MEDITATION- BABA -CONTD

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Meditation There is a small example for this. We have planted a small fruit tree. When it is a small plant, we want to protect it by giving it fences. When it is a young plant, why do we put a fence around it and why do we try to protect it? It is because we feel that goat, sheep and such other animals will come and probably eat it up and destroy the plant. We want it to grow well and we keep a fence around it. But when that plant has grown and become a big tree, then we remove all that fencing. Why are we removing

all the fence and protection at that time? The meaning of removing this fence is that the very same animals like goat, sheep and cattle, which would have eaten up and destroyed the plant when it was tender, will then come and will seek shelter and shade which the big tree now provides. The practice which ultimately gives you Moksha or liberation should in the initial stages be regarded as a plant. For this practice, the fence, which we shall call discipline, is absolutely necessary. The reason for this is that bad company, bad ideas, bad association and such other things may come and may destroy this young plant of practice. In order that they may not come and may not destroy, we will have to accept and observe discipline as the fence which will protect us. When this young plant which is seeking Moksha by Dhyana, when it grows and becomes a big tree, then even though such bad ideas, bad company and bad thoughts come close to the person, the big tree is such that all these

visitors will only get pleasure and happiness out of that tree. They cannot do any harm to that tree.That is why when we commence Dhyana and when we want to be in meditation, we should try and put ourselves in what is called a 'Padmasana'. For today's Padmasana, although there are not bad qualities and bad thoughts in you, the type of trousers, the drainpipe pants which you are wearing are coming as an obstacle for your sitting in Padmasana. You should not sit on bare ground. You should sit on either a wooden plank or on a mat or something like that. Not only that, you should not sit on a bare wooden plank. You should spread a piece of cloth over it. In the beginning, you should attempt to make a start with a wooden plank which is above the ground at least by half an inch. There are some reasons for taking a wooden plank. The reasons are that the earth has got the power of conduction and diffusion. When you sit in

meditation, because through you is passing the current of divine strength on account of your Dhyana, on account of the attraction which the earth has, you should not get disturbed. Therefore, you have got to have a plank. When we lay on electric wire inside a house, we also have a specially constructed wire which is called the earth wire and which is put into the earth. Likewise we should regard our body as our house. While thus in the house of our body we are in the process of giving rise to and establishing the divine current, we should take all precautions that are necessary by insulating ourselves from the earth and by preventing the power or the strength in you from flowing away or dissipating into the earth. That is why our ancients have taught us that we should sit on a plank.topThe practice of getting up at 4.30 a.m. at the Brahma Muhurtha, is also a very good habit. You are young and if while you are young, while your mind and body are still very sound and sturdy, if you do not start such good practices and get used to them at this age, when you grow a little older, when your body becomes a little more infirm and stiff, it will not be possible for you then to do so. It will be very difficult for you to acquire this practice at a late age. Truly, this age of yours is such that it is quite possible to understand many sacred things. If you grow older and start practices late, you may not be able to get the happiness and benefit out of the practices. There are many people who think that they will do all this after they retire. Before they retire, they always say "Duty is God; work is worship" and they go on doing all kinds of work, taking all kinds of jobs

either under the Government or under some private agency. But this is not right. It is much better that you should do these things then and there and not go on postponing. This has been told to us in the Bhagavata. top When the servants or the attendants of Yama come and pull you with a rope and ask you to move on, when they drag you with their rope and ask you to be quick and go along as your time is over, your own relations will say "Now there is no hope, put this body outside the house" and your wife and children will simply cry and say "now it is all finished, there is no more hope". Under such conditions, is it possible for you to utter the name of the Lord and offer your

devotion to God? So at this young age, I am very hopeful that you will understand the significance of Dhyana and start Dhyana and become an ideal example for the rest of the country.top Before you take your Padmasana and before you sit on the wooden plank, have a small Jyoti, candlelight, in front of you. You look at that Jyoti, the light, well with open eyes. After one minute, close your eyes; after you have closed the eyes, feel that the light that you had seen before closing your eyes is in your heart. You get the feeling that inside the lotus of your heart, right at the centre is this particular Jyoti. If you are not able to picture

the Jyoti in the lotus of your heart and get that feeling, then open your eyes, look at the light again, close your eyes and try to picture it inside your heart once again. After that, you think of it and you picture to yourself, fix it in your mind and feel that particular Jyoti is put in the centre of this lotus. After that, you take this Jyoti from the centre of the heart and move it to each part of your body; bring it to your neck; from the neck bring it to your mouth; from the mouth bring it to your hand; from the hand take it to your leg; from the leg take it to your ear; take it to your eyes; take it to your head; from the head bring it out all around you; when you have brought it out of your head, you imagine that you have taken this Jyoti and given it to those who are related to you; those who are affectionate to you and your friends. Not only that, spread the light even amongst your enemies.

