Words From The Master: 29 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

Transformations you will see
(continuation from earlier post)

Intelligence awakening

Life is changing all the time. Intelligence is nothing but the ability to respond to life moment to moment, to be awake to the challenges that life throws at us. Intelligence is to be aware of the situation, to alter your answers according to the demands of the moment. When you don’t have confidence in yourself, you have to depend on the rules and regulations put down by society, by law, by religion. The intelligent person lives without a script. He doesn’t need one. He depends on himself, on his inner guidance. Intelligence is taking your responsibility upon yourself.

We are all born intelligent – but society is cleverer than we are! Right from our childhood, when we are unprepared, society sets up its rules. It manages to build walls around our intelligence. It prevents our energy from flowing naturally. The ultimate intelligence is nothing but the ability to break free of these chains.

Meditation is the surest way to awaken intelligence – because the chains which are binding it are all in your mind. With meditation, you go beyond the mind, into the Being. In the Being, no rules exist. You become free to explore your full potential. That’s why, with meditation, you will suddenly find yourself at ease with your surroundings. You will find yourself easily able to cope with new situations. You rediscover spontaneity.

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 28 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

Transformations you will see

(continuation from earlier post)

Joy unlimited

With meditation, life becomes a joy that you cannot find a reason for.

When joy happens for a reason, it is sure to bring pain sooner or later.

If you are happy because you have just had a good meal, you are going to become miserable when you get hungry again – that’s all! If you are happy because you have fallen in love, you are going to be sad when the first fight happens. And don’t think it won’t happen to you! It happens to everybody. This is the rule of life.

All happiness leads to pain when it ceases. That is why, in ancient India, they had only one word to denote both happiness and pain: the word Pain!

But the joy you experience with meditation is undisturbed, undisturbable. You may be healthy, you may be ill – the joy will remain the same. It may be cold, warm, raining, snowing – the joy remains. Neither your own condition nor external circumstances can make a difference. When you experience lasting joy that no external circumstance can alter, it means that you are moving deeply inwards.

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Upcoming Event: Shiva Sutras, Pubic darshan & Healing, Bidadi, India - Mar 1-31, 2008

Event: Healing, Spiritual Counseling, Energy Darshan, Nithya Dhyaan Initiation, Shiva Sutras Discourses
Venue: Nithyananda Dhyanapeetam, Nithyanandapuri, Kallugopahalli Mysore Road, Bidadi, Bangalore District - 562 109 Karnataka, INDIA
Contact: +91 80 65591844 / 27202084
Prerequisites: None. Open for everyone. FREE Breakfast, Lunch & Dinner will be served for all!

Dates: March 1st to March 31st 2008.
Time:

• 8am - 10am: Experience the Master's Presence -- Healing, Spiritual Counseling, Energy Darshan, Nithya Dhyaan Initiation (given freely to one and all)


• 5pm - 8pm: FREE Shiva Sutras Discourses! (all are welcome)

Click here for more details.

FLASH NEWS: 28 Feb 2008

On the web, Mohan's World, Dubai. Nithya Spiritual Healers' interview is available at Mohan's World (#00067) [Direct Link to .mp3 file].

00067 Nithyananda Healers
Healing someone is not easy, especially since the healer is always under the threat of taking the diseases over. But, when the power of healing is handed down by an enlightened master, the healer remains unaffected and the healing is more permenant. Three energy healers empowered by Paramahamsa Nithananda himself, discuss what it takes to be a healer and the extraordinary responsibilities attached to it.

To know more about Nithya Spiritual Healing, refer Dhyanapeetam.org website.

Words From The Master: 27 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

Transformations you will see

(continuation from earlier post)

Love for no reason

With meditation, one strange thing you will start experiencing is Love!

People are prepared for all kinds of miracles, they are ready to receive visions, to have the darshan of all their favorite deities and whatnot. But they are least prepared for the miracle of love!

You will be amazed to find how much love arises and floods your being when you enter into meditation. Through meditation, you will experience some awakening, some level of your being that you haven’t touched before. You will want to share your joy with everyone you meet! This joy will overflow from you as love.

And just like freedom, this love is different from any love you have ever experienced before.

All our lives, we have been giving and taking our selfish little loves. All our life, we have loved and been loved for a reason. Either consciously or unconsciously, you love for a reason. Even in your most intimate relationships, even between husband and wife, between parents and children, there are hidden reasons for loving. All our love is tainted, destroyed by jealousy and possessiveness.

With meditation, for the first time you will understand what it means to love for no reason. For the first time, you will not be giving in order to receive. You give love simply because you have so much to give! You shower love upon the world in the same way that a raincloud showers upon the earth, or a flower spreads its fragrance all around.

You love because you can’t help it!

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 26 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

Transformations you will see

Just freedom

(continuation from earlier post)

In all our actions, we are prompted by one of these two things – freedom for or freedom from. The greed for something good, or the fear of something bad.

Our whole life is controlled by these two ropes of greed and fear. But when you are being controlled by these two ropes, where is the freedom that you are craving for?

A few weeks back a casual devotee, an artist, was speaking to me. He was telling my why he hated meditation.

Swamiji, I hate all these rules and discipline. I like to be free to lead my life the way I want. See, I get up at 10 o’clock, first thing I have my coffee, then I go for a swim whenever I feel like…

He described his whole day to me.

Then I asked him, What if someone woke you up at 6 o’clock? Or what if your coffee doesn’t reach your bedside one morning?

Oh, that would make me really mad!, he said, laughing.

And what if it is raining and you miss your swim?, I asked.

Yeah, that’s a lousy thing. If I can’t go for my swim, I feel really lousy the whole day.

Then I asked him,
If your freedom is dependent on so many conditions, are you really free?

To be really free, is to be free no matter what.

