Highlights of this post-
-Work as an offering to the Divine.
-To work for the Divine is to pray with the body.
-Consciousness develops best through work done as an offering to the Divine.
-Indolence and inaction end in tamas; that is a fall into unconsciousness; it is contrary to all progress & light.
-To overcome one’s ego, to live only in the service of the Divine.
-I make no difference between work and Yoga. Work itself is Yoga if it is done in a spirit of dedication & surrender.
-When one works for the Divine, it is much better to do perfectly what one does than to aim at a very big work.
-The progress in sadhana comes from the rectification of inner and outer attitude, not from the nature of the work one does-any work, even the most humble can lead to Divine if it is done with the right attitude.
Q-What is concentration?
A-It is to bring back all the scattered threads of concentration to a single point, a single idea. Those who can attain perfect attention succeed in everything they undertake; they will always make a rapid progress. And this kind of concentration can be developed exactly like the muscles; one may follow different systems, different methods of training. Today we know that the most pitiful weakling, for example, can with discipline become as strong as anyone else. One should not have a will which will flicker out like a candle.
The will, the concentration must be cultivated; it is a question of method, of regular exercise. If you will, you can. But the thought, “What’s the use?” must not come in to weaken the will. The idea that one is born with a certain character and can do nothing is stupid.
Dynamic meditation
I think the most important thing is to know why one meditates; this is what gives the quality of the meditation and makes it of one order or another.
You may meditate to open yourself to the divine Force, you may meditate to reject the ordinary consciousness, you may meditate to enter the depths of your being, you may meditate to learn how to give yourself integrally; you may meditate for all kind of things. You may meditate to enter peace and calm and silence-this is what generally people do, but without much success. But you may also meditate to receive the Force of transformation, to discover the points to be transformed, to trace out the line of progress. And then you may also meditate for very practical reasons: when you have a difficulty to clear up, a solution to find, when you want help in some action or other. You may meditate for that too.
I think everyone has his own mode of meditation. But if one wants the meditation to be dynamic, one must have an aspiration for progress and the meditation must be done to help and fulfill this aspiration for progress. Then it becomes dynamic.
A Note- For further reference reading, I have posted some more articles from Fb in the following post here. They were meant to reinforce what I had spoken in the Discourse on 16th December, 2017.
Dear Maa,
First of all my most reverent regards to you for your continuous efforts in bringing such profound knowledge to us so lucidly and eloquently. Your articles are a fresh gust of breeze and it has always helped me to stabilise my mind.
Maa, by the grace of my Guruji, – Baba Lokenath I have had few extraordinary and eye opening experiences in the last two months.
I always keep the book of my Guru – Baba Lokenath. In one of my tense moments I read an anecdote by him – He mentions about the mind and relation to the body. He says thus – ” The aim of yoga is the complete cessation of mind. The body is an earthen pot, the mind is the water, the slightest movement in the pot disturbs the stillness of the mind.
Therefore unless the body remains, through state of yogic practice, in a state of rest, the mind within can never reach a state of tranquility.
It is only through this tranquil mind, one can reach the state of non-mind – the supreme state of samadhi – God Consciousness.”
So Baba Lokenath has mentioned about keeping the body fit, exercise a lot, and not eat or drink which might cause any unease to the body. Nothing else can be precursor to meditation except a healthy body.
Concentration is a choice for an individual. One might want to shut off all the distractions and focus like a laser light on the task assigned – or one might want to do to everything with the distractions lurking around – like a diffused light from a bulb. The difference will the be quality of output, even though I might be able to finish the same work in varying time duration.
In the latter case – work with distractions – we are creating clutter in the universe – because even the simplest of work – from brooming our room to eating our food, to doing research work, to anything – we are contributing something to the cosmos – and if we don’t do it well with concentration – we are producing clutter. Do we want to produce clutter? – we must ask this to ourselves when getting distracted. Our inner self will never want clutter, our Atman wants harmony, resonance with the cosmic vibrations – and it is very possible to be in that state.
