The New Year Beckons

 

Photo Credit: Tatthastu| Ganga Beckons

The New Year Beckons

At the beginning of this new year, we are witnessing the same chaotic conditions as were there at the beginning of 2021 – omicron a mutation of the original corona virus is causing chaos across the globe. People are frightened and politicians and the pharma lobby are trying to milk the people for their own selfish interests.

We as citizens of the world have a responsibility to ourselves and to all those whom we come in contact with to maintain safety precautions and follow all the guidelines for safety as laid down by our respective governments. In my personal view, we are now at the fag end of the pandemic, we just need to hand in there for a few more months and we will see the last of this virus.

The last two years for me have been personally very fulfilling, I have got a lot of alone time and that has helped me realise that I CAN live alone, in silence, being self-sufficient, learning how to cook in the bargain – which by the way I have kind of fallen in love with – working from home and mentoring people who call or write for some advice or the other.

The family has suffered losses, but this period was such that with the inner focus, all this appeared to be nothing more than Paramatma’s play – which was witnessed as such. Everything that needed to be done for the family was done with complete detached attachment, grief was felt briefly before the soul said that this is just a play, watch it – the real ‘you’ is imperishable as are the souls of the family members who moved on.

Let us all focus on 2022 positively, the more positivity we as a collective body of positive souls can create, the better it will be for taking on the negative forces and protecting ourselves from their energies. Let us all commit to meditate regularly, turn inwards and learn to witness all that is happening around us – let us give a helping hand to all those who need it. Through meditation, let us make our aura so strong that only those people who match our vibrational frequency come in contact with us.

Let us offer our selves in the service of mankind in whichever way we can. All of us have some skill or the other which we can share selflessly with those seeking these skillsets. Let us spread selfless love and compassion and try and make the world around us one filled with peace and serenity, joy and bliss, become one with oneself!

Leave Behind the Madness

 

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Leave Behind the Madness

In India, from March 20, 2020 the corona pandemic and dirty politics took pride of place over humanitarian values and basic kindness and humanity. The central government did everything to get things right and today, as we enter 2022, we have already seen things which we had never dreamt that we would. Lockdowns, stay at home, stay safe – work from home, economic downturn and revival, control over the pandemic, our own vaccines which proved effective and caused a huge loss to the pharma lobby. Lots of noise and politics over our own vaccines – and they proved successful and the international pharma lobby lost a huge market!

Moving on, India proved to the world that in spite of its huge size and population at the people level, humanity prevailed and kindness and love by strangers was not unheard of. Helpful hands always extended to those who needed it the most – this happened again and again – not reported by the press, because good news does not sell. Unfortunate, but true. Ultimately, it was India’s rich ancient cultural heritage and spiritual backbone which ensured that the country remained safe amidst the global madness, which continues today in other parts of the world.

Lots of help and support came from spiritual organisations like the Gurutattva Family, Isha Foundation, The Satsang Foundation which not only helped the citizens with material support but also held meditation and wellness camps to strengthen their inner values which helped the citizens to tide over this man-made crisis. The Central Government gave a lot of financial support with direct benefit transfers, free gas, and a whole lot of welfare schemes which reached the poorest of the poor, thus helping them overcome this madness.

As we enter 2022, let us look forward to unifying the world with love and compassion, we are all actually part of the same universal consciousness, living in different physical bodies, in different geographies, with different religious beliefs but having the same ultimate goal – that of liberation and thus merging with universal consciousness.

Let us all rise above our petty differences, trying to prove our superiority over others, let us instead give a helping hand and show the right direction to those who have lost their way. Let the politicians and governments do what they have to – let us at our individual levels spread the message of universal love and compassion, help more people on the spiritual path on the journey to inner peace.

Let us do our bit to ensure that the world tries to live as one family filled with love and compassion for those who are needy. Let us raise ourselves and the rest of the world to higher spiritual vibrations, thus uplifting global consciousness to levels of selfless love.

HAPPY NEW YEAR - GOD BLESS ALL

What is Most Important in Life?

 

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What is Most Important in Life?

We have all given thought to this question – ‘what is most important in life?’ Based on individual preferences it could be anything from friends, family, money, wealth, happiness, love, health, adventure, a good home and so on. All these preferences come from thousands of years of ingrained experiences gathered over several births – our focus natural goes on things which are material in nature and which we think are most important for us. This is but natural and it is difficult to think of anything else that is of paramount importance unless you get a glimpse of such a thing.

We consider going with the flow rather than being out of control a more important matter. But all these thoughts, all these considerations are relative and differ from individual to individual. A little bit of moderation – not too tight nor too loose – that should be the approach, a middle path in dealing with life’s circumstances. When we say go with the flow – do we mean the direction in which the world is going today? If that is the case, then it is not a very good idea as we will most definitely get into big trouble!