That’s what I call just freedom. Not freedom for or freedom from. Just freedom comes out of living completely in the present moment. You experience this freedom when you are not bound by greed or fear, by hopes for the future or regrets from the past. Freedom that doesn’t depend on any external circumstances is the only true freedom. This is the freedom that you will experience with meditation.

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

FLASH NEWS: 26 Feb 2008

New York. There will now be a new Vedic Temple in New York at the following address, close to the border of Queens, and two blocks into Brooklyn:

Nithyananda Vedic Temple, New York
3449 Fulton St, Brooklyn, New York. [map]

Currently, construction is in progress in the temple premises, with the reconstruction of the basement to make it a library store and palarayru (Priest Quarters). The backyard of 35 feet will be turned into an altar space of 15 feet with a high roof. More details to follow.

Words From The Master: 25 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

(continuation from earlier post)

Transformations you will see

What else will you notice with meditation?

When the first physical symptoms have quietened down, you will begin to see deeper and more lasting transformations in yourself. These are chemical changes, they are irreversible.

Once you have touched the core of meditation, your life can never be the same again.

How will you know if you have really touched meditation?

Look out for these changes in yourself!

Just freedom

A significant change you will experience is a certain sense of freedom.

Why freedom? What has freedom got to do with it?

All our life, we are searching for freedom. Whether we realize it or not, every single one of us is searching for freedom.

Even meditation is nothing but a desperate search for freedom. We have heard that meditation gives freedom, so we turn to meditation in order to be free.

But we misunderstand the word ‘freedom’. What we search for in our ordinary lives is either ‘freedom for’ or ‘freedom from’:

Freedom for doing, having and being all that we wish – freedom to live as we imagine right.

Freedom from all the things that we dread and hate – disease, worry, anger, stress, low self esteem, pain.

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 24 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

(continuation from earlier post)

In this book you will find a collection of both types of meditation techniques:

Sit-down techniques, which you practise for a fixed period of time, a fixed number of times a day.

Anytime-anywhere techniques, which you can practise just like that – anytime, anywhere! When you are driving to work, ironing your clothes, even walking from your bedroom to the kitchen – you can practise these techniques.

If you like, you can choose a couple of sit-down techniques and one anytime-anywhere technique for every ten days. Don’t try out too many techniques simultaneously; you won’t be doing justice to any of them. Anytime-anywhere techniques are the first step towards turning all of life into meditation.


A word of caution

When you first start practising meditation, you will find a lot of unusual changes in your body and mental state. Be prepared for the unexpected. Remember, meditation is a cleansing process. You are throwing out the suppressions and blockages of a lifetime, you are flooding your body with energy that it isn’t used to. You will be jumping around, whirling, screaming, doing things which you haven’t done in a long long time! Your system needs time to cope.

Initially, you may experience a lot of heat in the body, headaches, a tingling feeling in your fingers and toes. All this is just caused by the sudden onrush on energy. Some of you may also suffer from pain, sleeplessness, even depression. These things are temporary. Continue with the meditation and they will disappear.

If you are suffering from a serious medical condition, or if a technique is persistently giving you trouble, consult your doctor or drop the technique.

But don’t let all these anxieties stop you from trying out any technique!

Simply go ahead and immerse yourself in meditation.

You will see that your life is transformed before your eyes.

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 23 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

(continuation from earlier post)

From ‘Meditation in Life’ to ‘Life in Meditation’

Right now you are at the beginning stage. Right now you are still exploring meditation.

That’s why you ask, How can I include meditation in my lifestyle? How many hours should I practise? Which technique will be right for me?

These questions are perfectly alright at this stage.

In the beginning you will practise meditation in life.

You have to consciously introduce meditation into your lifestyle. Choose a technique, practise for half an hour or one hour a day. See how you feel. If you enjoy a technique, stick to it for at least ten days without expecting results. If a technique has touched you, there is no way it cannot transform you in some way. Sometimes the transformation will be subtle, and sometimes others may see it better than you do.

So often, people come to me and say, Swamiji, after I started practising this meditation, people are telling me there is a glow on my face, that I’ve become more energetic, more positive!

So there is definitely a transformation happening at some level. Just because you don’t get results directly, don’t be impatient. Patience can work wonders!

By and by, you will stop chasing new techniques. You will find one, or a few, techniques you are comfortable with, and settle into a routine with those. Right now these techniques are still new and exciting for you, and your mind will tell you to try out this and that. It is just like going into a pastry shop – there are so many varieties, you simply can’t decide what you actually want to eat!

So don’t restrain yourself. Try whatever your mind asks you to try. And whatever you try, do it with full sincerity. Put your whole strength, your complete motivation into the trial. Work out each technique as if that is the only available one. Don’t be greedy, don’t be impatient. Otherwise you will simply be flirting with the idea of meditation, you will never experience the soul of meditation.

And just one experience is enough!

Just one glimpse of the joy of meditation is enough to make you fall in love with meditation.

Then you will no longer ask me how many hours you must practise! When you wake up, your very first thought will be of meditation. When you take a shower, when you dress, when you eat – you will do everything with such complete mindfulness that every act, every moment will become alive with meditation. Meditativeness will became the natural state of your life. You will begin to live life in meditation.

This is the state I want you to achieve ultimately.

But of course it is not easy. First, you will have to get used to the idea of meditation. You will need to practise for a little while every day, then extend that feeling into the rest of the day.

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 22 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

(continuation from earlier post)

Awareness is the key

I have told you, Watch your body, watch your thoughts, watch your emotions.

In other words, become aware.

Awareness is the basis, the focus and the goal of meditation.

Awareness is your key-word.

No matter what the technique, no matter which religion or which spiritual discipline – the focus is on becoming more aware. This is the common thread that runs through every single technique you will find in this book.

When you start watching something, you become the witness, you become an outsider. You drop your identification with the thing which you are observing. By and by, you come to see that it is something outside of yourself.

By becoming aware of your body, your mind, your emotions, you become free of them.

Awaken your intelligence, your consciousness.

