Monday, November 11, 2013

Thursday, February 28, 2013

Friday, March 28, 2008

Meditation

ama, niyam, asana, pranayam, pratyahaar, dharana, dhyan and samadhi are eight parts of the Yoga. When you attain knowledge of Self through Akram Vignan, you have already surpassed all these eight stages. Beyond these eight steps, you have even attained the awareness of the Soul (your own Self). Here you have to keep both the body and the soul sahaj (natural and spontaneous). For you the experience (anubhav), the awareness (laksha) and the conviction (pratiti) of the Soul has already been established. Here in the Akram Path, you will never fall below this stage of conviction (pratiti).

People sit to meditate, but do they have a goal in mind? They haven’t even visualized the goal, so what can they meditate on, a buffalo? To meditate without a goal is called updhyan. God has not instructed anyone to meditate on the Soul in the form of words. What is the definition of ultimate meditation? It is when you have the awareness of all the characteristics (guna) of the soul at a time. The attributes of the Soul is called dhyeya (aim or goal) and when you yourself become dhyata (the one who has the attributes), only then can your meditation be called dhyan. All this cannot remain in your awareness at the same time. These people cannot attain samadhi (a state free of all effects from the non-self) when they are in aadhi (mental agony) by day, vyaadhi (physical suffering) by night and during a wedding, in upaadhi (problems brought on by others)?

Questioner: They tell us to focus our attention on our breathing, exhalation and inhalation. What is the benefit?
Dadashri: What do they tell you do? They tell you to concentrate on the air that flows in and out of your nostrils. Breaths flow in and out, but what in the dickens are you going to do with that focus? What in the dickens do your nostrils have anything to do with it? Let go of this foolishness! Why don’t you do this when you get an asthma attack? How can you? They say that when the breath goes in, it makes the sound ‘so’ and upon exhalation it sounds like ‘hum’. From that you get ‘sohum’ ‘sohum’, ‘humso’, ‘humso’, and they tell you to meditate on that. But the Soul is neither ‘sohum’ nor ‘humso’. The Soul is not to be found in that word. VitraagLords have used the word ‘Atma’ as a way for us to understand the Soul in a word form. However, the Soul is not to be found in books or in the scriptures, here only the word ‘Atma’ is to be found. The real or true Atma is to be found only with the Gnani(self enlightened Being). Do you think that by observing your breaths in and out, you will remain in samadhi? No. What happens there? The mind gets destroyed. The mind is like a boat; it is necessary to cross the ocean of the worldly life and reach across to the other shore.

Meditating as the Self is the true meditation. And the other thing is that if you keep dhyan (pay attention) in making khichadee, then your khichadee will be ready for you eat. Just keep these two dhyan's. All others are crazy (useless) meditations. If one remains in the dhyan of ‘Dada’ it is fine, even if he does not have any other understanding, because he will then become ‘that’. The Gnani Purush is your own Self; therefore, you will gradually become that.

Attaining the Soul is atma-dhyan i.e. meditation as the Self. And in worldly meditation you are to meditate on the work at hand. For example while cooking pay attention to the items of food that you are cooking. All other dhyan's. being taught elsewhere become burdensome. Meditation is only meant for those who suffer from an agitated mind, but where is it necessary for others? Who knows where this kind of meditation will lead one?

The Lord has said for one to pay attention to (dhyan) one’s meals and one’s husband in the relative life, and if not these then the Self. Besides, what will you do with all other dhyan's.? Why do you need other dhyan's. for internal peace? All others are meditations that have nothing to do with the Self. They merely sound pleasing to the ear. Some people find it pleasant to their mind and for others it appeals to their intellect. It all depends on one’s mind.

During the time of Lord Mahavir, prominent businessmen would attend the congregation. The Lord’s speech was so sweet and attractive to listen. These shethiyas would be so absorbed in listening to the Lord that they would have their meals brought to them as they listened to the Lord. The Lord’s speech was so melodious to their ears that they would not go home. Today, ‘we’ recognize and see the same shethiyas around. ‘We’ see them cheating their customers as they stretch the material they are measuring. Ask them where their dhyan is focused. Their dhyan is nothing but raudradhyan (harmful adverse meditation). Furthermore they will defend their actions by telling you, “Other merchants cheat this way too!” The fools! Other merchants may jump into a well, but why must you?

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Discovering Divine Love in your Life

The word love has been misused to such an extent, that every step of the way we question its meaning. If this were real love, then how can it be like this? Where can one find love? What is real love?

Only the Gnani (The Enlightened One) who is the embodiment of love can give us the real definition of love. Real love does not increase or decrease. That which increases or decreases is not love; it is infatuation and attraction (attachment, infatuation or love associated with expectation)! Only love of the Supreme Soul has no expectations or self-interest. It is the love that does not look for faults and never changes. It does not overflow when someone offers praise nor does it turn hostile towards the one who insults. This kind of constant and unlimited love is the incarnate Supreme Soul of the Gnani. Such unparalleled love can only be discerned in the Gnani Purush or a complete Vitrag (one who is free from any attachment) Lord.

People believe that moha (attachment) is love! In moha, there is expectation of reward! If this reward is not received, the person feels dejected! There should be sincerity in love and not close-mindedness. A mother’s love is considered the highest in the world, but it too has expectations and disappointments in every corner. It is called infatuation and attraction because there is moha associated with it.

A young man’s success at school is celebrated with a party by his parents. They never tire of praising him! They buy him a motorbike and within a few days he wrecks it. The parents get angry and call him all kinds of names and tell him that he does not deserve anything. They take back the ‘certificate of merit’ they gave him only a few days ago. All their love vanishes! Can this be called love?

In worldly interactions, only love can win over children, workers and everyone else. Any other means will ultimately prove to be futile.

Even in this time cycle, thousands of people have experienced the supreme love in Pujya Shree Dada Bhagwan. If a person were to experience this love and oneness of being with the Gnani Purush just once, he will constantly meditate on Dada. Dada will always be in his memory, in spite of being bound by life’s miseries!

For years now, thousands of people have not been able to forget Dada, even for a second. That is the greatest wonder of our times! Thousands have met him but his compassion and love has been bestowed on them all and they have all experienced it. Each person individually feels that he is favored over others when it comes to being blessed.

One can never find anything comparable to the love of the one who is a complete Vitrag. If one were to behold a Vitrag and experience his aura of detachment (vitragta) just once in his life, he would surrender himself completely. He will never be able to orget that love for even a moment!

One sees the results and fruits of Dada’s compassion, love and his unwavering awareness of how people in this world can achieve salvation.

If one wants to acquire the supreme love, a love that this world has not seen, heard, believed or experienced before, then one should worship the living embodiment of love, the Gnani Purush.