Preksha meditation: History and Methods
by Samani Pratibha Pragya | 2016 | 111,074 words
This page relates 鈥楾he Subsidiary Limbs (Upanga)鈥� of study dealing with Preksha-Dhyana: a meditation technique created by Acharya Shri Mahapragya (Acarya Mahaprajna) in the late twentieth century. It synthesizes ancient Jain ascetic methods, ritualistic practices, and modern scientific insights, appealing to a global audience. The thesis explores its historical context, theoretical foundations, and the rise of contemporary Jain meditation systems.
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3.2. The Subsidiary Limbs (鲍辫腻峁単补)
[Full title: Fully Developed System of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ乨丑测腻苍补 (2) Subsidiary Limbs (鲍辫腻峁単补) of 笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-顿丑测腻苍补]
After the discussion of the eight limbs of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 Mah膩praj帽a considers 辫谤别办峁Ｄ� to be not merely a meditative practice but a 鈥渢otal philosophy of life鈥� or a holistic approach towards life (samagra 箩墨惫补苍补 诲补谤艣补苍补) (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 191). His statement makes it clear that 辫谤别办峁Ｄ� is not confined to meditation alone, as it also works on both social and spiritual aspects of experience through its various components. Mah膩praj帽a takes into consideration Haribhadra鈥檚 broad definition of Jaina-yoga, which includes all the activities connected to liberation. His definition comprises of religion (dharma), yoga and spirituality (补诲丑测腻迟尘补) all under one wing. Mah膩praj帽a also suggests that people from all walks of life, should seek to learn 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, not only for spiritual advancement, but also for other reasons, such as health, well-being or coping with the various day to day problems faced in the modern world.
During 1996, keeping in mind this holistic approach, he divided the programme of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 into three main components (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 191):
(1) 笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 (meditation);
(2) 笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-yoga (posture and breathing control); and
(3) 笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-肠颈办颈迟蝉腻 (therapy).
The main eight components of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 are discussed above, and the next focus is on the subsidiary-limbs of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, which falls under the 鈥�辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-yoga鈥�. 笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-肠颈办颈迟蝉腻 (therapy) is an expansion of the limbs and sub-limbs as an applied or medicalised 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补. Mah膩praj帽a presents spiritual healing therapy through the combination of various limbs of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 in Tuma Svastha Raha Sakte Ho.[1]
Posture (膧蝉补苍补)
Mah膩praj帽a accepted posture (腻蝉补苍补) as a helpful tool for 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 even though it occupies a subsidiary position in its practice. The term 腻蝉补苍补 is formed from the Sanskrit root 腻蝉 meaning to sit down.[2] Thus 腻蝉补苍补 indicates a sitting position. In the Jaina context, instead of 腻蝉补苍补 the word used is 鈥�蝉迟丑腻苍补鈥�. 厂迟丑腻苍补 is formed from the Sanskrit root 蝉迟丑腻 which means to stay, remain or continue in any condition or action. This shows that 腻蝉补苍补 in Jainism has been used for meditative practices. The Jaina practice of 腻蝉补苍补 is based on the conceptual framework of asceticism. Almost all early records are based on ascetic practices. Jaina literature itself does not have a dedicated text on 腻蝉补苍补s, but there are canonical texts in which the 腻蝉补苍补s are occasionally recorded, for example, as seen in the 膧肠腻谤腻峁単补-蝉奴迟谤补, Sth膩峁嚹佱箙ga-蝉奴迟谤补, Uttar膩dhy膩yana-蝉奴迟谤补 and 础耻辫补辫腻迟颈办补-蝉奴迟谤补s. The delving into the details of the canonical version of the 腻蝉补苍补s is not the focus of this study.
Nonetheless, the importance of 腻蝉补苍补s in 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 is emphasised by Mah膩praj帽a who states through his own experience[3] :
Posture is vital to spiritual development. When a man sits in the siddh腻蝉补苍补 posture he makes a pyramid of his body and the pyramid attracts cosmic rays (saurama峁囜笉ala vikira峁嘺). In assuming different postures we attract diverse beneficial rays from the solar system鈥� (Mah膩praj帽a, 2003b: 188).
