Signs of Spiritual Progress - 2

 

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Signs of Spiritual Progress - 2

Yesterday, I spoke about some of the outer signs of progress – there were others, desire to have non-veg food, alcoholic drinks, chewing tobacco – all habits inimical for spiritual progress fell away one by one. Chewing tobacco was the toughest one as I kept giving it up and kept continuing. This happened thrice – the third time I got severe boils in my mouth which prevented me from opening my mouth and thus I had difficulty in speaking and eating. After three days I recovered and after that I completely stopped as the message from Swamiji to his errant child was loud and clear – stop or else!

I had started feeling the vibrations pretty early – maybe something to do with my previous birth. In 2015, in Rajkot Swamiji had told five of us that we had done a lot of penance in our previous birth, so, maybe because of that I started feeling the vibrations very early, right from day 1 in fact. The vibrations start inside the skin layer on the scalp and move downwards in circular motions, if they go below the vishuddhi chakra then my eyes shut and I meditation just happens. Vibrations on the chakras can be felt – literally like the heart is beating in the chakra, the experiences are difficult to describe in words.

While attending shibirs the vibrations come in waves as they wash the body from the base of the spine upwards to the scalp. One begins to get fragrances of rose, sandalwood, jasmine and some which are absolutely unearthly and divine. You start seeing divine signs in the sky – in the cloud formations – it could be Om or trishul or the image of some deity.

While meditating your pulse really goes down, as I run the marathon, I am used to wearing a Garmin sports watch which gives all the readings. During meditation the pulse goes down to the mid-forties. The breathing really slows down and the mind becomes blank – very few thoughts and sometimes complete blank, a void, after the eyes open one feels that it has just been a few minutes but more than an hour has gone by. Once while travelling with Swamiji, a discussion on what one sees during meditation was going on – I mentioned I do not see anything, it is like I am in a dark benevolent tunnel, and he responded – I too don’t see anything. I shut up after that, as I did not know what to say!

There are some experiences which are very intense and beyond description, some have been given in the book ‘Grace at Every Step – My Spiritual Journey with Samarpan’, which is available on Amazon.

Signs of Spiritual Progress - 1

 

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Signs of Spiritual Progress - 1

Swamiji has been asked these questions many times – “How do I know my state? How do I know if I have progressed spiritually?” Swamiji invariably answers, “The very fact that you are asking means you have not progressed!” I too have been asked this question several times and I can answer only through my experiences. I used to be hot tempered and would react like a person on a short fuse if something went against my thought process or will! That of course used to be temporary and I would calm down in a while and apologise even on seeing the other side of the story! That was my first observation – I calmed down, the anger has dissipated, it rarely comes to the fore now. It mainly happens when I am driving in crazy undisciplined traffic – I kind of lose my temper, I am fully aware that this is not correct and I am working on it, I am sure with His Grace this barrier too shall fall.

The other sign is continuous good health, as all the chakras get cleared, health issues related to the blocked chakras get resolved. I always had a bad vishuddhi (throat) chakra, constant cold and cough – in the last twelve years I have had to resort to pills only thrice. Your health improves dramatically and you are always in that high energy zone with a feeling of joy and benevolence oozing out of you.

As you progress you realise that the universe is conspiring to help you in whatever way it can. I can say this with confidence as I have never had to get wet in the rain unless I wanted to. The rain stops when I get out of the house and walk towards the car and starts once I get in – this has happened innumerable times – now just the thought that – ‘I hope I don’t get wet till I get into the car’ – helps keep me relatively dry.

The other conscious observation is that the thoughts have more or less disappeared – I would get sleep at night after 15-20 minutes with thoughts flowing in the mind, sometimes disturbing thoughts about the past, and sometimes tense thoughts about what tomorrow will bring. Now, within 30 seconds I am out. Earlier light and sound would wake me up, now it does not matter as I can sleep through the light and sound – specially after sleeping in huge tents with thousands of people from different walks of life. Swamiji has equalised and balanced a lot within me.

These are just the external or physical aspects of spiritual progress – tomorrow I will put down briefly the inner aspects which I have experienced, so that you can relate them with what you have experienced. Keep meditating, keep experiencing, be focused, be happy.

Inborn Traits

 

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Inborn Traits

When we take birth, we are born with a lot of baggage from the previous birth – these are our inborn traits, impressions from actions of those births which have yet to be worked out. These could be physical or emotional – take love for instance. One falls in love at first sight – is this love for the physical appearance, the visual beauty or is it something else? Our parents, grand-parents always told us that we got married and then love happened, and the contrary also is true love happened and that’s why we got married! Though such love stories today more often than not end up in separation.

The attraction of the outer form or physical appearance, attraction to the spoken word or skill with words are all part of the illusion of life to which one gets pulled into and then one gets lost in that illusion, till one is drawn out of that illusion and set on the correct path again. For this to happen one needs a teacher or guide or spiritual master or Guru who can show you the way out of this never-ending web of illusion. We are so often attracted to the physical beauty, the outward appearance without having a clue as to what that person really is – is the person beautiful from outside and dark within or vice-versa! One cannot make that judgement call without actually coming to know the person.

