After the celebrations for the birth anniversary of Babuji Maharaj, Hyderabad
Monday, 2nd of May 2016, Kanha
In the early morning, Daaji went for a short walk on the northern side of the ashram. Around 6:30 a.m., he conducted satsangh in the main meditation hall and then solemnized sixteen marriages.
During the day, Daaji shared some thoughts: “It is the prayer that triggers everything in Sahaj Marg. Is God your goal? What is the real goal of Sahaj Marg? To whom should we pray?
“Unless and until one understands the essence of prayer, the true connection cannot be established. In the beginning it is good to pray to God. Once you start seeing God in the Guide, then you can address the prayer to ‘O Master!’ Then that phase comes automatically.
He said, “Babuji used to say don’t think that others are not abhyasis. Think that all are abhyasis and treat them as such.”
Sahaj Marg meditation is universal in its application. All we need to do is turn our attention inward, thinking that there is Divine Light present in the heart. Daaji said, “The inner spiritual environment is the core element of Sahaj Marg, which gets reflected outside automatically. This has to be created within. To create peace outside, it should be in the heart first.”
Repetition is a divine law
Good things must be repeated. Babuji used to say don’t we eat everyday. The mind also needs enrichment. It comes in many ways. The same word uttered with a different sound will have a different meaning. If you like the same sentence from your Master, and he goes on repeating it, you will like it all the time. When the connection is true, then one will find a different meaning every time he reads or hears it. When Babuji said something yesterday, you were a person with a certain vibratory level. Today when you hear it, it is not the same person who is listening, because you are at a different vibratory level.
Is this repetition? It is repetition for those who are stuck or stagnated. For those who are evolving, it has new meaning all the time. Repetition is repetition if you are stagnant, but when you are always moving you will not find stagnation in anything, you will find meaning in it.
Daaji said, “Love is everything. Love makes one appreciate, love makes one see things. One cannot develop sensitivity unless one has love for abhyasi.”
When asked about repetition again, Daaji said, “Why does your father have to go on repeating things to you? Because you don’t listen! At a second level, he has to go on repeating until you finish something. Then, at yet another level, you may have finished it, but it has not become a habit. In order to establish the neural circuitry in your brain, certain things have to be repeated again and again, to establish it like a biological clock. As the famous scientific statement goes, the neurons that fire together remain wired together. When this is done over and over again, the very repetition creates a newer neural network. That’s all.”
Tuesday, 3rd of May 2016, Kanha
Daaji’s day started with preparing a preceptor candidate, followed by meetings. In one of the informal sessions, he mentioned that Sahaj Marg should be presented properly. Sahaj Marg is a sweet medicine, and we should not bitter coat it!
ETV is planning to air interviews with Daaji in their ‘Manasa’ program. The TV anchor received the first sitting before starting to record the interviews.
In the evening, Daaji went for a long walk around the Kanha ashram. There was a clear sky. He was inspecting the work and giving inputs to the team. Clouds started gathering with thunder and lightening, but the rain was very little. Daaji joked, saying, “This fellow is only making noise since yesterday.” Suddenly it seemed as if the rain god heard his joke, as in the next five minutes more clouds gathered and it literally rained like cats and dogs. Daaji kept teasing the rain and they went on communicating. He thoroughly enjoyed this.
Once the rain stopped he resumed his walking, now to study the water flow, ponds and how to harvest the rainwater. He also carefully looked at the safety and security aspect of the construction work. This lasted for more than two hours.
Heavy rains and winds disrupted the tents and brought cool and pleasant weather.
Wednesday, 4th of May 2016
The morning started with the final sitting for a preceptor candidate and continued with recording of interviews for the ETV program.
Daaji went for a short tour of the ashram, and in the evening it rained heavily and brought cool air once again.
Thursday, 5th of May 2016
Daaji completed the never-ending email work. Around 7:30 a.m. he gave the final sitting to a couple from Japan to permit them to work as preceptors.
After breakfast, Daaji studied the interview session plan for the recording of the next episode of the ETV programs. Listening to an incident, he said, “When somebody praises you, don’t listen to it. When somebody speaks badly about you, all the more reason not to listen. Why listen? Emotions are dramas.”
Just outside his room, all of a sudden two birds started making a lot of noise. They were arguing and the noise level kept growing. Daaji said, “Somebody should record this. This is how it sounds when two lovers argue and fight!”
