Weekly Group-Meditation Annoucements at Mumbai

This post is an attempt to record various announcements done every week at Kandivali / Ghatkopar, Mumbai on various topics of interest for Heartfulness practitioners / Sahaj Marg abhyasis.

Purpose of this record is to catch-up with various happenings at Mumbai, In case one has missed the group meditation he can read the announcements here and be up to date with all events.



Announcements on 9-9-2017

3 Days Heartfulness Workshop @ SaiBaba
3 Days Heartfulness Workshop will be conducted on 14th 15th, 16th of September 2017
Timing : 7:00 to 8:00 pm
Venue :SaiBaba Mandir, SaiBaba Nagar, Borivali - West. Mumbai – 400092.

Proposal for Assembly in BMA Panvel  
• To come together and share our views and contribute in unique ways I propose that we assemble in BMA Panvel on September 17th for the 11:30 am group meditation and interaction and lunch thereafter.
• Regular satsang locations will continue to hold respective satsang as usual.

3 Days Heartfulness Workshop
Prakash Anand Bhuwan, Somwari Bazar, Malad-West
3 Days Heartfulness Workshop will be conducted on  15th, 16th & 17th of September 2017
Timing : 7:00 to 8:00 pm
Venue : Anandwan Mitra Mandal – Mumbai
Prakash Anand Bhuwan, Turel Pakhadi Road,
Opp. Jhanvi Nursing Home, Somwari Bazar, Malad West, Mumbai.

Waiting List for Sept. Bhandara
• Since a lot of abhyasis registered and did not finally go for bhandara in July, please revisit your plans and “cancel” on the registration portal in case you are unable to go.
• This will free up space for people on the “waiting list”.
• In case you are unable to do so please send your Name and ID card number to us and we shall do the needful.

Essay Competition
• All those who.have collected the essays may kindly send the essays to sister rakhee arora.

Information Counter
• Please kindly get your card scanned or name written in the register for Satsangh Attendance.
• Library Facility has been set up at the counter.

Special Individual Sittings Sessions at Three locations 
• 6:30 am to 7:30 am on every Saturday at Poinsur Gymkhana,  Kandivali West.
• 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm on every Thursday at Krushangli Devi Akurli Temple, Kandivali East.
• 7:00 to 8:00 pm on Every Thursday at SaiBaba Mandir, SaiBaba Nagar, Borivali - West.

Announcements on 3-9-2017

Mumbai Cluster Contribution Effort 
• Mumbai cluster contribution effort is going great!
• As per the latest data collected, we have received in excess of 1600 trees in donation!
• We are well on our target to achieve 10,000 trees as proposed.
• I am sure the bulk of the collections will come in by December end.
• Please remember Rs 100 a day saved in a box can get us to the magic number quite easily.

Proposal for Assembly in BMA Panvel  
• To come together and share our views and contribute in unique ways I propose that we assemble in BMA Panvel on September 17th for the 11:30 am group meditation and interaction and lunch thereafter. 
• Regular satsang locations will continue to hold respective satsang as usual.

Waiting List for Sept. Bhandara
• Since a lot of abhyasis registered and did not finally go for bhandara in July, please revisit your plans and “cancel” on the registration portal in case you are unable to go.
• This will free up space for people on the “waiting list”.
• In case you are unable to do so please send your Name and ID card number to us and we shall do the needful.

Essay Competition
• All those who.have collected the essays may kindly send the essays to sister rakhee arora.  

Information Counter
• Please kindly get your card scanned or name written in the register for Satsangh Attendance.
• Library Facility has been set up at the counter.

Special Individual Sittings Sessions at two locations 
• 6:30 am to 7:30 am on every Saturday at Poinsur Gymkhana,  Kandivali West.
• 5:30 pm to 6:30 pm on every Thursday at Krushangli Devi Akurli Temple, Kandivali East. 


Announcements on 3-9-2017



Announcements for the week starting from 12-1-2017

1. All India Essay Even 2016 results are out. Prizes will be distributed on 29th January 2017 at Panvel Ashram.

2. Matunga Road (W.R.) group meditation location has been shifted to Kataria Niwas, Mahim wef 15-1-2017. Vile Parle has one more Sunday group meditation location at Subhas Road, Vile Parle (E). For details contact Sis Meena Vora.