You need to get into the company of people who are going in the right direction – for that you should ‘know’ the right direction and you should not get misled by con artists who rule the social media world today – so called trend setters with millions of followers who set the trend for what has to be ‘sold’ or ‘said’ for a price! The right direction would typically be one in which you find comfort, peace and happiness.

The most important things in life are never material – though you may argue saying that without material comforts life can never be comfortable and happy. Saving yourself, maintaining high integrity and honesty, raising your standards, helping others selflessly, maintaining your peace – these can be considered to be some of the most important things in life. For the sake of these things, you should learn to give up anything that is not necessary and to hold on to anything that is useful.

In my view THE most important thing in life is to maintain your inner peace, your state of inner bliss and calm which can only come from practicing meditation and learning to become a witness to life. A living Master is always helpful as he sets you off on your journey to inner peace carrying you on his highway and letting you off close to your destination. You can only reach your destination through your own spiritual practice – that is the last mile connectivity which each one of us has accomplish.

Once we reach that stage of inner peace and calm, we live in a world of joy and happiness, selfless love and help others automatically without any selfish motive – that is the most important thing in life – your state of inner peace, bliss and joy.

Disturbance during Meditation

 

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Disturbance during Meditation

In the beginning when we start out on the spiritual path, we try to meditate, but it is very difficult. The moment our eyes shut our mind goes out of control with all kinds of thoughts shooting through the mind. Is what I am doing right? Will I succeed in my spiritual endeavour?

Swamiji in his discourses has mentioned that you will feel like scratching the moment you sit for meditation, you may pass gas, you will absorb all the external sounds and then you will think, “Hey, I cannot concentrate, this is not for me!” And then give up. But the trick is to hang in there, this is a practise, a sadhana and one has to do it with complete confidence and faith that at some point meditation will happen. And it does – for some it takes less time and for some more time, but happen it does!

During meditation you will suddenly hear the loud cawing of crows or the barking of dogs or maybe you children begin to fight and there is a racket – you get up angrily and try to shut the windows or scold your children for disturbing you. When you do sit for meditation initially, it just appears as if the universe is trying to discourage you. And guess who gets upset and angry? You? The ‘you’ is nothing but your ego. How can someone disturb me?

The very fact that you are getting disturbed proves that your entire focus even with your eyes closed is on the outer world and not the inner one. All your attention is on the outside – that is of no use. Initially with slowing down of your breathing or by focusing on your breath you can learn concentration, slow down your thoughts and then focus within. With time you will find your thoughts evaporating, your mind becoming calm, the external sounds become dimmer and dimmer and no longer disturb you, you start becoming centred within yourself.

The disturbances are now in the background, they no longer bother you. You start observing this – the moment you start ‘seeing’ this you start becoming a witness. You are beginning to lose your identity; you are beginning to merge with the void. Nothing disturbs you anymore as you remain centred in your being.

Your chitta is focused within, nothing disturbs you anymore – nothing makes you happy and nothing makes you sad – as you observe all the happenings with detachment – you remain blissful and joyous in the calm of your own nothingness!

Aloneness is our Very Nature

 

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Aloneness is our Very Nature

When we take birth we come alone in this world – who has taken birth? That is the fundamental question – who has assumed this physical body? We take birth to parents and we receive everything associated with the material world as a gift from our parents – our language, our religion, our race and so on – so that we can fit into this materialistic world.

We are born alone, we live alone, and we die alone. Aloneness is our very nature, but we are not aware of it – we live in ignorance. And because we live in ignorance, in unawareness – we remain strangers to ourselves, and instead of seeing our aloneness as a boon filled with bliss, silence and peace, we mistake it for loneliness!

When one says one is lonely, one is missing company and feeling alone – this is psychological and becomes a kind of illness – but aloneness is beautiful, it is filled with your own self, silence, bliss and pure solitude. Loneliness is filled with darkness in the mind, negative and dismal. Everyone is running away from loneliness – it is like a wound and it hurts – and when this happens you seek comfort in a crowd, to become a part of society, to seek friends, family and raise children.

The difference is accentuated when one starts meditating – the ordinary man goes on to try to forget his loneliness, and the meditator start getting more and more familiar and acquainted with his aloneness. Many people go to the forests, mountains in search of solitude and peace trying to find themselves. Their too their mind follows them and the noise of the crowd moves with them. It is then that they realise that the problem is not society, it is the mind.

If the mind has become quiet, then wherever you are – whether in a noisy metropolis or in the forest – it does not make a difference, because you will be at bliss with your aloneness wherever you are. Once you tune in to your aloneness, you will not be afraid of relationships – you will relate to them, you will watch them as a witness. Once you do this, this becomes your expression, it becomes a manifestation of all that is your potential.

Once you enter your innermost core of being, you will not believe your own eyes – you have been carrying so much love, blessings and joy and all this time you have been running away from your own treasures!

