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Bulletin No: 2015.66 – Tuesday June 23, 2015

North American Tour, Part 2

Toronto, Canada

Thursday, 4th of June 2015, Mississauga Meditation Centre

With Kamlesh bhai expected to arrive in Toronto around noon, the final preparations at the meditation centre started early in the day, setting up the meditation hall and organising the seating, and the outdoor tent for dining. The small garden was ready for Kamlesh bhai to plant the first tree at the centre. Others were busy in the kitchen. Age played no bar – young and old alike were participating with all their capacity.

Sisters and brothers from all over Canada started arriving and by noon the news came that Kamlesh bhai’s flight had arrived. He first went to the hotel to rest. The centre was full of activity, very much resembling a family celebration. As Kamlesh bhai mentioned sometime later, one really does not need to do anything other than be receptive.

After lunch, there was an interview about Sahaj Marg and Heartfulness with a local television channel. By early evening, the Heartfulness banner was set up at the entrance of the centre and Kamlesh bhai was expected to arrive any time. The pace of activity slowed down and there was an atmosphere of peace and anticipation.

He arrived at the ashram and had a quick tour. There was joy and laughter around him and it was contagious. He planted the first tree and went to his suite to meet the twenty children who were waiting for him. The children asked so many different questions and he was jovial and patient with each one of them. When asked what time of the day does he meditate, he said he meditates all the time. Another was curious about whether he was interested in spirituality while young and he answered, “Yes”. A little girl asked him if she could become the Master and he said that she already was. While his responses were simple yet profound, and thought provoking even for the adults, what was most evident was his simplicity and accessibility, and his ability to playfully connect with children and adults alike.

What is Heartfulness?

Kamlesh bhai then conducted satsangh for about forty minutes and during his address afterwards, he started out by saying that he was impressed with the Toronto ashram, especially because of its location and accessibility. He extended this theme of accessibility to the Godly presence in our own heart that is always accessible. He urged us all to appreciate and cherish this presence within. The Master is within, and the disciple is within. Whenever the heart guides us and inspires us from inside, it becomes the Master for that moment. It is the same heart that also follows and becomes a disciple in that moment.

Thus began the real focus on Heartfulness in Toronto. Kamlesh bhai explained that it is nothing new. “Perhaps it is the ultimate heartfulness of God that created this universe.” Heartfulness and Sahaj Marg are synonymous and are all about simplicity and purity.

It is only our desires, our ego and our greed that misguides us away from this purity. “Our heart is misguided by our multiple desires.” We have too many desires, we want many things at the same time and we fail to pay attention to the Goal. Our prayer clearly mentions this. Desires when unchecked multiply and translate into greed when they are satisfied. We are always comparing ourselves with others and not grateful for what we have. The root of the problem is that we don’t listen to the heart, and we say that the heart is not giving us clear signals. The heart will give us signals when something is wrong.

Kamlesh bhai emphasised that we need to practise Heartfulness in our lives with respect towards others. We are unforgiving of others while always ignoring our own mistakes. He urged everyone to listen to the heart, have absolute clarity within, and muster the courage to follow the heart even in the face of adversities.

Be receptive always

After his talk, Kamlesh bhai continued to spend time with everyone in the ashram. Some sisters and brothers took pictures with him and it was very touching to see his warmth and simplicity. What was so striking is that there really is no barrier between the Guru and the disciple; if there is one, it is in our own mind.

A sister asked him how he was so energetic and able to manage so much travel and activity. She expressed that for her it is sometimes difficult to wake up early in the morning and meditate. Kamlesh bhai told her that sleep must be enjoyed so that we wake up fresh in the morning. Meditation can be effective only with a fresh mind, not a sleepy one. He said that we must be in a receptive mode always.

Thus ended the first day of the seminar.

Friday, 5th of June 2015

More about Heartfulness

Kamlesh bhai arrived at the ashram at 7 a.m. and conducted satsangh at 7.30. This was followed by two weddings. Then it was time for breakfast and Kamlesh bhai continued to meet people in his room. He blessed babies and distributed prasad. The ashram was full and he then addressed everyone on Heartfulness, starting with how it evolved out of the U-Connect programme in India.

