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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.

In the town where we live, if someone asks us, ‘Where are you from?’ we would give the street name, house number, something like that.

But if we go out of the town and someone asks us, ‘Where are you from?’ we would give the name of the town. Then when we go out of the county or state we will give the name of the country or state. If you leave the country we will say, ‘I am from this country’, we won’t be mentioning the small street or home number.

So like that our consciousness is expanding from the small home, small street – now we belong to a big country. All countrymen are like our brothers and sisters. Then if we get a chance to go out to another planet, when we meet somebody else also from Earth, ‘Oh I am from planet Earth, you are also from planet Earth!’ We would feel that oneness, ‘Oh, we are one family from the same planet, Earth.’

In this way, our consciousness, our awareness has expanded to fill a bigger space.

This is what happens as we meditate regularly. As we cleanse the mind of its mental habits, it becomes less narrow-minded, and is able to think of a larger cause always. Not just how I or my group is affected, but the whole society, whole world. We would think, ‘If I want to be happy, then someone else would also want that same happiness’. In that way we can consider others more and see that oneness. We would value peace – we would not like to go into conflict.

If we can gain peace for ourselves in meditation then our awareness automatically expands.

The mind may not want to be quiet when we close the eyes and focus the mind in meditation.

So here, our attitude is key.

If we think to ourselves, ‘This is too tough, too many thoughts, this meditation won’t work’, then it appears difficult to us and we would likely stop putting in our efforts.

But if we think, ‘All I need to do is continue with the technique, it’s easy’, then it becomes easy. Like a tennis player when facing a strong opponent will enjoy the challenge of the game, the mind focused simply on the shot at hand.

The mind, because it is so used to thinking and making judgements constantly will resist becoming quiet. But if we can keep going, keep going, gently bringing the mind back, then that effort will be stored like a deposit account. The more we practice, the more the skill of meditating comes and the thoughts will subside. Our mind comes under our control.

Question:

In meditation do you think there is a balance between being hard on yourself but gentle on yourself at the same time?

Babaji:

I wouldn’t recommend you to be hard on yourself. Gentle but firm. Firm means determined, not to give up. But for that you don’t have to bang your head. Do not give up, like say no with a smile-type of thing. So like that you can continue. ‘No..no…’ – be there. Be gentle but don’t give up. And apply the technique. To apply the technique you just have to be gentle. You don’t have to be forcing. Simply understand the technique that we are teaching, like ‘just watch inbetween eyebrows’. And once you think it is a game you are playing you start enjoying and you don’t want to give up. Thus automatically you become dedicated, disciplined and patience also comes. ‘I’m not going to give up, I need this’- when you understand. So adopt all these techniques and words that we keep advising and just be gentle and firm, no need to be hard.