concentrate with awareness at that point, which may be termed as centre also. Not only this. You have to concentrate at this centre even while you are taking your breath in or sending it out. Even while inhaling and exhaling you have to try to dwell at this centre with awareness. This is a super-conscious state, attainable through psychic energy.
न दिवा पूजयेद्देवं रात्रौ नैव च नैव च ।
अर्चयेद् देवदेवेशं दिनरात्रिपरिक्षये ॥
Meaning:
Do not worship the self-luminous Lord either at night or during the day. You must worship the Lord of lords at the junction of day and night.
Day here means the out-going breath–prāṇa. Night means the in-coming breath–apāṇa. Parikṣaye does not mean “on being destroyed.” It means “at the junction, at the middle point of the two breaths” or you may call it the centre. So you must try to remain aware at the meeting point of the two breaths. I tell you firmly, if one can truly remain at the junction thus one is bound to succeed in one’s spiritual practice.
When my master taught me spiritual practice, I did not follow first. Without following the instructions correctly I started the practice. Just as I ask Makhan Lal Mujoo to do a particular work, he stands up quickly and starts doing it without following the instructions well. I was just taking my breath in and out. Nothing happened, no experience. In this course I felt sleepy and in a dreaming condition also I was taking my breath in and out in the same way as I did while awake. In this condition also I felt that I was achieving nothing. I thought, during the course of the dream, that it was mere waste of time. I went to the Ashrama. There I saw my grand master sitting in his usual pose. I related my difficulty to him. I told him that my master had instructed me to do spiritual practice in such and such way and that on doing so nothing had happened. He, in reply, told me that I should remain at the junction. Just then I woke up.
Later I related this whole dream and the preceding disappointment to my master. He said, “You make haste, without following the instructions well you got up and took to spiritual practice. You must follow the instructions perfectly well first and then sit for the practice. Taking to spiritual practice with awareness is not an easy job. You have to be aware there at the door of brahmapuri. You have to remain waiting and watching at the middle point, called sandhi or sandh.”
So you will succeed in spiritual practice only when you can remain aware at the junction, at the middle point. This is called madhya dhāma. I just told you: “na divā pūjayet devaṁ, rātrau naiva ca naiva ca.”
युञ्जन्नेवं सदात्मानं योगी नियतमानसः ।
शान्तिं निर्वाणपरमां मत्संस्थामधिगच्छति ॥
—Gītā VI.15.
Meaning:
Thus the yogi who with his well governed mind, constantly dwells on Self, attains lasting peace that consists of supreme bliss.
You must not do the spiritual practice in a routine way. You have to do it with eagerness. You must be earnest about it. You must sit for spiritual practice after liberating yourself from all kinds of distraction.
“Madbhaktaḥ” means one who is attached to spiritual practice. One who is very earnest about it.
You must be able to find and feel joy in spiritual practice. It must not be like a burden to you, or you must not feel it like that.
“Śantiṁ” means that you must attain to the peace of the true self. You must feel peaceful. What kind of peace?
“Nirvāṇa paramāṁ” this means that peace which will lead you towards mokṣa or liberation. That is it.
“Matsaṁsthāṁ” means that peace should be in my kingdom. It should be in my true Self.
So you must first try to undo all the intricate knots of your mind. This is very important. You must try your utmost at this otherwise it is all waste. All time and all efforts get wasted. You cannot get any fruit of your efforts without awareness. You must attend to this point first.
You must follow your preceptor, your guide. Do not look for help from your fellow traveller. To get rid of all kinds of obstacles you must follow the instructions of your Guru alone. You must wait for his word and you must watch his hissing sound. That is the clear way for the purification of mind.
∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞∞
— The Awareness Of The Supreme Consciousness; Revealed by Īśvarasvarupa Swāmī Lakṣamaṇajū.