How Yantras are used

But wait, there is also my personal experience when I mediate on a yantra or perform puja or worship. Yantras are cool. They were originally conceived by rishis or enlightened masters thousands of years ago. First used as a means for ritualistic worship in temples of India. And they are still used to this day for this very same purpose. A temple priest may use a variety of grains like rice mixed with turmeric, red lentils or green moong beans to ‘draw’ a yantra on the temple floor. Or he may use his finger to draw a seemingly imaginary yantra in front of him while seated before the start of the puja. For the worship of Devi or Lakshmi, the priest uses an engraved copper plate that contains the Sri Yantra, symbol of divine feminine energies.

The Bindu or Dot

Yantras are very unique in their design as they have a bindu or central focal point at its center. This central focal point is used for meditation, the other dimension of a yantra. In my contemporary yantra art I focus on this center point and create a design around it. I admit, sometimes I create the surrounding first and the bindu emerges naturally by itself. In any case, the design of a yantra kept to a minimum gives the greatest meditation benefit. There is nothing or minimal details to distract your mind from your focus. Simplicity is the key.

The Bindu Man

During my research on yantras I came upon SH Raza, a great artist aka the bindu man. As a school boy he could not hold his attention so that the teacher had him sit in front of the school wall where the teacher placed a simple dot and asked the boy to focus on it. This is the most simple form and essence of a yantra. Continuously coming back to this experience, Raza eventually studied, reflected, meditated upon the bindu and out of it he created unique artwork containing the dot and other symbols related to his philosophy. Remains only the question whether he has reached the bindu. The dot stands for nothingness or light, cosmic consciousness, Brahman. Realizing we are pure consciousness also is the ultimate fulfillment in yantra meditation and in one’s life.

YANTRA MEDITATION

Yantras are simply fascinating. Creating them on canvas or as digital image becomes a meditation in itself. I often listen to ancient sanskrit chants while creating this kind of artwork so that they become infused with sacred energy to aid in your meditations.

To meditate on a yantra place it in front of you slightly above eye-level. Focus on the center as if looking through your third eye without blinking. Do this for 5 minutes. Then close your eyes for 5 minutes and just see whatever images you see behind closed eyes. Then again, repeat, with open eyes look at the focal point for 5 minutes as if through your 3rd eye. Close eyes for 5 minutes. One last time with open eyes focus on the dot with eyes still, then close eyes and relax. Come out of meditation by slowly opening your eyes.

It’s a simple but very effective technique to open your spiritual eye with the help of a yantra. Once the spiritual eye opens a whole new world is in front of you. Closed, the third eye chakra is blocked by your ego. Opened, when you don’t have ego, you can really enjoy yourself.

Try this yantra meditation to find out for yourself.