Jangama dhyana is an ancient meditation technique which involves concentrating the mind and sight between the eyebrows.
In the deeper practice of the Jangama dhyana technique, the mind concentrated between the eyebrows begins to automatically lose all location and focus on the watching itself.
Swami Vivekananda describes the process in the following way: When the mind has been trained to remain fixed on a certain internal or external location, there comes to it the power of flowing in an unbroken current, as it were, towards that point.
The Bhagavad Gita (Chapter 6, verses 27/28) describes the process and benefits of the meditation technique as follows: Shutting off sense From what is outward, Fixing the gaze At the root of the eye-brows, Checking the breath-stream In and outgoing Within the nostrils, Holding the senses, Holding the intellect, Thrusts fear aside, Thrusts aside anger And puts off desire: Truly that man
[2]In modern times, the 19th century Yogi, Shri Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, practiced meditating between the eyebrows in order to achieve Nirvikalpa Samadhi (bringing the mind to a complete standstill, beyond imagination).
Shri Ramakrishna recounts how his Guru on the path of Advaita Vedanta, Totapuri, gave him further instruction in the meditation technique to overcome this obstacle: He cast his eyes around.
On 7 August 1949, he experienced a vision of a tall Jangama Sage (ancient order of ascetics) with matted hair, who told him to sit in padmasana (lotus posture), and close his eyes.
After this period, he initiated tens of thousands of people into the meditation technique he had used to achieve Self Realization.
In 1994, Shri Shivabalayogi initiated his direct disciple, Seenu, into tapas using the Jangama dhyana technique.
He achieved Self Realization in November 1999 and was given the name Shri Shivarudra Balayogi Maharaj, after meditating for around 20 hours a day over five years.
He suddenly turned to Seenu and said: Perhaps it would be nice to name the meditation technique we are teaching worldwide as Jangama dhyana.