The presence of your Guru

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Two most important days in a man's life...

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The Hidden Messages

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Guru Is The Spiritual Master – We Are His Creation

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Faith... can turn mountains

For a long time I was thinking of writing something on Faith. I tried many times, started many times but could neither think nor write much. Today I didn’t intend to write, but I opened the computer and started writing. This happens normally every time I write anything and each time instils in me the FAITH that I can’t do the simplest of things without the guidance of my Guru. Without the thoughts that He sends across, if I try to write anything, the result is always zilch.

He is there in all of us. He guides and takes care and who knows for whom this post is being written today. Though, thoughts expressed here will interest many in the coming days but the time and date chosen by Him also keep importance. Maybe somewhere, someone needs to read this today itself.

Faith can turn mountains....

Does that mean that you look at a mountain with faith and it will turn?

We have been listening to this phrase since our childhood and for generations. There must be something our elders must have thought while saying this. It practically means the burdens we carry. The heaviness of our problems has been compared to a mountain. Life becomes simpler and happier with faith.

We just have to understand one thing. We are all bound by destiny and things happen in our life at the chosen time and with prepared impact. If we ever feel that our Faith is not leading to positive results, we also have to understand that it is NOT leading to negative results either. And this is only for those who have yet to surrender and feel His presence in their lives because most of His devotees have already felt the positive changes in their lives. If your parents love you but (according to you) do not give you much, they still remain your parents and you love and respect them. Try the same equation with your Guru. Faith together with Patience will ultimately and definitely lead you to your goals. When you are through with your worldly demands and achievements, start thinking about your journey as a soul as well. That is the real importance of a Guru in your life. To take you through this journey and beyond.

Now coming back to where we started. Faith. Unsurmounted, unadulterated, simple, honest Faith.

This reminds me of a very recent incident (December 2011). A person admitted to a hospital in Delhi was administered an injection which reacted and his situation worsened. The family members (who come to Sthaan regularly) immediately went to Sthaan and prayed to Guruji. Remember, that the time was 2:30 a.m. and they just prayed silently in their minds while standing outside the Sthaan. When they went back, the doctor had an amazing tale to tell. He said that while he was sitting upset with the condition of their patient, someone came, tapped on his shoulder and told him to administer a particular injection. The doctor immediately rushed to do the same and the patient started recovering. Who was He and where He came from was unknown to the doctor. This is faith. This is the power of faith. For that family, a mountain had just turned.

When you leave everything in the hands of master, He takes care. And again, He is not giving you anything less than what you deserve. How much more He chooses to give depends on Him and on your _________....... yes, on your Faith.

One of my wife’s favourite uncles was recently in a hospital and I narrated this incident to him. He also keeps total faith but was disturbed with his recent condition. It does happen to the best of us. We tend to lose focus in the trying times of our life. After he heard the above incident, his entire focus remained around it (what he later told me). He also told me that he started removing the negative and depressive feelings that had cropped up and regenerated his faith with more energy and started praying to Guruji for similar support. Since that day, whenever he woke up he saw someone sitting in his room in the hospital. Some image that used to vanish as soon as he woke up.

A canula had been attached on his hand. (A canula is a narrow tube inserted into the vein of the hand for draining of fluid / introduction of medicine etc – normally called ‘drip’). The needle of the canula is about two inches long and remains inside the vein of the hand. When it is removed it causes considerable pain and bleeding. One morning when he woke up he found that the canula was removed from his hand. He neither felt any pain nor was a single drop of blood there. (If the canula ever comes off on its own, it can cause heavy bleeding due to the open pore of the vein). When he told this to the visiting doctor in the morning, he couldn’t believe it. He said, “it never happens like this and it could only be by grace of God”. The doctor didn’t know, how it had happened and who made it possible but uncle just told the doctor that he has got the indication and wants to go back home. He immediately started the process of getting discharged. One more thing, during his entire stay in the hospital which extended to almost a month, his children took turns to go to ‘Dham’ and get ‘Jal’ for him from there EVERY DAY.