Watch the actions of your body as if you were an outsider, and you will drop your body.

Watch your insane, racing thoughts – and you will drop your identification with your thoughts.

Watch your fickle, changing emotions – and you will realize that you are not your emotions.

Just with deep awareness, you can become free.

(to be continued.)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 21 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living

(continuation from earlier post)

A small story:

A yogi spent many years in the mountains perfecting the rites of austerity. He mastered complicated rituals and mantras, studied holy books and spent countless hours in contemplation. After fifteen years, when he felt his tapas to be complete, he came down into the plains to educate other people on the importance of spirituality in their lives. As soon as he arrived in a town, the news spread and he was invited to a spiritual gathering. One of the other invitees was a modern young master who didn’t believe in the traditional rites of tapas.

As the yogi entered, the man turned in his direction and spoke some harsh words.

The yogi was amazed to find that a wave of anger was rising inside him, on hearing the man’s words. After all these years, after all these efforts! A few words from a stranger, and anger was raising its ugly head again.

Without replying, the yogi turned and walked out of the hall silently. When someone ran to apologize and ask him to return, the yogi replied, I see that my tapas is not yet perfect! I am still a beginner. I must leave now, to start my work. I will return when I am truly ready.

The toughest tapas is working on oneself, understanding and transforming oneself.

There is no greater tapas than cleansing your body, thoughts and emotions. And this tapas you can do right now, right where you are. This is all about preparing the ground, about creating the right foundation for meditation.

(to be continued.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 20 Feb 2008

Towards Meditative Living


People ask me, What is tapas (penance)? Is tapas essential in meditation?

What I am telling you is nothing but tapas!

Working on your body, your thoughts, your emotions – what is this if not tapas?

Tapas does not mean going up into the mountains and undertaking all kinds of spiritual practices, and performing all kinds of rituals!

Tapas does not mean going without food or clothes, or living in a dark cave, or torturing the body in any way. When you deprive your body in any way, there is always the danger of focusing more on the deprivation than on the meditation. If I make you go without food even for twenty-four hours, you
may stop eating food, but you will start meditating on food instead! You will be able to think of nothing but food. Real fasting does not mean meditating about the food that you haven’t eaten, it means forgetting about food altogether. But not many people can see this difference. That’s why the path of deprivation is not for everyone.

Of course, these are all different routes, just different ways of handling the body. Some meditators take the path of disciplining the body through austerities. But it is not necessary that everyone should follow that path.

(to be continued.)

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 19 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation
(continuation from earlier post)

c) Learn to transform your negative emotions

You may ask me, what happens to all the negative emotions you experience during the day? Even if you focus on remembering the positive feelings, the negative emotions
are still there in your system! And they are accumulating all the time.

Through meditation, you can dissolve the old blockages in your system – but you have to be careful that new blocks don’t keep developing! Every moment, you are facing new
circumstances. For example, there are people who are going to make you angry again and again. What are you going to do with all that excess energy circulating in your system?

Learn to transform your negative energy into positive energy.

Remember, energy is neutral. Anger is neither good nor bad. Sexuality is neither good nor bad. These are just forms of energy. It is up to you to use them creatively or destructively. Just as a knife can turn destructive in the hands of a child,
but can be a life-giving instrument in a surgeon’s hands, you can use the same energy to produce totally different results.

If you learn to channel your energy correctly, you can replace anger with creativity. Learn to live creatively. Turn your energy towards art, towards music, towards sports.

Learn to paint.

Take up a sport.

Cultivate a hobby.

Go dancing.

These are all pathways for energy, just as anger is!

The only difference is, these are creative pathways. Redirect your life, give your ordinary life a creative dimension. In this way, all your destructive energy is transformed into creative energy, with positive results.

When you start focusing on your positive emotions, you will find that your life automatically changes for the better. When you feel love, you give love, and you receive love. It is a beautiful cycle. Unless you have experienced this, it is
impossible to believe. But it actually happens.

And don’t think you have to be born with this attitude. Don’t say, Oh, that man is so lucky, he is always walking around with a smile on his face. I’m the only one who is under so much stress!

A positive attitude is something you can cultivate. When you become filled with joy, misery will be afraid of you! Anger cannot touch you. Only when you cultivate a state of bliss inside can you make any progress in meditation.

Transform your life with love, laughter, gratitude.

Turn life into a celebration.

Only then can life become meditation.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 18 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation
(continuation from earlier post)

b) Focus on your positive emotions

What is your normal day like? Just think.

Throughout the day, you are flooded with different emotions. When you wake up, you are feeling joyful – or at least normal. Then your wife comes in with your coffee, and while putting it down on the table she spills some of it – and immediately,
you are angry.

After a good breakfast, you are back in a good mood. Then you get caught in traffic on the way to work – and you are ready to kill someone! At the office you have a project that’s not going well – again, you experience stress. And so on.

Every minute, you are being bombarded by emotions. You are living your life on a roller coaster of emotions. How long can you cope?

Fortunately, all our emotional experiences are not bad. For most of us, there will be some moments during the day when we are silent, joyful, meditative.

It could be a simple, everyday thing.

Sipping a cup of tea in your garden.

Taking a shower.

Listening to music.

Playing with your children.

There are moments like this in each day, for each of us. But how many of us focus on these moments?

When someone asks us, How did your day go?, we only remember the traffic, the spilt coffee, the incomplete project.

For a change, why not focus on the positive experiences, the positive feelings in each day?

Try this experiment.

For 24 hours, continuously recollect ONLY the good things that have happened that day. Be grateful for even little things: that it wasn’t raining when you had to leave for work, that the marigolds in the garden are in bloom. Be thankful to your housemaid for not taking the day off. See, these are things we forget! On the day when the maid doesn’t turn up, we never forget her – but when she does come, do we
notice? Do we remember to thank her in our minds?

