Introducing 'Heartfulness Meditation' to friends using WhatsApp

Recently I used WhatsApp to introduce 'Heartfulness Meditation' to people whom I know personally i.e., they are in my mobile's address book and they also have my mobile number in their address book.

Let's see what I shared with them.

Day-1
Hi, with your permission I will send one short video per day, giving useful information on Heartfulness Meditation. 

So, one video will be sent to you per day for next 12 days. It will be of 2 to 3 min duration telling you about one particular aspect of the meditation practice. For example, what is it, when and how to sit, how to regulate thoughts, recording experiences etc etc.

Please give feedback or feel free to ask relevant questions to me.

What is Meditation?

Day-2: "Heartfulness Meditation." Here we go.

Please go back a little in time and remember how you learnt driving, swimming, cooking or biking. It was difficult initially. Same here, but it is safer here.

Actually for some people, it may be somewhat similar to the situation when Harry Potter went to the 9 3/4 platform to catch the Hogwarts Express!

Just kidding. Don't worry.

Meditation without light

Day 3: Heartfulness Meditation. "Can you give me a book to read or a CD to know more about Meditation?" Watch this video for the answer.

Practice first, understand later

Day-4: Heartfulness Meditation

The Best time for Heartfulness Meditation

Day-5: Heartfulness Meditation

Regulating the mind with Heartfulness meditation

Day-6: Heartfulness Meditation

The Right Posture for Heartfulness Meditation

Day-7: Heartfulness Meditation

The Right Place for Heartfulness Meditation

Day-8: Heartfulness Meditation

Finding Balance through Heartfulness meditation

Day-9: Heartfulness Meditation

Importance of a Goal for Heartfulness meditation

Day-10: Heartfulness Meditation

Developing Humility through Heartfulness meditation

Day-11: Heartfulness Meditation

Meditation on the Heart

Day-12: Heartfulness Meditation. With this we end the series of informational videos on Heartfulness Meditation.

Hope you liked them. Please do share feedback.

Also, please sit for Heartfulness Meditation every day morning for 30 minutes. More information is available on this website: heartfulness.org

Recording Experiences of Heartfulness meditation

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That's it. At the end of 12 days recipients would have got a good general idea of what this is about. If any one shows interest in practicing Heartfulness Meditation the step by step process is reproduced below from the heartfulness.org website.

How to practice 'Heartfulness Meditation'

1. Create the environment
Find a place where you won’t be disturbed. The practice described below should ideally be followed at the same time and place over the next seven days.

Turn off your phones, televisions, radios and any other sources of distraction.

If you need to, tell your room-mates or family members that you will not be available for 30 minutes.

2. Relax
Sit comfortably and follow the Heartfulness relaxation. This can be done by people of all ages.

Heartfulness Relaxation

3. Meditate
Gently close your eyes and suppose that a Divine Light is illuminating your heart from within. Rather than trying to visualize it, simply tune in to your heart and be open to any experience that you may have.

Do this for 30 minutes. If your mind wanders, gently bring your attention back to your heart.This can be done by people who are 18 or older.

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Once you feel yourself naturally coming out of the meditation, spend a few minutes writing down what you observed in a journal. Keeping a journal of your observations is highly recommended.

Points for reflection:

• How long was I able to meditate for?
• Where is my attention during this meditation?
• How did it feel to focus on the heart instead of the mind?

What Next?
When you feel inspired to explore this further, you might consider Practising Heartfulness with the assistance of yogic transmission.

Some thoughts on future of humanity

Last Sunday, during the group meditation session I got some thoughts on what life would be on earth in the future times.

Some background:
Looking back, say about 200 years back, could any one would have imagined how the world would be say in 2013? Well, I doubt it.

Similarly it takes only a visionary of high order to think of what human life would be say 200 years from now. Fascinating? If yes, then keep reading. One warning - enter with an open mind. One disclaimer - I'm not claiming to be a visionary. These thoughts are based on existing writings that I have been reading for the last 9 years or so.

Thoughts on life on earth in future
There was a steady increase in natural and man made calamities on earth - giving louder and louder warnings to humanity to make amend or perish. Of course, a small but reasonable number of wise and intelligent people known as Indigo/Blue man tried to guide humanity with wise thoughts and actions. But, unfortunately humanity was very slow in understanding their advice and moved headlong towards its doom.

After few decades of regular and increasing rage of elements population on earth reduced considerably and living conditions became very very harsh. Earth's magnetic polarity changed and also very slowly and steadily earth's axis started changing - leading to extreme weather conditions. Established world order of national boundaries, world economy, governance and religious establishments met with extinction. Finally, men finding situation totally beyond his control started praying to its faith / higher power asking for mercy and forgiveness.

