THE MASTER ANSWERS PART 13, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5115 · Posted: Mon Aug 30, 2010 10:55 am

If you are always thinking about the world, then by spending only one or two hours a day in Simran, you cannot possibly concentrate or withdraw your thoughts to the eye center, because it needs a similar amount of time to withdraw it, as the time it has taken to scatter out. So, saints always advise that when we are mentally free, when we are walking about, when we have nothing to do, we can keep our attention in Simran. We should get into the habit of Simran to such an extent that even if we are talking to someone, it should automatically go on within us. The advantage is that we will be able to detach ourselves easily from the worldly things or the nine apertures of the body and come back to the eye center, and can then easily attach ourselves to Shabd.

Simran is a dry and insipid process, but a very, very essential process. We can hear the Sound without first doing Simran, and we will be happy to hear that Sound, but at that stage the Sound will not pull us. Unless we are able to withdraw our attention up to this point, the Sound will not take us up. We will hear it, we shall enjoy it, but we will remain where we are. So, especially in the beginning, we should give more time to Simran and less time to hearing the Sound. When we are sufficiently withdrawn with the help of Simran, then we should try to give more time to hearing the Sound and less time to Simran.

Simran is the means to contact Shabd, and go up with its help is the end. So, Simran is a very important means of withdrawing to this point, the eye center, and to be in touch with the Sound. Therefore, we should try to give more time to Simran in the beginning and less time to the Sound. But when the Sound is clearly audible and strong, it is pulling us up, we are enjoying it, then we should switch from Simran to hearing the Sound and just submit ourselves to the sound. Ultimately the Sound, and not the Simran, is to pull us up. Simran ceases to exist when we cross the first stage.

Q Can Dhyan be used simultaneously with Simran? Or should it be separate?

A If we contemplate on the form of the Master while doing Simran, we will have much better results, for then our mind will have something to hold it there while we are doing the mental repetition of the five holy Names. They both go together.

Q Should Simran be perfectly automatic or should it be visual? I mean, one is concentrating on the third eye. Now doing that and at the same time concentrating on each Name would be difficult?

We should never try to find out a particular focus or a point within. Neither should we physically try to invert the eyes or strain the eyes to bring them to a particular point or focus. That would damage the eyes. We should absolutely forget about the eyes during meditation. We should just keep our attention here, in the forehead, and close the eyes without straining them at all. We are not to concentrate on the words. It is our attention that is to repeat the words and concentrate here in the darkness.

Q We should not try to see the words?

A No. There is nothing to see in the words. They have no form. They are just there to hold our attention in the darkness. If we have seen the Master, we can contemplate on his form to hold our attention there. Otherwise, just keep the attention in the darkness and just do the Simran. You are not to contemplate on or see the words or try to think about them.

Q Breathing should be relaxed before starting Simran: for example, yogic breathing? Is this advisable?

A No. Those are physical exercises to keep the body and mind alert, and that is good, but has nothing to do with meditation. Any physical exercise to keep the body healthy is good. These exercises were adopted by the yogis because generally they are confined to their own small cottages or caves, where they used to give their time to meditation. They would hardly go out, so they developed certain exercises by which, for half an hour or an hour a day, even while staying in their cottage, they could keep their body healthy and strong. They developed all these eighty-four types of postures and so many breathing exercises to keep healthy. Sometimes I do these myself for ten or fifteen minutes a day if at all I get time: but they have nothing to do with spirituality.

Q What about Pranayam?

A Breathing exercises are Pranayam.

Q As well as the visual exercises of the entering of the life-force of the Pranayam?

A This is another mental development, but still it will not take you very far. It will help you to concentrate to some extent, but it is not very easy in these modern days for the householder or for people who are so busy with their own work, to do all these things without proper guidance. For Pranayam and Hatha Yoga you contantly need a teacher to guide you are every little step; otherwise there are so many complications. And with all that, what you gain is just good health. You can control your breath, and you can control your mind to some extent, but it does nothing for you beyond that.

Q What I am trying to do with this is to settle my body and my mind down to such an extent that it is reasonably restful?