Again Mah膩praj帽a emphasises the physiological benefits of postures in the field of meditation. He shares his personal experience and relates how during meditative practice, the digestive system gets affected. According to Mah膩praj帽a along with meditation someone practices of 腻蝉补苍补s would be helpful for the digestive system. 鈥�膧蝉补苍补 and 诲丑测腻苍补 are not contradictory to each other. Meditation needs energy and 腻蝉补苍补s are a useful means for generating energy鈥� (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 188). In contrast, 鈥榁ivek膩nanda (1863鈥�1902) explicitly shunned 腻蝉补苍补s as being unsuitable or distasteful鈥� (Singleton 2010:4). Similarly, the 惫颈辫补蝉蝉补苍腻 meditation system avoids 腻蝉补苍补s.[4] As a prerequisite before the commencement of meditation, Mah膩praj帽a suggested the practice of 腻蝉补苍补s for the control of the seat of virility (惫墨谤测腻艣补测补 艣耻诲诲丑颈), nervous system (苍腻岣嵞� 艣耻诲诲丑颈), digestive system (p膩canatantra 艣耻诲诲丑颈), bodily wind (惫腻测耻 艣耻诲诲丑颈) and faeces (utsarga 艣耻诲诲丑颈). These 腻蝉补苍补s are thus held to purify the appropriate parts of the body (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 148鈥�9). Muni Ki艣anal膩la is instrumental in the development of the 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-yoga part pronounced by Mah膩praj帽a (Ibid. 2010a: 220).
Ki艣anal膩la, a long-time member of the inner coterie of Mah膩praj帽a, made a substantial contribution to 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, explicitly in the field of 腻蝉补苍补, 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补 and 尘耻诲谤腻 (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 220). His theoretical knowledge and practical experience amassed within the Ter膩panth movement by attending seminars and workshops in a variety of yogic practices, added considerably to the field of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补. He evolved a comprehensive regime of exercises for maintaining spiritual and physical health particularly targeted at practitioners who are considered to lack time due to the hectic pace of modern life.
Under 辫谤别办峁Ｄ� yoga, Mah膩praj帽a divided 腻蝉补苍补s into two categories:
(1) Dhy膩n腻蝉补苍补 (posture of meditation); and
(2) 艢ar墨r腻蝉补苍补 (posture of the body).
These dhy膩n腻蝉补苍补s deal with the ancient ascetic tradition, following the canon and the medieval author鈥檚 艢耻产丑补肠补苍诲谤补 and Hemacandra. Under the category of dhy膩n腻蝉补苍补, Mah膩praj帽a accepts four 腻蝉补苍补s: simple cross-legged posture (sukh腻蝉补苍补), diamond posture (vajr腻蝉补苍补), half lotus posture (ardha-padm腻蝉补苍补) and lotus posture (padm腻蝉补苍补) (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010a: 49). The remaining 腻蝉an腻蝉 fall under the category of 艢ar墨r腻蝉补苍补. It is clear that even though Jaina literature has given an account of 腻蝉补苍补s from the early canonical stage, they are not the same as those depicted in 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 manuals. Most of these postures are adopted from 丑补峁环补-测辞驳补 as indicated by Qvarnstr枚m and Birch (2012: 368). Ki艣anal膩la also formulated a Jaina version of the popular Hindu sun salutation posture (蝉奴谤测补-namsak膩ra-腻蝉补苍补) called (颈峁ａ弓补-vandana) and (惫墨谤补-vandana), each part of which corresponds to a part of the Jaina 苍补尘补蝉办腻谤补 尘补丑腻尘补苍迟谤补. It can be concluded that 腻蝉补苍补s used in 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 are a hybrid of 丑补峁环补-测辞驳补 and Mah膩惫墨谤补鈥檚 鈥渢ools鈥� for meditation in the 膧肠腻谤腻峁単补-蝉奴迟谤补 whose aim is to serve as an antidote for the stress of modern life.
