
Four words define practice in Eastern Wisdom: Sadhana, Upaya, Upasana, and Abhyasa, roughly translated as practice. The word ‘Sadhana’ means accepting and cultivating what is desired and rejecting what is not desired in the journey of self-discovery. The word ‘Upaya’ means method, tools, and means. The word ‘Upaya’ is a method that removes impurities of the mind before awakening takes place. The word also defines various experiences the seeker passes through before awakening and realization. It also means ‘to come near’ or ‘to come into a state of what is known as awakening. The word ‘Upasana’ means ‘sitting near’ before the seeker enters into meditation. The word ‘Abhyasa’ means practice or repeatedly repeating the steps until the mind enters emptiness, calm, and reveals our true nature. But practice accompanies wisdom or the right knowledge. The current text, Sadhana Panchkam, meaning five verses, includes 40 steps covering almost every aspect of Eastern Wisdom. Each verse explains eight steps at different levels. When a seeker follows the prescribed steps, he succeeds in meditation that reveals the knowledge of reality or our true nature, i.e., truth, permanent happiness, love, and wisdom. The text is also known as ‘Sopan Panchkam,’ meaning staircases or steps that lead to awakening and realization. We need to commit to practice and understand the principles of the Real Self to achieve this state. Those who follow meditation or mindfulness without knowing their Real Self fall prey to habitual and mechanical practice and fail. The mindfulness practice without any foundation on the path fails. That is the reason Buddha has mentioned mindfulness as the seventh of the noble eightfold path. We cannot jump on the last stair of a ladder which is 40 feet high. Simply looking at all the steps and dreaming to reach the 40th step will make us fall. As the ladder is firmly grounded and reaches to 40th stair, similarly, before taking the first step on the path
Page Count:
409
Publication Date:
2022-10-19
ISBN-13:
9798359186902
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