"Look for perfection within, not outside."
The journey continues.
Master said, “The spiritual journey is a pilgrimage of two together to the ultimate divine abode.” The two are the seeker and the guide.
Master talked about the idea of compatibility several times. Let us say we find ourselves in the higher world with our great Masters now. Can we survive in that divine world with our current state of being? Water can mix with water easily and become one. Water and oil cannot mix and become truly one. The seeker has to become more and more compatible as the journey progresses to achieve complete oneness.
He asked, ‘Without compatibility, even if we make it there, can we exist there eternally?” If the seeker has to run away because of his insufficiency, even while being in front of the Great Ones, it can be very well described in Hindi, in the words of Babuji Maharaj, “Samunder kho baithe.” This means that he has lost the ocean. Purity of heart is essential, so how to develop it? By doing what we are supposed to do, playing our part in simple obedience without a doubt that Master is always fulfilling his part.
Loving hearts were pulling him into deeper areas of Maharashtra. He visited Nasik, Yeola, Lasur, Aurangabad, Chikli, Jalna, Ahmednagar and, finally, Pune. Master’s schedule kept changing like unpredictable weather. It was surely guided from above. He just kept moving and working continuously.
One morning he said, “You can connect and learn from wherever you are.” He was motivating and coaching preceptors to refine their spiritual work and behaviour. He was enthusing abhyasis to participate in spiritual work through intense practice and prayer.
One abhyasi complained about not being able to sleep well. Master said whenever he is not able to sleep he would take a book and read, or meditate so as to make use of that time for spiritual development. Many a time one could see Master studying, making notes, discussing and meditating on the teachings of our beloved Masters. The teacher himself was implementing the principle of “Shravana, manana, nididhyasana”, which must become an integral part of the seeker’s life.
Words are not enough to express the essence of these travels. So much was done in so little time; it must have been happening beyond time.
Sunday, 15 March 2015
Master reminded us that the intoxication of the ego is very difficult to remove. The ego makes us push things hard and clouds correct thinking and reasoning ability.
Master reached the new ashram at Nasik by evening and inaugurated the meditation hall. This ashram location is stunning. Master said, “This is a lovely place and I don’t feel like going away from here.”
The gathering was more like a large family gathering. Master talked about practical issues in utilising ashrams that are far from the city. He requested one and all to have regular satsangs in the city itself and also use this ashram as much as possible.
“I wish that the ashram site is such that at any moment, on a whim of your heart, you can say: “Chalo jaana hai. Dhyan me man nahi lagta hai. Ashram jaake aayenge [Come, let’s go. I am unable to meditate. Let’s go to the ashram]. Even ladies should be able to go the moment they feel in their hearts, ‘Chalo, we will go to the ashram.’ If it is around the corner, within the city, take a rickshaw and go.”
He was concerned that ashrams far away from the city make it difficult for newcomers to attend satsang regularly. His thoughts were on how to make it easier for newcomers to attend. He also mentioned that those who are regular should not criticise, judge or make comments on newcomers who are not regular in their practice. Such behaviour only generates guilt and eventually they stop coming.
Monday, 16 March 2015
The day started with satsang and a long road journey to Aurangabad, visiting small centres on the way. The first stop was Yeola, a small centre of around eighteen abhyasis on the way to Aurangabad. Master conducted satsang and spoke to abhyasis. It was like a small family function. There was excitement and a lot of joy in the air. He felt at home.
At 1.30 p.m. he was back on the road again and stopped at Lasur. He conducted satsang under a tree on the new land. The pure village atmosphere was filled with peace and the breeze was soothing. By 4.30 p.m. Master reached Aurangabad, conducted satsang and gave a talk. He said, “This morning while I was conducting satsang in Nasik I felt very cold there weatherwise. Then I realised that there was nothing wrong with the weather; I was not properly dressed. I should have taken a sweater. The same thing they say in the West. They believe that there is nothing wrong with the weather, but it is we that are not dressed for the occasion. Life also is like that. It surprises us like weather changes. The weather always changes. There is never a steady weather with twenty-four degrees temperature and forty degrees humidity – it is always changing.
