North American Tour, Part 4
Monday, 8th of June 2015, Fremont, California
Respected Kamlesh bhai reached the Fremont ashram a day earlier than scheduled, much to everyone’s delight. The gathering began with satsangh at 6 p.m. After this sitting, he said, “I felt a new beginning was triggered. It will crystallise over the next few satsanghs. Be attentive to what is happening, and be super sensitive. Something very profound is in the offing. Please come and attend all satsanghs, and receive as much as you can."
His visit brought rain to California, which has been facing a severe drought. The rain is a Sahaj Marg tradition, and it was welcome here in Fremont. His humble presence and love touched all our souls.
The Fremont ashram is unique among the ashrams outside of India, in its size and capacity for various activities and functions. It is located in the Silicon Valley area. With Kamlesh bhai’s presence it was possible to visualise the whole place full of people, and in fact over the three days that is exactly what materialised.
Tuesday, 9th of June 2015
The joy in the Fremont ashram on this morning matched the joy in Nature as the hills outside the ashram soaked up the outpouring of rain from the heavens. Everything and everyone was nourished and full of life.
There were three satsanghs, at 7.30 a.m., 11.30 a.m. and 6 p.m., and the response from many abhyasis was, “My goodness, how deep is it possible to go?” We were not able to comprehend, in a state of “no feeling and such lightness”.
Kamlesh bhai visited the children’s rooms and spent time with people around the ashram.
Wednesday, 10th of June 2015
The day at the ashram started with satsangh at 7.30 a.m. followed by breakfast. There were again three satsanghs during the day.
Beyond Self
After breakfast, all the abhyasis received a two-page document written by Kamlesh bhai, entitled 'Beyond Self'. Everyone was requested to meditate and reflect on the content. This article focuses on the need for the loss of individuality to attain the Goal.
After the evening sitting, Kamlesh bhai gave a talk on the handout, in which he said:
We must become fully aware of the spiritual conditions bestowed upon us. We should deeply cherish them, preserve them and intensify those inner states. We must become sensitive to keep those conditions, play with those conditions and retain those conditions. We will get a grip over those conditions through our daily meditations. If we don’t expand or cherish the conditions, we lose them.
‘Cry’ before meditation and see what happens. Good conditions bestowed upon us can easily be destroyed, so please take your time, and digest them.
If we create the awareness to read those conditions, we should be able to recall them and enjoy the flavours. We should be able to recall the best meditations. If we appreciate the sittings more and more, we will be given more and more.
Develop willingness to receive the ultimate gift, and prepare oneself to receive it. Our Masters are waiting for us. We have to be ever ready in an honest way.
Sahaj Marg is all about acceptance. Perfection is hard to find. To make things work we need to accept, and adapt to our life-situations, change what we can, and if not please move on.
Thursday, 11th of June 2015
The full day program continued with a festive atmosphere. The 7.30 a.m. satsangh started before the scheduled time and the hall was in utter silence and filled with Grace.
Relaxation for children
The children were delighted when they heard that Kamlesh bhai was coming to do a guided relaxation with them in the morning. They waited for him with anticipation and excitement, practising the relaxation technique. At 11 a.m. Kamlesh bhai arrived at the children’s room, and all the children wished him “Namaste Master” in unison. They were thrilled to meet him in person and Kamlesh bhai smiled happily at them throughout the session.
Prior to starting, Kamlesh bhai asked the children why we need relaxation. They answered that relaxation helps us to eliminate stress, feel good and be happy. He asked them if they would like to learn the relaxation technique and they all said “Yes” in one voice. He then guided them through the relaxation technique and afterwards asked how they felt. They commented that they felt good and relaxed. He then asked them to teach this technique to their friends and family and also requested the children to write to him by email and gave them his email address. He said that he would like to hear from them regarding their own experiences of the guided relaxation and also about teaching the technique to others. It was a delightful experience for all the children. Even the very young ones sat quietly and focused throughout the relaxation session and followed Kamlesh bhai’s instructions closely.
The subtle body and the koshas
Before the 11.30 a.m. satsangh, all abhyasis received a handout with a diagram outlining the three bodies of a human being.
After the satsangh, Kamlesh bhai explained how our Sahaj Marg practice helps the evolution of the subtle body and its four main elements: chit (consciousness), manas (mind), buddhi (intellect) and ahankar (ego). Consciousness expands into divine consciousness, thinking develops into feeling, intellect evolves into wisdom, and ego is refined. He mentioned that there were in fact nineteen elements of the subtle body, and also spoke about the five koshas – annamaya kosha associated with the physical body, the pranamaya, manomaya and gyanmaya koshas associated with the subtle body, and the anandmaya kosha associated with the causal body.
He again spoke about the Mission prayer being for all, as it is not just about me and myself. There is no room for fuelling the ego. People mistake it to be about their own personal growth and journey, but it is never about ‘I’ or ‘me’.
He spoke about the way audiovisual electronic media affect our subtle body, whereas our lifestyle should preserve the subtle vibratory level. At night-time, we should iron out our inner disturbances by praying to Him, and invoking His mercy, making a commitment not to repeat any wrong doings. There is more love in an apology when we ask for forgiveness. We should not do it artificially, as repeated mistakes become habits, and then samskaras develop.
How to be with children
Kamlesh bhai also spoke about children and how parents should behave with them:
Please do not disturb children’s subtle bodies, by abruptly waking them up from their deep sleep. Change your lifestyle so that it harmonises the subtle bodies. Nothing is more important than the interest of a child. The child demands the mother’s presence more than the father’s. Attend to their needs, and do not force them to grow. While offering prayers, imagine your head in His lap and see how its percolates our being.
He spoke lovingly to all the parents. He encouraged parents to patiently wait for their children to bloom, in the same way that a flower blooms on its own. Children’s minds are like flower buds, and should not be forcefully opened lest they be destroyed. Do not push them too much, as Sahaj Marg is all about heart to heart, and we must learn to be patient.
If we place others’ interests first, then most of the problems will go away. We have to forgive others’ mistakes, especially in families. If we fight with them, we lose them. It is better to give up, as something better will be waiting.
The children had made twenty-five copies of a storybook and gave them to Kamlesh bhai. He invited everyone to purchase copies and everybody felt it to be a golden opportunity to receive the book from him.
Heartfulness Programme
On this final day of Kamlesh bhai's visit, the ashram was open in the afternoon for newcomers to experience Heartfulness. Around seventy-five seekers tried the Heartfulness Guided Relaxation and experienced meditation without and then with yogic transmission.
Abhyasis attending the session were also able to see the new approach to offering our meditation in a very simple, experiential, step-by-step way.
All were invited to stay for the satsangh at 6 p.m.
After this, Kamlesh bhai again spoke about how audiovisual input pollutes our inner being. It is very difficult to comprehend the samskaras formed by audiovisual media. We have to prepare ourselves to stay alert. Let the heart speak while making those decisions.
Without our cooperation, the Masters cannot work on us. Cleaning creates a vacuum so that Grace may flow. We have to prepare ourselves to receive that Grace.
In true love there is no force. We cannot force anyone to change.
Kamlesh bhai patiently answered everyone’s questions. His kindness and sense of humor moved us all. He invited everyone to join him in Molena and also in India to celebrate our beloved Chariji Maharaj’s birthday.
It was a matter of great joy for all volunteers that Kamlesh bhai was happy with the arrangements, and pleased with the ashram and the gathering. His presence was like a river of love flowing under the surface, nourishing our core, giving purpose and direction to all the efforts. We all felt blessed to do our bit, and to have been able to partake of this opportunity to be in his presence.
