Specialty of Sahaj Marg - Cleaning (Revealing the Personality, Chapter 6 by Shri P. Rajagopalachari)

SPECIALTY OF SAHAJ MARG - CLEANING

“Now we are taught to be continuously thinking. We are thinking machines. Thinking has become a habit we are not able to stop. Therefore, even in meditation, thoughts bother us. We cannot stop them. We have no control. We have no regulatory capacity over our own thoughts. 

“But what can I do, Chari? The thoughts bother me.” How do they come? If, in your house, flies are coming into the room, you look for an open window and close it. If there is a stink in your toilet, you look for the source and remove it. How can you be subordinate to your own thoughts? Why not look for the source of your thoughts and remove it?"

— Taken from the book, "Revealing the Personality (2nd edition, 2009)", 

Chapter "Relationships", pg. 52, by Shri. Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari

The most common myth about meditation is that it is very difficult. Why? Because when we close our eyes and try to focus on one thing, hundreds of thoughts intrude our consciousness, disturbing us. The mind flirts from one thing to another so fast that soon we are lost in an ocean of thoughts. But what is the source of these thoughts? Our likes and dislikes, our desires/ temptations and fears - anything that makes an impression on our heart and mind. 

Chariji (the previous SRCM President) explains beautifully in one of his talks that temptations, fears etc. are not in the object, but in ourselves. Two people are not tempted by the same thing. If six men walk on the street, one walks into the bar, another goes behind a woman and four just walk on. Why did the first man get tempted by the bar, the second by the beautiful woman and the other four were unaffected by either of them? Because something inside them are pulled towards these things. Something inside us bind us to our tendencies, desires and fears. And until these are minimized or removed, thoughts about these will disturb us during meditation. 

The Sahaj Marg System of Raja Yoga teaches its aspirants a unique technique called the cleaning. Through this process of cleaning, SRCM abhyasis easily clean these impressions. So when we meditate the next morning, we have lesser number of thoughts that disturb us. And with the help of yogic transmission (pranahuti) and the enormous help that we receive from the current Sahaj Marg Master Shri Kamlesh D. Patel and the hierarchy of the Masters of Sahaj Marg during every meditation and satsangh, the grip that tendencies, desires and fears have on us is minimized. Thus transformation  and evolution becomes very simple. 

The Blessed State - Revealing the Personality, Chapter 5 by P. Rajagopalachari

THE BLESSED STATE

In spirituality we say, “The happy man is one who is happy under all circumstances.” He is unconditionally happy - happiness which is unconditioned by anything. 

Because if you are conditioned in your happiness, when that condition is removed, you are going to be be miserable. This is what is happening in today’s world. I have a car. It has an accident and I am miserable. I have a friend and, when he passes me on the street, he does not even look at me, I am miserable. 

So you see, conditioned happiness is no happiness. We have to rise beyond what we call the temporal level of happiness where we are conditioned by the weather, by our friends, by our relatives, by our job, by everything, and go beyond.

Now, spirituality says this is possible by being permanently in touch with what is inside you - your inside, your God, your Father, your Self. If in that remembrance, you do anything, what you are doing has no impression upon you. You know, a common example is when you are deeply absorbed in a book that you are reading. Suddenly, you look at your watch and say, “By Jove! It’s three o’ clock!” You started reading at eleven. The passage of time has not left any impression. People walking outside your window has not left any impression. You have been absorbed in a book but, unfortunately there, the book is absorbing you; you are not absorbed.

Spirituality says, the inner state - if you are able to look at it, if you are able to establish contact and retain contact with it - is permanently absorbing. Therefore we have experiences during meditation of people who come out of it after one hour and say, “You know, I don’t know what happened today, but I was gone, I was lost and I suddenly woke up and found nobody in the meditation hall. Everybody had left.” It happens. It will happen to you too. 

So that state is what, in various religions, people call the blessed state.

— Taken from the book, "Revealing the Personality (2nd edition, 2009)", 

Chapter "Talk to New Abhyasis", pg. 36, by Shri. Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari

In his talk to new abhyasis of Sahaj Marg, Chariji makes yet another profound revelation. Many of us experience joys and sorrows in our lives and the state of our heart and mind sways with the outer circumstances like a flower stalk in the wind. But a truly happy person is one who is happy under all circumstances. His heart remains cheerful and at peace even when he is surrounded by the most difficult of circumstances. 

But how can one achieve this state? 

By connecting to the heart and remaining immersed in it throughout. Which is what happens during meditation. The current SRCM President, Shri Kamlesh D Patel, advises Sahaj Marg abhyasis to experience the condition of the heart after meditation, become immersed in it, retain it and make it grow. When we practice this, we realize that we can be in that state of stillness and immutable peace throughout the day, irrespective of what happens around us. 

Now the next question arises: Can we be in the state of meditation for an hour, let alone throughout the day? 

Yes, we can. 

But, as Shri Kamlesh Patel tells all new aspirants, the best proof is the individual experience. Each person can try for themselves - relax, meditate and experience the infinite beauty of the heart and how a heart-based existence can be a blessed existence full of peace and unconditional happiness.

The Ancient Spiritual Principle - Revealing The Personality by Shri Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari (Chariji), Chapter 3

The Ancient Spiritual Principle

In the East, we occupy the house and then finish it from the inside. That is the holy principle, the ancient principle, the spiritual principle. Nothing is completed from outside. It is a pointer to the fact that the spiritual occupancy in our heart must also be from inside. I think that it also indicates quite correctly that we must begin spirituality when we are not yet spiritual, and then create a spiritual heart in ourselves, purify it sufficiently, and allow God to occupy it. And then let him complete the job from inside.

So the real work is always from the inside. That is the esoteric, spiritual principle. I am happy that in that tradition, we have occupied this meditation hall. We shall complete it now from within and help it, or use it to help us, to complete our own purification, dedication of our heart from within ourselves.

 -- Taken from the book, "Revealing the Personality (2nd edition, 2009)", 

Chapter "Talk at Inaugiration of Meditation Hall, Augerans", pg. 13, 

by Shri. Parthasarathi Rajagopalachari

While talking about the inaugration of the SRCM Meditation Hall in Augerans (France), Chariji reveals a wonderful secret about how everything must be completed from within. A magnificent tree grows from a tiny seed from within the ground. It then yields beautiful flowers and edible fruits. A fetus gains nourishment and develops into a baby within the mother’s womb before it is born. In humans too, this principle works best. For a person to change, there has to be an inner transformation before it can manifest outside.

That is why meditation and cleaning of the heart, as recommended in Sahaj Marg, is so effective. The current SRCM President, Shri Kamlesh D Patel, mentions very beautifully in one of his talks, about the various stages that a Sahaj Marg aspirant goes through in his practice. The abhyasi first starts with a thought that there is a Divine light in his heart, then feels this Divine Light within him. When he continues to practice dedicatedly, he starts meditating on the Source of the Divine Light. He slowly becomes immersed in it. Then after intense abhyas, a time comes when the abhyasi becomes the Divine Light himself. This is inner transformation at its best.