Meditation is the journey from movement to stillness, from sound to silence. The need is present in you to meditate because it is your natural tendency to look for undiminished joy and love that doesn’t distort or turn negative.
Is meditation alien to us? That’s not true because you have been in meditation even before your birth. In the womb you were doing nothing. You didn’t even have to chew food; you were fed directly and you were happily floating in fluid, turning and kicking. That is meditation or absolute comfort. You did nothing, everything was done for you. Isn’t it natural for us to crave for that state of absolute comfort? And getting back to that state which you have had a taste of, just before entering the hustle and bustle of the world is very natural because everything in the universe is cyclic, and wants to go back to its source.
The natural tendency is to recycle all that we’ve collected in life as impressions, getting rid of them and getting back to the original state we were at birth is what meditation is all about. Becoming fresh again, alive, is what it is. Getting back to that serenity, your original nature, is meditation. It is absolute joy and happiness; pleasure minus excitement. A thrill without anxiety is meditation. It is love without hatred or any of its opposite values.
Meditation is food for the soul. When you are hungry, spontaneously you eat something. If you are thirsty you drink water. Similarly, the soul yearns for meditation and this tendency is in everyone. Hence, there is not a single individual who is not a seeker. It’s just that they don’t recognise it. The problem is that we try to look for that food where it is not available. It is like going to a grocery shop when you want to fill fuel in your car. You keep going around the grocery store saying, ‘I want fuel for my car.’ It won’t work because you need to go to the petrol station. So, find the right direction. Meditation happens in transition. Actually meditation happens, you can’t do it. You can only create a congenial atmosphere for it to happen.
Meditation is uplifting energy and mind and spreading it out. When you’re happy, you associate it with a sense of expansion. And whenever you have felt miserable, you associate it with a sense of shrinking or contraction. There is something in you which expands when you’re happy and contracts when you’re unhappy. But we never pay attention to what is contracting and expanding. We only keep our attention outside; we have not paid attention to the reason.
Sage Gaudapadacharya said, “There is something in you that is expanding that is worth knowing.” Even a glimpse of this consciousness, this energy inside you, can make the smile on your face so strong that nothing whatsoever can take it away from you. Nobody can make you miserable or take away the joy from your life. Life assumes another dimension suddenly once you glimpse something inside that is expanding. You don’t have to leave things here and go. Just being amidst all the noise and still recognizing that beauty is so wonderful, so fascinating, right here and now and that is meditation, which is supreme prayer. All powers are hidden within the Self and everything will manifest when you connect to your consciousness.
I shifted to Pune in September 2011, with a new job. My life started changing from the day I thought to move on in my last organization. It was a new home in a Pune, new lifestyle, new neighbors, new friends with a new job. Everything started changing. There was a swimming pool in my new society. I was very excited to swim. But only I found that I have lost all the stamina and I could not swim more than 1 short round at a stretch in the pool. I knew, my bad habit of smoking is taking its toll on me.
I thought it is the right opportunity to quit smoking, which was on my agenda since many years. I made a plan, i had already reduced smoking to 1-2 fags a day. In pune I finally quit smoking. However it wasn’t a full stop. I still used to smoke when I was tensed and flooded with thoughts making an unstable state of mind.
So now in order to quit smoking I had to get over all the tensions. I thought lets take this opportunity to implement my long time plan to learn some meditation technique which might help me to reduce some tension which in tern help me quit smoking. I was reading many things about meditation which just increased my confusion whom to believe and what to follow. During this time my nephew Priyen came to visit us in Pune while returning from his visit from a small village in Kundapura near Udipi. I heard stories of this remote place, lots of rain and astonishing nature surrounding. I was very impressed by this and thought this would be the best place to meditate. I always used to think that meditation could be practiced or at least learned at such remote places, where there are no honking cars and no noise and no pollution. But the courses conducted at this place were only for advance courses. Which means one should know the basic techniques taught in the Part I- AOL course.
By then I had made my mind that I am going to attend this Advance course at Kundapura and for that I will do a basic course where it is possible. Things were changing, I was changing, a few months ago I was a AOL hater. I used to hate it like anything. And now I was thinking to give it a try. I got to know that there is an Ashram, named Triveni Ashram ( Markal Village ) near saint Dyaneshwar’s place Alandi at Pune outskirts. That was good place for me as per the criteria I always had in mind and it was close to home. I registered for this course and did my Part I course with Teacher Sharad Thakkarji at Triveni Ashram, Markal gaon. Sharadji was mind blowing. The three days I spend there were so peaceful and brought me so much happiness that even my newly bought Skoda car didn’t ever gave me. I had lots of dance, sang songs and had lots of fun during this course. All the time I was thanking of my sisters and my mom and many other well wishers for their efforts to help me reach this place. I completed this course only with the strong thought to do the Advance course asap and not to wait for the course that will be conducted during Guru Purnima at Kundapura. Also doing the advance course once before doing it at Kundapura would have helped me to be more comfortable, that’s what I was thinking.