A new development is presented in Ki艣anal膩la鈥檚 Yogika Kriy膩ye峁� (2010), which contains thirteen exercises pertaining to the face, spinal cord, abdomen, and lastly the hands and feet (the motor organs). These are physiotherapeutic exercises which provide an easy method and which can be followed by those who have no experience of yogic discipline. This is a new contribution by Ki艣anal膩la. He modernised the area of 腻蝉补苍补 with the knowledge of health science and his own experience. Simplicity of these practices made its access to people of all age groups. He justified that the 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-yoga is based on the technique of perception. 笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-yoga practitioners have to be aware of their breath and perception of the relevant body part.[5]
Breath Control (笔谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补)
The fourth part of 笔补迟补帽箩补濒颈 yoga (2.29) is breath control (辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补). Georg Feuerstein noted that expansion or lengthening (腻测腻尘补) of the vital force (辫谤腻峁嘺) is 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补 (Feuerstein, 1974: 96鈥�7).[6] Normally meditation along with breath occupies a prominent place in Jaina canonical literature but is not named as 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补. The main ancient practice of Jaina meditation is 办腻测辞迟蝉补谤驳补, which was always measured by the count of breath. Mah膩praj帽a asserts that 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补 has relative (蝉腻辫别办峁) importance in the field of Jaina-yoga. There is no system such as of expelling (recaka), filling (辫奴谤补办补) and holding (kumbhaka), of the air, available in ancient Jaina literature. However, later 膩c膩ry腻蝉 艢耻产丑补肠补苍诲谤补 11th c. CE and Hemacandra 12th c. CE adopted it into Jaina tradition (Mah膩praj帽a, 2007a:152). It is noted by Qvarnstr枚m that the fifth chapter of Yoga-艣腻蝉tra (5.5鈥�12) describes seven classic and tantric types of 辫谤腻峁嚹乱补尘补.[7] Under the classic form are three: recaka, 辫奴谤补办补 and kumbhaka and the remaining four as a part of tantric activities (Qvarnstr枚m, 2002:12). In the Jaina tradition unlike the classical yoga or tantra traditions, 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补 is not accepted as a path of liberation. However, it is accepted as a means to better health and a helping tool for meditation.
In the context of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 Mah膩praj帽a accepted three main 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补:
1. anuloma-vilaoma;
2. 蝉奴办峁补-产丑补蝉迟谤颈办腻 and
3. 耻箩箩丑腻墨.
Gestures (惭耻诲谤腻)
Gestures (尘耻诲谤腻) are in the sub-limbs. Mudr腻蝉 are a practice common to Jaina and non-Jaina traditions, the Vedic, 痴补颈峁ａ箛补惫补, 艢补颈惫补 and Buddhist traditions. The 鈥榮cience鈥� of touching fingers in a particular fashion is called 惭耻诲谤腻-Vij帽膩na. Ki艣anal膩la theorises that our hands and feet are conduits of the five elements (辫补帽肠补产丑奴迟补). Each finger is an extension of one of the five elements: the thumb (补峁単耻峁ａ弓丑补) of fire (agni), the index finger (迟补谤箩补苍墨) of air (惫腻测耻), the middle finger (尘补诲丑测补尘腻) of space (腻办腻艣补), the ring finger (补苍腻尘颈办腻) of earth (辫峁泃丑补惫墨) and the little finger (办补苍颈峁ａ弓丑腻) of water (jala) (Ki艣anal膩la, 2011: 116). Joining these fingers with each other makes the life current or vital energy of the body flow in particular ways and removes bodily imbalance.
