Eight Limbs of Yoga - VII. Dhyana (Devotion , Meditation on the Divine)

Dhyana means worship, or profound and abstract religious meditation. 

It is perfect contemplation. It involves concentration upon a point of focus with the intention of knowing the truth about it. The concept holds that when one focuses their mind in concentration on an object the mind is transformed into the shape of the object. Hence, when one focuses on the divine they become more reflective of it and they know their true nature. "His body, breath, senses, mind, reason and ego are all integrated in the object of his contemplation – the Universal Spirit."xv

During dhyana, the consciousness is further unified by combining clear insights into distinctions between objects and between the subtle layers of perception. "We learn to differentiate between the mind of the perceiver, the means of perception, and the objects perceived, between words, their meanings, and ideas, and between all the levels of evolution of nature."xvi

As we fine-tune our concentration and become more aware of the nature of reality we perceive that the world is unreal. "The only reality is the universal self, or God, which is veiled by Maya (the illusory power). As the veils are lifted, the mind becomes clearer. Unhappiness and fear – even the fear of death – vanishes. This state of freedom, or Moksha, is the goal of Yoga. It can be reached by constant enquiry into the nature of things."xvii Meditation becomes our tool to see things clearly and perceive reality beyond the illusions that cloud our mind.

Sources:

 HolisticOnLine  http://www.holisticonline.com/Yoga/hol_yoga_home.htm
Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit, by Donna Farhi
Light On Yoga, by B.K.S. Iyengar
Yoga Mind & Body, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center
The Essence of Yoga, Reflections on the Yoga Sutras of Patanjali, by Bernard Bouanchaud

 Notes:
Yoga Mind, Body & Spirit, by Donna Farhi, page 7.
Donna Farhi, page 9.
Light On Yoga, by B.K.S. Iyengar, page 34.
Farhi, page 11.
Iyengar, page 35.
Iyengar, page 36.
Farhi, page 15.
Farhi, page 17.
HolisticOnLine
Iyengar, page 41.
Iyengar, page 44.
HolisticOnLine
Iyengar, page 48
Iyengar, page 49
Iyengar, page 51
HolisticOnLine
Yoga Mind & Body, Sivananda Yoga Vedanta Center, page 154
HolisticOnLine

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