FAQs - Frequently Asked Questions Attitudes

Love


1. What is love?

When you do not know why you love and what for you love, it is love.

2. Love is that a feeling of reality?

Love? No, it is not the feeling of reality, it is the way to reality!

3. How universal love can be achieved?

The real thing is to transfer all love to God. Remembrance of one brings remembrance of all. If I love you, I love your children also.

4. Does love develop attachments?

We should love all but without feeling attached towards individuals as such.

Discipline


You know there are three disciplines that are to be followed for a seeker of the Ultimate. One is the discipline covering the codes of conduct that cut off all evils and other things which are detrimental in achieving the goal. The second discipline covers good practices which gather together all the forms of good which are conducive for the sadhana. The other and perhaps the most important for advanced persons is the discipline that benefits are sentient beings so that all are saved.

Orientation


Study of books and hearing of the tapes help you in developing firm determination to reach the goal and that is what we generally call as orientation.

It is good that you are engaging yourself in the study of Masters work. This is one of the ways of remaining in the thought of the Master and develop Constant remembrance.

Single pointed orientation to Master and absolute goal clarity enables us to move further.

As for persons coming for Satsangh it depends upon their wisdom and also how they evaluate us. I have nothing to say on that. To say that you are working on them again is beyond my capacity to understand. When they are not oriented how can any work be done?

1. I find the problem in the form of sleep embracing me whenever I start to read any of Master's books.

It is a matter of common experience that persons who read Masters work get into a state similar to sleep. It is nothing but the effect of the words and thereby the thoughts of the Master being received by our real self. Do not bother, but continue to hear Master or read his books. That will clear lot of mala, klesha and avarana.

2. I am also spending fair amount of time in reading and contemplating the works of Rev.KCV and the Master in an attempt to enter the consciousness of the Masters and try living in that as far as possible.

Any amount of reading and searching for consciousness in the books will not help you in getting at them. Not that you should not read them but that is not enough. We may read about Sacrifice and will never do it, unless there is something that is more dear than our life that is felt in the core of our being. The love of self is far superior to any of the other loves we have. I think sage Yajnavalkya is least understood here thanks to the Vedantic blue glasses.

3. During Basanth predominant thought was every one is developing true love and devotion towards Master and all are taking benefit of His grace.

During Basanth our approach should be to be totally oriented to Master instead of thinking that others should benefit etc., If we do not have the condition required to help others what help can we do?

Contemplation


1. My trainer asked me to contemplate the given condition through out the day. I am not able to do that. Sir how can I make a thought remain active while doing day to day works.

The conditions endowed during meditations range from total lack of thoughts to disturbance and yet absorption. It is not easy to remain in that condition consciously through out the day while discharging our duties. If a suggestion is given at the end of the meditation that the condition is retained at the subconscious level it will help to remember the same while we are not actively associated with any other thought or work.

Yielding


We should be restless but at the same time not expectant. Please cultivate this habit which will help you in sadhana always. Yielding to the Divine starts with a simple Namaskar but finally it ends up in total surrender where neither the devotee nor the Divine is in consciousness. We are all rishis and we are doing tapas: with a small difference that we seek only the Ultimate and are not prepared to accept any penultimate goals.

Yielding you are to develop in such a way that you do not mention it at all. Unless you know your smallness yielding never arises and when you demand a type of experience where is submissiveness leave alone yielding.

Restlessness to achieve the goal is different from impatience that is exhibited to claim for oneself higher conditions. But this happens and yielding to the Master alone is the way and that everyone has to learn for himself.

1. Thoughts that were noticed were on the Goal and yielding to the Master.

That we have feelings of yielding means, there is some resistance. Please find out the thoughts that are hindering such a submission to his will and try to avoid them. The thought of yielding is only a phase, we should move on to the stage where we do not feel the need for yielding and should have a state of mind of submissiveness.

2. I did not fully understand yielding

Yielding so far as I understand is accepting the version of our good nature and rejecting our lower nature. Do you know in great religions both in the west and the east, in the early days Good is the word for God.

3. Spent days thinking of how can I make my yielding complete.

This is done easily by thinking that you have already yielded and go on strengthening the same thought.