And beings of high intelligence and wisdom landed on earth. They were not visible to the mankind. They slowly and steadily introduced mutation of human genes by a secret intervention. Because of this, slowly and steadily different race of children started taking birth. This children looked different and were endowed with higher intelligence and wisdom. Unlike human race they were able to use many abilities of the brain and had a soft but strong heart. Beings responsible for the change left earth when they noticed that sufficient number of newer species had taken birth and were performing as per their expectation.

Following the law of natural evolution and survival of the fittest this new race slowly and steadily managed to flourish and older race met with extinction. They had special ability to communicate with each other directly using their thoughts and had a natural balance between outward and inward going tendencies.

Newer race of human beings first managed to establish a newer life style that was close to nature. As this happened raging elements slowly and steadily reduced and disappeared over few decades.


Then the newer race managed to find and harness naturally occurring source of energy that was cheap, non-polluting and renewable. With this discovery, electricity and fossil fuels of past era were not needed any more. Their new life style centered around the principle of peace, harmony. mutual trust and respect. They no longer needed money and attendant financial economy because all their energy needs were met using locally available resources.

They started cherishing inner values more than external manifestations of grandeur and control over fellow human beings. They understood that their purpose of incarnation is leading a life of wisdom and inner growth that leads to inner fulfillment and contentment. They realized certain eternal truths that everything in creation has its rightful place; and although human being is epitome of creation it has no dominion over other species and natural resources. Newer human race aligned itself to the natural principle of simplicity, love, charity, empathy, minimum utilization of natural resource, no wastage, respect for complimentary roles played by man, woman, birds, animals, trees, water bodies, earth etc.

-oOo-

Mind - Heart Relationship

There is considerable confusion among people on whether to use the mind or the heart - while thinking, deciding etc. This confusion is bound to happen because people don't correctly understand what each term represents and their relationship with each other. They naively conclude that since it's an inbuilt capability among human beings and everyone uses it all the time - we all know about it very well. Well, not really.

I will try to explain it in simple words using some modern terminologies.

If you understand working of computers or smart phones, mind is like a random access memory (RAM) i.e., volatile memory of a computer or a smart phone. And heart is like a permanent memory similar to that of hard disk or a SD card.

Come on, I can understand about mind's comparison with RAM but I won't agree with heart's comparison with a hard disk or SD card. How can it be?

You agree that whatever is in the mind is volatile in nature. Right?

Yes. But, how does it make heart like a permanent memory?

It works like this. Whenever we repeatedly think about a certain thing - say about a good movie that we have seen or a good restaurant we have visited or a bad memory about an unfortunate fight with a close friend - all this events leave an impression on the mind first; and after a few mental repetitions of that event in the mind, this impression settles on the heart. If attention is not given to the event, it fades away from the mind; and it does not settle on the heart. But once an impression is formed on the heart, it remains there till it is removed.

It is similar to what is in the memory (mind) is written to the hard disk (heart) when an impression remains in the memory (RAM) for a reasonably long period of time.

How can one remove it from the heart?

Good question. Normally such impression remains settled on the heart like a seed. When suitable circumstances present themselves it comes to life i.e., such impression makes its appearance in the mind in the form of thoughts.

You mean to say, I remember the event. Isn't it?

Yes. Not only you remember, you feel the same emotion that you had felt when you had formed the impression; may be, not that intensely now, but it does appear on the scene.

So, it gets removed/erased from the heart. Isn't it?

Not really. In fact, it depends on your mental attitude. If you treat it with equanimity and don't give attention to it, such thoughts drop off and the impression is removed from the heart. But, what happens in such an occurrence is quite the opposite i.e., we re-live the old experience and our thoughts and action makes it stronger, making its removal difficult, in not impossible. In fact, we make the impression stronger than it was before by thinking about it.

Come on. You mean to say whatever we indulge in anything intensely or remember the old events and give attention to it, it becomes stronger. And, only way out is to behave like a saint by remaining calm and composed without any reaction. That is not possible for an average person. Isn't it?

Quite true. But whether we want it or not, that's what happens. That is the reason why even though we wish to follow our heart we are unable to do it; because heart is giving us wrong signals. This happens because our heart is full of such past impressions; some mild and some very strong. So, sometimes although we know that our mind is fooling us by giving logical (and many times immoral answers) we are unable to follow the heart because even heart is giving answers based on what is already stored in the heart in the form of impressions.

There must be a way out? Situation can't be so hopeless.

Surely, there is a way out. But, you tell me, how this problem can be overcome?

