THE MASTER ANSWERS PART 12, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5115 · Posted: Sat Aug 21, 2010 10:49 am

Q In other words, it may be a complete forgetting of the body itself, or any feeling in it at all, rather than a distinct feeling of numbness?

A That is right. We are to become absolutely unconscious of our body, even as to whether it exists or not. Sometimes we feel that somebody else is sitting in meditation -- we are just separate from the body and we are watching who is sitting in the body, and we watch who is moving about in this world, not feeling that it is own body. We feel that we are the audience and we are watching ourselves. That is withdrawal from the body. By practice we get into this habit.

When we start withdrawing from the body, we feel the duality, that this body does not belong to us -- we are in it and yet we are out of it. Sometimes you feel that there is somebody else sleeping or lying and you are away from you and that you are away from the body. You are watching who is sleeping. That type of feeling we have sometimes. There is nothing to fear. One American Lady wrote to me that she had to consult some doctors or mental specialists, because she always felt that she was something away from the body. That feeling is bound to come within you. There is nothing to fear and there is nothing to worry about, as that is what we are trying hard to accomplish.

Q This has always bothered me: How do we know that by reaching Sahansdal Kanwal, by reaching Trikuti, by reaching Sach Khand, we are ascending? Everybody talks about going up, but how do we know we are going up?

A You feel it within, I tell you. You sense it intuitively and gradually you know. When you see a map of the country between here and New York, you are given all the information as to what you are going to see on the way, and when you are driving on that freeway and seeing all those things, how do you know that you are going to New York? When you see those signs on the way, the milestones and the scenery, they confirm that the path is right and that New York is only a few miles further. You know that you are on the way to New York. Similarly, when all the saints explain to us that we will see so and so on our way up, and we see those things on the way, we feel we are going up. Besides, you yourself will know that you are going up. You have a certain bliss, certain contentment, certain happiness in those situations. You feel a certain joy and you dance within yourself in happiness. When you are on those planes, you radiate happiness. When you are going down, young know how miserable you feel. So, naturally, when you are away from such situations you can also feel or know if you are going up.

Q When we are in meditation?

A Not only in meditation, but when we reach a certain stage where we are able to remove the veil of mind from our way, when we are able to remove the veil of mind from our way, when we are able to unknot the knot of soul and mind knotted together. I'll give you a little example. The water in a cloud is very pure, but once it becomes rain, it mixes with the dirt of the ground and it becomes very dirty, it stagnates. It forgets its origin. It forgets that it was pure, very pure. It just starts thinking that it is a part and parcel of this dirt and loses its identity even. But when with the heat of the sun it evaporates, leaves that dirt, it realizes, "I am something different and this dirt is something different. Unnecessarily, having been in the company of the dirt, I was thinking myself dirt, a part of it." So, the moment it leaves the dirt it realizes that it is something different and the dirt is something different. Then it thinks about its own origin, which is the cloud in the sky. It goes back, merges back into the cloud. The same is true of our soul. It is a part of that Ocean Divine. Having been in the company of the mind -- and the mind is already a slave of the senses -- we have lost, and forgotten our identity. We have to reverse the process. In other words, our mind is to control the senses and the soul is to control the mind. When we withdraw our mind from the senses, we take our mind back to its original home, Trikuti, the second spiritual stage. Then the soul gets release from the mind. There we know who we are and we think about our origin. Then the soul, freed from the mind and senses, goes up and merges back into its own origin.

Socrates said, "Know thyself", Self-realization is essential before God-realization is essential before God-realization. Unless we know who we are, how can we know who God is? How can we have His concept? So, we have got to control our mind, subdue it, before our soul can realize its own self or we can get rid of the intellectual barrier and merge back into the Lord. All these barriers and obstacles are instincts of the mind, and when the soul is rid of those coverings, it is pure, it is free to merge back into its Source.

Q Master, should one repeat the Names, does it matter, whether slowly, or....?

A Just as you feel like. Do not think that you will get better results by repeating fast or slow. Simply repeat in a relaxed manner, just as you normally speak, but mentally, without the use of the tongue. It is the mind that is to do the repeating.

Q Master, that brings up the question about the pronunciation. How important is that?

A It is of no importance at all. It is the attention that matters.

Q When I was sick. I could not remember the five words and I was so frustrated. All I wanted to remember was the five words. What does one do in case one cannot remember?

A You cannot help it. You can only do something it when you are conscious.

Q Should we eliminate all thought as we repeat the Names, and center on an emotional feeling?