Attraction towards people, physical appearance and knowledge all are drawing you outward and away from your core being. Even ‘knowledge’ which we acquire from books is just information which we cram into our brain. The more our brain is cluttered with useless information the greater the time it takes to empty it of those impressions. Once we start meditating under the guidance of our spiritual guide or Guru, we start turning inwards. This is when we realise that all this while the people we met, the physical attractions and the information gathered from various books, courses etc are nothing but barriers to progressing inwards. It does not mean that it is not useful – it definitely is useful because without that we will not be able to fulfill our worldly responsibilities and duties. The Guru teaches us to separate the two lives through detachment – we live our worldly life without any attachment and continue our inward journey with single minded focus.

The deeper we go, the more detached we become as we start seeing and recognising our inborn traits, by witnessing them we learn to conquer them. We start living in the material world without attachment and suddenly realise that all our actions are having a positive result – accept such results as His Grace and do not let the ego take over – by doing this you will save yourself from falling. Our life becomes full of bliss and happiness, relations improve and people start getting attracted to you – even those who avoided you.

What is chitta? – Part 2

 

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What is Chitta? – Part 2

We can look at the lake for a comparative understanding of the chitta. If you have gone boating in a lake you may have seen that when your boat is in the centre of the lake and is not moving, it may be possible to see the bottom of the lake. This can only happen when there are no ripples in the lake, if the lake is not muddy and the surface of the lake is calm and serene. The lake is the chitta, the ripples in the lake represent our thoughts and right at the bottom of the lake is our true Self.

The mind too has different states – we all have heard or read about Tamas, Rajas, and Sattva. A person with a tamsic bent of mind is rooted in darkness and this state is found mostly in brutes and idiots – they only act out of base emotions, to hurt or to injure. No other idea comes in that state of mind. Then there is the active state of mind or rajas, whose primary motive is power and enjoyment – their aim is to rule or control others, power is what they are after! Then there is the still higher state called the sattvic state – in this state the mind becomes calm, serene as the waves cease to form and the mind-like lake becomes clear with the bottom clearly visible. In this state the mind is not inactive, rather it is intensely active in a complete state of awareness.

The greatest and best manifestation of power is to remain calm. It is very easy to be active. If you actually let go of the reins the horses will run away with you. Anyone can do that, but only a strong person can stop the galloping horses. Ask yourself – what requires more strength – restraint or letting go? Don’t mistake the calm man to be dull, don’t misinterpret a sattvic state to be dullness or laziness. The calm person is one who actually controls the mind waves. Activity or action is a manifestation of the inferior kind of strength and calmness that of the superior.

The chitta is always trying to go back to its natural state, but the sense organs keep drawing it out. The entire aim of ashtang yoga is to first restrain or check this outward tendency of the mind and to then start it on its return inward journey – that is the first step of yoga, because only by doing this one can set the course of the chitta’s inward journey.

The chitta manifests in three forms – from the lowest to the highest – scattering, darkening, gathering, single-pointed, focused or concentrated. The scattering represents activity which could manifest in the form of pleasure or pain. The darkening represents dullness or pain which tends towards injury. The third form is natural to the angels and the first two to the demons. The gathering form is when the chitta is struggling to centre itself. The single-pointed or focused form is what brings us to a state of samadhi.

What is Chitta?

 

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What is Chitta?

Chitta is difficult to describe in English, it can be called attention, inner mind, mind-stuff and so on. ‘Patanjali’s Yoga’ says - yoga is restraining the mind-stuff (chitta) from taking various forms (vrittis). There are four aspects of consciousness – the mind, intellect, ego and chitta. The mind receives the information from the senses, the intellect analyses it and the ego evaluates it according to how it affects us, and finally through the chitta we judge it positively or negatively according to our learned likes and dislikes. The chitta or mind-stuff may be defined as the whole mental process – it is this feeling aspect of chitta that Swami Paramhansa Yogananda most emphasised – “Overcome your likes and dislikes”, he said.

Swamiji always tell us to focus our mind on the crown of our head, this directs the innate energy within us in the upward direction thus clearing the chakras as it passes through the meridians and reaches the crown. To keep your mind focussed on the crown you need to develop a control over the mind itself – if you quieten the mind sufficiently enough to observe your thoughts, you will be amazed by how much mental agitation is caused by ego concerns. In a very real sense, the purpose of yoga or meditation is to overcome the perception of the ‘I’-sense or ego.

If we can learn to live with detachment then a sense of self does not necessarily bind us to delusion. Everyone has to take care of their physical body – even saints! It is through the chitta that we judge the world based on our own likes and dislikes and because of this we remain chained to the material world. It is through this ‘feeling’ aspect of consciousness with its center in the heart, that we create an endless stream of desires and repulsions. In most cases we are not even aware of our likes and dislikes and it is they, more than anything else, that determines our level of happiness. These likes and dislikes determine whether the world pleases us or disappoints us. We need to focus on becoming completely detached and fully aware through the regular practice of meditation and mindfulness.

Once we understand the meaning of chitta, we will be able to focus on enhancing our soul consciousness to overcome the control of body consciousness and live daily in a state where the chitta is focused purely on the present moment. Getting the chitta to focus on the present moment requires practice and patience. Keep meditating, keep having patience, keep focusing and one fine day you will find that you are filled with inner peace, joy and bliss!