So when I say remember every positive thing, actually do it. Do it with complete sincerity. Just for 24 hours! You will see how your life feels transformed. Once you have tasted the joy of staying with positive feelings, you will never allow yourself to fall into depression again.

This exercise is not for fun. It is a survival technique! When you throw stones at life, life is going to throw stones back at you. If you greet life with flowers, you will get flowers in return. Later, you will receive a meditation technique that
focuses on welcoming life with Gratitude.

(to be continued)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 17 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation
(continuation from earlier post)

There are three steps to work with your emotions:

a) Recognize your strongest emotions

What moves you?

Which emotions control your actions?

Does your life revolve around hostility, aggression, and anger?

Are you frequently depressed for no reason?

Is it more important for you to love, or to fight?

Be honest with yourself!

You must first acknowledge your emotions – otherwise how are you going to transform them?

Very often, people who live in a hostile environment develop a strong affinity for the negative emotions. They need it; it is a survival technique for them. They get all their energy from their negative emotions.

Research has proved that in the time of war, the crime and suicide rate in society goes down drastically. Because people now have an open platform to express their negative emotions, they need not commit their crimes privately!

Even Hitler has said, if you want to make a country powerful, create enemies! The enemies need not even be real; they can even be imaginary enemies. As long as people are in a hostile situation, they feel strong. When they are rebelling, they feel powerful. All our energy has been channeled into negativity.

Even depression is nothing but anger turned upon oneself. When you express the emotion, it is seen as anger. When you repress it, it becomes depression. But both are the same negative energy.

When we focus on our negative emotions, when we nurture our sense of separateness, when we create an experience of ‘me versus them’, the ego feels very powerful. That’s why many of us enjoy situations where we can be in a fighting position.

The positive, softer emotions always make us vulnerable. Love, joy, compassion – these are very fragile states of mind. When we experience these emotions, the boundary between ourselves and the world becomes weaker. The ego feels less
powerful. That’s why we are all afraid of these emotions. In a deeply unconscious way, we are afraid of love – because in love we have to surrender the ego.

But spirituality is nothing but the process of losing one’s ego. If you are afraid even to love, because it makes you feel vulnerable – how will you move inward into meditation?

(to be continued)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 16 Feb 2008

From the form to the formless!

Idol worship is an important belief of Hinduism. Many people are surprised to see people pray to stone idols; many of them in fact. They term this pagan worship.

We must understand that there is no such thing as idol worship in Hinduism; it is worship through idols.

The Eastern mystics have always maintained that God is one, all pervading energy, beyond form and formless, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent. Let me ask you honestly, the moment I say formless what comes to your mind? The sky, an ocean, an open space comes to our mind. Again it’s a form, but it’s not described by length, breadth and depth.

Please be very clear, unless we experience it, we cannot relate with something formless. So as an initial way to relate some forms are created. It’s a technique. For example after learning to ride a bike, we can remove our hands from the handlebar and ride the bike, but initially we need to hold it and learn. Just the same way, when we enter the spiritual journey, in the end everyone experiences the formless, but at the initial level we need a form to relate to.

As long as we think we are a form, we can’t relate with the formless. Most of us think we have a form, a body with a set boundary. This is not so. It is a difficult idea to grasp initially. As a result of this even if we think of something as formless, we will again be giving it a form, may be a sky or ocean, something vast, but again it is going to be one more form.

If you say the formless just IS, it’s an experience. If you experience it then it’s alright. You don’t need anything. But many cannot start with that experience. We can only start from where we are. I have seen many people who want to start straight away with the formless but they don’t feel totally connected.

That is why in Eastern religions we have the initial step as worship through idols as a way of relating and connecting. Once we master that, we can feel it everywhere. At least I can say from my experience, a person in the initial level cannot relate to the formless directly. It is because it takes some maturity to relate to the formless.

May we all begin with the form and become the formless!

______________________
This article was earlier published in the Economic Times, an Indian newspaper.

Words From The Master: 15 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation
(continuation from earlier post)

Step 3 : Work on your emotions

Your emotions create your world.

Whether you believe it or not, whether you accept it or not – you are all God!

You create the world out of your own feelings and emotions.

Be very clear: whatever the state of your consciousness, your life will have the same quality!

When your feelings are clear and positive, the whole world becomes a beautiful place. Existence showers blessings upon you. When you are full of love, you will see love everywhere. When you are filled with hatred, you will receive only hatred.

This is not a moral story. This is the Truth. We are unable to perceive this because of our limited understanding. We begin to search for reasons everywhere. The truth is, each of us is 100% responsible for the quality of our lives.

When you begin to work on your emotions, you will see for yourself how true this is!

We don’t realize how deeply our emotions influence us. In fact, we may think that all our actions are controlled by our minds, that we are using our intelligence to make decisions – but the truth is, most of your life is a result of your emotions.

There are three steps to work with your emotions.

(to be continued)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 14 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation
(continuation from earlier post)

Step 2: Work on your thoughts

Thoughts are the most whimsical things in our life!

Most of the time, we have no control of our thoughts. Our thoughts lead us wherever they want. If you just start speaking all your random thoughts aloud, you will be ashamed to hear your own words! Because our thoughts have no connection to each other, no relevance to the present, they don’t even make any sense. Yet we trust our lives to these thoughts. We live by these thoughts!

A small story:

In a kingdom there was a wise man who could foretell the future. One day, the king of the land heard about the wise man’s powers and decided to test him. He took the wise man to the country’s busiest harbour, where hundreds of ships sailed in and out every day.

Can you tell me how many ships are going to sail into this harbour today?, the kind demanded.

Only three, my lord!, answered the wise man. And not just today, but every day only three ships enter and leave this harbour!

What do you mean?, asked the king, startled. Which are those three ships?

The ships of Money, Power and Sex, my lord! All men, including you, spend our lives sailing on these three ships!

This is true. Most of the time we are all thinking about money, power or sex. We may give our thoughts different names – but finally it boils down to one of these three things. Here sex is not just sex, but indulgence of any kind.

