Perth, Australia, May 6 2004

This was Babaji’s 6th visit to Perth and the devotees had waited eagerly to be in His blissful and Divine presence once again. We sang Swamiji’s aarati as Babaji entered the hall and after paying all due reverence to Swamiji at the beautifully decorated altar, Babaji sat on the special dais, greeted all present and addressed the gathering as follows.

“Taking refuge at the Lotus Feet of the Divine Guru Shivabalayogi, I offer My love and blessings to you all. May you all be blessed with peace and happiness. I see new faces and familiar faces. Many have come here again to see Baba, that means they weren’t bored last time! My visit here is to teach the method of meditation and help you to practise it. I am here for ten to twelve days, so make the most of this rare opportunity! Take out the time to attend the programs. Meditation is becoming more popular in the West. People are opening their minds to learn. Australia has always welcomed Me and the people here have been eager to learn.

Someone recently asked Me why I come to Australia. The first reason is that My Guru Shivabalayogi blessed and brought Me here. This Divine Guru inspired you to decide that you need Me in Australia. A group of devotees insisted that I come here twice a year and when there is a need for Me it is My duty to fulfil that need.

My Guru performed Tapas for twelve years to attain true knowledge and wisdom. Tapas is meditation in its highest pitch. My Guru insisted on meditation for a minimum of one hour because for the first thirty or forty minutes the mind struggles and only later in the meditation does it get concentrated. You’re just getting warmed up after half an hour so it makes no sense to stop! Here in the evening programs I have compromised to some extent for the benefit of newcomers and I make people meditate for just forty-five minutes. In the morning sessions we meditate for one hour. If I compromise any more My Guru will be on My back!

Eventually you will become eligible to do Tapas. Be determined, you can do this meditation, you can, I assure you! My Guru would be furious if you complained to Him you couldn’t do it! He insisted His disciples have determination and confidence. After twelve years of Tapas  He dedicated all His energies to helping people attain peace through meditation. Babaji is in this country for the same reason. Please understand, you need this meditation. If you meditate you will gain peace and happiness and a stress-free life. The mind creates fear when it is out of control, so take control over it and you’ll feel happy! Why do human beings fight with one another? Why do they have conflicts? Because of the mind.

My Guru used to say, a person with many desires is poor but someone with few desires is actually rich. If you are contented you are like an emperor. You can live like a genius. Some youngsters worry about what will happen to their way of life if they meditate. They don’t need to worry. If they meditate they’ll get more concentration and life will be more enjoyable. Meditation helps you to practise self-restraint, and when you can restrain yourself you won’t overreact to provocations. When you meditate don’t let the mind think about the time and “watch the clock”. If you do this it’ll be torturous for you! Just keep the mind quiet and you’ll enjoy the meditation. God bless you all.”

Babaji then initiated newcomers into dhyana mediation and all received His blessings after which we meditated for forty-minutes. Afterwards the group sang bhajans and a devotee sang a beautiful song with guitar accompaniment she had specially composed for Babaji called “Endless”. The devotional feeling in her singing was profound and very moving and touched everyone as she sang to her beloved Gurudev.

Then Babaji kindly answered Devotees’ questions.

Questions and Answers

Question: Babaji, we are told that the truth is “I am not the doer” but it still feels it is I who am making choices. Can you explain why this is?

Babaji: You need to practise discrimination in this world. Proceed gradually and the answer to your question will be revealed to you. In deeper meditation, you will realise that you only imagined “I am doing”.

Question: I’m still confused about doership. Does the Self perform negative acts?

Babaji: Actually the Self doesn’t perform any acts at all, either positive or negative. Only the spark derived from it – the mind – does. This sense of doership will disappear with more practice. The Self is always unaffected and remains peaceful at all times. It’s only the mind which imagines the positive and negative. Meditation will overcome the mind’s imaginings.

Question: My meditation is bringing up terrible feelings of self-loathing, worthlessness and fear. Please say something about this.

Babaji: So much dirt has been acquired by the mind over so many lives. The process of meditation stirs up the dirt in the water, so to speak. Don’t be alarmed. A cleansing process is taking place. The subconsciously recorded experiences and feelings are surfacing. With more progress you will get the peace you are looking for. These negative feelings will go. You should get guidance to proceed. This is a temporary phase, don’t worry.

Question: What then is the purpose of the mind if it causes so much trouble?

Babaji: To go back to the Self! The mind has lost its purpose and is wandering in search of peace. Everything is transitory except for the Self. The path is now there for the mind to take, the Self is the target. You can have the Supreme Peace you are truly seeking.

Question: Is meditation the only way to Enlightenment?

Babaji: Yes. Meditation means your “attention to”. The mind needs to get concentrated then it becomes introverted. Repetition of the Divine names,
concentration on a particular form and similar practices are all preliminary exercises in preparation for meditation as they help the mind to become single-pointed. Please do not misunderstand me, I am not saying that the meditation I teach is the only effective method, no. Terminology differs from Guru to Guru. For example, Ramana Maharshi taught “Self-Inquiry” by the process of asking “Who am I?”. He taught that one should observe from where the consciousness of Self comes from, which is meditation.

Question: In my home there is large photo of Babaji and Swamiji. A friend saw these photos and was amazed that even though they looked different, there was love reflected in the eyes of both.

Babaji: These things happen naturally. It’s a symptom of a past life connection, definitely somewhere, somehow that person was connected to Babaji and Swamiji. A Yogi transmits vibrations of love and compassion. A Yogi’s blessings are always flowing, you must build a dam to collect them. Attachment arises naturally. If you want to consider me as a Guru then you are welcome to, if you don’t want to, fine. We don’t impose it. Such things happen naturally.

Question: Who is a true Yogi?

Babaji: Yoga means reunion or “harmony with”. The mind has emerged from the Self, your consciousness is in viyoga, it has lost its union with the real Self. When you practise, the mind becomes single-pointed. The Yogi is the one who has abandoned all cravings and imaginings of the mind. This is a rare being. Lord Krishna tells Arjuna in the Bhagavad Gita to become a Yogi, for he is nearest and dearest to God, like a droplet of water merged with the ocean.

Babaji then delighted everybody as He played the harmonium and sang the bhajan Dhimika Dhimika Dhim. Devotees then sang Shiva Hara Guru Deva and Babaji’s aarati as the camphor flame was reverentially offered to Babaji on the dais in the traditional manner and then brought to all the devotees one by one. The evening concluded with an informal Darshan. Afterwards Babaji left the hall to the sounds of “Shri Shivabalayogi Maharaj ki, Jai!”, “Shri Shivarudrabalayogi Maharaj ki, Jai!”.

Copyright SRBY 2004. All rights reserved.