Become like a Lotus Flower

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Become like a Lotus Flower

In Indian philosophy the lotus flower has a special place – become like a lotus we are told! What does this signify? You are all aware that the lotus flower blooms in all its glory in muck, meaning its roots are in the muck and the flower blooms above the marshy muck. So, even if you want to pluck the flower, you yourself have to wade through the muck to reach the flower. The best part of the lotus is that even its petals are silky smooth and no muck stays on it and the petal remains as pristine and pure as ever!

From the above you would have probably realised the direction of this brief post – we humans live in society; society is full of people of all kinds and thus it is comparable to the muck in which the lotus blooms. If we go into a coalmine with white clothes, we are bound to dirty our clothes, similarly when we live in society with all its good and bad, we are bound to pick up both the good and bad vibes emanating in society.

From a spiritual perspective becoming like a lotus flower means staying pure and not allowing the muck of society to muddy your pristine petals while living your day-to-day life in society. Easier said than done, isn’t it! When we live in society we deal with family, friends, colleagues, strangers, we come across varied situations which we have to deal with. Such people and situations have to be managed at that point in time in the best possible manner without affecting one’s own equilibrium. For most of us this is a challenge because our ego and our own sense of judgement is always in play. Sometimes we make the right choice, sometimes we don’t and we always have to face the consequences of our actions – whether good or bad!

As we start walking on the spiritual path, as we become seekers, start meditating and practicing mindfulness, we start living our life in awareness – when we start doing this we begin to ‘see’ events as they unfold, our soul starts giving us directions which when followed end up keeping us away from trouble and any negative impact or fallout of any situation. This is how we learn to keep our petals pure and pristine. Not getting affected by anything life throws at us is possible if we start living in the moment, accepting whatever happens feeling that what has happened has happened for the best. When we reach this stage in life, then life becomes simple, uncomplicated and peaceful. You enjoy inner peace as the external world stops affecting you – your roots remain in the muck but you bloom and radiate the beauty of the Lotus!

Ego & Guilt – Two Sides of the same Coin

 

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Ego & Guilt – Two Sides of the same Coin

In spirituality, ego and guilt are two sides of the same coin. These two emotions are extremely dangerous for spiritual progress – let me try and explain how and why from whatever I have seen and experienced. After I joined Samarpan Meditation and took diksha (initiation ceremony), started meditating regularly morning and evening, there was one thing which I would always observe during big events. There were a lot of volunteers who would throw their weight around, speak rudely and generally behave obnoxiously. I would always wonder why this happened, and much later realised that this was the ego of being a ‘volunteer’ and performing his duty as a volunteer. Many times, this would be because of over-enthusiasm – but these volunteers do not realise the negative attention they attract.

Everybody feels vibrations, gets fragrances with the Guru’s grace when the meditation happens in a large group, that is because the energy from the Guru is flowing continuously – so in this group getting vibrations and experiencing divine fragrances is not a big thing. But some people would feel good about this and develop an ego, ‘I’ got this vibration, ‘I’ got this fragrance etc. The ego is something which pulls you down very fast – Swamiji has mentioned this in umpteen discourses, the more you progress, the emptier you should become – but this does not happen. There are others who will praise you no end and inflate your ego. There are some who on the surface speak very politely and lovingly, but behind that sweetness is a poisonous dagger – you need to be aware of such people and protect yourself from them or avoid them, else they will be the first to gloat if you fall down.

Similarly, those who climb the spiritual ladder fast and then fall down because of lack of control then go into guilt. It is very difficult to lose the feeling of guilt. You hurt someone close you feel guilty and carry that pain in your heart and agya chakra. This needs cleansing all the time – forgiving and forgetting at the soul level can help cleanse the guilt.

One has to learn to stay on the middle path, do not go to extremes and you will be fine. Stay in the middle, do not let anyone inflate your ego, learn to watch yourself and then check yourself too if you notice that your ego is coming into play. The day your soul starts guiding you on these lines you will realise that ego and guilt are the two sides of the same coin, the two extremes of your emotions which are barriers to spiritual progress. Stay in the middle, stay focused, stay happy!  

Anything in excess is Harmful

 

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Anything in excess is Harmful

This is a very old proverb which is a guide for doing anything in moderation. It helps us live a balanced life. It also helps to give attention to each aspect of our life. I remember my parents always telling us not to overdo stuff, because as growing up children we were extremely boisterous and would go to extremes in our mischief. Her strong and firm voice would always tell us to tone down on our mischief.

With the passage of time this sane voice would become a kind of guide when it came to crossing the line. It is not that I have not crossed the line – I have – but with the full knowledge that if things go wrong, I will have to face the consequences! And they did go wrong and I did face the consequences happily. Stuff happens in life for a reason – if I am crossing the line that means I have to that act as part of my karmic bonds, I have therefore to endure the consequences and move on in life without holding any grudge or guilt! That’s exactly what I have done!

Whether it is eating, drinking, exercising, working, etc – excess is always bad. Excess of anything always affects your physical as well as mental health. We are pursuing material objects through our sense organs which too have their limits, and after a point everything starts appearing like poison. Tasty food can give us pleasure, but if we overeat it can lead to indigestion and badly affect our health; similarly excess money can lead to bad habits and so on. The best path to follow is the middle path, the path of moderation. You may well ask what has this to do with spirituality and meditation.

