Perth May 4th, 2005

The programs of Babaji’s eighth tour in Australia opened at the home of some local devotees. As the great Yogi arrived, Pada Puja (washing of the Guru’s feet) was performed to the chanting of some slokas from the Guru Gita. Then lead to the altar, Baba performed aarathi to Swamiji at the altar, and seated Himself.

Praying to Swamiji for His blessings, Baba opened His short discourse.

Offering my unconditional surrender and prostrations to my beloved Guru Shivabalayogi and all those great realized souls of the world. Greetings to you all. I’m happy to be here in Perth and in Australia again; with all the love you have shown to Baba, it is always a homely feeling to be here. Today is going to be a day of practice and sadhana. I always emphasize that you only have a thing when you practice it. If you want joy, peace, the peace of the Immortal Soul, then you will have to practice. It has always been my aim to help the devoted true seekers to learn how to meditate properly. The mind has to become silent. It is the mind which has picked up this habit of nervousness, giving turmoil, ignorance and fear.

The mind always leads to ignorance. That idea may be amusing to you when you see humanity achieve so much in the world by using the mind to do things in the world. But one simple truth we fail to grasp and understand — the understanding capability of the mind is limited by the imaginations of the mind. When there are no imaginations, the mind recedes. If the mind exists, it imagines. When one thinks, it is through imaginations only. The mind looks at the whole world, gives names to the things it imagines, to try to understand, but it really doesn’t know about the world. The real truth is beyond your imagination. Whatever the mind imagines, it limits.
Take the example of space. Space is all-pervading. The more we try to define space, the more we limit the space. But if someone tries to understand ‘all-pervading’, how can we understand and measure that? The great sages used the term ‘anantam‘- boundless. It is beyond all imaginations.

The Divine has to be experienced. If one tried to understand ‘Supreme Peace’ it is very difficult to explain. If one comes in contact with a real Guru, then they may experience supreme bliss and happiness, but they may be unable to express what that is. God is beyond all imaginations, only a person who experiences That can know. So it is important to practice.
In trying to teach, the purpose of meditation needs to be understood, or the mind will expect the wrong things in the process. When people ask about how they can tell if they are progressing, they need to understand that it is not by experiences such as visions and so on, that one can know one’s progress, but by the experience of peace. If the mind was brooding, then anxiousness will be reducing.

This doesn’t mean you’ll lose your ability to function with the mind in the world. You won’t lose your mind once and for all. People may be worried how they will live in the world when experiencing Supreme Peace. When you can control your mind through meditation, the mind recedes; when you come out of mediation, you can apply the mind in the world more effectively.

This is important. Think of whatever you do, and whatever you get. Whatever you get may not be in your hands. You may not get what you want, and in this way the mind becomes happy or unhappy. Meditation will neutralize this. The mind becomes happy and content. Meditation will help you lose your imaginations.

To do this meditation, focus and watch between your eyebrows, and simply do not bother what happens. You may get thoughts or visions – simply do not bother. Gradually over time, it will happen that the mind will recede and come under your control. The mind belongs to you. It is your conscious energy. By this I mean the real ‘You’ that exists beyond imaginations.
The mind has given all these sufferings and unhappiness. If everyone’s mind could be controlled, the whole society will be happier and a better place.

Questions

Question:

Could You please speak about the Inner Guru?

Babaji: 

If you pray sincerely to God then it is the Inner Guru who comes to you as the outer Guru. The Inner Guru will direct you to the outer Guru. The Divine within you is the Guru, which guides you to the outer Guru. When you practice meditation, the mind recedes, and the inner Guru will guide you deeper. When you go into deeper meditations and Samadhi, you will experience the inner Guru. All the peace and knowledge is within you.
Like Swamiji who although He hardly had any formal schooling, after His 12 years of Tapas He showed such amazing wisdom and knowledge. This came out of Him from within.

Question:

Could you speak about karma?

