THE MASTER ANSWERS PART NO.17, Mysticism, reading, forums, Numerology, Sun Signs, Divination

Posts: 5115 · Posted: Tue Sep 21, 2010 8:25 am

Q I would like to know, when one is meditating and the mind seems to keep wandering off without one's even realizing it, until finally one catches it, and no matter how hard one tries and keeps telling oneself that it must concentrate, it seems that it just does not want to do so?

A Well, the mind is doing its own work and you have to do your own work. How loyal it is to its superior, Kal, the Negative Power, when it does not let you concentrate. You have to be as loyal to your own Master by trying to concentrate. It is a constant struggle with the mind. You see, by doing a thing every day, punctually and regularly, we get into the habit of doing that. Take smoking for instance. You just start with one or two cigarettes, perhaps out of curiosity, then you find some pleasure in it, and when you continue daily, it becomes a habit. Then you become such a slave to that habit that you cannot leave it. By doing it again and again, you have become a slave to it and that becomes part and parcel of your daily life. You find it difficult even to try to leave it.

Similarly, we have to get ourselves into that habit of meditation, of concentration. Daily, regularly and punctually, we have to go on doing it, and ultimately we succeed. Then we would not like to live with ourselves, we would not feel happy, we would not feel that the day has been rightly spent if we have not given time to meditation. We are creatures of habit, and when once we get into the habit of trying to meditate, then that very habit will help us in concentrating. But in order to achieve this, we must struggle with the mind. It is a constant struggle for Light. It is not so easy. From age to age, from year to year our mind got into the habit of scattering out into this world. Everything is drawing us out, pulling us out. So, naturally it takes time to withdraw the attention back up to the eye center and to concentrate. We cannot achieve these results with the American speed, I would say (Laughter).

Q When I start on my Simran I hold it for a while and my mind wanders out, and there is nothing I seem to be able to do about it. It is concerned mostly with the work I do --- my mind keep s going back to it. It is not anything I am attached to exactly; I am interested in it, but I just ---?

A It is a constant struggle with the mind. The mind has gotten into the habit of wandering about, so through constant struggle we have to bring it back to this point. When you do that thing daily --- by practice, practice and practice --- you will find that the attention also will begin to stay here, at this point.

Q Master, to what extent are satsangis, particularly new satsangis, permitted to experiment on the technique of controlling the mind?

A I do not know what you mean by new or old satsangis and experimenting with the technique of controlling the mind.

Q Are we permitted any lattitude in so far as trying various methods of repetition and other things?

A There is only one method of controlling the mind, which is explained to us at the time of initiation. We have to practice it whether we are an old satsangi or a new satsangi. It makes no difference. There is only one method to control the mind. There are no two methods. The mind is fond of pleasures, and unless it is attached to something better than the sensual pleasures, it does not detach itself from the senses. So, we have to attach it to something better. Then only will it be detached from these worldy things.

Q Master, I think I was not clear in my question. I remember one Master, for instance, advocated the technique of putting marbles in a bowll as a method of keeping his mind on meditation.

A You see, these are methods of constant struggle with the mind. Some people do not sleep in comfortable beds so that they will not sleep more than the required time. They want hard beds. But you cannot differentiate that this is for a new initiate or for an old initiate. Everybody has to fight his way to follow the path. You have to devise your own method. But actually, the real practice, the real method is the meditation itself. You, yourself will feel what you want to do in order to be able to sit for meditation and do the spiritual practice. Some people have denied themselves food, saying to themselves, "I am not going to give you your food until you have spent your time in meditation." These are just your own ways of working on the path, but the path itself, the method of controlling the mind, is the same for everybody.

Q Is there any way for a person who is not yet initiated? Would it actually be a detriment to him to try to focus the mind before his application has been accepted?

A No, there is no detriment about it. Everybody should try to control the mind? Some people read books and think that they can control the mind with Hatha Yoga or by doing some physical, mental or breathing exercises. Now, if you do not have a proper teacher to teach you these exercises, you may get into difficulties. You can even damage your mind . You may lose your mental balance, because you do not know how to do them properly, If you start doing them by the book there is no one to guide you when some complication arises. The book does not and cannot speak to you. And then you have to get clarified what is written, so that is why it is always good to have a teacher. But that does not mean that because one does not have a teacher, one should not attempt to control the mind, for when one attempts to do it, then naturally one needs a teacher also.

