Disciplines

You know there are three disciplines that are to be followed for a seeker of the Ultimate. One is the discipline covering the codes of conduct that cut off all evils and other things which are detrimental in achieving the goal. The second discipline covers good practices which gather together all the forms of good which are conducive for the sadhana. The other and perhaps the most important for advanced persons is the discipline that benefits are sentient beings so that all are saved.

Food habits in day-to-day life

It is absolutely necessary that the food we take should be of the sattvic type and there may not be any exception to this in the name of work etc.

Orientation

Study of books and hearing of the tapes help you in developing firm determination to reach the goal and that is what we generally call as orientation.

It is good that you are engaging yourself in the study of Masters work. This is one of the ways of remaining in the thought of the Master and develop Constant remembrance.

Single pointed orientation to Master and absolute goal clarity enables us to move further.

As for persons coming for Satsangh it depends upon their wisdom and also how they evaluate us. I have nothing to say on that. To say that you are working on them again is beyond my capacity to understand. When they are not oriented how can any work be done?

Q) I find the problem in the form of sleep embracing me whenever I start to read any of Master's books

A) It is a matter of common experience that persons who read Masters work get into a state similar to sleep. It is nothing but the effect of the words and thereby the thoughts of the Master being received by our real self. Do not bother, but continue to hear Master or read his books. That will clear lot of mala, klesha and avarana.

Contemplation

Q) My trainer asked me to contemplate the given condition through out the day. I am not able to do that. Sir how can I make a thought remain active while doing day to day works.

A) The conditions endowed during meditations range from total lack of thoughts to disturbance and yet absorption. It is not easy to remain in that condition consciously through out the day while discharging our duties. If a suggestion is given at the end of the meditation that the condition is retained at the subconscious level it will help to remember the same while we are not actively associated with any other thought or work.

Yielding

We should be restless but at the same time not expectant. Please cultivate this habit which will help you in sadhana always. Yielding to the Divine starts with a simple Namaskar but finally it ends up in total surrender where neither the devotee nor the Divine is in consciousness. We are all rishis and we are doing tapas: with a small difference that we seek only the Ultimate and are not prepared to accept any penultimate goals.

Yielding you are to develop in such a way that you do not mention it at all. Unless you know your smallness yielding never arises and when you demand a type of experience where is submissiveness leave alone yielding.

Restlessness to achieve the goal is different from impatience that is exhibited to claim for oneself higher conditions. But this happens and yielding to the Master alone is the way and that everyone has to learn for himself.

Q) Thoughts that were noticed were on the Goal and yielding to the Master.

A) That we have feelings of yielding means, there is some resistance. Please find out the thoughts that are hindering such a submission to his will and try to avoid them. The thought of yielding is only a phase, we should move on to the stage where we do not feel the need for yielding and should have a state of mind of submissiveness.

Due Attachment

Ahimsa, Asteya, Aparigraha, Brahmacharya and Satya are the pillars on which the spiritual life has to be founded. There is no choice in this so far as I know. Of course of the 5 obstacles namely Kama, Krodha, Moha, Lobha and Ahankar Master asks us to attend to the latter three while only attempt moderation in Kama and Krodha. The attachments we have are to wife, sons and property; they should become due attachment only. To the question what is due attachment my finding is that which is coming in the way of spiritual path is undue and that which does not come in the way are due. There is no point in going to details. While there is need to arrive at certain basic parameters I do not think any one can say these are the only parameters in the sense of exclusiveness.

Strong attachments are good so long as they are also leading us/ or they also move along with us in the path. Otherwise in the Journey there are many halts for alleged need for water or rest or shade. Where is the time left for such a rest before we reach the Home? Do you know the search for water that we make is from the river Saraswathi? It is invisible and according to some, dried. But for us we try to bathe in that water only. This is similar to swimming in the dreary desert. Words perhaps but we live in such circumstances that our thirst is quenched by only such waters.