If you are working at the office, you are ultimately doing it for money, for power.

If you are taking a holiday, your thoughts are focused on indulgence.

Just consider: what do you think about all the time?

It is sure to be one of these three things!

How often do you reflect on truth, on beauty, on goodness?

What is the need?, you may think, Does my life depend on truth or beauty? My life depends on how much money I can make, how much power I can acquire!

But thoughts have the power to alter your life. When you reflect on something constantly, it can alter not only your state of mind, but also your state of life. When you constantly think about beauty, your life becomes more beautiful.

Above all, be aware of what thoughts are entering and leaving your mind. Right now your mind is a ‘free-for-all zone’. Any thought is free to enter, fight with other thoughts to occupy maximum space, stay as long as it pleases, and leave whenever
it feels like. You have no control over the thoughts that are entering your mind and influencing your life.

Just watch your thoughts.

Watch what is happening inside you when thoughts of a certain kind enter.

You will notice that whenever thoughts related to anger, lust or greed enter your mind, they create a certain discomfort in your system. Whenever your ego is awakened, you feel uncomfortable. See what thoughts leave you feeling joyful, peaceful. Retain those thoughts and throw out the rest!

Become the watchman of your mind. Become aware of the flow of thoughts. See how deeply you identify yourself with your thoughts! You will find that your thoughts arise from your deepest unconscious mind. If you can alter the thoughts in your unconscious mind, you can alter the flow of your conscious life!

Try this: if you want to transform some aspect of your conscious life – for example, if you want to get rid of your anger or your prejudice – simply give instructions to your mind to make the change, just before you go to sleep.

You will be amazed to see, with repeated instructions to the unconscious, your conscious life too changes in the same direction!

(to be continued)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 13 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation
(continuation from earlier post)

Not only suppressed emotions, but our poor habits also cause disturbances in our body. The body is a purely physical mechanism. Naturally, it will be affected by how you eat, sleep, exercise and rest. As I always say, all your diseases are your guests! You invite them upon your head with your careless treatment of your body.

For example, when you eat something spicy, your eyes begin to water. Your body is protesting, I can’t handle this! But do you listen? NO!

When you watch TV till midnight, your whole system is screaming, I need rest! But as usual, you ignore the body. Be very clear: your body has its own wisdom. You are completely out of tune with your ‘body intelligence’. Your body is continuously giving you signals, but you don’t have the sense to understand these signals.

Why do we eat?

The simplest explanation would be, To get energy.

But does your food actually energize you? After a meal, do you feel energetic or sleepy? Most of us feel sleepy!

Because our choice of food is poor, and because we continue to eat long after our stomach tells us it is full. We throw anything and everything into our stomachs. We simply throw food into our system as if it were a garbage bin! We treat our stomachs like garbage bins. With every meal, we are taxing our digestive system. No wonder we don’t feel energetic after eating!

When you eat excessively, when you don’t exercise enough – these lead to lethargy. A lethargic body is completely unfit for meditation. Not only that, diseases attack the body easily when our energy levels are low.

Exercise can help you expand. When you exercise, every living cell of your body expands. When your lungs are filled with oxygen, along with the carbon-dioxide that is expelled, the impurities are also thrown out.

In our lifestyle, we don’t have time for either exercise or rest. What we call rest is not restful. How many of us wake up feeling energetic and joyful? If you have rested properly, you should dance your way to the bathroom every morning!
Instead, when the alarm goes off in the morning, what do you do? Switch it off and go back to sleep!

Real sleep is when the body is totally at rest, when all its stress is released, when your systems can take care of all repair and maintenance work. How often do we enjoy deep, undisturbed, dreamless sleep? Very rarely! But be very clear, only on those days have you actually slept!

You may be wondering, what does all this have to do with meditation? There are two reasons we are discussing this subject. The first thing is, a physically fit body helps you enter deeply into meditation. But more importantly, practising meditation itself can help you rest better. We will be looking at techniques which will enhance the quality of your sleep. When the quality of your sleep improves, the quality and productivity of your waking hours increases naturally.

(to be continued)
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This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 12 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation
(continuation from earlier post)

The first step is to cleanse the body.

What is meant by cleansing the body?

We all have disturbances, energy blockages, complexes – all these things are part of our physical system. Removing these blockages and disturbances is the way to cleanse the body.

How are energy blockages and disturbances created in our body?

Right from childhood, we learn to suppress our natural emotions. Because in society, we cannot always express ourselves as we wish.

For example, when you get angry, the body immediately produces the chemicals necessary for fighting. The body produces enough energy to attack a man! Because anger is an essential survival tool for all animals, the body prepares you for fighting the other. But in our civilized society, we can't always express our anger. The other person might be someone you are afraid of - your boss, or your wife!! So whatever energy is generated remains unused. This excess energy stagnates in your body and creates a disturbance in your energy flow.

The same thing happens with all emotions – desire, fear, grief.

Most of the time, you are afraid to let your body express itself. You live in deep fear and mistrust of your body. You think that your body doesn't know the language of civilization. It doesn't recognize the rules of society. If you set your body free, who knows what might happen? Who knows what your body might do? So you have to control, you have to repress.

When you continuously suppress your emotions, not only do they create blocks in your physical body, they eventually lead to mental illness as well. For instance, continuously repressing anger can lead to hysteria.

In the same way, mental disturbances can manifest as physical diseases. Not only cardiac disease or migraines, but even skin allergies and peptic ulcers are caused by stress. Recent research has shown that over 80% of our diseases are psychosomatic in nature – that is, our physical and mental state are both responsible for these diseases.

Later on in this book, you will be given meditation techniques to dissolve all the blocks and repressions in your body.

Once you are free of these blocks, you will see for yourself how your body blooms naturally. Your body begins to look more beautiful, more divine. Your body is not you, but your body is here to support you. Cultivate a beautiful, friendly relationship with your body.