Know these treasures for your own self and then move into relationships with full consciousness – then you will be able to help people by sharing your love, your compassion, your kindness – you will be in a position to give dignity to people’s lives with your love, compassion and kindness. You will show them the benefits of aloneness and lead them away from loneliness.

Burdens we Carry

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Burdens we Carry 

Have you seen a butterfly take birth? It progresses from egg to larva to caterpillar to pupa and then when the sun is out it shakes itself, struggling to break the pupa, slowly opening its wings and lets the sun dry the wings before it takes off. If you are watching this struggle to take birth and decide to help the butterfly and assist it in any way, you are only harming its prospects of survival. The struggle is necessary to take birth, that burden has to be carried to survive. This is true of all beings, without a struggle, without burdens life will become meaningless.

We all carry burdens in some form or the other, lack of education, poverty, death of a loved one, it could be anything – but the purpose of life is to overcome these burdens and move on. Every burden we carry has a lesson in it for us to learn. We just have to learn the lesson, and slowly let the burden fall away from our subconscious and conscious mind.

We carry burdens because all the good things in life require a lot of effort on our part to get them. Burdens are nothing but journals of hardship to the ‘promised land’ of what you desire or need. Just as times of hardships and challenges in life help in character building, so too do our burdens. As a matter of fact, it is our burdens that make our trials tough on us. When we go on a hike our backpack is our burden as we climb uphill, but it also carries life saving equipment, so it is both a burden and a life-saver. What we carry may be dragging us down, but it is not stopping us, only we can stop ourselves. Burdens like trials come and go in life, but the way we face them and handle them stays with us for the rest of our life.

When we embark on the spiritual path, with time we begin to see the burdens we carry for what they are – they are nothing but stepping stones to character building. Once we see them in that manner, they are no longer burdens and we soon get over them as if they never happened – the only thing it does for us is makes us a stronger and better person.

Meditation helps us empty our inner self of all our burdens, as we become more and more empty, the burdens fall away into the distant past and then just fade away. We become stronger, better, compassionate and more loving as individuals.

Dreams and the Mind

 

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Dreams and the Mind

All of us have had dreams at some point or the other in our lives, some continue to dream even today. Many people like to go to astrologers to interpret their dreams, thinking that their dreams have a message for them – a very few do but the majority of the dreams are just trying to warn you about something about you.

The mind has only one capacity and that is to dream. The dreaming continues even while we are awake. This dream-state is even while living and acting in day-to-day life we are living in an illusory world, thinking about the past or planning for the future – when are we ever in the moment, that moment which is the only thing that is real. We are always vacillating between the past and the future – and that is what the mind makes us do – dream!

It is important for us to understand a couple of things: the mind is the source of all dreaming, but dreams can happen only when you are asleep. And if it so happens that you are dreaming throughout the day, that means you are fast asleep even with your eyes open at work! You may be appearing to work but deep down in your subconscious your dream keeps playing out. It is like the stars – you can’t see them during the day, but are visible at night, the same is with dreams, the moment you close your eyes the dreams come to life.

Dreaming is your continuity and unless this continuity is broken your dreams won’t stop and you won’t come close to the ‘truth’. The question is not whether the truth is near or far, but whether the mind is in a dream or not. So, the fundamental problem is not how to seek the truth; you cannot look for the truth with a dreaming mind, because whatsoever you see, your dreams will be imposed on it. You will interpret it and thus you will not be able to ‘see’ it. You will see according to your interpretation of the dream. Truth is there, it has always been there – we need to see it with an empty mind, in the void.

The suffering one undergoes in life is nothing but broken dreams – whether this is in one’s love life, married life, office, friends – whatever – if you deeply look at your suffering you will find that at the root of your suffering is nothing but broken dreams.

For those who do not get dreams, they have definitely progressed, they are on the right path – no dreams mean no thoughts – the mind has become quiet. The thoughts have stopped. So, the only way to reach the truth is: how to learn to be immediate in your vision, how to drop the help of the mind. The mind as an agent is the problem, because mind can only create dreams. Stay in the present – in the present there are no dreams. Sleep in complete awareness – you won’t get dreams.

Is Lying Good?

 

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Is Lying Good?

Many religions and belief systems say lying or telling lies is not good, it is even considered to be a sin. But tell me, is there anything that is good or bad in this universe, or is it our perception or view that defines something as good or bad. What is good and what is bad is predefined by society and the way things are accepted by that society.

So, can a little lie told to a person prevent hurt? And if it does, is it justified? Is lying terrible”? Is it always bad to lie? If lying is bad then why has such a concept been created in this world? We are all aware of white lies – lies told to avoid hurting someone’s feelings. Even in law lying is considered bad, and one is asked to take an oath to tell the truth and nothing but the whole truth. Remaining silent is also legally considered to be accepting any averment that is being made.