Babaji:

Well karma is a very wide topic. Whenever you perform any action or work, that is karma. The mind absorbs the imprints of these activities. That’s why it is advised to be in the company of good and noble people, who will guide your thoughts and actions. Your actions are very important as it gives impressions to the mind – samskaras. These samskaras dictate your next life. When you meditate, then you will be guided to act properly, and then the mind’s impressions will be less. Karma is a very wide topic and some aspects of it are inconclusive.
There are two types of karma – a human-made form in which certain actions are prescribed by a set of rules, but this can often be twisted by human selfishness. And then there is a more subtle form, such as when one practices meditation; one will simply know what is best to do. Sometimes it is not easy to dictate what is best.
Try to help others. I always say that one should try to help others; but if one can’t help, then at least don’t bother them. If you really practice meditation, you will develop the ability to determine the right course of action.
It is very important to be careful with one’s actions, as they lead to impressions on the mind.

Question:

What about dreams and intuition?

Babaji: 

Dreams tell about the state of your mind, as the mind creates the dreams. They show what the mind has acquired. If the mind is panicked, then it will show those types of dreams. But a dream really is a dream. When one dreams of a thing and then it happens – sometimes there is a coincidence if such things happen, though the mind can be capable of imagining the future.
With intuition, it is sometimes correct and sometimes not. If one meditates, then one will get the right intuition for oneself through inner guidance.

Question:

Even if one dreams about the Guru?

Babaji:

Yes – your mind is more devoted to your Guru and it loves. Then the mind gets more and more receptive to the Guru, and so receives the Guru’s blessing and vibrations of the Guru.

Question:

When we sit in to meditation and the mind is restless with thoughts, is it all right to talk to the mind and tell it to settle down?

Babaji:

Yes this is alright to do a little in the beginning. One part of the mind can talk to another part and tell it, ” One day this will recede” – reassure the mind.

Question:

If God is ‘Karuna Sargara‘  (ocean of compassion), then shouldn’t God’s Grace be flowing automatically to us?

Babaji: 

It is automatic, but you have to understand to be able to see it. If God slaps us – it is a kindness. If there are troubles in our life, it is God’s kindness. If there is suffering, it is God’s kindness. When you really understand God you will see He is really full of Grace. His Grace is automatically flowing, He can never do anything other than shower Grace, can never do anything wrong. Adi Sankaracharya says, and I have found this also in my life – Agony is universal law. The soul has jumped into this well we call ‘the world’. Suffering is the spring that throws us back to God. It makes us seek to go back. When a mother is taking the ice cream away from the child because it will make the child sick, she is doing so for the child’s own good. It is the same with God when He shows you to behave differently.

Question:

What is the role of Guru in one attaining Realization?

Babaji:

Guru first initiates by showing the correct method. He will inspire you and clear your doubts. Guru can fill you with inspiration – ‘If I have achieved, then you can also achieve.’ If one has faith and devotion to the Guru, then one will be serious in their efforts. Reverence to the Guru makes one serious in one’s efforts. Because you are serious, you are here at this talk with Baba, instead of making excuses to do other things.  If you were casual, you would not be here with Baba.
If God and Guru come in front of you, then to whom would you first prostate? One would prostrate first to the Guru, because it is the Guru who has shown you God. We were always taught when we were young, “If God gets angry, Guru will protect; but if Guru gets angry, then not even God can protect you.” But Yogis don’t really get annoyed and angry with people. If at all they do pull people up, it is for those people’s own good – only from love.

Question:

What are the expectations for someone on this path who is not likely to be going into Tapas in this birth?

Babaji:

Different personalities will have different ideas. In the legendary times, some people would do Tapas to obtain powers and so would become demonic in their nature and behavior and would torture those around them. But if one goes towards God Realization, and meditates well, they will still be elevated in their next birth. One needs to understand Tapas before they start – one needs to understand what it is and what is the target, or one may stop too soon – before completing it. Doing Tapas to obtain powers is like settling for having one single chocolate, when we are going to get the whole supermarket.

Copyright © 2005 SRBY, All rights reserved.