European Tour, Part 6
Friday, 22nd of May 2015, European seminar, Vrads Sande, Denmark
Preparations and arrival of Kamlesh bhai – joy and shining eyes
The morning was fresh in Vrads Sande, and everyone was wrapped in big coats. Abhyasis were running here and there. Buses arrived from the accommodation halls full of people with sleepy faces and beautiful smiles. The message was clearly written on their faces, 'Today is the day dear Kamlesh bhai is arriving'. Inside the cottage, work was going on to make the place ready for his arrival. The meditation tent was cold but abhyasis were running around with piles of blankets to rescue the ones already seated. There was a beautiful and pure atmosphere, and so much happiness!
As buses arrived from the airport and train station, abhyasis went from counter to counter to register and choose volunteer work, and there were smiles and people wanting to help. It is a big family and everyone contributes in their own way to make it work as a whole.
Walking around the ashram, people were happy to meet their brothers and sisters again. Breakfast was served by a team working hand in hand, and the brave ones were standing outside waiting for the dishwashing task to start.
At the registration counter the breakfast break was not so long, and all were back to work, ready to welcome the new arrivals. The meditation tent was getting some special treatment, heaters, with volunteers working on the installation as fast as they could. The cafe was humming, the strong scent of coffee and croissant wafting out the door.
After a second meditation at 11.30 a.m., a small gathering started around the cottage as everyone felt the arrival was imminent. However, once the bell rang for lunch, most people went to the dining hall and no-one crowded around the cottage. All felt the need to leave space for the arrival of Kamlesh bhai, allowing it to happen casually without any stress and pressure. A few minutes later, he arrived and was welcomed by a few abhyasis who were walking around. After freshening up, to the happiness of all, he was soon back outside a short while later, meeting abhyasis while going for a walk around the ashram. Handshakes, smiles, laughter and shining eyes, the happiness of all was at its apex. Yet discipline reigned, and all were patient, waiting for their turn to meet him casually and naturally.
After this short walk Kamlesh bhai was back to the cottage, taking rest and working for a while going through his emails.
The time for satsang came and all the abhyasis gathered in the hall a while before, Kamlesh bhai conducted the satsang.
The Complete Works of Ram Chandra Volume V, Archival Edition was announced after satsang, with an insight into the purpose of such an edition; to preserve the works of the Masters for the future generations. This inspired and infused in the abhyasis an enthusiastic attitude and so many wanted to have a copy of their own, as a gift to the “children, grand-children and great-grand-children”, supporting now their evolution of the future.
Soon after, Kamlesh bhai continued with the preparatory work of the twelve preceptor candidates.
In the evening, he went for a walk to the village of Vrads Sande with a handful of people. Everyone was happy to see him again before a good night’s sleep.
Saturday, 23rd of May
The shared melancholy
The morning started with the making of bread at 4 a.m. Abhyasis in the kitchen were up early as everything is done in the ashram itself. The fresh bread was ready before satsang and so were the jams, muesli, cornflakes, milk and curd. The breakfast was lovely every morning and the kitchen volunteers really worked hard and with their hearts. All of us felt the attention, full of love.
The atmosphere in the mediation hall was very calm and peaceful. It was so conducive that a few minutes after sitting down most abhyasis were already in meditation.
Kamlesh bhai conducted satsang at 7.30 am. After satsang, he had breakfast with everyone in the dining hall, sharing this moment and the growing feeling of brotherhood. After breakfast, Kamlesh bhai was back in the cottage, meeting the preceptor candidates at 9.30. This session was followed by a few meetings, mails and other work.
At 10 a.m., there was a presentation for all abhyasis on Heartfulness in the meditation tent. She explained the open approach to offering Sahaj Marg through Heartfulness. Heartfulness allows a new seeker to go at their own pace with the practice, rather than having to start all aspects of the practice at once. It also allows seekers to experience the effects of transmission for themselves in a very practical way, rather than having it explained. Sahaj Marg is explained through simple means, resonating with its true meaning, the simple path.
