0:00 Intro
0:08 How can one develop awareness of the Self while carrying out day to day activities?
4:36 Advice to newcomers to meditation on how to avoid anxiety and outcomes in daily life.
6:53 If we become unattached to the world, how to handle being perceived as cold-hearted or not responsible?
12:05 To experience life fully should we experience the full array of emotions in this world?
16:20 Is it correct that emotion itself is not right or wrong, but we shouldn’t get too attached?
17:18 What can we do to increase willpower to practice meditation?
24:35 What to do when the mind drifts away in meditation when concentrating mind and sight inbetween eyebrows?
25:53 Is the space between two thoughts the same as the space around us and throughout the universe?
27:14 What is the difference between the space, brahman and parabrahman?
28:51 The head tilts during meditation, what is the explanation for this?
29:51 If I sit cross-legged in meditation, after a while the legs become numb. Should I avoid sitting in this way?
30:36 Could peace be an imagination?
32:00 How not to lose heart if things don’t turn out as expected?

How to live a spiritual life? | In Quest of Truth – Q&A with Babaji, No. 188

Recorded on 25 July 2024 with worldwide participants

Questioner:

Babaji, the topic today is based on one of the previous satsangs that Babaji has given on how to live the spiritual life. Babaji has said that one who is able to live in awareness that you are the Self – and once consciousness is settled there, one can do what has to be done without anxiety or brooding. Can Babaji explain how can one develop the awareness of the Self while carrying out day to day activities? Please give us tips or techniques on how to achieve this awareness.

Shri Babaji:

See, we always talk of ‘attention’; we instruct for meditating, like “Keep your attention in between eyebrows of your mind and sight”, using the sight like that. So, ‘attention’ is very important. Means, your mind which is made up of consciousness and energy. I have always told, “This consciousness means wherever you apply your consciousness, you become aware of that”. So, now, if you apply your consciousness to yourself, then you are aware of yourself. But, however, in the beginning, if we simply say this sentence, one might be confused; “Where is that ‘I am’? Who is that ‘I am’? How to put in attention?”. This can happen automatically; you remove your attention from its imaginations, the imaginations which have created thousands of thoughts to be in the mind, or any visions also. You need to get rid of them. That is the technique of meditation that is taught – you just watch in between eyebrows.

In the same way when you are walking, when you are active in the world also, if you just watch your thoughts and do not lead it to further getting involved into analyzations or judgments and broodings, all these things, if you can stop that. But the meditation practice spiritual exercise like chant of a mantra and music, devotional music, participating in all types of spiritual exercises can be very helpful. If sincerely paying attention you participate, then your mind will give up its attention to its own imaginations too much more than that is necessary. Then you will get to see automatically your attention goes to yourself. Because if the mind is not imagining, it becomes quiet. When it becomes quiet, you will realize, that mind was you yourself and is also you yourself, not separate from you. So, when you become quiet, you settle into yourself. When you are settling into yourself, you are aware of yourself automatically. That awareness is what the Self means.

For this, I have given the example of watching a movie. As long as your attention is on the movie, it appears so solid and realistic, and all the good and bad in generating emotions, panicking, happiness, unhappiness, everything keeps happening. But if you suddenly realize that you are just only watching the movie and you are in no way connected to the movie, then you realize that you are just sitting, because you are consciousness has come back. You practice to remain quiet mentally, that is the final thing.

Questioner:

Thank you Babaji. Babaji, what is your advice to someone who is new to this practice of meditation? And while they are new to this practice of meditation and they want to be operating in the world, but not getting into anxiety or worrying about the outcomes of everything, what would your advice be to the person who is new to this?

Shri Babaji:

A couple of things. One is, every day without fail, practice the meditation following the technical instructions that we give. In the beginning of today’s meditation also, I gave “Sitting in any comfortable posture, closing the eyes, concentrate your mind and side in between eyebrows and just keep watching there. Do not repeat any mantra or name and do not imagine about anything”. So then, when you successfully are able to achieve this, then your attention turns to itself. You are into yourself. Otherwise also, in the world when you are active, you put an effort, you have a desire, or you have a responsibility, you have a project work, you have work to finish, anything, you just do it as a duty because your boss has asked and you are doing. Without minding anything, without going into anxiousness or brooding, without bothering about the result. So then also, your mind can become quiet; acceptance, accept the results as it comes. So, if you practice acceptance, thinking that “This was destined to happen like this, it’s okay, no problem”, like that. If you start your thinking and develop your attitude like this, then you will see that your awareness is on yourself. You have that peace. When your awareness is on yourself, you will have that peace.