Hmm... You said heart is like a hard disk. Isn't it? Then it should be possible for us to delete the impression somehow. Is it true?

Yes, you are right. It is possible to delete or remove the impressions. It is possible to remove impressions by self-effort, if such effort is made soon after its formation.

How does one do it? Is it difficult?

Not really, if one knows how to do it and learn it well by doing it every day.

Tell me please?

Sure. One has to use his will power to remove such impressions. Sit with eyes closed and think that all impressions gathered during the day's thoughts and actions are getting removed from the body from the backside in the form of smoke or vapour. Don't think about situation which lead to the formation of the impression.

This process is similar to cleaning a room using a broom. Here we use our will power to clean the mind, and heart of the impression.

For how long one does this thing? And how do I know it has worked?

One may do it for half an hour. If it done properly you will feel lightness of mind i.e., weight of the impression goes away making mind lighter.

Isn't this same thing, which you described as cleaning process, in our earlier discussion?

Yes. It is same.

And you said, cleaning of the older (and stronger) impressions is the work of the guide. Isn't it?

True.

I have a question. You say impressions settle on the heart. So, when one dies even the heart i.e., hard disk also dies. Isn't it? So, this should not pose any problem really because upon death all this impressions are lost.

That's what people generally believe; but that's not the case.

Let me explain.

Think of why some people commit suicide? They do this when they are unable to bear the weight of their own thoughts - and they commit suicide thinking that dying will solve their problem.

But in reality, after the death of a person impressions accumulated on the heart do not get erased but they are carried over by the soul in the afterlife. When I said mind is like a volatile memory and heart is a permanent memory, it is very much true i.e., upon death what was there in mind is lost but what was stored on the heart is carried further by the soul in the next life.

If what you saying is correct, then we should do something when we are alive. Isn't it?

Yes. If we don't wish to become slave of impressions settled on the heart one should adopt such means that would make us free of its effect. By whatever means, when we manage to free ourselves of all impressions, we truly become free of our past. That's what a liberation is. Our mind becomes clean and heart become pure; and it starts guiding the mind without any prejudices. And we are able to gain ability to think and behave right.

Thanks. Now, I understand working of mind, heart and its relationship.

What do you think? Do leave your comments.

Live simply - how & why to live a simple life

At my office, in my room I've put up a small paper saying this:

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Five simple rules to be Happy forever

Free your heart from hatred

Free your mind from worries

Live simply

Give more

Expect less

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How to do this naturally?

 Meditate

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When people are happy they don't know about it. It's only when something happens which makes them unhappy that they find out that they were happy. Isn't it a curse on humanity?

Any way, today I wish to write about Live simply. Obviously I should not write complicated and long essay on how and why to live a simple life.

With the advent of industrialized world, life has become complicated and fast. If we wish to retain sanity and be happy then its time to simplify life.

How?

Few suggestions:

1. Learn to love what you are; and use what you already have.

God made man in his own image; and still every person is different from his fellow brothers. There is a reason for that. Before taking birth each person has decided where he will be born, how he will be and what he will do. So, be contented with what you are and effectively use what you have already got. Don't think of taking short cuts. Acceptance is a great virtue.

Does it mean I should not look forward to or try anything in life? That seems to a derogatory idea.

2. Focus on becoming something rather than having things. 

One should aspire but not to have ambition. Learning a skill e.g, cooking, writing, painting; develop human qualities e.g., sympathy, ability to listen; rather than having a house, beautiful wife, strong body.

What's wrong with a rented house, average looking wife and reasonably healthy body? After all, we are here only for a brief period of say 60 to 70 years; half of which is wasted in growing up and following unnecessary pursuits.

3. Focus on fulfilling needs adequately. Reduce wants.

When one does what he likes and interested in, automatically things he needs comes. Needs are legitimate. Wants are our own creation. If we are able to discriminate and find out what we really need to live, our life becomes simpler.

4. Use technology to the bare minimum. 

Modern day conveniences offered by technology makes us dependent because once we become used to it we can't live without it. Also, lot of time, energy and money is wasted in acquiring and learning to use this technological innovations. Instead, once we start using our own inbuilt abilities i.e., start using our mind (to say remember phone numbers or storing our ideas); start using our hands/legs (to walk, play outdoor games); and adapt our body to withstand cold/heat; we become strong because our mind and body remains in use - by going through resistance training.

5. Learn to listen and follow your heart.

Even science has found that heart has neurons! It has ability to think; and we have forgotten to think i.e., we have stopped using our mind to think! Isn't it ridiculous? We have to regain this ability to think, first with mind and then with the heart. We have become too much slave of the past and its effects. If we wish to have a future that is different and better than what it is today then it is very important to learn to think and that too using our heart. How to do this? Learn to meditate. Learn to meditate on the heart and take help, if needed.

