Simon

Although we live here in this same world, how one person experiences and perceives the surroundings could be very different to another. There is the phrase ‘One man’s food is another man’s poison’. I may find something beneficial and good, but that doesn’t mean another will also – they may think it is very bad or a waste of time.

This depends on our mental attitude. Someone who has a positive attitude will see any situation in a positive light. For a negative person, everything will appear negative, and they won’t notice the positive things.

There is a small story about this in the Indian text of the Mahabharata. In the story there are two princes who were cousins. Yudhisthira was a very righteous character who always tried to pacify conflicts and help others. The other, Duryodhana was a negative character, cheating others and getting into arguments often. Once they visited another kingdom and the king there asked them to look around during the day. In the evening when they came back, the king asked Yudhisthira how he had found the kingdom. ‘I was impressed’, Yudhisthira said, ‘everywhere I saw good people helping others, working hard, being righteous’. Turning to the other prince, the king asked him how he found it. Duryodhyana answered, ‘I don’t know if it was the same place – I only saw people cheating others and having arguments.’

So each prince had picked out in their environment what they had inside of them. Yudhisthira was noble and righteous, so he noticed other noble, good-natured people. Duryodhyana was used to cheating people and getting into arguments, so that is what he picked out and saw above all else.

To cultivate good character and culture in ourselves, we can adopt this meditation as a practice which has been recommended since ancient times. It purifies the mind – instead of being skewed by our mental habits, we can see things more for what they truly are. We can develop a mind with a positive attitude and see the good in others also.

When difficult times come, one great thing to see is when people start thinking of each other and working together. If we are mature in mind, we will realise that when I need something, food, or whatever it is, someone else would also need that. If we want to be happy, everybody has a right to be happy. That is generosity.

There is a beautiful story about this. Once there was a competition put between the Devas (Angels) and Asuras (Demons). The competition was they were all made to sit in line with each other with their hands tied with the bamboo sticks so they couldn’t bend them. The food was served, and they were asked to take the food and eat. The Asuras looked at each other, not knowing what to do as their arms were fixed and they couldn’t put the food in their mouth to eat. They were furious – “This is a trick!” they yelled and screamed.

The Devas, however, realized simply that if they sat in front of each other, they could feed each other. So thus they could all eat and won the competition. The moral of the story is, we all need each other.

This consideration for others can come more as the mind becomes purified through meditation. We start to think of a larger cause, of the betterment of society, the whole world.

Emotions can be our strength or they can be our weakness. Often they can get in the way. If we could just deal with a problem in a rational way then it becomes smoother and manageable. But if constantly we become emotional about things that arise, it is like being swayed by the waves in a stormy sea. We are not in control – our mind assumes a shape and we cannot get out of it easily. In so doing we fail to see the bigger picture and act in a way that is detrimental to ourselves and others around us.

If we could become the master of our emotions things would be so much simpler! It would mean we won’t become victim to our emotions constantly. For this, somehow we need to tap that emotional energy. This is what we are doing in meditation – we tap all our emotional energies into a single-pointed concentration. By doing so we can turn confusion into inner confidence, distractions into concentration and agitations into peace. Ultimately as the mind settles down we would see we have overcome our emotions. In any situation we would be able to think coolly, peacefully and with compassion for others. When the choppy waters calm down, life becomes smooth sailing.

The past is simply meant so that we can learn from our mistakes. Other than that, we can let go, we don’t need to be unnecessarily brooding about it. If we made a mistake and we regret it, we can remember the lesson that it taught us and what we should try and change ourselves for the future.

As the Meditation Master Shiva Rudra Balayogi (Babaji) says- ‘We can think to ourselves; ‘The past is over and it’s not going to come back under any circumstances so there’s no point in simply brooding and feeling pain. Instead let me look for my future, let me become more positive.’ In so doing we can let go of these shackles of the past that hold us back and think positively in the present which will shape a positive future.

So this ability comes when our mind becomes under our control. When we meditate, we simply watch whatever comes up. We try not to make any judgement. Then all those thoughts that we stored in the mind can gradually disappear. Our mind becomes clear, concentrated and peaceful. It is able to stay in the present moment and not go into brooding about the past.

Once there were two monks who were trying to get back to their monastery after travelling. The weather had been bad and the river had overflowed, making it difficult to cross.

A young woman was sitting beside on the bank. She was afraid to cross.

One of the monks simply carried her across the river to the other side and both monks continued with their journey back to the monastery.

After some while, the other monk started to speak; he was visibly annoyed.

‘You know we have a vow not to have any physical contact with women. Inspite of that, you carried that woman across the river- you should not have done that’.

The monk who had carried the woman replied,

‘I picked up and carried the woman across the river and put her down again on the other side. But you are still carrying her in your mind’.