Questioner:

Thank you, Babaji. The next question. One may do what is possible to help those around him or her, but do so with a mature mindset, acknowledging that this is not the ultimate reality. Babaji, what if such behavior of non-attachment by a person, especially amongst family and friends is misconstrued as that person not being responsible, and being the cold-hearted person? How do we handle this Babaji? How do we balance people’s expectation and the need to remain unattached to further one’s spiritual growth?

Shri Babaji:

Yeah, very true. In the society or in the family circles or friends, they will understand that you are bothering about the world, or you are worrying about the world; then you are responsible. But this is a misunderstanding. I have told, simply by worrying or bothering, you cannot help anybody. So, you don’t have to lose your peace or patience. You need to have patience. Wait for the opportunity, then do that work. Then execute the responsibility that you have to do. Suppose if we lose a loved one, that can be very painful. But simply by crying or simply by undergoing agonizing moments, we won’t be able to help anybody. We have already become a casualty. Instead of that, we remain mature and we try to console others. Give courage to others, inspire others, “That’s how we have to go. This is the reality. This is the world.” So, like this if we try, then we are helpful to others, but we ourselves will not be a casualty.

So, that is very much important. This is what one needs to understand. I have always told, simply by worrying, you cannot help anybody. If you are not worrying, that doesn’t mean that you are insensitive to the world. Like a yogi, we will not be worrying whatever is happening in the world. But that doesn’t mean that I am insensitive or irresponsible to the world. If anybody brings it to my notice, if anybody has any pain or agony, if they talk to me, I pray for them. I become compassionate. I try to console them, give them counselling. I will pray to the Divine Guru, “May they overcome their agony and may they achieve peace”, like that we become aware of that one. And other ways also, physically, whatever is possible, we try to help. We try to work out the situation, help them if any help is needed. All these things I do always, I am ready to do for anybody. But, simply for that reason, there is no point that I also have to keep crying or worrying or brooding, all these things which is not necessary. I remain peaceful.

So, just by remaining peaceful, it doesn’t mean that you are insensitive or irresponsible. So, this is what one needs to understand. All family, world, friends, everybody needs to understand. And watch if the person is ready to help. See, if you ask a question, I am ready to answer. If anybody comes to me with a problem, if they are in agony, I listen to them. Sometimes I give them a chance on the telephone as the time is available or in front of me, anywhere like that I get a chance. I allow them to talk about their grief, their agony, anything, I listen to them with all the patience.

But that doesn’t mean that I have to start worrying. Just like a doctor in the hospital, he cannot afford to become a patient and he cannot start worrying. He has to be a doctor, then he can help a patient. He can focus on his work and he can give courage to the patient. “It will be alright. Don’t worry. Let us do this one. Let me treat. Now, we know what the problem is”, like that. Otherwise, if the doctor goes to the patient and holds his head and start crying and worrying, “Oh, what will happen to you”, so then the patient will die. So, that will be of no help from the doctor. So, that is how every person needs to be like a doctor so that that person can be helpful to the other who is suffering, who is unhappy, who is in agony. So, this is what one needs to learn through the practice of meditation and understanding the karma yoga and the spiritual aspects of life.

Questioner:

Thank you, Babaji. The next question, Babaji, is about emotions. Some people feel that as humans, one must be able to experience the full array of emotions ranging from love, happiness, grief, empathy in order to experience life fully in this world. Babaji, what is your view on this? Do spiritual practices inhibit one’s ability to experience life in full?

