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Dhyana is a sanskrit word that is usually translated as ‘meditation’. Ramana Maharshi is clear referring to the proper meaning: dhyana, or meditation, is the way.
The Srimad Bhagavad Gita - The Song of God
Chapter 6 - The Practice of Meditation
Lord Krishna said:
The true renunciant in the world is he who
performs his given duties without self-interest
or desire for the fruits.
He is one deserving to be called a mystic,
not one who does nothing and has no fire.
True renunciation is the same as yoga.
One cannot be called a yogi who has not
renounced self-interest and desire.
When one begins the eightfold path of yoga,
work and effort is the way. When one becomes
firmly established in yoga, not-doing is the way.
A practitioner becomes established in yoga
when his actions are no longer performed
for self-interest or sense gratification,
and he stakes no claim to the fruits of his actions.
A man must lift himself up by himself.
In no way weaken or degrade the mind
that must do the lifting. Though that mind
is your enemy, it is also your only friend.
The mind becomes your servant
when it is conquered. When allowed to run wild,
it leads you astray.
To one who has conquered the mind, opposites like
heat and cold, joy and sorrow, honor and dishonor,
are not different. He lives in tranquility.
The true mystic is master of his senses and
lord of his mind. His heart brims with wisdom.
He has realized Self. To him,
dirt, pebbles and gold are equally precious.
He looks upon friends, enemies, relatives,
strangers, sinners, saints, kings and outcasts
with equal impartiality.
A yogi should live alone in seclusion.
He should have few possessions and desire
nothing more. He should spend his days
in meditation and communion with Self.
To practice meditation, go to a quiet, peaceful place.
Arrange a bed of long grass on the ground
and cover it with deerskin and a soft blanket.
The seat should neither be too high nor too low.
Sit straight and solid on that seat.
Observe the workings of the mind
and bring it gently into one-pointed focus
on the breath, or a simple thought-sound.
Thus disengaged, the mind will purify itself.
Hold your body, head and neck erect and still.
Let your gaze come to rest in front of your nose.
Do not look around.
With a serene and fearless heart,
rejecting sexual reverie and ignoring
useless thoughts, allow the mind to relax
into communion with Self, with God.
With practice, the mind becomes absorbed in Self,
and you will live in the Peace of God
that leads to Liberation.
Do not eat too much or too little. Do not indulge in
excessive sleep or deprive yourself of needed rest.
Extremes are not conducive to meditation.
One who lives with moderation, who is balanced
in the activities of eating, sleeping, working
and playing, will find meditation to be
the destroyer of all discontent.
When a practitioner, through meditation,
transcends cravings and mental distractions,
he is said to be established in yoga.
The mind of a yogi in meditation, like a flame
sheltered from wind, does not move or flicker.
Thus stilled, the mind is positioned to see Self
as Itself, and rejoice beyond all imagining.
When Self is realized, the yogi experiences
the highest bliss accessible to consciousness.
Truth becomes his only reality
.He cannot conceive of anything greater than This,
and he becomes unshakable,
even in the face of the heaviest sorrows.
To be thus rescued from the delusions
and sufferings of life is the aim of yoga.
It must be practiced with perseverance
and unwavering conviction.
Through meditation, relinquish all desires
and bring thoughts and senses under control.
With patient determination, let the mind gradually
become more and more fixed upon God,
until at last it can think of nothing else.
When the mind flits and wanders, as is its nature,
gently bring it back to one-pointed stillness,
where God resides.
The lot of the sage is contentment.
Mind stilled, passions calmed, he abides in Self
and acts without error.
Abiding in Self, he is untouched by good and evil,
and walks in the light of the Absolute.
He sees Self in all beings, and all beings in Self.
Everywhere he looks he sees Me.
He is never lost or separated from Me,
nor am I ever separate from Him.
He lives in Me, and I live in Him. We are One.
He is a perfect saint.
He has discovered his divinity as Self,
and simultaneously seen all else to be Self.
He regards the joys and sorrows of all beings
as his own.
Arjuna said, “O Lord, I do not understand how this
yoga you teach could work for me. I find no firm ground
in myself and my mind is constantly restless.
My mind is fickle, obstinate, chaotic—
as difficult to control as high wind.”
Lord Krishna said:
The restless mind is indeed difficult to control,
but with meditation and sincere practice
it can be done.
An undisciplined mind is incapable of the
determination and focus necessary for yoga,
but for one who succeeds in taming the mind,
success is assured.
Arjuna said, “Lord Krishna, what is the fate of the
unrealized soul who has not been able to control his
mind and fails to achieve success in yoga?
Does he perish like a riven cloud,
bereft of both earthly and spiritual reward?
Please dispel these doubts of mine, O Lord.
None but you can do this.”
Lord Krishna said:
Dear friend, no one who has strived for goodness
in himself ever comes to harm, in this world
or the next. There is no punishment after death
for failure, nor in this life will he fall back
into grief and sinful ways.
After death, the yogi who falls short of the goal
lives for an age in the realm of pure souls.
Then he is born again on earth
into a pure and prosperous family.
In rare instances, he may be born into a family
endowed with divine wisdom,
but such a birth is difficult to come by.
The experience of his former life will silently
inform his new life, and without knowing why,
he will be compelled to pursue a spiritual path,
picking up more or less where he left off.
No effort in the direction of righteousness
is ever wasted.
The momentum of his previous life will inevitably
draw him to the principles of yoga, even though
he may not be seeking them, for his transcendental
nature leapfrogs scriptural patterns.
Once he steps foot on the path, the earnest yogi
is assured of realizing Self,
though it take one or many lifetimes.
A yogi is superior to an ascetic,
superior to a Vedic scholar,
superior to performers of religious rituals.
Therefore, Arjuna, become a yogi!
There are many types of yogis, but one whose
thoughts are of Me, who renders loving service
to Me, who is intimately united with Me—
he is the most likely to succeed.
That is my opinion.
