After the morning walk, Daaji gave two interviews during the day. Shri Rajesh Mittal, the Editor of the Sunday Edition of the Navbharat Times interviewed Daaji and asked several questions.
When the journalist asked him, “Daaji do you still meditate?” Daaji said, “Yes.” Baffled by the reply he asked “You meditate? Wow! One would think that you did not need it. So, how long do you meditate each day?” Daaji said, “It is good to meditate every day. As for me, I meditate 24 hours a day!”
After the morning walk, Daaji gave two interviews during the day. Shri Rajesh Mittal, the Editor of the Sunday Edition of the Navbharat Times interviewed Daaji and asked several questions.
Dr James R Doty MD, who had recently interviewed Daaji from the US, was present in person in Kanha. Dr Doty is the author of the best-selling book Into the Magic Shop. Daaji was very happy to meet him in person and gave a loving hug to him as soon as Daaji came to the office
Growing up in the desert of California, Jim Doty was poor, with an alcoholic father and a mother chronically depressed and paralyzed by a stroke. Today he is the director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education (CCARE) at Stanford University, of which His Holiness the Dalai Lama is a founding benefactor. But back then his life was at a dead end until at twelve he wandered into a magic shop looking for a plastic thumb. Instead, he met Ruth, a woman who taught him a series of exercises to ease his own suffering and manifest his greatest desires. Her final mandate was that he keep his heart open and teach these techniques to others. She gave him his first glimpse of the unique relationship between the brain and the heart.
Doty would go on to put Ruth’s practices to work with extraordinary results—power and wealth that he could only imagine as a twelve-year-old, riding his orange Sting-Ray bike.
Part memoir, part science, part inspiration, and part practical instruction, Into the Magic Shop shows us how we can fundamentally change our lives by first changing our brains and our hearts.
Daaji is appreciative of Dr. Doty’s work and had interesting conversations on scientific and spiritual matters. After the conversation, Daaji conducted a brief meditation from 11.52 am to 12.05 pm, and a few people who were waiting to meet him outside also meditated sitting on the lawn.
As he came out to leave, Daaji met Shri R R Passi from Haryana who is the coordinator of Patanjali Yogpeeth for Chandigarh, Mohali, and Panchkula. He and his spouse who are both retired government officials were attracted deeply to the Sahaj Marg practice after meeting Daaji during his travels to Chandigarh. Their time spent in Kanha had been so lovely due to the profound meditations that they were feeling very thankful to Daaji and wanted to express their gratitude. They also promised to engage voluntarily in offering Heartfulness meditation practice in the 75+ locations in Chandigarh where they conduct daily early morning meditation classes. Daaji invited them to study the Sahaj Marg literature and come back to further their training in Kanha soon. Daaji took photos with the visitors and spoke briefly to a few more people promising to be back in the evening.
A very long list of interview questions were on the desk of Mr. Mittal. Daaji carefully answered everyone with such a presence of mind that all those listening were stoked. He is so collected, so gathered, so present, so poised that one wonders what makes it possible for him to be the way he is. He explained about spirituality and transcending consciousness deftly with imagery that can only come from one who has transcended those states himself.
When the journalist asked him, “Daaji do you still meditate?” Daaji said, “Yes.” Baffled by the reply he asked “You meditate? Wow! One would think that you did not need it. So, how long do you meditate each day?” Daaji said, “It is good to meditate every day. As for me, I meditate 24 hours a day!”
He explained that being in a meditative state which is achieved by sincere practice, is what keeps us in a state of flow. We are thus always connected to the inner presence and everything happens as it is supposed to. You are simply always meditative.
Another interesting highlight of that interview was when he explained that in our method of Heartfulness practice, there are no recognitions or seats of honor for anyone who has attained a high level of spiritual state or crossed a higher chakra. If this is done it can become the very reason for their fall.
All of us here, each and everyone is the same and the spiritual journey is ongoing for each one. If they are tuned into the frequency of the Master, the work is automatic. We do not give a membership or make anyone a trustee or give them any position in the organisation based on their donation or contribution whatsoever.
We choose to remain anonymous when we donate. This is a singular feature that is encouraged in Heartfulness.
The editor was so caught up in his questions that he did not notice the time flying by. Instead, his enthusiasm only increased with each question. After the interview, he gave due attention to the requests of a couple of practitioners who wanted to greet him. They had brought copies of the book Spiritual Anatomy from the US for Daaji as the book is yet to be released in India. Daaji signed a copy, especially for Dr James Doty, and offered it to him. Daaji began looking tired by this time with the long session of Q & A. Every time Daaji finished answering one question, the editor asked a new question without a pause!
Daaji politely and carefully kept answering them until he had to leave. He asked that Dr James Doty be taken for a tour of Yatra Garden. The Yatra Garden in Kanha deserves a little description. It is not just stunning in shape and sight, it is a marvel of inner craftsmanship. By inner we refer to the atmosphere, to the spiritual currents which flow there. It is impossible not to be affected by it. Every time one goes there- it captures the heart while intriguing the mind. For all seekers of Spirituality who visit the garden, it valiantly displays the spiritual yatra that Pujya Babuji Maharaj so carefully described in his book, “Towards Infinity”. The real marvel is the feeling it evokes. Whether one is aware of it or not, it strikes the right chord of vibrations so that one can feel the nature of the chakra where one is strolling along. This is a creation beyond human understanding, it is a Divine occurrence for which one can be admirative and grateful.
This experience is further enhanced in the dusk when the lights are on, for indeed the superbly arranged night lights bring to the fore what the daylight makes blatant in its lack of nuance. The pure Kanha darkness is a perfect velvet backdrop against which the various statues, and symbols stand out so that one can dive deep and search for meaning in the artwork displayed in stone, plants, curves, colors, elements as well as lights weaved in its unique tapestry.
Daaji had invited the guests to dinner at his place with brother Naren Kini from the USA. He discussed some ideas to plan a celebration for the World Compassion Day on February 24th, 2024.