Around 10 a.m. the interview session started. He recorded four episodes until almost 1 p.m. The interview sessions covered various topics like Bhakti, Karma Yoga, Guru, meditation, self-development, balancing life etc. He also spoke about his personal experience of managing spiritual aspiration and the demands of business life. The session flowed well, and Daaji and the interviewer both enjoyed the session.
What is bhakti?
It is a selfless love for the Lord. Talking about meditation, Daaji said that meditation reflects our consciousness like a mirror. It reflects our inside to our self and offers an opportunity to correct [make-up] ourselves.
While talking about Karma Yoga, he said that Karma should produce within us a spiritual condition of union with God. Such a thing can be called Karma Yoga. Karma without Jnana is not useful, and likewise Jnana without Bhakti is not useful. Meditation brings all these elements together by sensitizing us towards our duties.
Daaji said that right from the early days of his practice he was clear about the spiritual goal of life. For him, all other aspects of life were essentially supporting elements for the pursuit of spiritual goal. Talking about his business ventures, he said that all the team members were like one family. He said that trust, sharing and caring for each other is a necessary condition for the well-being of any organization.
He recalled an incident where one of his young employees had mishandled a transaction for personal benefit. Daaji came to know about it and called the person, telling him that he understood what led this person to such an act. He asked the employee to approach him whenever there was a dire need for funds. He helped him overcome a particular situation in life such that this person became a trusted member of the organization and never left Daaji.
The interviewer posed an interesting question: how long can one keep on adjusting with others in life? Daaji said adjusting is always about adjusting oneself inside. He also mentioned that where there is love there is no question or idea of sacrifice. Expecting others to change to your tune ruins harmony.
Friday, 6th of May 2016
Daaji was up very early in the morning, and at 6:00 a.m. he gave the final sitting to a preceptor candidate. He then answered emails and went for a short walk. He discussed with an architect the landscape design for the Babuji Memorial site.
Is it possible to develop craving in a seeker?
Yes. Masters can develop craving in the hearts of seekers. Utilizing this craving for higher Reality or God is the responsibility of the seeker. One should cultivate the habit of directing thoughts towards higher ideals.
In the evening Daaji met the architects about designs and developmental works at Kanha.
At the dining table, Daaji spoke about conditioning and said, “Babuji Maharaj says that eating in constant remembrance with pleasant thoughts, from honest earnings, all has an impact. The second thing he also said was about positive attitude. Don't make negative suggestions. Instead of saying, ‘Don't mess up your exam,’ you can say, ‘I am sure you will do well, with his grace.’
“Babuji keeps saying in his messages from the Brighter World: think of the future world, and think it will be better. Think that it is joyous, think that better days are coming, and things like that. Slowly, these things will happen.”
At night he was ready to retire, and an abhyasi was sharing his difficulty in having the feeling of love and devotion before starting meditation. The abhyasi mentioned that when he is fully enthused there is a different feeling.
Daaji said, “That is also a problem. When you are so enthused that you are feeling emotionally motivated, wanting to do so much with a lot of joy, have you seen your meditation at that time? It is too superficial. Even though you are sitting because you are so happy to meditate, that happiness prevents you from going deeper. Either happiness distracts you or sorrow distracts you; both are distractions. Let them be where they are. Focus on meditation.”
Monday, 7th to 9th May 2016, Hyderabad
One of the days, while talking about levels of ego, he said one can identify ego as pride (garv), self-respect (swabhimaan) and arrogance [abhimaan]. Pride in ones own actions or talents is welcome, and to introduce oneself as so and so is natural and not out of place. But to promote oneself as the best as if no one is better is blatant arrogance.
In an informal talk he mentioned that riches have meaning only when they are used for doing good things. Likewise, in the spiritual world, what is spiritual wealth? What is the currency of spirituality? How to make use of spiritual wealth? How do you grasp it?
In the night, Daaji was mentioning that if prayer is offered properly, with sincere introspection and resolution to change, then surely there will be transformative change in a seeker.
Daaji then took some much-needed rest, preparing for the long upcoming travel to Europe and the USA.
On the 9th morning, at breakfast, he asked one of our preceptors, “Can you read grossness at various points?”