With effect from 15-1-2017 Sunday Group meditation is starting at Vashi. It will be at Karmaveer Bhaurao Patil College in Sector 15. For details contact Sis Subhada Nayak or Ravi Siddam.

3. January Masterclass on meditation saw more than 8,00,000 registrations from all over. February masterclass is announced now from 1st to 3rd February. It is offered to support people who participated in January to provide new opportunities. Also, it can be attended by new seekers.Expect announcements of more advanced sessions to be held in the month of April, July and September.

Announcements for the week starting from 5-1-2017

1. Heartfulness Online Certification Program
To help propagate Heartfulness in a bigger way, Heartfulness Institute has come out with an online certification (OLC in short) program for Preceptors, Abhyasis and registered Seekers. You can visit the link - http://olc.heartfulness.org and register yourself to complete this online course. Upon completion of the course (you will need to provide your SRCM ID # or Seeker eCard # to gain access to the site), you will get a certificate from HFN institute with your full credentials.

Salient features of the program:
•  Easy online learning and certification process.
•  Internationally acknowledged certificate upon program completion.
•  Adds value to your profile when you represent HFN in "Connect" forums & initiatives.
•  Helps you understand better the nuances of HFN and how to present the same to a cross section of audience.
•  Helps spread HFN in a more systematic and structured way.
•  Helps organizations/institutions to build their own trained talent force for deploying HFN within their respective units.
•  Helps wellness / hospitality units etc. to have HFN trained talent force to offer HFN as a service to their clientele.
•  Register interested seekers to become Heartfulness Champions.

OLC Training Guide - https://goo.gl/3t9eUz

Please feel free to follow the link http://olc.heartfulness.org and sign-up for the course.

2. Invitation for Living Naturally Program at Panshet, Pune
We are happy to invite nominations for "Living Naturally" program at the Panshet Retreat Centre to be held on February 4th and 5th, 2017. This program is designed for Heartfulness participants who are working professionals and who have started the practice of meditation.

For the attention of C-connect coordinators for conveying to your office participants etc:
- This will be a two day retreat program to be conducted at Panshet Retreat Centre
- Participants are expected to reach Panshet on 3rd February 6pm latest and they check out any time after 5th February 4pm
- Maximum intake for this program will be 35 participants. This program is designed for Heartfulness participants who are working professionals and who have started the practice of meditation after 1-January-2016. Selection will be on first come first served basis.
- Please send your nominations before 20th January 2017. To nominate participants, please click the RSVP link at https://in.explara.com/e/living-natura
- Travel booking to and back to the venue has to be done by the participant. Please ask interested people to book their tickets upon receiving confirmation email from us.
- You may share the following video link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KDreBgO358w to interested participants for their understanding about an earlier program.

3. Heartfulness Masterclass in February - a three day webcast event will be repeated from 1st to 3rd February 2017 on the occasion of Rev Lalaji's birthday. 

4. Those who have missed the Heartfulness Masterclass webcast event which was held from 2nd to 4th January 2017 can still register and learn meditation on three consecutive days (details given below) by watching videos at URL given below.

Heartfulness Meditation Masterclass

Day 1 - "Relax & Expand Consciousness"
In the first class, learn the Heartfulness relaxation for physical well-being and the Heartfulness guided meditation on the source of light within your own heart.

Day 2 - "Rejuvenate - Unwind; Simplify"
In the second class, be guided through a simple technique of unwinding the mind at the end of the day, to let go of stress and emotions, rejuvenate and simplify your life.

Day 3 - "Connect With Your Inner Self/Our Maker"
In the third class, learn to connect with your inner self by listening to the heart's voice. Observe your deepest feelings, make wise choices, and weave your destiny.

Watch and follow instructions in the video, one video a day; over three days, to start heartfulness meditation. 

