Waheguru

[OhTwadi]

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[Beanie Singh Mann]

For a beginner, it is ok to concentrate on an image, say, of Shri Guru Granth Sahib. But that will limit how high your avasthaa will go. Eventually, yes, one needs to do dhiaan of shabad. But, if concentrating on an image helps you, then by all means, go ahead. Just keep in mind that at some point in our journey we will need to break away from the image.

papi v2 veerji

does gurbani say that it is ok for beginers to use images at first during simran?

[OhTwadi]

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[Mat Pulo Rai]

Papi where in gurbani does it say that its ok to concentrate on a picture or form of maya.

[Mat Pulo Rai]

The technique in gurbani to make your mind focus is

Tun Meh Tian, Tian Meh Jania, Gurmukh Akaath Kahani

(Tun) means sound (Tian) means concentration

Gurbani is saying concentration in the sound of the shabad (Vaheguru) is the way to meditate.

For Kharku it will take time for the mind to settle down and start concentrating it has taken me a many months to settle the mind engough to sit for a few hours and do simran.

So dont give up.

[guruji's_student]

gyaani maskeen jiii used to say to conentrate on gods creation like beautfull scenrey i.e. mountains and stuff imagine suittin on mountains just callin out 4 guru ji ( i doooo it works) lol

[Preetcharan Singh]

wjkk wjkf jee

chose a couple of lines of Bani, and do Simran on those two lines, for example

haa haa prubh raakh laehu

O God, please save me!

hum thae kishoo n hoe maerae suaamee kar kirupaa apunaa naam dhaehu

By myself, I cannot do anything, O my Lord and Master; by Your Grace, please bless me with Your Name. ||1||Pause||

There is no intermediate stage for this where as a beginner, you visualise pictures. Everyone's mind wonders - it's kaljug!! Its with efforts and Kirpa from the Big Boss when things will start to change, and your love for doing Simran will increase like no ones business.

faahae kaattae mittae guvun fathih bhee man jeeth

The noose of Death is cut, and one's wanderings cease; victory is obtained, when one conquers his own mind.

This whole life is about conquering the mind/ego .. all kirpa!!

gurooo!!!

wjkk wjkf jee

[AK-47]

During recent conversations on abhiyaas with elder singhs, they advised that it doesnt neccesarily matter what technique you use, as long as your mind is focused on vaheguru.

Example, if you start of by doing vaheguru simran at a normal pace and find that after a while your mind starts to wander, change the speed perhaps, or change how loud/quiet you are saying it, or maybe change from vaheguru vaheguru to satnam vaheguru, or do mool mantar instead for a while, or maybe do a japji sahib and then start vaheguru abhiyaas again.

Ultimately all gurbani is the same, sometimes you can trick your mind, it might think 'haha im not doing vaheguru mantar anymore', but as you've switched to mool mantar your still doing guru jis gurbani and abhiyaas and so in fact it is you that has won over your mind.

With regards to the pictures and images to concentrate on, singhs have advised that ideally if you need an image try and focus on ik-ongkaar or on vaheguru in gurmukhi script. Or as suggested above focus on guru granth sahib ji or on guru jis charan or even face if you like. if its helping you concentrate your mind, then do it. as papi has said keep in mind that this will one day become redundant and you will no longer need the images.

A singh who is a teacher said that in his training they are told that children concentrate best when their hearing, sight and hands are all in use. If we apply this to our simran, our hearing is the sound of the gurbani/simran the sight is either an image/ik-ongkaar etc and our hands would hold a mala or gutka sahib. (Others also use toofh to utilise the smell senses) in this way all senses are utilised and mind has less chance of wandering :s

I think this also kinda relates back to the is the mind a friend or enemy discussion. On one hand you can refuse your mind the chance to focus on an image and have it struggle to concentrate to vaheguru. or alternatively you can allow it a bit of a break by letting it use an aide so that one day it CAN focus individually on vaheguru without the need for an images etc. Just a small thought.

[THE WARRIOR]

When reciting the name Waheguru with my eyes closed i always try to keep my mind focused on a certain image or scene to stop my mind wondering. Mostly i always recite it by keeping Guru Ji's picture in my mind. But yesterday my mind wondered and i began do think how do i meditate with a image of waheguru, i tried so hard but i couldent think of a certain image to prefer Akal Purakh himself.

What kind of image do you guys see of Akal Purakh Waheguru, when hearing his name.

When you close your eyes all you see is the darkness. Fundamentally everything comes from this, everything comes from Darkness, because darkness is absolute and unlimited. The whole universe is blanketed in darkness. Light is limited, Darkness isn’t.

As VaHeGuRu has no attribute, we say “God” is Nirghun, similarly The vastness, emptiness, the ultimate darkness has no attributes also, there is no quality, its unlimited this is a simple way to understand it.

So there is something for you to concentrate on.

Then you can move on to the actual sound (vibration)

[Beanie Singh Mann]

it is important that if someone is in trouble and asks for help that we should help them in the right direction>

Kharku asked for advice on what to concentrate on while doing simran. To tell him the wrong way, or tell him our own opionion not based on gurbani can waste his time and swaas.

we should back up our reasoning with gurbani no matter what. i know very little bani, but do know that guruji says Tun Meh Tian, Tian Meh Jaania, Gurmukh Akaath Khaani (Someone else has already written this on this post as well) so therefore we should concentrate our mind on the sound of the shabad alone, our own voice when doing simran.

if anyone can tell us where in gurbani it says that it is ok to concentrate on images or anything other than the sound of the shabad itself, please do tell.

bhul chuk maaf