Daaji said we should read the condition without using force, by just relaxing and waiting for the condition to reveal. He gave an example of how Egyptologists went about studying and deciphering the ancient language in hieroglyphics without knowing anything about them to begin with. It is an interesting analogy!
Later, at 8:30 a.m., the doctor came to visit Daaji. There was a conversation about nadis. The Surya nadi is active during the daytime and promotes activity, and the Chandra nadi is active at night and promotes rest and regeneration. The smoothness of breathing in the right nostril or the left nostril indicates which nadi is active.
Daaji was mentioning that the parasympathetic system is more active during the night and the sympathetic system is more active during daytime. He explained the functioning of the nervous system in simple language. One thing you will notice about Daaji is that he is a very keen observer, always learning and experimenting.
Later in the day, he was reviewing his blog for the Huffington Post, which address the importance of a good night’s sleep.
An abhyasi remarked that this universe is a big mystery and we know almost nothing. Daaiji said, “We ourselves are a big mystery!”
In the evening, he finished his email work and then focused his attention on tree planting at the Kanha development.
Daaji elaborated on the nature of grossness and how it affects the functioning of our subtle bodies. This knowledge and understanding is very useful in dealing with our own journey of change.
He said, “Either we like or dislike. Likes and dislikes are always there. Sometimes there is no apparent response whatsoever, yet there is an impression in us in some way. These vibrations are stored at point C.
“When you like or dislike something, for example a TV show or some music, it settles at point C. Anything related to sensual pleasures settles at point B. Similarly when you have regrets, guilt etc., it settles at point D. Then when such experiences arising out of these things related to points A to D are not satisfied, emotions are triggered that create unrest at point 2. If this unrest remains for a long time it becomes anger and that grossness settles at point 3. And if you remain angry for a long time it affects point 4 and creates fear. When this fear crosses its limit, it reaches the 5th point, and then you lose discrimination. When discrimination is lost, you lose your manas and all thinking is lost. When discrimination is lost, you lose the power of thinking at that moment. When this continues, you lose individuality in a wrong way.
“Losing individuality as a result of inviting God is a different thing. You can lose individuality out of insult or you can also lose individuality out of surrender in joy. When there is acceptance with joy, the journey in the cosmic region starts. Without acceptance and surrender, you cannot enter the Brahmand Mandal. There is an interesting thing here: let us say the Great Master out of mercy puts someone in Brahmand Mandal but later that person has issues accepting beloved Chariji and withdraws. One can imagine the huge curvature setting in, which is so detrimental to one’s own evolution.
“Contentment in the heart with peace promotes love. Love promotes courage, and courage promotes the state of mind which helps you make decision very fast.
“It is basically vibratory distortions which become knots and settle; they cannot settle anywhere else. The vibrations cannot go higher or lower, but just stay there where they belong. Hence they gravitate to those particular points.”
Daaji mentioned that the nature of grossness at the various points came to him as a revelation. On this topic of desires and grossness, he recalled what Lord Krishna said in the Bhagavad Gita in chapter 2, verses 62 & 63: “When one thinks constantly about objects, attachment for those objects arises. From attachment desire is born, and the desire leads to anger. From anger comes delusion, from delusion comes loss of memory, from loss of memory comes destruction of intellect, and once the intellect is destroyed, he perishes.”
At the dining table, Daaji talked about the evolution of consciousness. Through his talks and articles, he is describing the spiritual anatomy to raise our understanding in the matter of spiritual evolution.
Around 9:30 p.m. he gave a sitting and this ended with a question and answer before he went to rest:
What is required in a seeker for spiritual success?
Daaji said, “Babuji used to say interest and observation are required for spiritual success.”
Tuesday, 10th of May 2016, Hyderabad
Daaji was up early in the morning, sipping his tea and reviewing his travel plan. He mentioned that the future will bring better weather in India. Human creativity will continue and technological developments will continue in different ways. Daaji said that compared to the scale of the universe and its evolution, earth and its life is very short.
Around noon, Daaji was going through the Whispers and pointed out a message in which Babuji spoke about creating a better world in the future, dated Thursday, January 3, 2013, 10:00 a.m.
