October 2005 – Sunshine Coast Day 1 

During the second half of the October 2005 Australian Tour, Baba traveled to the Sunshine Coast on the east coast of Australia. On the first evening program, He entered the hall, performed aarathi to Swamiji, took Namaskaram and then seated Himself on the dais.

Brahmanandam Paramasukadam

Kevalam Jnanamurtim

Dvandvaateetam Gaganasadrisham

Tattvamasyadi Lakshiyam

Ekam Nityam Vimalam Achalam

Sarvadhi Sakshi Bhutam

Bhava Teetam Triguna Rahitam

Sadgurum Tvam Namami

Prostrating a billion times at the Lotus Feet of my beloved Guru, Shivabalayogi, I greet you all with my Love and Blessings. This is my third time here on the Sunshine Coast. I am happy to be back here with the peaceful people of Australia I always appreciate the yearning to learn.

My Guru Shivabalayogi belonged to that highest level of attainment, but He never claimed anything about Himself. A Yogi is in the highest state in that class of Saints, where the mind has totally merged with the Self. He performed great Tapas for 12 years – Tapas  just as that performed by Lord Buddha, Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, and Ramana Maharshi. Tapas is meditation at its highest pitch. Meditation is based in your attention. If your mind is towards the world, then the mind cannot remain composed. The world distracts the mind; the mind gets sucked into the worldly illusion. The mind just experiences thoughts simply one after another.

Meditation means that we withdraw this mind; hold that mind. When we can do this for more than one hour, we are said to be meditating. For this hour the mind should not go into thoughts and worries. If you can do this for one hour, then one is said to be meditating.  Until that stage, one is said to be trying to meditate. My Guru taught that one should become master of your mind. The mind should not get into turmoil no matter what happens.     

The mind is your conscious energy. If you can control your mind, you’ll be the best healer. You can heal yourself. In today’s world the mind is dragged out into the world. So how does this healing happen? – When one meditates, then the mind doesn’t get tangled into troubles. Then one can go on living in the world in any way, in any faith.

My Guru’s teachings are universal; because the mind is universal. The mind has no color or type, and so on – your mind is your conscious energy. Swamiji used to say that the mind should be employed always in sadhana: ‘sadhana’ means simply your efforts to achieve. He emphasized on personal effort. YOU have to do it – if you think others will do it for you, you will get cheated. He did bless people in their worldly issues, to help them, as a Yogi’s prayers are more effective than those of an ordinary person, but in regards to their sadhana He emphasized that the effort had to be yours alone. The mind’s ultimate truth is You. God is within you. You are within God.

In this form of meditation there is no chanting, no object to concentrate on. I will ask you not to visualize anything – you are not trying to concentrate on any object. Whether you call it ‘God Consciousness’, ‘Liberation’, ‘Self  Realization’ – whatever you call it, the state is the same. The mind has in the end, got to go back to the Self; like the ray has to go back to the sun, and the droplet has to go back to the ocean. If you concentrate the mind – still you can’t see its color or shape, and so on. The mind is infinite.      

This is one of the most ancient meditation techniques of India. You are giving the mind the practice to become concentrated, without any sight or sound. This technique was given by Lord Shiva to my Guru when he was only a small 14 year old boy. His father had died when he was very young, and He lived in poverty with His mother. He always emphasized that it was important to be responsible. He Himself, when He was only 5 years old, had wanted to stop school and work to look after His mother. He would say that if one were not responsible about their situation, then they would not put in efforts to improve their situation. It is the same as if our home is dirty because we haven’t cleaned it; we haven’t accepted responsibility for it. In the same way, the mind needs to be controlled, and it is our responsibility – nobody else’s.

It is a human weakness to blame others and not take responsibility. So often we hear people asking, “Why is there so much suffering in this world?” – If we take responsibility for our situation and for ourselves, then things will improve. It is a tendency in the mind to take one of six shapes – excessive anger, excessive jealousy, excessive stinginess, excessive greed, false pride or extreme attachment to material possessions. When the mind takes on one of these shapes, then we are likely to get upset – we need to control it. You will learn this control through meditation. This is the answer for all human suffering and weakness.     

Swamiji used to say that if you are suffering or having troubles – look at yourself; find where the fault is in yourself that this suffering is occurring. He would repeat the old saying, “Those who can find their own faults are the greatest.” He would thus emphasize that if you have a problem in your life, you needed to examine yourself and find what is your own mistake that is causing this to happen? If you then can’t change the situation, then develop the graciousness to accept it. If you can change it, then you should have the courage to change it. This is in all people; this will make you a great healer. You will be able to heal yourself. To do this, simply sit and concentrate the mind – and it will go introverted.  

So in this technique, hold the mind steady, not on an object. Then it will go introverted and you will experience your real Self as that Immortal Soul – beyond the existence of this physical body. You are that Eternal, Supremely Peaceful being. This is possible in this life. So this human life is a rare gem.    

When Buddha saw suffering, disease and old age, He started asking, “Why does this happen?” He asked questions, sought answers. We also see these things, but we don’t ask questions, we don’t put in the efforts. Even if you don’t want to go to the Self, still if you follow this technique, the mind’s turmoil will be reduced, and you will reduce your unhappiness. You’ll develop good concentration and through this you’ll be able to work better in this world. If you can concentrate your mind 100%, then you will be a genius in this world. So this practice helps you this way. So I have come to help you to help yourself.   

