Recently I was looking at a Vedanta Society Youtube presentation on meditation as per the instructions of Sri Krishna in the Bhagavad Gita. The Vedanta Nun explained that the meditator needs to look at the end of the nose while meditating. Over the years I've come across this divergent method postulated by different meditation paths. I just wonder how it can be anywhere near as effective, though I don't doubt the spiritual giants the Ramakrishna movement have produced.
Sri Yukteswar said something about this when he commented that the yogic path is difficult enough without causing the devotee to become cross eyed. The meaning of Krishna's instructions, according to the Masters of our path, is to fix the gaze at the origin of the nose between the eyebrows.
I understand Web; I spent six years living at a Vedanta monastery. I appreciated my time there, but found their meditation practices quite different than at SRF or with Amma’s group. Some of the Buddhist groups had a similar approach to Vendanta. I really never discussed it with those I meditated with but rather followed Sri Yukteswars advice. I have also never found a progressive approach from Christian meditation. I feel we are fortunate to have our gurus and the ‘corrections’ they made in the literature of both the Bible and the Bhagavad Gita. Human ignorance has transformed many of the teachings of Masters through the ages. Yet I do believe that ‘focus’ - whether it is done through the ‘correct’ way or not - yields results and the devotion other paths facilitate as well as the service is beneficial to spiritual evolution.
I think what we should recognize is our own gurus story and advice in the SRF lessons about the drunkard man who could not even put stakes in the ground correctly because of his drinking problems. Yet he was favored by God because he did not have the same expectations that another devotee had who meditated consistently and regularly for years. There are also the elements of devotion and love for God and correct introspection that leads to a proper attitude that obviously cannot be ignored in a devotees sadhana.
There are so many other factors that contribute to spiritual development and practice that we cannot believe that meditating correctly alone will put us ahead of others who have developed the proper aspects of devotion and practice in a better way then we ourselves. Gods grace can never be left out of the equation either. Who are we to assess the proper ingredients for enlightenment? We can only hope to be favored in our practices to help others and continue in what is ‘obvious’ for us on the spiritual path, while leaving behind those practices that seemingly have no basis for improving our own spiritual growth.