Shri Babaji:

See, particularly about grief we spoke. We can understand others’ grief – that doesn’t mean that we are also grieve at that moment. We should not become. Like love also; you love the other. You show your love. You become attached. That doesn’t mean that you have that pain with you. You don’t have to undergo any pain and agony unnecessarily, but still you can love. Yet again, you don’t have to become so much attached that all the time you are thinking of that person only and you don’t have any other work. There are so many other works. You may have a teaching job, you will have to teach. You may be working on a project, for the boss you may have to work on the project. But still you may love Babaji as a Guru. You can keep thinking on and off. But all the 24 hours if you are thinking only about Babaji and you are unable to work in the world, then it will be a very difficult situation. When you are working also, office, when you are in the school, anywhere, still you can love Babaji as a Guru. On and off, now and then you can remember.

So, at the same time you have to pay attention to other work also. If you are cooking at home, you have to pay attention to the cooking and then try to remember in between. Take the name of the Guru, sing the song of a Guru, like that. You can practice like this one. So, some people when they are driving also they can go on singing. Means they would have practiced like that. They will be singing, yet they won’t lose attention on the road also. They will be able to successfully drive also. So, to some people I have seen this is possible. So, you have to practice this in the life also. You can love somebody. But you have to execute a lot of work. You have to look after your own self and you have to work wherever you are. Execute all those things and then express your love whenever you have time.

So, you can always love anybody in the world. Even if you are a monk, you can love somebody. If you are a monk that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to love. You may have a sister. You may have a mother. You can show you are love to your mother. That doesn’t mean that you have become materially attached. You are a monk, a sanyasi, that doesn’t mean that you should not love anybody. Because when a sanyasi loves, he will see God in everybody. He will see God in the mother. He will see God in the sister also, like that he will love it. So, like that if you love, the energy conversion – simply it has to get converted, that is all. From a materialistic flesh attachment to a soul attachment, considering that divinity is everywhere. It is the same divine. As if you would love the divine if the divine was with you, you love everybody, like that. So, this is all possible if you practice spiritual exercises, understand the spiritual truth, then there will not be any agony within you. You will be able to understand others’ pain also, you will be able to love others also. Yet you will remain unaffected in this world.

Questioner: 

Thank you Babaji. So, can I summarize that emotion itself is not right or wrong, but that if we are practicing a spiritual life, we will not get too attached to that emotion?

Shri Babaji:

Yeah, how you channelize your emotions is important. That you have control over your emotions. You don’t get carried away. You behave in an appropriate way, in other words. So, that will be possible. Yet you have emotions. So, there is no problem in that one. But now you are a master. You have mastered over emotions. Emotions can be your strength I have told. If you get carried away, it can become your weakness. Others can exploit you easily. So, that is how things happen.

Questioner:

Thank you, Babaji. The next question. This is on the topic of having determination to achieve what Swamiji and Babaji have achieved. How can we, or what can we do to develop and increase will power within us that will fuel us to practice meditation with discipline and patience?

Shri Babaji:

What is always important, we must remember a short time is available. An opportunity is available before death claims the physical body. So, before that we need to achieve. The time has been given. There is no such thing that indefinitely there is time, you can keep achieving any time you want. You have been given an opportunity in this life until death claims your physical body. Take this as a challenge. Practice in the right sense. Learn it from the Guru. The right Bhakti Marga, the right Dhyana Marga. Practice spirituality and you can be a normal person in the world. So, like that if you practice, then you can definitely achieve. That determination needs to be there, “I have this much of time and I must do it. Today I have time, tomorrow I have to appear for the examination. So, today I am going to prepare maximum whatever I can.”

So, preparing; what is the first important need – your mental attention to remain focused on the job that you have to do. If you have to study, remain focused on the studies. When you focus, you focus it with enthusiasm, draw an inspiration from the elders, from the life of the masters. If you read ‘Pure Grace’, you will understand Babaji’s life. How we remained determined in place of all odds and all difficult situations, discouraging situations, everything. But no amount of discouragement from the society or from anybody could stop me. Even today, after my Tapas of 25 years, so many discouraging things keep happening. Everybody behaves according to their selfish needs. They don’t bother about either the mission or Babaji’s work. They don’t remain determined to help Babaji, to assist Babaji. If their personal agenda happens, they are happy, otherwise they want to leave. So, when they want to leave, they try to brainwash others also. Like that they can be creating unnecessarily troubles. But I never lose enthusiasm. I never lose my determination. “This is a test from the master. Somebody might come, somebody might go, somebody might be helpful, one day I may not have any help at all. So, let me learn whatever I have to do. Why should I depend on somebody else?” Like that, I keep changing and calculating myself, but I don’t lose heart under any circumstances. And I don’t give up my dedication. I am there for my master. Anybody is with me or not with me is no problem. I am there at the lotus feet of my master to work for that one.