Swamiji tells us to meditate only for 30 minutes a day and not more. There is a reason for this – sitting down for hours together does not necessarily mean that you get the trance like state of meditation – if you do then it does not matter because the hours seem just like a moment! As meditators we need to follow the 30 minutes guideline simply because that is all that is required for charging our internal battery for the day. For instance, if you charge your mobile phone continuously what happens? The battery loses its capacity over a period of time, it starts draining faster and loses its life! Similarly, when you meditate for more than 30 minutes alone you charge yourself in excess, then the excess energy which you build up has to be burnt somewhere, if you find the outlet it is good, else you will lose control of yourself. I have seen this happen to at least two people, who subsequently needed psychiatric help!

It is best to meditate for 30 minutes alone in the morning and if possible, for 30 minutes in the evening in collectivity, in a group. The morning meditation gives you speed and the group meditation gives you control – its like driving a car, if you want to drive fast then you should have good control, else an accident will be the result!

What we See, Hear and Say

 

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What we See, Hear and Say

What we see, what we hear and what we say are in a way connected. Our eyes see and read all sorts of things throughout the day on an ongoing basis, our ears are recipients of all kinds of chatter. Some of it is good, some not good and some immaterial – but all that we see and hear gets registered in our brain and in our subconscious mind. Our brain and subconscious carries imprints of millions and millions of images and sounds which have a far-reaching effect on the way we behave in public.

If we desire to progress spiritually it is critical for us to analyse where our eyes fall and what our ears hear daily. We need to make a conscious effort that our eyes only absorb positive images and ensure that we turn our eyes away from negative images. What I am referring to is mainly the media – both print and audio-visual – what sells is mainly negative and most media houses have their own agenda, so what one gets to see and read is not really news but someone’s opinion on what should be shown as news. Today the mainstream media is losing viewership as individual YouTube channels show you far more credible news and its analysis. When we see and hear negative stuff, this affects our mind and fills us up with a doomsday scenario, which is actually far from the truth. We need to train our minds to filter out the clutter and get down to the real news.

With every passing day this becomes more and more difficult, so I have given up watching TV for over ten years and now, because of the various lockdowns I have stopped reading newspapers too, I rely on a few YouTube channels to give me the day’s news analysis. This has actually helped me stay focused and content within my own self. The present moment is the only reality, everything else is old news.

Even at work or when with friends avoid listening to gossip or negative talk, politely excuse yourself and walk away. When you progress on the spiritual path it is very easy to fill yourself with negative vibes from what you see and hear, hence it is very important to remain aware and conscious all the time about what you are seeing and hearing. In a heightened state of awareness, you will be able to consciously filter out the negative and remain with the positive and this will also help you remain in the moment. In this state you will always say what is required to be said and nothing else.

Importance of Physical Well-being

 

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Importance of Physical Well-being

As we grow up, we take our body for granted – we actually subject it to abuse by excessive eating, drinking, not exercising etc. When we are in our growing years, we really do not realise the impact of this abuse as the rate of recovery of our cells is much faster than the dying rate of our cells. According to Wikipedia, between 50 and 70 billion cells die each day in an average adult. Based on that, the average adult must make 50 to 70 billion cells each day to compensate for those that have died since this is an adult human and there is no net growth. To add onto that, your body needs to replace the red blood cells it loses. Every second, 2.5 million red blood cells die (a relatively small number compared the trillions of cells you have in your body). These are replaced at a rate of about 2 million per second (again, from Wikipedia).

The rate of red blood cell production slows as you grow older. In order to understand this, we need to understand cell division. In our cells, we have our chromosomes, which contain our DNA. The ends (or "caps") of our chromosomes are called telomeres. As our cells divide, these telomeres begin to shrink. Each time a telomere gets shorter, the chromosomes are less protected and finally, the chromosomes are exposed to damage, and cell division stops. So, cell division slows as you age. Furthermore, when you are younger, you are growing and so your body not only has to replace dying cells, but make new cells for growth. When you reach adulthood, your body ceases growth.

What I am trying to explain is that the more we take care of our physical well-being the greater the chance we are giving for our spiritual growth. We have to realise that we can focus on our inner well-being and growth only when we have a strong and healthy physical body. This is because the physical body houses our soul, so if the house is weak then there is no chance for the soul to make an appearance. It is therefore our duty to exercise, eat healthy food, meditate and do everything possible to rise above body consciousness into soul consciousness.

A healthy body leads to a healthy mind which leads to a quieter mind – all this leads you on your inner journey. The more aware you become of your physical well-being and  take care of your body, the more your body will support you in your spiritual journey. It will help you sit still, then once your eyes close in meditation, the mind will become quiet with time, with the quietening of the mind you will journey inwards into depths of soul consciousness whose experience will fill you with bliss, joy and indescribable happiness. 

