Conversations with Daaji, June 2017
Kanha Shanti Vanam
In this bulletin, we bring you some updates from the work at Kanha and snippets from Daaji’s conversations with abhyasis.
We look forward to your comments and feedback on the bulletin. You can write to us at sahajsandesh@srcm.org.
Work as one team and work with your heart
Abhyasi: How frequently should we go to you for project updates or to share progress reports?
Daaji: Your heart will tell you when to come and if there is a need it will happen. Of course, when I need someone I can just ask that person to come and meet me.
Abhyasi: You have done away with all the hanging around that used to happen with the Master.
Daaji: That is making people in the Mission more productive and many people are doing very good work and contributing a lot to the growth of the Mission.
People should meet me as one team, not as individuals. Generally when people come to me saying, “I have done this,” they come in the hope of gaining some brownie points, but in my eyes they lose their value, especially if they come alone. Much work then has to be done on individuals who feel let down because they were not made party to a particular meeting and even greater work has to be done on the person who comes alone, in order to subdue the ego of that person.
Work as one team with one heart. But if we are not one within ourselves, how can we work as one team? You have to learn to work with your heart and work as one team and work with one heart.
Abhyasi: It's sometimes easier working in the corporate world than working in the Mission.
Daaji: Sometimes, as even when people know it is good, their egos won't allow good things to come up.
The stir in the Centre
Abhyasi: You mentioned about the stir in the Centre while conducting satsangh. Does it mean that the abhyasi has reached the Centre or the Central Region?
Daaji: It means none of the above. A person can be at the very 1st ring in the Mind Region or the second ring in the Pind Pradesh, and yet during the sitting there can be a feeling of the stir in the Centre. It only means there is a potential, a very rare potential.
Desire-less action
While reading some references to Nishkam Karma from the works of Babuji and Lalaji, and quoting from the Gita, Daaji said that desire-less action is Nishkam Karma. He cited a formula on this:
Kaam - Kamna = Nishkam Karma.
Kaam, meaning work, minus Kamna, meaning desire, becomes Nishkam (no desire or desire-less). He said, “Nishkam Karma is self-less or desireless action; any action performed without any expectation of fruits or results. Without expectation means being prepared for the worst, for that matter, not even expecting Master's help or grace; since faith says it must happen. It reflects deficiency in faith once one starts worrying about fruit of action despite performing one’s task. Faith conveys, if my Lord wishes it will happen or it may not happen, but I must play my part fairly.
“Think that Master is dead and that Master is not going to help you, and then see what he makes of you. He is there, no doubt, but he will push you to the brink and he will make you evolve in that process. His grace and help is there, nevertheless, but your best comes when you don't expect even Master's grace.”
Daaji recollected that in the initial years of starting his business in the US, he wanted to come to India to attend a bhandara. Back then he was running the set up entirely by himself and he did not have any employees, so in order to come to India he had no other option than to close the business for one month and bear the financial loss, as the bhandara was more important for him. After all the preparation, the night before he was to board the flight, he got a call from one of his friends who offered to keep the pharmacy open and run it for the month that he would be away. Daaji said, “Master can drive you to the edge before grace comes, but you should be prepared with your work and your options without expecting that grace will ever come.”
Love your work
Continuing on work, Daaji said that he loved working and that he never distinguished between personal work, professional work or spiritual work. He said everything is spiritual. Everything should be done in spiritual consciousness. He said he never shied away from work and embraced work without any expectations. He was never tired or never tried to run away or escape from work. The problem lies with escapism.
When an abhyasi asked, “How do we know how much to give, as sometimes we tend to save for the future, for unforeseen reasons?” Daaji replied, “Your heart will know what to give and how much to give.”
He quoted from the Gita again, saying: “Yogah karmasu kaushalam - Yoga is skill in action.” He said most yogis aspire to become inactive and give up work. He asked, “How can you manifest your skill if you don't work?”
To a query whether we should first consolidate all the work we currently have to move forward with new work, he commented, “I give all the freedom to do what is required. Sometimes mistakes can happen and that's okay. We should do what is required to achieve the objective and not look at other problems. Problems come, they are part of nature and we must learn to face them, not run away from them.”
Daaji further added that Babuji said less than 5% of his time was spent doing Nature's work, even though that was about 95% of his work, because to work on humanity took 95% of his time, when it was actually less than 5% of the overall work.
He said that we should always have the goal in mind and other things would follow.