The Jaina ritual manuals such as the 20th century Digambara 尝补驳丑耻惫颈诲测腻苍耻惫腻诲补 catalogues 45 varieties of gestures and 艢惫别迟腻尘产补谤补 痴补谤诲丑补尘腻苍补 痴颈诲测腻办补濒辫补 catalogues 24 gestures (Gough, 2015: 7). Unlike these two manuals, during the core practices of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补, only two mudr腻蝉 are used. These are the knowledge gesture (j帽膩na尘耻诲谤腻) and the omniscience gesture (惫墨迟补谤腻驳补 尘耻诲谤腻). Twenty-four mudr腻蝉 are listed in the 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 manual under 辫谤别办峁Ｄ� therapy (肠颈办颈迟蝉腻).[8] Some of these have been adopted from other yogic traditions and a few Ki艣anal膩la made himself.[9]
Five mudr腻蝉 were devised by Ki艣anal膩la and these correspond to the five parts of the 苍补尘补蝉办腻谤补 尘补丑腻尘补苍迟谤补. In these, the hands and fingers play a significant role. (Interview with Muni Ki艣anal膩la on 24 December 2013).
These five mudr腻蝉 are:
(1) The arhat 尘耻诲谤腻 which represents the omniscient one, the arhat, who stands at the top in the hierarchy of the five great souls (辫补谤尘别峁ａ弓丑墨). Ki艣anal膩la explains that this 尘耻诲谤腻 represents the arhat as raising both hands to the highest point symbolically represented as the highest qualities of the arhat that the practitioner must oneself try to emulate;
(2) The second gesture is the siddha 尘耻诲谤腻 which symbolises liberation of the mind. It refers to the shedding of karmic bondage and total emancipation from the eight karmas and all physical matter. It consists of both palms shaped in the gesture of the abode of a liberated soul (蝉颈诲诲丑补艣墨濒腻[10]);
(3) The third gesture is the 腻肠腻谤测补 尘耻诲谤腻 presented with both hands open because it acknowledges the responsibility for the welfare and guidance of the fourfold congregation (caturvidha 蝉补峁単丑补[11]);
(4) The fourth, the teacher or preceptor gesture, or the 耻辫腻诲丑测腻测补 尘耻诲谤腻, represents a flame. It consists of the two hands joined together with folded palms and one鈥檚 face pointing towards the sky. This 尘耻诲谤腻 signifies the teacher or 耻辫腻诲丑测腻测补鈥檚 role in imparting canonical knowledge to the 蝉补峁単丑补; and
(5) The fifth, the muni 尘耻诲谤腻, is presented as a surrender pose with palms of both hands facing upwards and pointing towards the ground and the head bowed down. It denotes offering oneself to the service of all ascetics (Ki艣anal膩la, 2010: 58鈥�68). While
Ki艣anal膩la discussed many of the religious and spiritual benefits of these mudr腻蝉; however, these are not discussed in the 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 manual.
Sound (Dhvani and Mantra)
A mantra is a word, or a powerful combination of words, coined by a sage. There are thousands of mantras in Jainism. A mantra can be one seed (产墨箩补) or a combination of seed words (产墨箩腻办峁谤补) with a special invoking phrase. These usually involve the chanting of the names of deities or a specific combination of words. Every sound can be a mantra if properly applied (Mah膩praj帽a, 2003c: 5鈥�10). Mah膩praj帽a suggests that mantras are the most effective way of influencing the vital power through its sound vibrations. When one speaks, it produces different sound vibrations, which stem from different places of articulation in our body. These sounds have different wave lengths which have different effects (Mah膩praj帽a, 2010b: 181鈥�82). Mainly Mah膩praj帽a employs two main sounds to begin a 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 session 鈥�arham鈥� and 鈥�mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺鈥�. Many other mantras also became embedded in different practices. In the following section, however, only two sounds are discussed as a prerequisite to 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 (Mah膩praj帽a, 2005a: 11鈥�3).
Arham Mantra
An important 产墨箩补 mantra is arham which invokes the 鈥�arhat鈥� or the worthy one. The practice of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 begins with the recitation of arham mantra. Its practice and effects are described by Mah膩praj帽a in the following way, synthesising traditional and modern scientific understanding. In the recitation of arham, the sound 'a' is produced in the throat, 'r' is produced in the cerebrum in the brain, 'ha' is produced in the larynx, and 鈥榤鈥� is produced on the lips. The vibrations generated from the rhythmic recitation awaken various centres of consciousness and rekindle vital energy (辫谤腻峁嘺 艣补办迟颈).
