Acharya Shree, What is Sadhana?
Sadhana is a Sanskrit word. And
it includes many aspects of
spiritual practices.
Because in Sanskrit, Sadhana
includes a lot of aspects of spiritual practices,
that's what we use in Indian traditions, one word:
Sadhana. Sadhana doesn't mean only
just if a person is practicing yoga, or
meditation. Sadhana is when you are
in silence. That is a practice because
now you are going inward.
Inside of you. And you will look at who
you really are. And if you practice
silence, it
gives you a lot of opportunities
to not waste your time in talking,
uselessly talking. So silence makes you a good person.
That is one aspect of
Sadhana: silence. And it is very hard, it seems
very easy, but when it comes to
the real way of being in silence, it is very difficult. Silence
doesn't mean just that you don't speak, silence means
you are silent from anger, silent from the ego, silent
from all the lower qualities, violence or
if a person is hurting others.
You are silent physically, mentally
and by thoughts. You don't even think negative thoughts.
That is called real silence. That is a spiritual practice.
Or you can do "Jappa". There are two
kinds of Jappa. Either you can recite a mantras aloud,
or you can do a Jappa Jap. A jappa jap
means mentally, you are not reciting words or mantras.
A mantra is like "Aum". Aum is very simple.
Aum..... you recite this mantra.
Or you do it mentally. Nobody hears it
but you do it. That is called Jappa. That is a spiritual practice.
Because now, all your bad thoughts like
negative thoughts dissapear and you are concentrating.
You are focused on a beautiful sound
like Aum or Aum Namo Siddhanam. There are many mantras.
So repeating that out loud or
mentally, in your mind, then you will be
surprised- it will bring peace in your life.
And you grow spiritually. Or you
can do meditation. Seated meditation.
Your body, your thoughts, your mind,
they will dissapear, you will forget them.
And the real meditation begins. Or you can
fast. Fasting is also a
kind of sprititual practice because it
burns Karma too. Fasting is a fire and fire
not ony detoxifies your
body, also it will burn all the toxins
inside and outside,
if your intention is pure that you want to burn your Karma.
If you are not expecting that you are fasting
to go to heaven or to win the lotto. Not
for that purpose, you are just doing it spiritually. For the spiritual growth.
And it begins to burn Karma. That is
called Sadhana. Sometimes, people will sit
with a certain posture, like Lotus posture,
or they stand in one pose and they don't move,
they are fully in meditation. That is called Sadhana.
In people's
minds, theories are also a kind of Sadhama.
Anything theoretical is not Sadhana.
Like many people think if they repeat Gita-
Gita is a holy book of Hindu, they think that
if they repeat one chapter every day they are doing Sadhana.
By repeating Gita or by repeating the Bible,
or by repeating the Quran or by repeating any holy books,
it doesn't make you a spiritual person.
No, it is not Sadhana. Sadhana is if you learn from
those books, something good. Like if Gita mentions
how to be detatched from
someone. Or how to
fully
burn Karama. If you learn something
from the Holy Book, that is called practical.
And that's what I think.
The more your do Sadhana, the more good thoughts you
have, or if you learn under the guidance
of a master or if you meet
an enlightened person, if you learn directly,
the master will teach you all the practical things. Like
the master might teach you pranayam, the master might teach you
to be fully (just close your eyes and
sit) and he or she will teach you
Tratka. Tratka is like one point-ness
So there are many ways.
Sadhana can be many different kinds of
ways. There is not one way.
People who think that spirituality is just
one path, they are fully wrong. Spirituality
can be many ways. And
that's why Sadhana includes a lot of aspects of spiritual practices.
And let me tell you the real thing:
sprituality is practical.
You can't just read and follow. Reading and following
doesn't make you a real spiritual person. But if
you do a little bit of the practical, like if you listen
that Anger is not good and you practice,
that whenever anger comes and enters into my body and into my mind,
I am aware of my anger. And as soon as you become
aware, the anger begins to dissolve by itself.
That is called practical. And when you do practical
things, even a little bit, like fasting - I am not saying that you do
10 days of fasting. Even if you
eat three meals a day, if you drop one meal,
that is also considered fasting. But if you
are brave enough, you can do one day of fasting.
Maybe just on water or sometimes people do it on juices. It
depends on the person. It is not forced, it is
voluntary. You are doing it. Sometimes
if you walk barefoot outside,
it is considered one kind of Sadhana. Or sometimes
you sit in the sun. It is considered one
kind of Sadhana. Because you are doing it voluntarily.
You are not forced to stay in the sun. If you are forced to stay in the sun,
that is not called Sadhana. Like a prisoner.
They are ordered to stay
outside in the hot sun. And they have no choice.
They have to go. But one person sitting in the sun,
not forced, but by himself or herself
trying to concentrate, trying to meditate, that is Sadhana.
But the other hand, the prisoners, they are
sitting in the sun too. But in their case, it is not Sadhana.
Sadhana comes from your insides.
It is an inner phenomenon. And
it is practical. So I will suggest people
do Sadhana in the early morning
recite mantras. Maybe recite Panjan sometimes.
They have good words. Or
if you have any daily thoughts,
sometimes they inspire you. And you begin to
do a little practice. That is
what I suggest.
If you want to be in Sadhana, be practical.
Because practice is more important.
And it is also said, in general, that "Practice
makes a man perfect." That's why if you do
practical things, then you get it.
If you just listen, if you just make theories,
you can make a 2,000 page theory but
it is not going to take you anywhere. But the practical,
yes! Sadhana is a practice.
And try to follow it. You will
grow spiritually. And also sometimes I
say, Spirituality is practical. Or
in other words, if you really want,
"Spirituality is practicality!"
Spirituality is practicality! Always remember. Jai Siddhatma.