In India, the concept of narova kunjarova is used when someone gives a diplomatic response without taking any side or telling the truth. This concept comes from the epic Mahabharata where Yudhishthir on being asked whether Ashwathama was dead responds that yes Ashwathama is dead, but I don’t know if it is the warrior or an elephant with the same name. As a result of this answer Ashwathama’s father Acharya Dronacharya was so overcome with grief that he laid down his arms and sat down in meditation, and on Lord Krishna’s orders the commander in chief of the Pandava army, beheaded Acharya Dronacharya who had sided with evil in the fight of good versus evil. So, in battles of good versus evil telling a white lie is not considered bad.

Truth is not always wonderful, sometimes it can cause great harm too. To explain, let me tell you a story. Once upon a time there lived a hermit in the forest. One day a young nubile girl bedecked with jewellery came running into his hut and asked to be saved from a terrible man who wanted to kill her and rob her of her jewels. After a few minutes this man comes and asks the hermit whether he had seen any girl in the forest. The hermit goes on to admonish him saying that can’t you see that this is a hermitage and this is no place for girls. He asks the man why is he looking for a girl in the forest. The man goes on his way thinking that the hermit has not seen any girl. Here the hermit responds to the question with another question and does not say ‘no’ directly. So, did the hermit lie. Suppose the hermit had told the truth and brought the girl out, the result would have been three deaths – the girl, the hermit as a witness and the man himself who would ultimately be caught by the police and put to death.

So, who decides what is a truth and what is a lie – in reality everything just is – it is our perception of the situation that defines our ‘truth’ or our ‘lie’. One person’s truth could be another person’s lie – one cannot sit in judgement all the time – a better option is acceptance and let life take its course. Karma takes care of everything.

Control over the Tongue

 

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Control over the Tongue

We have seen so many people in life who love to chatter, some of it is nonsense, some of it gossip and some of it may be sensible too; the point I am trying to make is that we talk a lot! Talking also involves consumption of energy and if it is for a useless cause then your energy is wasted.

The tongue has two primary functions – taste and talk. Control over both aspects of the tongue is crucial to maintaining a peaceful and calm existence. If we cannot control our taste buds while eating, we become obese, lazy and unhealthy. If we cannot control our tongue while speaking it leads to all kinds of complications which consumes our energy in trying to set things right and restore balance in life.

Taste buds harm us only, hence it is somewhat easier to control our tongue while eating, but it is another matter while talking. Humans have the desire to talk because of their minds, the mind is active all the time and throwing up thoughts at a hectic pace – this makes talking like almost a compulsive exercise. It is so easy to get caught up in debates. We are passionate about something and we think if we just explain things a bit more, surely the person we are debating will finally get it. Unfortunately, the other person also thinks in the same way and then the debate becomes endless and ultimately acrimonious. Here apart from the tongue, the ego also comes to the party, so neither person wants to let go!

You probably know the pain of regretting words you have spoken: words of pride, dishonesty, envy, gossip, or anger. Although you can seek to restore bruised relationships through repentance and forgiveness, spoken words can never be retrieved. In fact, a physical wound heals very fast, but a verbal assault bruises the mind and heart forever and the scar is reopened every time one thinks about it!

Meditation helps in calming the mind, quietening it, and ultimately in controlling the tongue in both of its functions – eating and talking. It is said that silence is golden – we should learn to practice this. It is best not to speak when things are getting heated, in many such cases silence speaks more than words.

With meditation practice, over time, you find yourself being filled with selfless love and compassion towards all beings, then your tongue will automatically start expressing itself in a positive and loving manner whenever it is required. This is the divine at work, it starts happening automatically as you start becoming soul conscious. Your inner self is tuning in to the universal frequency which is of pure selfless love. Once this happens you will speak only when required and that too words of comfort, love, help, kindness and compassion!

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO ALL - MAY THE DIVINE SHOWER YOU WITH LOVE AND BLESSINGS

Just be Content

 

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Just be Content

All of us have so many desires, we want to accomplish so much in life, we want to learn more and more – I have seen people’s visiting cards which have their qualifications running into 3 – 4 lines – the visiting card is saying, “Hello, my qualifications speak volumes about me, what do you say?!?” This is just another manifestation of one’s ego – how much are you going to fill your mind with – in the end you are not leaving any space for universal consciousness to enter your body – you will just become another highly educated robot making enormous money at a huge cost to your spiritual and inner well-being.

The pressure you put on yourself is tremendous, because after you become so highly qualified you always want a job which pays you according to your idea of what is your worth and not the markets. In this manner, if you don’t get what you feel you deserve you end up feeling depressed and stressed.

The universe is always giving what you deserve and not what you want or demand – it gives you what is good for you. The best course of action is ‘acceptance’ – accept whatever is happening in your life with a smile and express your gratitude to your God or to the universe for the circumstances in your life. Be content with whatever life throws in your path – be happy with whatever you get and be grateful for what you don’t get. Praying and begging for things which you feel will make you happy are all material desires which ultimately do not contribute to your inner well-being.