Collectively, their faith turned a mountain for them.

Who is the greatest ‘Shishya of all times?

Eklavya can be considered one of the greatest Shishya of all times. Why? There have been huge names in that era and beyond where great Guru-shishyas have been around. Arjun and Karn, both great Guru-shishyas belong to that era. How come the son of a tribal is considered to be such a great shishya? He was turned away from the Ashram of Guru Dronacharya but yet considered him as his Guru. He made a statue of his Guru and practised archery and just by his faith in his Guru became the finest archer who shot 3 arrows in a dog’s mouth to prevent it from barking without hurting it. And then when Guru Dronacharya approached the boy Himself, he gave away his thumb as Guru-Dakshina without hesitating or thinking even for a second. Such was his Guru-bhakti and such was his faith. Such was his Guru-bhakti that after accepting the desired Guru-dakshina, the great Guru Dronacharya also asked for divine forgiveness (even though the Guru was aware that this was BOUND to happen and was part of Eklavya’s destiny – yet he felt saddened because the Guru’s heart always beats for His children) and blessed Eklavya that he will still become the finest archer and will be able to shoot arrows with the same accuracy even without his thumb. History remembers Eklavya as the most loyal and brave student. His faith turned his mountain.

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We all follow certain religions because our parents told us to follow them. This is faith in our parents. Had we been born in a different family, our beliefs would have been different. The common factor thus is not the religion, but the faith.

Many people confuse faith with religion where as faith has a much wider meaning. We need faith for the most basic things in life.

For example, if we are driving on a two way street with just a white line in between, we need to have faith that the person coming from the other side will not cross the line and hit us head on. Not that people don’t do it. Not that accidents don’t happen, but everyone does not drive on the opposite carriageway and in the absence of this faith, no one can drive on a two way street. So, even though accidents happen we still keep the faith strong enough to drive on the same road. The same person who had encountered an accident would go out and drive again on the same street as soon as he gets fit with the same faith that it won’t happen to him again.

Take another example, we all know that food poisoning can turn fatal to an extent that it can result in death also. Does that mean that we stop eating. If the person who contracted food poisoning had known that the food they are about to consume will lead to their death, would they have eaten it? And, can we stop eating after listening to such incidents? No. We keep the faith that the food that we are eating will make us healthy and keep us alive. Any person who survived a case of food poisoning would consume the same products he used to eat before with the same faith that it won’t happen to him again.

But when it comes to keeping the faith while encountering the problems in life we forget this logic which we ourselves apply everyday in our life in the smallest of things. The fact is that faith is an inborn quality in us and we can’t survive without it. We just have to take care that it doesn’t get selective as we grow up, which remains intact in the good times and starts vanishing in the bad ones.

There is no such thing as lack of faith, we all have plenty of it. It’s just that we get selective and start keeping faith in the wrong things. If we ever feel that our work can’t be done, that is also a faith. A faith in what can’t be done rather than in what CAN be done. In this case we have faith in the lack rather than in abundance, but there is no lack of faith. Faith is like a law. It is there and existent.

The highest form of faith is the faith in Guru. Because destiny can be turned around, as long as we are under Him – with faith. Don’t worry..... Everything will be all right. Just KEEP THE FAITH.

Bhakti - Shraddha – Devotion.......... Honesty

What is the most important thing to have... in ‘Bhakti’ which leads a person to higher spiritual levels? Is it faith, devotion, ‘shradhha’, patience, Sewa, or all of them?

The answer is simple. It is HONESTY. Everything that you do... just do it with Honesty.

Honesty is that lone ingredient which if missing renders everything else useless... and if present compensates for all shortcomings. What is honesty? Is it just speaking the truth?

Well, honesty here refers to your actions. If you are doing Bhakti, do it with honesty. If you feel devoted, feel it with honesty. If you have faith, have it with honesty. If you are doing Sewa, do it with honesty. What does that mean? Simply that; nothing needs to be done, just for the sake of doing it. Or for the sake of showing it to others. Such actions, if not futile altogether are largely meaningless.