 

Don’t Question the Fundamentals

 

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Don’t Question the Fundamentals

This world is made up of all kinds of people, theists, atheists, nature lovers, open minded people, closed minded people, etc. The permutations and combinations are too vast to put down on paper, so let me just begin by saying when we study in school, college, university, we are always asked to test the fundamentals scientifically – whether any theory can be proved or not. In fact, all scientific research is based on the systematic collection, interpretation and evaluation of data and that too in a planned manner. Your aim is to prove or disprove the hypothesis which you are trying to establish.

In the material world you question the fundamentals and then believe it when your question is answered scientifically. But the exact opposite is true when it comes to spirituality. I have seen and heard many people question the very existence of God! Which is absolutely fine, you should question and then you should ask yourself – how do I reach God, where do I find Him, etc! The other basic questions which one needs to ask oneself – Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I headed? Once these questions start repeating themselves in your mind then you will embark on the inner journey as a true seeker.

God has no physical form, God cannot be seen, God has to be experienced – God existed in the past, exists today, and will exist in the future – as universal consciousness as divine energy which is continuously flowing, one just has to reach the state to tap into that universal source of energy.

When you play any game do you question the fundamentals. In cricket do you ask the umpire why is the pitch only 22 yards, why are there three stumps at either end and not more, please tell me the answer else I will not play! You don’t! You just play – you are not questioning the fundamentals here, then why do you question the very existence of God? God is not to be seen, only experienced – and you can only do that by embarking on your inner journey through meditation under the guidance of a realised Master! In spirituality you first believe, bow down and then experience. Become humble, compassionate, selfless, egoless by bowing down completely, and once you bow down and are ready to receive the grace of universal consciousness you will definitely start feeling cold vibrations, fragrances, a state of void filled with bliss and inexplicable joy.

To get to that stage we need to believe, accept and then receive the grace with humbleness and gratitude. Never let the ego develop saying ‘I’ am spiritual, ‘I’ feel divine energy, ‘I’ am blissful etc – if you do so, very soon you will lose the state you have attained. Just remember the higher you climb, the greater the distance that you fall with the slightest mistake.

The Joy of Spiritual Experience

 

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The Joy of Spiritual Experience

In our day to day stressed out lives we all look for joy and happiness – some of us try to find it in temples, churches, mosques, synagogues, some go to the beach, forest, mountains, sailing, others look for it through addictions like drinks, drugs, and other intoxicants. Basically, everyone is trying to find joy and happiness outside. There comes a time in life, when your seeking happiness becomes so intense, and the happiness which you get in the material world starts feeling inadequate – that is when you start looking for guidance from someone who can show you the path. When the intensity is such that you cannot bear it, the universe directs you to your spiritual guide, the one who will show you the path to real joy and bliss.

Once you meet your enlightened Master, he lights the lamp within you and you embark on the journey to inner peace and joy. He teaches you how to meditate, how to ruminate on questions about life and how to find your own solutions. He actually makes you self-reliant without your knowing it. After you start meditating you start getting spiritual experiences. You feel God-like and then start thinking about God – but in reality, God has no shape or form – it is nothing but universal consciousness which has existed since time immemorial. Everyone takes birth and dies and this cycle continues – in between birth and death – life happens. Everyone is taking birth with the sole objective to work out one’s karmas and progress spiritually with the ultimate aim of liberation, of merging with universal consciousness! It takes several birth-death cycles to get completed before one reaches that final life from where you can achieve the state of moksha or liberation, the state where you merge with universal consciousness when you take your final breath.

Through meditation you learn to stay in the moment all the time, you live your life selflessly with love and compassion, that is when you start experiencing that state of inner joy and happiness which is of a permanent nature. Your radiance and joy begin attracting people towards you like a magnet. Observe the spiritual Gurus of modern times who have millions of followers all over the world – His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swami, His Holiness Sadhguru, His Holiness Sri M, His Holiness Sri Sri Ravi Shankar and several others who do not come forward in the limelight but nevertheless are working towards global spiritual upliftment.

To live in joy and harmony, peace, love and compassion you do not need intoxicants once you reach the source of perennial joy which lies inside the core of every one of us. It is up to us to dive deep within and find that core which gives the state of perennial joy, bliss and happiness. Praying for each one of us to find our own core deep within.

Seeing Visions during Meditation

 

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Seeing Visions during Meditation

Of late many people have asked me the meaning of visions one sees while meditating. Getting visions is related to the eyes and the eyes have a connection to the agya chakra. Swamiji has always said that once you reach the agya chakra – that is good as well as bad. The good part is that you have reached the agya chakra – means you have reached the sixth level while clearing the five chakras below the agya chakra. Once you reach the agya chakra you start seeing visions of deities, samadhist Gurus, some see a flame, a blue light which moves in circles and so on. So, what is this and why does this happen – this is the most common question.

The agya chakra holds all the impressions of the past, whether it is guilt, anger, hurt or spiritual in nature. So, the visions of deities, Gurus, saints, etc are basically of those from the past. These impressions are imbedded deep in the subconscious mind or chitta. Once you reach a certain level of progress in meditation these start appearing during meditation. Basically, you are seeing images which are pulled up by your subconscious mind from the past. Some people get so enamoured by this progress and the visions that they get stuck at this level.

