A slightly cloudy day with faint rain and chilled weather fell on Paris as many abhyasis stood in a queue outside the Institut du Monde Arabe, to register and sign up for the entrance into the hall. It stands just opposite to the street where the ashram is situated. Seating over 500 people, it has comfortable seats in an auditorium format.
Daaji arrived in the car from his hotel. At the registration desk, he was greeted warmly and “registered” by having the band tied around his wrist.
Daaji conducted satsangh for all present; newcomers were given the first four rows up in the front so that they could interact with Daaji at closer quarters. Many had not yet met him in person.
Daaji gave a brief talk to answer some questions. In response to a question on whether a musician can transmit love, peace, compassion, joy, blissfulness, etc. through a performance of music to the audience, Daaji answered, “Yes, it is possible not only for music, but for all kinds of activities that we perform in our daily lives. If you’re a mother, a teacher, a professor, a researcher, a farmer, a sportsperson, just connect with your heart, connect with the center of your being, before you start any activity. Then it will become very creative and very effective.
“For every action we perform, not only in the material world but also in the spiritual world, we can evaluate how much faster we can do it, how much better we can do it, and how much more efficiently we can perform it. All this can happen when we are watchful of ourselves through inner centering. Centering is possible only through our meditative practices.
“Even though we practice day in and day out, sometimes we lose interest. I also felt it during my practice days. I still practice, but in the very early days I would meditate for one, two or three days morning and evening, but after two or three weeks I would lose interest. Then, the intensity, the inner passion to practice would slow down. I found it very effective to visit a preceptor and take a sitting. That always worked for me.
“So one fundamental thing is to center ourselves, and we can center ourselves more effectively when we are regular in our practice. Even when we are regular, we can accelerate it, make it more intense, by taking sittings from preceptors.
“I have received many letters from Heartfulness practitioners saying that personal face-to-face sittings are a lot better than remote sittings. This is because there is cooperation from both sides. The preceptor is able to read the condition of the practitioner better. The practitioner is able to converse and express their issues better, and openly receive the sitting. It is not just a matter of belief. For remote sittings, you need a great level of faith and belief. Until that level of faith arrives, I think we have to make use of face-to-face individual sittings, plus the group meditations.
“We have to really intensify the practice every day. I have observed something: If I practice with some intensity today, and tomorrow the same intensity, the third day the same intensity, the fourth day the same intensity of passion, it will not do. It has to become incremental. The problem is, as we rise higher and higher and we get used to the practice, the passion to practice reduces. And we are not able to maintain what we call the joy in the practice. We have to again and again find ways and means to feed that joy. That’s the trick. And no one can give us the key for that. We all need to develop it in our own way.”
Addressing another question, he differentiated between desiring to be a preceptor and serving as one, highlighting the essence of service. He encouraged the audience to aspire to serve with humility and enthusiasm, aligning with Babuji Maharaj’s vision of creating masters who guide others with their acquired light. Daaji concluded by emphasizing the need for confidence and enthusiasm in both spiritual and professional pursuits.
After responding to questions from abhyasis, he made his way out of the hall towards the ashram. There he interacted with several abhyasis whom he had invited for breakfast with him.