(to be continued)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 11 Feb 2008

Entering into Meditation

Meditation is the path that takes you inwards. But to move inwards, you must start with the outside. Right now, you are at the periphery. You are still testing the waters, dipping one toe in to see if it is too cold!

Many people come to me and say, Swamiji, I know nothing much about spirituality. I have never tried meditation before. Am I ready? Where do I begin?

I tell you: the best place to begin is where you are right now! Right now, everything you understand about yourself is related to your body, your emotions and thoughts. Whatever you think is You is nothing but your body, your emotions, your thoughts.

So start from there! Simple.

Step 1 : Work on your body.

How do you feel about your body?

We all carry impressions, ideas about our own bodies. These impressions are not our own. Almost always, we have picked up these impressions from other people's opinions of us. We all carry a lot of negative feelings about our bodies. You may not even be aware, but in your unconscious mind you will be carrying deep negative impressions about your body.

Very very rarely have I come across someone who is completely comfortable with his body. To be comfortable with one's body does not mean imagining that everything about your body is good. It is just being at ease with your body the way it is.

All your life you hear, Your body is your enemy! Your body is evil and sinful! Torture the body, neglect the body! Especially on the spiritual path, the body is projected as the greatest obstacle to achievement.

So you develop an unnatural hatred towards your body. This gets rooted deep in your unconscious mind. You begin to think that your body is working against you. But the truth is, this body is the boat that is going to carry you across the river of sansar! Can you move about in this world without your body? Can you work towards meditation or spirituality unless your body is in good form? Can you even read and
understand this book without the help of your eyes, your brain?

It is true that one must ultimately go beyond the body. But you don't do it by fighting with your body. You do it by understanding and accepting your body, and working on your body to make it fit for meditation. Remember, the body is a powerful instrument, both in the
material sense and in the spiritual sense. But that is what it is: just an instrument. It is neither good nor evil, neither your friend nor your enemy. Through the body you can move about in the material world, through the same body you can move towards the Divine. It is just a tool in your hands.

This is a difficult concept to accept! Because all your life you have identified so completely with the body. But unless you break this identification, you can never move beyond the body.

So the first step is to start paying attention to your body. Unless your body is functioning well, be sure you can never enter into meditation. Whatever negative feelings (or even positive feelings) you have about your body, simply drop them! Simply drop them.

(to be continued)
______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Words From The Master: 10 Feb 2008

If you are alive, you are qualified!

A man came to Ramana Maharishi, an enlightened Master, and asked: Bhagavan, when will I be qualified to be able to follow the spiritual path?

Ramana looked at him silently for a while and asked: Are you alive?

The questioner said: Yes, of course I am alive.

Ramana calmly replied: You are then fully qualified.

If we keep questioning our qualification even after decades of rigorous spiritual practice, we will feel unqualified. The concept of qualification is brought in to exploit and bind us mentally; to keep us in guilt. We need to drop this guilt and feeling of inadequacy to progress in life.

It is the confusion between religion and spirituality that also leads to this question in us, of whether we are qualified. We are constantly told that we are sinners and as such incompetent to enter the doorway of the Divine. We are told to take refuge in religion to wash away our sins.

A small Zen story:

A disciple asks a Master: Master, am I qualified for spiritual progress? I feel there are many obstructions.

The Master replies: The word obstruction is the only obstruction, nothing else.

Spirituality is about discovering who we are. It is the search for the ultimate Truth about us and our connection with Existence.

There is no room for qualification here. And let me tell you: It is not any option for you. It is a basic necessity to be able to connect with Existence, to be spiritual.

This Truth can be realized through many ways like yoga and meticulous practices like idol worship; but all these would take many births, and you will forget the purpose behind these activities and cling on to the rituals instead. That is the danger.

Dhyana or meditation is the shortcut to the Truth. It is foolproof and without side effects. The only side effect is bliss and realization of your own Self. To start meditation, all you need to be is a human being, nothing more. A Being with consciousness is the only requirement to embark upon a spiritual path. The very desire that you wish to start on this path is a true indication that you are qualified.

It is said in Tao: A journey of a thousand miles starts with a single step.

Take that step now! You are qualified!

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This article was earlier published in the Economic Times, an Indian newspaper.

Words From The Master: 09 Feb 2008

Healing your way into Bliss!

A man went to a doctor for relief from wheezing. The doctor asked him to have a cold water shower for an hour, sit in front of an air conditioner for another hour and come back to him for treatment.

The patient got frightened and said that if he did that his wheezing will be full blown into asthma.

The doctor said, "That is exactly what I want. I know how to treat asthma, but not wheezing!"

When healing turns into a business proposition, it can lead to great danger, both to the healer and the healed!

All religions and all Masters have shown that they have healing powers. Healing is not any miracle; it is simply playing with Energy. With any religion or Master, the first sign that one looks for is healing.

In fact, no Master is accepted as a Master if he cannot heal people and restore health in his followers in some form or the other. Spirituality itself is only a ‘pickle’ for most people. They take a bit of it when they feel like it. It is never a main meal!

Buddha says: Healing is expression of your compassion and care you extend towards someone to help them. Healing is restoring physical, mental and emotional well being. Healing can happen at any of these levels.

Healing of the spirit takes care of all these three levels physical, mental and emotional well being. Healing energy for the spirit comes from the Cosmic energy.

We are all part of the Cosmic energy. This Cosmic energy created us; it nourishes us; it energizes us and keeps us healthy. Unlike other forms of elemental energy such as earth, water, fire and air which are tangible and are available to us for direct absorption, cosmic energy is intangible. In order to absorb this energy of which we are part, the only route is meditation.

Within our body system, energy of the Cosmos is reflected through energy centers or chakra. When these energy centers are blocked by our negative emotions, we tend to become ill. Meditation can energize these energy centers by dissolving our negativities. Our health, physical, mental and emotional, is restored. Meditation heals!

