Perth May 06 Tour – Day 8

At the final evening program of the Perth tour, Shri Babaji Maharaj was garlanded when He took His place on the dais. He then offered the garland at Swamiji’s altar.

We surrender and prostrate at the Lotus Feet of our beloved Divine Guru Shivabalayogi. We greet you all with love and blessings. We appreciate your interest in meditation. May the Divine Guru bless that with this physical body we can come again in the following years and may the Divine Guru bless and inspire you to take up this meditation seriously with Dedication, Discipline and Patience, and that you will all practice this meditation when Baba is away. Baba will be always in your heart; with Faith you can see him there always.

A Yogi always visualizes that the Supreme Peace may be blessed upon you all as on himself. May you all be inspired always to see me in your heart, and practice and adopt the methods as we teach. When my Guru sat on a dais, it was His normal practice to have a photo of Lord Shiva or Padukas.

We as disciples used to consider this the highest worship. Just like Bharata went to Lord Rama after he had been made Crown Prince instead of Rama. Bharata didn’t want Rama to leave, but Lord Rama took it as a Divine directive and happily went away to the forest. When Bharata came back he found that Rama had gone away. So Bharata goes to the forest to ask Lord Rama to come back to the capital. But Rama says, “No. I have taken a vow to follow your mother’s boon. There was no need of the boon; I would have done it if she had simply asked.”

Bharata replies, “Then please grant me your Padukas – your sandals – to carry on my head, and I shall rule in your place for the fourteen years.” So this is the great tradition of Padukas. So Swamiji kept Lord Shiva’s Padukas. If He was garlanded by a devotee, He would offer the garland to the Padukas. I once asked Him why, and He replied, “The honor offered to Me is offered back to the Lotus Feet of my Guru.”

In the same way I offer these honors to Him. I appreciate the honor, and offer it at the Lotus Feet of my Guru, Shivabalayogi. May He bless your worldly life and may you be inspired to go on this spiritual path.

I have always emphasized that when I teach, it is to share the Truth of things; your understanding can help elevate you to the Divine or can take you away.

May you all achieve the same Supreme Peace that I have.

Please know I see you all as my children and I speak only to guide and help you. I have been speaking of the need for mind’s control. We all need to control our tempers; these energies need to be directed to the Divine and then easily you can cruise towards the Divine.

When you meditate – close the eyes, watching towards the front. Have no doubts of what you are aiming to achieve. The purpose of meditation is that the mind has to become quiet. If it can do that, amazing things will happen for you.

The moment you sit to meditate, the mind will start visualizing things; that is the nature of the mind. Like in the story I told before of the river with no water, and so on – when you were listening to the story, your mind would have been trying to visualize the story – brothers who were never born, rivers with no water, and so on. So just use the mind to concentrate. So many times you will have to deal with difficulties – in the same way as it is for the tongue. The tongue has to be careful in amongst the thirty-two teeth, otherwise it might get hurt. It is not that the teeth themselves are evil – they are just doing their job; but the tongue must be careful simply.

Swamiji used to say that those who can find and rectify their own faults are Mahapurushas (great souls). This is a core issue. One great Saint said, “Why try to set right the world? – Set right yourself first.” Every day you sit for meditation, definitely some progress occurs; every time some cleansing, some purification takes place. You will find when you get more purified, you will find the ‘tastiness’ in the meditation – just like when the taste to be with Baba comes; it comes naturally.

Wait for this – Patience is so important. You need also Courage and Dedication, as well as Patience. So Krishna says, “You are your own best friend, or your own worst enemy.”

When you practice you will find it easy. Just ask those who now sit easily for one hour – in the beginning it may have been awful for them.

If you follow this path and practice these teachings then eventually you will see everything as Divine Grace only. If I look back on my life I can see all the things that happened were leading me to this only. Some things may have seemed negative to others, but they were the Divine’s kindness to bring me to this, to teach me. It is the Divine’s Grace I am here talking; it is the Divine’s Grace that you are here listening. 

When you listen, pay apt attention, then the teachings will penetrate the deeper layers of the mind. Tell yourself, “I must achieve what my Guru achieved.”