Undue attachment to anything or any effort brings in certain amount of matter generated due to the heat of the subject concerned and the heart feels it. Awareness of fact that we are essentially Souls and our nature is that of Love and our instrument for action is Will helps us a long way. We should not think our efforts get anything nor is it necessary to consciously remember the Masters which only indicate our deficiency to some extent. We have been accepted by the Master and it is our duty to serve them. We should not remember them as we do not remember our heart consciously. Matured state of Surrender or Prapanna Dasa develops into its maturity when our orientation to Master is total. Fortitude and forbearance are small rewards of that condition.

You are right in understanding that the only attachment we should have always is with God/Master but that does not mean that we can ignore our responsibilities that emanate due to our being trustees of everyone under our care. Do not react sharply for everything think over and decide appropriate course of thought and action.

Denial is the path of Sanyasins and not of Grihastas. Our path is due attachment and no denial to anything that is there. Balanced living is the goal

Determination

Determination in achieving the desired result goes a long way. But please note that it is your effort assisted by the Master. Without effort feeling empty disappointment and guilt achieves nothing. As a matter of fact guilt repentance etc., are qualities of the sick soul.

As I was meditating this morning on the message of the Master given at the top of the Diary 2001 for today, I was deeply moved by the message which assures that the Centre itself is moving towards us. What a compassion and Love of the Divine? How we have all been indoctrinated that we cannot reach perfection because we are sinners, hopeless individuals etc., What is great about any Religion except telling us that we are worth nothing. How much relieved is the mind when it is assured that the Centre is moving( yawning) towards us. How much more reassuring it is when the Master says that everything is tending towards the Centre. We feel many times out of brain washing that we have had in the schools of learning of all sorts that we are incapable of having a determination to seek the Ultimate good because we are all men/women of flesh and weak willed persons to seek higher values in life. In another context the Master says "..you will surely come to the conclusion that you are sailing towards your own home..." These two features of our system namely 1. Our moving towards Him definitely and 2. That He is moving towards us steadily should enable us to gird up our loins and start with firm steps towards our Goal of Life.

Help from Master is essential but to seek help from Master on matters of practice is not correct because that is our duty. We should gird up our loins ourselves and seeking help of Master in this regard is not proper.

Clarifications on Determination

Q) I feel that the task seems to be a big one and I hope that I can do it properly throughout my life because at the age of 50 or 60 years I do not want to have the feeling that I did not do my sadhana properly.

A) I am happy to find that you are determining yourself to reach the goal and that is half the task. You can and you will attain the desired goal within this life time only, by following the meditational practices as advised with love and devotion to the Master. Following the commandments is a matter of time and with the Imperience you have, it will not be difficult.

Q) Started feeling that miseries are not in my control & thinking of them as Divine blessings.

A) Quite a brave attempt. Masters blessings may be remembered to maintain this attitude.

Q) I pray that I develop the 'Yearning' to be with Him all the time.

A) Prayer does not help much in this regard. It is our determination and girding up the loins as Master puts alone helps.

Faith

Life is a complex game. Play it with confidence in yourself, and the Master and adopt the ways of the Master. One thing in life we should note is fear is not justified in any circumstance. We are God in expression what fear have we got? Fear arises out of lack of confidence in God. The goal of life is happiness only and we can get it in full measure when we are totally in tune with the Master/God. Goal clarity would develop as you practice and exposures to Pranahuti would remind you of the Homeland. Do not worry too much about anger, but try to see whether your habitual reaction is necessary at all and whether alternative methods of action are not available.

The point we should remember is that though we now and then find that our tuning to our beloved friend is not all that fine, His tuning to our situations is excellent. When things become tough it is not time to stop is a proverb that applies to the spiritual field more than others.

More than anything else it is the confidence in the Master and ourselves that weaves our destiny.

Regarding Faith in the Master as a precedent to practicing our system of sadhana, it is not necessary. Meditation on the Divine light without luminosity coupled with the meditation on points A and B should give ample evidence for seekers to know the effectiveness of our system. Ofcourse diligence in practice is a must. Also the assiduous practice of cleaning in the evening is very essential. For practicing yoga there is no necessity to have faith in the Master or God. As a matter of fact Faith and Surrender are states of consciousness gained in sadhana. But one faith is a must: that is faith in oneself that he/she can achieve the task.

