Love
1. What is love?
When you do not know why you love and
what for you love, it is love.
2. Love is that a feeling
of reality?
Love? No, it is not the feeling of reality,
it is the way to reality!
3. How universal love
can be achieved?
The real thing is to transfer all love
to God. Remembrance of one brings remembrance
of all. If I love you, I love your children also.
4. Does love develop
attachments?
We should love all but without feeling
attached towards individuals as such.
Discipline
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.
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?
1. I find the problem
in the form of sleep embracing me whenever I start
to read any of Master's books.
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.
2. I am also spending
fair amount of time in reading and contemplating
the works of Rev.KCV and the Master in an attempt
to enter the consciousness of the Masters and
try living in that as far as possible.
Any amount of reading and searching for
consciousness in the books will not help you in
getting at them. Not that you should not read
them but that is not enough. We may read about
Sacrifice and will never do it, unless there is
something that is more dear than our life that
is felt in the core of our being. The love of
self is far superior to any of the other loves
we have. I think sage Yajnavalkya is least understood
here thanks to the Vedantic blue glasses.
3. During Basanth predominant
thought was every one is developing true love
and devotion towards Master and all are taking
benefit of His grace.
During Basanth our approach should be
to be totally oriented to Master instead of thinking
that others should benefit etc., If we do not
have the condition required to help others what
help can we do?
Contemplation
1. 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.
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.
1. Thoughts that were
noticed were on the Goal and yielding to the Master.
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.
2. I did not fully understand
yielding
Yielding so far as I understand is accepting
the version of our good nature and rejecting our
lower nature. Do you know in great religions both
in the west and the east, in the early days Good
is the word for God.
3. Spent days thinking
of how can I make my yielding complete.
This is done easily by thinking that
you have already yielded and go on strengthening
the same thought.
4. I need to do More
and More yielding. Feel Gentle vibrations at Sikhar.
Felt expansion through out.
Yielding means that there is something
to yield and so far as there is something to yield
the statement of Nothingness etc., has no reality
content. Expanded awareness is possible in Brahmand
but who is expanded and who sees it? The locus
is self and so long it is there rings of Egoism
are not even touched.
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.
More on Determination
1. 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.
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.
2. Started feeling that
miseries are not in my control & thinking
of them as Divine blessings.
Quite a brave attempt. Masters blessings
may be remembered to maintain this attitude.
3. I pray that I develop
the 'Yearning' to be with Him all the time.
Prayer does not help much in this regard.
It is our determination and girding up the loins
as Master puts alone helps.
4. How to generate the
craving for internal transformation in abhyasies.
Can a trainer really do something in this direction
or Karmic matters play their own role and one
has to be patient with those.
If there is a little inclination towards
the goal and the aspirants are serious the method
we have of diverting the flow to the upper portion
of the heart and also to the Atma chakra will
have better effect. Even in the case of X the
work we have done is not lost and will return
to the path either in this life or later. True
it is that Karmic influence will be there and
one has to clear off the debts before any movement
in the real sense towards the homeland happens.
I think you feel that despite working on a person
there is a slip. As I always say that disinterestedness
in sadhana develops even after a good start because
of the necessity to go through Bhog. If a person
is wise he clings on even if he does not practice
as prescribed and picks up later; otherwise the
great Master helps him in the way he should be.
We should never feel attached so much to abhyasis
as we are only trustees and Master knows how to
help them.
5. I am realizing my
own defects and shortcomings. From the bottom
of the heart feeling repentance for the lapses
committed. I am willing to change.
It is not enough to realize our lapses.
We should have firm determination to get rid off
them and for that we should gird up our loins
as Master puts it. We can always find excuses
and explanations for not doing our best and also
feel satisfied with what we do. Also certain times
we simply accept our mistakes and expect the Master
to rectify them.
6. There was predominant
feeling of helplessness, which I am unable to
describe. I feel that only Master’s instructions
and his ideas are to be done through me and all
my own thoughts, which obstruct to follow his
commands to be removed from me. I am unable to
put in words.
Until and unless our wishes die down
thoughts relating to other than the Master will
not go. Any amount of lamentation is of no use.
We should clean ourselves well and also give up
notions very consciously that are detrimental
to the implementation of his commandments and
attainment of the goal. Asking some one to remove
will not work and that is not the system.
Faith
1. What is Faith?
Faith, in true sense, is a lively link
connecting the mortal with the immortal.
2. How does it come?
It is no doubt effected through the medium
of the Master who is Himself connected with the
immortal.