A day in the life of Kanha
Daaji usually starts his day very early in the morning. After the morning meditation and responding to e-mails that await his attention, Daaji prefers to go around the Kanha campus. These are monsoon days in Kanha and Mother Earth is blessing us all with her bounty. Life is abounding in every nook and corner. There are a couple of water bodies that have been created to harvest and collect the rainwater, and each day they seem to gain a couple of inches. Local birds, ducks and peacocks are the usual visitors. On a rare day, one might also spot a turtle on the edges of the water.
Daaji usually walks around with a pair of clippers and personally tends to trees that need some trimming and pruning. One evening during a walk, he noticed a few trees that were supported by sticks. He observed that the rope used to tie the tree was too tight and commented, “These need to be loosened. They are strangling the plants. Look at the marks they are making on the soft bark of the tree.”
When we acquired the land at Kanha there were a few trees spread across the landscape. In recent times the growth of those original trees seems to have accelerated dramatically. When an abhyasi commented on how fast they were growing, Daaji said, “Yes. Till now they were living under fear. Now they are safe and look at how they are responding.”
Daaji plans to have at least two hundred thousand trees planted across the landscape. Every morning and evening, he diligently checks on the progress of the trees and makes observations that show his care and tenderness towards all living things. These long sessions are usually a mix of driving and walking.
Daaji enjoys driving around Kanha. Along the way, he pauses to chat with the abhyasis working in the fields. In his car he keeps a booklet of food coupons for the canteen. On his rounds, he usually picks a team of workers and lovingly hands them a sheet of coupons for a meal in the canteen. The joy and gratitude with which these are received are a sight to behold.
Daaji’s health is still fragile and some days are rougher than others. He is doing a masterful job of juggling the demands of his work and health. It is a good idea for all of us to give Daaji the space and time he needs. This brings out his best and we all benefit from it.
In the sections below are some of his interactions with abhyasis:
Be simple and in tune with Nature: What does this mean?
Abhyasi: Daaji, Kanha should teach people to live a lifestyle in tune in Nature. That is the kind of environment we should create here.
Daaji: Let me ask you a question. What do you mean by living in tune with Nature?
Abhyasi: For example, rainwater harvesting, not wasting resources, zero carbon footprint, etc.
Daaji: The examples you shared are good, but they are only an external manifestation. I don’t think Beloved Babuji meant it that way. You should study Nature to be in tune with Nature.
What is the fundamental thing in Nature? It receives the least and gives you the most.
Look at trees. With some water, cow dung for manure and sunlight, we receive the best fruit. Every intake in Nature is minimal and we receive the best output. Likewise, how to apply that principle in our life? We are taught the exact reverse in the world – to take the maximum and give the minimum, so as to have more profit. Now we don’t want to run a losing business, but wherever possible, with least intake, we should give back the maximum, especially where love is concerned.
Love is the highest quality for a human being, but we always calculate. “Isko dena hain, isko nahin (Give to him and not him),” “Isko kyon diya mujhe nahin (Why him and not me)?”
No tree complains. The second principle is complaining. You will never see complaining anywhere in Nature. I have spoken about this at length in Bombay.
The next principle follows: since competition is not reactive in Nature, jealousy is not there.
Finally, the most important principle is of ‘acceptance’ or ‘choice-less-ness’. Plants and animals don’t have the concept of acceptance, as it is inherently present in them. That is how they are. Even the idea that “I accept” means you are still aware.
To practise such things, you don’t need Kanha. Now this also doesn’t mean that you cannot have air conditioning. People often criticize, saying, “Oh, he or she is not in tune with Nature. He should sleep outside in Nature.” Then why don’t you sleep on the trees like squirrels? If you really think that is being in tune with Nature then get out of the house. But that is not what Beloved Babuji meant or wants.
Great revelation: acceptance, cleaning and the meditative state
Daaji: A great revelation occurred to me a few days back while talking to an abhyasi. It’s nothing new but the realisation hit me so immensely.
As abhyasis, for years we have been doing this practice. The time must come when the need to clean drops off. So, at the very beginning we start with half an hour, a time must come when we finish it in five minutes, and a time must come one day when we need zero time, right?
And as the time needed for cleaning goes down to zero, meditation will increase in quality and time. We are able to increase our meditation from 30 minutes to one hour to 24x7. When meditation expands to encompass 24x7, we become meditative and then cleaning drops off.
Another big revelation that came during the same conversation with the abhyasi was about acceptance.
Once you naturally accept things without being aware of them or the fact that you are accepting, you don’t form samskaras. Samskaras settle or impress only when you dispute, the mind takes it on, and you form the samskaras. This state of acceptance is the spirit of Akarma.
This principle of acceptance is applicable to yourself. Expect the best from yourself, not from others.
Please think about these two things.