Each one of us has taken birth for a specific purpose, unfortunately most of us do not know that purpose. But, just be content and appreciate that whatever is the purpose of your birth, it will get fulfilled in its own good time. Don’t be impatient and try to over achieve thinking that you are fulfilling ‘your’ purpose in life. Whatever has to happen will happen, and when it does happen it will give you tremendous satisfaction, at that moment you will know the purpose of your life, which has been hidden deep in your subconscious mind.

Anything to the contrary will be a battle which you just cannot win, because God is not going to fulfill any desire of yours which is not in your interest. When you start meditating, your mind becomes calm, the flame of desire dies down and you become more and more introversive. With inner peace and a calm mind, the desires evaporate and you become contented with what you have. Meditation is the path for peace and contentment in life.

Empty your Mind, Brush your Heart

 

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Empty your Mind, Brush your Heart

Many of us feel that once we have embarked on the spiritual path, we have automatically become purified and we begin to get a holier than thou attitude. This is unfortunate as this attitude itself another manifestation of our ego, a subtle feeling of superiority over so called ‘others’. In the olden days seeking a Guru, living in an Ashram, studying under the Guru’s tutelage involved a lot of hard work and penance. Today, we live in the fast age and think that spirituality is also fast-tracked – this is the biggest misconception – we need to do our meditative practice, we need to do everything that was done earlier, but in a far more comfortable environment.

You may be very regular in your practice but the moment you get up from an hour’s meditation, instead of enjoying the silence and peace which you had just experienced, if you get a call from office and get into an argument or heated discussion, then all your peace and calm gained disappears in a jiffy and a negative environment is created. What have you gained? Nothing! If there is no control over the mind, if you cannot keep your mind empty then at least keep it calm with positive thoughts! The ideal is to keep it empty and approach all such potentially calm-busting calls with clarity – you could just say, ‘Let’s discuss this in office, I am getting in early’.

The energy which you generate and imbibe during your morning meditation is to be preserved in a way that your aura carries your inner peace into the outer material world – your attitude and approach should always remain calm and dignified, not excitable and offensive – that is the only way you will maintain your calm, dignity and respect.

An offensive response is a sign of our animosity, of deeper negative feelings hidden in our heart – ask yourself, “Am I loved by everyone? Does everyone enjoy my company? Are they comfortable around me?” If you get a feeling from within that this is not the case, then immediately approach the person with whom you have had a tiff, apologise and make things up – this will brush away the cloud around your heart, it will cleanse it, make you feel better.

Do not have ill feelings towards anyone, this is bad for spiritual growth, forgive and forget and move on. It is alright to have differences of opinion, but do not let it degenerate into personal acrimonious differences. Like Her Holiness Guruma always says it is alright to have difference of opinion and argue, but do not let it become a difference in the mind. Don’t allow any negative feelings to remain in your heart even for a few hours, clear it up at the earliest.

How can you brush your heart? Talk to the people concerned. Clean out the negative feelings, then you can go to bed with a clean heart and sleep comfortably. If you consciously try it, it becomes very easy. It’s not really an impossible thing.

Running After God

 

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Running After God

We remember God only during tough times, only when we face challenges in life which seem insurmountable – that is when we remember God from the depths of our heart. Then we go to temples, churches, mosques, gurudwaras etc depending on which religion we have been born into! We have completely forgotten our true nature and we keep running after God to help us and save us from our current predicament!

My mother strongly believed in horoscopes and what the astrologers predicted – she used to worry about me, as I was quite carefree and reckless as a child. And as I grew up, I realised that all the predictions about my elder siblings always proved accurate but not about me. Then we met an astrologer cum seer who told me that your horoscope is difficult to predict as there are other factors ruling your planets – thereafter I would take all those predictions positively which just helped me get through the next crisis in life. But my nature continued to be carefree and joyous without a bother about what life is dishing out for me, facing each challenge head-on with a smile and moving on.

That phase of my life taught me that we have to face our challenges, our karma, and move on – God is always there as a psychological booster to help you face your challenges, just don’t run away – the moment you run away, the same problem will take another more severe form tell you learn that life’s lesson and move on.

The idea is to stop running after God, stop all the external rituals which we keep following thinking that God is watching and he will help – God always helps those who help themselves – that is a cardinal lesson which we all need to learn. Don’t beg and plead and ask for mercy – no use – God will not listen to your pleas, there are billions of people who are doing what you are, so you will be in queue!

The best approach is to awaken the God within you, once you do that you will find guidance coming your way from within – you will suddenly find you have the strength and fortitude to face life’s challenges with a smile on your face! Once a Satguru or living Master enters your life, and plants the seed of awakening within you, you find that your external chase for God was a waste of time, when he existed within you all the time!

With this realisation contentment and satisfaction, joy and bliss become a part of your life, the chase has ended, there is no more stress. Purity of heart gives rise to contentment, and gradually you learn to rise above your wants and desires. Your body and mind become calm and peaceful. Cosmic Awareness starts functioning from within you. Let your ego rest and allow your awareness to guide you!

