1976-05-29 How to Meditate (Translation from Hindi)
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Perhaps there may be many Sahaj Yogis having diseases. Before coming to Sahaj Yoga they must be getting worried and wishing that the disease should be somehow cured. But after Realisation the attention does not go onto your sickness and you start saying, “It will be alright, does not matter.” But this is wrong.
Whatever may be your problem, even if it’s very minor, you can cure yourself by placing your hand on that spot. You can keep your physical side very clean. There is not much to be done: just meditate and keep yourself clean, keep your physical side clean.
However, for you I have told you one important thing. As it is said that everyone must go to bathroom and clean oneself after getting up in the morning, similarly, for Sahaj Yogis, it is extremely important to do footsoaking for at least five minutes before going to bed.
However highly evolved you may be, and even if you may not be getting caught, but it doesn’t matter: you must do footsoaking for at least five minutes.
Even I do footsoaking sometimes, so that my Sahaj Yogis will imbibe this habit. It’s a very good habit. All Sahaj Yogis must do footsoaking for at least for five minutes every day. All Sahaj Yogis should light a lamp before the photograph, apply sindur, put your hands dip their feet in the water and sit in this fashion, opening out both the palms towards the photograph. If you do this, more than half of your problems would be solved automatically. Whatever happens, it is not difficult to spare five minutes. All should sit like this before going to sleep. That will stop more than half of your catches.
We must also get up early in the morning. Our Sahaj Yoga is a daytime activity, not of night. So one must sleep early at night. I am not asking you to sleep at 6pm, but by 10pm all must go to sleep. You should not stay awake after 10.
You must get up early in the morning. In the morning, after getting up early and taking your bath, one must sit for meditation. In the morning one must sit for meditation.
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But I have seen that, for many, it is very difficult to get up early at 4am or 5am.
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You must somehow sleep early one day to get up early next morning. Then you will also fall asleep early that day, you will not be able to keep awake . You do that for two or three days and your body will get used to it.
When you get up early in the morning your receptivity is more. Not only that, at that early hour in the world also extremely beautiful….
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Now how to meditate? Think about it. How to meditate early in the morning?
First, bow down in your heart; humble down yourself. If someone thinks that he has achieved a lot or, “I am a very big saint,” then know that he is a gone case; he is about to go out of Sahaj Yoga.
One should ask permission and sit peacefully before the photograph with palms spread out and with great humility one must bow towards one’s heart. One has to ask for forgiveness repeatedly. So, even at that time, one must ask for forgiveness that, “O God, if we have committed any mistake, please forgive us and take us into meditation.” Then we pray. We should forgive all those who have done any harm to us and if we had harmed anyone then, “Please forgive us Lord.”
At this point bring very holy feelings in your heart and then go into meditation and meditate with your eyes closed. Now, one should not ask, “For how many minutes?” It is very wrong to ask such questions.
Whether you meditate for five minutes or ten minutes, for those five or ten minutes one must meditate with complete concentration. Humbly bow down and meditate. But before meditation, try to understand it very carefully.
Before meditating give a bandhan to the place where you are going to sit for meditation. Give yourself a bandhan. Give your body a bandhan. Seven times give your body a bandhan. Give that place a bandhan. Give bandhan to my photograph. This is not be done in a mechanical way, like many people do, but with full concentration and shraddha (faith) one must give bandhan in complete silence, as if one is doing a puja. It should not happen like in a puja where people say « bring this, bring that….. »
After that, give your mana (mind) a bandhan. Now where is the mana? You have never asked me, “Mother, where is the mana?” Mana is here, it starts from here. Meaning you must give a good bandhan to Vishuddhi and Agnya chakras. Mana has to be given a bandhan. While giving bandhan one must have this thought that, “O Lord, let us remain in your bandhan and nothing untoward may happen to us.” Bow down with great humility. At that time, just assume that you are in the witness state and detached from everything. We are Nirmal pure (Nirmal). Just make yourself detached from everything and meditate.
If you try this daily, it will become a habit. With deep faith one must meditate early in the morning: maybe for ten minutes or half an hour, it does not matter. While meditating, do not move your hands. Just watch the photograph and slowly close your eyes while meditating, and do not move your hands or feet. At that time, whichever chakra is having an imbalance, it can be corrected by just watching it because, as I have said, Divine vibrations are more in the morning.
Now, after having purified your chakras, meditate on your Atma tattwa (essence of spirit). Take your attention to your Spirit.
Nobody has ever asked me, “Mother where is Atma ?” Atma is in our heart but its seat is on our Sahasrara. That is why I had said that: bow down to your heart and take your attention to your Sahasrara and be surrendered to your Spirit.
With thought, be surrendered towards the Spirit. What is the essence of Atma tattwa? Atma tattwa is purity. One should say, complete, nirmal, purity. Take your attention towards that. That is completely detached. It is not attached to anything. Because you are clinging on to certain things, you are away from your Spirit. Meditate on Atma tattwa. And this Atma tattwa is love. Meditate on this. It is a very Great thought – Atma tattwa is love.