“We all are imperfect beings; after all we are human beings. We interact. I interact with others with my imperfection. Others are also imperfect people. So when two imperfect beings are interacting, there is going to be chaos, there is going to be friction. So why fight with this imperfection of others? I need to focus on the imperfection of myself. I cannot change others. Instead of changing others, I have to change myself. And there lies my perfection you see – how well I mutate my behaviour, how well I mutate my lifestyle, and how well I adjust my lifestyle so that there is always peace around and there is always peace within. Even if there are two persons and one is perfect, let us say, there will still be a problem because one of them is imperfect. We have all seen how the Masters have suffered.”
Later, Master answered many questions raised by abhyasis. The questions were mainly about spiritual systems and practice. While Master was patiently dealing with these questions, a subtle process could be felt: heart to heart bonding, increased enthusiasm and joy.
Tuesday, 17 March 2015
Master conducted the morning satsang at Aurangabad Ashram and then conducted an open house at an engineering college, called ‘Experience Meditation’. It was attended by more than one hundred and fifty students.
Master gave a short talk on meditation and the importance of experience. He also conducted a practical session on relaxation, which itself produced a knockout effect. He then gave the first introductory sitting for all in the group. The fire was lit.
At 11.00 a.m. the journey started for Chikli.
Wednesday, 18 March 2015
At 7.30 a.m. Master conducted satsang at Chikli Ashram. It was something very special. At 11.00 a.m., on the return journey to Aurangabad, Master stopped at Jalna, a small centre, and conducted satsang at an abhyasi’s home. An elderly sister of about eighty-two years of age attracted Master’s attention. She wanted to show a plot of land that she was willing to give for the Mission’s use. Master visited the site. The departure from this place created something in the heart: a bit of pain and a sadness of separation.
At 6.25 p.m. Master conducted satsang in the Aurangabad Ashram, followed by many informal sessions with abhyasis. He inspected the kitchen, dorms, office and had dinner with a large group of abhyasis. All were happy by this unexpected event.
Thursday, 19 March 2015
“Enjoyment is a trap, and even bliss is the final trap in our spiritual journey. The spiritual journey requires us to shed everything.”
At 7.30 a.m. Master reached Ahmednagar and conducted satsang. Under strange and unexpected circumstances, Master ended up visiting an abhyasi’s home. The morning plan of returning to Aurangabad changed, and Master gave a sitting. Slowly the hall swelled with hundreds of abhaysis. A spiritual atmosphere enveloped one and all. He read out Babuji’s letter about how one should conduct life. The session was filled with laughter, joy and many simple insights. He enjoyed this egregore and wanted to be there longer.
Master brought our attention to the Mission prayer. Most people offer the Sahaj Marg prayer with an individualistic idea of ‘I’. The prayer itself clearly states ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us’, not ‘I’. The prayer that we are doing should be a prayer for the entire humanity.
What is the difference between consciousness and awareness? “Consciousness is not a uniform thing; it keeps changing. When we are sleeping, we are conscious in some way, as sleep consciousness is there. The same way we have dream consciousness. We have consciousness of now. We have consciousness of a different nature during meditation, and a different consciousness during the state of samadhi. The whole spectrum of consciousness is there.
“Now, what is awareness? Awareness is to see how consciousness is functioning. When I am sleeping, am I aware? You are aware only after you are awake. Likewise when we go into samadhi, we know only later that I was in a state of samadhi. There are two types of dreams: one is where you are aware that you are dreaming, and the other is where you feel it is real. So this is the extent of awareness.
“The origin of consciousness is the function of one of the subtle bodies described as chit, and awareness has its origin in another subtle body called manas. Chit envelops everything, especially the four bodies. A little lower than that is the realm of the function of manas (mind) followed by buddhi (intellect) and further followed by ahankar (ego).”
The session kept flowing. The simple and devoted hearts attracted Master’s attention.
Master’s travel plans changed and a journey to Pune started. At 7.45 p.m. he conducted satsang in an abhyasi’s home in Pune. The hectic day continued.
