You are with the process, but you are not the process- Guru Purnima Message & practice

Guru Purnima - 12th July 2014

Dear Sadhaka’s,

I would like to recollect one of the experience I had with Baba during my stay in AIIMS hospital:

On the day of operation for my leg fracture, I was taken to the operation theatre. Hunching my back, I was made to sit for final Anesthesia administration. When the anesthesiologist started checking, I experienced Baba sitting next to me in the same hunched back style. He looked at me and said;

“Bete, this operation will go on without any problem. But after this operation, you have to go through series of complex traumatic experiences which is going to be very painful.  I am going to be with you all through. You may have to stay for about 45 days in this Hospital to go through this experience”.

He further suggested that it’s an inevitable karmic event that I need to go through.

He advised me that as a Sadhaka I am not supposed to simply leave it to the Karma and merely go through the pain and misery but to look at it as an Advanced Sadhana. He then explained me the process of that Advanced Sadhana that I need to follow during this entire 45 days.

The Sadhana he taught me was an advanced technique of how to detach and transcend from this whole painful process and how to learn the art of witnessing all events. 

Finally Baba said,

“Bete, while going through this process remember, you are with the process, but you are not the process. Transcend… Don’t react, resist, or get attached to the process. Allow the process to unfold completely without any resistance from your side and experience every sensation that you go through without naming it. This is the Sadhana for you for the next 45 days”.

Having said this Baba disappeared.

Though my leg fracture operation went on smoothly, as destined, in the same night, there was a heart failure along with some problem in my intestine. Thereafter, I had to go through series of medical treatments which was not only traumatic but also time consuming.

My path to recovery was indeed very painful but one thing that I remembered all through was, Baba’s instruction that “Bete, while going through this process remember, you are with the process, but you are not the process; transcend...”

Friends, Sometimes due to our previous Karma’s and other samskaras, it is quite inevitable to avoid crisis in one’s own life. But the Question here is are we prepared to accept the crisis wholeheartedly and allow Guru Grace to work over period of time without bringing our irritation and impatience to intervene?

When I expect and long for Guru Grace to bring me richness, happiness, prosperity and peace in me and in my surroundings, do I have the patience to also accept the crisis to go through without any resistance?

Guru is there to protect our inner integrity and through the passage of hard test, chisel out our personality into a spiritually integrated bright soul and help us connect again and again with the infinite source of knowledge.

However when guru wants to work through me, I should have the space so that he can work and I need to allow it to happen. It might take time to establish such connectivity and one needs enormous patience and surrender towards the Guru. Can we develop that connectivity between us?

Swami Rama used to say that, “In the effort to understand life and approach death meaningfully, vairagya [non-attachment] and abhyasa [practices] are the responsibility of the seeker. When these two are truly undertaken, another help follows. That help comes in the form of guru and grace, each linked to the other, each so beautiful and comforting, each so powerful".

So on this day of Guru Poornima, let’s remember “to transcend” & pray to the Guru to give us that Vairagya & Abhyasa to accept the life as it is and continue the Sadhana to establish the link with the Guru. Once we do that we will automatically get connected with our Guru Parampara, the epitome of spiritual integrity, infinite bliss and ocean of knowledge.

For this, I personally request you to devote sometime for yourself and do the following practice, not only on the day of Guru Poornima but on a daily basis:

PRACTICE:

1. Sit in a comfortable posture – in padmasana or ardha padmasana or sukhasana or vajrasana or in any other comfortable position – by keeping your back, neck and head along the same straight line. You need not tension your face and back to sit straight. Your sitting posture has to be a relaxed one.

2. Gently scan through your body and relax from head to toe.

3. Step 1: Focus your attention on stilling the body. Stop all conscious movements in your body like scratching, moving the fingers, contracting the body muscle, etc.

4. Step 2: Listen to the sounds that is coming from outside and inside you. Make it a point not to get disturbed by the sounds that you hear. Do this activity with full involvement and awareness – to accustom yourself with your environment.

5. Step 3: Shift your awareness and bring it on to Shushumna Kendra – Shushumna Kendra is located at the root of the nose (not the tip) the place where the middle wall of the nose and upper part of the lip meets. Staying in shushumna Kendra, feel that while inhaling you are inhaling the pure, divine cosmic consciousness and while exhaling feel that all your spent and impure energies are coming out of you. This pranayama definitely works if you do it with feeling. It cleans your system. Do this for 5 minutes.

6. Step 4: Focus your attention on the Ajna Chakra (eyebrow centre). Ajna chakra is located in-between your two eyebrows. Staying in Ajna chakra, observe your thoughts. You should consciously practice to separate yourself from your thoughts – you are not your thoughts. Do this for at least 5 minutes.

7. Step 5: Come to Guru Chakra which is just above the Ajna Chakra. Focus on Guru Chakra for 2 minutes and gently relax. Invoke Guru in energy form, or in paduka (two feet) form, or in physical guru form (face of your Guru), or in the form of light, etc. The short point is keep an image in the Guru chakra in which your concentration can stay for a longer time without getting disturbed.

Focusing on that image chant

“Hiranya Garbhaa Aarabdhaam, 

Seshou Vyaasaadhi Madhyamaam

Swami Shree Rama Paadaanthaam, 

Vande Guru Paramparaam, 

Vande Guru Paramparaam, 

Vande Guru Paramparaam”.

After the above prayer, make a sincere Sankalpa from the bottom of your heart that, “in this sadhana, let all the member of my family get Vairagya & Abhyasa to transcend & accept the life as it is and continue the Sadhana sincerely to experience the Guru energy”

Then start chanting (minimum one mala - 108 times)

“Om Shreem Gurudevaaya Namaha “

by focusing on Guru in Guru Chakra. Don’t chant the mantra too fast, don’t drag also. Maintain a steady rhythm. You find your comfort level. The important thing is do this japa with the understanding (explained in the first page) and with feeling. Let your awareness and attention follow the mantra each time you chant.

8. After completing chanting of mantra, sit silently for one or two minutes without doing anything and experience the presence of Guru in the form of light, etc. Feel as if they are offering everything to that light which is there in the form of Guru and praying from deep within that I seek nothing but your Grace, your Presence and your Blessings.

9. Feel your individual consciousness is merging with GURU Consciousness and that is pervading everywhere. In that feeling you offer the following prayer to the Universal Consciousness:

Om Sarve Bhavanthu Sukhinaha, Sarve Santhu Niraamayaha

Sarve Badraani Pashyantu, Maa Kaschit Dhukka Baagh Baveth

Loka Samasthaa Sukhinou Bhavanthu, Loka Samasthaa Sukhinou Bhavanthu

Samastha Sanmangalaani Bhavanthu, Om Tat Sat

Akhanda Mandalaakaaram

Vyaaptham Yena Charaacharam

Tat Padham Darshitham Yenaa

Tasmai Shree Gurave Namaha

May Gurudev bless you all.

Vande Guru Paramparam

Pattabhiram & Jyothi 

Please note: Guru Poornima function would be held in Bangalore on 12th July,2014 at Sadhana Dhama Ashram at 6 PM. Residents in & around Bangalore are requested to attend the function. Also Guruji has requested all the other location chapters to organize this programme in the form of a Satsang.