Remember... Your Guru can always read your intentions. He chooses whether to disclose them to you or not. Sewa, Bhakti, and other actions are the means of reaching to your goal... and Honesty is the path on which they are driven. What is the point of driving in an expensive car, if you are going the wrong way? Can you ever reach your destination? Elaborate Sewa might be rendered useless in the absence of honesty in performing it.

Let us try and understand by way of an example. If a person is doing Sewa in presence of his Guru and executing it very politely and properly, it is good. But if the same person starts behaving differently when his Guru is not physically present, gets rude and improper then the act of doing the Sewa starts becoming meaningless. To be honest with Sewa is to perform it in the same way in both cases. It is to believe that your Guru is watching over you whether or not He is physically present... and the next stage is to just perform your Sewa in the way your Guru would want you to, not because of His fear (that He is watching), but because of Love.... for the Sewa and for your Guru.

Love. It is the natural progression of emotion when you do your Bhakti with honesty. Honesty is the harbinger of unconditional love for your Guru which in turn automatically leads to ‘Shraddha’, devotion and faith. All these are the vital ingredients of your Bhakti which ultimately leads a person to his final goals in life. All transcendental experiences start from this simple rule of being honest.

In the previous post, we talked about being passive in approach and to be a good listener. Whom to listen to, was a question put up then and it was mentioned that we talk about that later. Listen to your Guru, is the correct answer given by all of you. But what to do when you are not physically present in front of your Guru? Does the process of achievement stop during that time? No, it is a never ending task and process. Once initiated, it should only go forward. Then? Whom to listen to? Is a question that remains un-answered. Well, the answer lies in the root of faith and that is honesty. Listen to your Conscience... because when your Guru is not present in front of you physically, He talks to you through your conscience. And believe it... He ALWAYS guides. Receptiveness is what is needed.

This receptiveness comes from the unconditional love for your Guru which is possible to achieve only when you bring this factor of honesty in your Bhakti, in your faith and thus in your life. You become loving. Spread this love everywhere you go. Let no one ever come to you without leaving happier. This is the mantra of progressing on your path to realization. Shun your ego to love your Guru. Become a nobody. Only those who are ready to become nobodies are able to love.

One more thing. We have to achieve our goals while leading the life we were put into. We are... where we are for a reason and we must respect that. In our personal life we do face situations where speaking the truth is not an option, especially when it can damage someone. Suppression of facts in those times is what? This question might arise in the minds of many of you. Well, here again apply the rule of listening. If your conscience exists and allows it, then it is right.

As fragrance abides in the flower 
As reflection is within the mirror, 
So does your Lord abide within you, 
Why search for him without?

No need for elaborate words or fancy dialogues. They are not needed either impress your Guru or to showcase your feelings. Your feelings will always be understood in simplicity. Always. We are what our thoughts have made us; so take care about what you think. Words are secondary. Thoughts live; they travel far. Even Kings and emperors with heaps of wealth and vast dominion cannot compare with an ant filled with the love of Guru.

Be simple. Totally simple. Simply bring Honesty in your Bhakti and everything else will fall into place for you. This is the first step to reach your destination..... and the journey would be a far more pleasurable experience. 

The Mind... The Heart... and Self Realisation

The purpose of the group “Guruji Of Gurgaon” (https://www.facebook.com/groups/157918097566202/) on “Facebook” is to bring the followers of Guruji on a platform where they can share their views and experiences. Also to reach out to those, who intend to follow His path in future. This blog is probably to take that forward.

 A few months back I had read a quote written on the group’s wall by one of the Guru-bhakts which struck my imagination. Not only struck me, it stuck with me and the thought process started. I re-produce the quote here below:

“We are all born as essentially spiritual beings --- perfect in our imperfection. As we grow older, we get guided to absorb negative patterns.... parents, teachers, society, making us get farther and farther away from our authentic selves. Gurudev directs us to return to our essence and rediscover who we really are....to get back to the perfection we once possessed before we allowed so much negativity to cloud the lens through which we see the universe.”