We will recite a prayer:-

Om Sahana Vavatu Sahanou Bhunaktu

Saha Veeryam Kara Vavahai

Tejasvina Vadhee Tamastu

Maa Vidvishavhaii

“May I be able to live a life like my Guru lived.

May I be able to be at His Lotus Feet.

May I be able to do the same sadhana as my Guru.

May I achieve that Peace.

May the Divine, my Guru, bless there shall not be any misunderstanding ever between my Guru and I.”

So now you can come for initiation. This gives a transmission of energy to help you. Using this technique you can have a wonderful life in this world and attain that Supreme Peace also.

Questions & Answers

Question:

When we are looking at our own faults – what is the difference between ‘self-confidence’ and ‘arrogance’?

Babaji:

If you watch what happens in your life, you need to examine carefully and then you will be able to see. We will all make mistakes. I examine myself still to see if I can learn worldly things.

Question:

In our meditation – what are the clues we are progressing?

Babaji:

As the mind recedes its agitations reduce and it becomes more Peaceful one develops an increased ability to control one’s temper. One may find the strength of one’s visions if they occur, will increase. It is just like when one dreams, the dream may be very strong and vivid, or may be vague and hard to remember. As meditation progresses, the imagination power of the mind increases strengthens and the visions become clearer. Also the mind becomes quieter and quieter.

Question:

As we progress and increase the time in meditation, why does it seem easy one day, but difficult on another day?

Babaji:

The mind is very naughty. It doesn’t behave. It is very patient and waits to come back to the world; and the illusion is very strong. If there is the slightest carelessness then the mind will slip back to the world, to the illusion.

Question:

Is it necessary to modify one’s lifestyle when we engage in meditation?

Babaji:

If possible, reduce worldly activities so one can devote more time to spiritual exercises. One’s lifestyle automatically builds up the temperament of a person easily and so it is for that reason that satsang – keeping the company of good and noble people – is so important.

Question:

When stabilized in meditation, can one bring the eyes up further?

Babaji:

When the mind is settling, in the beginning it may be better to watch the front portion. After some time of this practice the eyeballs will come together by themselves.

Question:

I find there is a sort of ‘pulling’ sensation in between the eyebrows when I meditate.

Babaji:

Yes. The Automatic Divine Activity of the initiation will generate this pulling sensation as the mind becomes focused.

Question:

Could You please speak again about telling the difference between ‘self-confidence’ and ‘arrogance’?

Babaji:

They are totally different. If you meditate well then the mind gets the ability, the strength, to behave properly. In my case, my parents always guided me to behave properly – “Sit up straight in front of elders” and so on. The strength of mind that comes from meditation automatically gives a true self-confidence and proper behavior.

Confidence and arrogance are totally different.

Question:

What if one has a tendency to fall asleep during meditation?

Babaji:

Yes it is very true that this can happen. The brain has to be very alert to control the mind. So one needs to be sure they get proper rest, proper food – so it does not produce wind and so on – and one should allow sufficient time after eating before sitting to meditate.

Question:

I have a tendency to get up quickly after my meditation and get on about my worldly tasks and jobs.

Babaji:

Maybe one could sit for a little while; perhaps drink a little water when you come out. I did this also during Tapas. This will be helpful for you so that you don’t get excited.

Question:

You spoke previously of ‘You’ versus ‘mind’. Who is that ‘You’?

Babaji:

The Self. The mind wants to run away, make you dance to its tunes. So you need to control this. Others have also spoken of this. Jesus said, “If you win over yourself and lose the whole world, you’ve still won.”

Question:

Does the consciousness go – disappear – during sleep?

Babaji:

In deep sleep the brain’s activity becomes very little. At that time, though it is holding the mind, it is not reflecting the mind. But consciousness still exists. Thus when one wakes up, you will say, “I had a sound sleep”, not – “I did not exist”.

Question:

Why do we forget that we are Divine Beings; and thus how do we remember this again?

Babaji:

Our own attention, our awareness is too much in this world. This develops a consciousness of “I” and “mine” and we lose our sense of our true Self. If one can withdraw the mind from this world, then we regain the awareness of our real Self.

Copyright © 2006 SRBY, All rights reserved