4. I need to do More and More yielding. Feel Gentle vibrations at Sikhar. Felt expansion through out.

Yielding means that there is something to yield and so far as there is something to yield the statement of Nothingness etc., has no reality content. Expanded awareness is possible in Brahmand but who is expanded and who sees it? The locus is self and so long it is there rings of Egoism are not even touched.

Determination


Determination in achieving the desired result goes a long way. But please note that it is your effort assisted by the Master. Without effort feeling empty disappointment and guilt achieves nothing. As a matter of fact guilt repentance etc., are qualities of the sick soul.

As I was meditating this morning on the message of the Master given at the top of the Diary 2001 for today, I was deeply moved by the message which assures that the Centre itself is moving towards us. What a compassion and Love of the Divine? How we have all been indoctrinated that we cannot reach perfection because we are sinners, hopeless individuals etc., What is great about any Religion except telling us that we are worth nothing. How much relieved is the mind when it is assured that the Centre is moving( yawning) towards us. How much more reassuring it is when the Master says that everything is tending towards the Centre. We feel many times out of brain washing that we have had in the schools of learning of all sorts that we are incapable of having a determination to seek the Ultimate good because we are all men/women of flesh and weak willed persons to seek higher values in life. In another context the Master says "..you will surely come to the conclusion that you are sailing towards your own home..." These two features of our system namely 1. Our moving towards Him definitely and 2. That He is moving towards us steadily should enable us to gird up our loins and start with firm steps towards our Goal of Life.

Help from Master is essential but to seek help from Master on matters of practice is not correct because that is our duty. We should gird up our loins ourselves and seeking help of Master in this regard is not proper.

More on Determination

1. I feel that the task seems to be a big one and I hope that I can do it properly throughout my life because at the age of 50 or 60 years I do not want to have the feeling that I did not do my sadhana properly.

I am happy to find that you are determining yourself to reach the goal and that is half the task. You can and you will attain the desired goal within this life time only, by following the meditational practices as advised with love and devotion to the Master. Following the commandments is a matter of time and with the Imperience you have, it will not be difficult.

2. Started feeling that miseries are not in my control & thinking of them as Divine blessings.

Quite a brave attempt. Masters blessings may be remembered to maintain this attitude.

3. I pray that I develop the 'Yearning' to be with Him all the time.

Prayer does not help much in this regard. It is our determination and girding up the loins as Master puts alone helps.

4. How to generate the craving for internal transformation in abhyasies. Can a trainer really do something in this direction or Karmic matters play their own role and one has to be patient with those.

If there is a little inclination towards the goal and the aspirants are serious the method we have of diverting the flow to the upper portion of the heart and also to the Atma chakra will have better effect. Even in the case of X the work we have done is not lost and will return to the path either in this life or later. True it is that Karmic influence will be there and one has to clear off the debts before any movement in the real sense towards the homeland happens.

I think you feel that despite working on a person there is a slip. As I always say that disinterestedness in sadhana develops even after a good start because of the necessity to go through Bhog. If a person is wise he clings on even if he does not practice as prescribed and picks up later; otherwise the great Master helps him in the way he should be. We should never feel attached so much to abhyasis as we are only trustees and Master knows how to help them.

5. I am realizing my own defects and shortcomings. From the bottom of the heart feeling repentance for the lapses committed. I am willing to change.

It is not enough to realize our lapses. We should have firm determination to get rid off them and for that we should gird up our loins as Master puts it. We can always find excuses and explanations for not doing our best and also feel satisfied with what we do. Also certain times we simply accept our mistakes and expect the Master to rectify them.

6. There was predominant feeling of helplessness, which I am unable to describe. I feel that only Master’s instructions and his ideas are to be done through me and all my own thoughts, which obstruct to follow his commands to be removed from me. I am unable to put in words.

Until and unless our wishes die down thoughts relating to other than the Master will not go. Any amount of lamentation is of no use. We should clean ourselves well and also give up notions very consciously that are detrimental to the implementation of his commandments and attainment of the goal. Asking some one to remove will not work and that is not the system.

