Q: In Sahaj Marg, what is the final Goal?
Babuji: Ultimate Reality or Absolute. Q: Is that not the same in other systems also?
A: We say God and Absolute Reality or Ultimate Consciousness is a sort of description of it. You can say 'to be in God', 'absorbency', 'layavastha', 'Oneness'. Oneness in God is sufficient and absorbency in Brahm is something better. Q: Is God another name for Reality?
A: Yes. Q: We are asked, 'What happens after a person of liberation dies?'
A: They should themselves die and solve this question.' Q: What is the part of the disciple and what is the part of the Guru?
A: Submission on the part of the abhyasi and surrender on the part of Master… [Laughter] Surrender to the abhyasi. That is the best way for the Master. We should have yielding attitude to Master. That is the part of the abhyasi. And surrender on His part. Of course, it is said in the Gita and so many wise people have also said that we should surrender to God. It is very difficult if you take it that way. Surrender is the result of practice. And direct surrender means ego will develop. 'I surrender to God' means what-'I' remains and no surrender! If one surrendered to God or Master, what is the symptom? Then he will feel he has surrendered to everybody. The best Master is one who has surrendered to everybody. That is surrender on His part. And, on your part, yielding attitude. I think this is clear now. And moreover, I am telling you one more thing. Regulation of mind is not the duty of the taught. It is the duty of the teacher. You go to a saint and he says 'you do this practice, you do this jap' and so on and you do not feel anything. Regulation of mind is not there. You go on adding one more (practice) every day. The matter is not solved. Q: In this system, the preceptor or Guru has got a positive part to play. He has got to change or mould the abhyasi. Can we say so?
A: Yes. It is his duty. It is not merely his duty to say 'practice badhavo' (do more practice). He has got to take charge of the abhyasi and take him higher. I am against the gurus who burden abhyasis with so many practices. Take simple methods. If the mind is burdened, it becomes dull. They say, 'do this and do that'. Your mind is always busy. The whole of your time is engaged. What will be the condition of your brain? You lose your grasping power. The brain becomes dull. Different practices mean thrashing of mind. You crush the mind and that is very bad. Q: Is it necessary to give up other practices and other methods?
A: It is necessary. Because we should demolish the channels already made and you are making another channel. Thought force is divided in several channels. So you cannot go on with full force towards the Goal. Have one goal, one Master and one will. Q: How does one judge that he is progressing?
A: I am telling you one thing. The child is so much old and it grows. Does it know that it is growing? When it comes to full height, it will say 'I have become a man'. So when some height is reached and then only will he know his condition. Q: But we know when we are not progressing?
A: Yes, that we know. When we are hungry we say that we have not eaten anything. Q: In this connection, what positive steps has one to take to accelerate or know the progress?
A: Constant remembrance. Of course, meditation is there. But constant remembrance-it includes everything. By the way you remember a thing, it is direct to the goal. Or when you are diverted to one goal, there is vacuum and power rushes. It gets the way to descend. Q: In order to develop constant remembrance is meditation the process?
A: Meditation is essential. Of course, it helps very much and really interest develops. Q: When you say constant remembrance, remembrance of what?
A: Of God. Q: How can you remember God when you do not know God?
A: When a man has an idea of anything it is there. Somebody gives you an idea that there is God and then your interest is created. Although there is the idea you will create the interest yourself. If you do not do that it is your fault. Q: How to develop capacity to digest? Will that also come with constant remembrance?
A: Well. Even if you take much, it will get digested. Of course, it may produce constipation, but that will also dissolve after some time. Capacity means craving. (In Quran it is said: Human Masjid-that is the word) ... Bring more and more/bring more and more. Q: Of what?
A: Of Grace. Q: You said somewhere, Babuji, that as man practises Sahaj Marg, both sides will develop-that is, the spiritual side as well as the material side. Does the material side also improve?
A: It may or may not. We are not attentive to it. It does develop but this help is not promised. Q: One of our friends wants to know what is meant by 'Soul' in our system?
A: It is the 'spark of Reality coming from the same source'. Q: What happens to that spark when the body decays?
A: It reaches its own source and that is liberation. If you ask my opinion, laya avastha in Brahm-absorbency in Divinity-that should be our goal. Q: Cleaning. It is not very clear. Should we keep on cleaning for half an hour?
A: Do it for half an hour or forty-five minutes or one hour. People do it. Do it as others have been doing. Q: What is the mistake?
A: They meditate on the heart and think all grossness is going. They are meditating on grossness. I am telling you. Take it out. Brush it out in the form of vapour and smoke. Q: While one does cleaning, should we repeat the prayer?
A: No. What is written should be complied with. Q: Lots of people think that we should keep on repeating the prayer, like Jap.
A: That is wrong. Only once, at the beginning you say, O Master! Thou art the real goal of human life. We are yet but slaves of wishes, Putting bar to our advancement, Thou art the only God and Power, To bring us up to that stage. And then have no concern with it. If you repeat, you will not have taste of the meditation. It should not be repeated like a mantra. Q: After cleaning, is it necessary to meditate on the point of cleaning A, B, etc.?
A: You do what I say. I do not want to burden your mind on this point and that point. Q: There is a lot of difference between reading a thing and doing it under the guidance of Master.
A: Yes. In South India everybody is fond of Japa. Japa may be good but not equal to meditation. They do it wrongly. Books of authority we do not read. In Yoga Sutra it is written that we should meditate on the meaning. But nobody does it. What happens? It produces grossness-this repeating the same thing. (Discussion with Babuji Maharaj in New Delhi, 1971; reprinted from Constant Remembrance, April 1999 issue.)
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