3. Speaking of faith,
is it a gift or is it an act of will?
Both things are right.
4. How to have faith,
or develop it in oneself?
Master says “Really speaking, faith
is not necessary. What we have to do is to trust
in someone and begin. And then if you find you
are progressing, Faith will automatically develop.
Now I will tell you, people speak so much of conscience.
Conscience should guide us but we guide our conscience
as we choose. Now what is conscience? It is really
of four levels, the manas, the buddhi, chit and
ego. Where these are balanced and merge into the
one original thought, then that is the real conscience.”
5. Is faith necessary
for meditation?
Faith is really the foundation of entire
structure of spirituality. Faith in reality, faith
in the right course you have adopted for realisation.
Faith in the worthy Master whom you have submitted
to, this is the rock upon which you must build
your edifice of spirituality if you really aim
at success.
6. Not being able to
discharge duties in complete thought of Master
with strong faith in God and justice
I have a definition for faith. ‘Faith
is belief under circumstances that are impossible.’
7. I have had the problem
of expecting from the Divine knowing that this
is incorrect. Sometimes I have the feeling of
expecting the same feeling that I had experienced
before. I find it difficult to come out of this
feeling. To certain extent, I have succeeded to
come out of it.
Faith in God when it is properly understood
would teach you also the knowledge that He is
Samavarthi and therefore whatever we deserve we
always will get. When this matures you will be
in a position to come out of expectancy. Wait,
watch and progress with practice.
8. Confidence in self
seems to be lost at times and there is utter helplessness.
This is a tight rope walking that needs
to be done. We can never lose Confidence and faith
in ourselves and at the same time we should know
we cannot reach the goal without the help of the
Master. Please catch the spirit of what is said
in this regard.
More on 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.
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.
Waiting
1. After the individual sitting felt that He is
very affectionate and taking so much care and
I am not able to live up to His expectations.
You are surely deserving but it is your
greed that makes you think you are not; and this
is because you want to have progress or growth
without waiting for the process to take its own
time. Master is neither affectionate nor otherwise:
he is beyond all our adjectives and qualities;
you need to know that Sri Ramchandra Consciousness
is what we are aspiring for to become one with
and do not have any personality cult. Please develop
proper understanding by reading books and articles.
2. I am yet to observe
big transformations in my day to day routine and
external behavior though definitely the quality
of thoughts that take my time has improved tremendously
Transformative process take some time
and it is by small increments that changes occur.
Once we know that the force is working it is wisdom
to wait.
3. Last 3 weeks felt
long spells of silence with awareness and steady
attention. Thoughts about the goal to reach the
MASTER and to be waiting for HIM with a will is
also felt during my morning meditations.
The work I have done requires quite sometime
to sink in and show its effect. Any growth is
a steady and painful process. Waiting is another
word for patience.
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.
Owning up of Condition
1. 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.
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.
2. Two weeks ago I was
able to own up this condition for more than 4
hours after satsanghs and was able to recall for
brief moments later during that week.
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).
More on 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.
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.
1. When we concentrate on any
thing we can also get it before us as a vision
either during waking state or during meditation.
This happens in cases where one concentrates on
the Master or Gods and Goddesses.
2. The visions seen in the dreams are of a different
category and do not fall under concentration.
3. But it is a fact that Masters and Gods and
Goddesses also bless the aspirants by their presence.
4. How to differentiate between the items 1 and
3 and be sure of the actual presence of the Master
and that it is not due to one’s concentration?
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).
1. I am not making any
specific efforts because by default almost always
my mind goes to some thoughts on Master.
Please do try consciously to feel the
presence of the Master in the heart and you always
get necessary guidance.
Humility
1. Felt maximum flow towards Atman leaving almost
no flow towards upper and lower heart.
There is a limit to exaggeration. The
flow to the lower portion of the heart will be
there and is necessary if one has to be alive.
The upper portion of the heart is pure and simple
spirituality though Master calls it as super consciousness
of the inferior variety be called it also as the
place of landing of Rishis. Learn to be humble
before great saints of the past who came there
after considerable penance and sacrifice as Master
puts it.
2. This month feeling
very lowly or humble before the Master.
The lowliness or feeling of nothingness
has to be not only with relation to the Master
but that should be our general condition. Before
the Lord all are lowly: the path of the saints
is that one feels lowly under all circumstances
3. Today I felt absorbed
with a feeling of thankfulness to the Master for
all He has bestowed. There was a feeling of my
insignificance also.
The more we feel our lowliness the more
we advance in spiritual life. Of course this should
not be something that is done artificially.
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