Dear Sister / Brother:
ON TOUR WITH REV. MASTER
Report by brother Sharat Hegde, Bhupendra Chaupal & Rishabh Kothari, India
Lucknow, 11-Feb-2006 to 14-Feb-2006
Rev. Master left Rudrapur at around 8 am and reached the Lucknow Ashram at around 5.15 pm having driven more than 330 kilometres. In his cottage he noted that it had been a long and hectic day for him and he would like to take some rest. On hearing this an abhyasi asked Master whether he was going to give a sitting or not. Despite protests from others present, Master then insisted on conducting satsangh saying that when he has been asked for something, he cannot refuse. This episode highlights the love our Master has for all of us that the call from the abhyasis, even though a strain for him physically, will be fulfilled and that he is continuously working for our upliftment.
Master then proceeded towards the meditation Hall and conducted satsangh for the those who assembled there. On His way to the hall, someone remarked that the hall was not filled to capacity, hence He need not go for Satsangh. Master remarked that irrespective of the number of people who come, He has to do what He has to do. He then recalled an incident with Babuji Maharaj in the US where He was to address a Public Meeting and only 5-7 people turned up for the meeting. When He asked Babuji Maharaj whether he should speak as or not as there were only 7 persons present, Babuji Maharaj replied that whether there are 7 persons or 7000, what you are going to speak is the same, so you go ahead and speak.
On the 12th, Master conducted the morning satsangh at 9:00 am. After satsangh, Master laid the foundation stone for Master’s cottage to be constructed. He then surveyed the large ashram property and then proceeded to the highest point in the land within the Ashram property where a beautiful gazebo has been erected. From this high point, Master had a view of the entire property. He named the road from the main road to this high point as “Adhyatm Path” (meaning spiritual road). Master sat at the high point and had informal discussions with abhyasis accompanying him under a tree. He enjoyed the time at the gazebo and decided to have a picnic the next evening, which was a full-moon night.
After satsangh brother U.S. Bajpai’s talk, Master addressed the gathering in Hindi. In His talk, Master spoke about discipline and said that once a prefect from Sitapur visited Babuji Maharaj and Babuji Maharaj was very unhappy with him and on his return sent a letter to him writing that it was His own fault that he did keep a stick in his hand, even if it was stick made of flowers. In trying to teach, He has to use all kinds of methods including love as well as punishment and unfortunately people here have come to think that there is only love in this method. However Babuji Maharaj had always wanted that behind love there should be discipline, as there is a saying in Tamil that the hands that hug are also the ones that beat, to bring someone on the straight path. Master said that Babuji Maharaj had wanted Ashrams for the benefit of abhyasis and also to have abhyasis close to the Ashram so that the Ashram can be properly utilized. Master expressed His hope that when He returns to Lucknow in April (to host Rev. Babuji Maharaj’s birthday celebrations on April 30) in the near future, all the people would have completed the construction of their houses and created an area which would attract people to come and stay and meditate there, for this was Babuji Maharaj’s vision and it is our duty to realize that vision.
The Lucknow Ashram is a large property with a Housing Colony for abhyasis coming up next to the Ashram. The Ashram is around 46 acres as of now which is likely to be expanded to 53 acres while the housing colony, christened “Sahaj Puram” by Rev. Master is spread across 62 acres. Master has indicated that this will be the North India Central Ashram.
After satsangh on the 13th, Master addressed the abhyasis in Hindi. Master talked of the need for discipline to accompany love. Master spoke about how Babuji Maharaj had always wanted that behind love there should be discipline, as there is a saying in Tamil that the hands that hug are also the ones that beat, to bring someone on the straight path.
The next morning in conversation with Abhyasis at the break-fast table, Rev. Master spoke about current affairs in general and when asked whether He continued the same idea from His youth or whether He changed His mind over a period of time, He said. “During life, have you seen this toy, the monkey, coming down the ladder, upside down, upside down. In life it is the reverse, climbing, every so often our views change, until they crystallize at some point. It is like a pendulum, first a big swing, then a narrow swing, little swing, but the swings are always equal, and then you find there is moderation in both swings, whether left or right, until it stops at the mid-point.”
When asked how He found the patience to wait for people to come to him, He said that it came with the realization that wherever they are, they are mine, for mineness is without distance, possessiveness demands proximity. True love is where you do not care whether your beloved is here or not. It is partly faith, partly trust, partly confidence but supremely love.
Speaking about trust, He said that Babuji Maharaj had told Him very early not to trust anybody, not to mistrust anybody but to see by the results, if he gave a person some work, to judge by the work, don’t judge the person, the person is always immaculate. You can always trust a soul; it is the coverings, which is the problem. So we judge by the work.
He went on to say that a tree is nothing but a seed’s way of propagating oneself. So, we like to have many abhyasis, for as Babuji Maharaj had replied to a question in Germany, His mind came from the mind of God which is infinite and so He liked everything that was infinite, big vistas, big ashrams, big assemblies, not because they are large, but because they tend to infinity as they enlarge more and more.
In the evening Master went to the gazebo for a picnic dinner as planned. Around 125 abhyasis had the opportunity to be with him at that time. Since it was a full-moon night, a telescope was also set up for Him. It was a delightful evening, and though tired, Master was visibly happy when He retired for the day, for the next day was to be a long day when He would be traveling to Varanasi.
Varanasi, 14-Feb-2006 to 16-Feb-2006
Master left from Lucknow at 8:00 am on 14th Feb, conducted satsangh at Sultanpur, and proceeded soon after lunch to Varanasi. He stayed at the “Vajra Vidya Sansthan”, a Buddhist guest house, close to the “Laya Yoga Ashram” and the historical sites of Sarnath.
On 15th, after morning satsangh, Br. Ajay Bhatter gave a talk on what it means to have “my ashram” and the need to support and build places for meditation for all of us.
Master then gave a talk in Hindi and started off asking what “Laya Yoga” means. One abhyasi answered that we achieve our goal through “dhyan” (meditation) and not by “puja” (prayer). This results in “laya” (in tune) with the divine. Master affirmed this and continued his talk. Master mentioned about the three homes which we have; the physical home where we have all the relationships with our family members like uncles, aunts, etc, have a married life and where we work to fulfill our material comfort and progress; the spiritual home where we have the brotherhood as the sacred relationship which is without greed and where our souls unite to welcome the divine (paramatma) and where our brotherhood grows; the eternal home which is readied for all of us by Him, and He is waiting for us to be in “laya avastha” with Him. Master went on urge us to think of how we can make Him happy – by love and devotion and by removing greed, jealousy, etc. through the process of cleaning.
On 16th, Master conducted the morning meditation and then started on the road journey to Allahabad enroute stopping at Gopiganj and Jhusi Ashram.