Healing makes the body at ease. Healing the mind leads to happiness and well being. Healing the spirit liberates you into bliss. This is the path of meditation.

______________________
This article was earlier published in the Economic Times, an Indian newspaper.

Words From The Master: 08 Feb 2008

Move from Words to Silence!

We can’t speak about silence. The moment we speak we disturb the silence.

Let me try and explain how to create that silence in us.

When I use the word silence I don’t mean soundlessness. Soundlessness is negative silence. When I use the word silence, I mean a living, vibrant silence.

It is not the silence of a graveyard. It is the silence of an enlightened Master. The silence of a graveyard is totally different from silence of an enlightened Master. An enlightened person’s silence is vibrant and alive.

When Jesus says ‘Be still and know that I am truth’, he means this silence, the silence of enlightenment.

To enter into that you need to go beyond words. Words and silence, you should cross both these to realize that silence of an enlightened Master.

When we enter into that silence, our whole being radiates, we start singing. When I say we start singing, not only through our mouth, our whole being starts singing. Our very movements will be graceful. Our very presence on the planet earth will be a blessing. Our air, our space will heal. That itself will radiate so much energy, so much life, and so much light. We can touch and feel God in the presence of that person who has experienced God.

What is keeping us from experiencing this silence?

The first thing we don’t have the trust that we can also experience that silence. We always think this is not for us. It is the property of the whole universe. It is our birthright. Being alive is the only qualification to experience this silence and be enlightened.

One more obstacle is that we always have guilt about ourselves. We don’t respect ourselves. We always measure ourselves only based on our failures. We don’t even remember the good things we have done or the right decisions we made. The strength of our being should be measured only on the positive decisions we make, not on the negative decisions we made.

Also we have to drop the wrong ideas about enlightenment. Enlightenment is very simply going beyond desires; it’s going beyond thoughts and words.

The moment we drop the wrong ideas about ourselves, the wrong ideas about enlightenment, we start experiencing enlightenment. We are in that silence. The silence of enlightenment is a living, vibrant silence, a living, vibrant energy. It is the heartbeat of existence.

______________________
This article was earlier published in the Economic Times, an Indian newspaper.

Ask The Master: 07 Feb 2008

There are so many meditation techniques. How do I know which one is right for me?

Go by the results!

If a technique appeals to you, simply try it out.

Put your whole energy behind the effort. Try it out with the greatest sincerity, believing fully that it will work for you. In a few days' time, you will know whether this is the technique that is right for you.

In the beginning, I suggest you practice 'doing' techniques rather than 'sitting' techniques. Because right now there is too much disturbance inside you. If you sit still and watch, all you will be witnessing is the tremendous disturbance inside.

So when you are just getting into meditation, choose 'doing' techniques -- because these are cathartic, cleansing techniques. These techniques are outwardly active, but inwardly, they can lead you to an experience of peace, of silence.

Once you have settled into meditation, once you have cleansed out all your old blockages, you can try out any technique you want.

How do you measure the correctness of a technique?

If a technique is helping you feel more relaxed, more centered, more sensitive -- it is working. If it is making you more joyful, helping you expand, feel more energetic -- it is working.

If you find it is not working, simply put it aside, and start working with another technique.

But have patience! Don't be greedy for results and throw away perfectly workable methods.

Usually, among the first five or eight techniques you choose, there will already be one that is right for you.

Locate it.

Pursue it.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Ask The Master: 06 Feb 2008

What is the right way to approach meditation?

Good question.

First of all, approach it with sincerity.

I am not asking you to believe or disbelieve in meditation. I don't ask you to have faith. I ask you to have trust.

Faith is a readymade belief in something. Trust is simply the openness to experiment.

So give meditation a chance. Keep an open mind. Be enthusiastic, be prepared for something mind-blowing to happen!

Secondly, approach with optimism.

The state of bliss is not something reserved for yogis and sannyasis!

Bliss is a perfectly realizable goal for you -- even if you are completely unfamiliar with meditation.

I tell you, there is no such thing as being qualified for meditation.

Once a man approached the great spiritual master Ramana Maharshi and asked him, Bhagavan, am I qualified for the spiritual life?

Ramana answered him with a question, Are you alive?

The man was startled. Yes, of course!

That is enough, Ramana replied. You already have the necessary qualification for spirituality.

Simply being alive qualified you for spirituality!

When the Divine does not impose any restrictions on you, why are you imposing restrictions on yourself? Be clear of this before you start: you have a definite goal, and you are definitely going to get there.

Thirdly, be playful!

Meditation is one big adventure. In fact, it is the biggest experiment of your life. To become serious about meditation is to miss the whole point. Spirituality is not serious business. Meditation is all about realizing that life nothing but leela, Divine play. So what is there to be serious about?

Celebrate meditation. Simply enjoy!

Fourthly, have patience.

The Divine is not going to jump on you during your very first meditation sitting!

Don't start worrying about results the moment you start meditation.

A small story:

Three monkeys once found a ripe, juicy mango. Like all monkeys, they fought over the mango for a while. Then, for some reason, they had a moment of clarity, a moment of intelligence. They decided to do something intelligent instead. Instead of eating the mango right away, they decided to sow the mango. Once the mango seed sprouted and grew into a tree, there would be enough and more mangoes for all three of them. Each of the monkeys decided to take up one part of the task of caring for the plant.
The first monkey said, I will water the plant everyday!
The second monkey said, I will keep the soil healthy and rich, add fertilizers and ensure that the plant grows well.
The third monkey said, I will guard the plant carefully and protect it from harsh weather and animals.
One month passed, then two, then three. There was no sign of any plant growing out of the seed!
So the three monkeys called an urgent meeting to discuss roles and performances.
The first monkey declared, As promised, I have been watering the seed every single day!
The second monkey cried, As promised, I have been adding fertilizer and making the soil rich.
The third monkey said, As promised, I have been guarding the seed so carefully! Not only that, I have been taking the seed out every single day to check whether it has sprouted or not!