English Language:
Day 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fYB8OIFATOg&t=12s
Day 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnMaJcwwfjw&t=518s
Day 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FeBWRSitXTw&t=277s

Hindi Language:
Day 1 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WO7LOd7NMPM&t=10s
Day 2 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEcQ0h6c-eo&t=7s
Day 3 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ySAg14ks-KY&t=109s

5. Online Bookstore at www.shpt.in is revamped. It is now displaying a new section on heartfulness apparels and offering fresh discounts as per details given below:

a. Special 20% and 50% Discount offer on archival editions of Complete Works of Lalaji (Vol-3) and Babuji (Vol-6) is extended for another 21 days.

b. On Heart Speak DVD series 50% discount is offered now.

c. Newly introduced heartfulness apparels section is available under the name - HFNLife. Its tagline is - A Lifestyle of Simplicity and Substance Apparels matching the serenity in your hearts. As a first offering Men's White Cotton Kurta (half sleeve) is available in 4 sizes at Rs.799/- 

HFNLife will be bringing amazingly serene clothing and other lifestyle products to complement the heartfulness way of living. 

d. 16 GB Pen Drive USB 2.0 (Wooden Casing with Heartfulness engraved) is available at 15% discount of Rs.600/-

e. Several new books and DVDs are available now. They are At the feet of the Master - Vol-3 (corpus), The Art of Mastering Life (corpus), Offering Heartfulness to One and All (corpus), In His Footsteps Vol-4 (1981-1983) (corpus), The Goal DVD (corpus), Give Voice to Others DVD (corpus), From Remembrance to Liberation DVD (corpus), A Little Willingness DVD (corpus), Object of Adoration by A P Durai.

Announcements for the week starting from 8-12-2016

1. New Year is just a few weeks away. On 2nd, 3rd and 4th January (Mon, Tue, Wed) Daaji will be offering classes to introduce Relaxation, Meditation, Cleaning and Prayer to new seekers all over the world through Internet.

This virtual event will done via our Heartfulness website, YouTube and Facebook live in various languages. Each session of the program will be offered at least twice during the day so that it will be available both in the early morning and during working hours so it can also be used at Connect organizations and any other workplaces.

Please note that the details of the webcasts will be sent out soon. You can plan to play them in existing or new Connect organizations, as well as in our centres and ashrams. Abhyasis can also invite friends and families to their homes, combined with a nice dose of heartful hospitality.

In the New Year it is common for all of us introspect and resolve to implement a positive goal and develop the discipline to achieve it. For 2017, Daaji is calling for all to ‘Resolve … to Meditate … to Achieve’, using the practices and support available through the Heartfulness system.

More details will be put up at www.heartfulness.org/masterclass This web link will be opening shortly. Await for further information. Till then prepare and plan your self to reach out each and every individual you know.

2. Archival editions of Complete Works of Ram Chandra Vol-6 (Babuji Maharaj) and Complete Works of Ram Chandra Vol-3 (Lalaji Maharaj) is available for pre-booking at 20% discount on regular price of Rs.5,000/-  i.e., at Rs.4,000/-

If both books are ordered together it's available at 50% discount on regular price of Rs.10,000/- i.e., at Rs.5,000/- This offer is valid on orders placed at www.shpt.in between 1st and 31st December 2016.

Archival edition books are printed on a special paper that lasts for hundreds of years.

3. Up to 30% Discount on a Set of three books titled "At the feet of the Master" by Prashant Vasu.

"Pachu he was to relatives; Chari to some; Chariji to many; and Master to most! A macro and micro view of this personality this trilogy (set of 3 books) offers. Read it and cherish it for ever."

Special offer price is Rs.500/-  Regular cost of this Softbound three books combo is 700/-
Hardbound books combo is available at 600/-  Regular price is 900/- Offer is valid up to 31-12-2016.

https://www.shpt.in/index.php?route=product/product&path=617&product_id=2437

4. December issue of Heartfulness magazine is available for download. It's a Collector's edition of the year's articles about the science of spirituality, featuring three authors- Swami Vivekananda, James Allen and Kamlesh Patel.

Article titles are Observation, Meditation, Transmission, Aum, Thought and Purpose, The three bodies, The subtle body, The spiritual journey, Spiritual anatomy, The spectrum of consciousness, Yoga, Expansion of consciousness, Space, time and creation of universe, The conscious master, The need of guru, Sleep well for your wellbeing, Happiness, Entropy in human relationships and Vibrations and compatibility.

