At a recent satsang, Gautum Baiji said:
"We have been listening to bhajans about various
“bhakto” (well-known devotees) and how deep their devotion and love was, and
with what level of “dhyan” (a deeper awareness of oneness that is inclusive of
perception of body, mind, senses, and surroundings, yet remaining unidentified
with it) they did “bhakti” (spiritual service and devotion).
Which is in contrast to everyday people who feel they need to have good amounts
of material wealth and time before they can do bhakti. The committed devotee
does not look for the accumulation of wealth and time before practicing
spirituality.
One day, Lakshman
asks God what he can do to please God, because he knows that pleasing God is
the best way to do bhakti.
But what is our
understanding of bhakti? When Draupadi was shamed in the presence of many people, she did not have
any prayer beads to pray with or any idols in front of her. She had nothing,
yet God came to her aid. Bhakti requires dhyan
(profound meditation) and sadhana (a disciplined way of life designed to
realize one’s ultimate goal of oneness with God). We perform rituals only to gain focus on
bhakti and strengthen our “shraddha” (belief or trust).
Sometimes people say they would do service (seva) and they ask us, "Can you do meditation on behalf of me?" but that's not the proper way. There are two things that humans have to do for themselves: eat and
do bhajans (meditation). To keep doing service without having
“gyan” (spiritual knowledge) will not give us “mukti” (spiritual liberation) or freedom from tensions
of life.
Service should not be burdensome; it should become effortless if you
have gyan. Gyan has two parts: one is to have knowledge, and the other is to
make that knowledge part of our lives and practice it.
For instance, one can hear and obtain knowledge of milk and know that it is white in
color and that it is a liquid. The next person may actually see milk, smell it and
touch it, but without experiencing its taste and value. However, the person who
has heard of milk, seen it, and made it a part of their nutritional daily diet
has the real meaning of gyan.
Having meditation technique and belief in God is not enough. You need to
experience it. You may know there is petrol under the surface of the earth, and
you have a strong belief that petrol exists under the earth. But that knowledge
alone will not allow you to operate your car. You have to make an effort to get
the gasoline in your possession and use it (experience) to run your car.
One
may believe in God and one can say I believe in God, but one who has
experienced God will say I know God.
Sometimes man does not have faith in what
he knows but has faith in something that he does not know about (God). We
believe in God but do not spend time and effort to truly know Him.
To know God
is to make your soul strong. One needs to focus with high concentration to know
God by meditation, and that is “Sadhana”. Our mind is going in a hundred
different directions, but if it is focused during meditation, it will have an immense strength to experience God.
Sun rays are spread everywhere, but they do not burn
anything. However, if you use a magnifying glass and focus the rays in one spot,
you can light paper on fire.
Likewise, our minds are spread out in many
directions. Even while we are in a place of worship our minds are busy making a
list of things to do! We need to take control of our mind and focus it into one
sharp point in meditation to “burn the paper” and to reveal God.
To control
your mind is like controlling your car. If you do not control the steering
wheel, the car will go in any direction the road takes you. But if you take
charge of the steering wheel, it will take you where you want to go. Take charge
and ownership of your mind. Be mindful – aware – (to be in dhyan) of where your
mind is going and control it.
If you watch a tightrope walker in a circus, her focus
is on keeping balance and keeping her full attention on her steps on the rope.
She is not distracted by applause from the audience or anything else.
We need to take the opportunity to practice meditation regularly
and not spend our time in endless questions of why: Why did that person do
this, why is he mad, why is the earth round, why why, why why?! - That is being
bothered. It’s like punishing yourself.
We all
do better if we are like water that flows with ease. It’s smooth and keeps
finding its way to keep flowing through rocks and mud. It does not stop itself and wonder why there are rocks in its way. It does not get disturbed if
someone steps in it. It is going for the ultimate goal of uniting with the
ocean.
Water is useful to quench thirst, but if it hardens into ice it will not
quench anyone’s thirst. In its hard form of ice, it will not flow easily to its
destination. We have to cultivate our nature to be “Saral.” Do not be mistaken
that being easygoing like a river is a sign of weakness. Look at the river that
flows with ease and cuts through hard rocks with its easy, smooth flow. Rocks
disintegrate to sand, but the river keeps flowing. You will see the hard rock is
swept away by the river in the form of sand by the ocean. That is the power of
“Saral.” For us to become hard will only lead to no one being able to deal with me, and it will keep us wondering why no one understands me! But, if we have an
easy nature, many will be able to understand us and work with us. In meditation, also stay “Saral”!
Reference material:
Meditation is the art of
silencing the mind. When the mind is silent, concentration is increased and we
experience inner peace in the midst of worldly turmoil. This elusive inner
peace is what attracts so many people to meditation and is a quality everyone
can benefit from. One feels happiest when sitting in perfect silence. The
experience is difficult to express in words. It is also true that every
meditation is not the same. Sometimes meditation is a struggle to control the
mind, while at other times it feels effortless.
These are some
of the benefits of meditation:
1.
Improved
concentration – A clear mind makes you
more productive, especially in creative disciplines like writing
2.
Less
bothered by little things – Do you sometimes
allow yourself to get upset by little things? It is the nature of the mind to
magnify small things into serious problems. Meditation helps us detach. We
learn to live in the here and now, rather than worrying about the past or
future. We do not worry about meaningless things, but see the bigger picture
3.
Better
Health – There have been numerous
studies pointing to the health benefits of meditation. The reason is that
meditation reduces stress levels and alleviates anxiety. If we can reduce
stress, many health benefits follow.
4.
Knowledge
of Self – Meditation enables us to have
a deeper understanding of our inner self. Through meditation we can gain a
better understanding of our life’s purpose.
The great
thing about meditation is that our personal philosophy/religious beliefs are
not important. Meditation is about consciousness. The beliefs of the mind
become trivial. We dive deep into the heart of the matter to gain access to our
soul – our inner reality.