When this starts happening it basically means you are trying to enjoy the energy of the past, because your mind is sending you visions of the past Gurus who had spread divine energy and consciousness during their era. Whereas the art of meditation is to remain in the present – the present moment in fact – all the time. When you remain in the present moment, then only can you pull in the energy of the present time and connect with the divine energy being distributed continuously by the Gurus of the present time. Paramatma existed in the past, exists in the present and will exist in the future. The energy of the Gurus is from the distant past – what we need to connect to is the same energy in the present time. You can do that only when you connect to a Spiritual Master of the present time. We are blessed to have such a Master in our life – His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swami!

Once you go past the agya chakra and reach the crown chakra – sahastrar chakra – then you have reached akash or space or ether – here you see nothing at all, but you start receiving spiritual experiences, you get to hear the cosmic sound, you get the fragrance of flowers and so on. Hence, it is great to reach the agya chakra and see these visions, but do not let these visions bottle you up, go beyond the visions into space, enjoy the journey and the joy and bliss which results. Stay in the moment always happy and joyous, spread joy and love, which actually is our true nature!

In Spirituality, Effort has no Importance

 

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In Spirituality, Effort has no Importance

In the material world a genuine effort, with full intent and a positive approach is required to get desired results. It is said – ‘hard work pays’ – and so it does. But in the world of spirituality effort has no importance because gains are made through awareness and building up one’s soul consciousness.

When we make an effort at doing our Guru’s work then we are not doing it at the soul-level, as effort is physical and involves our personal interest or ego, then the result of your ‘effort’ will never be the result which your Guru or spiritual master expects. While performing Guru-karya (Guru’s work) do it selflessly with the feeling that you are only an instrument of the Guru-energies and your work will happen without any effort on your part. Connecting to the collective consciousness of the Spiritual Master gives you a subtle boost and support, help and guidance comes from unexpected quarters as the seemingly impossible tasks get accomplished effortlessly!

Even while meditating I have seen people with furrowed brows which give rise to deep lines on the forehead indicating an effort at trying to stop one’s thoughts. The idea of practicing meditation is to relax and let go of everything, the very fact that you get deep furrows in your brows, your brow screws up means that you are making an effort at stopping your thoughts. This invariably has a negative impact, because the more you bottle up or try to control your thoughts, the greater the speed at which they start hitting you after some time – this is exactly like a pressure cooker, the steam builds up inside and when the pressure is too much the whistle blows! A better way is to observe the thoughts and watch them like you are watching a movie. After a period of time, gaps between thoughts will increase, those blank moments are your state of thoughtlessness, with time these gaps increase and with the increasing gaps between thoughts you sometimes find yourself going into deep meditation.

Here, effort is not required, just witness and go with the flow – that should be the approach to life. Become like the flowing river, the water just splits when a rock-like obstacle comes in its path and it continues its journey as if the rock wasn’t there. That is how we should flow – effortlessly – completely oblivious to life’s shortcomings, live joyously, while spreading joy selflessly.

Importance of ‘Authorised’ in Spirituality

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 Importance of ‘Authorised’ in Spirituality 

Swamiji keeps telling us about the importance of the word ‘authorised’ in his various discourses. Many of us actually do not understand what he means by that in the spiritual sense. We are all aware of the meaning of this word in the material world or its commercial applications. In the material world it means to give official permission for or approval to an undertaking or agent. Meaning you give an authority to someone to do something on your behalf. In companies you have authority limits set for sanctioning bills or bank payments. This is the stuff we really understand because it has acceptability in the material world.

What happens in the spiritual world is when you get a sanction from the higher energies to do a certain kind of work, you are ‘authorised’ to do that work. When this happens you need to submit to the sanctioning authority – that is your Spiritual Master or Guru – and do whatever he has asked you to do as his representative only. When you submit to your Guru or Spiritual Master and remove your ego or I-sense from the equation, you will observe that whatever task you have been assigned just happens. Then howsoever impossible the task may appear, even though you have absolutely no knowledge or experience of doing something similar before, the assignment gets completed and you get the satisfaction and feeling of wonder – how did this ever take place?

Each Spiritual Master has a following of millions of souls who have a positive outlook on life. All these people have various kinds of life skills, and when you start doing work for your Guru, at the subtle level, this collective group of souls who are connected with your Guru come to your help without your knowledge. Some or the other person will suddenly come and guide you and once you start working without any ego, the energies start working for you and even a mammoth task just happens through you. And you are left wondering how this happened!

While working for your Spiritual Master in an authorised manner the energies work for you and you just become the instrument to do powerful work for the benefit of mankind. But if you do any work with ego or without authority, you will notice that you find untold obstacles coming your way even in the simplest of tasks, leaving you frustrated and dejected and depressed! Never feel or think that ‘YOU’ are doing the work, because if you do that then you are adding to your karmas and will get stuck in the birth-death-birth cycle. Work without ego, with dedication and complete submission to the Guru-energies and you will find that the most complex of tasks becomes simple.

Body vs Soul Consciousness

 

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Body vs Soul Consciousness

Throughout our life we live under the control of our physical body – how is that you may ask! All decisions are taken by our mind based on mental imprints which are left behind over several births. Quite a few people have certain fears imprinted in their psyche and they are absolutely clueless about the reason for such fears. Layers upon layers of dust have gathered upon the soul and one has stopped listening to it a long time ago. As children, we probably heard our soul talk to us and we may have even said aloud what it told us – but invariably the adults in our house – parents, relatives, elder siblings would have said that this is just baby-talk and ignore it. Over time, after being ignored repeatedly, you too stopped believing in your inner voice and the soul went quiet!

