'Religion Divides, Spirituality Unites'

Shri Ram Chandra (Babuji) founded the Shri Ram Chandra Mission (SRCM) at Shahjahanpur, Uttar Pradesh in 1945 as a tribute to his guru of the same name who belonged to Fatehgarh, UP. The aim and philosophy of the Mission is to create awareness and guide individuals to attain closeness to God through Sahaj Marg, a method of Raja Yoga or, Yoga of the Mind. The present president of the Mission, Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari (who retired as Executive Director of TTK Industries, Chennai) is now devoted full time to the Mission work. At 71 years, "Master," as he is referred to by his disciples, oozes confidence, quotes liberally from Shakespeare, Greek, Latin, Hindu and Sufi philosophy in fluent English with a marked Tamil accent; and is physically fit enough to be easily mistaken for a retired athlete if not for the extraordinary tejas he exudes. He speaks to Narayani Ganesh on achieving inner realisation through meditation, and promoting universal love and peace, just by regulating our mind:

Q: You say that religion divides, whereas spirituality unites. What is the difference between the two?

A: Religions make the process of God realisation difficult. Every religion believes there is one ultimate God; but each insists that its own God is supreme. In the name of religion there is more hatred than love. In spirituality, individuals seek themselves out within their own heart through meditation. It has a calm effect; it is simple. Religion says, "Love thy neighbour." Is this possible? We say, "Remove hatred from your heart." The focus is on the inside, not the outside. We have to try to remove negative feelings from the heart.

Q: Is this what Sahaj Marg is all about: spirituality?

A: It is the "Natural Path" because it is simple and easy. We use the mind to train itself; to regulate the power over action. My Master said we are normally slaves of our mind-the mind is running us. With meditation, we realise the divine presence within our heart and are left with just one thought-that of universal love.

You have become what you are today, because of what you did in the past-not necessarily in the historical past; may be what you did even in the last minute. God is right inside us; we are trying to achieve something that is within us. So, we have to unlearn what we have been made to learn-we have to uncreate ourselves to what we were. It is like peeling an onion till you come to the centre where there is nothing. We have to go through this process of cleansing or self-purification to begin our quest on a clean state.

Q: Does your Mission hope to transform the society for the better?

A: No, we don't try to transform society. We only reach out to individuals to help restore human values. When human values are falling and there is degradation, it is important to seek out the guidance of a spiritual guru or master. To take to Sahaj Marg, the guidance of a living spiritual guru is of paramount importance.

If you want to change the universe, change yourself first. The world does not condition us; it is we who condition the world. There is nothing more terrible outside you than there is inside you. Man is the only animal that acts out of greed for profit. Unfortunately, when Man conducts himself in a lustful manner or acts out of greed, he is likened to an animal. Animals kill only when they are hungry or in self-defense.

Q: When you train people to meditate, is there a focal point to which the mind is directed?

A: Focusing on something has its limitations. We believe in channelising the energy of the mind for self-improvement to make us better human beings. When you focus on the external object like a flame or an idol to garner concentration, dependence on something outside of you (external) is created. Whereas, the objective of Sahaj Marg is to seek within-something like self-help-but with the guidance of the guru. To learn cycling, the best way to learn how to regulate your mind is to start meditating with the help of your guru. Closed eyes help since they shut out the external world.

Q: Are you against temples and deity worship?

A: I wouldn't say I am against it; but I certainly think such forms of external worship (like in a temple) are counter-productive. On the contrary, an ashram is a place of repose where you can get rid of your shramaas (problems, worries or miseries) through meditation. We believe in the eternal Present, where Time is subjective, unconditioned by externalities.

Q: To what do you attribute the present breakdown in human values?

A: Man's inner self has not sustained the values within itself. Therefore, very often we preach what we don't practice. Human evolution is only morphological. In our worldview, there is no such thing as evolution. The soul does not evolve. It is transcendental, immortal, etc. The soul can choose the form in which man can express his latent samskara (actions). My Master said, anyone can be anything. What a person does, is not because of his inclination or talent; it is samskara that puts you into the inlcination.

Q: Nearly 14,000 abhyasis (devotees practising meditation) from all over the world attended the three-day congregation organised by your Mission last month in Delhi. Yet your Mission and its message are not widely known.

A: We create awareness by practising what we preach, we don't do prachara in the traditional sense. My Master, Babuji Maharaj believed that when a lamp is lit, light is automatically diffused to surrounding areas just as the fragrance of a flower needs no advocate. Goodness must attract interested people. All our abhyasis lead normal, worldly lives; just as many are professionals, we have those who are not educated formally.

Human beings are always directing their energies into fields that are purposeful and self-oriented. When they understand that the 's' in self should be in capital (uppercase), the God within is closer than you think-right inside your heart.

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