Time and Inner Time

 

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Time and Inner Time

We have always been bothered about time – how many times have you said or heard the statement, “I don’t have time!” Umpteen times, I bet! What is it about time that both fascinates as well as bothers us? I remember as a child that time would move very slowly, but as I grew up the hours just flew! When we are doing something that we enjoy, we find that time just flies and when we are in trouble, time appears to stand agonisingly still! We keep looking at the clock and see that the minute hand has hardly moved!

When we are in love with someone and so deeply engrossed in sweet nothings – time has no meaning as we are lost in our own cocooned world. When we are doing something that we love, something creative, then too we are in our own world and time has no meaning – it just flies, we don’t feel the pangs of hunger, or anything else as we continue doing what we love. On the other hand, when we are stressed because of any reason, then we worry about the future and we notice the clock is moving very slowly.

If you look at time scientifically then time is just an illusion, there is no such thing as time, time is a human psychological construction which arises out of our need to make sense of the changing universe around us. We ‘invented’ time so that we could have a reference point to look back into the past and dream about the future – this is because of our ability to think and remember thus forming memories. So, if you think deeply about this – time exists not, but it does so only in our minds. Our fear of death also defines time for us – because if we have unfulfilled desires and we run out of time we take birth again to fulfill those desires.

But once we start meditating, once we start becoming a witness then external time stops holding any meaning – our inner time starts taking hold, in fact in deep states of meditation we reach a state of no mind and therefore no time!

Sit quietly and witness the mind, watch it. The moment you start watching you will be deluged with thoughts and all kinds of memories, but slowly as one penetrates a little deeper, you will start experiencing gaps – silent spaces of no thought – this will take some time, but one can experience that the innermost core of our being is coming closer. That innermost core of our existence is timelessness, where both time and space don’t exist!

Masks and our Reality

 

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Masks and our Reality

Each and every one of us has wears several masks, and with each mask we play a different role and none of these roles are real. Shakespeare in his play ‘As You Like It’ had said, “All the world’s a stage, and all the people merely actors; they have their exits and their entrances; and one man in his time plays many parts.” This statement has the essence of one’s life written in it. It embodies the human role on this global stage and the various parts played by one person throughout his/her life.

We play several roles – a child, a son/daughter, a brother/sister, a father/mother, a grandfather/grandmother, an employee/boss, a friend/enemy – we wear all these different masks and we play our role perfectly fitting that mask! Others are living with painted face, wearing masks – these people are called Christians, Hindus, Moslems, Jainas, Sikhs, Buddhists – they wear masks of religion and some of these religions kill to prove that their religion is superior! Now, this is against the basic tenet of humanity – but if you see historically, all the major wars have been fought over religion – more people have been killed in the name of religion than by any other means! This speaks volumes for man’s inhumanity against man!

All these masks are hiding your reality – your reality lies buried deep within you. Spirituality belongs to your essential being, and religion only to the outermost. The spiritual person does not belong to any creed or dogma, church or temple or mosque. Spirituality is one and religions are many.

As Osho had quoted a Zen saying: ‘Better to see the face than to hear the words. Wouldn’t it be better to see the and to hear the words?’ It is one thing to understand the words of mystics and it is a totally experience to understand them. The words are simple, anybody can understand them, but the implications can only be understood by those who have experienced the consciousness flowing from the words. In the above saying – ‘Better to see the face…’ by the ‘face’ the implication is about your innermost reality and not the face you see in the mirror – it is about the real you and not the mask you are wearing at the moment. It is your inherent spiritual reality – the you, the consciousness which is a part of universal consciousness – that part which has been hidden for thousands of births!

So, through meditation and spiritual practice under the Master’s guidance, till we learn to walk on our own, we peel of the various masks which we wear and go deep down within our core to find our real ‘self’ – ‘Aham Brahmasmi’. That is the goal of spirituality, the meditative path makes us discover our true nature, our true self – we are Brahman – we are universal consciousness. Like Osho said, “I was never born, I never died, I was just passing through.” Peel of the masks and revel in the REALITY.

Do you get Intimidated?

 

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Do you get Intimidated?

Just remember that only timid people get intimidated – believe that we are God’s own children and then there is no case for intimidation!  Don’t be timid, don’t compare yourself with others at all. You are what you are – a unique person on the whole wide world stage. The king is needed and so is the queen, the gatekeeper, the hero, the warrior, the villain and the serf, isn’t it? All these people are playing their role on the world stage – and so are you – just play and act your part.

Assuming you are the gatekeeper in the drama standing in front of the gate to the king’s palace, while the king is sitting on the throne, why should you feel bothered? Without you the play cannot proceed. You have your roles to play only in the drama, once the curtain falls, you embrace each other. You congratulate each other on how well each role was played, laugh and go out and eat together! So, we all have our roles to play.

