Outward w.r.t. body, [1]
has 3+ levels:
- mānasik
- vācik
- kārmaṇik
in traditional terms, or,
using Babuji's sequence [2]:
- ideas
- thoughts
- words
or, combined:
- śruti
- manasa
- vāca
- karmaṇa
or, in English:
- vibrational
- mental or by inner instruments
- verbal
- physical
Physical may be
further subdivided into
prāṇik and kārmaṇik.
Also, "inner instruments"
may be expanded as
the kośās of
the subtle and causal bodies.
This expansion seems unnecessary
beyond manas and buddhi [3]
because the discussion here
is only about
what can be
wilfully turned
inward or outward.
pratyāhāra means
reversing that which eats
(āhāra - ingests or takes in,
prati - reverse or oppose) -
from the outside to the inside.
That is,
turning all our
physical,
energetic, and
inner sensors
from
outer sensations,
outside energies, and
crucially, also from
inner representations of
the outside world.
Normally, one cannot turn
one's physical sensors
inward completely.
An obvious example is
the eyes,
which cannot look inward.
But closing the eyes
more or less pauses
visual sensations.
Inner sounds can be heard,
but the ears cannot be closed
physically at will.
Ditto the nostrils -
needed anyway to breathe.
khecari mudra
with the tongue
explicitly aims at
an inner taste,
but that is still physical,
while we want to reach
levels beyond even śruti!
pratyāhāra of prāṇik sensors
refers to inward flow of prāṇa.
This cannot be
directly controlled
by the body,
but physically
āsanās, mudrās, and bandhās,
like checkdams and canals,
can recirculate prāṇa and
reduce or prevent
its outward flow.
With this background,
it is obvious that
total pratyāhāra,
or better
total prati sañcaraḥ, or
returning to
the state of
total unmanifestedness or
ultimate potentiality
requires much more than
simply closing one's eyes and
performing assorted mudrās and
bandhās (clenching inner muscles).
Thus, by sitting in
a nice closed-loop āsana,
one may not be
outwardly oriented
physically or even prāṇik-ally.
But one's mental and
ideational
orientation
is still outward.
(śruti is always manifestative or
outward and
anyway beyond
individual control.
It may be safely ignored in
pratyāhāra or prati sañcaraḥ.)
Sahaj Marg meditation is therefore
a complete pratyāhāra
because the attention is placed
on an idea
(and so at the ideational or abstract level) -
of light without luminosity,
of the idea of light.
But, Heartfulness meditation
extends that even further
by thinking that
the Ultimate Source
(from which that abstract idea manifested)
itself pulls the attention inwards.
So we turn
whatever levels of attention
we do control
inward, or
at least pause
their outward orientation, and
let attention
beyond our subtlest level of volition
be drawn inward.
Drawn inward by?
By a presence
subtler than
our individual selves,
but yet a presence that
manifested us,
sustains us, and
unmanifests us.
prati sañcaraḥ _/|\_
NOTES
[1] manifestative,
engrossening,
sañcaraḥ (from tattva samāsa sūtra)
away from oneness, centre (centrifugal?)
[2] Per Br V. Ramabhadram,
abhyasi since Babuji's time,
Babuji has mentioned śruti -
the timeless or eternal flow of vibrations -
in this sequence
[3] ahaṁkāra or I-me-my activity
also cannot be wilfully controlled,
it can only be paused or
ultimately, relinquished