A While repeating the Names (doing the Simran), we should try to contemplate on the form of the Master, keeping his form here, between the eyebrows. Try to realize him after contemplating on his form and repeating the Names. Then we have something to hold our attention there while repeating, something which helps us to withdraw up to the center, Simran helps us in withdrawing our scattered thoughts and becoming one-pointed ; and Dhyan (Contemplation) helps us in keeping our attention here, at the particular center. So, we should try to do both at the same time.

Q When doing Simran, is it possible that when one shuts one's eyes, that one's attention can be outside instead of inside? The literature speaks of the eyes focussing. You talked about it the other day, about causing problems with the muscles of our eyes. If one sees something from a distance with the eyes shut, like a form, is it possible that this form is on the outside instead of inside and that the focus could be in the wrong place?

A At the time of meditation we are just to close our eyes. It is our attention that is to focus. They physical eyes are not involved at all. If our attention is outside, we feel that we are outside. We are contemplating outside. If we forget about the outside world, we just close our eyes and hold our attention mentally in the darkness, we see behind the eyes. My meaning of "behind the eyes" is that whenever you close your eyes you are automatically in that darkness. Whenever you close your eyes, if you do not let your thoughts run out, scatter out, you are naturally in this darkness; you are naturally behind the eyes. At that place your attention has to contemplate on the form of the Master.

You are not physically to try to invert your eyes nor to try to find any particular point in the darkness. If you do that, you will damage your physical eyes. You are just to forget absolutely about your eyes. Mentally, if you will forget about your eyes and forget about yourself and forget about the outside surroundings; you will be somewhere; and that will be within yourself, that will be in the darkness. As you repeat these five holy Names while contemplating on the form of the Master, you are going within, and you are not going out.

Do not try to visualize someone moving about or running about. If you do, then your attention is scattered outside, and slowly and slowly you will run outside; that is your attention runs out. Try to eliminate and completely ignore everything that you are seeing going about outside and try to contemplate on the form of the Master inside, in the darkness. Whether it appears or not, do not let your thoughts run out but keep your mind in the repetition of the five holy Names. You will not have to think that now you are within or that now you are without. When your attention is in this darkness, you automatically will be within.

Another think I may add about your question: at the time of Simran, we are not to pay any attention to breathing. Some people who have been doing Hatha Yoga or these breathing exercises, or different types of yoga, sometimes try to mix the Simran with breathing. That is wrong. There are many schools which try to teach that principle, but satsangis should never bother with the breathing at all at the time of meditation. I am talking to you; you are listening to me. Neither you are conscious of your breathing nor am I conscious of my breathing. Breathing is a normal function of the body. At the time of meditation we are just to forget about our breathing, forget about our eyes, forget even about ourselves. Keeping your attention mentally in the darkness, you will automatically be in the the center behind the eyes. You are not to try to locate any particular spot behind the eyes. If you can eliminate the thoughts of the outside world, you will stop letting your mind run out, you will automatically be within yourself, in that darkness and there you have to contemplate on the form of the Master and do the Simran and Bhajan.

Q Like many satsangis, I have some difficulties in meditation and doing Simran. Invariably I fall asleep and start snoring. (Laughter). Somehow, these holy Names blend into one another and form a certain kind of pattern that is conducive to sleep. What advice will you give us to keep awake, as we all seem to have the same trouble?

A Yes, I have understood your question, brother. When we are asleep, we are generally at the throat center. When we meditate, we try to concentrate at the eye center. There is very little difference between the method of going to sleep and that of trying to concentrate; so generally our attention at the time of Simran slips down from the eye center to the throat center and we go to sleep. The reasons can be many, but mostly we have too many activities of mind and body that prevent us from getting the required amount of sleep. I do not know why, but in this modern society, we have so many types of engagements. we do not try to compromise with them, but we do compromise with our sleep and our health in order to fulfill those engagements. We would like to work all day and enjoy sleep all night, and from the sleep time we take our meditation time, disregarding what the body needs.

After proper sleep, leave your bed, move about in your room, wash your face with cold water and sit for Bhajan,there will be no question of sleep overtaking you. We also have to adjust the intake of our food accordingly. We have to go to bed with a light stomach. I am glad to find that in your country you generally take your supper very early, and so go to bed with a light stomach. The main thing is that the body must get proper sleep, otherwise, we are likely to go to sleep at the time of meditation. If you work all day and rush about at night, when you sit in Bhajan early in the morning naturally the body wants to go back to sleep. If you give proper rest to the body, there is no reason why you should fall asleep during meditation.

