Articles for Saadhana

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru. Jai Guru.

I would like to set forth a very important proposition. I don’t know how words will come out of my mouth and how, when they come, you will receive them properly. It is a matter of doubt. But I shall try.

We are all living. Every moment is an expression and extension of our life. Our life has grown, from where? - from a mono cellular structure. We speak about the interaction between the sperm and the ovum. Both of them are very minute cells. The growth takes place from the cellular level. Have you ever thought as to what grows and how this growth is caused and facilitated? Every time we are expressing, and our expression goes on extending, but the source of this expressive note is always inside. Have you ever thought about it? I always say - is there any growth from outside to inside, or all forms of growth are from inside to outside?

Our body is nourished by food, air, water, and perhaps light also. All these are physically provided to the body. We use the hand, put the food into the mouth, the mouth reaches it to the stomach and then from the stomach the whole alimentary canal is engaged in digesting it, assimilating it, absorbing it and converting into blood. But all these processes are from inside to outside. Even the hunger is generated from inside. The call for appeasement is also from inside. Some physical substances are taken in, and they are taken in by virtue of an expression from within. If this be so, I would like you to think very seriously about one factor.

Our whole body is a matter energy aggregate. Neither the matter, nor the energy, has got the power or property to sense, know, think, remember, understand, reason. All these are processes belonging to neither matter nor energy. Then belonging to what? Belonging to the other factor called the power and presence that animate and activate the body. That power, that presence, is only one. It is that ‘one’ which expresses itself in the different forms of activity, cognition, memory, and the like. This power activates the body, animates the body. It is the one that employs the eyes, ears, nose, and the like, similarly, hands and feet. All these are activated employed by this inner presence. It also does subtle functions like thinking, memorizing, cognizing – all these are from within, ever since we wake up till we go to sleep. Actually we are always expressing, expressing ourselves, and the power that expresses is within, and only within! So, throughout the day it is a question of expenditure. You can expend only when you already have a store or a stock of money or resources. So, whatever resources are there, you try to spend.

Why is sleep necessary? Because trillions of cells are being used for our activity. Throughout the day, perhaps some measure of regeneration takes place, but that is not sufficient. We require the body to be completely in a state of rest and sleep. So, in darkness as well as sleep, the cells which have been used, are replenished by this system. What is this sleep? Complete withdrawal from all activities and then completely remain, except breath and blood flow, nothing is there. So, all other activities are completely cut off, so that the body gets sufficient freedom in order to regenerate the cells that are necessary for the next spell of activity. Now, I will stop here.

Throughout the day you are spending, employing your energy, which has been stored earlier by an inner process, not by an activity process. The body takes rest and in that restfulness it has the opportunity to generate. This inner generation is caused and motivated by the source within. This is so far as the body is concerned. Now, I am asking you a question. We have got mental, intellectual and ego activities. They are also expressions. They are also employing the stuff that you already have. Now, what is the regeneration that takes place there? Have you ever thought about it? I don’t think.

Throughout the day we are interacting with the objects. The source of all these expressions is within. So, should you not give some time in the day where your body will be put to rest and no activity will be there? So, bodily there is stillness. And then, inwardly, using the mind, in place of interacting with the objects outside, should you not try to interact with the subject source, so that the mind will get replenished with a fresh quantum of energy? I don’t know whether I am clear.

See, we are, throughout the day, interacting with the objects using the senses. This interaction is an outwardness, but the source and the supply, they come from within. So, should you not try to provide to the mind, some inner nourishment and enrichment? Throughout the day you are spending, but where is the earning process? So, for the earning process, what you have to do is stop all your interactional activities, sit in a place and allow the mind to be infused by the inner resources from the subject. This process is called, to some extent imperfectly, as prayer; it is better described as meditation and absorption. When you are able to do it, and the mind is able to remain still and absorbed even for 5 minutes or 10 minutes, that is the real fruition. Once you have understood what I have said, you should make it a routine to keep quiet alone, not engage the mind in any external activity, or even the subtle remembrance of external things. Make the mind think about the Self, the source, make the mind to interact with the source. It is almost like the reverse flow of a river.

Another example that I can think of is, you open the umbrella. It stretches forth. You close the umbrella. Then you can keep it in your hand. Hang it. Similarly, the widely spread out activity through the senses should be wrapped up, and the mind should not think about any external object or activity. If at all, let the mind think of the source, either the ‘I’ or the ‘Self’ or ‘God’. If you are able to remain even for 5 minutes, 10 minutes, 15 minutes, but the time I would like you to devote, for the initiated people, I would say, they should spend about, minimum 45 minutes to an hour in their sadhana, and for the others, I would say spend at least 25 minutes. What will you do in the 25 minutes? You should observe the thought processes. Let one portion of the mind be looking at the rest of the mind and whatever is taking place there, but in so doing, mark my expression – you should only observe, observe, never get involved. What do I mean by that? Any memory, any thought, any concern, anything that comes in the mind, allow it to come. You have not called them, you have not caused them. So, let them be caused and uncaused. Mind is responsible for it. Simply don’t follow it, don’t act upon it. Simply observe. Let the thought be anything. Let the emotion be anything. I want you to simply observe, observe. This observation will clearly be a subjective process. The moment you start acting upon the thought and following it, it becomes objective and extensional. But when you only observe it, you are involved in the very process, and in the process, what is involved? The sentience and consciousness are involved. So, in reality, though you are only observing, it is a direct involvement in the very subject, and that is going to be a replenishing source for you.

I don’t know, I have put it in my own simple words, but it contains a supra-scientific truth. Always we are interacting with the objects. Here I want you to interact with the subject. Thought is an expression of the subject. Emotion is an expression of the subject. Memory is an expression of the subject. So, when all these things come, you observe. Observe means - just like you are engaging your eyes on an object outside, the eyes are seeing. Similarly, when the mind observes, it becomes an interaction between the mind and what is observed. This one process will work a world wonder!

What am I asking you to do? Throughout the day it is the expenditure of the energy and it is an outward interaction that takes place but the source from where this interaction is facilitated, is from inside. So, you never give an opportunity to the mind to derive strength, to derive nourishment from inside. So, I want the mind to take a retreat from external interactions and be involved in a subjective process of infusion. This is had by observing the mind process. You are only observing. You are not running after the ideas, the associations. You are only looking at the waves that are coming on the surface of the sea. So, on the surface of the sea of consciousness, whatever different waves are arising, you are only observing them, and that observation is in reality an inner infusion to the mind. If you are able to do it for 25 minutes, you will find the mind will have become a great deal invigorated, empowered, infused, imbued with something - the very source of creation!

Harih Om Tat Sat. Jai Guru.