Faith


1. What is Faith?

Faith, in true sense, is a lively link connecting the mortal with the immortal.

2. How does it come?

It is no doubt effected through the medium of the Master who is Himself connected with the immortal.

3. Speaking of faith, is it a gift or is it an act of will?

Both things are right.

4. How to have faith, or develop it in oneself?

Master says “Really speaking, faith is not necessary. What we have to do is to trust in someone and begin. And then if you find you are progressing, Faith will automatically develop. Now I will tell you, people speak so much of conscience. Conscience should guide us but we guide our conscience as we choose. Now what is conscience? It is really of four levels, the manas, the buddhi, chit and ego. Where these are balanced and merge into the one original thought, then that is the real conscience.”

5. Is faith necessary for meditation?

Faith is really the foundation of entire structure of spirituality. Faith in reality, faith in the right course you have adopted for realisation. Faith in the worthy Master whom you have submitted to, this is the rock upon which you must build your edifice of spirituality if you really aim at success.

6. Not being able to discharge duties in complete thought of Master with strong faith in God and justice

I have a definition for faith. ‘Faith is belief under circumstances that are impossible.’

7. I have had the problem of expecting from the Divine knowing that this is incorrect. Sometimes I have the feeling of expecting the same feeling that I had experienced before. I find it difficult to come out of this feeling. To certain extent, I have succeeded to come out of it.

Faith in God when it is properly understood would teach you also the knowledge that He is Samavarthi and therefore whatever we deserve we always will get. When this matures you will be in a position to come out of expectancy. Wait, watch and progress with practice.

8. Confidence in self seems to be lost at times and there is utter helplessness.

This is a tight rope walking that needs to be done. We can never lose Confidence and faith in ourselves and at the same time we should know we cannot reach the goal without the help of the Master. Please catch the spirit of what is said in this regard.

More on Faith

Life is a complex game. Play it with confidence in yourself, and the Master and adopt the ways of the Master. One thing in life we should note is fear is not justified in any circumstance. We are God in expression what fear have we got? Fear arises out of lack of confidence in God. The goal of life is happiness only and we can get it in full measure when we are totally in tune with the Master/God. Goal clarity would develop as you practice and exposures to Pranahuti would remind you of the Homeland. Do not worry too much about anger, but try to see whether your habitual reaction is necessary at all and whether alternative methods of action are not available.

The point we should remember is that though we now and then find that our tuning to our beloved friend is not all that fine, His tuning to our situations is excellent. When things become tough it is not time to stop is a proverb that applies to the spiritual field more than others.

More than anything else it is the confidence in the Master and ourselves that weaves our destiny.

Regarding Faith in the Master as a precedent to practicing our system of sadhana, it is not necessary. Meditation on the Divine light without luminosity coupled with the meditation on points A and B should give ample evidence for seekers to know the effectiveness of our system. Ofcourse diligence in practice is a must. Also the assiduous practice of cleaning in the evening is very essential. For practicing yoga there is no necessity to have faith in the Master or God. As a matter of fact Faith and Surrender are states of consciousness gained in sadhana. But one faith is a must: that is faith in oneself that he/she can achieve the task.

Losing confidence in oneself is almost saying I am committing suicide.

Openness


Sense of shame is a layer in the several rings of egoism. Unless we lose this sense of shame, nearness to Master is an imagination. You must be knowing the stories of Duryodhana who felt shame before his mother who wanted to protect him completely and also the story of the gopis who were blessed only becoming naked.

Renunciation


In nothingness there is only total renunciation of all that is Godly and His attributes. If we seek something that is sensory and what Master calls amusements, I think that not being the promised goal we are bound to be dissatisfied. The slokas are beautiful compositions and so are the pasurams. But they belong to other realms than Reality and so the method of Revered Babuji is not likely to satisfy our curiosity. If we can accept Lord Krishna as almost a substitute of the Divine (God), I do not find any reason why we should not be satisfied with Revered Babuji who declared Himself as the Special Personality and through whom Nature (God) works now.