When I read this quote, two things came to my mind. First, how many of us read it more than once to try and absorb it. Did we just read it and moved ahead? I don’t know the name of the scholar who wrote these lines, but the summarisation in them was too good to ignore. This is the time, when the second thought crossed my mind. The essence of this group is to share thoughts with each other. Therefore, for all my friends, who missed out on putting some time to think about it, here is a small start, wherein all of you can add to the ideas, the feelings about the thoughts expressed. Just hope that every such discussion will take us closer to what we all seek..........because as the quote says.......we are all essentially spiritual beings!

Whatever I write now, I don’t claim to be mine. These are thoughts which have been sent or shown to me and I have just tried to string them together. The idea is not to just read what is written. The idea is to understand and relate to it.

To actually relate to the thought process below, you will have to read beyond this point, really slowly.

Whenever we talk about Spirituality, the first thought link that we make is with God. What is God? How can God be reached with our senses, our mind, heart and soul? Such questions routinely spring up in the minds of the seeker.

God is a synergetic experience. Such an experience cannot be explained by the principles of science or the depth of philosophy. It can only be understood by a very passive and a very loving approach.

Listening is one of the basic secrets of being passive and thus moving forward towards entering into the temple of God. Listening means passivity and forgetting yourself completely. If you cannot forget yourself, you never listen. You cannot reach God by being aggressive. You can reach God only...or it will be better to say God can reach you only when you are receptive. When you become receptive, the door is open - and you wait. Listening is the art for becoming passive and receptive. (Whom do you listen to? is another question which pops up... we’ll talk about that later.)

Being receptive not only entails being a good listener, it also means to listen with your heart, keeping your mind aside.  Two things just cropped up, the heart and the mind. Though ‘both’ belong to ‘one’, they can be different. The man, who can see the world without the barrier of the mind, is Brave. Seeing the world without the spectacles of the mind is tremendously different, utterly beautiful. People are seen as people. There is nobody who is inferior and there is nobody who is superior – in such a vision, there are no distinctions whatsoever. Suffering seems real because we don't have a clear understanding of our true nature. Instead, we believe the passing thoughts, such as 'I am no good, 'I am not there yet,' 'I am stuck' or whatever the thought may be. Eventually we understand that we are not those thoughts. Once our real self is pointed out, the suffering loses its grip.

Let us look at it in a more tangible way. When we go to see a movie in a cinema hall, we look at the screen; we never look at the projector which is at the back. The film is not there really on the screen; it is just a projection of shadow and light. The film actually exists just at the back, but we never look at that. And the projector is always there......

Our mind is at the back of the whole thing, and the mind is the projector. But we always look at the other person, not at our mind because the other person is the screen. When we are in love, the person seems beautiful, no comparison. When we hate, the same person seems the ugliest, and we never become aware of how the same person can be the ugliest and the same person can be the most beautiful.... So the only way to reach to truth is to learn how to be immediate in our vision, to drop the help of the mind. Without the ‘projection’ of the mind, our vision starts becoming synergetic. The same people start looking equal, devoid of perceptions and thus, beautiful. The mind deals and operates exclusively in the realm of thought. Since "you" are not a thought, it cannot know "you."

Pain is felt by the body. Suffering is felt by the mind. Both arise in awareness. On the surface, suffering is the mind's resistance to or refusal of pain. On a deeper level, suffering is the result of believing yourself to be a separate self. Withdraw identification from the ego idea and all suffering drops away immediately. Will things still hurt? Yes, Of course. But they will not produce unnecessary suffering. This agency of the mind is the problem, because mind can create only dreams....

When we see dreams, we get excited. Through our excitement the dream starts looking like reality. At the peak of this excitement, we start losing our senses and then whatsoever we see is just our projection.....our own!