Generally, it is better if you can leave your bed for meditation because we associate sleep with our bed, so again our mind wants to go to sleep. You should leave your bed, walk about, feel quite alert and yet calm and relaxed before sitting for the meditation. And sit on a separate chair or whatever you have allotted for that purpose, then there are less chances of going to sleep.

Q Besides getting more sleep, would you advise repeating these Names slower so that the mind would be forced to concentrate?

A No, speed of repetition does not make any difference. Whether we do it fast or slow, does not make any difference. WE should just do it at normal speed. It is concentration which matters here. That is the main thing. You should do your Simran with the attention and while keeping it here, at the eye center.

Q Master, I read in Spiritual Gems, perhaps it is an answer to a specific letter, there is a statement made not to do spiritual practice before retiring. Was that meant for a specific person, or was that meant to be general?

A What? We should not devote time to spiritual practice before retiring? No, no. You do not seem to have understood rightly. I rather advise the other way, that while trying to go to sleep, we should repeat the Names, and when we get up in the morning, we can concentrate much better, because even in our dreams we did not let our thoughts go astray. I think there is either a mistake in printing or a misunderstanding.

Q Maharaj Ji, if while going to bed, the Sound comes, one should listen to the sound, but if the process keeps on going and we want to do Simran .....when?

A What do you mean by 'when'?

Q I mean when it is time for bed instead of starting the five holy Names, you start hearing the Sound?

A It is the same thing. If you want to hear the Sound, you hear the Sound; or if you want to do the Simran, it is the same thing. As long as you are in tune to that side, whatever you do in His Name is all right.

Q Maharaj Ji, is there ever a time during meditation when one stops breathing? Would it be dangerous?

A We should not think of breathing at the time of meditation. Those people who have been doing Pranayam, breathing exercises, are generally told at the time of initiation that they should not interfere with breathing at the time of Simran; otherwise, they are likely to be victims of some breathing difficulty -- asthma or something like that. You are talking to me, I am talking to you. Neither you are conscious of your breathing nor am I conscious of my breathing. This is a normal function of the body. Let it go on. We have to concentrate mentally, here at the eye center. We are not to interfere with the breathing at all, and then there is no danger whatsoever. Some people advise doing Simran in rhythm with each breath inhaled and exhaled. That is not right. We should pay no attention whatsoever to breathing while doing Simran; in fact, not during the entire meditation period.

Q Master, am I correct in understanding that even though an initiate has followed the metaphysical path most of the time and leaned heavily upon mental affirmation and declaration of the truth as he understood it, in times of stress and to solve problems and just to keep the mind clear, he should and will benefit by leaving all that and relying on Simran of the five holy Names, even during the day -- from time to time -- when work does not require his concentration?

A I have not exactly followed your question, sister. But whenever we are free, mentally, we should try to devote time to Simran. We will feel the definite advantage of it when we are giving proper time to our meditation, for we will have much better concentration, quicker concentration, and we will be in touch with the Sound sooner. If during the whole day we are absorbed in doing Simran, two definite advantages are there; first, we are not letting our thoughts be scattered too much, so in a lesser time we will be able to concentrate when we sit for meditation. Second, mostly we are unhappy in thinking about what has passed, and our future is always bothering or worrying us. So, when we are absorbed in Simran, we will be at least safe from all this unnecessary worry. We should, therefore, try to make use of our time in doing Simran whenever we are free mentally. That has definite advantages.

Q Would you please explain the benefits of what I call the individual repetition of the Names, Simran, while we are eating, or working at a desk, which does not require too much concentration?

A Our mind is never still and is always thinking about something. It is always thinking about worldly faces, worldly objects, and it is never still. So, if we want to forget those things, we have to direct the mind into a different channel. In order to do that, we should repeat the Name of the Lord while moving about or doing our work. There are two things that we are usually thinking about. Mostly we are unhappy thinking about what has been our past. We generally think about that and have a sense of guilt about it, and then we are sorry for what we have done and are always worrying and repenting, or feeling sorry for ourselves and trying to justify our actions. Secondly, we are always bothered about our future and that is always making us frustrated and unhappy. If you will keep your mind constantly in Simran, you will not have this sense of guilt or frustration or unhappiness; and, when you sit for your meditation period, because you have not allowed your thoughts to be scattered out into the world, you will easily be able to withdraw your attention back up to the eye center and will be in touch with the Sound.