Egoistic Meditation

Video Download Link

Q:  Could you please say something about any practice that is silent, without words, that supports the  aware Presence in recognizing itself?

Maharaj: After having Conviction, silence will be there, spontaneous silence is there. Therefore I am insisting on meditation.  Because, there is no silence because we are having so many concepts, body-based concepts. Directly or indirectly we’ve become a victim of our mind, ego, intellect. For which you have to identify yourself in a real sense. It’s fact, forget about spirituality.  You were not the body at all, you’re not the body, you’re not going to remain the body, the body is not your identity at all.  Even if you think intellectually, it’s open fact. What is the value of this body?  If there is no Presence for a moment, what is the value of this body? Nothing. And therefore I am insisting on meditation all the time, involvement. Considering the sensitivity of the Spirit or Presence, the words are given ‘Soham’ or some ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘Sivoham, these are the words. Key-words, you see, key-words.

Q: Maharaj?

Maharaj: Yes?

Q: Naam (inaudible) should be recited continuously at all times once one has received initiation?

Maharaj: You have to recite  the Naam Mantra all the time continuously, at any moment. You need not sit all the time here like this (Maharaj pretends to meditate). You do your job, do your duties, no restrictions, no bondage is there. What you are doing, whatever you are doing, you recite the Mantra, the Naam Mantra, ‘Aham Brahmasmi’, ‘Brahman I am, Brahman’, like that.

Q: And it will still the mind so that the mind is not all over the place all the time.

Maharaj: Mind is always pricking from the backside. When you’re concentrating on the Mantra, concentrating on ‘Brahman’, it’s a kind of cleaning process. Mind will not allow you to concentrate on yourself. Mind is nothing but the flow of thoughts. We are giving importance to the mind – there’s no mind at all, no mind, ego, intellect. They came along with the body only, they appeared upon your Presence. If your Presence is not there, where is the mind, ego, intellect? But directly or indirectly we are becoming victims of the mind, ego, intellect. We are giving so much importance to mind, ego, intellects: “Not to go against my mind”.

Q: Maharaj?

Maharaj: Yes?

Q: May I ask another question?

Maharaj: Yes, yes, ask a question.

Q: I (inaudible) with Vipassana meditation, which does not involve mantras, it is basically observing your breath, observing your body sensations. What are your thoughts on that?

Maharaj: This is a temporary relief. ‘Vipassana’, so many concepts are there. Temporary relief. So far you are doing Vipassana for a time, one week, two week, one month, after leaving the Vipassana again you come to the same place.

Q:  But what if you practice Vipassana everyday? I mean, what are your thoughts on Vipassana versus…

Maharaj: The Principle behind Vipassana or any practice is just do identify yourself in a real sense. Whatever practice you are doing, is just for the principle that you identify yourself in a real sense. This is only a process: Vipassana is a process, meditation is also a process. But meditation is a strong process through which you can identify yourself as early as possible.

Q: But in Vipassana meditation there is no mantra…

Maharaj: You (go ahead and) do Vipassana meditation, but you are posing yourself in body-form and then doing some Vipassana meditation, so it is meaningless. “I am somebody else, I’m doing Vipassana meditation”, it is egoistic meditation. You are to forget your body-identity. “I am doing some sadhana, I am doing some meditation” – that ‘I’ is supposed to be dissolved, for which meditation is there. Through meditation you are inviting the attention of the Invisible Meditator within you that you are Ultimate Truth, you are Final Truth. Non-stop hammering yourself. At the advanced stage, meditation is no longer required. After having Conviction, no meditation is required. Meditation is only a process for the time being., till you’ve got Conviction, Spontaneous Conviction.