It can be downloaded from: www.heartfulnessmagazine.com

5. Heartfulness Youth Seminar is arranged at Davorlim, Goa from Thursday to Sunday 26 to 29 January 2017. All youths of Maharashtra, Goa and Coastal Karnataka are invited to take part. Registration is open till 7-12-2016. Link: https://goo.gl/Ti8PhQ

6. Heartfulness Institute Speaker Series Webinars presents "The world does spin, but not around you"  on Dec 10th at 8:30 PM IST,

This webinar will help you discover ways to conquer self-centeredness, meaningfully apply ego rather than suppress it and become more "universe-centered" through meditation. It is delivered by Sanjay Sehgal - a proven innovator,serial entrepreneur and a and a self development enthusiast.He has built and managed several companies in the Atlanta area. Currently he is CEO of MSys Technologies.

All are welcome!! Please register at: http://goo.gl/NI7TQx

Questions can be asked to the speaker in connection with this topic. Please send them to : guestspeax@heartfulness.org

7.​Daaji has been addressing various worldwide centers via webinars every week.
This S​atur​day he​ will be interacting with​ A​bhyasis of Karnataka, and Sunday with abhyasis of Andhra Pradesh & Telangana (lndia)

This will also be broadcast live for the worldwide audience on Daaji’s Facebook page.

https://www.facebook.com/kamleshdaaji/

S​aturd​ay evening 7:30​pm​; and  S​und​ay morning at 7:30​ am​ IST

Announcements for the week starting from 30-11-2016

1. Heartfulness has got Talent

A Wonderful way of bringing the youth from across India together at Ahmedabad from 16-18th Dec 2016. 

Kindly register on the below link for the same. Daaji is closely looking forward for this event. 

Last date: 3rd December 2016

Age group : 18 to 30 years

http://tiny.cc/HFNTalent

2. Letter from Daaji to all abhyasis on Heartfulness movement

23 November 2016, Wednesday – Monroe Meditation Center

My very dear ones,

I share these notes with great pleasure and delight from the bottom of my heart.

My heart is pulled towards those Heartfulness Volunteers, including preceptors, whose dedication has prompted the Great Master to convey His confidence in our abhyasis, whose efforts to grow the Sahaj Marg Mission have met with the approval of the Hierarchy.

Please refer to the 14 October 2016 message from the Brighter World by Pujya Shri Babuji (underlines are mine):

“…All in good time. Sahaj Marg is growing very satisfactorily, which fills us with joy and encourages us to greatly increase our action…” Babuji

I find the underlined words even more thrilling. It makes me wonder at what He means by “to greatly increase our action”! This is a tremendous recognition of all those dedicated volunteers. The United Masters have shown their confidence in the work carried out by our abhyasis.

Do we need any other certificate? Let us cherish the moment with joy.

Moreover, I just came across a letter by Pujya Shri Babuji written to respected Elder Brother K. C. Narayana on 1 November 1971. This letter is marked C/68 SRCM. Here are the words that struck the chords of my heart, and I hope they will of yours, too: “I am totally in favor of introducing Sahaj Marg as a course in the American Universities and you must try for that.” Babuji.

Doesn’t this endorse our initiatives in the thousands of schools, colleges and universities worldwide?

Both the narrations, one from the Brighter World and the other in the 1 November 1971 letter, show that, yes, we are truly on the right track.

Let us now multiply our efforts for an exponential growth in the Heartfulness Movement.

Let us NOT relegate our responsibilities to someone else. When I am performing a sacred work, should I surrogate it through someone else?

Sacred works can never be done by proxy.

It is a different matter to share your work with a brother or a sister. Let us multiply our efforts in building true brotherhood—at any cost.

Without unity amongst us, even if we progress, it will ultimately mean nothing.

What answers shall we give to Pujya Shri Babuji for a lack of brotherhood? Do we try even a little bit to treat a fellow abhyasi as our very own? One may keep trying while the other may keep reminding of past incidents! How can one step away from such stalemates?

The heart cries out in prayers to end such stalemates.

May there be peace and harmony. May there be greater understanding and wisdom amongst us chosen ones.