So don't start expecting miracles in the very first session! Give the process of meditation some time to grow inside you. If you are greedy for instant results, you are actually preventing the process from settling down in your system, you are blocking the whole process. Have patience!

Fifthly, enjoy solitude.

Maintain an inward-turning state as far as possible. Remain alone, remain in silence for some time every day. Give yourself a chance to experience your inner environment. When meditation becomes part of you, this state will flower naturally. But for beginners, you will need to consciously maintain this state.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Ask The Master: 05 Feb 2008

If meditation is a 24-hour process, how can life go on? If I am always focused on 'just being', how can I get any work done?

Meditation is not against action!

Once you learn the knack of remaining undisturbed in your Being, you can perform any number of tasks while remaining in the same state. External action or inaction is irrelevant.

This is a two-step process.

First, you need to get in touch with your inner Being. You have to realize that such a thing exists! Learn to enjoy the state of just being. Initially, you will do this only for half an hour or an hour everyday -- when you sit down to meditate.

Once you are comfortable with this state, try and extend it to periods outside of the formal meditation period.

You can start with little tasks: trying to remain centered, even as you are eating, walking, washing dishes. Once you do this, you can move to more complicated tasks.

Externally, your life goes on in a normal manner. In fact, you can carry on your life in an even better way --- because now you have greater clarity, greater intensity. You will be more aware, more creative.

Yet internally, you will experience a deep, undisturbed silence. Because you are no longer doing -- you are watching.

This is the whole secret of meditation -- to become the watcher, to become the witness of your own actions and emotions.

As you start witnessing your own actions, you will realize that there is someone inside you who does not change, who does not get angry or feel sad, who does not care about money or security or fame. That is the real you. The rest is just a personality you have formed around yourself.

Once you become aware that you are not the one who works, that you are not the one who feels angry or hurt or depressed -- you experience a tremendous sense of freedom.

This will happen through meditation.

Meditation offers you the ultimate freedom -- freedom from yourself, freedom from the bounds of 'personality' that you have created for yourself.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Ask The Master: 04 Feb 2008

What are the benefits of meditation?

Meditation has the power to transform you -- physically, mentally, emotionally, spiritually!

On the physical level, the benefits of meditation are well-known. Through meditation, you can regulate your blood pressure and blood sugar. You can increase your body's resistance to disease. Through meditation, it is possible to heal even chronic problems like skin allergies, asthma and arthritis. No disease can escape the power of meditation! Of course, meditation is a complement to medication, not a substitute for it.

On the mental level, meditation enhances clarity of thought and verbalization. The gap between thoughts becomes longer. Meditation is a sure way to improve concentration and memory power. Above all, meditation leads you from intellect to Intelligence. Intelligence is nothing but the ability to respond to a situation in the most creative and constructive way. You cannot learn this art. But with meditation, it flowers naturally.

The spiritual benefits of meditation are too many to list! Meditation puts you in direct touch with the infinite energy of the cosmos. It opens you to the discovery of the Divine that lies latent within each of us. Meditation is truly beyond words. Its benefits are to be experienced, not explained!

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This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Temple/Rituals FAQ: 03 Feb 2008

Pradosham

Coming Monday, Feb 4th is pradosham.

Pradosha is one of the most important poojas performed for Lord Shiva. It was on this day that Lord Shiva recited the Vignana Bairava Tantra or the Shiva sutras to his consort, Devi. During this 2 hour period, Nandi, Lord Shiva's vahana (vehicle), guarded the door so that no one would disturb them. Hence we worship Nandi on this day. It is said that its easier to please Nandi, who is himself a devotee ready to offer whatever he is asked for, on this day.

We observe this day with liquid fast from morning till sunset and break the fast after evening Nithya Aarti. Abhisekam will be offered to Nandi, followed by Vignana Bairava Tantra chanting by everyone present, and finally Arati and Prasad.

In LA Vedic Temple, on this auspicious day, we do Nandi Bahisekam at 6:00pm and followed by Nithya Aarthi at 7:00pm.

Address to LA Vedic Temple:

9720 Central Ave (cross street San Bernardino)
Montclair, CA 91763
Tel:(909)625-1400
www.NithyanandaVedicTemple.org

Ask The Master: 02 Feb 2008

How many hours should I meditate everyday?

There is no question of how many hours!

As I said, meditation is not something that can be added on to your life. It is like asking, How often should I breathe every day?

You cannot say, This many hours every day I will be meditative, and the rest of the day I will continue doing whatever I am doing now!

Meditation requires a tremendous change inside you. Meditation is a complete transformation of your entire way of life. The seed is already there inside you, but for the tree to grow and blossom, the seed first has to rupture!

You have to allow yourself to rupture! When you start practicing meditation sincerely, this will happen on its own. But the willingness to rupture, to be completely transformed, has to be there inside you.

Meditation is nothing short of rebirth! You have to possess the courage to face death -- your own death! -- and to be reborn as someone entirely new.

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation

Ask The Master: 01 Feb 2008

Then why do we need meditation techniques?

Meditation techniques are NOT there to help you achieve. They are there to help you remember.

If i suddenly tell you, Slip into Ananda! -- is it possible?

You are not even aware that Ananda is your natural state. And when you are not aware, the process of meditation can be confusing and frightening.

To enter into meditation is like entering a shoreless ocean. When you are just learning to swim, will you directly enter the ocean on your own?

NO! You need a lifebuoy to keep you afloat, you need a lighthouse to show you the way.

In the same way, when you enter into meditation, you will need a method to show you what to do, to show you the path of meditation that is most natural for you.

Meditation techniques are nothing but lifebuoys. Once meditation becomes your way of life, you will automatically drop the formal techniques!

______________________
This excerpt has been taken from the book: "Meditation is for You" -- an introduction to the science and art of meditation