FAQ - Frequently Asked Questions
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Why Meditation? |
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Every human being in this world aspires for peace and happiness. Happiness and peace have less to do with gross objects; they refer to states of mind. Moreover, there is another kind of experience, which is the highest and is independent of worldly objects and senses. It is called Bliss. This bliss is one thing for which a person should practice meditation.
Bliss or super sensuous joy enables a person to break the shackles of otherwise die-hard habits and addictions. For, it is so rewarding and ennobling an experience that nothing demoniacal can stand in it's way.
Yoga enables man to have deep relaxation also. It does this in two ways. Firstly a person who practices meditation or a yogi does not have worries, fears or spoilt relations. Secondly, he feels detached from the world and from situations. This relaxation makes him calm and enables him to take decisions without any tension, undue haste or pressure.
Further, yoga or meditation brings about behavioral transformation of man without any therapy. The thoughts made in meditation work like mental surgery. Positive virtues are implanted in him in place of negative traits. His outlook now changes and so, bad habits now loosen their grip on him. His energy is now used for constructive and useful work.
This brings about an overall enhancement in his personality. His shyness is now replaced by a feeling of confidence. From a dull, dreary and stiff person, he now becomes a man of sociable and charming manners.
All of these go a long way in improving relationship with others. He can now put up with all sorts of people and remain unprovoked. He now does not mind small things and laughs sway certain things instead of taking uncompromising and tough positions, so that he has health, happiness and a pleasing nature.
Another thing Yoga also enables a person is to experience the heavenly love, which comes only from God as the soul's Mother-Father, Friend, Savior and ‘Sweet Heart'. This love plays such a melody on the strings of one's mind that one really feels enraptured. It can be better experienced than said.
Last but not the least, Raja yoga enables a person to control his mind and to have an economy of thoughts. One is now freed from purposeless and negative thoughts. In a word, it can be said that meditation brings about fulfillment in man's life.
You can say that with the practice of meditation, a person will be in harmony with nature, at peace with his own self, in concord with others and in unison with the Creator. His mind is not in conflict with his intellect nor his actions disturb nature nor contravene injunctions of God.
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What is mind, What is Soul or Consciousness |
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This world will soon become a better place to live in and will soon have the Golden Age or the era of peace and purity if man realises the self as distinct from the body, practises soul-consciousness and, on that basis, adopts motto of World Brotherhood.In order to end the Iron Age, the society has to understand that the root cause of all sufferings and troubles in the world is that man has gradually come to identify himself with the body. Today, little does he realise, and much less does he practise the truth that, in this body which is made of inert matter, dwells a conscient and immortal entity - the eternal spark of life and light, called the soul.
The body is like a temple and the soul is like the flame of light or like the deity in a temple. The body is like a car and the soul like its driver. The body is an assemblage of instruments in the shape of various organs - whereas the soul is its user. The body and the brain are like a computer whereas the soul it is that programmes it and uses it. The body is not for its own sake but for a conscient user, called the soul.
The soul is like a micro-star. It abides in the body, midway between the eye-brows, where a devout in India apply Tilak - a sacred mark. Here, it is connected with the brain and the nervous system.
The soul has three intrinsic abilities which the body or anything else, made of matter, does not possess. These are (1) the ability to think or wish or will, (2) the ability to judge, understand or investigate and (3) the ability to retain impressions of past thoughts in the form of attitudes, moods or habits. The first of these is known as Mind, the second as Intellect and the third as Samskãras, Resolves or the Latencies.
It is these abilities which distinguish one man from another and determine the mental and moral state of a person. One who is given to violence and other evils is known as a sinner, the other who makes efforts to purify his thoughts, judgment and resolves is known as a 'Mahãtma' or 'an elevated soul' whereas the one who has completely divinised himself, is called a devãtma or a deity. It should thus be clearly borne in mind that it is the soul that suffers or enjoys because of its bad or good actions, for mind is not an entity separate from the soul; rather, it is the name given to the manifestation of soul's consciousness. |
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Divine Virtues |
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It is the divine qualities that make man a gentle or a noble man and enable a person to become great.
Cheerfulness stands high among these. As a flower spreads its freshness and fragrance all round in the atmosphere, a smile on man's face cheer up the spirit of others who come in his sphere. Thus, a cheerful man does silent service to others.
Tolerance and patience too are sterling qualities. They give to man's mind the strength of steel. Like the seat-cushions or the buffer springs, they work as shock-absorbers in life. One who has these can withstand great hardships and bumps.
Sweetness of language and temper is another great virtue. One who discerns only the good qualities of others, is a man of great merit. As a bee collects sweetness from flowers, so does a man who has an eye for others' merits, gather good points, and he himself also becomes a store of sweetness like a honey-comb.