A Naturally, a relaxed body, a relaxed mind is good for meditation. A tense body and a worried mind cannot attend to meditation, so the yogis used to just relax the body with exercise, and relax the mind by breathing exercises, with Pranayam, before they started their meditation. But this was just the means and not the end or objective. Nowadays people have taken these things as an end, and think that this is meditation. That idea is wrong; otherwise, there is no harm in doing these things.

Q There is no harm in taking in prana or doing these exercises?

A It is all right if one has the time for it and can get a good guide or teacher. If you say that by reading books you can do it, that is not possible, because there is always the likelihood of some sort of complications. I know of many cases where, even under proper guidance, there were many complications, because modern times are not suited for these things. In olden days those who practiced these things used to be absolutely celibate and they lived in the forests. They could do it, and probably that was their need also; but now the atmosphere in the world is entirely different. If one can do it, it is very good; but one should not do it for meditation; that is what I mean to say.

Then, too, it depends upon your physical fitness. Some people have a weak heart and it is harmful for them to do the Pranayam and some of the other yogic exercises. I have seen many cases where these yogis or their teachers have never bothered about or tested the student's heart beforehand, and when the student tried the exercise it resulted in heart failure. Because they do not know the physical aspect of the body, they have the same set of exercises for everyone, and sometimes it becomes quite a complicated affair.

Q Maharaj Ji, before listening to the Sound Current, one is supposed to do Simran, and if the Sound is so compelling, then what should be done?

A The object of Simran is to concentrate, to bring our consciousness back up to the eye center and to be in touch with the Sound, the Shabd. But if sometimes during Simran that Shabd is pulling us, we can easily switch over from Simran to the Shabd. There is no hard and fast timing that this must be given to Simran and this time must be given to Shabd. Sometimes, if during listening we do not hear anything and our mind is not at all in the Shabd, we can switch over to Simran. If, sometimes, during the Simran, the Sound is so audible and so catching and pulling, we can switch on to the Sound. There are no hard and fast rules. We are told these timings at the beginning when we have to start from 'A' and work towards the end, when we have to learn the A B Cs, that this much time we should give to Simran, and this much time to Shabd. The more we are able to concentrate, we can decrease our time for Simran and increase our time for the Shabd.

Q Master, in addition to giving the larger part of our meditation time to Simran, did I understand correctly it must always be done first, before Bhajan, or could one listen to the Sound Current first if it happened to be very loud at the beginning?

A Sister, the procedure, especially for the beginners, is to devote at least three-fourths of the time to hearing the Sound. But if one is successful in concentration, one is successful in withdrawing his consciusness up to eye center, and without any effort he is behind the eyes and hearts the Sounds, then he can give less time to Simran and more time to Shabd. When the Shabd is pulling, the Shabd is attracting or the Shabd is trongly audible within, then you can switch from Simran to the Shabd. There is no hard and fast rule that while at the time of Simran, we must avoid Shabd. No, if
at the time of doing Simran, the Shabd is very strong, pulling and catching, we are not to resist it; rather, we have to submit to that Sound.

The object of Simran is just concentration, to be in touch with the Shabd. Simran and Dhyan are just a means to an end. We have to attach ourself to that Sound. So, if one is lucky to hear it and it is pulling, he should not ignore it, nor should one insist on doing Simran at that time. He can switch onto the Sound. Ultimately, the stage comes when you cease to do Simran. You listen only to Shabd and you merge into Shabd, and Shabd takes you back. Then you do not need Simran at all, for the moment you close your eyes you are in Shabd.

Q Maharaj Ji, what does it mean, when without any effort we are behind the eyes? What does it meant o be behind the eyes?

A When you close your eyes, you are automaticallly within. Our thinking center, the third eye, or the single eye as it is referred to in the Bible, is just in the center behind the eyes, it is not physical. There is nothing physical about it. You just close the eyes and you will be automatically behind the eyes, when you have fully concentrated at the eye center. That is what I mean.

Q Since you point to this spot, is that here, about the middle of the eyebrows?

