In Quest of Truth - Q&A with Shri Babaji
In Quest of Truth - Q&A with Shri Babaji
The Right Attitude | Thus Spake Babaji - online Q&A, No.122
What is the right attitude with which to approach our meditation practice? Babaji explains.
The Right Attitude | Thus Spake Babaji - online Q&A, No.122
Recorded on 17 December 2022 with worldwide participants.
Register your free place for the live online meditation and Q&A with Babaji: https://www.shivarudrabalayogi.org/en/online-satsang
0:00 Introduction from Babaji
1:00 Importance of dedication
4:20 Importance of discipline
8:35 Importance of patience
13:02 Is it important not to think of meditation in a negative way?
17:01 How does one's personality change as one practises meditation?
21:03 Do we create the world we experience around us?
23:16 The need for peace in the mind
28:55 A story of Babaji following a command from His guru Swamiji
33:16 Should we see the good in everything?
35:49 When we are meditating should we forget about the world and our responsibilities?
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Website: http://www.srby.org
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/shivarudrabalayogi
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SRBYmission
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Discourse: Thus Spake Babaji - online Q and A No. 122
The Right Attitude
You tube Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vEBz4_-3VKk
Recorded: 17 December 2022
Babaji Commences:
Sitting in Perth it is so nice to see all of you in different parts of the world who want to participate in this meditation. One more opportunity for you all to quieten your mind. As we prepare to go for meditation, remember the rules - just watch and do not think. Just watch and do not bother. Just watch so that you relax.
Start of Questions and Answers
Question: Baba today's theme is ‘the right attitude.’ So, the attitude both with which to approach our meditation practice, but also the best attitude to have in daily life. So, Babaji to start with - Baba has given us the three mantras. These are the attributes we must have with which meditation can become easy; and these are dedication, discipline, and patience. So, Babaji firstly, could Babaji talk about dedication. How should we dedicate ourselves to the practice of meditation?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, definitely. To do anything, to achieve anything, a right attitude is very much necessary and recommended. Like, a better understanding through which the mind picks up a habit - acquired habits of the mind which gives the attitude to the mind. So thus here, a dedication is the foremost important to achieve anything; and to do meditation also, because you have to give yourself; you have to be there, you have to take out time to practice. These are the things which can give you knowledge and wisdom, a first-hand experience about your mind, its secrets, about yourself eventually. So you cannot employ a substitute – “I'm employing this person who can meditate on my behalf.” So, you won't get anything. The person who meditates only gets. That's what is ‘dedicate’ - you have to offer yourself, take out time, set a priority. To do this, you need understanding that “I need it.” So, that is when you will be able to dedicate.
Only then things can progress smoothly, further. Like all of you are here, otherwise people could give a hundred reasons. Sometimes, the reason could be something else, they might give some other reason also, excuses. But when you are determined, when you are dedicated; “I must meditate with Baba today in the Zoom.” An opportunity is available which happens once a week, or sometimes we may have to give a gap of one or two weeks if I am traveling, if I'm doing something. Like these three years of Covid gave us an opportunity to stay at one place and I could do more regularly, but now the travels have started, and different programs, people at different places waiting for us, so I would suggest and recommend, advise all of you - never give up an opportunity. It is the rarest of rare chances, once in a life cycle chance that you get. You must learn to dedicate to practice and achieve.
Question: Thank you Babaji. Babaji is always such an inspiration to us about how one should dedicate. Babaji, ‘discipline’ is the second mantra. Why is a daily practice so important? Every day we must do it without fail, Babaji often says. Can Babaji talk about that?
