16 June
After his brief stop in Iglas, Daaji proceeded towards Aligarh, arriving there in the late evening. Hotel reservations had been made in advance for Daaji and those traveling with him. A large hall within the hotel had been thoughtfully transformed into a meditation space, creating a serene environment for the upcoming sessions.
In the evening, Daaji conducted meditation, after which he spoke to all. Here are a few translated excerpts from the speech.
- The Heartfulness method is a divine gift—the distilled essence of the Vedas, Puranas, and Gitas, especially the Bhagavad Gita. It contains within it the very spirit of all these scriptures.
- Many avatars and saints have graced our land, each expressing truth in their own way. Lord Buddha spoke of nirvana, Mahavir Swami of the Jainism tradition said ‘reach the condition of kaivalyadham.’ Saint Kabir urged us to become ‘nothing,’ like a drop that merges into the ocean and becomes one with it. Lord Krishna told us to be like the lotus leaf, on which water does not stay, meaning, to live in such a way that no thought or action leaves an impression upon our consciousness.
- But no one has shown the way to achieve all these states. Nowhere, except Sahaj Marg. Sahaj Marg says ‘meditate.’ But people misunderstand what meditation is—they think it means controlling the mind, developing thoughtlessness, or focusing and concentrating with the mind. All these meanings are wrong. How will you truly do that which you don’t understand?
- As long as samskaras (impressions) remain, the cycle of birth and rebirth continues. So what to remove? Remove the samskaras that lie dormant in seed form. This technique is also in Sahaj Marg.
- Yogic transmission works as a fuel; it connects our consciousness with the Divine consciousness, and so we can experience it. So we must keep in mind that ours is not an ordinary meditation—we are connected with Him via a subtle thread, through a flow of energy. Revere Him, welcome Him. Say, ‘I don’t know you, I don’t even know if you exist, but whatever it may be, I want to experience you.’ Meditate with this approach in the morning. Create a longing, surrender your condition to Him and then meditate.
- After meditation, preserve the inner condition that develops. Remember it through the day. Even if work or activity makes you forget, recall it again and revive it from the depths of your heart. Enlivening the condition intensifies it. Try to become one with it even while working—then, your connection with Him will remain intact. The fragrance of spirituality will begin to permeate all your material work and actions. You will notice that any work undertaken in this spirit will naturally attain perfection; it will never remain incomplete or half-hearted. In this way, your actions will no longer leave impressions on the consciousness.
- These threads of spirituality will begin to weave a new destiny for you—you will spiritualize your material existence. This all happens in a (sahaj) natural way and hence our path is ‘Sahaj Marg.’ Since we perform all actions with the heart, it is ‘Heartfulness.’ See it from any angle, and you will find it is a completely natural path.
Later on, Daaji offered a few reflections on the importance of maintaining a meditative state even outside of formal sittings. He reminded everyone that ‘the true measure of meditation is how it changes our response to life.’ On his way back to his room, Daaji stopped at the garden lawn for a photograph with all the children of the abhyasis. He even took the littlest one in his arms! Afterwards, he retired to his room for dinner and continued working late into the night.
