0:00 Introduction
0:17 What do you mean when you say ‘spiritual life’ and why is spiritual living important?
3:43 What should we do to live a spiritual life?
5:40 What is the difference between being spiritual and being religious?
9:42 Is spiritual growth the removal of unwanted paths and beliefs?
11:20 What is spiritual sadhana?
13:05 What makes a person spiritually good? Is it just meditation alone?
15:30 How do I know that I am growing spiritually?
16:56 How do we keep mankind happy at all times?
18:43 How can one keep remembering god at all times?
22:00 What are the things we should do and not do before and during meditation?
24:09 What are the benefits of doing meditation?
26:17 How to stop the mind wandering during meditation?
28:07 How to avoid headaches when trying to focus in between the eyebrows during meditation?

Thus Spake Babaji, No. 47, How to Live a Spiritual Life Pt 2 

Recorded on 27 May 2021 with Malaysian participants

Questioner: 

Babaji, what do you what do you mean when you say spiritual life, and why is spiritual living important?

Babaji:

You see, in this world when you are active, you can perform and live better when you are aware of yourself better. First, it’s important to know about yourself, your nature, your attitude and your habits – mental habits, acquired habits of the mind, when you lose temper, what are the points that you might lose temper, where you can restrain yourself – all these points, that if you are aware about yourself is so important. It’s like, before going into the field, do your homework better. 

In the same way spirituality means here, spiritually aware of yourself as that Atman, as that Spirit Form, that Infinite. In the beginning of the meditation I told, mind is the one such clue for you about yourself, about that Infinite Atman in the body. Otherwise the rest always you are aware about yourself also as the physical body, and with a name, with a status, with your birth, with your death, with your life, all these things come. 

But you are actually much more beyond this physical body, its birth, its death. So that is what is awareness about yourself. So that is the reason we teach meditation as a sadhana, so that you can become aware of yourself much better, how you exist as that Infinite Atman beyond this physical body. That is what is spiritual life, awareness of the spiritual life, why you are. 

Then when you live in this world you are aware about yourself. When you are aware about yourself you are also the master of yourself. Means, you are master of your mind. You can control your emotions, you can restrain yourself, if at all you have to show such emotion, you will know where to stop, how much to show. You may need to show an anger in administration, or on the battlefield, or anywhere such things to keep yourself safe, to defend yourself. But you will know better how much to exercise that anger and when to stop so that you don’t lose control over yourself, and you don’t do disastrous or dangerous things. So that is important. So in all emotions also you will be able to control yourself. 

That is what I mean – the spiritual life. When you practice meditation, you will be able to live a spiritual life – being aware of yourself as that Atman is the spiritual life.

Same Questioner:

Thank you, Babaji. The second question is what should we do to live a spiritual life?

Babaji:

I have answered already for this question also – do sadhana. All the exercises that are prescribed in a religion or spirituality, both are same. If anybody has confusion about religion as separate, or spirituality as separate, I will clarify that first. Being religious is also being spiritual. 

So, if you undertake such exercises to control and keep your physical body healthier, and then using the physical body, you undertake such exercises to keep your mind under control and properly cultured, and characterized. Then you are able to uphold the moral values, consideration about each other. 

So exercises like puja, worship at a place of worship, and participating in homa agnihotras, and participating in bhajans and kirtans also, and then practice meditation. Abishekams in temples, all these things are for this purpose only.

When you participate, you apply your mind. Say for example, if you are participating in agnihotra, you apply your mind to the sound of the chant and to that exercises of ingredients that are poured into the fire, and pray, “My God bless me to clean up, to purify my mind and make it eligible to merge with the divine.” Like this when you practice exercises, then you can be more spiritual, a real religious person actually.

Same Questioner:

Babaji, continuing from this, what is the difference between being spiritual and being religious, how is it connected? To be spiritual, does it require a religion as an anchor, and if someone is an atheist can they still be spiritual?

Babaji:

So, I have already answered about religion etc. So, one more time I will give you a clarification. This is what often in today’s world people have misunderstood about religion. A religion means a particular identity, particular group, particular way of things, all these imaginations do come. 

Like in Hinduism, in ancient India known as Rig Vedic era, they practiced it as a way of life. They never called it any particular religion, or any ‘ism’, or prism, anything, nothing. Simply just like you get up in the morning, you have a shower, you have a breakfast and go to office. In the same way they practice these exercises. That is what. 

Like the religion word is taken from the Latin word giving a meaning of ‘obligation’. Obligation means, your duties. Like Swamiji used to tell in a different way, “Having born as a human being you have triple responsibilities,” He used to say. So taking care of your physical body, like practicing yoga exercises and all such things. And using the physical body, when you practice religious exercises, or spiritual exercises, like homa, bhajan, kirtans, and meditation, all these things, when you practice, you are able to control your mind, you are able to be the master of your mind and restrain, and you can make it more healthier. A healthier mind means which can think of a larger cause always, it will not be selfish and narrow minded, thinks of the whole society, whole country, and the whole world, its welfare. 