Babaji Maharaj: It's like when we eat a meal in the plate, we need to wash it every day, after every meal, it is necessary. So, if you are living in the world, your mind would be acquiring habits, absorbing imprints. The mind recognizes an existence or imagines an existence, either way. Then it analyzes – “This is good or bad. This is mine or not mine. I need or I don't need,” any such thing, one of the dualities. Then it makes a judgment. In quick succession all these three happen. “Yes, this is it. Yes, this is apple, this is mango, this is bad. I don't need it, I need it.” Like this it makes a judgment and that is absorbed as an imprint by the mind, and that becomes the attitude. You don't need, means you become casual; “We can do some other day. I can do tomorrow.” So, this is what happens. Though, we always suggest or instruct that “Please keep the video open so that I can see your faces”, particularly when you are meditating I can watch and suggest anything that needs to be rectified or overcome. Sometimes, for technical reasons the video might not be coming, but sometimes people might switch it off and don't want to come, behave as if they don't want to come in front of me. However, it's your choice, but I would recommend that you be disciplined. A disciplined approach is necessary. Every day you practice without fail. That is the discipline. You must become restless if you do not practice on that day. Just like if you cannot have food at the right time when you are hungry, you can become so restless. In the same way hunger is necessary for this also, for meditation, for practicing, understanding the right technique. And many times people might misunderstand a discipline to be a bondage – “Oh it should not be imposing on us. If I like, I like to do it. If I don't like, I don't do it.” But a discipline is not bondage. Nothing is imposing. Ultimately, it will be your choice. You must understand its need. If you don't need it, if you are happy suffering in this world, if you are happy to be unhappy in this world it will be up to you. But you want to overcome the unhappiness. You want to achieve a supreme happiness, at peace. And you want to know yourself before the body is claimed by the death. There is once in a life cycle opportunity. Then you need to be disciplined every day at that time. Give excuse for all other things. Tell that “I need to meditate. After meditation, I will come and talk to you please. I can have a cup of tea after meditation. I can sit with you, please. Not now. I need to meditate.” Like that, you learn to tell excuses. But for meditation, you will always be telling excuses; “Sorry I cannot join the meditation, I have to go somewhere. I have to do this thing, that thing.” Easily, we find an excuse, but then your practice can go back to one week or ten days if you do not meditate even one day. Imagine if you simply give up meditation for the whole week and try to do when we come online. So, you would have gone so many days back. So, that's why a disciplined approach is very necessary. I would recommend, advice, and if you accept I would even order! [laughs]
Question: Thank You Babaji. And patience seems to be one of the most important characteristics or attributes one must have with meditation. Should we really not have any expectations of the results of our practice, but simply just keep going?
Babaji Maharaj: First, patience is required that you sit down, don't expect like an instant coffee. I have told patience is required because mind has gone out of control since time immemorial, maybe so many lives would have passed by. Overnight in a moment, things won't happen. Your mind won't become cleansed, totally purified, and you won't go into samadhi. When you close the eyes, hundreds and millions of thoughts could be torturing. You'd even be wondering “When did I think all these things that these things are coming up? I never thought.” You won't even remember when was that one, but thoughts will come up – “Why this is happening, why not that happening? Why this country behaving? Why these people are like this?” Whatever you like, you would expect everybody to behave like that one. So, they try to suggest to us also. So, like these things are happening - if they like them, “So why are you not doing this one?” So, my Guru tells me, guides me, has taught me what to do in my Mission, I do it. But somebody tries to write a mail and write “Why are you not doing something about these things? You are a devotee of Swamiji. You should be doing this one.” I am a devotee of Swamiji. I am doing whatever Swamiji wanted me to do. So, if you want to tell me, I will listen only to my Swamiji. So, like that we are disciplined by the teachings of my Guru. So, I will do that one. So, these things happen. So, it is necessary to have patience, lot of patience. Slowly, just skillfully watch. Because mind is infinite, you cannot simply take a rope and tie it, impossible; you cannot put a bone (trap) and capture all the thoughts or visions into that trap. It doesn't happen like that one. It is the infinite, slippery mind. Only the mind has to understand and become quiet. Nothing else, no external anchor. Any anchor can be helpful to practice a single-pointedness of the mind. But in our method mind is trying to become quiet on its own, so that it can turn back to itself, go and merge with its real Self. For that you need patience. First patience is needed that you don't give up. You must think “I must need. I will do it. Why is not coming? Let me see why it's not coming.”