There is nothing that is unimportant in this world, God has made everything for a purpose and everything plays its own role without being asked to. You just need to look at nature and you will realise this truth. The sun, the moon, the trees, the wind – all of them play it without being asked and we take them for granted! If you feel that you too are God’s child, then you too will be happy with your role.

The intimidation with your role is happening in your mind – it is your own wrong notion about yourself. You do not think too highly of yourself – you are potentially divine – all humans are born with divinity. Each person’s role itself is to look for that divinity deep within one’s own self. If you think that you are not God’s child as created by God himself, then who can help you? If you are a lion and bleat like a goat, who can help you?

You need to rise up and exercise your birth-right, affirm your true nature. Keep telling yourself the statement which Nisargdatta Maharaj had said – “I am that” – keep on repeating it over an over in your mind, till you start feeling that, ‘yes, I am that!’ Once you realise who you are, then you will be free of your problems, as your mind will know that you are a lion and not a lamb – you are the immortal soul and all else is temporary, you will know that!

Work as an Instrument of God

 

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Work as an Instrument of God

When we ask someone to perform any kind of task as if we are performing it for God – what do we mean? What we are trying to say is do that task so selflessly, filled with love and compassion such that the result will always be positive for the beneficiary and you will feel good and blessed within. The happiness which one derives by working selflessly for others is very difficult to explain – this joy and happiness makes us glow from within.

Swamiji has said this umpteen number of times – do not bring your ‘I’-sense into your work – do whatever you are doing by surrendering it to the Guru-energies – it may be as mundane as sweeping the floor – do it as if you are offering service in the house of God – and you will get that inner glow – believe me, just try it and see for yourself!

In Sanatan Dharma the concept is of Karma Yoga, which is a path of devotion to the work. One loses one’s identity while working, only selfless work remains. This state is very difficult to achieve. Generally, some rewards or incentives or outcome follows the work and one is attached to this reward or incentive. This is not Karma Yoga! Non-attachment with the work and becoming the perfect instrument of super consciousness in this manifested universe is the ultimate aim of Karma Yoga.

There are innumerable ways of becoming God’s instrument – helping the needy without expectation, showing love and compassion to those who are feeling low and depressed, doing your daily office work with complete dedication and honesty. For example, be the kind of visiting teacher you always wanted to be; ask a single adult about that he/she intends to do in life, rather than why haven’t you got married yet; share instead of accumulate; smile at your spouse or child even though they’ve caused frustration and heartache; put your arm in comfort around someone who has suffered a huge loss; show by your attitude that you are finding joy in this life’s journey.

Believe me, there is no end to the good we can do, the influence that we can have on others who trust us and have faith in us, we can be counsellors to even those people whom we do not know personally and help them with love and compassion. Stop being critical and negative, learn to look at the positive always and always do so by looking at both sides of the coin. Let us pray for strength and the capacity and desire to assist others selflessly. Let us light up the life of others with the same light that radiates within us – that of love, joy and compassion.

Giving a Helping Hand

 

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Giving a Helping Hand

What’s the point in blaming or disliking others? The approach should be to avoid such persons and don’t go near them. Swamiji keeps saying that if you are uncomfortable in and around certain people or conversations, don’t participate or inter-mingle, just move away. If you do participate you are most likely to end up in an argument which will only end up hurting you. The best thing to do is first try and analyse for yourself – why don’t I like this person?

There may be certain things that you do not like about a person, the way they behave, the way they do things, how they speak and so on. But that should not affect you – ask yourself, “Have I not behaved in a similar manner earlier at some point or the other?” Maybe you learnt your lesson then with whatever consequences you had to face because of that behaviour, so now you feel that you have a right to question others or to look down upon them!

Such people will learn their own lessons, we do not have to feel superior and admonish them. By doing so, we are just putting our ego up on display! Everyone learns their own lessons over a period of time – some quickly, some after making the same mistake again and again. The universe always punishes with greater intensity each time a mistake is repeated – so instead of admonishing, it is better to advise and tell such people about your experiences in similar situations.

By doing this you are showing compassion and understanding. Swamiji always talks about being selfless, loving selflessly – so let this come to the fore and you will find that you feel good and helpful too. When you think in this manner, then your dislike for that person disappears, your attitude is now positive as opposed to superior and negative.

You may even feel like helping that person, but if you can’t, then just give advice and allow that person to take his or her own decision, let that person take his or her own time to learn and grow. All of us are not on the same level, with proper understanding we will have no difficulty in liking everyone. Of course, there are a lot of people out there who are not good for you, but let your own aura protect you – such people will not come anywhere close to you!

So, if you cannot help a person then at least do not dislike him or her. People grow through their mistakes – the school of life teaches everyone – some learn early, some take time. That’s why never hesitate to give more chances to people – give a helping hand rather than a condemning one!