I was fortunate enough to get another opportunity to do an advance course soon after the Part I with Balwinderji again at Triveni Ashram. I had amazing experiences during this course. I found answers to many of my long time unanswered questions. I found the peace which I never found in most of the temples. The dancing, singing, drawing, celebration, service, happiness and many more things were of course advance in this advance course. The fun was also much much more than that of Part I. I got to know what silence means, whats the reason and power of silence. I noticed some funny people trying to communicate with each other in sign language.
I learn many things from this course. When I was back, many things in my life were changed, changed for good. I started exercising again, I quit smoking finally. All these things started showing their results on me. I started feeling more happy, energetic, light and tension free. I started loosing all those unnecessary fats I had earned during last so many years. Doctors had given me warning to reduce weight since I am on the border line and might soon suffer problems with high cholesterol. After 3 months of doing my first AOL course, practicing Pranayam, Sudarshan Kriya and little exercise made me lose 10kgs.
Last weekend I had a short visit to Dombivli, my home town. All of my old friends were stunned looking at me. Everyone noticed the changes, I was happy about it. Not only the appreciation of people but I was more happy that some of them expressed their wishes to do this course so that they can also achieve something. I am happy that the happiness which I have got in my life has inspired people to do those good things in their life as well.
To Be Continued….
Posted May 15th, 2012. 2 comments
It was 10th October 2006, I joined Magnet Technologies in Kandivali E. The traveling if calculated from my home till the office was very hectic.
Dombivli to Dadar : 60 mins
Dadar to Kandivali : 40 mins
Kandivali stn to office : 15 mins
other time : 20 mins (waiting for right train.. crossing through bridges.. and all)
The one way time to reach office was approximately 2.5 hours.. so daily I had to spend 5 hours only in traveling. The office timing were of 9 hours. Aggregate my 14 hours in a day were supposed spend in this. I was not ready to sacrifice my 5 hours only in traveling for getting nothing. I decided to stay near the office. I was staying in Bandra with my uncle during the initial months. It was quite good experience to stay in Bandra. Bandra is coolest and happening suburbs in Mumbai. My uncle, aunt and brothers were happy with my stay and didn’t had any objection. I was very fortunate for this. I heard from many of my friends and colleagues how there relatives treat them if you stay with them. I was really lucky having such a good relatives. However I didn’t wanted to disturb much in their personal life and was desperately in search of a new house nearby office and fortunately I met Vivek Danej.. the newly joined php developer. I moved to Kandivali .. ‘Thakur complex.’ What a cool place it was!! We had a swimming pool below our balcony however I could not get an opportunity to swim there.
I was staying there with Mango (Mangesh), Aslam Bhai (Vivek) and Nagoba (ManojKumar). Later my collage met Pranav replaced Nagoba. We had lot of fun and masti.. cooking Egg Burjee.. Dal Khichadi… Chicken.. and many other Sabjees. I was quite lucky again.. about my room mates. All were very co-operative, friendly, helpful, caring and fun loving. Vivek was the best room mate I had. May 2007 was very stressful for the roomies as we had to leave the place. We were now in search of another roof to hide. Again.. another uncle of mine were there for my help. He suggested a room of his relative (Kalpesh) at Chandivali’s Mhada Complex.
Me with Aslam and Pranav shifted to Chandivali. The house was on the 6th floor. We got down our belongings from the tempo and checked for the elevator. oooooooooppps!!! Unfortunately the lift was not working. We had very heavy things with us like the Bed.. cylinder.. my dumbells of 40 pounds.. many pans and plates and other cooking material and of course our bags. Huh ! We three get all the things on our shoulder upto the 6th floor. We were very tired. We opened the room and found the next problem awaiting for us. The room was not vacant since the built up and was full of cement and dust all over. We then cleaned and washed the room and got the things in. The balcony view was very cool. We had a direct view of some part of the International Airport from our balcony. And as it was on 6th floor we had blessed with fresh air.
Again.. next issue we found was regarding the electricity. The room didn’t had a meter setup yet. I had to stay at Dadar with my brother. But Aslam and Pranav stayed on the room without Lights.. and Fan for two days. I cant believe how did they manage those two days. When I came back I got all set. Pranav went back to his home and we got two new roomies. Pakya and Umya who were Aslam’s friends.
The room was very small. It was the typical room where most the Mumbaikars live. Hardly 250 sq feet area and four people who were supposed to leave the room for office on the same time. But we shared a very understanding relation. Overall it was quite good experience staying with the roomies. I learned different things from all the room mates I had. It was 18th October, my last day in the Chandivali room. The roomies gave me a pleasant surprise party. They had ordered delicious food from the nearby hotel. Everyone had a few words about me during the dinner. They also asked me to share my experience staying with them. These will be the unforgettable days of my life.
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Posted March 8th, 2010. 4 comments