So relax, “Gently close your eyes” we tell. Gently keep watching in-between eyebrows. That is the patience. If you lose patience, you will feel irritated, “Why is it not happening!” and you feel like banging your head, and it runs, the mind spins. Millions of thoughts keep coming. That is the secret of the mind. That's why it is happening. So, that's why you need patience. If you have patience, skillfully you will watch. Just like, with all your patience you sit with us for one hour if I am going to answer the questions, to listen to those answers. You won't give up, or you won't go away; you will be sitting. So, that is your patience. When you are sitting you have to pay apt attention of what I am answering. That will be like a teaching. One person might be asking a question and I might be answering, but that answer is for all, for education of all. So, it is not directed to any person or any groups or any such thing, but it is only a teaching for educational purpose. So, have patience and go ahead. Don't give up. Just be there. Practice.
Question: Thank You Babaji. Babaji has talked before, about making meditation fun, like a tennis match. Even if the opponent is strong, we still enjoy the game. Is this important Babaji, that we don't think of meditation in a negative way, as a chore, a thing we have to do, but think of it as an enjoyable thing we must do?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, we must never think it is a struggle. We take it sportively. It's like a play, it's a game. If the mind is troubling you, ask your mind not to trouble you - that is the game. It tries to trouble you, and you want to make the mind so that it doesn't trouble you. So there you understand the technique - how to hit. Like for a tennis ball, you take coaching how to hit the ball, where to place it, when to place it, all these things. In the same way Master repeatedly keeps teaching – gentle, be gentle to yourself, sit in any comfortable posture - it's a command - and keeping the back and neck straight, remain relaxed. Gently close your eyes, and just keep watching the front portion. Even if you are unable to concentrate in-between eyebrows, don't bother for a while. It will come. Fix the eyeballs steadily to one place, then slowly it will come. This is one of the most difficult things that people express – “It's not possible for me. I am unable to fix my eyeballs, fix my concentration onto one-point, in-between eyebrows. It is so difficult.” Just if you fix and then it can hold the mind also. Then mind starts becoming quiet. Many people claim that they are watching here [pointing to region in-between eyebrows], but nothing is happening. They are not really watching. They are thinking. So, that's why all thoughts are all there. If they follow the command, instructions, then samadhi will come; it is guaranteed if you can simply watch. So, that is why, first watch the front portion even if it is not in the center. Any place is alright. Simply do not imagine about any target, any external target. Just watch. While watching, have patience. Keep on watching. Just go on watching like that.
So, that right attitude is very much necessary. You must not give up. That is what the patience is. You have to keep looking for that. Understanding the technique is also equally important - that “I need it. I must go for that. I need to have it.” For that, skillfully, with all the patience, slowly then you learn that you don't have to think. Mind has to understand it is doing the mistake of thinking all the time. It does not have to think all the time. Once it understands, it tries to become quiet. Then it can become quiet. If we understand, “I am doing a mistake. Somewhere I am wrong” - instead we try to find wrong with all others. Whether the Master has given me wrong things; we try to find fault with the Master also. If we understand our own mistake, “Oh, this is where I am doing the mistake. I am thinking. I am not stopping to think.” Like that when you understand, you are there. You will stop it. So, just try to fix the eyeballs. If the eyeballs can be fixed to one point, then it can stop the mind also there. Then the thinking will stop.
Question: Thank You Babaji. So, Babaji in daily life as we go on practicing with this meditation, and as peace starts to descend in the mind, how does one's personality change? What kind of transformation can happen in one's attitude in life?
