European Tour, Part 3
Friday, 15th of May 2015, Heartfulness Seminar, Lyon, France
The first day of the seminar had arrived. While the beautiful venue was below ground level, the vibrant energy of the abhyasis lifted it to the heavens. It was amazing to see more than 2,600 abhyasis from all over Europe gathered together here in Lyon. Brother Alain Desvigne gave a warm welcome to everyone and shared how special this seminar was for several reasons. It had been a long time since a gathering of this scale was conducted in southern Europe, and furthermore it was the first of its kind hosted by dear Kamlesh bhai. He went on to suggest ways of addressing Kamlesh bhai – as Kamlesh, Kamlesh uncle, Kamlesh bhai, brother Kamlesh, or dhaji, an affectionate and respectful Gujarati term used to address the youngest brother of one’s father. Lastly he requested that he not be addressed as Master. Kamlesh bhai then addressed the gathering. Full of love, he said that he was deeply awed by the presence of so many under one roof.
Purposeful meditation – the garden of the heart
Referring to mention in the welcome talk of 'spiritual seekers', Kamlesh bhai asked the audience, “Are you still seeking or have you found something?” He reminded all those present not to simply be overwhelmed by the peaceful condition we feel after each meditation, or to be complacent with the happiness it brings. He used the example of a walker, who keeps going out of the house for a walk and comes back after getting tired only to go out again later. Our meditation should not be like aimless wandering. It should be purposeful meditation, where we constantly remind ourselves of the goal we are striving to achieve.
He added another example, saying, “What would happen if a farmer keeps doing the same thing, entering the farm, walking around and doing nothing? The heart is my farm where I cultivate my emotions. We plant something inside the heart, and in turn we expect a beautiful garden to grow within the heart. Can we do it alone, this exercise of seeding, nurturing, cultivating, and harvesting the farm? We labour in our hearts, preceptors are helping us, so many brothers and sisters are also helping us, and our Masters are constantly helping us, through that beautiful rain that soaks our heart. But which seed are we planting in the heart? I would like you all to think about this. What sort of crop would you like to grow in your heart? When we don’t cultivate these seeds properly in an organised manner, the heart becomes like a forest. Seeds of all kinds, of all desires, will take hold and grow like weeds. And such a wild forest will overwhelm the tiny, tender little thing that wants to grow up and become a giant tree, occupying the canopy of the whole universe, called the consciousness.”
Creating an egregore – “Grow from I to we and become one with all.”
The second idea Kamlesh bhai developed was the importance of the collective rather than individual nature of the prayer. He went through the words of the prayer, highlighting 'we', 'our' and 'us'. He pointed out the irony that in spite of saying these words, many of us actually mean 'I', 'my' and 'me'. This translation is a result of the twisting of words by our egos and desires. He explained that this inherent contradiction is an impediment to our growth, and urged everyone to reorient and develop a greater understanding of the prayer.
Elaborating further, Kamlesh bhai said, “One thought occurs to me about this ‘we’, ‘our’ and ‘us': without ‘us’ egregore is not possible. And as Babuji puts it, so nicely, ‘I need help from you all.’ Imagine the great Master asking us for help, and what sort of help is he asking for? I thought we need his help, but here in spirituality we are mutually dependent on each other. He is requesting us to practise with passion, with fervour, with joy and with cheerfulness, not for ourselves only, but for us all. Because with such an attitude, practising, I am able to create a certain vibratory level, and when so many individuals come up together like that it creates an egregore. According to him, when a certain vibratory level will be reached on this planet, when that tipping point is reached, the mutation will happen automatically.”
Youth Program
Immediately after leaving the meditation hall after the 11 a.m. satsang, Kamlesh bhai met the youth for the first session of the youth seminar. There was a beautiful spontaneous flow to the dialogue with contributions from Kamlesh bhai as well as several young speakers, and the session was filled with laughter and applause.
The main topic of discussion brought up by the youth was sankalpa. Kamlesh bhai said, “When you want to create a condition through sankalpa, you must first bring that condition into yourself.” He explained that there is nothing complicated about it – just as it is so simple to become angry when you want to or quiet when you want to, “You don’t need to exercise so much by trying to remove the negatives. Just go straight to the point.” He cited Babuji as an example: “Whenever he travelled overseas with our Master, before leaving India, in Delhi, he would say, ‘Parthasarathi, by the grace of Lalaji Maharaj, the work is done.’ Then Master would say, ‘Shall we cancel the tickets now?’ So whatever he had as a mental conception – that he wanted to achieve something in Europe, create some atmosphere and conditions in abhyasis, some newer approaches, newer avenues to Sahaj Marg – he was able to visualise them and actually create them, so that they have happened now, in the future. Likewise, when you want to create a condition in yourself, think that it is already there in you.”
Some young sisters and brothers also described their understanding of sankalpa, adding useful tips for their peers: for example, give more power and energy to positive thoughts than negative thoughts, and observe the root of your thoughts and gently guide yourself in a good direction.
In response to this, one participant asked if focusing too much on positivity can also create samskara. Kamlesh bhai addressed this with another example: “Someone questioned Babuji Maharaj, ‘We are constantly restless about liberation, constantly loving the Master. Will this not create an impression?’ So Babuji very nicely said, ‘I would love to have to go through that impression. This is something I would like to create, in the love of God.’ Also, true wisdom lies in knowing my relationship with my Master. Anything else and everything else, I would not say to you at this age that it is useless, but prove it in your life. What achievements can we make with horizontal relationships? It is okay that we are in a family, we have parents and we love them. We will also have families – some of you already have them. We don’t detach ourselves from them; we associate with even more love actually. Loving someone is not going to spoil the relationship with God, for example, because that is what he expects from us. Doing the positive thing, as a duty, will not create samskara.
“Also, when you are doing some job, and you think of Master and you are indulging in that activity, thinking that either, ‘He is there,’ or ‘I am doing it for Him, for God,’ then you will not form an impression. And even if you do form an impression, it will be so superficial that with just an idea that it is gone it will be gone. So do whatever activities you perform, considering them as your duty. As a student what is your duty? Do your work the best you can. And the purpose of life is only this – doing our best in all situations.”
When a participant asked if there was a difference between 'sankalpa' and 'suggestion', Kamlesh bhai explained that some aspects of the Sanskrit word get lost in translation: “You are using your will, and expressing your desire for something to happen. You are giving it power, and you are already imagining that it is there.” With the word 'suggestion', however, there is no indication of what should come in place of something else. He added that once you learn through your own experience, you don't need to know the exact meaning. One participant shared that this is the case with most things in Sahaj Marg; you instinctively know what it is once you feel it. Another brother's understanding was that sankalpa is something that builds slowly, and as you attract it more towards you it manifests within yourself.
Several other heartfelt contributions came from participants, including one brother’s description of how the 9 p.m. prayer has transformed his heart and opened it up completely. He urged his brothers and sisters to really pour themselves into the universal prayer and feel the meaning expand to touch all forms of creation: a truly magical experience.
Later in the day there was a meeting with preceptors with a question and answer session. One of the themes Kamlesh bhai emphasised was the need for simplicity, purity and humility. After this session he retired for the day.
