UK Retreat September 2017
Question:
My question is about sadhana and spiritual practice. My spiritual practice for the last few years since I started my spiritual journey has been chanting a mantra for spontaneous meditation. I have found this has brought many spiritual transformations and is leading me to the truth. And I also feel that Babaji and Babaji’s teachings is also doing the same. So, the question is can I practice both types of meditation, or how to include this is in my sadhana?
Babaji:
Yes, and there is not conflict. We encourage all types of sadhana, we respect all types of sadhana. We teach silent meditation because this is what my Guru practiced. That technique He got by the appearance of a Jangama Sage and my Guru passed this on to us by initiating us into this silent meditation. This easily became our practice. Â
So, as you are used to chanting you can do the chanting before the silent meditation and then in meditation try to remain silent, simply just watch. You understand why this silence is recommended, what you are doing when you are silently watching. You are trying to make your mind silent on its own without using any external anchor. If the mind becomes silent then automatically it goes introvert then eventually it will be able to realize about itself, as the immortal soul, Atma Sakshatkaara, that is recommended as the Spiritual Truth. Â
The chanting and all other types of sadhana are all used so that you first try to make the mind single-pointed. Then you have to abandon those chants and any external anchor to make the mind go introverted otherwise the mind can remain stuck there. If you understand this concept and phenomenon then you can practice both, you can practice the chant and the silent meditation, there will not be a conflict. Â
Same questioner:
This mantra that I chant has become so much a part of me that it is there always. I can’t stop, all day this mantra is going. When I sit in the Jangama meditation sometimes this mantra comes up again. Should I just keep watching between the eyebrows and the mantra will go away? Â
Babaji:
Yes. Without trying to repeat more of the mantra you just try to watch as if you are keeping that mantra in between the eyebrows and just remain focused and silently keep watching. If the mind doesn’t recognize anything then the mantra will go away and disappear.