Jaz sem To - dobrodošli

THE IDEA OF PROGRESS: the spiritual ego

Q. How am I to know if I am making any progress in my meditation?

AS: Those who meditate a lot often develop a subtle form of ego. They become pleased with the idea that they are making some progress; they become pleased with the states of peace and bliss that they enjoy; they become pleased that they have learned to exercise some control over their wayward minds; or they may derive some satisfaction from the fact that they have found a good guru or a good method of meditation.

All these feelings are ego feelings. When ego feelings are present, awareness of the Self is absent. The thought 'I am meditating’ is an ego thought. If real meditation is taking place, this thought cannot arise.

Don't worry about whether you are making progress or not. Just keep your attention on the Self twenty-four hours a day. Meditation is not something that should be done in a particular position at a particular time. It is an awareness and an attitude that must persist throughout the day. To be effective, meditation must be continuous.

If you want to water a field you dig a channel to the field and send water continuously along it for a lengthy period of time.

If you send water for only ten seconds and then stop, the water sinks into the ground even before it reaches the field. You will not be able to reach the Self and stay there without a prolonged, continuous effort. Each time you give up trying or get distracted, some of your previous effort goes to waste.

Continuous inhalation and exhalation are necessary for the continuance of life. Continuous meditation is necessary for all those who want to stay in the Self.

"Treat children as if they were Gods. Love them with all your heart and with all your soul. If you really love children the love that you feel for them will encompass them also. And they will become loving children. I don't mean love them with a human idea of love. I mean really love them. With all your heart and all your soul. See them as a sacred being. See them as a God. And realize divine right action is pouring itself through them. See only the goodness in them. Become an example for them. Do not tell them to do anything that you wouldn't do yourself. Children become what they see not what they hear. Therefore if there is peace in your home, if there is love in your home, there is joy in your home, I mean real peace, real love, real joy they have to pick it up. It has to pour into them. And they will react with love and with peace and with joy. They will grow up to be kind, compassionate, beautiful human beings and this will become a new world."

-Robert Adams

Prvič sem obiskal Poonjajija junija 1990. Takrat je živel pri sinovi družini, v mestu Lucknow v Indiji. Ko sva z ženo prispela po naporni štirinajsturni vožnji z vlakom iz Nainitala v predgorju Himalaje, sva se znašla v vročini devetin-štiridesetih stopinj. Najprej sva telefonirala Poonjajiju in povedal nama je, kako prideva do njegove hiše. Ni se nama sanjalo, da bo to, kar se bo zgodilo ob petih popoldne, tako spremenilo najino življenje, da nikoli ne bova mogla biti dovolj hvaležna.

Tisti dan ni bilo drugih obiskovalcev. Sprejel naju je v dnevni sobi, kot da sva družinska člana. Ponudil nama je piškote in čaj. Nikoli v življenju nisem doživel takšne ljubezni na prvi pogled! Ni besed, ki bi ustrezno opisale lepoto v tistih očeh. Čez eno uro sva šla z njim na sprehod po ulicah. Kar je prej delovalo kot hrupno, vrveče mesto, je postalo paradiž, ko sva hodila ob njem. Zadnje, česar se spominjam tistega večera, je hoja proti najinemu hotelu. Tedaj sva doživljala radost, kakršne prej nisva poznala.

Pri Poonjajiju sta se me najgloblje dotaknili njegova ljubezen in ponižnost. Ko je moja žena čez nekaj dni zbolela, je osebno telefoniral zdravniku in ga vprašal za nasvet. Vsak dan se je napotil na tržnico, kjer je kupil svež jogurt in zdravila. Odpravil me je nazaj v hotel z natančnimi navodili, kako naj skrbim za ženo. Nato je še poklical voznika rikše, plačal vožnjo in mu podrobno razložil, kam naj me odpelje. Njegova ljubezen se je dotaknila vsega na njegovi poti!

Tisti teden je bral poglavje iz Abhishiktanandove knjige, ki opisuje srečanje tega krščanskega meniha z njim, leta 1953. Ko je Abhishiktananda vprašal Poonjajija, zakaj ga ni razsvetlil, mu je Poonjaji odgovoril, da ni »ločenega posameznika«, ki bi ga bilo treba razsvetliti. Samo um si ustvari predstavo o individualnosti in potem o vezanosti ter razsvetljenju. Tudi v času najinega obiska je govoril isto. V šestdesetih letih se ni nič spremenilo. 

Kakšen zaklad čaka bralca v poglavjih te knjige! Učiteljeve besede so jasne, polne ljubezni in lepote. Ni lepšega prizora od pogleda, ki ga naš ljubljeni Papa nameni človeku, željnemu samospoznanja. Največje možno darilo je, da takšen mojster hodi po zemlji v času našega življenja.

Predgovor k 2. zvezku knjige ZBUDI SE IN ZARJOVI (KLIK: več o knjigi)