patience

We are holding on to our thoughts

Why is the mind often into cravings and worries and is unable to simply be quiet and at peace? Why does it stay in feelings of unhappiness?

Babaji gives the example of someone who is holding on to a pillar tightly, shouting, ‘Help, this pillar is holding me, this pillar is holding me!’

Eventually a wise man approaches, calms the person down and assures, ‘It’s not the pillar which is holding you – you are holding the pillar’. The person realises that they had been the one holding the pillar all along, not the other way round. In so doing they are able to gradually let go.

Just like this, the reason thoughts remain in the mind is because we are holding onto them. We keep adding fuel to the thoughts, we keep entertaining them – this has become a habit within us. Even an unhappy feeling can remain there because we keep holding on to it and are unable to let it go.

What is required is a technique to enable us to let go and purify the mind of these thoughts. That is what this ancient practice of meditation is. When we practice regularly just to watch and not get involved in the thoughts, gradually they disappear. The mind becomes purified of its acquired habits which it had accumulated since time immemorial. The mind becomes cool, free from tension, fear and stress. We can apply the mind with our best concentration, unimpeded by distractions and also enjoy that real peace that hitherto had been so elusive to us. That peace is in fact the true nature of the mind when it is not holding on to thoughts.

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#letgoofthoughts

Our courses and sessions are designed to help you establish a daily practice.

How to not be fooled by the brain

The brain is a beautiful organ to live in this world if we are in control of it. However, sometimes what the brain reflects might not be the truth. For example, it might present something which is not true as a truth: a friend can appear as a foe and a foe as a friend. If we start believing that as the fundamental truth we get into trouble. We thus have to learn how to verify what is really true. How do we do this? As Babaji says,

‘Amongst millions of thoughts that are in your mind, there is one thing which is not a thought, which is not an imagined one; the consciousness of your existence. That’s what you get to see practically in meditation. That’s what you have to catch hold of, you have to reach that stage.’

So in meditation, efforts are made not to get involved into any thoughts. Slowly, through regular practice, the mind gets the upper hand and gets more and more quiet – it gets de-linked from the clutches of the brain. We will be the master; to use the brain as we wish, in the best way possible.

‘When the mind is purified and concentrated, you are able to apply the brain in a better way. You won’t allow the brain to fool you, but you will be using the brain. If you allow the brain to use you, then it will fool you.’ ~ Babaji

Click on the video to see Meditation Master Shiva Rudra Balayogi explain these points in detail.


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#bethemasterofthebrain

Our courses and sessions are designed to help you establish a daily practice.

No need to keep checking for progress

As we meditate, we should not be worrying about checking whether we are making progress or not as this in fact will hamper our progress.


Babaji says,

‘When you worry about progress your concentration gets distracted. If you have to stop and look back then your practice gets distracted. It stops so your attention goes somewhere else and in the process you get involved. You won’t be able to progress then. Say you are on a train from New Delhi to Bangalore. It is a super-fast express but if you want to get down at every station to find out how far you have travelled, how much you have progressed, you are likely to miss the train. You will have to stop there and wait for another train to come. So do not get off the train. You have to be sitting in the train. It’s like this. So you have to be practising constantly, simply. Practising is your duty.’

When we just pick up the practice of meditation by meditating everyday then it becomes natural to us, a way of life. We know that the meditation is doing us good, making our mind more peaceful and under our control. And when we set a particular duration we must have the discipline not to get up before that duration is over. If we start thinking, “Oh, it’s hard, I will stop now and do it later”, then our mind becomes a bit weak and lazy. But if we persevere with the time we have set no matter what is going on  in our meditation, then our mind will get accustomed to it. It’s simply the job that we do for our mind to become peaceful – we don’t have expectations how and when the results will come. That discipline and patience in our practice is so necessary. Then, before we know it, progress will have been made.

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#dailypractice

Our courses and sessions are designed to help you establish a daily practice.

The three mantras for success

Babaji, how can we calm the mind when we live such busy, hectic lives?

Babaji:

Be determined. Dedication, discipline, patience are three important mantras to achieve things. If you are dedicated you will take out time in priority. Twenty four hours are available; but you cannot buy it in a shop. You have to take out the time, you have plenty of time. If you want this, if you think it is worthwhile, be disciplined. Disciplined does not mean it is a bondage. If you discipline yourself you can become healthy and perfect in every way. Youth and vigor will increase. And have patience, after all, the mind has gone out of control since time immemorial, since so many lives perhaps, it will take some time. With all patience and skill just keep watching in-between the eyebrows, then in due course of time the mind will recede and you shall have amazing experiences, secrets of the mind and yourself shall be revealed for you.

If we can adopt these 3 mantras as Babaji says in the answer above, then meditation can become fruitful and very progressive. Practising every day is essential to get the benefits of meditation. We can start with whatever is manageable, ten, fifteen minutes then gradually we can build up the time. The longer we can practice the meditation in a stretch, the more concentrated the mind can get. It normally takes around 30 to 40 minutes for the mind to actually settle down which is why 1 hour is prescribed for a daily meditation. Any time you can do, however, will be beneficial. Eventually through regular practice the mind can recede, become purified and quiet. That is when we can experience the best peace.

Our courses and sessions are designed to give you the daily confidence to establish a practice for yourself at home.


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#regularpractice