SHIVA RUDRA BALAYOGI

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Why is making the mind quiet so important in meditation?

10 May 2014 retreat

Question:

Why is focusing the mind, bringing it quiet and eventually completely standstill so much a fundamental part of this Jangama Dhyana meditation? And why are those universal principles part of every form of meditation?

Babaji:

Because mind is made up of consciousness and energy. These two things are natural, potential qualities in its existence. Consciousness means wherever you apply, when you are able to apply you become aware of that existence. But generally when you apply this consciousness towards the world, universe, your surroundings and on to your body it generates further imaginations within the mind, because mind tries to analyze, wanting to know through the application of intelligence, what it is. It wants a definition through a language, so then there is further imagination and it makes a judgment and that judgment becomes the habit of the mind. Habit in the sense that the mind itself experiences that judgment within itself, meaning it gets into that ‘shape’. 

If one thought was there, there wouldn’t have been much problem. But like this, thought after thought millions and billions and trillions and as far as you can go in imagination it acquires habits. Due to this the mind has been split into so many layers it constantly keeps jumping from one thought to another, one imagination to another. Thus giving rise to a craving and it has become unable to remain in harmony with the happenings of this universe, going into a head-on collision, meaning if something is happening in the world and the mind wants something else, so this forms the cravings of the mind, which has given rise to unhappiness, tension, fear – all these unpleasant things. By allowing the mind to go into such imaginations and become habitual to its trillions of thoughts its preoccupation also has gone onto its thoughts and habits of imaginations thus it has made you temporarily forget about your Self, becoming unaware of your Self. 

One’s own existence is one of the primary important things for anyone to have peace, a secure existence. So when this security is threatened and one’s identity also is on something else one loses that happiness and satisfaction and a fear occurs all the time. To overcome this effect one needs to overcome all the imaginations, then only it can go back to its real Self and become aware of that. And that Self’s existence is beyond any imaginations. When eventually it gets applied to the Self it fails to generate any further imagination but settles down there peacefully. 

To achieve this is the recommended goal to watch so that it does not take any imprints, doesn’t go into any imaginations, so this is the important aspect of the spiritual sadhana and the basic part of our meditation technique also. That is why this is taught, so the mind can give up its habits of imaginations, analyzations, making judgments, absorbing imprints, becoming habitual and going away consciously from its own Self. 

So, you have gone away from your Self, consciously in imagination, and you have forgotten your Self. The goal is recommended that you become aware of your Self. All your problems, everything, gets sorted out. Anything that is a problem for you gets sorted out once you become aware of your Self. So that is the reason that it is recommended that you just watch. 

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