Satsanga with Brother Jayananda

Excerpts from a talk at 2010 Convocation, August 3, 2010

Questions

If it’s not in Master’s teachings it’s not important. Keep questions simple and practical, like “how do I develop devotion?” These are the kinds of questions that help us.

Q: Did Master say anything about 2012?

Brother doesn’t know but he says if anything does happen that we will all be okay. He traveled to India in 1987 when there was an earthquake (and other smaller quakes, too) in Los Angeles. Brother asked Brother Bhaktananda why there were quakes and he said it’s because people are putting the thoughts out there.

As yogis we can put positive thoughts out there. So we’ll be here at convocation in 2012. See you then!

Q: The Hong Sau Meditation Technique

Keep in simple. Concentrate. When you practice keep at it. This technique has the ability to slow the breath and make us much more calm. Daya Ma had the ability to focus 100% on one thing at a time. We need to do this in schools and just not teach subject matter. How to learn is just as important as what to learn. We need to learn to concentrate and sit still.

Q: What do you do when the mind is so restless you can’t calm it down?

Four things are important:

Breathe
Life Force
Analyze your Life
– are your senses being instantly stimulated?
Increase your Concentration
– by giving things 100% concentration.

Think about threading a needle – that’s 100% concentration – do that with the rest of your life. First of all, analyze your life.

Are you getting emotional about things? Are you not concentrating?

Introspect at end of day. Practice being a yogi all the time. The mind of the average person is restless and easily distracted. We have to learn to take our meditations into daily life and vice a versa. Calm the mind by right living – balanced life. Engage in plain living and high thinking. Calm the mind and eat right. We need to be able to slow the breath.

Q: If souls escape earth through reincarnation when they reach self-realization, how do we improve the current population? If the most advanced souls leave, we are left with lesser people.

Brother says that this earth was not meant to be a graduate course – we are meant to be on this earth to learn certain lessons and when we learn them we move on. We won’t make this earth into a graduate college. God set up the yugas in a certain way. Master used to yell at God for setting things up this way. God set up the evolutionary process. It’s really not our problem.

Q: Body as temple for the soul. God tests disciples in many ways. Sometimes we see people having tests, having diseases.

Ma says you can’t judge people – those who are really struggling we can’t judge – those souls are often progressing faster than those going along easily. When tests come, have faith that the Guru knows your test and is helping you. God wants us to be successful on the spiritual path.

Q: What is God’s grace?

God’s grace is a manifestation of God’s love.
50% of our karma is taken by God’s Grace
25% by the Guru
25% by the devotee

Q: What is a blessing and how does one offer and receive it?

A blessing is anything that offers one a greater consciousness of God’s presence. The greatest way to bless people is to change yourself. Then you can let the blessings flow through you. Master says change yourself and you will have done your part in changing the world. We can help people by encompassing them in our love.

Q: Why are we supposed to keep spiritual experiences secret? Why can’t SRF or devotees discuss hearing the OM or seeing the Spiritual Eye, etc.?

How can you prevent the ego from taking over? Master said that when you talk about spiritual experiences you lose them. If you feel peaceful, tell others. Just don’t get into the details of your meditation. You can talk about having a wonderful convocation experience, but leave the details out. The OM sound is not a competition; it’s a science, a natural progression in meditation. Some people go their whole lives with more or few experiences in meditation. For some, it’s like a circus. It depends on what you need – what the Guru thinks you need. You will develop in meditation, but don’t share what is sacred. There comes a place where you don’t want to share these things; where you won’t have the words to express them.

Lahiri Mahasaya experienced Babaji’s presence. He then told his friends. His friends asked him to call on Babaji. Babaji appeared then scolded Lahiri Mahasaya: “You called me for a trifle? If you need me I’ll come.”

Q: Is there a hierarchy within our line of Gurus?

There’s no difference between the Gurus, no difference once you get to a certain stage. Our techniques are founded on Christ in the West and Krishna (founding of Yoga) in the East. Master said though I emphasize Jesus and Krishna, I honor the divine truth flowing through the one God.

Q: Will Master protect my children?

You are thrown together in a family – there’s a karmic connection. Have faith in Master’s protection – in the Guru’s protection. Be an example yourself. Talk to your children. In their younger years they are more receptive. Drugs are one of the worst scourges of society – encourage kids to stay away from drugs – talk to kids as a friend.

If you show children that you care about them, if they having a loving family that they can go back to when they make a mistake, they won’t stray far from the path.

Q: Yugas – In a descending age, how do you improve?

Humans are always linear so you’re always improving, despite what yuga you’re living in. The environment in lower ages isn’t as conducive to growth.

Q: Purchasing a home – how aggressive should one pursue homes.

Master wants us to become good yogis and successful people. Read the booklet, “How to Be Victorious in Life” – it will help you to know what and when to do things – right activity. The Guru says that success is the ability to bring to yourself what you need when you need them (magnetism). If you identify what the problems are the solutions will follow. We all come into this life with karma and samskars – ways of interacting with the world, tendencies that prevent us from having what we want in the world. Look at those tendencies, introspect and try to change daily. Do it now – don’t procrastinate. When Daya Ma thinks meditation, she meditates.

From Journey of Self-Realization, “God sends to you those experiences you need.”

With right attitude life is simple. Form good habits by acting in the opposite direction of bad habits

God will show you what you are lacking so don’t run away from your experiences. You will just have to deal with them at another time.

Q: Husband & Wife – wife not as drawn to meditation

People experience this in various forms. Think about how you can change yourself. You’re drawn together – married – what practical things can you do? Pray about it. Don’t fun away from problems. Guru is putting us in situations that help us to change. We have to keep reminding ourselves that we’ve been given tools that have been changing us in fundamental ways. As you meditate through the years you will find it brings you blessings greater than you could have imagined.