So, that is what the determination we have got. A dedication – that we have offered ourselves, means we don’t look back. Because offering myself to my Guru’s seva doesn’t depend on anybody else and anybody’s wishes or whims. It is my wish and my whim. So, I never get influenced by anybody else trying to brainwash me. I just be on the path. Nothing changes for me. I am always for my Guru. So, that type of determination we always had. It is about 50 years since the time I joined my Guru’s lotus feet to be in the ashram; 50 years ago I came. And not a moment have I felt any discouragement or disturbing of enthusiasm has not happened at all. Naturally it is there. I am always enthusiastic. I am always happy. I am always dedicated. My work keeps going. Unless I am busy somewhere else traveling, otherwise, I do come on the Zoom. I don’t wait for any emotions at all. I have crossed the emotions. So, I am always happy to come on the Zoom. Because when we think, see, at least 100 people, 150 people will be waiting for me. Why should I bother somebody who left me and went away? There are so many who need me. There are so many who are ready to bother about me. I should be helpful to them. I should not bother about my selfishness. No problem. We will keep doing.

So, that type of attitude, determination is very much necessary. So, you will not get carried away by emotions and you will remain determined. Because, in this world, always everything will not happen according to our needs or wishes – for any human being. Even if God comes, if it is a yogi, if it is an ordinary human, anybody. The trouble will always be there. Today there is good, tomorrow there is bad. This thing happening. Today, there will be ten people to serve you, tomorrow there is nobody to serve you. Like that, it keeps happening. This is what Swamiji also used to tell. But, you keep going. We keep going. We don’t stop because we never depended on any such thing. There is no such formula; “I will carry on my mission work if ten people are there to serve me.” I will carry on working for the mission. Whether anybody is there to help me or anybody is not there to help me. That attitude must be there for everybody come what may be in the world. Today it might be raining. Tomorrow it might be floods. Tomorrow it might be snowfall. Another day it could be humid and hot weather. But we cannot stop. We’ll adopt some method. We’ll try to take some help and keep working. We have to keep working. Whatever it is. Something like that. So, we have to adopt such attitude, it is important. Then only you can gain Self-Realization. So many obstacles will come. So many tests will come. It is an examination. God will always test your eligibility. Whether you are really eligible for Self-Realization. Even if we trouble you with all these things, will you still go for Self-Realization? That is important.

Questioner:

There is one question already in the chat, Babaji. The question is about meditation. When I close my eyes and try to watch in between eyebrows, I lose the sight and mind just drifts away. What to do, Babaji?

Shri Babaji:

For a while you don’t bother about the location, even if you are unable to find the centre of in between eyebrows. Because eyeballs don’t come easily into one direction, it moves parallelly. Just look front portion by closing the eyes. Without thinking, whether there is light or darkness, whether anything appears or nothing appears, you just watch using the eyeballs. Slowly fix it. You have to practice. In due course of time, the eyeballs will start coming into one direction and it will get fixed on its own in between eyebrows. Skillfully, with all the patience, slowly, practice.

Questioner:

Pranam Babaji at your lotus feet. Babaji, I have two questions. Number one is, now, there is a space or a silence between the two thoughts. Now, that space and the space, which is all here, is that one and the same? Or is it different?

Shri Babaji:

It is one and the same. It is that space which is all pervaded. And that is that supreme consciousness of existence.

Questioner:

Okay, so it means when I close my mind and the space, which is there between the thoughts, the silence, it is the same space which is here and it is the same space in between the atoms, it is the same space between the galaxy and the solar system?