Q What is the difference between stilling the mind and blanking the mind?

A There is a great difference. If you try to blank your mind, it will never stay there; it will run out again. That is why I use the phrase, when we are attached, we are automatically detached. When we are attached, the question of blanking does not arise. We have something to hold us there, and that is the Shabd. Blanking can only be if we have nothing to hold us there. That is detaching by austerities, by discipline, and there is nothing to hold our attention there, but we are trying to withdraw from the world. That is a very temporary phase, after which the mind will react and rebound with even greater force.

Q What is blanking?

A Blanking means negative thinking. "I do not want this; I do not think about this; I do not think about anything; now I am blank; there is nothing in me."

Q What is this happens automatically? Where is one's mind?

A You will be conscious only of what you are thinking, so your mind can never be blank. It never sticks here, at the headquarters, but runs out with one excuse or another. We only change the direction, the subject of thinking. It is never blank. If a river is flowing and you put in a dam, how long will you hold it back? When the water accumulates to such an extent that the dam can no longer hold it, the dam breaks, the water flows beyond the banks and even causes destruction. But if you put in a dam and divert the channel of the river, the dam is complete and permanent, and the water flows in a different direction. So, when we are blanking, we are actually putting up a dam without giving our mind another outlet. We think we can control the mind by putting a dam, by withdrawing from the world, by withdrawing all thinking, by not letting it go to the senses. This is just another way of suppression, a negative way of trying to hold it there, and a temporary measure at that.

Only attachment creates detachment. Detachment does not create any attachment. When w try to hold the mind blank and do not give it another direction in which to flow, we think we have conquered it. But when it is to flow, we think we have conquered it. But when it is too much suppressed, it reacts with even more vigor. The method of Sant Mat or the philosophy of the saints differs in that we have to attach our mind to a better object than the sensual pleasures. And that better object, the Word, the Logos, the Sound Current or whatever name you give it, is here, at the eye center. WE have to withdraw our attention up to this point, concentrate it here and attach it to that Sound. That attachment will automatically detach us.

Q Just following this, I want to know, is there no advantage then in cloisters, where people keep to themselves and are not distracted by the world?

A Sister, there are two sides to that. Some people may be in a room, yet they are not there, because their mind is always running out. And there are other people who are moving about with everybody, yet their mind is not moving; it is somewhere else. So, it is a question of the development of your mind. It does not make any difference whether you are in a cloister or outside, for you have to control the mind and not the body. If you have to imprison the body, then it may be a different proposition to avoid people physically. But you have to avoid them mentally. For example, if you are in a house but you are always suppressing the desire to go out with friends and all that, there is no sense in confining yourself in the house.

We have to train and develop our mind so that, in whatever situation we may be, we are not affected by anything because our attention is somewhere else. Naturally, we have mental stress, so we have to avoid those situations where we think we cannot stand them because we are weak and we may become a slave of an undesirable habit due to falling prey to temptations and attachments. we naturally try to avoid those situations. But that is not a permanent escape. We have to develop our mind so that, wherever we may be thrown, we remain on our path, on our way, with our own self. Otherwise, that would be a suppression, and suppression is never good, for the more you try to suppress the mind, the more it reacts.

Sometimes the mind deceives you and violently reacts if it is suppressed too much. We should not have too much suppression as an escape, but gradually develop the mind to such an extent that no situation affects us at all. That will be a much better state of mind. For example, if we put a snake in a basket, we save ourselves from its bite or poison only as long as it is in the basket. The moment it comes out, it is going to bite. On the other hand, if you take out its poison sac, you can put that snake around your neck and it becomes your friend. So, we have to develop our mind in that way, not by escaping from the situation, as that is only a temporary relief, I would say. The moment our mind gets a chance again, it will create a hell for us if it as been only temporarily subdued. Too much suppression does not let us remain even a normal human being. But if we develop our mind by spiritual practice, that is just like taking the poison sac of the snake. It then becomes absolutely harmless, and no situation affects us. Our main object should be to train our mind from that point of view.