Babaji Maharaj: A person becomes more mature, mind becomes very sharp in observing, thinking. He can achieve like a genius; his observation power tremendously increases. Whatever work he has to do, that person has to do it in the present. And he must not allow his mind to go into either a future or backward, past. It must be in the present. So his focus, that sharpness of the mind is very necessary. That increases tremendously. He fully can remain concentrated while working in the present. The power is in the now. So, that's what is important. These changes come. His mental agitations all decrease. For every small thing you won't get hurt. Then when you practice like this, when a big thing you face, you won't get hurt at all. If you get hurt… see, if the mother is trying to slap the boy so that it is on the right track, if the boy gets annoyed with the mother and gives up the mother, “I don't need the mother. She is nonsense. She is no more a mother,” who will be the loser? So, don't lose like that one. You must not feel hurt. So, if you are practicing the meditation in the right sense, you will not be hurt easily like that. You will not be hurt at all. We keep teaching people, in spirituality, crying, feeling hurt, feeling annoyed, all these things are prohibited. You cannot achieve anything spiritually if you keep on doing these things. If you feel hurt for every smaller thing and make it a big issue. The Master will not lose anything. He has the knowledge, He has that wisdom, He has that awareness. So, that is very important - this attitude, right attitude. Keeping this only we have to go ahead, that we must not give up that patience. So, fixing the eyeballs, all these things are very necessary. That's what is the practice, everyday practice. Do not give up, do not look back at all when you are practicing.
So, if things are not happening like this, your agitations are not coming down, you are not achieving, the peace is not descending still and the cravings are going on. Cravings come to an end slowly. As the cravings come to an end, more peace descends. You don't have happiness or peace because of the craving, constant cravings of the mind. All those things will decrease. You will have more peace. The world will be same. Your surroundings can be same. Things that is happening to you in the life can be same. Good and bad, right and wrong, all things are happening. Your expectations are fulfilled and your expectations are not fulfilled, but you remain unmoved. Nothing changes for you. Simply, you are at peace. You are able to be at peace and work out and sort out your problems. Your mind is in your hands. You are the master of your mind. So, these are the real changes of symptoms actually. Peace descending is important, not a vision, not a color, not anything else, but the peace. If the mind is becoming peaceful, then you are simply watching; you are you have listened to the Master's command. Till then you have not been able to listen to the command. The mind doesn't stop. There is no peace.
Question: Thank You so much Babaji. It just reminded me of Babaji saying the world is sitting in your mind; the world appears depending on your mental attitude and in that way one man's food is another man's poison. So Babaji, are we actually creating the world that we experience around us?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, we always try to go into a head-on collision with the world. The world is moving. We have our own expectations in the world, “Oh, this should be happening in the world. This should be happening. The world should be like this.” Even for the seasons also. If it is hot weather, we want “No it should not be hot, it should be colder.” If it's very colder, “Oh it should be a little warmer.” It's like for a coffee. Coffee is very hot, coffee too cold, coffee needs to be a little more warm, coffee needs to become a little more cold. Like this we get agitated, and we are torturing ourselves all the time. We are unable to have the acceptance, finally. Acceptance is the real thing which gives peace. You put an effort. If you want to change the world you do everything. Nothing is prohibited. But once your effort is done, if it's beyond your capacity, then accept, graciously accept. We try to keep the body as long as possible, as much as possible, but one day when it dies, we have to graciously accept. That's it, fine. Enough, no problem. So, like that attitude is very necessary. Then you have peace when acceptance is there.
Question: Thank You Babaji. Babaji has also said “Only when there is peace in the mind you have peace.” It seems it's a very simple statement but quite profound. Can Babaji elaborate on this? Whatever's going on in the mind you are experiencing, but you are the mind itself, ultimately.
