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- What about my relationships? Will they
be affected?
- Why is no money charged for Sahaj Marg,
and how is it funded?
1- Please say more about the benefits
of meditation?
When we have thoughts, it is our attention on the thoughts
that give them power. By meditation, when we are able to make
the mind single-pointed, we withdraw attention from unwanted
thoughts. This has a far-reaching effect upon our lives. Our
minds become calm, and this state of peace influences us throughout
the day. We find that when practiced sincerely, meditation:
- Clarifies spiritual goals
- Gives a more all-encompassing meaning to life
- Brings simplicity and balance into everyday life
- Removes complexities and obstacles to personal growth
- Quiets the mind and open the heart
- Helps to develop a life-long discipline
- Improves our relations with others
- Enables development of qualities such as tolerance and
compassion
- Reawakens a sense of wonder and appreciation for all of
life
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2- Do we need to believe
in the theory of reincarnation?
No. All that we need to accept is the truth that we are today what we
made of ourselves in the past, and that we will be in the future whatever we
will make of ourselves from today on.
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3- Will all my worldly problems disappear if I do the practice
regularly?
The purpose of a spiritual practice is really to realize our full
potential as human beings, not to get rid of problems in this life. But it is a
fact that many problems which used to arise as a result of our egotism and
samskaras stop coming up due to the removal of those samskaras.
However, spiritual teachers point out that some troubles and challenges
are necessary for our spiritual evolution, and thus will come our way.
Since in overcoming them we are strengthening our will and learning to rise
above adversity, it is best if they are accepted as aids to our development. Thus,
spiritual practice has the effect of strengthening us to face life's
problems in a masterly way.
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4- Is it not necessary to be an ascetic, and to renounce family
life, to evolve spiritually?
It is quite the opposite. Family life is considered as the ideal
training ground for spirituality. This is where we learn to develop patience,
self-discipline, love and sacrifice, all qualities deemed essential for
spiritual evolution. Sahaj Marg teaches that every human faculty has
its legitimate function and that the proper use of all our faculties leads
to a balanced life. Thus there are no dogmas or rigid methods of austerity
to be followed.
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5- Do I have to give up my religion to practice Sahaj Marg
meditation?
Sahaj Marg teaches that all religions have their roots in
the same common ground, which is spirituality. The spiritual
impulse is found in all people as expressed in the heart-to
heart connection between human beings everywhere. The process
of developing our inner life should not be confused with a
religious practice. A spiritual practice has nothing to do
with religion - nor does it require us to give up the outer
trappings of our religion.
According to Sahaj Marg, religion provides the foundation
for inner growth by laying down principles of character such
as morality, selflessness, brotherhood and compassion. Through
meditation we internalize these qualities and make them a
living, guiding experience which ennobles our lives, bringing
inner peace and security, as well as harmony in shared experiences
with others.
You may continue to do the religious practise until you feel the
benefits of the meditation, when the practice may just drop off naturally. However,
you should try Sahaj Marg to the exclusion of all other spiritual
practises, for the method to be truly effective.
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6- How do we meditate?
We sit in a comfortable posture, with our eyes closed, and make the
thought that the heart is filled with a divine light. We are not required to
see the light, nor are we required to imagine the heart. Remember, all that we
want to do is to replace all the thoughts that the mind would normally throw
up, with one thought, that of the divine light in the heart. We are asked
to sit in this manner for at least half an hour in the morning every day.
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7- What do we do when thoughts interrupt our meditation?
When we meditate, we will of course have thoughts. We are taught not to
attend to these thoughts, but to ignore them. Thoughts have no power of
their own, but depend on the power of the attention that we give them.
So, if we ignore them, they will fall off. By developing the ability to
hold this one thought during meditation, we progressively develop the
ability to regulate our minds. So, we use the mind to regulate the mind.
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8- Please say more about samskaras?
Science says every action has a reaction in the physical
plane. Spirituality says every thought or action performed
with the feeling of 'I' or self-consciousness leaves a trail
of subtle impressions in the heart and mind. These impressions,
known as samskaras, become the seeds of future thoughts and
actions which again lead to formation of more impressions.
Repeated impressions of the same kind solidify into tendencies,
and then into habits - physical, mental and emotional, --
and eventually we become a slave of these habits. A little
self-observation will make us aware of some of our habit patterns.
Thus, in a very real sense, we are slaves of our past.
Sahaj Marg believes that it is crucial for a spiritual system to offer a
solution for the accumulation of samskaras, which appear as coverings
around the human soul. Through the combination of meditation and cleaning
practices, we have the opportunity to live and act in the present
moment, gradually becoming unencumbered from the thoughts, worries and emotions
that color our lives.
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9- How do meditation, cleaning and transmission combine to make
us evolve spiritually?
Meditation helps to focus the mind by regulating it, and
thus prevents formation of fresh impressions or samskaras.
Cleaning helps to remove the effect of past impressions or
samskaras. The transmission then fills this void that has
been created through the removal of the past samskaras, and
divinises us, thus making us evolve.
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"As power can be transmitted, as thought can be transmitted,
as speech can be transmitted, so also spirituality can be
transmitted. When the transmission is made into the heart of the
practicant, he is filled with a force higher than himself and therefore,
this transmission gives the practicant the possibility
of growing without limitations." |
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10- What role does the guide play in our lives?
Sahaj Marg does not ask that we accept the Master
as anything other than a guide. It takes time to develop faith
in any other person, let alone the Master. The first step
is acceptance of the need for a guide or teacher. The next
step is the building of trust, through experience. If we keep
our hearts and minds open, we will progress spiritually, and
come to accept that the Master is serving us, and not the
other way around. This will bring about a deep and lasting
love for the person who is prepared to give us his all, in
his efforts to help us to progress to our goal. Remember,
acceptance must come from the heart, and not from the mind.
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11- What about my relationships? Will they be affected?
This is largely upto the individual, and depends
on the quality of the relationships. All of us have a variety
of relationships of varying intensities. Some are personal,
some business, some mere acquaintances, and so on. Very few
of our relationships are life-long and or genuine. Sahaj Marg
will help us to see these relationships with a clarity that
was often absent, and help us to revitalize them, through
love, sympathy, tolerance and forgiveness.
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12- Why is no money charged for Sahaj Marg, and how is it funded?
How can anyone be charged for being given what
they already possess? Sahaj Marg says that spirituality cannot
be sold any more than the sky can be sold, for no one owns
it.
Sahaj Marg is funded solely through voluntary
donations, in whatever way people are moved to contribute.
There are no paid positions in the organization; all work
is done voluntarily.
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