(Piero, a newcomer, asks Giridharji how to meditate.)

Just relax …

Piero, what are you looking at?

Piero: Flowers.

Can you now turn your attention inwards? When you are sitting with your eyes closed, what do you see? What do you feel?

P: Warm.

Do you feel quiet?

P: Yes, love and quiet.

Try to stay with the quietness and at the same time if you can, be aware of whatever there is –whatever the content that may be in that quietness. And be relaxed. Try this for now.

 (After some time:)

Has there been a change in the content? Were you observing this change?

P: I see something but I don’t know what it means…

Can you describe the change?

P: I’m seeing a huge ball of fire, on it there is like a black dot which is kind of an eye. There is red and yellow all around…

Must be the eye of Marifa, the third eye! (Laughter) He must have lost it and you found it – it seems!!!

P: This ball of fire is like a ball of sun – very, very strong.

Is there a change in state?

In the beginning you were inquiring how to go about meditation and now we inquire again. Earlier you felt secure, and now is there any change in the state of the mind – has there been any change? Can you differentiate?

P: Much more peace.

And were you keeping with the quietness?

All that which you say you saw, or you see, where do you see it, in whom do you see it? Or let me put you a question – who is the one who is seeing it?

P: My body, maybe my eyes, I don’t know…

There is the one who is observing – the observer – and there is what you see. For example, I see this flower – this is the object of my seeing.

So who is the seer, the one who is seeing, the observer? This is being seen by the seer. You see all this. Therefore you are not what you see. You are the one who sees – the observer – the subject, not the object, the seen. Can you be the observer all the time? That is important, the observer.

P: I would like to go beyond, but I also like it, it is not a weight on me…

Yes. We are not talking about whether it is pleasant, unpleasant; all that is part of the experience of the observer. The observer can observe the experience of pleasure, pleasant, as well as the unpleasant, the displeasure. That is why it is very important to be the observer constantly under all circumstances, in all change, very important. That way you become aware of even the smallest detail and change. It is the beginning of freedom.

There will be changes – you will see things, you will not see things, that is beside the point. But the observer remains – the one who does not change. In spite of all the occurring changes in you that you may or may not become the ‘you’ as the observer remains.

So the practice is to observe anything and everything, pleasant or unpleasant. To be able to observe not only the outside but the impact the outside or the things and people can bring inside you pertaining to your feelings, emotions, reactions – to be able to see that also, pleasant or unpleasant as it may be.

It is truly then that you become a seer. And this is to be done in everyday activity as we practice it when we sit for meditation and reach to a relaxation in our being.

The observer is very important, and then from there you can turn your attention to any location and even so be concentrated inwards in your own Being, turned to itself so to speak.

P:  Like yesterday night when we were in the forest I saw images of figures on the rock, like on the mountains, many images.

Have you seen them before?

P: In the Mahadev temple the images were very elegant… It happens more often on sunset or dawn…

Usually people here they see all kinds of food!!!

(Group laughter)

Marifa: That is the advanced state!!!

So now that you are here, we are sure that people will have enough variety of food!!!

Did you feel restless yesterday in your sitting? How was it the first day?

P: I could not concentrate because it was cold.

How was it anyway? Was there restlessness?

What we have to try to reach is this quietness in our Being.

Through being time and time again with this quietness – inner quietness, it awakens a certain process that leads you to increasing enlightenment in your self – that is why your every act must be free of all attachment, inner attachment, clinging – it must be liberated in the inside of you. That is why the observer is important. As the observer, you can even observe yourself in activity – now that is a great art.

Of course it does not stop there. To be able to make room, to be able – through concentration – to open, be vast, be universal.

Through staying with the quietness the mind becomes quiet, even the breath becomes quiet.

To reach to this quietness is very important. And throughout this process the observer is always there. The observer is always behind and beyond what it observes and so when you observe your thought, feeling, etc. – remember!

But you are hardly if ever aware of the observer, or you give it not the importance it deserves to stay there long enough – nay, constantly – because from there you can become the master of your attention.

And this must be the priority. And the rest of your activity and things must be so that they are conducive to this sadhana – practice.

So it is a practice. And a time comes through this practice that you can do so even in your activities. This awakens the Force in you which is now asleep.

Why it is important to be an impartial observer, to practice to be one, is because when this awakening happens, it brings with it a lot of strong change and activity within – and that is an understatement. A lot of ‘dust and storm’ is raised from the different and many layered consciousness and your sub-conscious not to mention your personality and if one has not laid the right ground through practice it can bring a lot of bother.

Your activity, your movements, your quietness must be in tune so that the flow of the force is free; otherwise it interferes with the free flow of its movement and the unfolding process that happens with it. That is why it requires a complete ‘cleansing’ and ‘opening’ so to speak of one’s self internally.

That is why the sincerity is required. That is what is meant by surrender – surrendering to your own Divinity. There is only one Divinity, manifesting in many ways. And when it awakens, it pushes through your back, it pushes through your front, chest, head – truly opens your eyes.

And yet there are forces out there and in you that will interfere with you, try to obstruct. That is why it is important to have done the homework beforehand so that you would know what can interfere with its flow, with its process and therefore progress. Your own self can be a friend to you and your own self can be an enemy to you – thus says the Gita – so true, if only you would see.

You are to be vigilant constantly – this is why the emphasis to be sincere – then the forces of interference would not find a chink in your armour. They sure can if you are not sharp.

One has to be on guard, has to be responsive – and it is from the word ‘response’ comes responsibility – to be able to respond to each moment impeccably. Responsive to the Truth within, you will respond to the Truth everywhere.

Each moment will be a moment of perfection. The perfection that is responsive to the moment is grounded in eternity. Therefore each moment is as important as the next, and the one that was before it…

Are you living the moment?

For that you will have to come to a stop in your being – to the truth within.

The Observer remains.

 

 

Panchmadhi

14 January 1995