Dhyan Kar

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Growing up in a small Punjabi town of Pakistan, “Dhyan Kar” or “Do Dhyan”was the advice I heard most from my elders and teachers. Anytime I would get distracted during my studies, eating my meal or doing any other work that required my undivided attention, someone was there to remind that I needed to do “Dhyan”.

Many years later, now that I have children of my own, I find myself giving them the same advice when they start playing with their pencils when they should really be finishing their homework, or when they insist on watching TV while they eat dinner. Although sometimes I end up using words like focus, concentrate, pay attention, in a hope to convey my message better. But what I really want to convey to them is “Dhyan Kar”.

What is it about “Dhyan” that get’s passed on from one generation to another? Is this just a common sense advice or is there something more to it? Dhyan is a common expression used with slight variations in my parts of the subcontinent. The origin of this word can be traced to the Sanskrit word “Dhyaan” or “Dhyana”.

The advice of Dhyan has been given by teachers, poets and philosophers throughout the centuries. Bulleh Shah, a sufi poet and philosopher from18th century Punjab, offers his advice of Dhyan this way;

Kar Kattan Wal Dhyan KuRe
Aj ghar wich nawin kapah kurre
Toon jhab jhab wilna dah kurre
Roon weel panjawan jah kurre
Mur kal na tera jaan kurre
Kar kattan wal dheaan kurre

(Do Dhyan to weaving, There is new cotton crop in the house, so get your weaving wheel ready, you should go get the cotton made out of the crop. Tomorrow you will be no more, so do Dhyan to weaving.)

Nanak Dev, commonly known as Baba Nanak or Guru Nanak Dev Ji, - a famous 16th century mystic from Punjab - has described three stages of knowledge;

• Suniai – Learning through listening. It is concerned with perceptual knowledge.
• Manne – Learning through refection. It is concerned with rational knowledge.
• Dhyan – Learning through contemplation or single-minded focus. Dhyan is the purest form of knowledge which results into a convergence of knower, known and the knowing. Dhyan, according to Baba Nanak is going beyond the habitual perception and is about being one with what is being perceived.

If we go further back in history, we find that Buddha taught the same concept to the people in Northern India 2500 years ago. It has been said the at one time a visitor asked Buddha what he and his followers do when they get together. Buddha looked at him with a gentle smile and said, "when we are together, we sit, we eat and we walk". The visitor was completely puzzled by Buddha’s answer. He did not expect such a simplistic sounding answer from a wise man like Buddha. He implored Buddha further and asked. How is that any special? Everyone does that? Sensing his puzzlement, Buddha explained, “When we sit, we know that we are sitting, when we eat we know we are easting and when we walk we know we are walking”. What a profound answer!

What was Buddha trying to teach that person? A simple lesson in Dhyan: it’s not what you do; it’s how you do it; what mindfulness you bring to what you do; what Dhyan you bring to what you do. Difference between extraordinary and ordinary is Dhyan, our mindfulness, our awareness. Ordinary becomes extraordinary if we bring the right awareness to it. And extraordinary becomes ordinary if we don’t do it with awareness and mindfulness.

Famous Urdu poet Faiz once said;
jis dhaj say gaya koi maqtal mein wo shan salamat rahti hai
ye jan to aani jani hai is jan ki koi baat nahein

(What is everlasting is the grace with which you walk towards your execution chamber
Life has to end anyway; it really is not that important)

Beauty of “Dhyan” did not stay confined to the Subcontinent. In a rather unique convergence of events, the message of Dhyan spread from India to China by an Indian named Bodhidharma who travelled to China in 5^th century. Bodhidharma stayed in storied Shaolin Temple for many years and taught his disciples how Dhyan could help them gain true wisdom through direct experience . In next few centuries, Dhyan, or as Chinese came to call it Ch’an, blended with the local traditions of Tao and spread throughout China. To this date, the wisdom of Ch’an continues to fascinate countless seekers.

From China, in 6th century, philosophy of Dhyan spread to Vietnam where it came to be known as Thien. Koreans called it Seon, when they learned of the idea from a Chinese philosopher named Mazu. During the 12th and 13th century, philosophy of Dhyan started reaching the island of Japan. Word Zen was the Japanese attempt the pronounce Ch’an. Very soon, every aspect of Japanese life was influenced by the Zen philosophy. In Japanese Zen, the distinction between sacred and mundane was eliminated. Japanese discovered that average could be changed into special when it’s performed with Zen. They discovered that even an ordinary act of drinking tea becomes extraordinary when it’s done with Zen or Dhyan. In Japan drinking tea is unlike anywhere else in the world; it’s an elaborate ceremony, called the Way of Tea, performed with great reverence and complete mindfulness. Preparation, presentation and drinking of tea are a performance. Rooms where tea is served are built and decorated a certain way and treated as temples. When people enter these rooms they must free their minds from all other thoughts, they are totally focused on the tea ceremony - the Way of Tea. Tea is not the goal, it’s the way. They become one with the ceremony. Ordinary becomes extraordinary!

