“Meditation is the other vital half of (Guru Siyag Siddha) Yoga practice. Mantra-chanting and meditation are the two vital sides of the same practice. What does meditation signify? The world is paying greater attention today to the idea of meditation. This is because material science has recognized that meditation yields better results (in holistic healing) than medical treatment if the person meditating is able to achieve complete concentration.

“But achieving this kind of concentration is rarely possible. Buddhist and Jain religions also lay great emphasis on meditation. However, they don’t go beyond meditation. There is a great deal of excitement over (the benefits of) meditation. Doctors talk about it; everybody (who matters) talks about it. But no one is able to really explain well what meditation signifies.

“(The fact is) Meditation is the stage prior to achieving Samadhi (the final of stage of the eightfold yoga as codified by sage Patanjali). Sage Patanjali has explained in detail about the state of meditation (as a part of spiritual practice) in his treatise, the “Yoga Sutra”, a very authentic book (on yoga). In this treatise, sage Patanjali has laid out a regimen that requires the seeker to follow the following eight sequences of spiritual practice: Yam (moral codes), Niyama (self purification and study), Asana (postures), Pranayama (breath control), Pratyahar (sense control), Dharna (intention / concentration), Dhyan (meditation) and Samadhi (contemplation).

“The first five stages fall within the material realm while the last three—Dharna, Dhyan and Samadhi in the subtle domain. Until the practitioner successfully passes through the Dharna stage, he cannot move into the next stage — Dhyan. You cannot achieve the stage of meditation by simply imagining yourself to be in a meditative state. Your Dharna, the base, will be firm only when you have undergone some practical inner changes (and experiences) and you have found a practical material solution to your problems. It is only when you find this kind of practical solution through the inner change that you will successfully reach the stage of Dharna. And once you are firm in your Dharna, you will begin to achieve concentration in meditation. To achieve this concentration, you need to focus your mind on your Agyachakra. So, Dhyan is the stage prior to Samadhi, as sage Patanjali has explained. And when you go deep into meditation with concentration, you automatically move into the Samadhi stage.”