With the Heartfulness Movement gaining momentum, we must remind ourselves that we will not succumb to jealousy and competition. Both these traits reflect a lack of faith in oneself, as well as in the Great Master, whom we revere so lovingly and speak His name in every other sentence.

If you can, please sit for fifteen minutes and meditate over the words of Pujya Shri Babuji communicated in his 14 Oct.’16 message from the Brighter World and in his letter of 1 Nov.’71.

If we witness a brother or a sister successful in their enterprise, let us rejoice it as our own success. With that deep fraternity, results will become evident not in a distant future, but here and now, and we are the most fortunate witnesses and participants in the evolution unfolding in front of our eyes.

Offer prayer before going to bed, for the success of the Mission.

With love and respect,

Kamlesh

3. Heartfulness Science And Spirituality Club

Heartfulness Science and Spirituality Club (HSSC) is a student driven global initiative at schools, bringing Science and Spirituality together, It will try to understand the relation between science and spirituality.

Every student should develop himself in three dimensions i.e. Physical, Mental and spiritual. Ignoring any of them degrades the fragrance of life. In modern time the first two aspects are taken care by our education system to a good extent but the third one is most often ignored. Therefore this club introduces a subtlety of Spirituality in the life of students. So that thereafter they will grow in this very aspect of existence also and thus will excel in ups and downs of their life.

Initially HSSC was known as Omega Science and Spirituality (OSS) Club.

More on it can be found at https://www.facebook.com/ossclubs/ For any information/details please send a mail to in.hssc@heartfulness.org

Announcements for the week starting from 23-11-2016

1. Daaji's address to abhyasis on Sunday 27th Nov 2016
Daaji is going to address and interact with abhyasis of Mahrashtra and Gujarat on Sunday 27th Nov at 7:30 pm through a webinar. In Mumbai, abhyasis can participate in it by visiting following group meditation locations:

a. Babuji Memorial Ashram at Panvel 

b. Pawan Dham, Satya Nagar, Kandivali West. 

c. Carmichael Road

d. Andheri West (Cosmopolitan Education Society Marg)

https://goo.gl/maps/KE8kgNsPTKG2

e. Chembur Satyabhama Hall

f. Nagothane 

Group meditation will be held after the meeting. Group meditation will be held at other places of Mumbai as usual at 7:30 am. (message came in late on Wed night)

2. Heartfulness Talent - Youth Seminar in Ahmedabad
All Heartfulness volunteers (below 40 years of age) are invited to HFN Talent - Youth seminar to be held in Ahmedabad Zonal Ashram at Adalaj from 16th to 18th of December 2016.

You are expected to prepare a short 3-minute presentation on topic 'Me and Heartfulness'. In this you can describe your special talent in a an innovative, creative manner. Send your presentation as a video for a review. Selected participants will be invited to make their 5 minute presentations to the jury, in front of all the participants.

Each day there will be a series of interesting never-before-experienced highly empowering workshops, brainstorming sessions, group exchanges, other events and profound spiritual work sessions.

We will be able to accommodate 400 participants on first registered, first served.

If you wish to join fill out the form to apply at https://goo.gl/forms/DCq8dqT68wmF0QUv2

Upon registration confirmation letter will be sent so that you can book your travel.

3. Senior Citizens Retreat at Manapakkam
If you are an abhyasi above 60 years of age, you are invited to spend a week at Manapakkam ashram and use the facilities as a retreat - to rest in the calm spiritual atmosphere and fully immerse yourself in your inner quest.

We invite you to send your requests for a period of one week, preferably arriving on a Monday and returning by the following Sunday afternoon. This invitation is open for any week at your convenience during the year. There is a limited amount of accommodation so it may be on a twin share basis in case of shortage. Please send your requests to manapakkam@srcm.org.

For more details refer to Abhyasi Bulletin 2016.75 dated 20-11-2016

4. Friends and Family program at Satkhol
In this Christmas vacation experience the quietude of an Ashram environment while you bask in the beauty and serenity of the snow-capped and majestic Himalayas that overlook the Babuji Nilayam, adjacent to the Satkhol ashram in Uttarakhand. Let your family and friends group taste spirituality while enjoying a vacation and avail of a unique opportunity.