Nothing is really easy if it is not adopted properly. Otherwise it can be easy – even the process of meditating can become easy. If we can remain quiet, whatever comes. We don’t think ‘Why is this thought coming?’ If it’s coming, it’s coming, that’s all – we don’t have to get bothered by that. Then it all vanishes and we achieve that peace in the mind.

The same thing is in life also. If we can accept what comes without going into a brooding, an anxiousness, then we can sort out things in a better way and can achieve peace in the mind. That’s what is necessary, otherwise the achievement doesn’t happen.

‘The mind never stays into one type of imagination. If you could have simply imagined all the pleasant things that you want you could have continued and remained happy all the time, but it doesn’t happen for anybody. Sometimes like mornings when you get up the mind would be very fresh if you have had a sound sleep but suddenly, unknown to you, the mind starts imagining. In the beginning it always imagines pleasant things – nobody wants any unpleasantness. But as the day passes by you never know when the mind slips into unpleasantness also, it holds onto all sorts of imaginations – good, bad, right, wrong, evil or whatever it is it slips into unpleasantness. Though nobody wants unpleasantness but one is unable to control those unpleasant thoughts coming -that keeps coming, because mind has absorbed these things either from this world or from its own imagination habits that it has picked up.

To cleanse this is the process of this sadhana, which is known as meditation in ancient terminologies.’

~Shiva Rudra Balayogi

Below I have written my observation during meditations and opinion re: free will.

It is a peculiar relationship between mind and brain. Mind is our consciousness energy and brain is a biological organ. No doubt the brain is an amazing organ. We may not know fully about the brain. As common people we all understand the fact that due to the brain we have obtained this world’s consciousness. Definitely we, as consciousness, depend on the brain to live in this world with understanding, analyzing, judgments etc. however, in my opinion brain is a wonderful servant but a bad master if we allow it to be.

Just like when you have a servant, you may depend on the servant for many things. However you cannot give the command to your servant. For example, when somebody comes to meet you, your servants job is just to inform you. You shall decide whether you want to meet that person or not. Instead if your servant decides that you do not have to meet that person, sends him away and simply informs you that a friend had come and he decided that you do not have to meet that person or friend of yours. That means you are a victim of your servant’s temperament and nature.

In the same way the brain is in touch with the universe , receives messages and passes on orders. In this process it reflects a thought process or visual effect. This reverberates in the mind. The mind catches these thoughts or visual effects and registers them in itself as a truth, that means it is a victim of the brain and its reflections. If mind was a by-product of the brain then this would have been true totally that there is no free will.

When you practice deeper meditation and achieve control of the mind you are able keep the mind totally quiet and withdrawn from the clutches of the brain. You are also able to discriminate good and bad, right and wrong independently by using your brain but not by the brain’s order only. You are able to exercise determination, remain disciplined and not become a victim of the brain’s reflections.

This we call as an exercise of willpower. As we practice deeper meditation we also discover that we do not have to depend for happiness on the world’s objects which are reflected by the brain, but keeping the mind quiet supreme peace can be experienced.

~Shiva Rudra Balayogi

Sometimes it may appear that the meditation is a bit tough going, and the mind appears to be so restless and unable to settle down.

But the Meditation Master Babaji (Shiva Rudra Balayogi) advises never to feel threatened or be perturbed by what is going on in your mind. Even if it is restless, seemingly unable to settle down, take it as a golden opportunity to overcome whatever is there. So we keep on watching in meditation, remaining determined. Just like a tennis player in a tennis match just keeps playing the ball back without giving up. It becomes enjoyable to play the game.

It might appear initially that the thoughts themselves have the upper hand over us. But as we continue to keep a positive attitude and practise this meditation, in due course of time we start to overcome all the thoughts. The mind starts to recede and become quiet. We will start feeling the positive and peaceful effects in our daily lives.

Try it first thing in the morning when it is nice and quiet. When you get up, you can have a shower or splash some water on your face then sit down to meditate. It is a great way to start the day.

As we start regularly practising meditation, we may wonder how to tell if we are progressing. Here the Meditation Master, Shiva Rudra Balayogi (Babaji) outlines what the real experiences to count on are.

Question:
Babaji, how do we know that we are progressing? Are there any milestones?

Babaji:
Some of the basic things are more peace descends on your mind, mind’s agitations all decrease. For every small thing it can become hurt and become egotistical. All these things decrease and you will feel more secure. These are the real experiences; more peace descends. That means you are really progressing. So you are able to have the mind focusing into the present whenever you are working, whenever you are in activity, whatever you are trying to do. Mind will be more focused, and the anxiety about the future or brooding about the past, all these start disappearing. These are the real experiences to count on.