Message #13441

[Jitendra Hydonus]

Stillness is not just a physical. There is also an inner stillness. Get beyond thought and completely still the mind. Many of us fill up the mind with years of techniques, prayers and affirmations but never get into the communion with God. Daya Amta has said: 'The consciousness is very alert but there is no restlessness thoughts on the lake of the mind.' 'To commune with God you cannot think about him~ Dr. Lewis Be absorbed in feeling God's presence in the spiritual eye~Bhaktananda It is not just the absence of thought but communion with God. In time we get behind the mind and beyond the thoughts.

How do we enter into the inner silence? Through the Gurus given techniques that a Master has given you. The first goal of meditation is to get to that inner stillness. God is the goal but the immediate goal is stillness. Become so focused on the techniques that there is no room for anything else. Just by watching the breath your breath will slow down. The mind and the breath are interrelated. The mind also slows down. With ever increasing attention there will be no room for thoughts. We do not achieve that inner state of pratyahara unless we still the mind.

However peace is not enough. We need to go deeper into the peace of silence. There is a tendency to get bored because nothing seems to be happening. We shouldn't let ourselves get this way. We have to realize that peace is the first step towards God's presence. The techniques are part of our duty. The peace is the grace of God. Paramahansa Yogananada said to be gently aware of the spiritual eye. If we use too much will or force the ego is getting in the way. There is a state between waking consciousness and  sleep where super consciousness lies. We cannot force our way into the stillness. we must relax into it. Strain and force never work. Be relaxed and patient.

Woody Allen once said life is 80% showing up and 20% just being there. All we have to do is show up and be there. In the stillness wait for God's response. 'In the stillness eventually comes the comes the different aspects of God.'~ Brother Anandamoy.

What do we do when the thoughts start invading the stillness? Don't fight them. By fighting them you are giving them energy. You just let them go. If you give them light and energy; you give them more power. When you see a lot of people on the street you don't run into them. Instead you walk in between them. You go by them. If you do not put attention on the for ground then eventually the background manifests. Brother Baktananda said to 'squint the eyes a bit and talk to the mind. Tell the mind to relax and be still.' When you think about it the only purpose of the mind is to get beyond it...... to be continued.

Inspirations from a talk by Brother Ishtananda


 

Our individuality has to go. We believe we are human beings. To experience the presence of God is to get out of the human or ego consciousness. If we keep meditating we arrive at a place beyond the emotions and body. Even when we say 'I Love You God" we are separated from God. It is fine to say this in prayer but we still have not reached the stillness state. We say nothing in the stillness state. We are not practicing anything. We are letting God or Divine Mother do their thing. We are still and in the presence of God. 'Be still and know that I am God'~the Bible

Jitendra