Winter Camp Day 3 - New Year Message from Gurudev

Day 3 of the Camp also coincided with the New Year eve. Starting the new year morning in the Ashram listening to Guruji’s Meditation session, we the participants cannot ask for more than this for great inspiration for the rest of the year. Below is the transcribed version of Guruji's New Year Message as it is, so that the flow from Gurudev can be kept intact:

Wishing you all a happy 2013 !

Friends, if we start analysing life it is very simple, straight forward and without crookedness. There is no misery in life and it is not at all complicated. If you trust life as it is, it is wonderful, beautiful, marvellous; but the problem is we are not able to experience that marvel, that beauty which is there. ‘Why is this so?’ is the question that every meditator should ask.

The purpose of meditation is to find out why and where the life has gone wrong? If one starts exploring and understands then the real meditation begins. Yesterday I was telling you mediation means ‘to attend’.  If you ask me what one has to do in meditation, my honest reply would be there is nothing to do in meditation; then what are we supposed to do in meditation? We are supposed to attend, just attend. Look at your body, you attend to your body. Look at your breathing attend to your breathing. Look at your mind you attend to your mind. Look at your intellect you attend to your intellect. Look at your memory you attend to your memory.

How to attend to it? Just like a true nurse attends to the patient, how a doctor attends to a patient, how Bhagvan attends to bhaktha, how a mother attends to the child, how a teacher attends to the student. Ask this question, How? What is the force, the energy, the emotion, the concern behind this act of attending?

A meditator has to become sensitive. If you are insensitive you’re not a meditator. If you are selfish you are not a meditator. If you think only of your own self, your own pleasures, you are not a meditator. A meditator is one who is sensitive. Sensitive in what way? ‘Let me attend’. If health is the premise then the nurse and the doctor will start wondering why the health does not exist. Are you seeing the beauty? If the child is not enthusiastically playing, responding, enjoying life, the mother looks at the child with utmost innocent feeling asking why this child is not happy, not lively. Please see the beauty of it. Don’t complicate meditation. Meditation is so simple, so beautiful. You can attend to it when you learn how to look at it unconditionally. If you don’t know how to look at it unconditionally how can you attend? You can attend to me or I can attend to you when I am able to see you unconditionally. Putting lot of conditions if am trying to see you, am trying to relate with you, then I will not be able to attend to you. When I attend I’m not there only you are there. That is the beauty of attending. Do you agree with me? If you are attending me means you are not there only I am there. If am attending to you means I am not there only you are there. If nurse is attending to the patient means the nurse is not there. Who is there? Only the patient.

Guruji talking on New Year eve

Now how are we looking at our own self is the question? That is what meditation is. I am making it very simple. Technique comes later. If the knowledge is not there then the technique is not going to work. So the knowledge has to be there. So, what is meditation? What is the understating of meditation? Lord has given me so many faculties, Lord has invested great potential energy; now how these faculties are functioning? How I am using that energy? Lord has given me that intelligence Lord has given me everything... please see this: everything is provided by the lord. I am sitting here and talking and the words are blessed by the Lord. I don’t know from which source the words are coming I am not able to really identify. I am trying my best to find out from where is this coming. But I am not able to. It’s all the Grace, Anughraha because of which I am taking, breathing, able to move my hands and legs.

Look at our own sadhaka Ravi Naik, who is going through such a painful period. When this incident took place I was in Chandigarh. Just two days before I was in Delhi where we had the programme in Malai Mandir, Ravi used to climb 20 steps up and down in the morning and evening, adjusting the mike, taking care of everything. He was so active and cheerful and used to run to his office. Within one day I received a call saying he is not able to move his legs. Where did that power go?  Who took away that power? It is very easy to say that it’s an organ failure. It is not just that. It is something deeper. A Sadhaka has to attend to that. Is it only the failure of the organ? If so, from where and who instigated this failure in that Jeeva? Who did it? Ravi certainly dint do that to himself.

Now one has to ask the serious question what is this? If we say that it is the failure of the organ then it is the insensitive thinking of a soul. Medically we have to give some name and we so we give a name. We are becoming insensitive and dull because of such naming. Oh! what to do? The respiratory system is not working. The question is that till yesterday it was working but now it is not, why.  Who is behind these conspiracies? What clue do I have deep inside that its going to happen like this? Absolutely clueless. That is because I am insensitive.

So meditation is a process in which I try to attend to every dimension of my being. Lord has kept two dimensions. First the faculties (the matter). All the faculties are nothing but matter, chemicals and with that matter he has kept the consciousness also which is not matter.  Prakrti and Chaitanya. Prakruthi is matter and Chaitanya is Consciousness. Prakrti and Chaithanya, when they are together, you can see the activity, the expression.