That is what is actually to be religious means. 

So religious, and spiritual is no different. Spiritual is a particular word just to tell, ‘study of yourself as that spirit’ – that is spirituality. That’s what it is. 

But in religion, all the three are combined. You study about yourself as the spirit also when you control the mind, practice sadhanas you understand about yourself better. Means eventually you become Realized about yourself as that Infinite Spirit form, the Atman that is known as. And also you would be trying to take care of the body and its health. Without body’s proper help, you cannot practice spiritual exercises, it will be difficult. 

So these exercises were all evolved always so that humanity can be benefited physically, mentally, so this is the importance. So being religious, being spiritual is the same for me. Even Swamiji, He never wanted to be called a religious teacher, not that He did not like the word religion. He used to say, “Today religion is a misunderstood, misinterpreted word. Actually, religion means, when you when you meditate you are religious.” 

So religion means, you follow vigorously, a duty vigorously with all dedication, discipline. Sometimes you would have read in articles, ‘A person went on doing the thing with the religious fervor’, like that one, having kept totally dedicated. That’s what is religion actually.

Same Questioner: 

Thank you, Babaji. The next question is, is spiritual growth the removal of unwanted thoughts and beliefs?

Babaji:

Definitely. You will realize the Truth of Existence, all secrets of yourself and mind is revealed as you practice spiritual sadhanas also, and it gets purified also – unwanted thoughts. Now, just now, your mind has become habitual to all the time being like a chatterbox. Like I have told, whole day if you are tired in office work, anywhere, you want to rest at home, you can bring the body to a halt and keep it on a bed but mind will not listen like that one, it keeps spinning and spinning all the time. To make it relax and rest, you have to practice these exercises. 

If you regularly participate in exercises like homa, like bhajans, and kirtans, like chants, and meditation, all those things if you undertake and do it, if you practice with the like-minded people or whatever it is, so then your mind will become more and more purified, and all unwanted thoughts of all its habits gets evaporated. So your mind becomes controlled by you, you become the master of yourself. When you want to think you can think better, when you don’t want to think you can keep quiet. 

So that is what the benefit of practicing all these exercises.

Same Questioner: 

Thank you Babaji. The next question, ‘Babaji I understand that sadhana is whatever we do. What is spiritual sadhana? Is doing yoga and meditation a spiritual sadhana? Is this enough to be spiritual?

Babaji:

You see spiritual sadhana – as you would have understood, sadhana means ‘your efforts to achieve.’ Now spiritual sadhana, your efforts to achieve mind control, minds purification, and gain awareness of your Real Self as the Atman. That is the spiritual sadhana. 

All exercises prescribed, if you understand that you have to apply the mind. When you go to a place of worship, you might like to pray, or you might like to do some Arati or some singing, some chants, something, at all these times you have to apply your mind, that is important. 

I have also told, in these gatherings addressing them, God understands your mind’s language. In whichever language you pray it doesn’t matter for Him, as long as you don’t apply your mind. Like you are doing Arati, but if your mind has run away to some shopping complex, such a prayer won’t reach God, that is not the proper exercise. You are participating in agnihotra homa, you have to apply your mind, let your mind remain concentrated. When you practice meditation also it is the same – you have to feel your mind, your consciousness of existence that is the mind. 

So that is the real exercise which will be beneficial.

Same Questioner:

Babaji, next question.

We know what makes a good religious person; doing pujas, going to temples, ritual chanting of mantras. What makes a person spiritually good? Is it just meditation alone? Can meditation alone elevate a person spiritually?

Babaji:

No, as I have been talking about these topics, if you understand that you have to apply your mind, remain concentrated mentally. When you are watching an abishekam in a temple, so you apply your mind also as you try to watch through eyes standing there. So we all understand the word Darshanam, taking Darshan of the Deity of God, of a Guru. When you undertake that one your mind has to be there. 

Suppose you are singing a bhajan or listening to a bhajan, both people can be benefited – not that only those who sing will be benefited, those who do not sing will not be benefited – all those who can apply their mind’s concentration can be benefited. 

You are watching an agnihotra, you are participating in that. When you apply your mind let your mind be there itself, don’t allow it to run away on the streets or onto shopping complex – then you will be benefited. 

Meditation also, you have to keep your mind here [pointing in-between His eyebrows], then you become the master of your mind, that is the practice. That is when you have to follow the technical instructions. Like in the beginning of meditation I told, “Gently close your eyes. Remain relaxed, and concentrate your mind and sight in-between eyebrows. Concentrate your eyeballs here [pointing in-between His eyebrows]. Just keep watching there by focusing the attention of mind and sight. Do not repeat any mantra or name, and do not imagine about anything.” 

