Any activity that brings the sadhaka closer to the goal of self-realization can be sadhana. Here I present a very effective practice, completely accessible to the lay practitioner. Simple as it seems though, as with most good sadhana, this one requires a real passion to achieve the dispassion required to see it through. Subtle pun intended.

Observation of Silence. For an hour, a day or a week as your own routine, circumstance and development permit.

Just as black is the absorption of all colors, silence is the absorption of all knowledge.

Distinguish between silence as that phenomenon determined by the absence of sound, and Silence as that state of being in which the mind has stopped flitting between distinctions of this and that, but rather come to rest.

Just as a power nap rejuvenates the body and mind with just a few moments of deep sleep, in the same way, a few moments of Silence will empower that mind which is in the process of discovering itself, with much needed stability, clarity and insight – flashes of the big picture so to speak, to carry it on its way to the goal. However, the regular routine of longer ventures into the Silence is more often cited as the recipe for the attainment of self-realization, and so people strive for sustained meditation.

Taking Silence a step further, be like like a stone, as steel, for three days. You will reach Self. It means you don’t leave your room. You have no desire to have anything, to see anyone. You are just in yourself, witnessing. Waiting. Not even waiting. But watching all the same. It will come. You will realize.

Next, this sadhana requires a bit more focus and mindfulness, but is full of joy. It is the way of the Karma Yogi. It is the family life. The normal life. The routine of a conscious man or woman involved with the affairs of life, receiving every blessing of the Lord, loving the life in a normal way, raising generations – knowing every joy and sorrow, mindfully.

What sadhana is the best for self-realization?

• The above examples are excellent. But there is one more. That is the very act of being in the relationship with your Guru, the person whom you call teacher. Some say the Lord is my Guru. Or Shiva is my Guru. Or some guy on YouTube is my Guru. Or I am my own Guru. That is all fine. But it is not the same as being in a one on one relationship with an actual self-realized human being.

Take it like this. You can be a naturally talented and awesome tennis player, self-taught, learning from manuals and video tutorials. But if ever you were to be blessed by a really fine coach, you know your game would absolutely explode to the next level, right?