In this way, rhythmic recitation of arham is thought to alleviate tension as well as stress and cultivate a harmonious and peaceful disposition (产丑腻惫补). Kate Crosby notes that 鈥�补谤丑补峁�鈥� is the most frequently occurring expression in the 驰辞驳腻惫补肠补谤补, which is an epithet of the Buddha. It is divided into three parts as 鈥�a ra ha峁�鈥�. These three parts denote important sets of Buddhism, such as the three divisions of the cannon (辫颈峁璦办补), the three gems (ratna-traya), the three robes (civira) and the three breaths (Crosby, 2000: 147). Similarly the Jaina arham as a whole sound represents arihanta鈥搕he enlightened one. Here 鈥渁鈥� is the first letter, meaning 鈥渆ternal and divine鈥�; 鈥�r鈥� represents fire and indicates that which is auspicious; 鈥�ha鈥� is the seed syllable for space, with 鈥�m鈥� the dot (bindu) indicating meditation (Mah膩praj帽a: 2001d: 90). With 鈥�a鈥� being the first and 鈥�ha鈥� the last syllables of the Sanskrit syllables, the arham mantra contains the power sound of all vowels and consonants, and is considered to represent the entire Sanskrit language as 鈥�aha 辫谤补迟测腻丑腻谤补鈥�.[12] By regular chanting of this mantra, the aspirant is held to be rejuvenated. The generation of bio-electricity through mantra chanting is supposed to give rise to spiritual attainment (siddhi) and telepathic powers (Mah膩praj帽a, 1985: 80).
Great Vital Energy Sound (Mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺 Dhvani)
Mah膩praj帽a states that sound helps in building up the foundation of the main meditation exercise. Its purpose is to 鈥渨eave鈥� an armour-like cover of sound waves enveloping the practitioner, protecting him or her against external disturbances. It is also helpful in creating inner silence (Mah膩praj帽a, 1999b: 14). The鈥�mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺 dhvani is produced initially by inhaling deeply. While slowly realising the breath through the nostrils then simultaneously producing a humming sound like the buzzing of a bee. During this practice, the mouth should be gently closed. This process is repeated nine times and attention is focused on the vibrations inside the brain produced by the buzzing sound. It is experienced by Helen Poulter: 鈥榓lthough, to a new practitioner, this process may seem somewhat ambiguous, the overall effect is wholly calming and acts therefore, as an especially valuable method for entering into meditation鈥� (Poulter, 2015: 1).[13] The term 鈥�mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺鈥� is historically connected with the 鈥減ractice of the 鈥�mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺-诲丑测腻苍补鈥� of 膧c膩rya 叠丑补诲谤补产腻丑耻 (4th c. BCE), but in the context of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 it is connected to vital force and that is why it is named as mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺.[14]
A question arises that if the arham sound starts 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 then what is the purpose of adding a sound such as mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺 dhvani. I raised this question with Muni Ki艣anal膩la. He responded by explaining that in 1985 箩墨惫补苍补 vij帽膩na (science of living) training commenced at a government high school in Jodhpur.[15] In these school programme meditation session started with the arham sound. However, after a few days some Muslims and Christians opposed the use of this sound, as they considered it to be a kind of religious mantra. A meeting was called by Mah膩praj帽a to discuss the issue. He stated that the sound 鈥榤鈥� affects the hypothalamus which is good for students鈥� memory and power of concentration, and it was sufficient to simply use this sound in 辫谤别办峁Ｄ乨丑测腻苍补. Since then this m膩h膩辫谤腻峁嘺 sound has become a part of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 (Interview with Ki艣anal膩la on 24 December 2013).[16]
Mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺 dhvani is a sound produced before entering the state of meditation. It consists of a slow, prolonged exhalation with a humming sound. According to Mah膩praj帽a (Mah膩praj帽a, 2001d: 64), the sound waves and sound vibrations created during the pronunciation of mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺 dhvani penetrate and circulate throughout the brain and activate the neurons, enhancing intellectual capabilities, reducing the unsteadiness of thoughts, and increasing the mind鈥檚 ability to concentrate. Sustained practice is claimed to lead to enhancement of the vital energy and increased memory, an addition in the life-span of neurons, and regulation of secretions from the endocrine glands, as well as regulation of the flow of blood to the tissues and organs of the body.[17] The mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺 sound has some similarities with ha峁環a-yogic practice, namely, that of 产丑谤腻尘补谤墨 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补.[18]
Footnotes and references:
[1]:
See Mah膩praj帽a (2004d: 45, 60).