Swamiji never imposed. He would say, “I will help you if you wish.” I also do not impose. But I suggest you try this for 6 to 12 months. Try it for yourself, and see if you find the mind’s turmoil reduces. Swamiji used to refer to anyone doing 1 hour of this meditation as a ‘valiant soldier’.  

Anything is hard in the beginning. It is like baking bread; it may be difficult in the beginning – it may be awful in the beginning. But as you continue, it becomes child’s play. In the same way, if you find this hard, continue with it, and then you will find it becomes easier because you are that Abode of Supreme Happiness. There is an old expression, “You make butter out of milk. You have milk, but you look in the market for butter.” In the same way, you want happiness – you are prepared to do anything to get it. BUT it is not out in the world; it is inside you. So Swamiji used to say, “First, know who you are.” You are looking for happiness – even when you are helping other people, it is to make you feel good. You are always looking for happiness, and this is where you will find it – within you.     

Swamiji at only 14 years of age was initiated by Lord Shiva into this meditation, which He then practiced for 12 years. While Lord Shiva instructed Him, still Swamiji had to do it –  He had to put in the effort. The mind takes a long time to control – over time it has accumulated these habits.      

When you start to try to meditate, you will find thoughts come as part of the purifying process which occurs. Then the brain clears these from the mind – but you need to remember that when these thoughts come, just do not analyze them. Simply let them happen.

Dedication.   Discipline.   Patience.   These are the 3 great mantras you need to learn. Then this world will be so easy for you. Meditation will be so easy for you. If you have Dedication then you will set this as a priority – especially for the next 7 days while I am here. Just as you set aside time to eat, sleep, you must set aside time for meditation; this is a necessary food also.      

Patience is very essential. If you are patient, you will become perfect. Swamiji used to say, “Don’t worry about becoming gods or angels. Just become a perfect human being.”

I want to try in these coming days to inspire you. Like I achieved this Supreme Peace, I also want you to do it.

Questions and Answers 

Question:

Can You please explain the stages of Samadhi?

Babaji:

‘Samadhi’ means ‘total stand-stillness’. The mind constantly wanders; it is always active. In the stage of ‘Savikalpa Samadhi’ the mind has become concentrated on one object, unwavering. When we use the expression ‘Vikalpa‘ it means there is still the slightest ‘dot’ of “I” in the mind. In ‘Nirvikalpa‘ this slightest “I” is gone; the mind then remains in Sahaja (effortless) Samadhi.

So for a Yogi – He might be gossiping, or whatever – but He is still ‘the ever-silent one’. He has no cravings. A Yogi’s mind never rises in agitation; no agitation is there.

Question:

You said, ‘You must become perfect human beings.’ You also mentioned previously that if we try to achieve something but do not succeed, then we have to accept the outcome. Could You please speak about these things a little more?

Babaji:

First, put in your efforts. In your life, you will find some things are universally accepted as good. Some things are equally not good. For instance you may get a tsunami – it is outside human hands to change. So human courage is necessary to change things, especially inside ourselves. In the end, if a thing is beyond your capacity, then you have to accept it.

Question:

During meditation, I experience many images.

Babaji:

 When pictures or thoughts come, the mind tends to analyze. In meditation, there is no need to analyze. Do not analyze if it is good or bad, or so on. Then the mind will have no job, and it will recede.

In this worldly life you need judgment; but during meditation, don’t make judgments – don’t do this.  The meditation is a purification process and during this purification process you may experience images – that is the process. The brain decodifies the mind, and the mind gets purified.

Question:

Is it important to be vegetarian?

Babaji:

My Guru didn’t impose any food restrictions on people. Swamiji recognized the wide variety of cultural aspects, which affects people’s approach to food. He used to joke, “If you have a habit of eating one particular food and you force yourself not to have it, then when you meditate, you will only be thinking of that one food.”

My personal opinion is that one should eat light meals. Then one will not be sleepy during meditation. If possible eat green leafy vegetables. Watch you don’t overeat.

Question:

Could You please speak about superstition, reading the future and things such as these?

Babaji:

Spirituality teaches you to discourage this. Spirituality teaches us to face the present.

Brooding about the past is no use. The past will not come back. But from the past, we can learn and not repeat the same mistakes. For instance, the stories from the Ramayana are from so long ago – but they are still relevant lessons today.

What the future will be is based on our present efforts. Life is a mixture of good and bad. What is important is how you will face them. With regard to predictions – while there may be general ideas of what is going to come, when we see things such as terrorist attacks, tsunamis and so on, no-one has predicted these things. Only afterwards do people say they knew it was going to happen.

Spirituality teaches one to go to the Self. The Self is permanent. Spirituality teaches that you cannot rely on this world for your happiness permanently – because the world itself is transitory.  The Self is Eternal and we can rely on that.

Question:

In meditation, if my mind stops thinking, then it is suddenly startled into thinking again. Is that normal?

Babaji:

Yes, the mind is in the habit of thinking. If it becomes silent, it will then try to grab a thought. So continue – the mind will become tired and you will win.

It is like training a child who likes to plays with toys. Slowly we can make them more mature, and they will leave the toys. In the same way, the mind will learn to be controlled over time.

© 2005 SRBY, All rights reserved.