Dreams and Reality

 

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Dreams and Reality

We, in the eastern hemisphere and especially in India attach a lot of importance to dreams, we ‘believe’ that dreams come true – no doubt some of them do come true – though the reality is that our entire life is a dream and nothing is real! You may well ask how this is possible – in India the ancient sages used to call life ‘maya’ or an illusion, that we live in an illusory world far removed from reality. But for the sages it was true but not for the ordinary mortals – for them life was as real as it can be.

As an ancient culture we have always been seeking ‘the truth’, in fact it is believed that we all take birth to attain that ultimate state which is called liberation, merging with universal consciousness by attaining the state of unity, oneness with Paramatma.

So, what happens when we dream, we actually watch a kind of move when we are in deep sleep and in that state that dream is as real for us as can be. We are actually living that dream, if it is a good dream, we wake up feeling very nice and refreshed; if it is a bad dream we wake up with a start and find our heart is racing and that we are breaking into a sweat! It is only after waking up that we heave a sigh of relief and say, “Thank God, it was only a dream!”

In our sleep we completely forget the ‘real’ world and assume characters as if in a drama. The distinction between dream and reality is that reality remains as it is; dream is something that happens once and is gone, you cannot bring it back, you cannot manage to have the same dream again. Many times, when we wake up, we cannot even recall the dream – what remains is just a hazy memory of something that happened in deep sleep!

You cannot repeat dreams. They are not objective; you cannot share them; you cannot invite friends to come and have a dream party. Reality on the other hand is objective and so is inner reality!

When we start meditating, we start seeing images in our Agya chakra, these are nothing but images which come up from deep within our subconscious mind. This is a sign of progress as we go further and further. After a point the images stop – what remains is a benign darkness, like a deep tunnel. It is only after we reach a state of unity or completeness in meditation that we see the light – the light of a thousand suns.

The life we live is also just as illusory – it is made up of our wants and desires – making us live in duality – whereas the only reality is advaita – that which is non-dual. That state comes when we become a witness, when we become observers of life and start accepting life as it comes – good or bad does not matter – as there is nothing good or bad, it is just a happening, it is our life unfolding in front of our eyes. Once we learn to go with the flow, we find that our heart opens up and selfless love for all beings starts coming to the fore – we start living our lives in the ‘void’ as witnesses only! That is the reality, all else is a dream!

Desires - a Hindrance to Liberation

 

Photo Credit: Yeshye Rabgye

Desires - a Hindrance to Liberation

It is said that for a human being to have the following three things at the same time is very rare – a healthy human body, a desire for moksha and a Guru to show you the way. All these three elements come together to a very few select people in their lifetime. And when this confluence does take place, then know that it is time to become liberated.

Each soul knows this deep down, but the vagaries of living one’s material life buries it to the extent that the soul’s voice gets muted and ultimately dies down. When the time is right, and life’s lessons are learnt then the above confluence of three occurs. We have a healthy physical body (Swamiji keeps telling us to exercise regularly), the desire for liberation awakens within us (we meet our Master – in our case His Holiness Shivkrupanand Swami), and He tells us to meditate and now He is telling us to love selflessly to attain that state of being that is called moksha. Both meditation and loving selflessly lead you on to the path of liberation.

We all have done a lot of meritorious deeds in our life, and some of us have also done deeds which we are not too proud of! But all these were done when we did not know better – all done in a state of ignorance about our real purpose in life! But once we have learnt our true purpose – liberation – then the whole approach of the Universe changes towards us. Now, we have to be extremely careful to ensure that meritorious deeds do not get attached to us and we do not perform any bad deeds!

The way to ensure that meritorious deeds do not get attached to us is by ensuring that whatever we do, we do so selflessly and surrender the fruits of those deeds to the Guru-energies with the feeling that they have done the deeds and we were just their mediums. When we have a Master in our lives, when we meditate regularly, live healthily, then there is no way we can do any bad deeds. The energy, the vibrations which emanate from our body ensure that we are protected from people or circumstances which have a negative effect.

Whether we believe in reincarnation or not, it’s a fact, this is now being scientifically proved too – many studies are on and there are many people who can distinctly recall their past births. Our soul has travelled a long way, we are almost at the end of our journey – from seed to animal, animal to human, human to superhuman. Unconscious to subconscious to conscious to superconscious!

Swamiji recently narrated the story of two sadhaks who had more or less attained the state of liberation, but due to some very silly desires at the time of their death they will be reborn – one for the desire for ice-cream and the other for a potato burger! The Gita says that our desires become very intense just at the time of leaving the body – whatever is submerged deep in our subconscious comes gushing to the surface, this is because at the very last minute our mind and body, in fact everything about us is weak.

So, if we really want to merge with universal consciousness, then ensure that we empty ourselves completely, fulfill all the desires we have, tick all items on our bucket list (if we have one) and ensure that our mind is free and light and totally void during our final moments, totally devoid of desires – then rest assured He will ensure that we don’t come back!