Aspecializedformofsilencepracticeseekstokeepthebodyperfectlystillforlongperiodsoftime
(1-2hoursormore).Thispracticehastheeffectofdevelopingstrengthofwillaswellasaidingthe
aspirant to remain quietly in meditative posture during the formal practice of meditation.
BeingAlone
Practicing“alonetime”neednotbethoughtofasloneliness.Beingalonecanbeanexerciseinpracti-
cingbeingfreefromone’sdesiresandattachments.Thesedesiresandattachmentsarethesourceof
thementalcomplexes.Bypracticingaloneness,themindisgraduallyabletoconceiveoflifewithout
theobjectsofattachmentandisthenabletodiscoveritseternalcompanionshipwiththeSelfwhois
the mother of all mothers, the father of all fathers, the love of all loves, the best friend of all friends.
Recreation
Recreationisaseldom-discussedtopicinphilosophicaltreatises.Itisusuallyseenasan“activitythat
isperformed”inordertoachievesomekindofregenerationofone’sphysicalandpsychologicalself.
Alsoitisseenasasourceof“fun”andexcitement.Themindseekstoplaceitselfinthemost“pleas-
urable”environmentorsituationspossible.Fromadeeperunderstandingoflifeanditspurpose,the
practiceofmanycommonlyacceptedformsofrecreationbecomesinadequatebecausesuchactivities
havebuiltintothem,theelementsofdisappointment.Usuallytheyarebasedoncompetition,which
pitsindividualsorteamsagainsteachotherinaformatthatisdesignedtoproduceandpromotecon-
flict.Sincethehappinesstobederivedisbasedupon“winning”agame,oneisboundfordisappoint-
mentsincethatcannotoccureachtimethattheactivityisundertaken.Ifthetimesofdisappointment
areusedforintrospection,onewilldevelopdispassiontowardsthatwhichisillusory,painfuland
transient,andseektofindthatwhichisreal,constantandtrulypleasurable.Awholenewworld
opens for exploration and true recreation in the spiritual realm.
Truerecreationisfullyconscious,detachedandpeaceful.Onlythenisitpossibleto“feel”andappre-
ciatethenatureofone’sbeing,ofcreationitself.Thehighestdegreeofrecreationisthereforeexperi-
encedatthepointofenlightenment,whenNehast(spiritualawakening)isrealized.Here,everyactiv-
ityinlifebecomes“play.”Lifeitselfbecomesa“divinesport.”InIndianVedantaphilosophythis
conceptiscalled“Leela.”Theredevelopsacontinuousblissfulfeelingwhichdoesnotpassfrommo-
menttomomentaswiththosewhomovefromactivitytoactivitysearchingforathrilltomakethem
“feelalive,”butexistencebecomeseternity,rightintheverypresentmoment.Asmodernphysics
shows,timeisonlyamentalconceptpeopleputonintervalsofeternity.Theonlyreasonwhywebe-
lievetimeactuallypassesisbecauseourmindsarealwaysconcernedwiththepastorfutureevents
andrarelywiththepresentmoment.Raisingone’sspiritualawarenessmeansbecomingaliveinthe
present, the here and now. This has been elaborated in the section on Meditation.
Recreationbecomesameanstore-createone’sconsciousnessateverymomentinsteadofameansto
forgetoneselfandtopassthetime.Itallowsyoutobeabletodealmoreeffectivelywithlife’sprob-
lemsratherthanservingtodistractyouforafewminutes,hoursordays.Manyenlightenedpersonal-
itiessuchasParamahansaYogananda,anIndianSagewhocametotheWesttospreadthephilo-
sophyofyoga,wouldfromtimetotimeindulgeinrecreationalactivities.Thedifferenceisthathedid
notidentifyhimselfwiththepleasureorillusorinessoftheevent.Asatherapeuticpractice,he