[2]:
See 膧p峁璭 (2005: 90).
[3]:
Researchers personal communication with Mah膩praj帽a during 笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补 camp in 1980.
[4]:
The researcher participated in a ten day 惫颈辫补蝉蝉补苍腻 camp and it was strictly prohibited to practice any 腻蝉补苍补s during this 惫颈辫补蝉蝉补苍腻 艣颈惫颈谤补.
[6]:
Yoga-蝉奴迟谤补1, 2鈥�49. tasmintsati 艣v腻蝉apra艣v腻蝉ayorgativiccheda岣� 辫谤腻峁嚹乱腻尘补岣�.
[7]:
[8]:
笔谤别办峁Ｄ� Meditation: Science of Gesture (笔谤别办峁Ｄ�-诲丑测腻苍补: 惭耻诲谤腻 Vij帽膩na) lists twenty-four mudr腻蝉: 1. 补辫腻苍补-尘耻诲谤腻 2. abhaya-尘耻诲谤腻 3. a艣vin墨-尘耻诲谤腻 4. 腻办腻艣补-尘耻诲谤腻 5. 耻诲腻苍补-尘耻诲谤腻 6. khecar墨-尘耻诲谤腻 7. j帽膩na尘耻诲谤腻 8. parivartana-尘耻诲谤腻 9. 辫峁泃丑惫墨-尘耻诲谤腻 10. 辫谤腻峁嘺-尘耻诲谤腻 11. m峁沢墨-尘耻诲谤腻 12. 补峁僩耻峁ａ弓丑补-尘耻诲谤腻 13. a艣vin墨-尘耻诲谤腻 14. 惫补谤耻峁嘺-尘耻诲谤腻 15. 惫腻测耻-尘耻诲谤腻 16. 艣补峁僰丑补-尘耻诲谤腻 17. surabhi-尘耻诲谤腻 18.丑补峁僺墨-尘耻诲谤腻 20. arhata-尘耻诲谤腻 21. siddha-尘耻诲谤腻 22. 腻肠腻谤测补-尘耻诲谤腻 23. 耻辫腻诲丑测腻测补-尘耻诲谤腻 24. muni-尘耻诲谤腻.
[9]:
Interview with Ki艣anal膩la on 7 August 2014.
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In the crescent shape 蝉颈诲诲丑补艣墨濒腻 also depicts the zenith of Jaina universe.
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[12]:
笔谤补迟测腻丑腻谤补 is the comprehension of a series of letters into one syllable by combining for shortness the first member with the last members.
[13]:
Experienced by a SOAS student Helen Poulter during SOAS Yoga Society鈥榮 笔谤别办峁Ｄ� meditation classes.
[14]:
Personal communication with Kum膩ra艣rama峁嘺 by researcher on 30 July 2015.
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[16]:
An interview with Ki艣anal膩la by researcher on 24 December 2013.
[17]:
The pronunciation of mah膩辫谤腻峁嘺 dhvani involves the following sequence of steps: 鈥淚nhale slowly through nostrils and focus on your vocal cord; while exhaling, produce the sound 鈥榤mm...鈥� like the buzzing of a bee. When the humming sound becomes slow and subtle, remain silent for a while and feel the sound inside your brain. Take a long breath and repeat the above steps nine times. This is prerequisite of 辫谤别办峁Ｄ� meditation.