give up regarding the unreal as real

[Guest guest]

Day by Day with Bhagavan________19-10-45 MorningA barrister from Bombay asked Bhagavan, "I have readthe works of Bhagavan and others and, though I can understandthem intellectually, I have not been able to realise anything inexperience. I have tried Bhagavan's method for about six yearsand yet I have not made any progress. When I meditate, otherthoughts come. For people like me, living in cities and doingour work and coming here only occasionally, what sadhanawould Bhagavan advise so that we may succeed better than Ihave so far been able to do?"Bhagavan: Your real nature is always there, yourmeditation, etc., come only temporarily. Reality being yourSelf, there is nothing for you to realise. All that is requiredis that you should give up regarding the unreal as real,which is what all are doing. The object of all meditation,dhyana or japa is only that, to give up all thoughts regardingthe not-self, to give up many thoughts and to keep to theone thought.As for sadhana, there are many methods. You may dovichara, asking yourself `Who am I?' or, if that does not appealto you, you may do dhyana `I am Brahman' or otherwise, oryou may concentrate on a mantra or name in japa. The object isto make the mind one-pointed, to concentrate it on one thoughtand thus exclude our many thoughts, and if we do this, eventuallyeven the one thought will go and the mind will get extinguishedin its source.Visitor: In actual practice I find I am not able to succeedin my efforts. Unless Bhagavan's grace descends on me Icannot succeed.Bhagavan: Guru's grace is always there. You imagine itis something, somewhere high up in the sky, far away, andhas to descend. It is really inside you, in your heart, and themoment (by any of the methods) you effect subsidence ormerger of the mind into its source, the grace rushes forth,spouting as from a spring, from within you.Another visitor asked, "What is the reality of this world?"Bhagavan: If you know your reality first, you will beable to know the reality of the world. It is a strange thingthat most people do not care to know about their own reality,but are very anxious to know about the reality of the world.You realise your own Self first and then see if the worldexists independently of you and is able to come and assertbefore you its reality or existence.Another visitor asked, "Why is there so much pain evenfor the innocent, such as children for instance? How is it to beexplained? With reference to previous births or otherwise?"Bhagavan: As about the world, if you know your ownreality, these questions won't arise. All these differences, thepains and miseries of the innocent, as you say, do they existindependently of you? It is you that see these things and askabout them. If by the enquiry `Who am I'? you understandthe seer, all problems about the seen will be completely solved.Dr. Syed asked, "If a person prays for a spiritual good forsay two years and yet is not answered, what should he do?"Bhagavan: It may be it is for his good that the prayer isnot granted.