Following Zen Haiku, which is about something ordinary but profoundly extraordinary at the same time, shows Zen’s influence on Japanese mind.

A single butterfly
Fluttering and drifting
In the wind

The philosophy of Zen was introduced to the United States in early 20th century by Japanese Zen master Soyen Shaku. It did not take long for Americans to fall in love with it too. These days the word of Zen is part of American vernacular and the philosophy of Zen is more relevant and meaningful to a society marred by countless sources of distraction and diversion. Today, Zen has become synonymous to peace, single-minded focus, now, serenity and mindfulness. The simplicity of the message continues to fascinate the legions of seekers around the world.

Unfortunately, there is no word in English language that could truly capture the essence of the philosophy of Dhyan or Zen. Words like focus, concentrate, meditate all come close but all of these words require an object to focus, concentrate or meditate on. Dhyan is more like just being there or just being. Dhyan also means being aware and mindful; it means cutting yourself off from past and future and being one with whatever it’s that you are doing.

How does Dhyan make a difference? Well, let’s talk about a simple activity of taking a walk in the park. Most people go to the park for a walk and only thing they get out of it is a little bit of physical activity. Their body is in the park but their mind is not there. They are still thinking about all sorts of stuff; unpaid bills, bad economy, law and order situation, terrorism, etc, etc. Their mind is either regretting the past or is fearful of the future, it’s not enjoying the beautiful present which is right in front of them. They hardly notice anything in the park; the flowers, the birds, the breeze, the sun set, everything goes unnoticed.

A walk with Dhyan or a Zen Walk is not like this; it is a mindful walk; it’s a walk that rejuvenates and refreshes. It connects you with the nature. When you walk with Dhyan, your mind is not wondering around. It’s right there with you in the park. When you walk with Dhyan you feel the breeze on your face; you let the whiff of the nature takes you over; you touch the trees and leaves and feel their freshness; you listen to the sounds of birds and insects; you savor the sights of the beautiful sunset. You use all your senses to be part of the present moment. Your Dhyan is in what you doing that very moment. You become one with the park. You become the park.

Same way, you can eat food the ordinary way, with a mind full of endless chatter and useless thoughts or you could eat it with full mindfulness and Dhyan. When you eat your food with Dhyan, you start off by being thankful for the food, you look into the eyes and connect with the people on the table, you touch the food to feel its texture; you smell its aroma, you relish its taste, you praise the cook for preparing the delicious food. A ordinary dinner eaten with Dhyan becomes a Zen dinner.

Here is how Hafiz, a famous Sufi poet, describes listening with Dhyan.

How do I listen to others?
As if everyone was my master
Speaking to me his cherished last words


An ordinary activity becomes extraordinary when it’s done with Dhyan. If you keep doing all your ordinary activities with Dhyan, all your activities become extraordinary activities. And if all your activities are extraordinary, your life becomes extraordinary. If you want to experience true Dhyan; stop judging and just be with the moment. Decluttere your mind from thoughts, all thoughts. Don't think about what it should be, just feel it the way it is. Notice everything about it, without judging. Stop swimming, start floating. There is a difference between the two. When you swim, water is your enemy; you have to resist it to avoid drowning. But when you float, water becomes your friend; you allow water to let you stay afloat. There is no struggle, no resistance, no judgment. You become one with water. You become water... that is ultimate Dhyan.

Live with Dhyan, every moment, every day, and you will discover excellence in everything that you do. Bring back Dhyan to your work, study, walk, prayer - to everything you do and start experiencing this miracle called life. Albert Einstein once said, “There are only two ways to live your life. One is as though nothing is a miracle. The other is as though everything is a miracle.” Everything in life can be a miracle for you in you can choose to live it with Dhyan.

The long journey of “Dhyan” is not only fascinating; it’s also a testament to a simple but profound philosophy captured in a single word. Throughout the ages, many traditions, ceremonies and rituals have been added to this philosophy; some of these additions have enriched Dhyan, others have just complicated a simple message. But the philosophy of Dhyan has never lost its soul. At its core, it remains a simple, common-sense advice that I first heard from grandma;

Dhyan kar puttar!

(Do Dhyan, son)