Losing confidence in oneself is almost saying I am committing suicide.

Openness

Sense of shame is a layer in the several rings of egoism. Unless we lose this sense of shame, nearness to Master is an imagination. You must be knowing the stories of Duryodhana who felt shame before his mother who wanted to protect him completely and also the story of the gopis who were blessed only becoming naked.

Constant Remembrance

Constant remembrance is a state and not a practice as in other systems.

I have only to suggest that you try to not only attend to abhyas in a routine way but with love and devotion to the Masters of the Order. This will help you to be connected continuously and is an effective method of constant remembrance.

Constant remembrance by itself will not stop formation of samskaras. The remembrance should be such that a feeling that all actions are done by Him, that He is the knower of the action and also the enjoyer of all actions. It is an advanced state in spiritual life which you should be in a position to get by your present attitude of serious sadhana and restlessness to reach the goal.

As a matter of fact the body by definition will always be giving us some problem or the other. That it should not hinder us from discharging our legitimate duties should however be borne in mind. It is a matter of experience that persons with sufferings remember God more than others.

Clarifications on Constant Remembrance

Q) If somebody hurts me or not behaves well, it stays in my heart. Even if I forgive them at that time, when a moment comes to talk about them again I get disturbed again.

A) It is good you have learnt to forgive, learn now to forget also. Memory should always be of the Master and not others.

Renunciation

In nothingness there is only total renunciation of all that is Godly and His attributes. If we seek something that is sensory and what Master calls amusements, I think that not being the promised goal we are bound to be dissatisfied. The slokas are beautiful compositions and so are the pasurams. But they belong to other realms than Reality and so the method of Revered Babuji is not likely to satisfy our curiosity. If we can accept Lord Krishna as almost a substitute of the Divine (God), I do not find any reason why we should not be satisfied with Revered Babuji who declared Himself as the Special Personality and through whom Nature (God) works now.

The initial renunciation is no renunciation at all. Further there is a great difficulty with intellectual approach which I have learnt with enormous time and labor. It is really difficult to renounce intellect. It breeds the worst type of Ego and our march to Freedom is impeded mostly by it. It does not matter whether it is pseudo intellectual or pure and simple intellectual approach. Personal renunciation first, Adhibhoutika renunciation next, Adi Daivika renunciation at a later stage are a must as we cannot travel with all these loads into the realm of Nothingness. You know better the conditions in which Vacuum is possible. But unless we are prepared to shed all load or luggage as Master calls it, the chance of entry into the realm of Reality is not possible. God as conceived by religions is not of this type or nature it is invariably of a lower level, it is only a difference in degree.

Tolerance

This needs to be cultivated by remembering the awareness of being nothing during meditations.

Acceptance

There is no point in getting disappointed if we do not get what we want in life. We should always be in the state of mind of submissiveness to the Master and accept whatever comes to us happily and not insist to have what we want. It does not mean that we should not try. We should try and our efforts should be total the result is the will of God/Master. Whether Lord Krishna said or our Master said it is the same thing.

Will

The word Hope leaves a sense of doubt. Instead we can pray that abhyasis become more regular in their sadhana. In spirituality Will is most important for achieving the task.

It is one thing to pray it is another to will. Wishes do not find place in spirituality. Be sure you feel and it is not a wish.

Pious intentions are different from firm resolutions. The sankalpa by itself may be for the mergence of all in Brahm. But how strong it is? Is it backed by the purity of consciousness that should be there.