He then gave instructions on how to conduct a Heartfulness workshop, so that interested seekers are able to feel first hand the effects of yogic transmission by first meditating alone and then later on with a preceptor. They thus take their first introductory sitting at the workshop itself.

Kamlesh bhai emphasised that we must not overwhelm newcomers or interested persons with the details of all aspects of the practice at once in the beginning. It is important to let people embrace the system at their own pace:

“If I may say something more on this Heartfulness, it is all about heart. We cannot push anyone. You yourself have to be so flexible with the whole thing. We have to work around them. … When a person has come in front of us, it has a reason: that person wants something from us. So take the opportunity and release the information as per the capacity of that abhyasi, that new seeker. Give them the first sitting and take the appointment for the second. If there is resistance, and they say, ‘Oh, for the second sitting I cannot come,’ fine. Everyone has his or her own circumstances. The person is new, so he may not know about the second sitting and he has not prepared his schedule to take a second sitting, and a third sitting, fourth sitting. Who knows how many sittings? Offer them the possibility of remote sittings.”

“The Sahaj Marg system is the most beautiful and the sweetest system that exists today."

“With Heartfulness, there should be joy. Preceptors must reflect that joy when a person comes. Where is your heart in this Heartfulness? I often give the example of sugar-coated medicine. Why do they sugar coat it? Because it is so bitter. Unfortunately, sometimes I am sorry to say, we bitter-coat the sweet transmission with our behaviour, the way we speak to people or we don’t speak. So don’t bitter coat our sweet system please.”

“In short, this Heartfulness programme is there to make things happen; to be more flexible from our side to accommodate others. In the beginning, they do not know what is expected of them.”

Meditate with the right attitude

Kamlesh bhai touched upon other aspects of our spiritual pursuit, like faith and devotion. He said, “The idea is to create love in the heart towards the one who guides us. If meditation has not been successful in creating it, I think you are doing it wrongly. How it is that love is not manifesting even after ten years of meditation? That means something is wrong. It has nothing to do with the process. It has everything to do with our attitude. If you have the humility to accept the guidance of a Master, it is that humility that attracts transmission, not the prayer, not your thought that ‘Divine light is glowing in my heart.’ Does it glow? Is it radiating? Have you ever felt it?

“So really, truly, what works is this: the vacuum, the inner cry from the heart within that, ‘My Lord, I would like to feel your presence.’ Now when we say, ‘My Lord,’ whom are we addressing? We don’t know. It is certainly not the Masters that we have. But they respond on behalf of the Lord and transmit."

Appreciation of the gift of meditation

After this, there were questions and Kamlesh bhai spoke about appreciating what we receive during meditation:

“It is very easy to say that meditation is all about feeling or thinking of the presence of Divine Light in the heart. We begin with the thought that Divine Light is present in my heart and then slowly a time comes when you are absolutely gone and there is a unique feeling to that. Now from that thought you have started feeling something. And when this feeling is there for a longer period, you try to make it even longer, through practice. What helps in this process is constant remembrance. Constant remembrance is nothing but retaining this feeling for longer and longer periods.

Kamlesh bhai explained that we are given such gifts in meditation. Do we appreciate these gifts and treasure them? “When we do not appreciate the spiritual gift that we receive through meditation, do you think that the gift-giver will be upset? He really cries his heart out actually: ‘I gave this condition, and this is lost.’ But there are many who appreciate such gifts. How to cherish that gift?

“You have to find your own ways of doing it. Some way along, we have to start as per our own idiosyncrasy. And I assure you that, whenever we start something, Their help is ten times greater than our single effort. It will make our process even easier. This activity must become a reflex kind of an activity.”

“The key thing is interest. Interest will find ways and means to make it happen.”

Significance of the new Heartfulness logo

When asked about the Heartfulness Logo, Kamlesh bhai explained:

“There is a heart that is our heart. And there is another heart that is another person, and a third heart – yet another person. So there are many hearts, they come together and that triggers the egregore and the waves are created in the world. Those waves are depicted at the bottom.