Just follow these instructions, just like a soldier follows the instructions of a commander. Shoot means he shoots – he won’t be analyzing thinking, “Why I should shoot, and what I should shoot,” he is trained to shoot and he will shoot it. You are getting trained to sit down and watch in-between eyebrows, you watch and you will be benefited.

Same Questioner: 

Thank You Babaji. The next question, ‘Babaji I am doing meditation daily for many years. I definitely feel good when I do my meditation, and I feel horrible when I miss it. How do I know Babaji that I’m growing spiritually?’

Babaji:

When more peace descends onto your mind, your mind becomes more mature in thinking – you will lose selfishness and narrow mindedness, you will be able to think of a larger cause always when you act upon, so all these things will come. And you will be able to keep yourself restrained, you won’t lose temper quickly for every small thing. You won’t become greedy, you will always work for your need only. 

Like this you will not succumb to those emotional ‘arishadwarga’ –  kama,  krodha,  loba.  ‘Loba‘ is extreme stinginess, ‘moha‘ is extreme attachment to the impermanent world, and ‘mada’ – false pride, ‘matsarya’ is jealousy. All these things you can control, you will not allow your mind to get into this, and you will not get agitated also quickly in the mind, you will not be disturbed or confused. 

All these things are the symptom of progressing in meditation and spiritual sadhanas.

Same Questioner: 

The next question Babaji, how do we keep mankind happy at all times?

Babaji:

You see, it is impossible to keep the entire humanity happy at all times, though we all dream. 

Every individual has to take undertake sadhana. Even many people might have claimed themselves as Gods, “I am God, I have come to this world,” like that they might have claimed, but nobody has waved their hand and given peace or happiness to humanity. It has to come from within. 

When a person is satisfied, contented with whatever he has, then he has that happiness. Constant craving of the mind is the basic reason for unhappiness of a human. So humanity always has been unhappy, insecure, because of their greed. 

Remember, I had read in my college days, a scientist telling, ‘Earth always had and will have enough resources to meet the need of humanity, but not it’s greed.’

That has to happen, only then humanity can be happy. Everybody has to work. 

That’s what we try to keep creating awareness, and request, advise, everyone to practice sadhana – every one of you has to meditate. If I meditate you will not be happy, only when you see me you might be happy for a while, when you go out to the world you will become again unhappy – but you have to meditate.

Same Questioner:

Thank you Babaji. The next one, Babaji has often narrated the story of King Janaka. As a follow-up question to this story, how does one keep remembering God all the time? What should go in our mind, how do we cultivate this without fail?

Babaji:

So when you practice and achieve that focused concentration on that mind, what you are being trained for – meditation. 

You see now, amongst millions of thoughts in your mind, one thing which is not a thought is the consciousness of your own existence, you always have a feeling that you exist. But just now you are imagining that consciousness as the physical body, with the name and personality, all these things. But when you practice meditation and clear the mind of all thoughts and visions eventually, then you’re able to concentrate on that ‘consciousness of existence’, which is nothing but the mind. 

Mind is made up of consciousness and energy. So when you concentrate on that, then you will know. Once you practice concentrating on that, then when you come out of meditation, when you live in the world also, all the time you can be aware of that, and mechanically you will work for the need. 

Just like now, we do work – sometimes I travel whenever I have to travel, I meet people, I answer their question, I train them to practice meditation, and give them the right meaning of other spiritual exercises, try to inspire them to participate in all these things. But at all times, I am able to keep quiet and in the awareness of my Real Self, that is the Atman. I am no more aware of this body as Shiva Rudra Balayogi. 

Whether you criticize or you love Me, you don’t love Me, I’m always happy because my Awareness is in That. For that you have to practice, for that you have to understand the importance of that discipline. 

Like when Janaka asked Shuka Maharshi, “When you go around my town of Mithila, please take care that the candle, that jyhoti, does not fall down.” He took that instruction seriously. He then thought, “I have to take care that this jyhoti should not fall down,” then his mind he kept on that all the time. He was so disciplined. 

In the same way, if You take me seriously when I instruct You to watch in between eyebrows – just you watch in between eyebrows. “Guru has instructed, Baba has instructed, I must just watch.” Then you will be able to achieve the same thing. 

Then you can be a normal person moving around in the world, doing all your duties. You can be a business person, you can be a job holder, you may have to look after your family. No problem for anything, you will be able to look after everything.

Same Questioner:

Thank you, Babaji. The next few questions Babaji is about meditation, from some new devotees.

Babaji:

Okay.