The initial renunciation is no renunciation at all. Further there is a great difficulty with intellectual approach which I have learnt with enormous time and labor. It is really difficult to renounce intellect. It breeds the worst type of Ego and our march to Freedom is impeded mostly by it. It does not matter whether it is pseudo intellectual or pure and simple intellectual approach. Personal renunciation first, Adhibhoutika renunciation next, Adi Daivika renunciation at a later stage are a must as we cannot travel with all these loads into the realm of Nothingness. You know better the conditions in which Vacuum is possible. But unless we are prepared to shed all load or luggage as Master calls it, the chance of entry into the realm of Reality is not possible. God as conceived by religions is not of this type or nature it is invariably of a lower level, it is only a difference in degree.

Tolerance


This needs to be cultivated by remembering the awareness of being nothing during meditations.

Waiting


1. After the individual sitting felt that He is very affectionate and taking so much care and I am not able to live up to His expectations.

You are surely deserving but it is your greed that makes you think you are not; and this is because you want to have progress or growth without waiting for the process to take its own time. Master is neither affectionate nor otherwise: he is beyond all our adjectives and qualities; you need to know that Sri Ramchandra Consciousness is what we are aspiring for to become one with and do not have any personality cult. Please develop proper understanding by reading books and articles.

2. I am yet to observe big transformations in my day to day routine and external behavior though definitely the quality of thoughts that take my time has improved tremendously

Transformative process take some time and it is by small increments that changes occur. Once we know that the force is working it is wisdom to wait.

3. Last 3 weeks felt long spells of silence with awareness and steady attention. Thoughts about the goal to reach the MASTER and to be waiting for HIM with a will is also felt during my morning meditations.

The work I have done requires quite sometime to sink in and show its effect. Any growth is a steady and painful process. Waiting is another word for patience.

Acceptance


There is no point in getting disappointed if we do not get what we want in life. We should always be in the state of mind of submissiveness to the Master and accept whatever comes to us happily and not insist to have what we want. It does not mean that we should not try. We should try and our efforts should be total the result is the will of God/Master. Whether Lord Krishna said or our Master said it is the same thing.

Will


The word Hope leaves a sense of doubt. Instead we can pray that abhyasis become more regular in their sadhana. In spirituality Will is most important for achieving the task.

It is one thing to pray it is another to will. Wishes do not find place in spirituality. Be sure you feel and it is not a wish.

Pious intentions are different from firm resolutions. The sankalpa by itself may be for the mergence of all in Brahm. But how strong it is? Is it backed by the purity of consciousness that should be there.

Reactions to Stress Situations


Our reactions to stress situations are classified in the modern schools of psychology as panic, inertia, striving, coping and mastery. Inertia is the response from persons who are governed by the consciousness at physical level whose first response is one of apathy and panic is the response when they are compelled to act. Panic is the response from persons governed by the vital consciousness that is the case with majority of human beings. However when the panic is overwhelming, many resort to inertia: giving up effort and take recourse to inertia which is sophisticatedly called resigned, vairagya of a kind. This is what happens in the cases of persons who say that they have surrendered to Master. However majority of individuals recover from this panic and inertia and learn to confront the problem that is called striving. Even here the individual is only at the vital level. When a person tries to use his mental level he gets into the state of striving, the consciousness is more or less engaged in a blind struggle, a groping towards ill-perceived and ever-eluding goals. Because of this, the individual's internal state is characterised by feelings of uncertainty, insecurity, conflict, anxiety and tension. When a person moves to the state of coping by ushering reason and exercise of mental will in the governance of life, a sense of direction, inner ease, security and confidence arises. Mastery is what is possible when one meets the challenges of life with a sense of purpose and with poise and serenity.

Owning up of Condition


1. I understand that any condition can be owned by only constant remembrance. But because of my work pressure and busy family life I am not able to do that.

It is not just constant remembrance of the Master, it is remembrance of the condition that is blessed by Him that enables us to own the condition.

2. Two weeks ago I was able to own up this condition for more than 4 hours after satsanghs and was able to recall for brief moments later during that week.