After that, you picture to yourself that you have taken this Jyoti and given it to all the birds, the beasts and everything around you.Some of you may get a doubt and say to yourselves "Well, we like Rama, He is our God; we like Krishna, He is our God; we like Swami, He is our God. Why should we not take and meditate on one of these forms? Why should we have a light in front of us for meditation?" But a shape or a particular form is not a permanent thing. That is a changing thing; that is also a fleeting thing. It is not right that you should put your concentration on something which will change, which is not permanent. You must have something which does not change. That is why you have to take the Jyoti. Having the Jyoti which does not change, in your meditation you can certainly put into it, the Roopa or form which you want and which you want to pray to. There is nothing wrong in doing that. In this form or Roopa, there is always a growth and decline. On

the contrary, if we have a Jyoti, or a light in one place, it does not matter how many people may come and light up their lamps from this one Jyoti, this Jyoti is not going to diminish or lose anything. topThis first Jyoti, the source, is called the Akhanda Jyoti. Those who come and light up their lamps are called Jeevan Jyoties. So many Jeevan Jyoties, all of them have started from one single Akhanda Jyoti only. By putting this Jyoti in our heart, in each individual Jeeva's heart, the result of the meditation will be that this single Jeevan Jyoti will go and merge itself in the Akhanda Jyoti and will teach you the nature of Advaita or the oneness of this world and the entire creation.topFor this, a time, a process and a place are very essential. The place may change. Today you may be in Brindavan, tomorrow you may be in Bangalore, the day after that, you may be in another place like Madras. For this body which is travelling from place to place, it is not possible always to have a fixed place for the purpose of meditation. Even if there is a change with regard to the place where you meditate, you must take great care to see that the time at which you meditate does not change. At the time that has been fixed for your Dhyana, if you, out of your heart, are willing to offer Prema through your meditation, then surely at the appropriate

time, God will come and will receive your Prema, and will give you all happiness. You must also have heard that God is "Sat Chit Ananda" (Satchidananda). I have now to tell you the meaning of 'Baba'. Baba is B.A.B.A. The first 'B' stands for being; 'A' stands for awareness; the third letter 'B' stands for bliss; the fourth letter 'A' is for Atman. The first 'B' - being is Sat; the next letter 'A' - awareness is Chit; the third letter 'B' is bliss or Ananda. The last letter, the fourth letter is Atma, that means Satchidananda, is Atma. You also know the meaning of Sathya; Sathya is truth. It is something which is unchanging during all times. The word 'Sai' has three sounds in it; 'SA', 'AA', 'YE'. 'SA' stands for the sacred and divine; 'AAYE' means mother. In different languages, we have for the mother, Aayee, Mayee and Thayee. Aayee means mother; Baba means father. Sai Baba is the divine mother and father. 'Sa Aayee Baba' - divine

mother and father. In the same way we use the letter 'SA' for divine, for mother we can use the word 'Amba', for father we can use the word 'Siva'; 'Sa Amba Siva' (Sambasiva). Sambasiva or Sai Baba are exactly the same, there is no difference between the two. Therefore it becomes evident that this is 'Siva Sakti Atmaka Swaroopa'. So if you want to taste and experience this divinity, if you want to taste the nectar of bliss, then from tomorrow you start on meditation. I am blessing you and I am hoping that you will be able to get the happiness and bliss of divinity by such practices.top Excerpts from Discourse of Sathya Sai Baba during the Summer Course in Spirituality and Indian Cultureheld for College Students at Brindavan, Whitefield, Bangalore District

in May 1972Published by Sri Sathya Sai Books and Publications TrustWeb posted at Feb 17, 2002

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