Same Questioner:

What are the things we should not do before and during meditation?

Babaji:

You should that taken sufficient rest. And also you do not sit for meditation immediately after a full meal, that is important. You have to give at least a couple of hours for the food to digest properly. And always try to adopt lighter meal at a time, little, little at a time. Whenever you are hungry, eat a little food, don’t just eat for taste or any such thing just to fill up until your neck, that much of food – not good for meditation. Then you will feel sleepy, you won’t be able to control the mind, you might fall asleep also, you might lose consciousness. So these things are very important. 

And other things. Don’t forget the mantras – remain dedicated, take out time, and set a priority, “I must do this, I understand the need.” When you understand the need you will sit down. Just like when you realize there is a time bomb under your seat, you would like to get out first, and you would like to save yourself, you will set it as a priority. That type of priority. 

Then somebody will come, “Oh please, let me get married,” – you keep sitting on the chair, then you won’t listen. You would like to get out first, “Hey let me get out of this chair, otherwise if I die when can I attend to your wedding?” That is important. So you will get out. 

Like this when you need to meditate for one hour, tell everybody, “Please, I need to meditate at this time, I cannot attend to anything else, I can attend after my meditation only.” Don’t give up the meditation just because some excuse comes and then you start telling, “Oh, I had to go there, I could not meditate.” Never give such excuses. Time is yours. You have to take out, you practice, and then it will be yours.

Same Questioner: 

The next question Babaji, what is the difference between a person who meditates and a person who does not meditate? What are the benefits of doing meditation?

Babaji:

A person who meditates, his mind becomes purified, more concentrated. Any work he undertakes he can focus his mind, his observation power, memory power, understanding capabilities all tremendously increase. He will become more mature in life, he will be able to think of a larger cause. 

As I told earlier, he will not be losing his emotional things quickly, he will not lose his temper quickly, he will not become greedy, and he will not have any false pride, he will have that humble, humility, he will not feel jealousy, he will do it for his needs. All these things, like he will be a matured human being, he’ll be able to consider about others also, a larger cause, welfare of the country, world, Universe, like that. 

This is the symptoms of a person who meditates. Those who do not meditate will not have all these things, they will have the opposite things. They will have very short temper, they won’t be able to control themselves, they can become greedy, and they talk double standards. They do one set of justice for themselves, another set of justice for others, like that they keep doing, they cannot treat people good. 

Like we run a Center, I’m running an Ashram. We all have to be loving and caring when people come. We must remember these things when participants come. So this is all necessary. A person who doesn’t meditate will be a very, very, ordinary human being, who would be often behaving like an animal.

Same Questioner:

Thank you, Babaji. The next question, “Babaji, I can’t focus, my mind keeps wandering on things. How do I fix this Babaji?”

Babaji:

You have to remain determined. Use your eyeballs to fix, then you can focus. In the beginning that will have upper hand, the mind running like a monkey – then you don’t give up – remember, “I have to focus, I just have to watch like this one.” Fix your eyeballs. Eyeballs can be very helpful in the beginning to fix your attention there (pointing in-between eyebrows), mental attention also. Be determined, be disciplined, practice every day. 

Like when Arjuna asks Krishna, “Krishna, mind is so slippery and keeps running, it is so difficult to remain focused.” To Arjuna, Krishna tells one thing, “Abhyase tu kaunteya”. Means, “Hey, Son of Kunti, by practicing, ‘abhyaas,’ by practicing regularly.”

By practice only, by habits only, mind has gone out of control. By picking up habits, you will be habitual to tell a truth, you will be habitual to practice meditation, you cannot give up meditation come what may be. Like that when you become habitual for good things, then automatically it will be overturned, mind will come under your control. You will be able to remain focused, will be possible. 

Though it is very difficult, it is not impossible. Remember this sentence always. Since twenty-five years I am teaching this – though it is very difficult, it is not impossible. You can achieve that one.

Same Questioner:

Thank you Babaji. The last question, Babaji. During meditation I get a headache whenever I try to focus between the eyebrows. What do I do Babaji? 

Babaji:

One thing that you might be in a rush and trying to do it forcibly things. That’s why in the beginning I always tell, “Relax, relax, nothing is going to be harmed. Everything is alright. The world can be attended afterwards. Don’t try to remember all those things. Sit down in any comfortable posture. Keep your back and neck straight and gently close your eyes.” Gently keep watching (placing His fingers between the eyebrows), try to do everything very in a gentle way. 

Because mind is very infinite and slippery. You cannot tie it with a rope. If you lose temper also you cannot control the mind. You must not lose temper. Patience will pay rich dividends. Patience is important. If you exercise patience, slowly, slowly, you try to do this one, then you can win and you won’t have such headaches, it will all be vanished. So this is what it is.

End of Session