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, so if we try to find a technical reason – “My mind doesn't have peace”, that's what people feel. But we try to find a reason; “The world is not running according to my expectations, so that's why I don't have peace. This world is not allowing me to have peace.” But instead if we try to look into ourselves, “My mind is not peaceful. That's why I don't have peace.” That is the scientific, technical reason. “If only my mind can become peaceful, I have peace.” So, it's as simple as it is. But we have made it so complicated, because we try to depend on so many things of the world for our peace. If we understand, if the mind becomes quiet, then it is peaceful. Then we have peace. If we achieve that, instead of depending on anything externally of this world… Suppose we depend on a big chocolate. If we get a chocolate, we will have peace. So, if we don't get a chocolate, we don't have peace. A simple chocolate is depriving us of our peace. Isn't it funny? Like this, from a smaller thing to so many things, from properties to wealth, to things happening according to our wishes, everybody surrounding us, we want that they all listen to us, and they must obey us, things must happen as I want. So, then we are unhappy. We are stressed out, then we get agitated. But if we accept, “It's okay, no problem, let me have my peace. Why should I lose my peace if people are behaving like that around me? I don't have to lose peace.” It's a different thing; we will wish that there shall not be any conflicts in the world, let everybody have peace and happiness, let all learn to live harmoniously - that is a wish, but if it's not happening, for that reason we don't have to lose our peace. Everybody has a right. I have a right to have my peace. In the same way you have a right to have your peace. Everybody sitting here has their own right to have peace. For any reason they don't have to lose peace. The world can be there. We can try to change the world afterwards. Simply by losing our own peace, we cannot change the world. We need to find our peace first, then we might be able to inspire others also to have their peace. Otherwise, they don't have peace. This is very important. Understanding this, then we will work for that. “Let me have my peace first, then I can.” In an aircraft when you are traveling, the crew instructs; “If there is a drop in the oxygen level, the oxygen tube automatically comes out. If you have a child, first take care of yourself and then do to the child. If you yourself lose consciousness because of deprivation of oxygen, then you cannot help the child. So get educated first properly, then you can help your children. That is important - you get educated, then you can help your student perfectly. If the Master is not perfectly educated, how can he help the student? He will misguide the student. That is very important. So, that's why we need to have our peace first, then we can help, we can counsel, “This is what you have to do. Do like this. Just watch, then you will have peace. How can it not come? It will come. You are not watching. You just watch. You will have the peace.”
Question: Thank You Babaji. There's a question that's come in from Shivani and I'll just read it out to you Babaji. Babaji used to tell a story when His Guru tested him by asking Him to stay in one place until He will come back. And that many people came to tell Him that He should come for food and various reasons but Babaji did not move, even when they told Him that Swamiji Himself was calling Him, until Swamiji came late in the night to take Him away saying that He had passed His test. What made Babaji unwavering, uninfluenced by what people could say, even when they said it was in the name of the Guru? Was Babaji aware that it was a test from His Guru? What is the right attitude to be adopted by a disciple when the Guru tests? Does one have to always stick to the Guru's words?
Babaji Maharaj: See, if you are a soldier, your attitude towards your commander. He commands and you just do it. Like when we have that love and reverence to the Master, the Master commands and we just do it. So, that helped me that day also, because of my love to the Master and the reverence that He is Divine, He is everything, all in all for me. He is in everything, everywhere, as everything. He simply telling one word is good enough. There is no need that He has to tell that this is an order. Just only “You go and sit - until I come you don't get up.” That is enough. Forty-eight years ago in 1974 when He was sending me to Dehradun Ashram, He just uttered as I was leaving “Look after the Ashram well.” Casually, simply, in a simple language He told. That's like a command. Even today, it's ringing in my ears. Till the last breath, we need to take care of Dehradun Ashram first. Apart from doing meditation, teaching meditation, we will have to look after the Ashram. That's also a part of our Mission, that becomes. We cannot simply abandon and run away to take care of our own happiness or our own comforts. So, when you have that attitude towards the Master, when He instructs you’ll give, you will do it. So, that's what we did. All other things also. Like in the twenty years, the services. That question has also been asked - we went on doing whatever was given as a task, without asking “Why I have to do it?” Though it all appeared to be odd - He didn't ask that “You have to sit and meditate.” He said “You have to clean the Ashram, clean the toilets, look after the mentally challenged boy. Will you look after?” Though He did not order; “Oh you have to look after, you have no choice” - He didn't tell. He asked for my willingness; “Would you like to take care of the boy? Then I can ask him to be here.” So, this is the benefit if you listen to the Master, He told through the story. That's all. More than that He didn't ask anything. “So, there are some devotees. Their children are studying in the school. If you like, you can go to school, bring them on an outing during Sundays. Look after them, feed them and then drop them back to school.” In a casual way only, He used to tell. He was very kind and considerate. I could have told “No, no, no, I cannot take care of all these things. I didn't come to Ashram for this purpose. I have come to Ashram only to serve You. If I press Your legs, that is all the service. I am not going to do anything.” But instead, we simply did it thinking that every service is like pressing, massaging Your Lotus Feet – “My Master, may this service reach your Lotus Feet.” That's how we prayed, and we went on doing, looking after a mentally challenged boy. So, everything got converted as a meditation for us, at peace. So, this attitude is very necessary for you to win. If you have faith in that Guru-disciple relationship – it is very much necessary. Many times, people tell, “Oh Babaji, You can beat me up, You can scold me,” but they cannot take the scolding. If really I scold them, they will run away, they won't come back. Telling from the mouth is different, behaving is different. The Master tests for these things. The test comes automatically. In the life anything you determine - suppose you tell, “Now I am going to meditate every day.” For your determination, tests will definitely come, obstacles will come, some other urgency comes. So, in the midst of all these things how you are going to behave. That will see you through. That determination, that is the dedication, that is the discipline, and that is the patience, that is the right attitude!
Question: Thank You Babaji. Babaji has talked about any difficulties coming, we can take them as commando training. Should we see everything as positive, as a positive thing? Any difficulty, any problem, we try and see the good in that somehow?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, definitely. Even sometimes if some people behaved in a wicked way with us, we didn't feel anything bad. We thought, “This is my Guru who has sent this to give me a commando training, to test me whether I am going to remain determined on this path.” Even if somebody might tell me that “Your behavior is not proper, you might jeopardize your own Mission,” no problem. It's a test by my Master. We are going to remain and let us see whether I will jeopardize my own Mission or not. Because I am going to teach the same thing. Yesterday also I was teaching the same meditation, ten years ago also I was teaching the same meditation, twenty years ago also I was teaching the same meditation. Wherever I go, whomever I come across, I teach them. I tell them “Morning you should not eat. Sit for meditation first, and then you can eat.” So I am teaching the same thing. If this teaching of meditation jeopardizes my Mission, no problem. So, with that right attitude, we keep going. We don't give up our job. I cannot hold on to “Oh, that person told that I am jeopardizing my Mission. Now what will happen? My God, what will I do?” No time for these things. You just have to do. Next Saturday it comes and the Zoom class we have to hold. I cannot afford to keep sitting in a corner. So, that is the right attitude you need to have; that is the determined right attitude. Nobody can stop us from doing this. No matter whatever comments they make, whatever criticisms they make, whatever certifications they give, or they take away any certifications, anything, we cannot afford to give up our right attitude, our right work. That's the reverence to the Master, love to the Master.
Question: It's so good to see You Babaji. Thank You. You say that Swamiji gave You the instruction to take care of the Dehradun Ashram, and that it's still ringing in your ear, how important this was, and that You were committed to making sure this happened. During the five years when You were doing tapas, obviously You had to detach yourself from that responsibility. So, my question is - when we are doing our meditation, can we just forget about the world and our responsibilities?
Babaji Maharaj: Yeah, during meditation you can forget. After getting up from the meditation you can attend to all responsibilities. See, when you are meditating, you meditate. When you are looking after the world, you look after the world. Do either this or that.
Same Questioner: One by one.
Babaji Maharaj: One by one. When you are meditating, don't bother about looking after the world. When you are looking after the world, don't keep missing the meditation. Like that, one after another.
Same Questioner: Okay, Thank You.
End of Questions and Answers
End of Session