Owning up of the condition would always mean the spiritual condition that is had during the meditation with all the feelings and thoughts that are superior and belong to higher realms. Please try to note the thoughts of higher level that you have and then try to own them through manana(recalling) and nidhidyasana(contemplation).

More on Owning up of Condition

Owning up of the condition would always mean the spiritual condition that is had during the meditation with all the feelings and thoughts that are superior and belong to higher realms. Please try to note the thoughts of higher level that you have and then try to own them through manana (recalling) and nidhidyasana (contemplation).

Attending to various knots in the Pind Desh really means attending to owning up the conditions of those knots. The elements have a strong hold over us. The physical and vital spheres which were very broadly covered in knots 1 and 2 require constant efforts to come to their real nature. Their influence cannot be eradicated and one has only to regulate and move towards perfection. There are no other spheres except physical and vital that require constant attention. The aspirant if he moves to the stage of U in the heart from L will have the desire to move further with the help of Pranahuti which is offered by a fellow abhyasi called a trainer. It does not come from the Akasa or from somewhere from the blues. This conception has to be understood fully. These knots relate to the Mooladhara and Swadhistana chakras and cover the bestial and emotional aberrations in the human also.

In our method, the Master brings again (again because we have come that path downwards!) into action the dormant emotional conditions with the help of transmission and bliss (settledness). This is done to such an extent that in the teaching process of our order the Masters make it start from ‘intense spiritual intoxication’ (jasb as Master calls it) and after getting all the aspects of it completed, the disciple is brought to the Sulook (spirituality) and after completing all the stages of sulook in all the knots the Ultimate sulook is taken up. This is the method and one who practices the process of owning up the conditions alone understands it, so far as I am concerned, it is not a matter of intellectual understanding even to know the method.

Feeling the Presence of the Master


When we think of the Master and the yielding attitude is there it is a common experience that we feel the vibrations or other wise a peaceful condition descending to us. So that is what is your experience. Now that you have had enough experience of the assurance from the Master by way of His presence. A few thoughts on the awareness of the presence of the Master and the practical way that I have adopted with unfailing success are furnished hereunder.

  1. When we concentrate on any thing we can also get it before us as a vision either during waking state or during meditation. This happens in cases where one concentrates on the Master or Gods and Goddesses.
  2. The visions seen in the dreams are of a different category and do not fall under concentration.
  3. But it is a fact that Masters and Gods and Goddesses also bless the aspirants by their presence.
  4. How to differentiate between the items 1 and 3 and be sure of the actual presence of the Master and that it is not due to one’s concentration?

The following are very important points to note.

In the case of (3) actual arrival of the Master, the mind will feel that the connection to the Master will acquire force. In the case of (1), which is due to mental construction of the form etc., due to concentration the connection to the Master will not have the force associated with it. These two states can be understood if one is blessed with the Master’s actual presence and observed carefully through feelings in the heart. When the Master is really before us, pure sincerity in the heart will be observed and this will have nothing to do one’s spiritual aspirations etc., No expectancy will be there. We will just be waiting on Him with sincerity. There will also be lightness felt in the heart automatically due to the flow. One will feel nothing of this sort in the case of mental structuring (artificial). 1. I am not making any specific efforts because by default almost always my mind goes to some thoughts on Master.

Please do try consciously to feel the presence of the Master in the heart and you always get necessary guidance.

Humility


1. Felt maximum flow towards Atman leaving almost no flow towards upper and lower heart.

There is a limit to exaggeration. The flow to the lower portion of the heart will be there and is necessary if one has to be alive. The upper portion of the heart is pure and simple spirituality though Master calls it as super consciousness of the inferior variety be called it also as the place of landing of Rishis. Learn to be humble before great saints of the past who came there after considerable penance and sacrifice as Master puts it.

2. This month feeling very lowly or humble before the Master.

The lowliness or feeling of nothingness has to be not only with relation to the Master but that should be our general condition. Before the Lord all are lowly: the path of the saints is that one feels lowly under all circumstances

3. Today I felt absorbed with a feeling of thankfulness to the Master for all He has bestowed. There was a feeling of my insignificance also.

The more we feel our lowliness the more we advance in spiritual life. Of course this should not be something that is done artificially.