Like the electricity and the handy cam, when they perfectly harmonise with each other, you can see the expression of the handy cam. If current is not there it can’t work. If current is there and the handy cam is not there, then again it will not work. Please see the beauty of it. Both are needed. This is how the Soundarya Lahari starts – Shivashakthya yukto – both for shiva shathi – yukta, anughraha, is the only bridge. Then as human beings what are we supposed to do?

We have two responsibilities. The first one is Lord has blessed me with so many things, with such a  wonderful instrument called the body. He has given me a wonderful energy field called Prana. He has given me the communication energy fields of emotion and wisdom. And he has invested a lot on me. Now it is my responsibility to take care of all these faculties. Like, how I take care of my new car, my property, the things that I possess, with so much concern. Why I take care of them? Because I invested in them. Why am I not taking care of this? Because someone else has invested in it. This is free, somebody else has given this, so be careless. On the other hand, if I had invested myself, then no. Please see this.

One boy became spendthrift. He kept spending. He used to go to his father and ask for money which he used to spend. The father did not know how to educate this fellow and one day this father said, ‘look, today I am not going to give you a single pie. You go, earn and bring the money. Let me see, it’s a challenge’. The boy took it is as a challenge. He went and searched for a job but he couldn’t find a good job. So, he went to the railway station and became a Kooli or the Mali. He virtually carried the bag and got 25 paise. He came back home with that great enthusiasm, “Dad I earned 25 paise. This is my money”. The father said give me that. The boy gave the money to his father. The father threw the money into the open well next to him. This young boy got very angry – Dad you know how much I worked to get this 25 paise? You don’t value it. What kind of father you are? The father looked at his son – ‘son all these days what did you do? Thousands of rupees that I gave you, you didn’t value it. Now this 25 paise is a big thing to you?

Friends, are we not insensitive? What kind of Dhanyatha bhaava we have. Deep inside Lord is blessing me with everything, still we are crying and complaining. If lord says, Beta if you don’t believe in me, from now onwards I am not going to supply Prana to you. Lets see how we are going to work. If the Lord says I am going to take away the agni (fire) which He has given to us, if Lord starts taking all the elements from me one by one such as earth, water, fire, etc.,  then what am I? Who am I? Where am I?  So my very existence is because of the Grace. There is so much arrogance in us – me, mine, I am doing it, because of me things happen, etc. When the very voice is the voice if ignorance and arrogance, where is Dhanyatha Bhaava?

So, meditation is a process where I learn to attend with all humility and not complaining. If I have got diabetes I attend to it with all humility. I don’t complain. I have received it; let me accept it first. After accepting it let me respect it, and after respecting it let me attend to it. What a beautiful life, you see. Most of the problem we are going through, the miseries we are going through, the pain we are going through, is just because of our arrogance of not accepting it. Do you agree?  Please see this. Please go into this. Your whole misery, all types of miseries that you’re going through is because you’re not accepting it. You accept it, then where is the misery? Tell me. If I accept you, all of you, totally, completely, unconditionally, there is no pain, absolutely no pain. Why I suffer is because I am not accepting it completely.

There is deep dissatisfaction in all of us. Lord has been giving us enough but we are still complaining saying this is not enough, this is not right. Have we ever thanked Lord ... Oh Lord, you are doing so much, you are doing wonderful things, you have given so many things to play. Do we have that feeling? Do we have that dhanyatha bhaava?

A meditator has to develop and live that feeling, that attitude, every second. You know when we do the pooja we start the pooja with Parameshwara Preethyartham- first comes Parameshwara Preethyartham, after that comes ayusha, arogya, aishwarya and itiyathram. In our sankalpa yesterday you might have seen that we don’t have all that. There Jeevan mukti praptyaartam is the only sankalpa we made nothing else. Please see this. Parameshwara Prerthyartham while doing pooja and after that what do I do, Narayanaya eti samarpayami. You should make this as a ritual, you have to feel it. I am doing everything because I love my Lord and after doing everything say, Oh Lord! everything is yours I am offering this to you. Develop this kind of psyche. This is meditation, let me tell you. Let this be the blessing of the Lord to all of us for 2013.

Psyche is to accept everything. Whatever coming to me is because I have created it, I wanted it, all because of me only, please see this. I am suffering because I wanted suffering. Today I am suffering with stomach upset because yesterday I created that suffering by eating pakoda. So, every act you are doing it. If you become aware of it then the every act, desire, prayer, is going to tell you what you are going to get.

Now before praying to the Lord just sit 15 days with the prayer. As the following questions:
What is this that I am praying?
What is this that am asking from the Lord?
Do I deserve it?
If the lord is going to bless me that, am I prepared to take all the effects and consequences of that gift?

Somebody comes and gives me 1 crore rupee black money, very good very nice. I have experienced it, that is why I am telling you. After taking this money I can tell that Oh Lord has sent this money.  Lord says bête I am sending this money and with this money I am also sending you a package of consequence. When I accept this money from the Lord I have to accept its consequence also. If some income tax officer comes and catches you then don’t come to me, says the Lord.

