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Role of Love in meditation-Sai Baba
more on meditation...

Do not be carried away by the term Meditation. It is not something that one does by sitting for a couple minutes or hours. It should be always at all places (the contemplation on the Lord). It should not pertain only to Mandir/meditation room. Wherever one goes, be it market or classes, one should be totally absorbed. We should be totally sacred in our feelings.

This is possible only through the path of love. Speak lovingly to all people. Even such a speech should be in moderation. This is because mind begins to change as words become many.


One sage came from the Himalayas and declared that he had conquered anger. He met his friends and told them that he was totally at peace and that he had no anger in him at all. One came and asked him - "Sir! Have you conquered anger?" "Yes! I have controlled" came the guarded reply. That person reiterated, "Sir! You of all the people! Have you really conquered anger?" "Yes, it is true" came the gruff reply. "What sir! It is really impossible to believe. How could you conquer anger?" Asked the man for the third time. "Ai! Can't you understand when I have said so?" Came the hot reply. "Sir! When this is the case, how could you have conquered anger?", asked the man for the fourth time. "Are you out of your senses? I told you that I have conquered". So, while saying that he had conquered anger, due to repetition of words, he lost control over anger. If words were not expressed, anger might cooled down. But as he expressed them, anger grew. Due to lack of patience, anger emanates. There is no other remedy for anger. Only cultivation of patience is the answer.
 

 

Today man is bent upon conquering/vanquishing/controlling anger. This is wrong. He must inculcate patience. Then anger will automatically subside. If darkness has to be expelled, light has to be brought. Similarly, to expel anger, patience has to be fostered. So, make efforts to develop patience.

Patience or sanctity can be attained only through love. There is nothing that cannot be attained with love. One can attain all with love.

Everything is dedicated/subordinate to love. Hence it is said LOVE IS GOD; LIVE IN LOVE. If the concept of love is perfectly understood, it in itself becomes Meditation. Meditate on love. But the love should be selfless. It should be dedicated to the Lord. Any kind of love once offered to Lord becomes sanctified.


We have made sweet pongal at home. We call it sweet pongal and eat it. The same sweet pongal once it is offered to the Lord in a temple, we call it 'prasadam' / blessed food. The moment you offer it to the Lord, it becomes prasadam. All defects - defects of the ingredients, cooking and the vessel would get removed after such an offering.

For the sweet pongal made at home, there may not be cleanliness of the vessel, ingredients or the cooking process itself. In order to remove all defects from the food cooked - we do not know wherefrom the vegetables have come; may be they were stolen; may be the intention of the seller was not good. We assemble all food items and pray to Lord that everything be blessed. Then it all becomes prasadam and all defects run away from the same.


There is a small clause in meditation. All cannot do the same type of meditation. Meditation changes from person to person depending on their state of evolution/capacity. All doing one type of meditation is not proper. Each has his own form to worship and the way he goes about it may also differ.

Some worship God as Mother of the Universe; some consider Him as Father of the Universe while others consider God to be their friend. There are those who worship God as Master/husband. Ramakrishna Paramahamsa, Gauranga are examples of this nature. Jayadeva and Gauranga had not done any meditation. They felt no need for meditation as they could see God everywhere.


There is a small anecdote. This happened to many great men in all the yugas. Gaurangada entered a small village called Nava Dweepa. He could not find a place to live. If he were to go the streets to do bhajan, mischievous boys would throw stones at him. They troubled him in numerous ways. To avoid all this, he entered the temple of Lord Eshwara. Keeping his legs on top of the Lingam - image of Lord Shiva, he lay down to sleep.

In the morning the chief priest arrived. Considering him to be a mad man, the priest beat him. "O fool! How dare you put your feet on top of the Lord's image? Could you not find any other place to keep your feet?", asked the priest. Then Chaitanya replied - "Sir! Please show me the place where Eshwara does not exist and I shall gladly place my feet on that spot." Saying that he would show him, the priest dragged Chaitanya by the feet and dropped him aside.

Due to his merit, even there the image of the Lord appeared. The pujari dragged him all over the mandir, wherever Chaitanya's feet fell, Eshwara's image was seen to emerge. Then the pujari realised his folly. God pervades the universe. How then can anyone define a place to be devoid or filled with God? For a true aspirant God's insignia are seen everywhere.

Since God pervades the creation, there is nothing that is unsacred. But there is bound to be a change in the way we utilise the same. Therefore, we can make some changes in the society, house and people with whom we deal. Then alone can we obtain peace of mind. It is not meditation if one were to close one's eyes/sit in lotus posture/sit without movements.

The most important factor for meditation is to fill the heart with love. That love is verily God Himself. Along with this love you must also sit in the lotus posture and in the manner described earlier to awaken the kundalini power and thus give more meaning to your lives.


You may go anywhere and do anything. But your heart must be filled with pure love. Gaurangada, Tukaram, Nammalwar etc., have lived in this manner. If purity of heart is one's property, one can question the Lord's ways as a rightful gesture. After a lot of merit, we have acquired the birth of a human being. If we do not make good use of it, it would be a sheer waste.


Gems in the ocean are not easily available. With a great difficulty if one were to dive deep and brave the attack of sharks, one could manage to obtain rare pearls hidden in the womb of the ocean. The pearl that is got after such a strenuous effort, if one were to lose it, one would not get it back however much one may pine.
"Sway! Lord Krishna! I have obtained with great difficulty the pearl of Krishna from the deep ocean of samsara. Please shower your grace that I may not lose it", prayed Meera. Since her prayer was such, Lord Krishna also granted her that wish.