“So that is what Babuji also has been saying from the Brighter World, telling us, ‘My dear abhyasis, I need your help. I need the help of every abhyasi.’ In what? Please practise the way it is prescribed. When you do this, you will attain certain level of consciousness. When the consciousness of everyone is creating this ripple, the egregore will set in, and once it reaches its tipping point, this will trigger the much-needed mutation. That is when humanity will take a quantum leap.”

There was another satsangh at 11.30 a.m. After lunch, all activities moved to a banquet hall, which had been hired to present Heartfulness to interested newcomers. Visitors started arriving at 4.30 p.m. and the session commenced at 5 p.m. Abhyasis conducted a simple meditation without transmission, followed by the guided relaxation. Kamlesh bhai then conducted the first introductory sitting for the visitors, and satsangh for the abhyasis present.

Goal of human life

In the talk that followed, he spoke of the following things:

First, the Goal, which is to become like the Master. And the more we demonstrate the spirit of Sahaj Marg in our attitude and behaviour, the more we shall become capable of serving humanity. He also spoke about the Goal of human existence, the need for a spiritual practice and how Hearfulness can help serve the purpose.

Every existence is characterised by three aspects: the gross body, the subtle body, which evolves through human life, and the causal body, which is changeless since it is the very essence of Divinity. Just as the body needs food for sustenance and the intellect needs knowledge for expansion, the spirit needs nourishment as well. There is scope for infinite expansion in the realm of the Spirit but, unfortunately, we have chosen to live life in a limited way. God, the Divine Presence, is very much in our hearts but we choose to externalise this presence instead.

There was then a question and answer session.

Notes from the Q & A with Kamlesh bhai

Regarding separation between men and women during satsangh, in traditional Vedic rituals a woman is seated to the right of her husband and this is done for a reason. There is a certain vibratory pattern that is conducive for the flow of energy in this arrangement. The flow is disturbed if we mix up the men and women. Kamlesh bhai urged everyone to experiment in our own personal lives and see the difference.

About managing the ego, Kamlesh bhai quoted Babuji: “There is nothing wrong in thinking that you are great, but always think that the other person is greater.” When we accept this, it become easy to live our lives.

In response to a question about pregnant women practising meditation, he referred to the book The Biology of Belief by Dr Bruce Lipton wherein he has described how the foetal development is affected by the circumstances that the mother is in. He urged expecting mothers to meditate as much as possible, as this will be of immense benefit to the child.

To everyone’s delight, it was announced that there would be a satsangh the next morning at 7.30 a.m.

Saturday, 6th of June 2015

Laziness, desires and an egotistical attitude are our enemies

Kamlesh bhai arrived at the ashram from his hotel at 7.15 a.m. and conducted satsangh at 7.30. This was also an opportunity for folks who had taken their first sitting the day before to have their second sitting.

After satsangh, he said that he finds it difficult to leave, as he becomes attached wherever he goes. He then touched upon certain things relating to our daily life, practice and attitude. We need to have a practical approach to our spiritual life. In Sahaj Marg, the Goal is profound but we don’t seem to understand it although we are motivated. Our spiritual journey is an infinite journey and we must start with small steps. Every day we must introspect on our actions and inactions in order to improve continuously. Sometimes our inactions result in samskaras, as does laziness, so if we don’t have anything to do, then we can at least think of meditating.

All the time, in our minds we are thinking, “I like this, I don’t like that”. Instead, try to accept everything and do our best in everything. Even in our jobs, we can excel, since without a proper means for living we will not be able to focus on or spiritual growth.

He also spoke about the habit of saying “No” to everything. A person who tries to protect himself is all the time saying “No”. This is nothing but the play of the ego. We can instead try to accommodate as much as possible. Saying “No” all the while is a kind of protective mechanism we adopt for the survival of the egoistic ‘I’.

Thus concluded the Toronto Seminar. After breakfast Kamlesh bhai started his travel by road to Detroit. His presence in Toronto for these two days was so rich and fulfilling that everyone only wishes that such moments would never end.