Meditation

A colleague asked me recently, what is meditation exactly? How do you meditate? She wanted to know whether there is any set pattern that she could follow. There is none. That is the beauty of it. There are various methods of meditations, taught by different spiritual masters. Essentially, meditation is the art of silencing the mind, to reach a state of nothingness. It is a state of very high consciousness, where things if created manifest quickly. This has to be practiced as it does not come overnight.

Meditation is a deep understanding of the self. It is about unfolding the infinite human potential that is dormant within us. As it is a beautiful divine connection, we receive all special and positive things – peace, tranquility, serenity, contentment, happiness, belonging, and love. Everything that we crave for in life revolves around these things. It is the pursuit of these attributes which makes people search endlessly and tirelessly. In reality, all these are already within us. We just need to awaken them to access them. And meditation does just that. It also involves leaving or shedding all negativity – Maya (illusion) and her extended family of ego, pride, anger, jealousy, superiority/inferiority complex, hatred, and resentment.

Different types of meditation or ways to reach that state of eternal bliss are practiced by various spiritual masters and passed on to their disciples. There are many basic forms of meditation also available on the internet. But, it is important to have a Guru (spiritual master), learn from him, totally surrender to the Guru element (Guru tattva), and practice his teachings. Guru is actually a Sanskrit word, which means ‘remover of darkness’. Guru is the energy, the medium through which spiritual wisdom is transmitted to the disciple. Guru is beyond the man-made boundaries of religion, caste, creed, and other limitations. And the Guru-disciple relationship is the purest, most sacred of all relations and is unique to each individual. That is why spiritual and mediation revelations should be kept secret, so as not to invite debates and unwanted energies.

When a Guru comes in your life, the first thing you experience is a sense of belonging. You know that there is someone to take care of you and who will be with you and by you, forever, beyond the cycle of births and rebirths. You also experience a sense of detachment, as you realize that all this is a myth. Only the light is the truth. You realize that you are in the right place, the home for your soul. The true Guru is someone who has attained self-realization and is free from all desires. He is not there to take something from you. Instead, he is there to give you everything that you need – energy, love, happiness, direction, guidance to the spiritual path, which is the ultimate path.

As you remain in the aura of your Guru and follow his teachings, you radiate the glow and attraction of your Guru. You also vibrate in the Guru’s energy frequency. Gradually, you start acquiring his qualities and start resembling him, in terms of traits and teachings. So, you need to be sure of whom to follow, as you slowly start becoming who you follow. It is well-known that a man is known by the company he keeps. The same is true here.

Some people ask me, how to know which Guru to follow. There are so many weird stories, so many spiritual and religious teachers. How to know who is genuine and who is meant for us? Just be silent and pray to whichever form of God you believe in. God is one. Only the forms and names are different. The same is true for the Guru element. While praying, just create the need for healing and your Guru. Simply pray to God, in your local language about how you need direction in life and want to progress spiritually and that you need the able guidance of a spiritual master. And your Guru will come to you. It can be as simple as someone asking you to attend a particular shivir (spiritual workshop) or listen to something from a particular spiritual master. It is that simple. Such are the divine ways. Just follow it. Your Guru chooses you, not vice versa.

My Guru, the eternal Avdhoota Baba Shivanand Ji also suggests another way for youngsters and technology savvy people. He advises them to generally browse the internet for various spiritual faiths, articles, and videos of different spiritual masters. The one towards whom you feel a deep sense of attachment and a feeling of belonging is your Guru. Many people have found their spiritual teachers this way and they are blissful and thankful for all that they have got.

At the same time, one should not go spiritual shopping. Many people constantly hop in and out of various spiritual ways. Although the Guru element is the same and the ultimate destination is also the same for everyone, it is to be understood that every teacher has his / her own individual unique ways. And to absorb the crux of the Guru’s energy, absolute submission is important. Total surrender opens new realms of the spiritual world and enhances your meditation.