Somebody wanted to organise a show in aid of Sadhana Sangama. It was a Fashion show. He said at the end of the programme Guruji there is going to be 10 lakhs in your Sadhana Sangama bank account. We are going use that because 80G facility is there and these people wanted to convert black in to white and create their own accounts in aid of Sadhana Sangam through the Fashion show. Sadhana Sangama would have got AIDS if it had received that aid. Everybody was so enthusiastic. Guriji lets go for it. At that time I was struggling to build this Dhyana Mandira (Meditation Hall) and this was in 1993, at that time 10 lakhs was a big money and I did not have the money to pay the rent of Sadhana Sangama.

I sat on it for one week and on the fifth day Baba whispered in my ears, ‘Bete, you have the freedom to take this money but aft taking the money the karma is also coming. Are you ready to take that Karma also? Don’t look money as money’. Lakshmi always comes as Karma. Lakshmi doesn’t simply come as Lakshmi. She may come as Daaridra Lakshmi, Santhana Lakshmi and as all types of Lakshmi. Don’t think money come just like that. Money means it is the vehicle through which the Karma enters. So Gurudev whispered, ‘Bete, try to see the karma also attached to it. It is there in its latent form. Money is the kinetic energy and karma is the potential latent energy and once when you receive this kinetic energy this potential energy will also express. Are you ready to take both, Bete? Don’t come back to me when that potential energy starts working as kinetic energy.’

I then made up my mind saying no, let me not take up this money. Let me teach, let me take up classes under the tree but not this money. That is why Sadhana Sangama is not progressing but is potentially growing. It takes time but its growing well beautifully. So friends, let’s go to meditation now.

The very message of Meditation is sensitivity. Is it possible for me to attend to all these things? So, how to begin the journey? It is very simple.

Start the journey with the physical body. Take 30 minutes. See if you can sit still, comfortable, graceful and maintain the body in harmony. Simply ask this question. We don’t have a healthy relationship with our own body. The body complains that since 20 to 30 years I am with you, it is my karma. You are such a horrible master, insensitive master, selfish master. By staying with you I am suffering. When are you going to relieve me? Every second your body is crying. Are you listening to that cry? If you don’t listen to your own body’s crying, how do you expect Lord to listen to your crying? Lord says sorry you do your duty then you come back to me.

Look at your breathing. There is no rhythm, no depth, no smoothness. Look at your mind, what all emotions you are entertaining. With every emotion observe what intention that is pushing the emotion. Look at the strategies; look at the intellect playing its role. Every dimension of your faculty is working towards the target but all these faculties together are not working for the purpose.

Guruji praying for the well being of all Sadhakas on the New Year

A meditator is one who inspires all the faculties to work for the vision, for the purpose, and then every faculty understands the target because every target is connected with the vision, with the purpose. All the targets need not be a pleasurable targets. Most are going to be miserable targets because the vision is very important and not the immediate target. Before me rasagula is there. My emotions says enjoy the rasagula. It is the immediate target but the vision is that I am diabetic. My emotion says eat and New Year’s day is for enjoyment. This is the immediate target. What is the vision? The vision is that next day early morning my sugar will shoot up to 413. Now the question is that is this target connecting with the vision? I suffer and I blame this on others saying I didn’t want to take but this is all because of my students who forced me. Therefore, I am suffering because of my students. How insensitive I am if I say so.

Why am talking so much again and again is because many people ask me why don’t you make us practice? For me this is the practice. What practise I am giving you is for 24 hrs and not for 15- 20 mins. You can’t say I did it, I finished my practice. No. This practice you can’t finish because this is 24X7. This has to go on and on and on. Whereas that practice (the techniques) ends but this practice never ends. It ends when the realisation happens completely, so it is a lifelong thing. Where you have to become aware again and again. This is called SAMARPANA (self awareness). This is called as PRANIDHANA. Not just doing puja.

Yesterday we did puja. Do you mean that we did a self–surrender puja? It becomes another enchanting activity, ritualistic activity and again it binds us. If I don’t do that activity one day then again the mind says what will happen? If that activity is going to bind you let me tell you that is not a divine activity. Any activity which gives you self–awareness, any activity which gives you freedom, any activity which makes you realise, that is real samarpana. That is Ishwara Pranidhana. For that I need some reminders. That is why all these activities outside and we need all these activities, there is no doubt about it but all these activities are for that. This target has to connect me with the vision. If this happen, friends, then it is marvelous. Let that be the gift for this New Year. Now let us all meditate with this kind of awareness.

With the above message, Guruji then guided all of us to the Meditation Practice. Truly day 1 of the year 2013 was a great blessing to all the Sadhakas who were present in the camp and I am sure the blessings extends to all the sadhakas across globe who are unable to attend the camp but could read the above message from our beloved Gurudev. 

Friends, Rest of the updates, I will try cover in a nutshell along with Day 4 activities pretty soon, till then, Happy Sadhana...

- A report by 'Bansuri'