Shri Babaji:

Everywhere, same. There is only one single space that exists, one single Self. That is the Self also. So, that’s what when you are watching, you are trying to get rid of those thoughts so that the gap increases. And one day, you will be aware of only the space. Space is the Self. The consciousness of existence is also coming from that space only; you will realize this.

Questioner:

And the second question is, now, what is the difference between space, Brahman and Parabrahman?

Shri Babaji:

There is actually no difference, simply in terminology and understanding. Because somebody told you that this is space. This void place is known as space and that has sat in your mind. So, whenever you come across this, your mind tends to think as ‘space’. And somebody told you it is Parabrahman. They experienced the consciousness of existence; some yogi told you perhaps. So, then you tend to think “This is Parabrahman”, if you are understanding. So, that is what it is. So, there is no difference. It is terminology difference, understanding difference, that is all. This space we think as void; that is one’s understanding. Like I have told, this zero can be absolute. The room is filled with space or the room is void with space. So, in the same way, the mind’s individual self which gives the imagination of individual self also belongs to that ultimate truth only. Just like a droplet in the ocean and that ocean is in the droplet also, in the form of the droplet. They both are same.

Questioner:

Good evening, Babaji. During my meditation, maybe after 20, 30 minutes, I feel that my body or my head is tilted. It’s like, not centred. But when I check my posture, it’s actually perfect, so it’s just a feeling. So, is there any explanation what is causing this?

Shri Babaji:

Maybe some energy movement and you need to practice to remain straight, is necessary. It should not go tilted. So, you have to take care that the brain is alert. If necessary you can sit on to a wall with a pillow or a cushion. Practice like that. Then afterwards, it will be all right, after the practice. So, the energy, when the energy movement happens when you are trying to concentrate your mind, the mind is made up of both energy and consciousness, so due to that movement of energy these things might happen. But slowly, you will learn to control it so that it doesn’t tilt.

Questioner:

Yeah, then this follow-up question. Like, for example, if I sit cross leg, after 30 minutes, for example, the legs become numb. So, is it not recommended to sit in a cross-legged posture?

Shri Babaji:

If necessary, after half an hour you can take out your legs, stretch out for half a minute, and then continue again. So, it is not a must that you have to sit in crossed legs. You can sit in any posture that you feel comfortable. That’s what my master taught, so that simply for that reason you don’t have to give up meditation. So, that is the important thing.

Questioner:

Baba, I’m thinking about the chaos that we experience every day, and then we’re trying to achieve peace. So, it all comes from the same source, right? Energy and consciousness. So, would you say that peace could be an imagination, or is peace something entirely different? I’m not making sense.

Shri Babaji:

Peace is a reality. When peace comes, you will realize it is not an imagination. And the loss of peace, chaotic condition is imagination. Watching this world expecting certain type of things to happen, if such things don’t happen, then your mind going to chaotic conditions. So, all these are all due to imaginations of the mind. When imaginations come to an end, then mind becomes peaceful. When it is quiet, it is peaceful; that is a reality.

Questioner:

Okay, so then we can actually say that chaos really doesn’t exist?

Shri Babaji:

Yeah. It is the mind which suffers by imagining.

Questioner:

There is one more question in the chat. The question is, Babaji, how not to lose heart? And is it true that whatever happens is God’s wish? Is that the way to see things? What should one do not to lose heart if things don’t turn out as expected?

Shri Babaji:

You see, always we have to think, though things may not be happening, we must reassure ourselves; “Though this situation is becoming very difficult, it will not be impossible. Someday, some time I will definitely achieve what I want” – one thing. And another thing, important; till the last breath of life you don’t give up putting an effort. That is important. Keep trying. Keep trying. Even if you have to die, you will have satisfaction that you tried your best till the last breath. That will give so much of satisfaction. Giving up and running away from the battlefield is wrong. If you die in the battlefield, it is not at all wrong. You have tried your best, you didn’t give up. That is important. Whether a success comes or not is not that important, whether your effort continues or not is much more important. So, that’s what you have to take care. That’s what we were always taught in our lives from childhood. Never look back, never give up till the last breath of life. Have this attitude and you will not lose heart. So, this is the way not to lose heart. Assure yourself that you are going to achieve it. How come it doesn’t come?

End of Session