Some people are perturbed that they cannot concentrate on meditation. The reason is the same. Total surrender is required. There cannot be any ego or ‘I’. Gradually, on the spiritual path, some people start thinking that it is they who are ‘doing the meditation’. It is this sense of false ‘I’ which creates a divide between you and divinity. The only one can reside and prevail. Either Shiva (the Infinite) or ‘I’. You choose. Meditation just happens. It cannot be enforced. It is not a mechanical process that you just ‘do’. It comes from within. It requires a lot of patience, absolute surrender to divinity, and the purest of the pure intention, to receive the actual benefits of meditation and transcend to higher dimensions.

And it is not free. It cannot be free. Some people ask why do some spiritual masters charge money for imparting spiritual wisdom. People have their own fixed notions of how saints used to meditate in solitude, impart knowledge to only a selected few and not address large gatherings. Also, charging money for spirituality is something that many do not understand. It is actually the ignorance, attachment, and Maya (illusion) which raises these doubts. The saints who meditated in solitude took their spiritual knowledge with them. The truth of today is that the world needs spiritual masses, not just a handful of saints. In this era (kalyug), where negativity has increased to astronomical amounts, positivity needs to be created in a larger volume, to counter the catastrophic effects. And mass awareness is required to raise the collective consciousness of the people. That is why Babaji has dedicated his life to the upliftment of the masses. Besides the numerous charitable causes that he has initiated, sustained, and maintained, he also aims to make people spiritually literate. ‘Shivanand has come to make everyone Shivanand’, explains the benevolent and larger than life Siddha.

What can be a better example of generosity, love, selflessness, and sacrifice that is beyond human potential? The hard-earned spiritual wisdom of the sages is readily imparted to spiritual seekers around the world, amidst all material comforts. Probably because it is given away so easily, that some people do not realize the value. But, generosity should not be mistaken for a hidden motive. Regarding the monetary value attached to attending shivirs, there is a fee for everything. Whether it is education or any professional service that we seek help on, everything has a price attached to it. What comes free? If something comes free, there are attached karmic consequences. Are we prepared to pay the price? If the price is payable in the form of money, it is the cheapest price that has been paid. Otherwise karmic consequences can be multiplied and they come back in unprecedented and unexpected ways. What goes around has to come back is the law of nature. Moreover, it is the best possible utilization of money that there can ever be. There are countless children old people, animals, and other causes around the world who have benefited immensely from the altruistic activities and tireless round the clockwork of the Shivog Foundation, under the supervision of the divine Master.

And it has to be earned. Babaji advises various physical exercises, especially prana kriyas and others to release the accumulated toxins in the body, as a result of our lifestyles. These physical exercises are essential before meditation to make the body able to bear the immense energy and very high vibrations that are experienced while meditation. That is why yoga has been given so much importance. Although it originated from India and is from ancient Indian heritage, people realized its importance only when it reached the West and was popularized. How ironic! Yoga and physical exercises are instrumental in remaining physically, emotionally, and spiritually fit. Only then can the body become a channel to transmit the energy of the Universe.

There are various creative skills that help ‘slip into meditation with ease’. Music is one of the most important of those skills. One does not have to be a trained and certified musician for this. In reality, we all have music inside us. We just need to listen carefully. The basic sounds of music have their roots in spirituality, which is about the self. That is why some songs appear to be so soothing that they touch the heart. Humans and all other living creatures are products of Nature. Our bodies are made of 5 elements of nature – water (Jal), air (Vayu), earth (Bhumi), fire (Agni), and sky/space (Aakash). These correspond to the chakras or energy centers in our bodies. Each chakra in turn corresponds to a particular ‘naad’ (celestial sound or note). A combination of these makes divine and soulful songs. So, what we get attracted to is actually within us and we are made of it. That is why listening to some bhajans or songs make us go into a trance. Another benefit of spiritual songs or bhajans is that they remove the pride in us, which is essential for spiritual progress. When we praise the Lord, we are actually submitting to divinity and erasing the sense of false identity that we have formed over the years, owing to ignorance. So, learning and practicing some form of singing and instrumental playing is a very important and enjoyable prelude to meditation.

And it is about joy. Spirituality is not a serious business. It is about the dance of the soul. When the soul is connecting with its source, there is happiness and joy. The union is exuberant and is a celebration. And what kind of celebration is complete without music, singing, and dance? That is why it is very important to be joyful. Spirituality makes you more humourous and blissful.

Love and gratitude…