In a nutshell – we have to keep the body fit – develop laser like concentration through internalising and cutting off distractions – then only we will progress in our Sadhana.
Regards,
Deepanjan
My dear Deepanjan, well said.
All realized Beings are eternally saying the same thing-to keep the mind in check even in ordinary circumstances. When we pursue our interest in giving ourselves a gift of a blissful and calmness filled life we take this subject or thought even higher.
We must sit down many times whenever possible and try to contain this ever scattered and frittering mind. It is happening in every life as a human incarnation with us. We are yet to realize what grave consequences can occur in our lives if our mind is not in centre and we take a decision in that agitated or blurred state.
All human problems related to low quality productivity, imperfection and apathy are due to lack of concentration. Mind is a tool, the mind must be made sharp and focused and it should be harnessed like we harness our body, water or electricity. This process is called meditation and only humans are gifted with this unique aptitude. We begin meditation with concentration.
After endless suffering in uncountable incarnations, with guru kripa or grace of a realized Soul, some, maybe just a handful humans, realize that they owe themselves a lot, a lot of- self-control, repetition of good thoughts and habits and constant effort to tame this ever shifting or agitated mind or manas. It takes many, many years and incarnations to get a victory over the might of the mind. You must also think on these lines thoroughly.
Instead of wasting our precious breaths in knowing so much about this world or its strange people, we must invest all our available energies in bringing our mind in its original place, its centre near the heart and make it rest there on a permanent basis. Once settled, the mind produces immense peace, joy and stillness. Aim at that now.
Once seated in a immovable state of mind, you shall be able to see your true Self.
This is what Baba Loke Nath is telling us through you today. Calm down your mind and make it immovable.
The analogy or comparison is what you just mentioned; It is so simple and quick to grasp. We only need to practice this in daily life on a daily basis. You must do the same.
“The body is an earthen pot, the mind is the water, the slightest movement in the pot disturbs the stillness of the mind.”
Pursue the stillness, hold on to your peace, it is the most important and most precious gift form God to us.
Thank you for complimenting me and saying that the audio was lucid and expressive. I will try even more to make the profound subject easy and lucid so that maximum people come to drink the nectar of this ambrosia! God is very beautiful and alluring. Once procured we will never settle with anything else. It is always a joy to reply or interact with sincere sadhaks.
God bless you.
Yours Maa
Dearest Ma,
Jai Satguru!!
Last two days I was listening to the Audio of post-Shakti-III. Thanks a lot Ma for recording and sharing such a valuable information with all of us.
I have picked up few points for me to practice:
– Reorganize yourself— sit down and meditate – make your mind still and empty then you will get answers to your questions/ problems. Arguing / discussing will not lead to a solution.
– Get oxygen intake from trees and for that go out in parks etc. This way we can get more energy and get rid of mind and body fatigue. One can refresh and recharge oneself being closer with nature.
– Concentration is a key to success.
– Before doing any work/ task , calm down your mind, decide the line of action and then perform your actions. Don’t just rush to implement the things, first of all think in detail, jot down the plan and then take action.
– Work smartly. Use time efficiently. Do exercise.
– Do not think and rethink. Plan and finish your work in one go. Those who are calm and composed can only work in this fashion. So we instead of directly jumping on the work we should first meditate, concentrate, plan and then perform and execute.
– Dynamic meditation: “you may also meditate to receive the Force of transformation, to discover the points to be transformed, to trace out the line of progress. And then you may also meditate for very practical reasons: when you have a difficulty to clear up, a solution to find, when you want help in some action or other. You may meditate for that too.” I liked these lines the most and I got clarity on some of my questions related to meditation. I am now changing my perspective towards meditation.
I am grateful Ma for sharing all this scared knowledge and your guidance.
Pranam Guru Ma,
Yours Sincerely,
Supriya.