She loved and pined for Krishna so much that her anguish at the separation from the Lord turned into penance and she merged into the Lord. Every human who would like to turn the energy in him to divinity must participate in prayers. Prayer for mind is as essential as food is for body. Good food strengthens the body. Stale food brings about ill-health. Similarly, if we participate in prayers, our heart becomes pure. If, on the other hand, one were to participate with pomposity, ego and show, it would be like the bad food harming the mind. Therefore youth must travel from slumber and inactivity to penance. Whatever we may do, we must do with determination. One should not stop meditation after having begun, in a span of 2 days. Whole life should be transformed into meditation.

We have come essentially for that purpose. We must discharge our duties. Along with this knowledge we must seek worldly education also. One must accept the basis of the worldly education. I have told many a time. I am repeating, observe the message carefully.


There are many metals in the earth - Iron, steel etc. As they are deep inside earth, due to heat, they are available in the form of liquid. Due to this heat even iron would be in a liquid state. This we call as Chemistry.

As we gradually come to the surface, the materials solidify as the temperature decreases and we call it as Physics. As dust and other particles join this, plants begin to sprout in it. The study of these plants is called Botany. Insects and birds come from everywhere to these plants.

The study of these birds and insects is called Zoology.
What is the basis for Zoology? Botany? The foundation of Botany is Physics which in turn is based on Chemistry. So, for Chemistry also there must be some foundation. Isn't it? There is water in this tumbler. For the water to stay, there must be a container in the first place. If there is no vessel, how can liquid stay put? Therefore the source of sciences - Chemistry has its foundation in divinity.

Therefore, all the sciences have stemmed from the root of Divinity. So, for all subjects Divinity is the primal basis. If we were to catch the vessel, Divinity, all the contents, subjects, would easily become ours. Today we are ready to catch the creation and investigate but have not ever thought of investigating the nature of the creator. Even those that harm us become friendly in the presence of the Lord.


Serpent adorns the neck of Lord Shiva. Since it is around the neck of the Lord, we bow down to it also. Same serpent if seen in the bazaar would die due to the blows received from us. Though it is a poisonous snake, since it adorns the neck of the Lord, it becomes worthy of worship.


Once Lord Vishnu sent Garuda to Eshwara with a message. Eshwara's body is very peculiar. His body is smeared with vibhuti/ash. He has moon as his crown jewel and serpents as his other ornaments. To such Shiva when Garuda flew and landed, the breeze created by his wings disturbed the sacred ash of the Lord which fell into the eyes of the snake adorning His neck. The serpent, in anger, hissed at Garuda. Garuda replied, "O snake! Since you adorn the Lord's neck you are saved. Had you been in the bazaar/market place, I would have snatched you with my feet and torn you to shreds. Since you are in the proximity of the Lord you have earned the right to be forgiven."


Similarly, since you are enjoying Swami's proximity, people praise you. The moment you leave Swami and go, people do not care a fig for you. Wherever you go, you must absorb whatever has been taught here and keeping the discipline as your shadow and Swami in your heart must create peace around you. Once in a while to recharge your batteries, you can come to Swami. In this way, you can enjoy Swami's Love and Grace. - Sai Baba
Complied from selections "Meditation as explained by Sri Sathya Sai baba"

Path of meditation - Love is God - Live in Love'.

This process is called Meditation or is referred to as Dhyana. However, today in the world many people are teaching in many different ways the meaning of the word Dhyana. What is the meaning of Dhyana? What is it that we are going to meditate about and who is going to do it? For what purpose are we going to meditate? Unless there is an object on which you could meditate, it is not possible to meditate. Such an object on which you meditate or do Dhyana is referred to as Dhyeya. Without the object of concentration, you can not concentrate. There is an object of meditation, but who is meditating? Therefore, there must be a third thing - Dhyatha, which is you. You, who would be called Dhyatha, through the path of meditation or Dhyana, have to reach and experience the object of meditation or Dhyeya. These three are being referred to as three factors, one who receives the obeisance; one who gives the obeisance and the process of giving obeisance. When the man who meditates takes to the object of meditation and goes through the process of meditation, then all these three, one who meditates, the one which is the object of meditation and the process of meditation - unite and coalesce into one and only then you achieve oneness. The one who loves, the one who is being loved and the process of love, are three factors. In Prema, one who gives Prema, one who receives Prema and the process of Prema, we should regard all these three as one, through which the Premathatwa or the aspect of love is flowing. Even if any one of these three is missing, it is not possible to realise the completeness. If two, the one who loves and the process of love are there and there is no one to love, then it becomes useless. If the other two, the one who loves and the one who can be loved are there, but if there is no love between the two, then that becomes useless. On the other hand there may be the process of love and there may be one who will be loved, but if there is nobody to love, then also it becomes useless. So it is the oneness of all these three which will be referred to as Dhyana or meditation. In all these three, Prema is present to the same extent. This is referred to by saying 'Love is God - Live in Love'.

There is a need for us to make a proper enquiry into this path of meditation. This is referred to by saying 'Love is God - Live in Love'.


More Sai Baba (advice) on meditation

The Banyan tree  Jyoti Meditation - Silent Sitting
Path of meditation
Article:Don't feed the monkeys-monkey mind & meditation
 

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