What to you say?

My experiments with the beyond

Today I wish to write about 'beyond' - a subject very close to my heart.

My experiments with the beyond started around 1980, when I started learning meditation. I did that mainly to become a better person. And today, after lapse of 32 years my enthusiasm to explore further has not waned. Rather it has only increased.

Why is that?

It is because I accidentally stumbled upon a way that has given meaning and direction to my life. I can say with confidence that I will not regret my life when it ends.

Here, I am referring to a way of life called Sahaj Marg.

What's so great about it? Aren't there so many people and organizations that claim the same?

Yes. But, I don't have experience of any of them, so I can't say anything about them. But, I can surely talk about this based on my own experience. And, I've found that this way is all encompassing i.e., one does not have look for anything outside of this.

Let's start.

First, it directs people's attention to the divine presence that is already present in the heart of all humans. And, it teaches one to meditate on this presence, to ultimately become one with this presence.

How to meditate?

Meditation is not new to human beings. Mystics and Sanyasis have been doing it for thousands of years. But, rarely in the past, is meditation learnt by ordinary human beings who are leading a normal family life.

Now, in modern times there is a renewed interest in meditation. This is because ordinary people feel the need to do something about the incessant flow of thoughts that assail them daily, resulting in high level of stress in their lives.

And, people are right in their search to find solution for their problems in meditation. This is because. if we manage to learn to meditate correctly, it is possible to put one’s thoughts on one thing at a time for a reasonable period of time.

How is that? I thought it is very difficult.

It is not. But at the same time, it is not easy either. Many people have tried to learn meditation on their own by reading books on yoga or under someone’s guidance. But, there is not much success because most of the time people try to ‘concentrate’ or try to suppress thoughts in the meditation. Here, it is important to know that, when we try to concentrate or forcefully try to suppress the thoughts they come back with renewed force. So, while doing meditation we should not try to ‘concentrate.’

You see, concentration is the state in which we get into when we are able to meditate properly. In other words, concentration is the result of meditation and not vice versa.

Then, tell me in simple words, how do I meditate?

When we think about one thing continuously - that is a meditation. Does it mean “we are doing it all the time and there is nothing more to learn?” Not at all. What we are doing every day is that “we are thinking of something or other continuously but not meditating.”

Here, in meditation, we try to put our mind on thought that divinity is present in the heart in the form of light; and we try to keep this thought for as long as we are able to. When we realize that other thoughts are coming, we try to ignore them and gently put our mind back to earlier thought. By doing this practice repeatedly - every day, in due course of time after sufficient practice, we gain mastery over this process.

Yes. But it is easier said than done. Many have tried it but constant rush of thoughts make it impossible to sit for more than 5 to 10 min. Isn't it?

True. But, here there is a difference.

What?

Here, an active help from the teacher is available that makes it work.

Can you explain more?

Sure. When anyone starts doing meditation under Sahaj marg, he is helped in his practice by the yogic power possessed by the teacher, called pranahuti or yogic transmission. When an aspirant is introduced to the Sahaj Marg he is prepared to receive this yogic transmission. When such an aspirant sits in meditation he receives the yogic transmission from the teacher, whether he feels it or not. Also, onslaught of thoughts do not stop during meditation. But, if learns to remain unmindful of disturbing thoughts by treating them as uninvited guests, after sometime he is able to sit in meditation for reasonable period of time.

Then how does this meditation become useful or effective?

It is said that - as we think we become. Here, in Sahaj Marg, we think of the divine presence in the heart, continuously for 1 hour, every day morning; to eventually feel that presence in the heart.

Is it true? It is worth trying then.

Sure.

Second, here teacher or guru is an ordinary person, leading life like anybody else. He leads a normal family life and earns his own living by doing job or business.

Then how is he able to do meditation; and at the time teach people about it?

That's a good question. In Sahaj marg we are taught to lead a balanced life i.e., we lead normal material life; and side by side we do meditation practice that helps us to grow spiritually. Just 1 hour of daily meditation and about 40 min of other practice makes it possible to live a balanced existence.

And teacher is able to assist people with the help of yogic transmission. So here, teacher does not stop at prescribing the meditation practice but helps an aspirant actively by offering his assistance through yogic transmission.

But, how is it possible to help people, say who are located far away from the teacher?

For that he has appointed certain aspirants to work on his behalf and permitted them to offer transmission and personal guidance. There are more than 3,500 such people (called prefects) spread over more than 90 countries of the world. They explain the method to the aspirants, give transmission to help them grow spiritually and guide them if they have any difficulty.