One can visit Satkhol Ashram from 24th December 2016 to 1st January 2017. There will be sessions on Heartfulness Meditation and Interactive sessions with trained facilitators at the ashram. The Primary Applicant of every group needs to be an abhyasi. We request you to limit your group size to a maximum of 6 members.  The space is limited to about 10 rooms and each group will be accommodated in one room. 

Please register at the following link:
https://register.heartfulness.org/civicrm/event/register?reset=1&id=42

5. New Hindi Series on the Heartfulness YouTube Channel
A new video series titled 'Ek Rishi Ki Baatein'  is launched on our Heartfulness Channel in Hindi languague. It is a series of short talks in Hindi on various finer aspects of life. As per Daaji's suggestion, the first series is 'Jeevan ke dus margdarshi siddhant'. This series has short talks in which Br Rishi Ranjan presents `Ten Guiding Principles of Life' in a very simple and easy manner.

Below is the link for the videos for your reference:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7EobfeesFHY&t=297s

6. Sahajvani app
As you may be aware that one can purchase books, audio, video, photos in digital form from the Abhyasi digital store (ADS) on the Internet. Once payment is done the purchased item can be downloaded on the PC or mobile and can be viewed immediately. Lot of free content is also available on same web site. Web site can be accessed at: https://www.shriramchandramission.org/digitalstore/

Now you can access Abhyasi Digital store on your mobile phone through an android app It is available on google store with name 'Sahajvani'. This app allows you to download all items purchased previously also. App for iPhone will follow after some time.

Download: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sahajvani.app

How is a spiritual way relevant for today's people?

In the last dialogue we saw that Sahaj marg is a way of life, allowing one to lead a balanced life in middle of this modern world. Its practice consists of Meditation and Cleaning, backed by teacher's active assistance in the form of yogic transmission. Also, help is available almost all over the world through a system of prefects - who train people in learning meditation and give yogic transmission.

I thought you are going to elaborate on how is it relevant to today's people. Isn't it?

Yes.

First, people are increasingly realizing the importance of a well cultivated human mind. A human being is able to 'think' using his mind. No other living creature on earth possesses this ability to think.

But, it has been proved that humans are able to use - at best - a very small percentage of what mind is capable of, may be 4 to 5% not more. Why is that? One problem is that mind is perpetually in a state of activity. It gets some rest only during the sleep. But, during waking state one thought leads to another, giving rise to incessant thoughts; very similar to the Brownian motion observed in liquid by scientists.

Can this incessant movement of thoughts be controlled or regulated? If yes, it may become possible to exceed our current level of understanding and knowledge of the world around us.

Sahaj marg helps here because it is yoga of the mind. It helps to bring the ever wavering mind to a regulated state by taking up the regular practice of meditation and cleaning. Result of such a practice is a regulated and clean mind - that does not allow impressions to form or settle.

For one who is not doing this type of practice, what happens is that impressions created by daily thoughts and actions settle and become hardened in to something called grossness. Over a period of time such grossness settles down on heart - called samskars. This samskars are responsible for our habits and behaviour patterns. It's a teacher's job in Sahaj Marg to get rid of this grossness settled on the heart. When done, heart is cleared of habits, behaviour patterns and emotions; and one becomes free from the binding effects of grossness. When this happens, one is liberated from effects of the past.

Second, in today's world there is a lot of easiness compared to a world say 200 years back. It's all due to advancement of science and technology in the last 150 years or so. But due to this easiness people's body and mind are becoming weaker every day. We feel helpless when any of this technology props viz., electricity, vehicles, telephones, water in the tap and information at the fingertips is not available.

Being surrounded by so many things and conveniences, do we feel complete? Temporarily yes, when desired object is available. But after some time the joy wears off and we start looking for something new, better, innovative and so on. Is there any end to this quest for novelty? Not really. In fact, a time comes when we feel emptiness.

Why do we feel emptiness, in spite of having everything?

It is because we intuitively realize that all these things may fill up space and make life easy, but it does not give satisfaction in the long run. There is something that is missing. We don't feel full, complete, satisfied and contented.

What is missing? Why does a modern man feel that his life is not fulfilled?