Imagining a better world is almost equivalent to building it. Positive thoughts create an environment that enables the preparation of this future which will be more conducive to the blossoming of human beings. A constant cleaning is taking place although it does not seem so; such a situation must escalate to its peak before the reconstruction process is eventually started in the interest of humans. One day, everything will have to be revisited; the current situation can only go to the extreme before coming back to more acceptable standards in favour of a humanity that is evolving. Here below, nothing is respected any more, thus everything is to be rebuilt in a positive manner. It will take upheavals of every kind for humanity to be transformed towards the good. This situation saddens us; we all work here towards the good, but we cannot currently change the divine plans. They are very precise; everything has long been planned. Sowing the good seed, that which will restore a sense of right values to the world, is a strong hope, and we hold to it with our actions. Many of our brothers and sisters realise how much individual behaviour can help in these troubled times to prepare this promising new era. So many good elements are working for the good of all.
The current situation moves us; may the pervading negativity give birth one day to a new world full of promise for all. It’s up to each one to commit themselves as best they can, strengthened by our never-ending blessings.
Babuji Maharaj
After lunch, Daaji sat with the Kanha team for a very long time reviewing various design options, materials and construction planning.
Wednesday, 11th and 12th of May 2016, back at Kanha
Kanha is being built bit by bit, plant by plant, and day by day!
It is literally true! In the vast land of Kanha something changes somewhere every day. Near the north-western part of Babuji’s monument, the landscape has changed. With the rains of the last few days, the 4-acre water body started filling up. With water, many birds are coming and slowly new life is developing there.
Along with many children and volunteers, Daaji went to the lake and planted many saplings of mango, neem and other trees. One large banyan tree from the eastern side was moved to the bank of this water body. This evening the work became a celebration. Each one of these children planted a sapling. Daaji sat silently with everyone for some time and many projects were discussed for the future. This whole spontaneous evening celebration ended with pizza for all the young ones around.
On the 12th, Daaji was up at 3:30 a.m. and finished many of his works. By 6:00 a.m. he was outside initiating other projects, this time on the eastern side of Babuji’s monument. The nursery team and volunteers planted coconut saplings on the main avenue. The work moved very swiftly so that the avenue was transformed in an hour. In the future, Kanha will have wonderful greenery and many places to meditate and contemplate in a charged atmosphere.
Around 6:30 a.m. Daaji walked to the Welcome Lounge and conducted a sitting. A young couple was permitted to work as preceptors. The work continued at the breakfast table, putting a seed for another big project that will benefit thousands of new seekers.
The Sahaj Marg spiritual movement is expanding and needs so many resources, including financial resources. Daaji mentioned that sustained and regular small contributions from all abhyasis will help the movement in a big way.
Later, he reviewed the budgets and ashram needs. Suddenly he asked, “What is Heartfulness meditation about?”
“It is all about shifting consciousness to a state of poise and stillness that is responsive from the heart rather than reactive from the mind. Also to move from selfishness to selflessness, from aggression to acceptance, from fear to courage, from being to non-being, transcending religion, transcending spirituality, and going beyond bliss and everything. It is about connecting ourselves with the Source, where there is no worry about me and mine.”
Q: What is this being and non-being?
Daaji said, “Being is about experience and non-being is about going beyond experience. From depending on things to depending on nothing; going beyond the senses to no senses. In short, it is to cover the complete spectrum of superconsciousness, consciousness and subconsciousness. Then again Babuji says that consciousness is like a toy in the hands of a yogi! We have to go into Beyond, to that which supports consciousness. What is next?”
While reviewing materials and equipment for Kanha, Daaji looked at a catalogue of children’s play equipment, which he selected for Kanha and other ashrams. He also drew some landscape designs for some parts of Kanha. By noon he was again on a short trip to select locations for an auditorium, café, children’s centre and other facilities.
By 5:30 p.m. many had gathered around the cottage. Daaji came out to the car where everyone wished him a good flight, happy journey etc. But the car did not go to airport; it just went to the water body on the north side. Daaji saw some more saplings being planted and moved around in Kanha for sometime. He came back to cottage and this time said he was really going to the airport and left. In the car also there was discussion about the work at Kanha. Kanha is a special land and many are trying to buy land near by. One of our abhyasis remarked, “Diamond is diamond. Everything around it is not diamond!”
Daaji will start his European and North American journeys to move the movement forward!
Just something to ponder over…
Everything has a source. One always finds sources for inspiration, ideas, teachings and many things for life. Is there a source of sources? Is the spiritual guide the source of all sources?