Oh, that's different. That means, almost anyone can try this meditation practice anywhere. Isn't it?

Yes. And there are no eligibility criteria except that one should be of 18 years of age and willing to give it a try. And there are no fees charged for the training and guidance. If it works then aspirant can continue or he can stop.

Third, apart from the daily meditation one is expected to sit for about 30 min in the evening, and do something called Cleaning. In this, one sits like in the meditation with the closed eyes, but one does not think of the divinity in the heart. Instead, one is expected to use his will power and remove slowly all the impressions gathered during the day's work from the system.

Cleaning Process

You see, reason why new acquaintance almost always start on a good note because there is no past experience. But, when we get to know a person for some time, we develop certain prejudices and it is not easy to deal with the person. But, if somehow manage to remove daily impressions, like what we do in the Cleaning, every day would be a new day, without any thing of the past pulling us back. So, Cleaning has a tremendous benefit of liberating us from the effects of the daily impressions.

Tell me more about Cleaning. I hope it is not difficult to do.

In the Cleaning process we use mind (like a broom) to clean the impressions taken by the mind. This process can be understood thus. When we want to lift our hand, we make a will and a signal goes from our mind to lift the hand; and hand is lifted. Isn't it? Similarly, in cleaning, we use our will power to clean the impressions; and our system is cleaned. Initially people may find it bit difficult understand and practice it; but slowly one learns to do it, by doing it repeatedly.

Use of Will to Clean the System

Process of cleaning is unique to Sahaj marg and its efficacy can be gauged only by experiencing it. It makes one free of the daily dose of impressions that one collects during the day's work. When cleaning is done well, aspirant feels lighter in the mind. It is similar to - when we have grown say lot of hair on the head we get used to it and we don't feel its weight. But, when hair cut is given we feel lighter.

Ok. Cleaning may rid one of the daily impressions. But, what about impressions collected before starting the Sahaj marg?

Good question. That's work of the teacher. In fact, teacher's real work and need for a teacher, is in removal of older impressions. It is not easy for an ordinary person to remove it by his own effort. But, in Sahaj marg it is possible for the teacher to do it because of yogic transmission.

But, tell me, what's use of going inside by closing eyes and doing meditation & cleaning? Isn't it possible to know everything through the five senses that we have?

This is a way that takes one inside of oneself. And believe me, there is no limit to how much more one can go inside. It is said that universe inside is bigger than what we see outside. And it is true. We don't know about it because either we have never tried to explore it or we did not have effective method to do it.

It's only when we go inside we realize that there is a universe inside of us, in our heart where divinity, light, purity and peace pervades. It makes us aware of a different world which we had possibly heard about earlier, but never experienced.

Isn't it called self-realization or some similar name? 

Yes. But, this is best dealt by having an actual experience rather than knowing about it intellectually - by reading books or listening to lectures. Current state of knowledge about self-realization is very confusing. Best is to jump in to it and check it out first hand.

But, isn't it supposed to very difficult and not relevant for an ordinary human being?

Yes, it used to be like that, but times do change. Take for example the field of science and technology; currently we are using things that people 200 years back could not even imagine. Similarly, time has possibly come for a newer world, where people would seek fulfillment and purpose in life by going inside rather than seeking it outside. We have already seen effects of seeking fulfillment from the world outside of us. It's time we seek to explore the beyond.

How it is relevant in today's world?

Well, I will write about it some time later. Bye for today.

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p.s., let me know how you find this piece of writing.

Note: This article is extensively edited in Nov 2013 with the help of a fellow brother. I'm thankful to him for his valuable suggestions for the improvement.
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Here is the blog on "How is spiritual way relevant for today's people?"

Saw '3 Idiots' movie

Last week saw '3 Idiots'. Theater was packed. Very entertaining. Too good. Re-lived many moments of my stay at IIT Bombay. Movie has some really good messages like 'we go to college for learning and not for grades'. 'Enjoy your work, money will be incidental then.' etc.

People just love the movie. If I were to give title to this movie, I would say, "Ajab Dil Ki Gajab Kahani'. It was all about 'heart' ruling over 'head'. Through and Through it was same thing.

But, wait, people don't do this in their real life. In real life, it's almost always head ruling the heart. Isn't it? Then why people love this movie? Because here they see what should be. Vicariously they feel relieved for their inability to allow 'heart' over their 'head'. They feel nice and feel money well spent because it relieves them of the guilt.

In fact, I almost agreed with one critic who said "it's a time-pass". In other words, feel nice and get back to your usual way.