I am sure it keeps warning you now and then, don’t do this, don’t do that – but you ignore it because your mind tells you – that is rubbish, you do what I am telling you! Subsequent events tell you that you should have listened to your soul – but by then it is too late as you now have to endure the consequences of your mind’s advice! That is the difference between body consciousness and soul consciousness – in body consciousness it is the material world which holds sway with the mind telling you what to do and what you shouldn’t do.

A person is said to be body-conscious when the Soul identifies itself with the physical body – meaning when the thinking, feeling, actions and behaviour are with the awareness of being a physical body or the mind. When you are in body consciousness you are susceptible to all the evils in the world because the vices of lust and desire begin by looking at others as a body. Anger is another enemy of wisdom whereas peace is a source of wisdom. Thus, your spiritual Master keeps telling you to become soul-conscious and bring that awareness into your existence. Each one of us is a tiny point of spiritual light, we just need to awaken our soul-consciousness and make that tiny point of light into a burning flame.

When we live in awareness that – “I am a Soul and not this physical body”, then our powers become unlimited, as the soul is not limited by anything, it is free! In other words, it thinks, feels, acts, responds, etc with the awareness that it (the soul) is the master of the body. When we live in soul-consciousness, the original qualities of the soul – peace, purity, love, bliss, compassion naturally emerge. In these circumstances the soul is not dependent on external factors for peace and joy – as this is our innate inner nature. Thus, through meditation we develop our soul-consciousness and live our lives with peace, joy, love and compassion in the moment and with full awareness. Become soul-conscious!

Do you get any Me-time?

 

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Do you get any Me-time?

In the modern world, life is so hectic that one hardly gets any time with oneself! Everyone is busy running from end to end in his/her work and does not find spare time at all. This constant running around saps one’s energy and leaves one drained out at the end of the day. The form of relaxation after an exhausting day is to go to the club or bar and have a drink or two. This again is detrimental to health, but intoxication is the only form of instant gratification for releasing one’s pent-up stress or so people think!

All these extraneous efforts at dealing with stress end up damaging your health – mental, physical and familial. So, what kind of me-time are we talking about which will give us the stress-relieving boost that we are all looking for? You need to spend real quality time with yourself – so, you think of holidays with family – you go to hill resorts, forest camps, river side camps, etc. Here, you feel calm for the moment, you feel relief in nature, as the collective calm of nature forces itself upon you. But, has your mind become quiet or is it still thinking of the various problems left behind, be it – office, family, relationships, business, etc. Your mind is still active in that quiet, and it brings the city stress with you on your holiday!

The only way to get real me-time is with meditation and mindfulness practise. You have to learn to meditate alone and in collectivity. Learn to watch life as it happens rather than become a player in the events which are taking place. The day you become a witness, from that day onwards you will start detaching yourselves from the results or consequences of events that take place in your life.

The early morning meditation, which takes you into another world of silence, peace, bliss and unending joy helps you  become totally stress-free. You feel energised as universal consciousness starts flowing inside you. The waves of divine energy send you a message that this is real and the outside world is nothing but a mirage. Don’t get attached to the outside world or be affected by whatever happens there. That is nothing but you enduring your karmas and moving forward on the path of spiritual progress. The me-time spent in company of your soul is enough to energise you and make you detached from the external world.

The inner world beckons, just begin that journey and your life will change. You will then find that you only have me-time as you live your normal life centred within your own being, not affected by what happens in and around you. Your aura or energy body protects you from negative influences and you stay safe and joyous in a protective cocoon of your own making - enjoying a life-time of me-time!

Is Meditation about being Thoughtless?

 

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Is Meditation about being Thoughtless?

There are several meditation practitioners who tell you that meditation is all about being thoughtless. One becomes free of thoughts only on reaching the Agya or Brow Chakra. Here too, this happens only when your Agya chakra is cleansed and it becomes pure. The real journey in meditation happens from this point onwards. In Samarpan Meditation, His Holiness Shivkrupanand says that the thoughtless state is the first step for going into meditation, whereas others tell you that thoughtlessness itself is meditation!

From experience I can definitely say that becoming thoughtless is just the beginning, the real journey starts thereafter. Going into deep meditation can happen only when the monkey mind is quiet. The journey from the Agya chakra to Sahastrar or Crown chakra – that is into Akash or Space happens only when the mind is absolutely still. It is from this point onwards that other dimensions start opening up, you enter into a void, a dark tunnel which is very benign and friendly. This tunnel appears never-ending and you keep journeying down that tunnel. Like the saying goes there is light at the end of the tunnel.

I experienced this light only once; it was like a thousand suns were shining inside my brain – it was so bright that I got out of meditation with a start thinking I may go blind with the glare! Again, I have not reached this state again as the expectation remains deep within me that this will happen, just like the Brahmanaad experience. But, with the passage of time I am sure, nay I am confident that my Master will ensure that I get this experience again. Whatever spiritual experiences I have got are only because of the Master, total surrender at His lotus feet.