Let us examine. It is said that soul resides in the heart of the human beings. Many experiments have been done by modern scientists to find out property of such soul (if it exists) say weight - by accurately weighing body of a dying person before and after the death. But such experiments have not yielded any satisfactory answers.

Answer to this mystery of what gives life to the human and other living creatures has been reasonably well explained by saying that soul enters a body giving it a life and soul leaves body by making it dead. But, such answers do not make us much wise.

Why?

Because, until we are able to directly experience it, we are unable to find use of such a knowledge. Till then it is just a hypothesis. Isn't it?

True. Everyone says god or soul is there inside the heart of every living being; but I can't identify with it in any way. What's use of such knowledge?

Good. You have hit the nail on the head.

Sahaj marg says that soul not only resides in the heart of a human being, it has got life of its own. Purpose of our assuming this body is that we do something so that soul gets back its life while we are living; and it continues thereafter, after the soul has left this body.

Is it possible to offer life back to the soul? Isn't it supposed to be immortal etc.? You must be joking.

No. What happens is that soul has become trapped in a web of its own making due to the hardening of impressions called grossness that we form due to our daily thoughts and actions - things I referred to while explaining cleaning. Do you remember it?

Yes. And you said it's teacher's role to take care of impressions or grossness that were already formed.

True. What happens is that although soul is immortal etc. it has got trapped in a sort of cocoon of grossness. Due to the effort of meditation and cleaning - assisted by the teacher's transmission, slowly this grossness is removed or peeled off; and soul slowly becomes free to move.

Its only when a soul becomes free that the possibility of its journey on its onward path becomes possible. When this happens it's a joyous moment because soul has got back its life, of course not fully but to an extent, where it is able to move further, after lapse of possibly thousands of years. Of course, much journey remains to be done before it reaches its homeland or final destination. That state is known as self-realization.

But, aren't we supposed to take up journey to holy places to reach the state of self-realization?

No. It is very unfortunate that this idea of journey of the soul within human system was known and discovered by the founders of great religious movements thousands of years back; and it got degenerated over a period of time into this idea of physical journey over land to holy places.

Proof of same is evident from the fact that even though people take up many a times very arduous journey to the holy places, they feel only a temporary elation. When they come back home they have not changed in any way. So, only journey worthwhile taking up is this inner journey of the soul within human system. But, even this journey starts only after great deal of effort is made in freeing up the soul from its bondage of grossness, also known as samskars.

So, after that I believe soul's journey must be easy?

Not really. It's only a beginning of a long journey. Path is long and slippery. By self-effort such journey takes thousands of years, as mentioned in old yogic literature, taking up numerous lives. During this journey soul sheds various coverings like that of illusion (maya), ego etc., and becomes more and more free.

Only a capable teacher who has travelled this path himself; and has capacity to help other people through yogic transmission can make journey easy. Of course, even the aspirant has to put in his own effort and co-operate with the teacher to cut down this journey time.

Good news is that teacher in Sahaj marg is able to cut down this time to just one life i.e., this life itself. Who knows what will be there after this life?

Come on, you are just making an exaggerated claim or promise.

Ok. Assuming that what is claimed is not true, isn't it great to know that at least some one is there who says I've a method, if you follow it sincerely while co-operating with my work on you, it is possible to lead to self-realization in one life time. Isn't it worth trying?

Tell me honestly how many people you have heard or known, in the history of mankind, who have been bold to make such a claim? Human history has no knowledge of any. So, it may be worth giving Sahaj marg a try and see if it is really able to offer something that gives direction and fulfillment to the life.

I see your point. It seems worth trying. But, can you tell me more about it before I decide?

Proof of pudding is in eating and then deciding. Visit www.heartfulness.org for an experiential try. It is worth giving a sincere try - at least for 3 months. You need not contact any one; and one can try in the comfort of the home. If you would like to explore more then try meditation with a trainer and you should be able to get a taste of the 'beyond.'

Note: Heartfulness is an invitation (or an approach) to Sahaj Marg. So, if one likes Heartfulness Relaxation and Meditation then for a deeper experience one starts Sahaj Marg practice where apart from mediation there is a practice of cleaning and few other things.

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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