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MUDHA: PRACTICAL
In which state of mind are you right now… in the state of mudha?
It is very useful to learn to recognize these 5 states of mind within oneself. Are you in the state of mudha right now? How does it feel to be in this state of mind? If you are not in mudha; in which of the other four states are you? If not; can you remember a moment when your state of mind was dull, inert, lethargic, as if you are stuck on the couch or glued underneath the bed sheets? This is the state of mind called mudha.
Learning how to transition from mudha into vikshipta
One thing a sadhaka wants to know is how to leave the state of mudha and to bring mind to a state of vikshipta. Because the state of mudha is not a state in which one can do practices, it is too lethargic. To do practice one will at least have to be in a state of vikshipta. Therefore one wants to become aware when one is in the state of mudha and know how to transition to vikshipta. For example; doing a few vigorous pranayama exercises might wake up the mind, or going for a brisk walk can energize the mind. Your own experiences and experiments will give you numerous insights on bringing the mind to a state of vikshipta and leaving the state of mudha.
Choosing a state of ekagra
Along the path a student wants to gradually leave behind the states of kshipta, mudha, and vikshipta, evermore residing in the state of ekagra, so that it can direct all its one-pointed energy towards the goal; diving beyond all the states of mind into a state in which the mind is nirodhah.
DAILY OBSERVATION AND YOGIC SELF-AWARENESS ASSESSMENT
Eventually the concept of mudha will swim around in your awareness all the time, as it becomes a part of constant self-awareness. Also, becoming aware of mudha will have the effect that you will increase your use of this word in your daily vocabulary to express yourself and you will discover how mudha relates to other concepts, processes, or insights. For example, you may come to see that mudha is related to tamas, or you find a relationship between nidra and mudha. Eventually you will discover how all these concepts dance together and coming to know this dance will guide you towards that which is beyond all the concepts. This is because as you increase your self-awareness, you will discover that everything you can observe is not who you truly are, your true Self has nothing to do with mudha, you are the One that is able to witness all these concepts. Therefore mudha itself have to be transcended, who you really are is beyond mudha. This will increase the non-attachment towards mudha itself, while you can be in awe of the beauty of the Divine dance of Consciousness that appears to play as mudha. Therefore practicing self-awareness is actually practicing not-self-awareness by which the True Self will eventually reveal itself.
Look at the self-assessment PDF and a PDF that includes daily internal dialogue and daily observation, or visit www.abhyasaashram.org (when you are on this page scroll all the way down to find several downloadable PDFs). These PDFs can be used as tools to explore and expand your understanding on mudha.
SWAMI RAMA ON MUDHA
”Patanjali has put all levels of the mind into five categories: kshipta, vikshipta, mudha, ekagra, and nirodhah. kshipta is a completely distracted mind. Vikshipta applies to those who have no control over their mind. They do not have a concentrated mind, but if they make effort, they can learn. Sometimes they understand and sometimes they do not understand because of their lack of attention. Their minds are not yet properly trained, but they are capable of being trained and accepted. That mind which remains in a state of stupor is called mudha. Ekagra refers to those who have a concentrated mind and can concentrate well. Nirodhah described those whose is completely under their control. They have trained their mind perfectly and can use it as they wish.”
~ Samadhi pg. 11
SWAMI JNANESHVARA ON MUDHA
Read the whole article “Witnessing” on www.swamij.com
The Mudha mind is barely beyond the Kshipta, disturbed mind, only in that the active disturbance has settled down, and the mind might be somewhat more easily trained from this place. Gradually the mind can be taught to be a little bit steady in a positive way, only occasionally distracted, which is the Vikshipta state. Then the mind can move on in training to the Ekagra and Nirrudah states.