Reactions to Stress Situations

Our reactions to stress situations are classified in the modern schools of psychology as panic, inertia, striving, coping and mastery. Inertia is the response from persons who are governed by the consciousness at physical level whose first response is one of apathy and panic is the response when they are compelled to act. Panic is the response from persons governed by the vital consciousness that is the case with majority of human beings. However when the panic is overwhelming, many resort to inertia: giving up effort and take recourse to inertia which is sophisticatedly called resigned, vairagya of a kind. This is what happens in the cases of persons who say that they have surrendered to Master. However majority of individuals recover from this panic and inertia and learn to confront the problem that is called striving. Even here the individual is only at the vital level. When a person tries to use his mental level he gets into the state of striving, the consciousness is more or less engaged in a blind struggle, a groping towards ill-perceived and ever-eluding goals. Because of this, the individual's internal state is characterised by feelings of uncertainty, insecurity, conflict, anxiety and tension. When a person moves to the state of coping by ushering reason and exercise of mental will in the governance of life, a sense of direction, inner ease, security and confidence arises. Mastery is what is possible when one meets the challenges of life with a sense of purpose and with poise and serenity.

Yatra

Yatra in each knot means we have to develop the positive qualities and get rid off the negative qualities. These things are achieved more by constant remembrance of the Master and contemplating on his perfect nature. Manana and Sravana are not excluded in our system. Masters Voice has to reverberate in our being and all the pores filled by him.

Owning up of Condition

Owning up of the condition would always mean the spiritual condition that is had during the meditation with all the feelings and thoughts that are superior and belong to higher realms. Please try to note the thoughts of higher level that you have and then try to own them through manana (recalling) and nidhidyasana (contemplation).

Attending to various knots in the Pind Desh really means attending to owning up the conditions of those knots. The elements have a strong hold over us. The physical and vital spheres which were very broadly covered in knots 1 and 2 require constant efforts to come to their real nature. Their influence cannot be eradicated and one has only to regulate and move towards perfection. There are no other spheres except physical and vital that require constant attention. The aspirant if he moves to the stage of U in the heart from L will have the desire to move further with the help of Pranahuti which is offered by a fellow abhyasi called a trainer. It does not come from the Akasa or from somewhere from the blues. This conception has to be understood fully. These knots relate to the Mooladhara and Swadhistana chakras and cover the bestial and emotional aberrations in the human also.

In our method, the Master brings again (again because we have come that path downwards!) into action the dormant emotional conditions with the help of transmission and bliss (settledness). This is done to such an extent that in the teaching process of our order the Masters make it start from 'intense spiritual intoxication' (jasb as Master calls it) and after getting all the aspects of it completed, the disciple is brought to the Sulook (spirituality) and after completing all the stages of sulook in all the knots the Ultimate sulook is taken up. This is the method and one who practices the process of owning up the conditions alone understands it, so far as I am concerned, it is not a matter of intellectual understanding even to know the method.

Clarifications on Owning up of Condition

Q) I understand that any condition can be owned by only constant remembrance. But because of my work pressure and busy family life I am not able to do that.

A) It is not just constant remembrance of the Master, it is remembrance of the condition that is blessed by Him that enables us to own the condition.

Feeling the Presence of the Master

When we think of the Master and the yielding attitude is there it is a common experience that we feel the vibrations or other wise a peaceful condition descending to us. So that is what is your experience. Now that you have had enough experience of the assurance from the Master by way of His presence.

A few thoughts on the awareness of the presence of the Master and the practical way that I have adopted with unfailing success are furnished hereunder.

The following are very important points to note.

In the case of (3) actual arrival of the Master, the mind will feel that the connection to the Master will acquire force.

In the case of (1), which is due to mental construction of the form etc., due to concentration the connection to the Master will not have the force associated with it.

These two states can be understood if one is blessed with the Master's actual presence and observed carefully through feelings in the heart.

When the Master is really before us, pure sincerity in the heart will be observed and this will have nothing to do one's spiritual aspirations etc., No expectancy will be there. We will just be waiting on Him with sincerity. There will also be lightness felt in the heart automatically due to the flow. One will feel nothing of this sort in the case of mental structuring (artificial).

Q) I am not making any specific efforts because by default almost always my mind goes to some thoughts on Master.

A) Please do try consciously to feel the presence of the Master in the heart and you always get necessary guidance.

Sensitivity

Our sensitivity increases along with our dedication and love to the Master. Another important factor is purity has to be increased in us day by day so that sensitivity peaks up and we get understanding of the rewards from Master.