A That also, I would like to make clear. You should not try to find out any particular point within yourself. You should not physically try to invert, pull or stretch your eyes or focus them on any particular point. In this way you are liable to harm your eyes. There is no particular point on which you have to focus. When you close your eyes, you see darkness. You feel you are in this darkness. Mentally, keep your attention in this darkness and do the Simran with the attention of the darkness and do the Simran with the attention of the mind. Do not try to find that you are at the center of the forehead or that you are to the right or to the left of the forehead. You cannot physically find that point inside. It has nothing to do with these eyes. You are just to close your eyes, and when you close your eyes you will automatically be behind your eyes in this darkness. It is natural. Jut keep your attention there and do the Simran. Mentally keep concentrating in the darkness and do not try to follow anything. Do not try to pursue anything. You are only to keep your attention mentally in the darkness and do Simran.

Q Well, in the case of meditation, if a person concentrates between the eyebrows, let us say a person had one of these mantras, he repeats the mantra and suddenly drops it and holds the mind in blank. I am not thinking of satsangi territory does one hold the mind in blank after repeating the mantra, or does one keep it in a circle going continuously?

A Brothers, the first think is that you should always ask your own Master what you are supposed to do. But, since you are asking me, I would like to comment, but I would not like to put you off from what you are already doing. You see, we should try to repeat the mantra while keeping or holding our attention here, between the eyes, in the darkness and we have also to visualize our Master's form, because our mind will not stick here unless there is something to hold onto. So, we contemplate on the form of the Master and repeat that mantra, and then only, slowly and slowly, do we withdraw to the eye center. It is a constant struggle with the mind. You do it, and your mind will forget it; again you do it and your mind forgets it again. When you make a habit of concentration, then automatically your mind will back to this point.

Q Concentration and meditation?

A Meditation is a general word or term. It covers everything which concerns what we do for our spiritual progress. It has three parts: Simran, Dhyan and Dhun, Simran means the repetition of the holy Words. The purpose of it is to withdraw the attention currents up to the eye center. Dhyan is contemplating on the form of the Master in order to hold our thoughts at the eye center. And Dhun is Shabd or Word or Logos, with the help of which we have to go up. So, everything is included in meditation. All this, combined, is known as Bhajan in Hindi, or Meditation in English, which actually means devotion to the Lord. Whatever practice we do to develop this devotion, that is meditation.

Q Master, again about the technique of meditation. Is it not true that the plugging of the right ear is only until one reaches the stage where the Sound is so clear that outside distractions are so non-existent that one can dispense with it?

A That is right, sister. Plugging the right ear is necessary only in the beginning. When you are able to concentrate at the eye center and you are in touch with the Shabd, you do not need any plugging of the ear, for then you are automatically in touch with that, and you are unconscious of your hand, your ear and of your whole body. When you hear that Shabd and it is pulling you, you are just to give yourself to it, and you will be in that Shabd. But the plugging of the ear is the right procedure of practice for a beginner.

Q This lady has suffered a hearing loss recently and she is very much concerned whether this will impede her spiritual progress?

A Our hearing with these physical ears has nothing to do with our spiritual hearing. Whether we hear anything with the physical ears or not, we have internal ears which we have to open to hear that Sound. As you have read in the Bible, Christ so beautifully said: :Ye have ears and hear not; ye have eyes and see not. "So, it is not these physical eyes which see within; it is not these physical ears which hear within. There is an internal ear, which is not physical, which hears the Sound. So, whether you are able to hear with the physical ears or not, is immaterial.

Q (Here the deaf lady said:) I would love to hear what you are saying.

A That is all right, but I want to tell you that you are not missing anything if you do not hear from the outside, through the physical ears. The thing worth hearing is inside. Give your attention to that hearing. That Sound inside will automatically pull you up and you will hear much better things than you were used to hearing outside.

Q Maharaj Ji, when the Sound within pulls one up, does the body have to have any support? Or does it just fall, just collapse?

A No, the body does not collapse. It will stay as it is now, but you may not be conscious of the body. Normal functions of the body will remain the same, but you will not be conscious of the normal functions of the body.

Q But if one is sitting in the posture and then it comes, and one just does not move parts, but just stays?

A Sometimes, people cannot stand it and they do fall. They just lie down or they being shivering sometimes. It may happen to certain individuals; but generally, one remains in the same posture and just becomes unconcerned or unconscious of the body. But, sometimes, when you finish you meditation, you find that you are lying down whereas, when you started, you were sitting. Sometimes the body does fall, but you are not conscious when you are falling. There is nothing to fear about that.