The session was very informative and it clarified many things, making it more understandable. Kamlesh bhai clarified technical issues of Heartfulness the next day, during the question and answer session. He clarified that introductory sittings are done just like in Sahaj Marg, i.e. they are mostly cleaning; also that in the guided relaxation “it becomes the most potent and effective when we connect our heart with the source and then give the commands. There is no transmission, no cleaning. That is also a Heartfulness exercise that can be done by abhyasis.”
Then the 11.30 am satsang took place, and at the end of the satsang Kamlesh bhai started his talk in remembrance of Master.
Melancholy
“Vrads has always been a special place in my heart and so it was in the life of our beloved Master. I have been here twice in his absence, once when he sent me here to celebrate Babuji's birthday in 2012 and now.”
“We feel a melancholic state and I am sure none of us can escape such sadness that we feel in his absence. I share your pain, I share your melancholic state and I don't say that there is any medicine for it. We have to just live through it.”
Simplicity, purity and humility
The theme established in Lyon and afterwards was evoked and developed further.
“Let us have a simple lifestyle; a lack of complexity which is simplicity. Let us avoid all the impurities that can pollute the inner being. Let us avoid arrogance, especially with our loved ones, wife and children, and parents especially. Why cast our arrogance on our dearest ones? At least let us avoid those things with our own. Having achieved these three things there will be lot of peace around us.”
“Someone can have the arrogance of a king and still forgive. So those two also don't go together. You have to be humble.”
Kamlesh bhai returned to the cottage for lunch, after which he went for some rest.
In the afternoon, there was a Heartfulness experiential session in Danish, for local visitors. Around forty people came and most of them went on to take their first sittings. A similar session was conducted on the Sunday afternoon.
After the 5 p.m. satsang, Kamlesh bhai created a connecting web of information around simplicity and humility, weaving threads about likes and dislikes as well as arrogance.
Likes and dislikes
Kamlesh bhai spoke about the way we develop likes and dislikes, being pulled by our desires, and how they then govern our choices in life. He asked us to think about, “Why this constant exercise of likes and dislikes? We go on feeling those likes and dislikes.”
“In all my actions, the simple solution I find is to ask myself, ‘What is my duty?’ at any given moment, instead of being pulled by likes and dislikes, yes and no.”
How deep is the inner core?
Shortly after this, Kamlesh bhai returned to the meditation tent to spend some time with the children of all ages, from four-year-olds up to the seventeen and eighteen-year-olds. The diversity of the group was nice and invigorating. All had wonderful questions, quite surprising ones for their ages. It showed how much the atmosphere of divine presence, of meditating parents, and such gatherings have on the dear children.
The session started with Kamlesh bhai asking the children about relaxation. When he asked if they knew how to do it, many raised their hands. A young boy was asked to come and conduct the relaxation for the others. Kamlesh bhai invited the young boy to sit on the arm of his chair. The young boy started the relaxation and Kamlesh bhai was whispering in his ear the words to be spoken to guide the relaxation. Once the relaxation was over, the question and answer session began. There were no microphones and the session was so casual. There was laughter and joy, and the children would stand one after the other, having in mind more and more things to ask.
Some of the questions were:
- What happens when we reach the goal of Sahaj Marg?
- What would you do if you could talk to an elephant?
- Where is the Brighter World?
- If everything is predestined, how do we change our destiny through spirituality?
- Do you think that you are the most famous person in the world?
We could see how spontaneously Kamlesh bhai was gently bending to the level of the children and raising them up, holding them in his heart. The children were so natural and it was funny as well to see their questions. They asked whatever came up in their minds without a second thought. After the session, the children left and were once again running around, but with appeased faces and smiles.
Kamlesh bhai spoke about the session the next day to abhyasis.
He said “Yesterday I had a program with the children and they had very, very beautiful questions. One of them asked, “How deep is the inner core?” Another one asked, “How do you maintain all the spiritual experiences and conditions that you get? Is it not difficult?”
He then had dinner in the cottage, while the abhyasis outside were washing dishes after dinner, playing the piano, dancing around, waiting for the buses to take them back to their accommodation and drinking warm coffee to warm up in the coolness of the evening.