The mind also spars ego. As the mind projects to our eyes, the image of people we see, it also projects an image of our self to us. This image can lead to inflationary opinions and harbour the ego. To be with the divine, we have to lose our self, our ego. For example, when we look at a sunrise, just for a second, if we are able to forget our separateness; then, for that moment of time we are no longer ‘seeing’ the sunrise............we ‘are’ the sunrise. That is the moment when we ‘feel’ the beauty of it. That is an experience of what salvation could be like.

The moment a person says that it is a beautiful sunrise; he is no longer ‘feeling’ it. He is merely ‘looking’ at it now, with the vision projected by his mind. He has come back to his senses......to his separate, enclosed entity of the ego. Now the mind is speaking. Ever wondered that why the mind can speak, even when it knows nothing; and the heart knows everything, but still cannot speak............ Perhaps to know too much makes it difficult to speak; the mind knows so little, so, it is possible for it to speak.

The heart is on the left, but is always right-- whenever there's a question of choosing between the mind and the heart; probably because, the mind is a creation of the society. It has been educated. You have been given that educated mind by the society, not by existence. The heart on the other hand, retains its original state. It is unpolluted. Probably, that is why people say that a child is the image of God, because the child has his heart in place.....and his mind is yet to be educated.

And yet, is it just enough to have a heart and close the mind to synergise?  Not always. The heart is like a flower - unless it is open it cannot release its fragrance into the world. The fragrance of the heart is made up of the qualities and virtues of our spirit. Most of us have learned how to keep our heart closed in a world that would trample all over us if we let it. Being open hearted today seems to require tremendous courage. Such courage comes only when we realise that no one can hurt us, no matter what they say or do. They may hurt our body, but if we have realised that we are the spirit, nothing outside can touch us...........if we so decide.

Between the banks of pain and pleasure the river of life flows. It is only when the mind refuses to flow with life, and gets stuck at the banks, that it becomes a problem. Let come what comes and go what goes. Desire not, fear not, observe the actual, as and when it happens, for you are not what happens, you are to whom it happens.

What is the way? How to go about it? Will a man always be entangled in this battle? Where to make a start? Endless questions like these are bound to spring up by now. What is said is very difficult and yet so easy. Slowly and steadily, practice opening your heart to those, whom you think have hurt you. Realise it wasn’t them that hurt you, it was yourself. And it taught you not to trust and you closed your heart. A closed heart is in need of opening. And when you do, you will have begun to heal yourself.

Somebody might ask, “Does this mean that we should start trusting the person who is not making our payment and go and give him a new line of credit?” No, opening your heart does not imply being foolish. (The previous paragraph says it all). In the same way closing your mind may cut off your intellect, but in no way does it reduce your intelligence. We always have to think intelligently.

Intelligence is a natural phenomenon -- just as breathing is, just as seeing is. Intelligence is the inner seeing; it is intuitive. It has nothing to do with intellect. One should not confuse Intellect with intelligence, they are actually, opposites. Intellect is of the head; it is taught by others, it is imposed on you. It has to be cultivated. It is borrowed, it is not inborn. But intelligence is inborn. It is your very being, your very nature.

We have talked about the energies of the mind and heart in self realization today and there are so many more things to talk about, which we will do in future as and when I am guided to write more.

The discussion has taken a lengthy route so a summarisation is now essential. To achieve closeness to the almighty, it is necessary to be in a state of thoughtless-ness. It is essential to remove the existence of the mind and to get closer to your own heart. This feat is impossible to achieve by a mortal.

Then how can one transcend on this path. It can only and ONLY be achieved under the guidance and blessings of your Guru. Become more and more innocent, less knowledgeable and more childlike. Take life as fun - because that's precisely what it is!

You don’t need to understand what we discuss here. It is not there to teach you anything, just to arouse the zest for seeking. It will lose importance as soon as the lamp of self-realization is lit. Movement toward the goal of your soul can be achieved in a much more simple way. Start loving your Guru. Close your mind to what he says and listen with your heart. Enlightenment will be now the beginning, not the end. It will be a beginning of a non-ending process - in all dimensions of abundance.

To all seekers of self – realisation........all that I am capable of saying is.....................Jai Gurudev.