So, for all those of you who feel that the journey stops on achieving a thoughtless state, let me tell you that this is just the beginning. The journey from this point onwards is more profound as you start becoming empty from within. The emptiness is not just of the mind, it is the cleansing of layers of dust which have accumulated on your soul, the more the layers get cleaned the deeper you go, the quieter you become, the purer you become till you reach a state of void yourself. Now there is no difference - you have become the void, you have reached the state which is the actual meditative state. In this state there is nothing, just akash – never ending space, filled with quiet, peace, bliss and indescribable joy.

Let the Madness Flow

 

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Let the Madness Flow

In an absolutely insane world where everything that is happening is beyond comprehension, it would be sensible to be just mad and let the madness flow. Everyone thinks the other person is mad because he/she does not think in the same manner. Anything out of the ordinary is considered mad or deviant or crazy. That’s as may be – but when we are out looking for the ultimate truth, we become seekers, then we definitely need a degree of madness which is way beyond normal!

Every individual is on his/her own journey. Every person is living in a somnolent state and needs that spark of extra madness to deviate from the normal path on to the road less travelled – that of a seeker of the ultimate truth. Once that spark turns into a burning flame, then nothing else matters as you are now on a trip with an inexhaustible supply of oxygen which will keep on burning within till you reach your destination.

For some the spark is lit automatically for others, it is a friend who lights the flame and for still others it is a Spiritual Master who guides them on the path. For some people the flame is lit, but it keeps sputtering on and off and for others it burns brightly as the journey takes shape, speed and direction. Without that essential madness it is not possible to get out of the massive illusion created by this world which is glittering with all kinds of gizmos and temptations which have a stranglehold on the minds and emotions of the general public.

Once you start looking for the ultimate truth, the journey starts outside in the material world but with proper guidance it comes back to you and then takes you within your own self. Once your soul has been awakened and you attain self-realisation, you are born again and the real journey begins. The journey from Soul to Super-soul or from Atma to Paramatma. This journey begins with meditation and practicing mindfulness with complete awareness of what is happening in and around you. Your desires start falling away, bad habits disappear one by one, your health improves dramatically and you start living your life in the moment in complete awareness. Attachments remain but in a detached manner as you are no longer emotionally involved – you realise that whatever is happening is happening for a purpose and you begin to accept that and move on in life. You stop painting situations or incidents or people with positive–negative colours, as you realise that there is nothing positive or negative, those are just projections of the mind painting the situation as positive or negative based on one's mental imprints of the past.

The madder you become the deeper you go and that is when you start tuning in to your own self – you become one within, and start getting spiritual experiences which leave you in a state of perpetual bliss and joy – so, I say, let the madness flow!

The Brahmanaad or Cosmic Sound

 

Photo Credit: Ayush Darpan - Chanting of Om

                                                   

The Brahmanaad or Cosmic Sound

In many spiritual discourses we have heard Gurus or Spiritual Masters talk about the Brahmanaad or Cosmic Sound. I always used to wonder what it would be like to hear this sound. The sound of creation, will it be just a hummmmm or will it be something more divine, more profound, or something which is beyond description.

Sometime in August of 2017 I sat for meditation at 3.40am. I was in deep meditation after a chanting the Guru-mantra. My head had become heavy and it was resting on my chest. Suddenly, out of nowhere, I heard a slight popping sound in my left ear. It was as if a door shut at a distance. A couple of seconds later, I had the same experience in my right ear too. I felt a certain numbness. The kind we feel when there’s a sudden drop in air pressure – like descending in a high-speed elevator or when we hit an air pocket while flying in an aeroplane and there is a sudden drop in air pressure and our ears get blocked! Along with this, I felt an emptiness in my stomach. Everything went numb. I was filled with a sense of void. It filled my being. Then, suddenly, I heard a humming sound – hummmmmmmmmmmmm, hummmmmmmmmm….. It is was the most divine cosmic sound I had ever heard.

It started at the centre of my crown, filled my entire scalp, and gradually filled me up. As if, I was an empty vessel waiting to be filled with bliss. The sound was reverberating within me, it was in every atom and cell of my body, the sound and its divine vibration became me. I became them. I was one with the cosmos. I became the cosmos.

To my bodily senses, it felt like it lasted for just a few seconds, but when I opened my eyes, an hour had passed by. It was like being in a psychedelic trance. Lost in oblivion. As much as I desired, I never got this experience again. Therein lies a lesson for all of us. As Osho once said, “Spiritual experiences are progress reports as well as obstacles to future progress. This is simply because once you get a divine spiritual experience, it registers in your mind. Then, the expectation that this occurrence will repeat itself arises in the mind. This is the obstacle, as you cannot progress with expectation. The trick is to get rid of all expectations and experiences, every time you sit for meditation.”

What helps is a simple prayer that whatever experiences are bestowed upon me are with your divine grace, I surrender them to you. Whatever I experience is yours and I surrender it to you. Keep me free from ego, let me remain an empty vessel to be filled and emptied with every divine experience. Therefore, I live in complete surrender to you, O Gurudev – nothing is ‘mine’, everything is ‘YOURS’.