Q Going back to the topic of controlling the mind, would a person blind or deaf have an advantage over the others in containing or controlling the mind?

A No. Their minds may always be running about, thinking that they would like to have all that which people are explaining to them, or wondering what they are missing, or desiring to have what others have.

Q Do we ever reach the height that we will not be attracted by mind again, to come down again?

A Sister, if you mean by height the higher stage, where the soul merges back into the Lord, then you cannot come back, because the mind is not there. You leave the mind far behind in order to reach that higher stage or place. The mind belongs to Trikuti, the second stage, but you go to the fifth stage to reach the Lord.

Q In the beginning I mean?

A In the beginning there is always danger of our coming back. Even from the third stage, sometimes we come back. But after that there is no chance of our coming back at all. We continue to go slowly and slowly upwards.

Q If we left the highest place and we were attracted back down here, would there be a possibility that it might happen again and we should have to go through the whole cycle again?

A No. Do not worry in the least.

Q Maharaj Ji, would you say that this disease of ego may be at least greatly attributable to the fact that we have become in the habit of identifying ourselves with the mind; a feeling that we are mind and not soul, and to the extent that we realize that mind is our instrument and we are soul, to that extent ti consists in freeing us?

A That is right. That is realization. Now we hardly differentiate between the mind and the soul, so we think that whatever our mind wants, our soul never wanted it. It was something else that was wanting it. Otherwise, what the soul wants, it wants that always and it never wavers. The soul never feels frustrated with what is want, but the mind does sometimes feel frustrated with what it wants. The soul is happy when it gets what it wants. It is always happy there and it never likes to change. The mind always wants change and it always shifts from one thing to another.

Q Well, to the extent that we disown the mind, so to speak, to that extent we are least showing some progress?

A Brother, such a realization by a satsangi is itself a sign of progress. Then, working for it is progress. Achieving it is still further progress. Merging back into Him is the greatest progress.

Q Maharaj Ji, we are told that one should have no desires in this life. I find it extremely difficult or almost impossible to live in this world without desires. I think even God has desires Himself in that He wants to see the satsangis and He wants love and devotion from them and He wants to love them. This is a desire on the part of God?

A All right. Let us develop that desire then. There is no harm in this desire.

Q To get to the point, these desires, according to you discourse, are tied in with our intellect and our senses. I read in some philosophies that we must eliminate all desires if we are going to reach this point. Yet, it seems like we must retain a desire for this, which would seem to be a conflict?

A You mean the desire to meet the Lord? When the devotion or the real longing and desire to merge back into the Lord will come to you, all other desires will be automatically driven out of you. You have to create that desire, just to merge back into Him; that desire should always be there. We have to channel our consciousness into that direction.

Q Then one ends up with a desire?

A Yes, the longing, the love, the strong desire to return to Him. For the lovers of the Lord, their only religion is Love. They do not bind themselves to any particular religion. They believe only in the religion of Love, which comes only from within and not from without. So, it is immaterial to them whether you go to a church or to a temple or to a mosque. Their only concern is the real longing and love and devotion of the Lord. That comes by spiritual practice. That is what they want and that is what is required of us. That is the only thing which will lead us back to Him, and that longing, that love, that desire we should always entertain.

It is not by becoming a Christian, or that from a Christian you become a Sikh or a Muslim. This conversion, this change of religion does not entitle us to go back to the Lord. The love, the longing, the desire to merge back into Him, our spiritual practice, that alone entitles us to merge back into Him, regardless of one's religious denomination. Saints give absolutely no importance as to what religion you belong to. They do not believe in conversion. Religions, as they exist today, are not practical religions from a purely spiritual point of view, as the essence has been lost, the Truth has been lost, and they are concerned only with the shells now. They are concerned mainly with increasing the number of converts from a commercial point of view. But the saints are concerned only with the human values, the love and devotion for the Lord. That is their only concern. So, the saints are open to everybody, always. No saint comes into the world to create a new religion, or to tell you about a new practice or method for reaching the Lord. There are no short cuts here. It is the same path which was, is, and will remain. Those who want to go back to Him, have to follow the same path. It is as old as the human race, and is only for those who long for Him, desire to go back to Him, want to seek Him within. It is not for those who want to seek Him outside.