Humility is another high quality. One who thinks himself to be a humble man, is considered by others to be a great man or a saint. A king, wearing a crown rules over his kingdom only, but a man having humility, though without a crown, is a king in his own right; his kingdom knows not the barriers of territory or time, for he rules over the hearts of men of all ages.
Fearlessness saves man from worries and suspicion that cause pain, as much as a person being hanged on the gallows feels. Thus, he lives a carefree life as against a coward who, as the saying goes, dies many times before death.
Contentment is of very great merit. A man who is contented is richer than the wealthiest man in the world, for he is not riding the wild horse of unfulfilled wishes. He considers God's knowledge as so many gems being showered on him by God, and looks upon his righteous actions and his yoga as the great treasure.
Self-confidence is undeniably a very great task. It is this that enables man to consider a mountain as a molehill whereas one who lacks in this quality looks upon a molehill as a mountain.
Straightforwardness enables man to fit better in society. People do not have to be afraid of his intrigues or his tricks. On the other hand, a crooked man is like that nail or a peg which has many bends.
Again, service to others and the spirit of sacrifice are qualities that make a man truly great and happy.
These and many other divine virtues come naturally to anyone who practices meditation as he/she establishes a link with God who is the perennial source of these. |
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Mental Tensions |
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Mental tension is the cause of the crimes in the world. Many diseases are also due to psychological imbalance, nervous strain and hypertension. In order to feel relaxed, some people, now-a-days, take tranquilisers, smoke marijuana or use LSD drugs but this does not provide them with a lasting relief. Rather, these things have harmful effects on man's mental faculties and they make him a slave of the urge to take them again and again. It has now been demonstrated that the best course to be free from mental tension is to practise Raja Yoga daily, even though for a short while.
One would naturally like to know as to what exactly it is that leads man to mental tension and how Raja Yoga helps to keep him free from it. In this connection, one should know that the main factor responsible for the mental tension is man's attitude towards events, persons and things. It is well-known that the main mechanism through which man reacts to external stimuli in the form of events, persons or things is man's brain and the network of sensory and motor nerves with which the brain is connected. But it is the soul which is the centre of the consciousness and the soul abides near the pituitary gland. The pituitary receives the external stimuli through the hypothalamus which receives information from the cerebral cortex of the brain and passes it on to the soul. Now it depends upon what attitudes, values or proclivities the soul has. The soul reacts to those stimuli according to its tendencies, beliefs, values etc. through the above-mentioned mechanism. Raja Yoga enables the soul to have proper attitudes, values,will-power and bliss through link with God. If for example, the soul looks upon the world as a drama, it does not feel sad in the face of adverse events. Rather, it takes them as mere passing panorama and remains as a witness.
Again, if the soul has the belief that he was originally calm and peaceful and that all other persons also are souls, related to it as brothers, he treats all with love and if others act unrighteously, he pities them and tries to extricate him rather than get disturbed.
Further, the soul, because of his belief in God as the omnipotent and merciful Father, who helps those who help themselves by acting according to divine law, remains free of worry, feels secure and also get love from Him. It experiences bliss and this saves the soul from the harmful impact of external stimuli on his consciousness. Thus, Raja Yoga helps the soul to feel relaxed and peaceful. |
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From Crime Age to Divine Age |
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Man today is unmindful of what effect his actions will have on others. He has scant regard for the welfare of others. His insatiable greed has resulted in inhuman exploitation of others. In this, he has gone even to the extent of depriving others of bare necessities of life. Black-marketing, hoarding, bribery and adulteration hold no bar for him. He can adulterate even such things as food-stuff and spices and what are called 'life-saving drugs'. He can sell spurious medicines though it may injure the health of others. He even pollutes the atmosphere and the water-resources through the industrial wastes, chimney soot and smoke from the motor vehicles to the detriment of all. To be brief, man is now living on brother man. He has now become callous and cruel.
His anger is now more wild than even the wild animals themselves. Though possessed with language and reasoning faculty, he strikes head against head to settle his disputes. And, his hand has horns too and his hands have the claws too! He has spent astronomically high amounts to pile up atom and hydrogen bombs for destroying 'civilization' and for feeding the cannon with fodder though millions of his brothers have nothing to feed them with.
Sex-indulgence has now become a means of recreation. About forty million people are being added to the world every year, with a grave danger to the human race.
One can go on adding endlessly to the list of crimes and vices, for man today has become barbarous, liar, cheat and hypocrite. He wants to deceive God even after making money through unfair means!
Such being the state of society, let us warn that the world is heading towards a major catastrophe through over population, nuclear war, natural calamities, civil strife and environmental pollution.
But, let it be noted that divine efforts are also going on to sow the seeds of a divine world order by implanting divine qualities in the mind of those who are willing to listen to the divine call and to change their ways. Those who would care would go via divine knowledge, Raja Yoga and virtues, to the divine world. |
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